Los Angeles herald., 1909-08-25


regent said: '"rhe government did not
decide upon the promulgation of
constitution for the sake of the high
sounding name, and will not consider
its obligation In this respect fulfilled
by merely allowing the officials to
draw salaries for doing nothing. The
readjustment of the national finances
is the foundation for the future budget
of the empires revenue and expend-
iture, which will be entirely in the
hands of the houses of parliament. The
people pay the taxes and have a right
to expect the officials to carry out
their duties properly. But In late
years there has been much corruption
in the handling of public moneys in
the provinces, and not only the people
dared not protest against it, but the
central government found 1t well-nigh
impossible to find out the guilty par
ties. This surely could not be the case
under q properly constructed and
properly administered constitutional
ism."
In that edict Prince Chun promises
infinitely more for the constitution
than the empress dowager granted
when the original announcement was
made in 1905 or when the date of the
constitution, 1917, was announced
year later. For the original program
ment entire control of the finances.
on the other hand, it was expressly
provided that the power of finally de-
termining the budget would lie In the
emperor.
In the same edict the prince regent
denounces corruption In office. denun-
citation he has repeated almost daily
since his accession to power. If he Sc
riously attempts to purge Chinese Off
cialdom of corruption; IL he seriously
engages to abolish the squeeze" sys-
tenn of grating. then Prince Chun has
undertaken the greatest task which one
man ever assumed. But there is no
doubt that determined attitude upon
his part, and a ready use of his power
to chop off official heads, will do much
to correct the grosser evils which curse
the country. There may be those who
will smile at Prince Chun's naive faith
in a constitutional form of government
as a certain cure for official corrupuoh'
but it cannot be denied that his pro-
fessed purposes are worthy of the COM
mendation of all good men.
The chief danger in the path or the
young prince is the pitfall of racial ana
dynastic jealousy. He is of course a
Manchu, and he is not insensible TO the
agitation among the Chlnese that IL Is
nasty and set Chinese on the throne
of the Son OF Heaven. This agitation
is sporadic, and it is to be doubted If
IL is based upon a very widespread or
deeply rooted sentiment. the Boxer
organiZation of ruffians started out as
an antiManchu movement ana ehueI
in disgrace as the tool of the wisest or
Manchus-the old empress dowager.
Yet Prince Chun, the avowed friend
of reform and progress, has disgraeed
the leading Chinese of the empire, Yuan
Shih-Kai and has not taken pains TO
bring a Chinese successor into hlgh
place. 1t Is difficult to analyze this
situation, but there are many in Pc
king who believe that the princes zeal
in support of the constitution is partly
a result Of his conviction that 1t is the
only method to perpetuate the ManchL
dynasty. The question of Manchu rue
probably does not concern the vast
masses of the Chinese. They do not
know or care that the queue they wear
is a sign of submission to a northern
conuueror In fact, they are just about
as excited over the Manchu dynasty as
a subject of King Edward Is over the
fact that his Britannia maJesty Is OF
the German house Of Hanover, owning
some kingly grandfathers who never
learned to speak the tongue of the Eng
land over which they ruled.
Prince Chun is young, he has traV-
eled, he has embarked definitely upon
course of lnnoNdtioh' anu many
strange and novel things may be ex-
pected to proceed from the Forbidden
Citv while he rules there. Already ne
has broken the chains of the liked
and unbending rules of Manchu court
etiquette by giving a dinner IN the
winter palace In the Forbidden CITY
to the ENJOYS who came 10 attend the
funeral of his brother the late emperor.
He sat at the table as would any
ordinary host, with Prince Fushiml OF
Tanan at his right and Mr.. Rockhill OF
fhe limited States at his left. OF course
he is not the holy Son of Heaven, he
is not the emperor, but he is the father
Of the emperor and a mighty man. SO
that this infraction of the strict court
etiquette of the old days means the pc
Ginning of a new order of things at
Peking' In Europe he saw the palaces
OF the kings thrown open TO the peo-
nle and as q result the tourist ana
qIohe-trotter is now invited to lnspect
fhe magnificent summer palace, whlch
was sacred from all plebeian ana par
harlan desecration until Prince CHuh
came to the regency. 20
He is progressive, this young man OF
Of and he is sincere in his desire To
nrotect his country from outside foes
a., a correction of inside faults. 1t is
vet too soon to Judge of his ABILITY OF
yy,isdon, as n ruler. For the peace OF
the world It is to be hoped that ne Is
endowed even as a Solomon
ror,orrow-"In Modern China" VI, "The
Constitutional Movement"
that as wine making~is one of the in
NI.N6 10 .4g-