The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-06-04
Ill.

was Sl.3O.
In the final chapter, Lord Charles Beresford
defines the points which are brought out most
conspcuously by his study OF the Chinese
situation. There is, in the first place. no doubt
about the anxiety OF the British merchants
now rcsid ng in China rs to the security of tho
capital already invested there: much less IL
there any doubt to the necessity for
some assurance Of safety to those who are
inclined to invest further capital. 1t is
equally clear that the existing sense OF
insecurity is due to the rifete condition
OF the Chinese Government. its corruption
| and consequent poverty. and 10 the continued
riots. disturban ,es and rebe'lions throughout
| tho country In our author 5 opinion. this
| state Of things is remedlablr lIo does not hes
| itate to assert thar the great mass oi the Chi-
nese people are honest as well as acute men OK
| business Only the traditional method of gov
| ernmcnt is to Jamo iCr the cOrruption the
| honest mandarin has no chance of gaining
| Livelihood under the existing system. A. or
| the Disturbances they are due to the lack OF an
| adequate police and military force
No one we are told, can visit China at tho
! present time without beng convinced that the
rapidly advauci cling disintegration of tn" Chinese
Emp.rc Is largely due to the pressure OF foreign
| claims which the Prkin Government has no
| power to resist The spectayI Not the impo-
| ,ence OF the cntral power has led t. the total
| collapse of internal authority. so that what We
! have before US in China is the appalling pros-
| pect IF u revolution extending over an area Nc
| large as Europe. and among four hundred mill
lions Of people. Lord Charles Beresford was cons
| vincrl that the catastrophe can only be avcrted
| by maintaining the territorial integrity Of the
| Chinese Empire and by giving security to the
| trad Of all nations through drastic reor-
| VI,
| This. Of course. can only be brought
about by outside help. and. as most of the
| countries which are able to render the service
are apparently unwilling to intervene. either
| from want OF confidence in Chinas recupera-
| tive powers or from dread OF offending their
| neighhors. the author Of this book makes the
| following suggestion: Why. he asks. should
| not Great Britain. which has the largest vested
| interest in China. lead the way and invite the
cooperation Of all interested parties IN the res
organization of China's military and police
| after the model supplied by Sir Robert Hart.
| who has reorganlzed her customs service? II
| it be objected that n single nation would thcre-
| by seek or gain predominance in the country.
| ard thus provoke Jealousy among other
| nations. why should not this objection.
asks tho author. be met by u clear under-
| standing that the individual representatives Of
various nations who cooperate in the redemp-
| tive work shall be strictly the servants of tho
! Chinese Empire. like Chinese Gordon or Sir
| Robert Hart. the paramount and indeed. the
| only end in view being to strengthen and up
| hold the Government in China, and incidents
ally protect the lives and properties of Euro
pean traders If it be said that some nations
| may refuse to cooperate. even by sanctioning
the efforts Of individual citizens. Lord Charles
replies that Great Britain has had to meet q
similar objection in Egypt. and that no number
| OF such refusals absolve the four great
| trading nations from coming to the rescue OF
| the Pekin Government. and of their own trad
ers, in an hour Of imminent peril.
Tho assertion that China is etTete and past
| saving is pronounced false. However rotten
may be the traditional official system. the
| Chinese people are sound at the core The
integrity of the Chinese bankers is known to
| every trader in the East Their word is as good
| as thcir bond Having. as they do. an almost
| doatrous respect for authority. all that the
| Chinese need is an honest and intelligent au-
thority II it be said that IA reform of the Chi.
| nese military and police forces would be costly,
| the author answers that the needful reorgani-
| cation could be carried out by an honest expen-
| diture OF the sums even now forthcoming for
| defence. and would not require a shilling OF
| European money. 1t is impossible. on the
| other hand. to calculate in advance the cost OF
| the spheres of influence policy. from loss
through hostile tariffs, and from the cxpendi-
| ture Of blood and money required to mako
good territorial claims. Who, indeed. can ESTE
mate the difficulty and cost to European powers
Of defending and administering huge sections
| OF a country, i'll provided with the means of n
| accommodation, and t"eming with Il popu-
| latlon incurably hostil" to foreigners aud fore
| cEn rule. Obviously. the spheres Of influence
| policy must begin 10y weakening oil central am
thority in the Chinese Empire and by traus-
ierring the responsibility for law and order