The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-01-28
WEAKNESS OF CHINA.
No Central Authority and No PatriOt-
ism Among the People.

w f, Curtis in Chicago Record.
The cabegrams from Germany tell us
Count Won Buelow. minister of foreign at
fairs, yesterday announced IN 5arli lsl15ds
all the demands OF the German Emperor,
and that the incident Of Kiaochau has
passed beyond the bounds of controversy,
with the exception of the proposition to con-
struct railways through the province of
ChangTung. Thus Germany has now a flrm
and permanent hold on Chinese territory,
like Great Britain and Russia, and the work
of converting that inert mass to c1vlliza-
ton will go on more rapidly tnan DeIore.
Nothing could demonstrate its weakness
more clearly than this humiliating incident.
A foreign power with three ships and 60C
men found no difficulty in establishing itself
upon the shores of nation with 4O0,0O00O0
people within $50 miles of its capital without
the slightest resistance from an army that
numbers hundreds of thousands of men, and
the only portion of it that has any lighting
strength or discipline has been drilled and
is still differed by subjects of the invading
power 1t is therefore no wonder that the
ignorant and superstitious old men who
form the government should be thrown into
a state of stupefaction that they appeal to
dragons and demons to protect them and
finally submit to exactions which were new
er before demanded by one nation from am
other 1t would be unreasonable to ex-
trail authority in China. There is
no patriotism The mandarins are
powerless. The people would not fight to
sustain their own government They are not
only Indifferent to foreign invasion, but
those of the business community who know
anything of modern customs and foreign
China is so saturated with corruption, ig-
norance and injustice that patriotism is
impossible. The important posts through
out the whole empire have to be paid for at
very high rates, and when the buyer as
sunes power he makes it his first duty 20
recoup himself for the outlay. His next duty
is to aGd as much as possible to his private
fortune before he is removed from office,
and his third to collect 4 surplus suftlclent
,Y,1a fOhn MOI NNh he - re-
quired to render an account OF his steward
ship. AS he has bought and paid for his post
those who stand between the government
and the Emperor will not permit him to be
removed unless his crimes are too fiagrant
This system is sheltered from public criti-
ciSm by pretenSe of great virtue by the
DEGRADATION and punishment of people who
commit petty offenses and by high sounding
edicts issued over the Emperors name,
deploring the unwOrthiness of those in high
places and admonisning the people to vr-
tue Aside from the moral question in
European powers is good thing for the
Chinese and for the world at large, because
wherever foreigners have secured a foothold
there has been progress and prosperity.
There is plenty of territory for every one
of the western nations to take as much as 1t
can properly govern. but with Russia press
ing from Siberia the north and France
and. England from Tonquin and India on
the south. Germany locating herself in the
center and Japan about the Yellow sea, with
her powerful navy. there is always great
danger If complications and collisions,
which may result in a war between the Eu-
ropean powers, with China as the battle
field
Whatever advantages the European pow
ers gain the United States must share. and
all newcomers and new ideas and methods
will be welcomed by all intelligent Chinese
people. who prefer any civilized government
to their own. China has been conquered by
foreign powers repeatedly. The present
dynasty is alien and obtained It's authority
by conquest. The Mongols We're there be-
fore and centuries before they came the
Tartars and the Turks occupied and ruled
the land Not for a thousand years has
China been exempt from foreign control.
and If the Germans or the British or the
Russians drive out the present Emperor
they will be doing only what his ancestors
did 10 their predecessors on the throne.