426
CHINA AND REPRESENTATIVE
GOVERNMENT.
(Daily Press, 11th June)
:
1
THE HONGKONG WEEKLY PRESS AND
nation such as theirs, or indeed of any nation at all. The particular weakness of the system which is presented for their con- sideration is precisely that which is most calculated to cause them to hesitate to introduce representative institutions, after ! the pattern familiar to Englishmen and Americans, into China. If there is one thing which the Chinese official dreads more than anything else, it is the possibility of the masses obtrining undue power and over- ruling the more mature judgment of the higher and better educated classes; and when they see one of the highest officials virtually impeached in the highest legisla- five assembly because there has been some irregularity about giving a Chinese coolie a few strokes of the bamboo under the sanction the Chinese official specially appointed to the Transvaal in order to protect the immigrants, and without any complaint having been made either by the men themselves or by the Chinese Consul sent to look after their interests, they may well have some doubts whether gov rument carried on in this manner is in accordance; with the eterual fitness of things or likely to conduce to peace and harmony, if intro- duced into China. If they take cognisance of other measures which are occupying the attention of Parliament at the present time, such as the legalising on the part of trade unions of action which would be illegal on the part of other persous, au 1 the suggestion that women should have the vote as well as men, they may be excused if they come to the conclusion that these things may do well enough for the outer barbarians but would never be useful or aceptable in the Celestial Empire.
It is somewhat significant that at the time when the question of introducing some form of representative governinent into China has come to be discussed as within the range of practical politics circumstances have arisen in Great Britain which have brought the shortcomings of that system into undesirable prominence. Very few, in the present day, will be found seriously to doubt that repre- sentation of the people at large is essential to the proper government of any country. The time is past when the most reactionary politicinus can seriously maintain that any thing but national disaster in one form or another must sooner or later result from the attempt to govern any large nation without providing some means for properly ascertaining and giving effect to the views and wishes of the people at large. At the same time thoughtful men have not been without their doubts whether we have as yet hit upou the right mode of attaining this end by constitutional government, so far as it has been developed up to the present time. That there should be some means of inducing those in authority to act in accordance with the wishes and opinions of the people at large o one will be disposed to gainsay, nor will anyone be inclined to deny that this essential check is best found by elective institutious. The acceptance, however, of this undeniable position does not, by any means solve the whole problem, and the question is cou- stantly cropping up in one form or another how adequate representation is to be
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(June 16, 1906. defects-of individual officials and not to the system which they have to administer.
CHINAMAN'S INHUMANITY TO
CHINAMAN.
duries
very
(Daily Press, 12th June.) There is in one of the many books relating to China a story which we remember vaguely, without knowing whether it was intended for fiction or fact. It told of a certain Chinaman of inferior rank but superior impudence who coveted the factory and property of a wealthy neighbour. There was enough of detail to demonstrate, with considerable vraisemblance, how he dispossessed his neighbour and managed to instal himself securely as undisputed owner. The bribing of false witnesses, the theft of title deeds, and the convincing of an officin! by a trick, were parts of his procedure. We have always considered it as a humorous exaggeration, even if it were not wholly fiction. Some recent statements published as sober fact remind us of the tale, and * more serious make us consider it in light. It is important to bear in mind, in view of the suspicion all critical foreign comments rest under, of being prejudiced against things and ways Chinese, that the statements to be referred to are made by a Chinaman, Mr. LANG PAO-YUNG, so recently as the 5th of this month. This gentleman writes to the North-China Daily News of "the utter lack of justice or even fairness " with which Chinese are treated by their own officials-even in the Foreign Settlement. His story is to the following effent. Over twenty years ago the China Paper Mill was established by Chinese within the boun- we
A of foreign Shanghai. Of course any such conclusion, as no
well know, would be erroneous, as it would prosperous business resulted and continued be based upon an abnormal state of things, almost to date. The property and works which we have every reason to hope will have been field and managed throughout become modified by counteracting influences, exclusively by Chinese. No foreigners bad or from which time will bring about any interest in it at all. Even now the salutary_reaction; but it can hardly be
owners are descendants of the original owner. The present value of the concern conceived that the Chinese omissaries will realise this fact, which indeed is but is estimated to be a quarter of a million
Some time ngo Fla notorique imperfectly grasped even by thoughtful and taels.
