The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1901-07-05
There Should Be Bond of sympathv

According 20 popular belief, China is as far
removed from the United States as the east is
from the west, not merely in geographical posi-
tion. but in other respects also The one is old;
the other is modern. Here feyerish activity
shows itself everywhere; there settled repose
seems to per,ade the very air IL might be sup.
posed that there could be no bond Of sympathy
between the two countres-no common point Of
contact. Travellers, writer's and all who are in
a position to speak with authority combine to
confirm this impression. But there is no greater
mistake. As the canons OF Confucus and Mcncius
as laid down in the Chinese classics constitute
practically the Magma Charta OF the Chinese en-.
pitc, let me quote the words Of Mencius that
have bearing upon this question. THE people"
says the sage, "are the most imr 1rtant element in
a nation; the spirits Of the land and grain (that
is the country are the next the sovereign is
the lightcst. Therefore, TO gain the pcasantry
chat is, the pcoplc,) is the way to become en-.
peror." II this is not government deriving its
Just powers from the consent Of the governed"
do not know what is Ii may be urged that
the wise sayings OF Mcncius have nothing to do
with the present political creeds Of the Chinese
people, and that tho opinion of the great sage
on a political question has only an academic
interest. Such, however, is not the case. Every
Chinese school boy not only knows the above
quoted passages by heart, but is thoroughly i'm.
study the art Of composition. the themes he has
to write upon may ne taken from those very
words When he is old enough TO compete at the
public examinations for official honors he may
be required to dilate upon the various phases
OF the great principle thus enunciated, and run
1t out 10 its legitimate consequences. Under
the circumstances, any unauthorized departure
nom the obvious interpre alton Of the passage
is looked upon as heretcal, and any candidate
who distorts the plain meaning u the words into
something directly opposite may well stay at
hcme as far as his prospect OF success is con
cerned. The truth is that the government Of
China and the government Of the United states
rest upon the same foundation-that the people
are sovereign. This principle is aptly expressed
by an ancient monarch uI China in manifesto
known as The Great Declaration" lie says:
Heaven sees according as my people see; heaven
hears according as my people hear" The differ.
encc between the governments of the two coun.
tries lies rather in the manner in which the
principle is carried out. You believe in .hc
choice Of public officers through the ballot box;
We believe in the choice Of public officers through
the examination hall. In this country all men are
equal at the polls. The chief magistrate OF the
nation as well the lowlicst day laborcr has
no more than one vote. The most learned scholar
OF the country as we'll as the most ignorant soul
who cannot even write his own name has no
more than one vote The man who has grown
gray in the service of the country as well as the
man who has Just taken out his naturalization
papers has no more than one vote. Every vote is
Just as good as every other and counts as much
as every other These who get the most votes
are entitled TO represent the people Thus the
governors are recruited from the governed