Los Angeles herald., 1910-08-20
CHINESE SENATE
TO MEET OCT. 8
Assembly Is First Step in ConSti-
tutionaI Government of
Vast Empire
MILITARY SCHOOL A FAILURE
Minister'S Attempt to CentraIize
Executive Power Meets
with Opposition
MILITARY SCHOOL A FAILURE

Df1ANGt1Al, Aug. lJ'-CIlld 10 olO"
ly but steadily progressing toward the
establishment, at least in outward
form, of constitutional government.
The provincial assemblies are in being
and a decree has lately been issued an
nouncing the selection of the members
of the new body, which, for lack of a
more strictly accurate description, Is
known as the senate According to
the decree, this assembly consists of
ninety-one members, representing six
different classes and owing their APP
pointment to selection by the throne
Thus the princes and mobiles of the
imperial clans supply fourteen men,
bers, the Manchu and Chinese nobility
twelve, the princes and mobiles of the
dependencies outside the eighteen prov
inces seventeen, the imperial clanSmen
six, officials of ministries and offices
thirty-two and eminent scholars ten.
Leaving out of account the seventeen
princes and mobiles of dependencies,
there are thirty-nine Manchu Names
against thirty-fve Chinese, but it is an
ticipated that the balance of power will
be even more strongly In favor of the
Manchus than the figures indicate, be-
cause the bulk of the Chinese repre-
sentatives are drawn from the official
and scholarly ranks and can hardly be
| expected TO eAeTClSe lIS SdilS lIllu-
ence in the assembly's counseis as the
princes, mobiles and gentry OF the i'm
perial clan.
OPENS OCTOBER
October 8 has been fixed for the
opening of the first session, but the
members are to assemble before that
date to make all preparations salts
factorily for the Inauguration.
1.-THE members should understand"
says the decree, that this assemblage
of the senate is an unprecedented I'M
dertaking in China and will be the
forerunner of the creation of a par
lament. They are earnestly desired
to devote their patriotism and SINGER
ity, observe the proper order and full
fill their duties in representing public
opinion. Thus it is hoped that our
sincere wish to effect constitutional
reforms in their proper order and to
aim at success may be duly satisfied"
AS to what the duties are, and how
they will be performed, no very clear
account is available. A Peking journal
states that the senate will be entitled
to discussand decide on financial bus
mess, new laws and matters referred
to it by imperial decree. But IN the
event of it's disagreeing with the ex-
| ecutive the final 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 provin-
cial assemblies shall form a sort of
training school for future members of
| parliament LAS such its delibera-
| lions would not be expected to possess
more than academic value; and it will
| be interesting to see whether the sem
ate is any more disposed to accept this
| view of it's position than the provin-
cial assemblies, which have taken
themselves much more seriously than
can be pleasing to the government and
are about to renew their attack in IA
vor of advancing the Inauguration of
| parliament"
The journal adds that it is impossi-
BILE not to wonder whether the many
| obvious anomalies of the reform pro-
gram can ever permit of its achieving
the end at which it processes to aim.
The framework may be breathed into
it. There are two conspicuously weak
points in the program: First, that the
empire is to wait until the seventh
| year for the drawing up of budget
secondly, that no mention of any kind
| of control by provincial assemblies,
senate or the projected parliament over
the appointment or conduct of officials
CENTRALIZING GOVERNMENT
1t is reported from Picking that as
preliminary to the adoption of con-
stitutional institutions the government
is taking steps ito centralize the ad-
ministratiVe power" AS to the nature
of these steps, the information given
| is somewhat hazy, but apparently a
circular has been addressed to the vice.
roys directing the adoption of measures
which would have the effect of deprlV-
ing the local satraps of the power or
the sword and the purse. To this the
| H.. fY1tsa nh
strongly, and one of them is said to
have memorialized the throne to the
effect that in country of China's great
extent, where means of communication
are so defective, 1t is quite impossible
to centralize administrative functions
successfully without a fatal loss of efti-
cheney. He further urged that the
viceroys and governors could not pos
sibly consent to remain responsible for
the preservation of order but the man
agement of finance in their districts If
they were deprived of the power to is
sue orders and compel their observance,
and that if the proposed course were
adopted the local authorities would be
paralyzed and the central government
would be quite unable to stand alone.
The military school for the sons of
mobiles in Picking does not seem to have
been a success. 1t was opened in 1906
and the period of instruction was to
be five years, so that in the ordinary
course the first batch of graduates
would have emerged in 1911. But the
attendance 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 those youths were distributed
among the local divisions it was found
that the majority of them were not fit
10 40 n-pOnOniSSiOnn6 officers
and thew 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 institution
shall be reopened and conducted on
more strict lines.