The Dominion. WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 28, 1914. PROGRESS IN CHINA.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 1969, 28 January 1914, Page 6

The Dominion. WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 28, 1914. PROGRESS IN CHINA.

The march'of events in China haa made il very plain that the nation is not yet in transition from despotism to representative government, as some reformers had hoped, but haa merely exchanged one form of despotism for another. The representative of a'tottering dynasty has been replaced by a strong man hacked by an army; Presides? Yjjas-Shih-Kai being firmly entrenched in po-.ver, nominally as an elected ruler, but really as a military The Parliament born <?f the .revolution bias been pushed iato the background.

I and under rho masterful handling oo r the .Pvcsvlcntp.is 'vapidly losing- ;i\V; ily.*Sft.China^MV ? iiVltepublic ; *6nly in narrie^-'iind"l.l ii. Sun-.Yat Sen,-and other ".leaders who' set " their. hojx's upon, thft.ostrtbnshmen t o{ representative v government have boon , driven out of the field, and /: many of them into exile. ..These .developments seem to have. Iwen: incvitablc,' : .:for;,it.-has been clearly ■.•demonstrated '■■ that"' the immediate application of'democratic principjes :..to .' the ..govornnient of China is a"sheer .impossibility.. A small educated minority has imbibed Western ideas,.but the great mass ol the population is sunk in apathetic conservatism, and shows no signs of awakening.' In ths circumstances, a simple appeal to force was bound to prevail over an appeal to reason and to tho public, couscience. Politically, the nation is asleep, and stooped in iudifference, and tho attempt to rftise ready-made democratic institutions upon such a foundation was so obviously foredoomed that it is a wonder it was ever attempted. Apparently the Chinese Republicans hoped that their countrymen would learn to adapt_ themselves to liberal institutions ; in other words, they believed that democratic institutions would produce a democracy. The absurdity of these aspirations in itself goes a loflg way towards justifying the lino of pclmy that has been followed by Pre3ll)ent Ytian-Shih-Kai. It would be, unreasonable to arraign him as A usurper who has overturned representative government for the simple that representative government in China has never existed in any effective sense, except in the imaginations of a handful M ardent reformers. To all intents and purposes, Yuan-Shim-Kai ■ has re-estab-lished the old system of personal rule. Although he has lately laid rough and violent hands upon the Constitution of the.new Republic, his actions throughout have been marked by consistency and fixity of purpose. When he was recalled to power by the Manchus at the outbreak of the revolution in 1911, he made no great effort to save the dynasty which had dismissed him from office only a short time- before, but lie was anxious to preserve a Monarchical system of government, believing that a.Republic _ was not suitedto conditions in China. For the time he was overruled by the successful revolutionary party, and assented under pressure to the inauguration of the Republic.' but he maintained his position at the head of affairs as provisional President.

The attack which Yuan-Shjh-K<ii has since much upon the advanced Republicans cannot lie described as an attempt to abrogate popular, rights, for tr»s.o had novct , beeii asserted except hy a political party which no more represents tho population of China than docs the President himself. Yuan-Shih-Kai has acted all through on the assumption that strong and stable government in China 'dcniands an efficient ■CttiUralised control. In the Republican Parliament he found himself opposed by the Kuomingtang party, which set itself to hamper his Government in every possible way. They opposed the conclusion of the Mongolian Treaty with Russia at the grave risk of embroiling China- in war with her powerful neighbour, and obstructed a reorganisation loan with the Powers, although the country was on the verge of bankruptcy. The President' concluded the . loan over the head of the Parliament, and the Republicans retorted by organisiiig a rebellion in the.provinces last .rear, which failed ignominiously. Tha Kuomingtang could not prevent the formal' election of Yuan-Shih-Kai as President, but they passed an Act designed to paralyse the power of the Executive. Tho President met tho position by proclaiming the dissolution of tho Kuomingtang party, and expelling its members from both Houses of Parliament. The fact that this drasy tic action does: not appear to ha\"4s aroused active opposition in any part of China is in itself highly significant, as indicating that the preceding, contest was a. mere play of surface forces in which the people as a whole took no interest, and from which tho strongest and most powerful competitor naturally emerged victorious. On the face of it, Yuan-Shih-Kai seems to have met his opponents on their own ground, and beaten them. Neither narty had a "popular mandate," and neither was in a position to make any effective appeal to the people. Late evc;;fs have produced no very material in the situation. The .pottvr of the Parliament is broken, and a period of suspension was followed a Sow weeks ago hy its dissolution. Meantime the President hris decided to set up an Administrative Council which may he designed either to supplement or to supersede the Nati.uiaJ Assembly. The members cf the now tody arc to be at least thirty-five years of age, and must have hud ten years' experience of official life, The object of the President evidently is to establish a council of conservative tendencies which will support a cautious policy. He has stated publicly that ifc is his aim to establish lav. - and order, "after which efforts should be made to unite tb , people in the paths of progress," The Cabinet has-lately outlined -i far-reaching . programme of reform, but this is regarded as a genera! plan to be carried out by slow and gradual stages. It is thought probable that Yuan-Shih-Kai may return t<j the programme of constitutional development which was interrupted by the revolution. It proposed, briefly, that after the creation of provincial councils, a National Assembly, consisting largely of nominated members, eliould meet afc Puking to advise on the reforms to be carried out as,a preparation for constitutional government in 1917. In any case, a policy o.f slow and gradual development may be expected. Naturally Yuan-Shih-Kai has not been able to.pursue his despotic way without incurring a i good deal of odium, but available information suggests that prospects in China aro regarded on the whole as being bettor than at any time since tin revolution. This is the opinion expressed by the London Times, which further states that if Yiun-Shih-Kai can permanently assort his authority thnrn is a chance of definite improvement. ■. ' .