be character called YING Kwei-shinG, at far-seeing British statesmen. doubted therefore whether very much will present alleged to be under arrest as be attained towards inducing the Chinese an accomplice of the still to adopt a system of representative goveru. | torious prince of bandits, VAH KAH-DER ment by what they will see of its working set up a claim as part owner of the Paper abroad. There is quite as much to dis- Mill, a claim which we are left to under- courage as to encourage them in what they stand was legally groundless. The claimant will find existent either in Great Britain į some years ago hud
been officially unprincipled and America, or in France and, in a modified stigmatised as degree, in other European countries. If untrustworthy person". It is state l 'that "through.his influence with the they are wisely directed, they may seiz the this man, truth that with all its shortcomings repre various Chinese officials and high Chinese sentation in some form is what is most authorities, which influence it is generally essential to the security and stability of believed comes from his close as«nciation government; but even if they are convinced with VAH KAH-DER", was able to cause of this, they will still be faced with the the Chinese Chamber of Commercefta difficult problem how what is good in summon the owners to answer his c'n'i representative government can be grafted As the Chamber is not ʼn judiciál body, snů
"has no judicial rights even under upon the system existing in China with as little of its defects as is possible. Chinese law", and as they had no hope of a proper result following the intervention This problem is by no means easy of solu tion; but before anything practical cau be of this body, the Mill owners refused to go. effected, it has to be solved. In order to YING is then alleged to have obtained do so, it will be necessary to make # "secret order" from the Chinese Mixed Court critical examination of the whole internal magistrate for the closing of the Mill pending administration of the country am to settlement, As it is stated that a foreign ascertain where it is defective and where attorney was instrumental to this end, we it can be improved in the direction of may dismiss the suggestion of irregularity. representation with a view to the introdue. The order may have been unfair; but it was tion of that system when the country lius probably as legal as the anomalous arrange-
This must of necessity ments at Shanghai permit anything to l become ripe for it. be a slow process; and it is also n process. It is asserted, however, by Mr. Lang to which the Chinese from their instincts the Police for some time refused to execute are unfortunately but little inclined, as hey this order, on the ground that it hold to the idea that the government of their country is per ect in principle and that if things occasionally go wrong it is due to the
obtained. It is manifest there is absolute standard. Generally speaking, it is admitted on all sides that there should be such representation as will fairly give effect to the views of the people as a whole; but this still leaves the question how that end is to be attained in any given circumstances unanswered. The best reply that can be given to it is that that system of representation is desirable which in given circumstances best enables the people to obtain the enforcement of their views by those who are immediately responsible for the Government of the country. This, however, is manifestly a very wide definition and opens
the door to very divergent views as to the degree to which representative institutions are desirable in any given case. The TBAR of Russia, or his most reactionary advisers, would not be disposed to deny that the people should be represented in some way, while the PRESIDENT of the United States would not gainsay the fact that the power thus conferred upon the people 'must, be restrained within certain limits. Thus the questiou always becomes one of practical statesmanship, not of abstract theory, and the greatest admirera of popular government cannot but at times feel some misgivings as to the manner in which, its principles are applied. The means of carrying out such a system must always be, in some form or other, party government, and we have of late haud illustrations of the dangerous lengths to which party spirit may be carried even in countries long used to a representative system.
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at I
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The Chinese, who have gone to Europe to study among other things the question of representative government, must be struck by what has taken p'aco the recent general election; and, they rightly grasp the facts, it may be doubted whether they will be greatly impressed with the advantages of such a omde of procedure for the government of a
It may
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more no-
illegal, which they would scarcely havē presumed to do if a foreign Assessor had participated in it issuance. Yet it `ls
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