The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1878-10-31
CELESTIAL POLITICS.
written for BY Member Of the Imperial


II is one Of tho pleasant fictions Of Chi
nose politics that the toxpaying citizens OF
Pekin govern themselves and elect their own
| municipal officers. There is tradition that
| four thousand and three years md six moons
| ago Tait-soo tho then regning potcntatc be-
! slowed the inestimablc boon Of local suffrage
upon his Pekin subjects in return for very
| handsome congratulatory address which they
rendered him on the birth Of son and heir.
Tradition also relates that at the early age OF
eighteen months the young prince came to an
end by collie. whercupou Tait-soo retainted
upon the taxpayers Of Pckin by taking away in
everything but name the suffrage which he had
| grnciously conferred.
Being an Emperor who prded himself on
| keeping his word Tait-soo sill permitted his
urban subjects TO 60 through the form OF hold
| ing primaries. nominating mandarins and vot
| ing for them on election day but tho Emperor
was careful that the nominations should be die
| taiod beforehand 10y himself in the inner palace
! Of the Imperial Garden al Ten Thousand
| Blooming Flowers. This was the origin Of the
custom. peculiar to China. Of debating nomina-
tons.
Whether this story is Historically exact or not.
it is wcll-known fact that to the present day
the pekincse keep up the farce " local elections
| and free will in politics. while the Brother II
| the sun and Moon really runs the machine TO
| suit his own imperial notions OF cNpediency.
Nor can the taxpayers reasonably complain.
| What right have the citizens Of pckin to say
who shall be their mandarins; What voice
| have they in the administration Of their local
affairs beyond cchoing the will Of their impc-
rial master Had not an untimcy collie carried
of the infant son Of Tait-soo. four thousand
and three years odd moons ago, the case might
be- different A. it is. let all conservative China
| THANK t. that IA lng flunrl Thorn n
Master whose prcrogativc it is TO be admired.
reverod. and obcycd. AMI who graciously spares
them the trouble Of thinking for themselves In
| local politics.
From Tait.soo down 20 Kuane- 500. tho pres
ent Emperor. the time-honorcd practice has
been observed without variation. Every year
In the moon OF Ki-h literally ripe pumpkins.
his Majesty the Brother Of the sun and Moon.
and Cousin of the Planets and Little Stars has
regularly called around him the wcarcrs 81 the
green eirdc. aud produced from the right
hand pocket Of his imperial trousers roll Of
rice paper. tied with n golden cord. There
upon all the wcarcrs Of the green girdle have
regularly prostrited themselves AZ fun length
before The Emperor while the most exalted OF
thcm-a mandarin ofnot loss than six buttons
has crawied NJ the jraeon-spaneied step Of the
throne with one hand shading his eyes TO pro-
tert them from the dazzling ,nalgencc Of his
august Masters c0untenahrc and the other
hand cNt"nied 20 receive the roll. For four thou
sand and three years and odd months the tax
payers %, Pckin have read the names inscribed
On the roll ~ rice paper. and then. with much
beating Of gougs Illumination Of gunrowder
and display e. lanterns, have proceeded TO vote
the imperial ticket
How beautifully simple this method s and
how strange that it- divine origin and practical
value should ever hav" been called in question :
OF late years. aud chiefly on account Of the
partial destruction OF the great Chinese wall
and the alarming incursion Of Fan-kwi. or
foreign devils. dangerous and incendiary here
sizes have crcpt into local politics in Pekin.
There is now a faction Of DISCONTINUED citizens
who 20 80 far in their revolutionary sentiments
as 10 proclaim that the taxpayers Of pekin
would bc better on II they took the alministra-
ton Of municipal affairs into their own hands.
or course such sentiments. rejecting as they
do upon the goodness and wisdom Of the Sol-
tary and Un~lualled ono. the Prince Of Heaven.
are infamous and impious IN the last degree.
Happily they are confined for the most part to
the low dives and dens u vice. and the loss en-
ightcned quarters Of the metropolis When
ever the Emperor's police hear n citizen utter
ing treason II this sort. they seize him at once.
llc Is condemned without unnecessary delay a.
be hewn into pieces. and distributed in every
province Of the Flowery Kingdom while by the
Emperor's gracious mercy his relatives and
wiies relatives To the seventh remove are al
lowed to take advantage Of the to-to-that IL, t.
hang themselves 10y their own pigtas.
Ii is infinitely Ia the credit Of the Brother Of
all the Luminares that under these crcum-
stances with horesy so dangerous making in
sidious advances in his capital city. he allows
any citizen OF Pekin 10 continue TO live at ALL
only does he permit his metropolitan subjects
TO continue to exist, To pursue the avocations of
daily lite. 10 wear green. tho color Of the i'm
pcrtal dynasty and 10 ENJOY the ineffable fra
Crane" and glory Of his presence but he also
rcirains from dcprlvlng thom Of the traditional
privilege u going through the motions Of Il
free election. Fall down ON your faces We bar.
barian nations, and worship the mugnaniulity
Of such a Prince!
Tho people Of Pckln we'll understand that
this uneXampled forhcarancs is partly due &c
the influence at court Of the imperial tester and
antic clown. the Mantchoo dwarf Fo Ii. who
amuses kuang $500 by his quips and oddities
and enjoys for his talents an annual stipend al
twenty taels and Il monthly allowance Of tire,
sacks 81 rice.
70 Ii knows that II tho pretoncc Of free loca
suflragc We're stopped he would lose ono Of hi.
most prolific SUBJECTS for ninth making at the
court and perhaps lose in consequence his
twenty tacls year and three sacks Of rice
month His influence is, therefore, for the con
scryaiion Of the traditional FORMS
Acting under the advice Of the clown Fo Ii
the Emperor put forth. on the 29th of August
D agra"ious and conciiiatory proclamation whicl
| | here translate:
P,Sn. the eishth moon. the twent, ninth day. ,h
+''3d year Of The dynasty
The son cot Heaven and Father e. .u A.sC,l,sual t.I
drcn 90 the Taxpayers ot r,kn
tthath come to my magnificent ears that CERTAIN s.l
uou> parties o' low character and ante hsonce nnlrm ma
there j. really m leAf Tree oNorels, Of the traditional
night Of i' al suntasr derived from the beuis deere,
of NY pr,d,,e-sor the uwaue Tatsoo but that a.
nomination, are dictated D, me IN the inner palace @
the Imperial Harden OF Ton Thousand blooming Flowers
Therefore do promulgatc ana set ny imperial Ane pi
| uhe great seal To these docrcos
, am unable e. understand how such an id,a can hav,
got abroad The ponocrauo party does not tchoyo II
one man power u Is opposed a. Crsarsm II wouk
| property resent the proposed exercise OF dctatora
uSurtauu vi Lower that # rl,t D.,