September 16, 1907.]
and so on, up through an exceedingly elaborate system of centralisation. But they never have, and we doubt if they ever will, manage an effective administration of the whole empire. The secret is that it is too big, and its composites too diverse, to run as an entity. The dreams of a federated British empire are fated to failure for a like reason, and Russia and America will before long be adducible as instances, like the Roman empire and the still-born empire of NAPOLEON 1. We hold the belief that there is an unsurpassable limit to the size of empires, and that when that limit is approached, a natural and inevitable process emmences analogous to that in the kingdom of the lowest unicellular organisms, which obtain reproduction and continuance by an assexual movement known as spontaneous fission. Anyhow, history is with us, in showing that the fate of the unwieldy empire is as the fate of the Tower of Babel.
LOCAL MRDER TRIALS.
(Daily Press, September 10th.) The great responsibility devolving upon a governor in the case of confirming or commuting the capital penalty of crime will be readily admitted. Few people would care to share it with him, and the general reluctance of men to serve on juries in cases where the verdict of guilty may mean death has been fairly oficeable. With this scruple in view, it is fair to assume that unless they feel very sure indeed of their facts, the jurymen will hesitate to condemn the prisoner. They gladly avail themselves of the judicial instruction to give the prisoner or prisoners the benefit of any doubt. We are informed that in the case of the Indians convicted of the murder of a compatriot, and afterwards, in what we may perhaps be excused for considering a hole-and-orner manner, re- prieved, the jurymen had no doubts as to the justice of their verdict, nor of the extreme penalty they expected to follow. In the case of the Chiuese convicted and sentenced for the murder of a compatriot in Des Vox Road, we believe that if the opinions of the individual juryinen were taken, they would all declare that the prisoners are as much or more entitled to commutation as or than the Indians were; but we still await the official announ- cement that a like mercy has been extended to them. We hope it will be shortly forth coming. We are moved to refer again to the matter in consequence of reading a reference to the Singapore case, about which we had something to s y.
A contem porary, referring to a petition for the free pardon of SANDWELL, who killed a fellow soldier, makes the astoun fing comment that "the voluntary commutation on the part of the Government se me to show that it feels that a miscarringe of justice has taken place." This commeut puts the embarrass- ing responsibility of a governor in even atronger light. So far as we have been enabled to follow the Singapore case, the reprieve was prompted by a popular senti- ment and the fact that the prisoner's record up to the time of his lapse was untarnished. This is not far from: establishing a principle putting murderers on a par with dangerous dogs, entitled to their first bite gratis. The contsution was that the man had a "brain- storm," or be would not, with his record, have done such a thing. The contention now, in pleading for his free pardon, seems to be that he will ever have another-a proposition which has only to he put into words for its absurdity to appear. By-and- by humanity is going to be very sorry for this namby-pamby reluctance to deal
CHINA OVERLAND TRADE REPORT. faithfully with its abnormal members, unless | it be awakened in time to a sense of its suicidal sentimentalism. Meanwhile, as a local question, it will invite ver awkward comparisons if those Chinese are hanged, and the Indians allowed to live. We would urge their reprieve.
THE PEKING APPOINTMENTS.
