The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1891-12-03
The situation in China.

l uculdliy IeIuONeus
The situation in China.
According to the fragmentary news which
reaches us by cable. the Middle Kingdom is
once more seriously threatened by that
branch Of the Tartar race which inhabits
Manchuria and which has already given
two imperial dynasties to China. The state
OF things which favored the former tri-
umphs OF the Manchus is to q considerable
extent parallelcd in the existing situation.
and 1t begins to look quite possible that the
present "great-pure" dynasty. which is it.
self Manchu by origin. may lose the throne
under circumstances curiously analogous to
those under which it was acquired.
The first successful invasion of the Man
chus. in comparatively modern times. be-
gan In the first quarter Of the twelfth CEN
fury, when they were invited to expel an
other Tartar tribe from the province of
Leaou-tung. or Shing-king. which lies out
side tho great wall and Immediately to the
north Of the province Of Chih-li. Having
occupied Leaou-tung. they refused to sur
render 1t, and having gradually advanced
their outposts to the line Of the Yang-tse-
kiang. founded the so-called golden" dy-
nasty, which maintained g more or less dis
puted ascendancy In northern China, until
| about 1910 1t was definitely overthrown by
the descendants Of GENaHIs KHAN. We
are indebted to MARCO Polo for our knowl-
| edge Of the power and splendor of the Mon
| gol dynasty, which by 1880 had mastered
the whole empire. but after ruling about
century was supplanted by the Ming or
"great-bright" dynasty. founded by the
| cnp ~ Cb{poco 1ahorar Tho Afino
like the Mongol emperors. were regard
ed as usurpers by the Manchus. who in 1916
| again invaded China. and after beating the
imperial forces. took possession OF Leaou-
tung. From this province as a basis they
extended their operations southwark. and
they were materially assisted by the popu-
lar discomfort and political disintegration
Of the Celestial empire under the latest
representatives OF the Ming line. As it
was. some twenty-eight years elapsed after
dence and put himself forward as the heir
Of the golden dynasty. before he was
able to take Pelin and proclaim one Of his
sons Emperor Of China. Mindful Of the
circumstances under which they gained
| authority. the rulers Of the present Tai
tsing or '.great-pure dynasty have
been at great pains to civilize and
control Manchuria. settling there large
colonies OF native Chinese. and there
by greatly increasing the sedentary
population Of that country. Both for the
purpose of REFRESHING the rebellious in
| stincts of the Manchus and Of presenting a
bold front to Russia, whose territory bor-
ders Manchulia on two sides. the Pckin
Government has for some years kept sta
| toned on its northeast frontier some Of its
most disciplined. best armed. and most
trustworthy troops. The fact. however.
that most Of the soldiers who constitute
the flower OF the Chinese army arc recruited
| among the Manchus resident in and near
Pekin. would naturally cause them to
| synpathize with an uprising among their
countrymen. and would account for the
report that in q recent encounter they re-
fused to obey their officers and went over
to the rebels instead OF resisting them.
That the present rising Of the Manchus.
| like that which began in 1916. aims at tho
overthrow Of the ruling dynasty on the
| ground OF Its notorious unftness for gov
! eminent. may he Inferred from the care
taken by the rebel chiefs to respect private
property. to maintain order in the districts
occupied. aud to conflne tho atrocities OF
| their followers to foreigners and those
Chinese who have adopted Christianity.
This is precisely the course which was
taken by the Manchu founders OF the pres
ent dynasty. and now. as then. the notori-
| GUS inefficiency Of the reigning house. and
the resultant discomfort OF the native
Chinese population. has paved the way for
| a revolution.
The prcsentinsurrection differs materially
from the so-called Iae-ping rebellion. which
broke out In 1850 and WAS not definitely
subdued until the capture Of Nankin In 1854.
| The Tae-pings were native Chinese. who
desired to expel their Manchu rulers. and
| who proclaimed as Emperor youth al
legged to be lineal descendant of the last
sovereign OF the Ming or "grcat-brlght
dynasty. In that struggle the Pekin Gov
eminent had the Manchus behind them.
| and partly for that reason and partly be-
cause 1t placed its forces under the COM
mand. first. OF an American. Gen. WARD,
and then Of an Englishnan, Gen. GORDON. it
succeeded ultimatelyin putting down most
| formidable outbreak. Its success in reas-
serting its authority had been interfered
| with aud deferred by the war against
France and England, which resulted in the
occupation Of Pekin In 1850. At the present
juncturc. also. the relations between the
court OF Pekin and European Governments
are severely strained. and the imperial re-
| sources applicable to the repression Of re-
belfion are thus sensibly enfeebled.
Is 1t the interest OF the United States and
| OF the European countries that have Init
mate relations with China. to desire the
maintenance OF the present dynasty. or by
putting pressure ON it In an hour Of weak
ness and OF peril tn hasten its downfall 7
What have they to gain by the substitution
OF new Manchu dynasty. whose followers
avow an implacable hostility to Christian
ity and to Western civilization. for q family
whose traditions are relatively favorable to
the assimilation Of EuroDsan ideas and