Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1900-07-25
CHlNA'S WEAKNESS.
Plenty of Men; But without Proper Dis
cIpline or Equipment.

oipline or Equipment.
Washington Star.
The absorbing topic in military cir
cles today was the power of China tC
carry ON a protracled war. Quite d
number have an idea that the Celestial
Empire has great resources and that
she will prove to be most formidable
enemy when fighting begins on large
scale.
This view of the situation has been
brought about because of lack ol
knowledge of conditions in China,
rather than because of any positive
information. The great empire is still
an unknown quantity even to those
who are best Informed on its conditions
and resources. 1t is understood that
the bureau of military information OF
the war department is greatly lacking
in any definite idea of what the Chi
nese army really consists of.
Indeed its very form of organization
is but poorly understood. Generali.
ties are known and but little else.
There is not the thorough understand
ing of the question that would allow
one to Judge something of the military
capability of the Chinese people.
The military bureau is now engaged
in the preparation of map of China
for military purposes; but it is not
likely that the map can be completed
within a mouth.
Men who know China well and who
have lived in that country are rot in.
clined to give credence to the wild
speculations over the military posi-.
bilities of China in a war to he carried
on in the near future. They declare
that, while China would be enormously
powerful with an unlimited store Of
arms and ammunition and with such
discipline as her troops might secure
by vigorous action during term of
five or ten years, yet that country is
helpless because of lack of discipline
and the possession Of very limited
amount of arms. They believe that
the Chinese being something of mys.
terry themselves, are able to impress the
sensational mind with an indescribable
power, yet they have no confidence in
the naturalization of any such power
in the near future.
There has been good deal of ex
aggeration in regard to China's ability
to manufacture her own arms. The
fact is that so far as is known to we'll
informed men here there were but two
sets of arsenals in China for the man.
ufacture of arms before the present
warlike movement broke out. These
arsenals are located near Tien Tsin and
near Canton. The Tien Tsiu arsenals
have been destroyed and now only
those shops at Canton are in operation.
The fact that the Chinese troop out
side of Tien Tsin have possessed mod
ern arms and artillery, and have shown
that they are under military discipline,
has little effect on the view taken by
those who do not believe that China
possesses any great military strength.
They believe that throughout the vast
empire there is probably no other army
equal to that now being used outside
of Tien Tsin. Men who take this view
of the situation believe that serious
mistake may be made by the powers
in regarding China as really we'll pre-
pared for defense and allowing them
selves to proceed too cautiously. They
believe that vigorous action on the
part of comparatively small force
will show better results than are gen.
orally expected.