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(Daily Press, 11th September.} The calling up of the two veterans, their Excellencies CHANG CHI-TUNG and YUEN SII-KAI, to the Grand Council, and their vacation of their offices as viceroys of the Hukwang and Chili respectively, implies, even more than is apparent on the face of things. Practically it means the final dis- appearance of the Inst of the old generation; which was itself the immediate legates of the evil traditions of the Lins and Yehs, who by their crass and wilful ignorance of affairs really brought on the long tale of China's humiliations, from the "battle" of Chuenpi in 1839 to the occupation of Peking in 1900. In no one case were these hostile movements commenced by the Foreigner, who was held up before the nation as a fit subject for reprubation; and these rulers to whom were entrusted the preservation of order were in every case the instigators of the lowest mobs to violence. It was, in fact, the unfitness of the individual re- presentatives of government, and their iguorance of the first principles of order and control, that in every case brought on its own punishment. But like as were the lower officials, truculent and ignorant; so likewise were the chiefs, from the Emperor himself downwards; 80 that instead of the errant officer receiving condemnation and (where he deserved it) degradation from the heads of the state, in each use the perpetrator of these senseless outrages senseless because they could not fail to be revenged by the recipient--was rewarded with honours as the upholder of the dignity of his country. On the other band inen like KISHEN and KIYING, who by dignified mien and suave demeanour were practically able to turn almost about their fingers such comparatively unsophisticated agents an POTTINGER and Davis, and who really meant well to their country, ended their lives miserably in banishment. The in evitable consequence of this was the two wars of 1842 and 1858-1860. Hardly better than these was the next generation, when men like LI HUNG-CHANG rose to the head of affairs. With sufficient knowledge of extern al affairs to avoid the blunders of adopting openly the policy of displaying the tone of superiority which coat their predecessors so dearly, they yet sought, by playing off one Power against the other, to get the lowers themselves to act towards one an- other the same gam". The result was the Japanese War, wherein China met with even worse treatment than before, aud hal to suffer still deeper degradation, as it was their own nearest neighbour who this time came to the front, and made_thew_submit to still harsher term*. Still LI was unable to read the lesson aright, and China was near having to pay the peualty in entire absorption in the Empire of Russia, then at her height of power. From this she was saved by the skin of her teeth by her lite enemy, but hai to undergo the still fartber humiliation of being made to feel that she could no longer pose as a nation dealing on equil terms with even the despised Japanese. But the old leaven was still at work, and this time it was the EXPRESS DOWAGER, who had contrived to prolong her regency over a benevolent but weak EMPEROR, and in the uprising of
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Peking in 1900 hoped with, as she thought, the connivance of Russia, to get rid once for all of the hated but now feared Foreigner. But Russia, even if she cared, could not dissociate herself from the other European Powers, and the result was the flight of the erring DowAGER, and her unwilling ward. At last the lesson was apparently learnt, but it necessitated the coming to the front of an entirely new class of statesmen, amongst whom Lu KWEN-YI, the late Viceroy of Nanking, took the most conspicuous place, and with the friendly but unobtrusive aid of England succeeded in dragging China out of her latest, but most formidable difficulty.
For a time the Empire was practically ruled by the three men, Liu KWEN-YI, YUEN SHI-KAI, Viceroy of Chili, and CHANG CHI-TUNG, Viceroy of the Liang Hu. We have lately spoken of the last two of these; the other unfortunately perhaps for his country, died a couple of years ago. Both of the others have proved themselves faithful and patriotic servants, and it is largely owing to their influence that the position of China has been of late decidedly improved, and that she has been again able to hold up her heal amongst the nations. This, however, has not be in accomplished without much misgiving. The old idea that China can succeed in shaking herself free from her engagements with the world at large is unfortunately still rampautam mugst too large a number of her raling class, and YUEN Sar-kar has been made the scapegoat, and narrowly escaped two years ago from being depose; fortunately for China, by keeping his own counsel and acting judi- riously, he was able to stem the current and the Empire was probably saved from a worse fall than ever. But the future is by no means assured, and all the schemes propose as reforms are hardly yet within the reach of China. It is therefore perhaps not altogether to be regretful that the more violent reformers have not bee permitted to have their way, and that China has been proceeding on the whole cautiously.
It is a
Whether the latest departure, and the banding over of the provinces to the new generation of Statesmen will raise China to a higher relative position, of course, rests one of the problems of the future. reassuring sign, so far as it ga, that CHANG CHI-TUNG and YrEN SHI-KAI have been place-l in a position, where, if disposed, they can wield a large influence or good. After all, with all its faults, and they have been many, China has always hal an attraction for those who have been associated with it. It is not by chance that in lividual Chinese statesmen when they chose to uuband them- selves have generally exercise a particular charm over even the most intelligent diplo- matists of stranger nations; sometimes, as we have noticed, with even able men, who have unconsciously been unable to with. stand their arguments, even against their
Own
better judgm1nt. What is true of individuals is largely true of the uation as a whole. Chin is something more than merely interesting, and her statesmen, though often childish almost in their ignorance, me yet on subjects of which they have sufficient knowledge the most agreeable of contestants. Few of the now numerous eavys sent abroad but have succede I in gaining the confidence of the courts to which they were accredited; and though this has occasionally been acco1n- plished by arts verging on humbug, the lact is, however we account for it, that the Chinese Minister never permits himself abroad to sink into a nonentity. This is a matter of universal experience, and in judging of the probable future of China at
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