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▲ far more serious defect in the system was that it rendered a comprehensive and consistent imperial policy impossible. Under it the prov- inces were not so much departments of one empire, as separate principalities, ruled by antecrats absolutely independent of each other, and virtually independent of the home govern. ment. Even within the limits of the single province one governor might undo what his predecessor bad done. Neither a settled frontier policy, nor A proper adjustment of taxation, nor even a proper estimate and control of imperial expenditure was possible".
Without changing one word the sentence is true of China at the present day. One of the main factors in bringing about the abuses complained of, i' not actually the paramount factor, was, of course, in both cases the distance of the provinces from the central administration, and the difficulty of intercommunication. Another equally active in both cases was the shortness of tenure of office, though in Rome this was more serious than in China. Its effect in hoth cases was similar in inducing the holders of office to look upon the office itself a8 an apponage to be exploited for the personal benefit of the holder, not the advantage of the province, On the other hand one great abuse which did not exist in Rome, is rampant in China, and more than anything lse is effective in cl gg 0.1 the Very first steps towards progress The oman Senate, however corrupt it became in other respect, never made the appointment of a provincial officer an occa- sion for acepting bribes. I Ching the aystem of bribery, gradually reduced to a regular assssinent, 18 actually the chief source of reve ue of the central Governmeut. As if this were not suffi ient, the evil is aggravated by the fact t at the runnchs and chamberlains, who hang useless y about the Court, ar peru isted to exct irreg lai vals of undefined amount rom all candida for ingh office, as pre-mi-a ie hef re attaining audiences. Thi, last is, how ver, the abuse of all others deist t imperial minds, and the mere sus ge-tion that some change in the internal offices of the Palace might prove useful for the sta e, has recently
more than once net with the resentiment o
the DOWAGER | MPRESS. Indeed it scem possible that the 18 of favour underne by YUEN SHI-KA: bim-elf is not remotely a-sociated with a simula, suggestion oų ais Now although reforin・ere is urg ut- part. ly needed, he would be but a poor statesuan who would attempt to tear up the roots of the evil plaut without providing a practical substitute. No Chinese states mau of the day has risen to an understanding of the fact, and this is another reason why the pre. sent agitation for reform has effected so little. There is no continuity in it, in fact, nor any atter pt to bring any one thing to a practic issue before starting off on a new line alto- gether. Last year the cry was for representa tive government all through the Empire. Doubtless the Chinese character is quite capable of assimilating itself to such a sy tem of government. In the guilds which permeate the country representative natives are accustomed to discuss affairs of state, and these institutions exercise a very whole some influence in checking the beginnings But of evil practices on the part of officials. from the necessity of the case the action of the guilds is turped into obstructive rather than into constructive channels. This year the cry has assumed quite a different direc- tion; the very same individuals who were before clamouring for a constitution, and holding forth representative government as the one thing needful, have been led off on a different, and equally impracticable track, and constitutional edicts have given place to anti-opium proclamations. This want of
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THE HONGKONG WEEKLY PRESS AND
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[February 4, 1907.
over the
We do not talk in our present leader of the would-be financial reformers, not that the subject is in the interests of China unimportant, but that we have given a sufficient dose of advice for one day.
GILBERTIAN CHINA.
