The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1900-10-22
Younghusband's Proposed solution
of the Chinese Problem,

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| capabilities OF the Celestial Empire than
any other European, with the exception Of
Sir ROBERT HART. For that reason his
suggestion Of a guarantee against a -ecur-
renee OF the Boxer outrages deserves con
sideration, even though We are unable %
accept Il. The suggestion IA embodied
in an article contributed TO the October
number OF the National Rcrieu under the
title Of A Plea for the Control Of China"
All the treaty Powers are agreed that
the Chinese people cannot be suffered To
remain entirely uncontrolled, as they lately
were for some month In the Province OF
Chill. They cannot be permitted 70
glut at will their savage %antipathy to for
eigners. Some means must be found or
protecting missionaries, traders, travellers
and diplomatic representatives from In
dlgnities and homicidal saul So far
there Is no dispute. II Is only will regard
to the method Of obtaining the desired end
that wide differences Of opinion are dis
closed. Shall the control. the necessity
OF which Is acknowledged to be indispen-
sable. be exercised by the Joint pressure of
the Powers on the Central Government az
Pekln; or shall each OF the Powers within
Its own sphere Of influence assure the safety
OF foreigners by controlling the Ntceroy Of
that locality?
Capt. YoUNGHUsBASD contends that the
latter course alone Is practicable, Just
now the Powers seem tolerably harmonious,
and they will doubtless remain so until the
negotiations opened with Prince CHINO
and Ii HUNd CHANG have been concluded.
Experience has shown. however. that the
Ministers accredited to the court Of Pekin
cannot as q rule be trusted to act unitedly,
for the reason that the Interests OF their
respective countries are TO a large extent
divergent. For example. England and
France are rivals with reference to lunnan;
England and Germany have each n foothold
in Shantung. while. "a regards Corea and
Manchuria, the interests Of Japan and Rus
sLa are apparently irreconcilable. 1t follows
that II we are to Judge Of the future from
the past. the theoretical exercise by the Pow
ers of a Joint control over the Central Gov
ment personihed in the Manchu ruler could
not be easily carried out in practice.
Even admitting the possibility OF har
monlous action hereafter at Pekin, Capt.
YoUNaHUsBAND Is Of the opinion that it
would be wiser not TO accentuate the ex.
isting central authority by e~ndeavoring
TO strengthen It's power over the Niceroys.
but that the desired protection of foreigners
can be best secured by treating with the
viceroys directly. He has been led to form
this conclusion. he tells us, by his personal
knowledge Of the decentralized state Of
things In China. Outsiders do not compre.
bend, he says, how loosely the Celestial
Empire Is held together and how lightly
the provinces are bound to the capital.
We are reminded that, 50 far as the Pekin
Government could give 1t, We have for some
time possessed the right Of navigating the
inland waters of China. As a matter OF
fact, we cannot exercise the right, because
the local authorities will not recognize or
enforce II.
1t Is a mistake to imagine that u Viceroy
OF Canton or Of Nankin is as comfortable
IA a Viceroy Of Ireland or OF India The
former is practically supreme in his "
province. He has his separate army, his
separate navy and his separate mint. If
he does not see 1T to obey an order from
1thln, uo Ndll HNN ~ az iAAuk"N - Nv
and representation Sometimes he does
not hesitate to meet an Imperial injunction
with a fat refusal. For instance, when
CHANG CHI CHUNG, Niceroy Of Human and
Hupeh, was told during the contest between
China and Japan TO send his navy to the
assistance Of the Chinese fleet operating
in northern waters. he replied that his
vessels were safer where they were on the
Yangtse River. and that he was not going
to Join in Ii HUNd CHANG's war such
being the large measure Of independence
enjoyed by the Niceroys, why. asks Capt,
YoUNGHUsBAND. should not the Powers
continue TO deal with them directly, as they
nave been dealing since the troubles in
Pekin began? 1t was thus, he reminds us,
that the Fast India Company found Itself
constrained to act in India during the last
century.
The objection to Capt. NoCNGHUS-
BANDS proposal is that, If carried out.
It would Involve the dismemberment of
China. which every one Of the treaty Powers
has pledged itself not 20 c0untcnance.
No feudal system such as the East India
Company found In India has been known
in China since the third century be-
fore CHRIST: the traditions and preju-
dices Of the Chinese people have long been
arrayed against hereditary oficeholders.
Theoretically, the Capitalization of the
Middle Kingdom is complete, and ever
since feudalism was abolished, about 2l5
B. c.. by CHIN chi HwANGTI, the builder
Of the Great Wall and the NAPoLFoS Of
China. the existence Of a deifed parsonage
ut the centre of the State has been regarded
by the Chinese IA essential to their ideal
OF Just government and to the conservation
Of their characteristic system under which
public Office is the reward Of success in
competitive examination. Capt. NorNG.
HUSBAND does not explain how, under his
plan, the Niceroys would be selected. n
they were appointed by the Pekiu Govern.
ment, the present state Of things would
continue; II. on the other hand. they should
be appointed by the Powers within their