Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1871-11-20
AN AMERICAN IN CHINA.
Conrucius a Jenersonian Democra

Oufucius a JeffersOnfan Democrat
Congressman James Brookes writes
from Pekin, under date of August 27
some interesting notes on Chinese polity.
He says:
Before / leave Pekin | must try to
convey to you my impressions Of what
this government is. 1t seems to be a
democratic despotism, and hence per
haps the secret Of its old age and long
preservation. Confucius was a sort Of
Thomas jefferson or Ben Franklin. He
laid down great practical democratic
principles, and they have ruled empe-
rors and mandarins hundreds and hun
dreds of years. Confucius created a
public opinion and a system of prece-
dents that no despotism could ever safely
ignore. Then, the common people,
through their instructed mandarins,
guide and overawe, if they do not even
sway, the Emperor. He is afraid of the
people, and the mandarins are afraid OF
the people too. There is as much pub
lie opinion here to be respected as in
Great Britain or the United States. No
hereditary aristocracy of any kind ex-
lists. No mandarin can transfer even
his buttons, to say nothing of his post,
to his children. When these mandarins
are made governors Of the provinces in
China their power is quite absolute,
but the Emperor is omnipotent, Of
course, over them. The provinces are
like our States, with certain rights that
mandarins must respect when sent
there. Hence the government is no
where absolutely absolute-that is, with
safety to itself.
THE RAILROAD AND TELEGRAPH.
Intelligent mandarins would like to
build railroads and telegraphs, it is
thought, but they dare not, it is believed,
as yet. No mandarin feels potent
enough to advise the Emperor to run a
railroad over the graves and through the
graveyards of Chinese revered and wor-
shipped ancestors. The trouble in
erecting telegraph-poles is that super
stitious Chinaman believes land all are
more or less superstitious) that these
poles will interfere with the Fung-Shuey,
" wind and water, species of geoman-
cy. or belief in the good or ill-luck at
tached to particular local situations that
the poles may have struck.
An event has just occurred which will
hasten the erection Of telegraphs. The
grand Pekin Council of Scholars have
Just awarded two competitive prizes to
two Cantonese scholars, the highest hon
ors of the empire. The news was sent
from Shanghai by sea telegraph to Hong
Kong, and reached Canton days before
the news could come overland. The
Cantonese were astounded and discred-
tied the intelligence until the long-looked
for Pekin Official Gazette came overland
and confirmed it. Then there was won
der and marvel over that intelligence
and all China, from north to south, is
asking if it, will do to give foreigners
the means of more rapid intercourse
with the exterior of our empire than we
ourselves have. Interest, their trade
and commerce, think, will soon dispose
of that Fung-Shuey, and give China the
telegraph.
We have opened the great river, one
of the greatest rivers in the world, and
by steam we Americans do nearly all
the coasting trade there, with Shanghai.
Mandarins now prefer our boats to their
junks to travel in. Europe and America
have taught Cinnamon how to cast can
non and to make rifles. Their factories,
under our auspices, are almost equal to
ours. Their rifle is as good as our
Springfield rifle. Their ships-of'war are
now putting on formidable fronts. If
England again comes into conflict with
China it will not be so easy a conquest
as in her last two Chinese wars.