ability to distinguish what is practicable | Other large quantities went from what is merely sentimental is in fact northern passes into the valley of the Han, the great drawback of the uative character so that, as estimated many years ago, the which dominates and spoils his best inten-annual opium export of the province amounts tion, just na it was the blemish of the to something over a hundred thousand picula Pigtail Party at the last British elections, of a value of some 22 million taels, Now Our readers will remember in what a light- į with this sum the population of Szechwan. hearted manner the whole question ¦ estimated at 40 millions at least, are almost of representative assemblies was taken up, entirely clothed, and to a large extent fed. and how one or two Imperial edicts were The people who talk so glibly of reform, supposed to h: efficient to bring about and who would, to suit their own pre- a change which would have entailed the conceived fads, turn the world upside down, entire reorganisation of the whole system of do not pause to consider any of these government from the Emperor to the things, nor ponder what they are to substi- village tipao. The whole thing resolved, tute for them. itself into talk, and nothing but talk of the most ille character, and when this was exhausted the whole thing went off in vapour, and cow not even a word is spoken. The same process we se; going on to-day with regard to opium. Opium is a curse, we may allow, but the practical statesman before permitting himself to be carried away by sentiment looks at the mundane side of (Daily Press, January 31st.) the matter; and asks himself may not the The aspect of China in its alleged atste to be Gilbertian. attempt at its removal be accompanied by of reformn continues even worse evils? The greater we make Numerous straws show that the wind still the evil, the more difficu't becomes the task blows in the old way; numerous little of eradicating it. Some enthusiastic oppo- incidents, more or less amusing, démonstrate nents of opium in any form make out that that the China of a hundred years ago is sou e two out of every five men are addicted still with us, and that the professions of to the babit of opium smoking. They regeneracy have not been accompanied by of would propose to eradicate it by forcible a corresponding chauge of heart, or means; the Emperor has in their view only methods. It could only be in the China to issue an edict-"Tremble and Ober with which historians have familiarized us and heigh presto!—the thing is done, The that an official like Viceroy SHUM, late of practical siat sman knows how little con. Canton, could for so long a time continue nection there is in nature between command to act in direct disobedience to the com. and obedience. At the most there are mands of his indulgent EXPRESS, eren tu three to carry out the order agiust two, the extent of refusing to proceed to the That it is HO but one of these is bound to be indiffereut,
scene of his new duties. if not hostile, so the machinery breaks down question of merely failing to accept an at first attempt. But more than this, offered appointment, an incilent which the practical statesman knows from bitter would be accepted as normal elsewhere, is experience how dangerous is the attempt to made evilent by the shifts to which he bas forcibly interfere with "ny pra tice indulged been resorting to avid what is regarded as in by any considerable section of a com- exile for this formerly favoured official. munity, and how even with the best First he must set thio:s in order at Cantʊn. intentions, interference is likely to engender then, when the arrival of his successor still more dangerous and evil practices. virtually drove him forth, he would first go In the casf opium the anti-opium to Peking to pay his respects and thanks to agitation in the past bas gone far towards the Throne. Taking a lot that his formal engendering such an evil. The Chinese expressions of gratitude and loyalty might people were WI Il enough content to ex- on this occasio be dispensed with, he
" under Shanghai
medical ercise the pium habit in the way least | lingered at prejudicial to their minds and bodies, | advice",
much intriguing and and simply put it in their pipes and smoked | bargaining was carried on for an exchan ge it. The anti-pium reformers, to cure of posts. Finally, he had an inspiration hem of the habit, taught them to similar to that which first convinced the swallow morphia pills or give themselves EMPRESS DOWAGER of his superlative merit. hypodermic injections of the same alkali. He referred to the disloyal elements of the We see the result already. Of course it Yangisze provinces, and suggested that he taken in time the Chinese Government could might profitably (to Her Majesty) mike a with the willing concurrenes of the Foreign tour of inspection to unearth the rascals. Powers have prevented the importation of It is reported that he was scolled for a morphia, but the fad was not on thein, busybody, and ordered to start at once for and the opportunity was lost; now the his new but distasteful place, which, by the attempt is like locking the gate after the way.
was gool enough for his father. stealing away of the trad.
Poor SHUM Would possibly now listen But even here the difficulties of the cas: ¦ appreciatively to even a missionary discourse do not end, for the economical spect has of the folly of putting trust in princes. grown of Imperial importance. The large
Passing by the Chinese Government's and rich province of Szechwan owes in fact, preference for offering its famine-stricken the greater part of its prosperity to its cuastituents eleemosynary doles rather than export of opium. Last year. and the work, au the ground that “a loating man amount was little more than the average, eats less than a man who is working", thirty-six thous and picule of opium, valu- we May at least seven and a half million taels pass the custom houses nt Ichang alone, in addition to large quantities conveyed! through the passes, and in other ways well known to the Chines: trader. This is not all; Ichang only represents one of the regular routes, and large quantities, prob- ably nearly as much as passed Ichang, went by the Wa River, crossed the portiges into Hunan, and supplied largely the South,
while
meption Also the incidenta attending the recent Elict exalting Con- PCCIOs to the divine level in official worship. That was prompted by the Provincial Judge of Hupeh, Liama TING.Fgn, the anti foreign official who was al-o responsible for the recent Imperial snuḥ to YUAN SHIB-KAI through his herchian Taxo SHAU-TI. After basking in the EMPRRIS-Dowaqur'a farour for a few days, this reactionary adviser of hers has just gone back to