The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-08-08
TIE CEIuBSE PROVINCES
Political Division Not Unlike That
of america.
Each Has It's own Governor. Whose
Authority Extends Over All Purely
roys Is ut the Thrones Pleasure
How the Ranks Are Recruited.


each is a Governor, and in several cases
two or three are grouped together under
still higher official, whose proper title
is Governor General, but who is more often
spoken of as Viceroy. The most importans
viceroyalties are the three that lie in the
! basin of the Yangtze, having their head
quarters at Marking, Wuchang, and Cheng-
! tn respectively. The first, presided over
| at present by Liu Kun vi, controls the
| three provinces of Kiangsu, Anhwei, and
Kiangsi; the second, with the well-known
! Chang Chih-tung at its head controls the
! two central provinces of Hupeh and HUI
! nan, and the third controls the large and
| wealthy province of Szechuen. the head
! of which is Manchu named Kwei Chun
| OF almost equal Importance is the vice
| royalty of Canton, at the head Of which is
| Ii Hung Chang, controlling the two prov
inces of Kwang-tung and Kwang-si. These
eight provinces contain population OF ov-
er 200, 600 and contribute three-fourths
of the revenue of the Empire.
For all purposes of internal administra-
ton the various provincial governments
are practically Independent Each collects
its own revenue, pays its own army and
civil service, and in the riTerine and sea-
board provinces maintains fiotilla OF
The administration of justice is left in
the hands of the ordinary officials, who
combine this with their other functions.
The district magistrate for instance, who
is the lowest official on the provincial scale
is at once collector of revenue, judge, cor
oner head Of police, and public prosecutor,
and he may on occasions be required to
take the field In person against rebels The
same functions may fall TO, the lot of any
,f1n fo oil f1xc oil to 10 h t.,1-
self. Any officer is supposed to be capable
of undertaking any public duty whatsoever.
Death sentences require in ordinary cir
cumstances to be ratified from Pekin, but
each Viceroy or Governor is armed with
extraordinary powers which he may use
at discretion in times of public danger,
and which enable him to deal out summary
justice at the shortest notice He is in
vested in fact with share OF that abso-
lutte and autocratic power which is inher-
ent in the central Government. to whom
however, he remains responsible. The
charge of each governor lie to maintain
peace and order within his own bounds.
So long as he does that and carries on the
government in accordance with the estab-
fish rules the central Government does
not interfere with him. He is not con-
cerned with what may be going on in a
neighboring province nor bound to spend
of course. may be sent from Pekin direct
ing him to assist, but the safety of his
own province is his first charge, and any
steps he may take will be subordinated
to that paramount consideration.
The principal hold which the Pekin Gov
eminent has over the provincial officials 10
the right of appointment and dismissal
All officials hold office during the pleasure
of the Crown. and can be dismissed at any
time with or without reason assigned. No
instance has been known of an official
however highly placed, refusing TO lay
down Office and hand-oyer the seals to his
successor at the bidding of the Emperor or
Empress. This power it should seem is suf-
fcient to ensure prompt obedience TO apy
orders from the court, but 1t is checked by
the fact that the successor to a Viceroy or
Governor SO removed must be selected from
among the regular members OF the civil
service, who are all imbued with the same
traditions of government and the same bu-
reaucratic spirit. The Crown has never
ventured to put into high office a mere
creature Of its own, or one who has not
regularly entered the service by some rec
ogniZed channel and risen through The
ranks. Such an attempt would undoubtedly
raise storr OF indignation throughout the
whole OF the country such as no Govern
ment could face.
This leads us to say word as to the
mode in which the official ranks are re-
cruited-a system which has perhaps as
much as anything else contributed 10 the
general stability and moderation Of tho
Government and prevented 1t from degen-
Grating into military dictatorship. En-
trance to Office is obtained, as is generally
known, by a system of public examina-
tons open to the humblest as well as The |
highest. Within recent years a certain |
number have been admitted to purchase.
but only to junior rank. All practically |
have to begin at the foot OF the ladder and |
work their way up and all the high posts |
in the provinces and nearly all those In |
Pekin are filled with men who have SO ris- |
en- Admission is free to Manchus and to |
Chinese alike, and until recent years there |
has been no preference shown in selection |
The great body of officials thus forms a |
bureaucracy which stands in a middle po- |
sition between the Crown and the people. |
Springing on the one hand from the multi |
tude and looking on the other , the |
Crown, they are friendly TO bath AS gov
erning the people they are the recognized |
medium for the redress of grievances and |
for formulating fresh legislation. AS a |
whole they carry on the Government OF /
China, both provincial and central and
they constitute a check, and a very ell
cient check, on the vagaries of the auto
cratic power OF the Emperor. At the some
time the relations between them and the
imperial house have for many years been |
cordials There is no question
of their loyalty to the dynasty, and on the
ether hand advice rendered by the great
Viceroys and Governors has carried the
greatest weight with the central Govern
ment. Until the unhappy events OF the last
few years the distinction between Manchu
and Cinnamon seemed to be disappearing,
and even yet it cannot be doubted that at
he present moment Manchu Emperor is |
he only one who would command general
recognition.
The relations between the central and
provincial governments are well ilIustrat-
ID by the system OF finance. The Pekin
has no revenues peculiarly its
,wn, but Is dependent on the sums II can
lraw from the provinces. The imperial
maritime customs revenue may be deemed
IN exception, but even that is received in
he first instance by the provincial treas
iries and in any case the whole OF It is
low pledged to foreign bOndholders. The
money for the support OF the Manchu
r2eps. as well as for the support of the
IMPERIAL household itself, must be drawn |
rom the provinces. The customary prac-
Ice has hitherto been for the board of |
evenue at Pekin. which has nominal con-
no; over the finances of the Empire to
ndent annually for such sums as were
equlred for the use of the central Govern
nent, certain amount being assessed on
ach province according to its supposed
neans. and SO long as the amount did not ,
airy greatly from year to year 1t was paid
Nth reasonable punctuality, but as more
nd more was asked for, IL was only got
nth increased difficulty. The expenses of
1cal government were naturally the first
barge on the provincial exchequer and