The Hawaiian gazette., 1900-07-17
THE FUTURE OF CHINA.

THE FUTURE OF CHINA.
There seems to be but one way to
deal with China and that is to dissolve
IT'S autonomy and divide the empire
among civilized powers. Governed by
it's present rulers China would remain
a hotbed of conspiracy against the
whites and against civilization while
under any other native government
there could be no assurance OF REFORM
AS the empire Is constituted strong
central native power is impracucaple'
and for the very good reason that the
provinces do not cohere. They iorih'
when taken together, the loosest of
loose confederacies. The common peo-
pie of the various provinces do not
sneak each others language ana they
know but little of what is going on be-
yond their local borders. They nave
no patriotism and but for the appear
ance among them of Manchu Viceroys
and tax-gatherers would have no visl-
HE sign of their political connection
with Picking. Moreover each province
has it's own army and several have
| tnelT separate tNti
While the Tsung Ii Yamen or it's do
nestle adjunct can rule this composite
| emnire sufficiently to collect taxes IT
cannot maintain order. When Things
come to that pass each province and
even each village and town Is a law
or an outlaw-unto itself. On this ac-
count foreign powers are never sure Oh
proper redress for outrages; and they
must either endure such troubles as
they come or else take charge of emma
for themselves.
Europe has been preparing these i've
years for the seizure and division of
the country. Its first care was to fore
stall quarrel over the spells by agree
| ing on spheres of influence along which
| the work of eventual partition might
smoothly run. Russia Is now ready to
take over Manchuria without friction;
she already has ninety mine year
lease of the Liaotong peninsula. Great
| Britain is the paramount European
power in the Yang-tse valley. Japan
has been permitted to consider the
province of Fo-Kien under political
mortgage TO the government at Tokyo.
|
take Hal-Nan and a strip adjoining
| Cochin China. Germany looks to Shan
tung for her share of territorial awards
and may induce Great Britain to eX-
change her foothold in that province
the fortress of Wei-Hai- Wei-for East
African soil Portugal will retain Ma
Gao as Great Britain will keep Hong
kong AS to the disposition of Chilli,
| that province may be organized as n
semi-independent Chinese State under
alien control. This is the only feature
of the divisional program, save the
Italian claim north of Fo-Kien, which
has been left for future consideration
The rest is settled; all Europe has to
do when 1t gets ready to act is to gath
er about and take the territorial allot-
ments as peacefully as people take des-
ignated gifts off Christmas tree.
China. thus committed to foreign
hands, would soon be transformed.
| After all, the Chinese are not an I'M
progressive race. They are simply
asleep as the Japanese We're before the
great awakening of 1865. Mongols who
have strayed abroad show a remarkable
adaptability to foreign ways; they are
even beginning, in Hawaii, to cut off
their queues. They so into the trades
and other occupations of the "outside
barbarian" they relish foreign food i;
they seek the knowledge and knack of
tie alien. Take their-stay- t-home
countrymen out from under the pres
sure of their native and governing liter
att, make China free, encourage indus
IL ~ Il.
which the people groan and make law
synonymous with justice; do this and
China may become as ambitious and
progressive as Japan. We have seen
the truth OF this illustrated on n small
scale In the city of Kinchow, q place
captured by the Japanese in 1894. AS
soon as 1t was clear that the conquer
ors meant no persecution and that
every mans savings were safe from Of
fetal rapacity, the Chinese became as
enthusiastic for progress as the little
brown men themselves. When the Jap
anese went away for good the lnhab-
itants protested in memorial TO the
Tokyo government and ON finding that
their late enemies would not return, all
the leading families both OF Kinchow
and Liaotong petitioned for the right
TO go 10 Japan and stay there. Talk
about conservatism-these poor folk
only needed a chance to forge ahead