The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1911-12-30
THE CHINESE REPUBLIC AND
THE WORLD.

The announcement yesterday OIL tne
election Of DR.. IL to the presidency
of the new formed Chinese republic
WAS no surprise. But there Is much
uncertainty as to the tina results
which will come from h splendid
effort Of the people of that polNglot
nation to throw off the Manchu yoke
and establish a government OF their
own. II left t o themselves there Is
no doubt of the result-the republic
will be firmly established But it
was TOO much to hope that western
guardianship over China would be
withheld during her period Of n
sion and change. The west has ac-
CURED the habit Of meddltng With
eastern affairs and the inevitable dis
turbancc Of foreign trade which has
ACCOMPANIED the overthrow Of the
Manchu dynasty has of course fur
nished pretexts enough for an attempt
by The west to guide OF help China
out Of her difficulties. England. Ger
many. France and Russia-thar is to
say, all the great European powers
except Italy and Austria-Hungary-
together with the United States on
this side Of the world and japan on
Tue OIIlc4 SlAOs PoS AH
at the Shanghai conference.
A marked and Of course admirable
feature Of the Chinese revolution has
been the rigid determination on all
sides not to hurt foreign persons So
5ourning in that empire and not to
tnjure fixed foreign property interests
there. 1t strikes us as little less than
wonderful, when the average quality
Of the Chinese people is considered.
and also how many there are of them,
and the severity with which The strug-
gle has been carried on among them
selves, that his determination not to
harm foreigners on the part OF all the
%contending factions has so nearly been
maintained. The degree of success
achieved by them in this common
point Of policy can only be explained.
1t seems to us, by supposing that the
safely of foreign persons and property
was made a cardinal rule of the V
lutionary doctrine itself, and that this
rule was equally urged and taught
with the need of relief from the rotten
and tyrannical Manchu control. OF
course such a point Of policy was A
matter of foresight, and vas due to
the intense desire of the Chinese lead
ers to be saved from foreign interfer-
ence, SO that they could readjust their
domestic organization by themselves
and for themselves.
There is another matter in which
the western powers are concerned
the foreign debts of China. We do
not know much about the details Of
this business. it not being the habit
of western governments to make their
bookkeeping very clear in regard to
money due them in the form of in
IDENTITIES. But We nave seen a dis
patch sent to the London Telegraph
by its Picking correspondent some days
which reads is follows:
"Mr. Agien. inspector general Of
customs. authorizes me to state hat
the Likin quotes due on Tuesday were
promptly paid by the new republican
provisional governments, though
Likin is abolished. Thus the 1898
loan has perfect prospects. The re-
publicans merit great praise for OBJ
serving the customary Chinese pro-
bity in monetary obligations. Mi.
Agien also states that there is no arr
rangement Of n kind to tamper with
the customs funds"
ftere again, even IN the confused
and tempestuous days of revolution
airy strife, with no government at all
h a could collect taxes as a settled
government. but only in the desultory
and incomplete manner possible when
no one has power except. those who
venture TO exercise it. we see the per-
Histent determination of the Chinese
people to keep their hands SO clean
in respect to foreign powers that no
foreign power shall have Il plausible
pretext for meddling in their affairs.
But all to no avail. The meddling
apparently has begun. The mis-
chievous theory that the west not only
has to take rare Of itself. but also OF
the east. has again got in motion, in
spite Of the desperate effort made by
h Chinese people to avert a new
application Of it. 1t has seemed of
the first importance that whatever
method Of government the Chinese
might finally adopt, that the choice Of
this method should be freely made by
themselves. 1t is to be their govern
ment after all, and IL is they who are
to be satisfied. We hope that the six
of the great powers that have sent
their agents to Shanghai will draw
the line strictly between what ia their
business--if they have any in China
and what lis indisputably the business
of h Chinese people.