| Show THE CRISIS I IN CHINA Continued dI From rom Pair On Ova One sire Hire to make mako m Ce an end of or railroad pro pro- The flagrant thefts of o or orp p public funds runds made It absolutely n nece necessary ce sary eary for tor the central authority to sto stet in and attempt au to remedy the situation The Canton provincial railroad com cam campany von pany for Instance succeeded In disposIng disposing ing of or shares amounting to about HO- HO all ali of at which has been expended and the construction of at loss less than 10 miles of at railroad Is the only tangible tl result In the case of or tho Hunan compan company com coin pany pan about was raised am and every ever penny was spent In the tho construction construe tion of or thirty-five thirty miles of or line IIno and ond th the company bas several large debts debt outstanding out out- standing standing- It Is not known definitely Just how much money was wu raised forthe for foi forthe the road but It Is said uld to b beabout bo be about of ot which were lost In Shanghai through the failure fail fail- failure ure ire of ot native bans banks and speculation peculation In ir rubber plantations by the men who ho had the funds in charge They were never punished It was to stop such abases and thefts that tho the government decided to takeover take takeover over all aU tho the lines In the empire at an ar arbitrary price The only argument argument umen against state ownership that is at all allworthy al worthy of ot attention Is that It tl merely tends to centralized Instead of provincIal provincial provincial pro pro- corruption That there Is some Bome truth In this contention Is IB beyond question Since the accession of ot the re regent ent he has made str strenuous n effort to centralize power at Peking PokIng The first illustration of this policy was when hon the great greal pneumonic pla plague ue epidemic swept over Manchuria last winter Kor or or the first tint lime time In the history of th the empire the authority waa was vested In to the throne Then came mc the centralization of the army under the emperor In a a. bombastic edict the emperor was placed at the head o of land and water forces In order to Inspire a sense of ot patriot patriot- ism in his subjects The profession o of ot otI 1 i arms had hd too long lone been assigned to the lowest Bt step p In their social scale for tor the thee e edict lct to have the effect Intended ed A soldier Is IB regarded as oe a hired assassin I of ot the ruling power and the people have had sufficient experience with the braves to cause th m to look I at t ap any one wearing the Ule dragon shirt of ot one considers the reports report rebel successes at Canton Canto and d other places the the size stze 0 of the vast past empire should ld not nf be forgotten for tor a moment lost lest one lose tho trio proper sense sensa of ot proportion There are millions of or people today toda In China who have no knowledge of the revolution being wa waged ed Nor would they be bo Interested if It the they did know v. It is much the tho same to them which master they serve as the they have been in a state of or serfdom for tel centuries It would be mighty difficult difficult dif dif- for tor either cither side In the rebellion to convince these people that they the will not be squeezed in any event So what matters lt it the they reason who la is In power We have hae to foot the bills eventually e and such being the ease case It behooves us to till our land to raise the necessary funds to appease the Avaricious avaricious avaricious ava Ava- appetites of ot the mandarins the they say There Is no doubt that the revolution Is abortive so ao far tar as Sun Bun Tat Yat Son Sen the agitator now touring this country countr IB is concerned and there Is reason to bell believe eye that It Is not one rebellion but a series This opinion Is confirmed by the news from Canton where tho the Insurrectionists capture the city and organized a re republic republic republic re- re public of or their o own n quite Quito Independent of oC the republic proclaimed In the Tangi Tang Tang- i tsze aIle valley However the government go I has shown Its Inability to deal with tho the situation at present Peking mo may maybe maybe be able to stem Item the tide until the revolutionary leaders can be bought over Should that plan succeed we ma may maysee maysee see a a. succession sue of or the bloodiest massacres massacres mas mas- acres In history for tor the never forgive tor an enem enemy The Tho downfall of ot Prince Ching who isho has held the balance of or power In the u fora foreign for ign n office for two forty s the the Man Man- years spells ells the downfall of or chus as a party part though the emperor still will be chosen from their clans Prince Ching has hoa been a stumbling g block to real reform ever since he be became became became be- be came ass associated with the government Ho Ile Is foreign anti anti progressive In fact tact anti with but one ex exception exception ex- ex he is strongly pro pro-mone The story that his Mis associates offered him the vermilion silk cord a a. polite polito manner I of or telling him to commit suicide may mayis mayor I or mav not be true but tt It Is certain I r J i 41 T Ol e de 1 th 1 l s on r lv 1 o a that mat rince Ching's lUll a is 0 vJ y matter of days Now ow comes the news of or Yuan Shih Kats Kat's resignation atlon from the position of or premier which leaves the regent without without without with with- out one strong man capable of or grappling grappling grap grap- pling with the situation It Is reported that Yuan luau has thrown In his lot with the rebels Th That t IB is not surprising as there is reason to believe that Yuan Is the real leader leader In the rebellion During During During Dur Dur- ing the three years rears he has been In is retirement Yuan perfected his plans for the future which embraces himself himself him him- self as regent of ot China He is an ambitious ambitious ambitious am am- man and It is not man many years ago when he could have seized tho throne for Cor himself with the consent of or tho the foreign powers lIe He neglected the o then because he was not certain certain of or the the support of oC the army Today the army would would welcome Yuan Yuan as the regent and so 80 would the entire country countr Liang yens yen's resignation as head of the Is certain to follow tollow Yuan's Yuan s 's withdrawal from office Theeo These two men are arc Intimate friends and Liang Is a of or Yuan's Without capable leaders the government govern govern- government ment stands In a precarious position from which it Il will be difficult to extricate ex- ex himself There is 11 one solution to the situation that ml might ht bring about peace and the contentment contentment the abdication of or the regent The he people are fighting the re regent ent and the clans he I not not the boy emperor The prospects for a republic are arc too ridiculous to toI toc I c consider seriously That the present position was foreseen foreseen fore tore seen lIeen by the prince e regent Is certain and as far as possible he sought to prore pro- pro para paro re a 8 refuge refugo for the boy emperor Baron ron Liang Kwal law in to the princess of Chun last year purchased purchased purchased pur pur- chased a palatial residence on Meadows road around which on nn enormous enormous enormous enor enor- wall was erected This house was gorgeously furnished and arms were stored In the basement That this may become became the abode of or the Prince and Princess of or Chun and their son son- emperor Is not at all unlikely should the situation at Poking become too hot for them The Tho house Is In the British concession and the garrison of British soldiers would be practically obliged to protect the refugees What will the end bo be Without doubt a better more mora progressive and modern modem China The Chinese have been living In the past for too long While the tho remainder of ot the world progressed they have hl slept The he awakening Is certain certain certain tain to be bo rude and cost many lives but when the Dragon finally gets the sleep out of its eyes and realizes Its own strength the remainder of of the world will be shocked b by the suddenness suddenness suddenness sudden sudden- ness with which It will emulate Japan |
