The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1894-11-26
VICTORIOUS JAPAN.

The capture of Port Arthur by the
Japanese makes certain the near collapse
OF old China. 1t does not make any diff
ference what terms of peace China may So
cure from Japan tho old Bourbon Chinese
empire Is as sure Of near collapse as was
the third empire Of France after Sedan.
Looked at in a large way the defeat and
ultimate disintegration and reorganiza-
ton of China 10 one Of the greatest and
most far-reaching events of this century.
for Ii means the Europeanixing of Bourbon
China In the same sense aud to the same
extent that Japan has been Europeanized
during the last forty years.
The fate OF China was not unexpected By
number of her native statesmen. The
governor of Formosa seven years ago
warned the Peking government that with
out the introduction of railways, steam
boats, telegraphs and European methods
OF war China would be absolutely in
capable Of self-defense against any Euro
pean power. Ii Hung Chang began the
Introduction of railways, but was stopped
by the stupid Peking government. whose
administration 10 everywhere absolutely
corrupt a system of lying and thievery.
Chinese competitive civil service" Is
honeycombed with bribery, and the whole
civil administration of China is permeated
with what We call Tammanyism. 1t is
system OF extortion and political corrup-
ton. ana II has corrupted the whole peo-
pie, even as the corrupt government of the
military viTility of the French people.
The powerful novels of ZoIa show that
France under the second empire was q
system of lying. stealing and extortion;
that the troops which Napoleon the Third
believed existed had no life except on
paper. and so imperial France was as
helpless in war as IL VAS corrupt in peace.
In China universal corruption has been
the death OF patriotism. and so-called
Chinese civilization is nothing but stolid,
repulsive barharism. japan does not seek
to conquer China, but her defeat Of China
is Ike the advent OF missionary OF hu.
mainly and civilization in a vast jungle OF
pedantie savagcry.
Look at China today and what do wa
n
mense population. There are no railroads
to speak Of and transportation is so slow
and scanty that when famine desolates
one province in China the people starve
before supplies can be brought from dis
tAns provinces Of plenty. Dseapitation
for comparatively trivial offenscs is CON-
mon and fearful death by slow torture is
part Of the legal code.
What must be the social condition of a
PEOPLE where man condemned TO suffer
death can without difficulty hire substi.
tute for q comparatively small sum who
| takes his place under the exeoutioner's
sword. the ''hlood money" being paid over
| TO the heirs OF the wretch who makes
| vicarious atonemsnt for the ofTenses OF
another. How iitsle life must be worth
living in China when man will so cheaply
sell his head to save the head OF q con-
asmned msn rich enough 10 bay q subssi-
stutc.
| When we remember that japan forty
years ago had barbarian methods OF war.
fare; bad = barbarian legal code; that she
hsd ahsolutism 10 government, that within
1 lofty FfaAa st4S IS thsc1 and egtCrCRG
the humanity OF civilized warfare as p-ac-
| tlcsd ~ Eagland and the United States.
/ that she has extlrpsssa torture from her
legal code; thu; she has substituted con-
| stisationa 81 freedom for ahSolatisn In gov
srnment: that shs hiss adopted she dress
and social HABITS q European govern
meats; surely il Is . subject for Christian
/ generalization that the swora q Japan Is
letting the lighi Of day inso CANA: that
il IS become powerful lever 70 sppeAss
tAe Chinese Wal of political and social
Isolation from the progressive nations Of
TIRE earth. Every greas city in Europe o.
| America Is fan Of japanese students Of art
ard manufactures: TIE japanese ras--
chants are among the hes; customers Of
cnr trading raArts. Iapsn's ambition Is
| the honorable one % make herself first.
rata power in the eyes OF Europe and TO
demand rswislen Of her tTsaas. which