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The normal school in Nanking applied to the Government for permission to bear arms. It is reported that the application was granted and arms have been issued. If this be correct the news will spread like wildfire, and similar demands are now cropping up in other important centres and will become general.
Enthusiastic meetings are being held and all sorts of inflammatory talk indulged in at Wuchang. A military student addressing a public meeting said he was prepared to shed the last drop of his blood in the defence of the country, and in a most dramatic way chopped off his finger in the presence of the audience who were much impressed by the act. This sort of thing appeals to Orientals as it would not to us.
A similar act was performed in another provincial capital, and the slaughtered member wrapped up and sent to the governor as a proof of the sufferer's willingness to give his life for the cause.
The students and others are becoming hysterical, and are fervently asking to be allowed to defend the country against foreigners. In this frame of mind and with arms in their hands violent acts against foreigners are certain to take place.
The Government instead of severely checking this absurd movement are doing nothing of the sort. Where they are not actively encouraging it by permitting the students to enrol and actually issuing arms, they are standing aloof and permitting without any protest the movement to develop. One attitude is almost, in Oriental countries, as dangerous as the other, for failure to object to the course pursued is immediately construed to be an encouragement to proceed.
The above is only one phase of the situation. There are several other factors which go to increase the gravity of the case. I will name a few of them.
The Railway Loans.--I have no doubt the Central Government is wisely advised in pushing forward a vigorous policy of railway construction throughout the Empire. They are equally well advised and safe in borrowing vast sums from Europe and America to build these lines, Given proper and honest administration, they would in every case yield handsome returns to the Government, and open up the country as nothing else can do. Unfortunately, the moneys are not either properly or honestly administered, and the railways and their loans are becoming a danger to the country. Fierce opposition has been aroused in the provinces against the control of railways and the loans by the Central Government.
The Chekiang and Kiangsu provinces started the ball, and after a bitter and At the time of prolonged fight they compelled the Peking authorities to give way. the controversy it was clearly seen by many that if the Government gave way to the noisy provincial they would initiate a policy subversive of government and would directly encourage the provinces to disregard the authority of the capital, and that is what has happened. All outstanding cases are now blocked, and have been so for years. Peking is helpless.
It
The provinces have demanded the right to build their railways with their own funds with varying results. The Shanghae-Hangehow line has been constructed, hut competent foreign engineers state that the work is most indifferently done. is stated frequent accidents occur, but the administration do not allow any details to get abroad.
The Canton-Hankow Railway proceeds but slowly from the Canton end, and the directors are fighting among themselves, and are being impeached for malversation of funds. At the Hankow end nothing has been done,
Many other railways are held up for lack of funds, and because of the peculation of the sums already put up.
Tien-tsin-Pukow Railway, being built by the Chinese with foreign funds, has called attention to itself by the frauds perpetrated at both ends by all the Chinese
connected with it.
The
The section of the battle over railways at present most in evidence and causing the most noise is the Hankow-Szechuan line, especially the Hankow end. Szechuan people are reported to have put up, some three or four years ago, 1,000,000, taels for their end of the line, but the Provincial Government has "borrowed" it for other purposes. This seems to have given the scheme a set back from which it has not yet recovered.
The Hupeh people, led by the students, are making frantic efforts to get their own way and build the railway with their own funds, and absolutely decline to have a penny of foreign money on any terms. They held large and enthusiastic meetings, and sent off with great "eclat" and accompanied by vast crowds their representatives to Peking, where they now are. They are led by students who have returned from
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Japan, and one has frequently and publicly proclaimed he will sacrifice his life rather than permit any foreign funds to be employed in the line.
Great meetings are being held in the guilds every Sunday, and the people are exhorted in flowery language to subscribe for shares. The shares are to be 5 dollars cach, payable 1 dollar cach year for five years. people are urged to put up their money and buy. are promised. The avarice and fears of the people are being exploited to gain the end in view.
All classes and conditions of Glowing prospects of profits
At all these meetings reference is made in violent and unflattering language to the foreigner and his money. The speakers are steeped in anti-foreign views which misrepresent the foreigner and hold him up to ridicule and hate.
The Peking Government is, as usual, vacillating. Full reports are sent down every week by the representatives. These are reproduced in the papers, and are referred to in all the speeches. The longer action is delayed, the worse things become. At one meeting last Sunday 5,000 people were said to be present listening to the harangues, and thousands were turned away. The same hysteria seen at the students' meetings is visible here also, where the students are everywhere prominent and active.
The present railway running into Hankow from Peking has passed into Chinese hands. The line was redeemed a year ago with funds provided by a European loan. All foreigners were dismissed and Chinese have run things their own way with the usual result. All the train services are most unsatisfactory. Peculation is rife everywhere. No money is being spent in upkeep of the road or in maintaining or renewing the rolling-stock. Foreigners who have recently come on the line inform me that the engines are frequently breaking down. One man watched the Chinese engineer stuffing up paper with straw and tying them up with rope, and thus slowly finding his way by this means from station to station. The whole concern is going to wreck and ruin; and yet this line is responsible for finding the yearly charges and providing a sinking fund for a 5,000,0001. foreign loan. The end is not difficult to foresee.
Newspapers.The Chinese newspapers are multiplying in every city. One and all are engaged in spreading the doctrine of hatred of the foreigner. Every little incident is seized upon and made as much of as possible. One such incident out of many that appeared in the papers while I was in Hankow may be cited as an example
of the above statement.
The paper declared that a Japanese woman was carrying on her arm a basket containing vegetables. As she proceeded in Chefoo from the market to her home a couple of coolies, carrying a basket of cocoons, collided with her, capsising her basket of vegetables into the street. The coolies stopped to pick up her belongings for her, but the woman did nothing but curse them and call them slaves and the sons of slaves, and so on. The article dwelt at length on the condition of slaves into which Chinese had been reduced by the wicked foreigners. They, the Chinese, bad sunk so low that they did not even know they were slaves and sons of slaves. Every day pabulum of this sort is served up, showing the people that all their ills are due to the foreigners and that they must at all times and everywhere be resisted.
The circulation of the newspapers is now very great indeed and wherever they go they carry the news that but for foreigners the Chinese would be wealthy and happy, and consequently the only way to overcome present disabilities is to oust the foreigner. From all this seed a harvest of trouble is certain to be reaped.
Officials anti-Foreign.-On all hands in every province is seen abundant proof that the officials, in other words, the Government, are opposed to foreigners. The people are not slow to learn the wishes of their superiors.
In Hunan the law has gone forth that no title-deed may be issued throughout the provinces unless it contains the stipulation that the land shall never be sold or leased to foreigners. This action is being resisted by foreigners, but in the meantime the mischief is done. The officials have drawn the law so tightly that no scheme of any kind is sanctioned in which foreigners have any part or share.
Chinese are beginning again to learn that those who make themselves friendly
to foreigners are objects of suspicion and are liable to get themselves into trouble.
Voluntary Subscriptions.-All sorts of societies are being formed to raise subscrip- tions for three national objects :-
1. Paying off all foreign loans and indemnities.
2. To build a navy.
3. To build railways without aid from foreigners.
[2675 c-1]
B 2
451
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