Omaha daily bee., 1896-10-03
CHINA'S COSTLY EXPERIMENT
Bryan's Populistic Dreams We're Tried
Several Centuries Ago.
PATERNALlSM ON A LAEGE SCALE
Great Times for Omcchnldcrs. Spec
uIators and ENtortioncrS-Their
Subsequent Fail and
Shm

mas Detn lTltu anu NuuhtiuAIh NNHN"' ~
ago in the freest country in Asia. Though
imperfectly Informed Americans may sheer
at China and all things Chinese. the fact
remains. writes DR.. William Elliot Grifis in
the Independent. that in the Chinese empire
Is the greatest amount Of local and general
freedom. eaualed in but very few countries
Of the world. Furthermore, the protection
of life and property is noteworthy. without
any permanent aristocracy. except that or
intellect created by civil service examina-
tions open to all. the laborer receives his
hire. the merchant wins his gain, and all
have a right to spend their money as they
please. The descendants Of Confucius arc
mobiles, but without office or emolument.
In the Imperial Clan, or family, every gen
Grafton sees its rank reduced by one step,
until those who were once in the nobility
by ancestral rights join the common people.
Populism in China has been given a fair
trial. For thirteen years 1t was the national
procedure. Then the Chinese condemned
it and abandoned it forever. This was over
eight centuries ago; since that time their
story has been one of marvellous develop
ment, amazing increase OF population and
general comfort Let us turn the pages Of
their history.
INCEPTION OF PoPULTsM.
After the long and brilliant Tang dynasty.
which lasted for three centuries CA. d.
61s-9O5)-its model OF civilization being that
which Korea and Japan followed for GEN.
turies-luXury and moral weakness brought
on civil wars and rival dynastics which
lasted from 9O7 to $50 A. d. Then the Sung
dynasty gave peace and unity to all the
Chinas. After 100 years of general pros
perity there began. in the eleventh century.
a movement which, in its literary and spec
ulative origins, bears a wonderful resem-
blance to this American age which has seen
the publication and wide reading of Look
ing Backward" and Coins Financial
School - nnn Of t1A rongf brilliant rn1i-
ticians in Chinese history, a dreamer, a
poet, a rhetorician. was especially active in
propagating his theories of government. His
idea was that the duties of public admin
istration could be vastly expanded. He
claimed that the emperor Tor what amounts
to the same thing, the government is
literally father of the people. If the people
are children they should have all their
wants attended to.
This brilliant politician, best known
among his many names and titles as n. S.
Wang, dreamed out a Utopia and believed he
could aCtualize his dream. OF course he
made the pretext of following the fathers
(of the distant Chow dynasty. In the first
place he would have the whole population
enrolled for military service, so that in
stead of a regular army there should be
only a large number of trained officers,
leaders and commissarieS, who in time of
war should assemble the people who should
be called out from their fittings in num-
bers according to the population. All public
works and enterprises were to be under
government appointment, regulation and
execution. All cultivators Of land were to
receive loans at a very low rate of interest
from the government treasury, which was
to be especially liberal toward farmers.
Instead Of the old editions of the
classics and the ordinary channels of
publication of general literature. the
government was to turn publisher
organize a department to publish and cir
culatp new editions Of the classical taXtS
with notes, commentaries and explanations
setting forth the views of government and
morals propounded by n. S. Wang. In q
word, Confucius. Mencius and The sages
were to be entirely reconstructed in text.
theory and commentary, and the people were
to be taught by the government in the polit-
ical. ethical and financial orthodoxy de-
signed by n. S. Wang. Still further, new
departments of the government were to be
established to carry out these regulations
which were to completely re-create admin
~istratiVe methods.
'REGENRRATING THE COUNTRY.
Ostensibly the whole scheme was in the
interest of the masses. of the people as
against corporations, mOnopolies, the priv
LEGGED. the titled and the learned classes.
In a word, the existing order of society
was to be overturned. Things were to be
made to stand on their heads, so that it
could be seen how they looked. Already,
by the circulation of his writings and
through OtneT causes, tnOuSn inc time was
not one of want or real distress, there were
not wanting enough to form a party that
wanted to try experiments even at the risk
of ruin. Notwithstanding that many level
headed men saw through the nebular
schemes of N. S. Wang, even as one can
see the stars through a comets tail, and
protested vigorously, yet n. S. Wang pro-
ceeded. Politicians who hoped to profit
by the o%verturn of things sang his praises
as the heaven-sent regenerator of society,
and the true friend OF the farmer and the
workingman. The emperor was gained over
to the schemes by being ~Hattered skillfully
by N. S. Wang, who compared his imperial
master to the wise rulers of antiquity.
So, in spite of all opposition, N. S. Wang
and his associates proceeded to regenelate
China. Like weeds after a rain, new gov
eminent departments, each of them with
hosts of well salaried officers, sprang up
one OF these departments was for the max
ing and Issuing of cheap editions of the
ancient classics properly tinkered and medi-
Gated by N. S. Wang. Another department
was created which lent the national money
to the cultlyators of the soil and to all those
engaged in schemes of retaining marsh
and wild land, For the making of the
whole people into n national COnstabulary a
fresh department with many subdivisions
was organized, with a legion of salaried
central, provincial and local officers.
OFF WITH A BOOM.
THE reforms" started OFF with a splash,
AS When the river waters rise after a win
ter's chopping and thousands of logs roll
ana hoat to the boom, so the newly created
officers hied to their stations. All China
was speedily filled with fuss and talk, and
the surface activity of men paid from the
public crib, Brilliant were their uniforms
and fat were their salaries. At first the
farmer sang with joy as he received the
government loans. Enthusiastic in praise
OF the new system were the Spectators, who
thankfully received the public cash for the
duly avowed purpose, properly declared in
aHidavits. Of draining the swamps. diking
the rivers, clearing the forests, and making
tho golden age come again.
For two or three years everything went
on swimmingly. In the fourth or fifth year
there was shaking of heads with many COM
plants and groanings, About the seventh or
eighth year there was a howl OF vengeance.
By the tenth year things had become des-
perate. A vast party Of opposition was
organized against the schemes OF n. S.
Wang, Two great political parties now
formed. One was of decided opposition to
pOpulism, declaring for the old order OF
things, Still by reason OF the vast govern
ment patronage exercise and his own I'M
questionable abilities, N. S. Wang was able
to hold himself and his party in power, He
had the emperor on his side, and was able
to make out his opponents not only enemies
but even as tainted with treason. Neyerthe-
ACE ahA - - A-uA