The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1900-08-24

MSNS1AN Iflue nee. Her
lkR6&E1 government was
VNR0eEA founded upon
tE7491Nx \ the policy of ex-
NN(KNN 84W }clusiveness, and
EH6rSSSN0TC&2aI with the excep-.
S.S=.-S@..s ton Of the quasi
relations permitted to outsiders since
about 1850 exclusiveness has been her
policy for centuries.
For the role set down for 1t in theory
the central government has been fairly
proved very weak. The emperor rules
by divine right; none can share his re-
sponsibility, none can share his author
ity. In point Of fact he does not rule
more despotically than constitutional
sovereign or the president of repul-
lie. He does not take the initiative, but
simply approves or vetoes projects
submitted to him or refers them to
boards which take the place Of cabinet
and legislatures.
The democratic element shows itself
and acts as a balance wheel through
the power Of public opinion. This
power acts directly through one organ
lied medium, the censorate or board
OF censors, a body of men numbering
81. two for each province and 90 at
large, appointed to censure whatever
they see amiss in any official, from the
emperor down to village constable.
Neither the son of heaven on the
dragons throne nor any of his imperial
family or creatures are exempt from
the censure Of this board, and the
board in turn is watched and censured
by a vast unorganized body composed
of the educated but unofficial classes,
the "outs" and the Opposition" All
the advantages Of party government
are secured without the evils of con-
slant strife for spoils. The "outs' in
China can only get .in" by competitive
examination, starting at the bottom Of
the ladder. A revolution overthrowing
the dynasty would not materially
change the personnel of the official
hierarchy. A few leaders would fall,
but the rank and file would remain as
the Chinese social organism exists.
The central government machine
consists Of six boards, which attend
to the revenue, rites, civil office, pun
ishments, works and war. The tsung-
H-yamen, or foreign Office, was estab-
lished in 1861, but had no status or
authority in the empire until 1890. Be
tween the emperor and the admins
trative boards are the grand council Of
state, grand secretariat and the minis
ters of the presence.
But this central machinery has CON-
paratvely little to do with the affairs
of the empire proper except to receive
taxes and control the provincial admin
istrators. The provinces are autono-
nous.
Each Of the provinces of China main
tains the complete machinery of gov
eminent, civil, military, judicial and
penal, fiscal and educational. Should
the central government collapse life in
the provinces would go on the same.
All the state functions are exercised by
the provincial authorities without In
reference from Peking They look
after the revenues, the military, the
competitive examinations, the laws
and education. The governor and his
subordinates are sent from Picking, and
he RENTS the share Of his province to
the imperial revenue, and after that he
has to keep the peace and gather the
tribute in his own way. The governor
of province in China is the only real
autocrat in the situation. Theoretical
ly he has not power over life and
death. This belongs to the emperor
alone, but by fiction the emperor
acts through his creature, so that the
governor may give poor wretch an
imperial exit as good as the real thing.
He alone can meWorialize the throne in
his own name, and he has the power of
initiative.
In effect then, while the emperor is
a despot he seldom Expresses the peo-
pie, and while the governor of prov
ince is the creature of the emperor he
exercises the powers Of despot at
times. Looking upward. he bows to
the emperor; looking downward, he
holds the people as subjects Of his will.
Under the governor are the intendants
of circuits, or groups Of districts; I'M
der the intendants are the district mag
istrates and under the magistrates the
constables Of the villages composing
the districts.
The emperor exacts from the govern
ors that they maintain order and remit
annual revenues. The governors exact
from the next below them that they
keep the peace and collect the taxes.
In the same way the intendants look to
the magistrates and the magistrates to
the constables. and with the mainte-
nance of order and collection Of taxes
the functions of government begin and
end.
In the slang of the people the minis
tiers Of the emperor are "head clerks"
and all the officials downward are
clerks of different grades. These desig-
nations fit the system exactly, for the
Chinese imperial government is moth
ing more nor less than a stupendous
bureaucracy. 1t is impotent to reform
or to create. 1t suits China, with it's
homogeneous population. it's conserve