THE UNEASY ORIENT.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 598, 28 August 1909, Page 5

THE UNEASY ORIENT.

PRINCE ITO'S VIEW. CHINA MUST HAVE A CONSTITUTION. OR TROUBLE MAY ENS"UE. (By, Telccraph.-I'reaa Association^— Oopyrlcbtl . Toklo, August 26. Prinoe Ito, who lately resigned tho position .of Ivopident-Genoral in Korea, in a speech at Fukushima, in tho province of Oshima, said he dmjbted whether China could successfully adopt 1 .a constitution, whilo failure would imperil the peace of'tho Far East. ■ Among his reasons for doubt the Japanese statesman.gavo the following:— Firstly, the enormous area of the Empire, and its defective communications. Secondly, its immovable oonserovtism, forbidding a change oven in tho sy&tem ■ of taxation. >. Thirdly, that the Chinese were . untrained to locrJ administration'. '

A ohango on tho latter point was, the speaker declared, , a prelude to a National Assembly. ■ ' . Prince Ito said ho was astonished at the silence of Occidental publicists on this question, so vital to tho peaoo'.of. tho Orient. REPLY BY-CHINESE CONSUL. - IBs Telegraph.—Prats Association.) Auckland, August 27. The Chinese Consul, Mr. YungrLiang Hwang, who arrived from Wellington to-day, touched 1 in the course of an interview on a cabled message from Tokio respecting Prinpo Ito's ?J l ee S! l- dc! notwder that ho has doubts Whether Chiir} could successfully.adopt a constitution, , he said laughingly.'' "lie u-ould endeavour to disoflurago us all lie could, but wo do not lay great stress on his utterances.. He should rtmienjher .that we haveten years to p™pa and eight of them yet to! run. What have we done?. Look at the rapidity with which we have built railways, and the manner _in which our postal system has been extended. Regard the, way in which' we have bfen getting translations of all-the most approved; authorities on constitutional law, and tn®.: student? and men of learning we ! h?ve sent abroad.to study maderir.methods^and'pro-' gross, and to make inquiries on "the constitu-. llt,n a' question. : AVe have' hundreds of stu-> dents studying in the different countries of Europe find 10,000 in Japan. • ,' '. ;' ''I,6Mnt_ you that lyo, have difflciilties to encounter. \\ p may. have confusions as to the systoni wo shall evontualLy adppt, but wo are now following you step by step, and will gradually get to a- sound, 'basis after a few W#» of experience.- .fhis desire for progress is not .only on tho part of the Qovdrninent; but people are eager., to obtain knowledge to.fit them for tho ohango and look forward hopefully, to when the day .arrives for its consummation. • ■

'Immovable Conservatism'—such a term is altogether wrong to' apply, to: China. We have abolished our examination system of 300 ' years to a modern system of education., Qoes .that' 00k like-. that we are untrained in local :administr<i.but;, we •.have, only: just: awakened,'and We are anxious to learn .'Westerii'methods:; I think myself: that what 'has.•'taken'- Japan'4o vyears to'adopt ttiay be adopted in China in 20 years." .- ;' .. '