Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-08-16
SENATE FOR China
Step Taken Toward Constitu-
tionaI Government.
HAS NlNETY.ONE MEMBERS
Creation Of Body Forerunner Of
Formation of Parliament.
FIRST SESSION OCTOBER 8
Military School In Peking q Fail
ure-Breach Of Court Etiquette
Stirs Korea.

China is slowly but steadily progress
ing toward the establishment, at least
In outward form. of constitutional gov
eminent. A decree has lately been is
sued announcing the selection of the
members Of a new body. which. for lack
OF more strictly accurate description.
Is known as the senate According to the
decree. this assembly. whose Chinese title
Is the tzechenyuan, consists OF ninety
one members, representing six different
classes, and owing their appointment to
selection by the throne.
Thus the princes and mobiles OF the i'm
perial clans supply fourteen members.
the Manchu and Chinese nobility twelve.
the princes and mobiles OF the dependen-
cies outside the eighteen provinces, sew
enteen. and the imperial clansmen six,
officials OF ministries and oficers thirty
two and eminent scholars ten. Leaving
out or account the seventeen princes and
mobiles of dependencies, there are thirty
nine Manchu names. against thirty-five
Shinese. But 1t Is anticipated that the
balance of power will be even more
strongly in favor Of the Manchus than
the figures Indicate, because the bulk of
Chinese representatives are drawn from
the official and scholarly ranks, and can
hardly be expected to exercise the same
the princess, mobiles and gentry of the
imperial clans.
October 3 has been fixed for the OPEN
Ing OF the first session, but the members
are to assemble before that date to make
all preparations satisfactorily for the in
auguration.
The members should understand"
says the decree, that this assemblage of
the senate is an unprecedented under
taking in China. and will be the FORE
ha 80
They are earnestly desired to devote their
patriotism and sincerity, observe the
proper order and fulfill their duties In
representing public opinion. Thus ii Is
hoped that our sincere wish to effect
constitutional reforms in their proper
order. and to aim at success may be duly
satisfied
In Doubt as to Duties.
As to what the duties are and how
they will be performed. no very clear &C.
count is available. Picking journal
states that the senate will be entitled to
discuss and decide upon financial bust
ness. new laws and matters referred to 1t
by imperial decree. But in the event OF
Its disagreefng with the executive the
inal decision is to rest with the throne.
Grand councillors and ministers will be
entitled to attend the debates. but not to
vote, and. on the other hand, the senate.
combined with the provincial assemblies.
shall form a sort of training ground for
future members OF parliament.
AS such its deliberations would not be
value. and IL will be interesting to see
WHISTLER the senate is any more disposed
to accept this view Of its position than
the provincial assemblies. which have
taken themselves much more seriously
than can be pleasing to the government,
a nd n q m hof m
favor OF advancing the inauguration OF a
parliament"
The journal adds that 1t is impossible
not to wonder whether the many obvious
permit Of its achieving the end al which
II processes to aim. The framework
may be breathed into IL. There are two
conspicuously weak points in the pro-
gram: First, that the empire is to wait
until the seventh year for the drawing
Is made of any kind of control by pro-
vincial assemblies, senate. or the project
ed parliament over the appointment or
conduct Of officials.
Efforts at Capitalization.
1t is reported from Picking that. as a
preliminary to the adoption OF constitu-
tional institution the government Is TAX
ing steps ito centralize the administrative
power" AS to the nature Of these steps
the information given Is somewhat hazy,
but apparently a circular has been adj
dressed to the viceroys directing
have the effect Of depriving the local
satraps of the power of the sword and
the purse. To this the viceroys not un-
naturally object very strongly. and one
Of them Is said to have memorialized the
throne to the effect that in a country of
uyh
communication are so defective. IL Is
quite impossible to centralize administra-
tive functions successfully without fatal
loss Of efficiency.
governors could not possibly consent TO
remain responsible for the preservation
Of order and the management of finance
I'm their districts IL they were deprived Of
the power to issue orders and compel
their observance. and that IL the proposed
course were adopted. the local authorities
would be paralyzed. and the central gov
eminent quite unable to stand alone.
The military school for the sons OF
mobiles in Picking does not seem to have
and the period Of instruction was to have
been FIVE years. so that in the ordinary
course the first batch OF graduates would
have emerged in 1911 But the attend
ance was SO irregular and the disposition
to learn SO defective that the authorities
decided to shorten the term by two years.
and, accordingly. ninety students were
graduated in 1909. When these youths
were distributed among the local divisions
II was found that the majority of them
were not At even to be non-commissioned
officers, and they were drafted into the
Imperial Guards. the school being at the
same time closed. The prince regent Is
now said to have decided that the insti-
tuition shall be reopened and conducted on
stricter lines.
Perturbation In Korea.
There was much heartburning recently
In Korean court circles over an unfor-
tunate lapse from the sacred rules Of
etiquette. 1t appears from the japanese
that i'm offering grand cor
dons to Princess Takeda. Kitashirakawa
and Asaka on the occasion of their nup-
tials with daughters Of the Emperor of
japan, the Korean sovereign failed to
send at the same time appropriate decora-
lions for the three imperial brides. This
failure in etiquette having been made
clear to the imperial household. steps
were hastily taken to remedy II, and
special envoy received orders to set out
at once for Japan. carrying three first
class orders.
When il came TO obeying this command,
the officials discovered that the neces-
sary insignia were not in the possession
Of the imperial household department.
and accordingly a choice had to be made
between two Observation-Disclosures 10 post
pone the embassy until new insignia
could be prepared. or to have recourse to
old ones. The latter plan seemed prefer
\ bleI and in order to carry IL out the
desired insignia were taken from three
Korean princesses. Two OF the ladies. to