Waterbury evening Democrat., 1893-04-20
CHINESE GOVERNMENT.
The Management of Public Affairs
 in tho Viilage3
No Regularly Elected Officers to Look Alter the Interests of tho People. and No Cover. neutal Re-
 atrictions.

A recent writer in the North China Herald of Shanghai describes the man ner i'll which local sclf-governmcnt
 works in China. Every Chinese viii lagc is kind of little principAlity by itself-thc theory in regard to the head
 men or village elders being that they
 are chosen by their fellow-townsmcn and confirmed in their position by the district magistrate. Tn some regions this is actually done, and for the good conduct of the head men In their office
 the leading landowners arc required to
 become security. They arc not neces- sarily the oldest men in the village, neither are they necessarily the wealth.
 jest men, although it is probable that every family of property will in some way be represented among them. They are not necessarily men of literary attachments, although this may be the
 case with few. in those regions l where the method of selection Is most loose the number of head men has no \ necessary relation to the size of the will lage; the position Is not hereditary, l ne ,ther is there any fixed time of serv- ic" A man may act in this capacity at ! one time and refuse or neglect to do so
 at another.
 The head men are not formally chosen nor formally deposcd. They
 drop into their places by & kind of nat ural selection. The qualities which fit l villager to act as head man are the ! same which contribute to success in any
 line of business. He must be practi- cal man who has some native ability,
 acquainted with the ways of the world, I as we'll as able and willing to devote upon occasion an indefinite amount of \ time and attention to the affairs which
 may be put in his charge. The duties ' and functions are many and various. They may be classified as those which have relation to the government of the district, such as taxation; those which l relate to the village, such as repairs of the wall, fairs and temples, and those which concern private individuals, and | are brought to the notlce of the head l men as being the persons best able to
 manage them. It is noteworthy that the government of China, while in
 theory moro or less despotic, places no practical restriction upon the right of free assemblage by the people for the consideration of their own affairs. The people of any village can, if they
 choose, meet every day in the year. \ There is no government censor present, and no restrictions upon liberty of de-
 bate. The people can say what they like, and the local magistrate neither | knows nor cares what is said. There is | in every village unceasing supply of \ matters which do not belong to the pub lie, but waich must be adjusted by some man or men who are in the habit of r Ftransacting business, and who not only know what is to be done but know how to do it. There are always Chinese who like to engage in these matters, such as
 the adjustment of domestic quarrels and differences between neighbors and | the like The head men of the village will be frequently called upon for serv- \ ices of this sort. But such labors, oner- ous as they often are, will be aclxnowl- ! edged only by the thanks of those in-
 terested and a participation in the in \ evitablc feast.