CHINA A REPUBLIC.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXXIV, Issue 1018, 12 March 1912, Page 4

CHINA A REPUBLIC.

Even an informed observer ot things Chinese like Mr Archibald Colquhouu irankly admits that the rapid progress of the Chinese revolution has greatly surprised him, but, to juuge Irom an article whicn he cunuioutes to the Fortnightly Review, he is still in doubt as to the results which the revolution will achieve. He holds that, as the Chinese have now certainly gained the essentials ot democratic liberty, they need not be too much concerned with the actual lab el attached to their future government. What, in his opinion, is above all things necessary is that the reformers should establish a strong central government, capable of placing the army, navy and finances of the country on a modern and efficient basis. He admits that a genuine public opinion has actually began to make itself felt in China, but points out that, after all, the proportion of foreign trained and educated is a mere drop in the bucket in a population of 400,000,000. If the empire is not to break up or lall into a state ot anarchy, the 400.000,000 must have some powerful central control to replace the semi-divine monarch, who has hitherto been the focus ot social, religious and political lile. At first sight a federal republic, such as Sun Yat Sen advocates, would seem to be the only model for Chinese reformers to follow. Already the several provinces have local assemblies and all the machinery foi local self-government. Like the States ot the American Union, they enjoy the right to recruit local militias, and they are fiscally independent. China might easily be split up into autonomous States, but the real difficulty for the reformers begins when they try to provide the connecting link to federate the States. Until now the provinces have been held together by the unity of the maudarinate and the tradition of allegiance to the occupant of the Dragon Throne, no matter what the dynasty to which he belonged. Mr Colquhouu thinks that the Chinese, though remarkably democratic in a social sense have not been educated up to the idea ot democracy in a political sense. He fears that any attempt to establish a thoroughly democratic system would throw political power into the hands of groups such as the secret societies, or the clans in country districts. Hitherto these groups have been kept in check by the Central Administration, and if genuine reforms are to be carried out very large and real powers must be wielded by the National

Executive. The danger is lest the government should fall into the hands of an oeigarchy, as in Mexico—a change which, according to Mr Colquhoun, would probably be no improvement on the present Chinese s} r stera, and would not be tolerated lor long by a people who have already enjoyed a very large measure of freedom. Mr Colquhoun states that he has had an opportunity of learning at first hand the theories ot some of the more advanced reformers. They contemplate a republic as the only means of getting rid of the Mauchus who stand for reaction, but they intend to set up a strong central authority, and, following the precedent of the Turkish revolution, that authority will, to begin with, be a military one. They look, In short, to a military domination to last for a term of years, upon which will follow a transition period leading up to lull constitutional government. Whether a republican form of government, with a sufficiently strong central power, can be inaugurated is very largely a question of personalities, and Mr Colquhoun suggests that it is no disparagement ol an earnest and selfsacrificing opostle of reform to say that Dr. Sun is neither a Garibardi nor a Cavour.