The Calumet news., 1912-08-31
REPUBLIC
OF CHINA
MAY FALL
~
Republican Leaders Unable to Re-
organize Government and
Central Authority
CONDITIONS ARE CHAOTIC
Officials are Either Grafters or
Lack Moral Courage
CONDITIONS ARE CHAOTIC
FIGHTING DONE WITH MONEY

Peklng. Aug. S1.--Not only between
China proper and her dependencies.
but also among the Chinese provinces
themselves, conditions which threaten
disintegration become more and more
serious as the leaders of the Ropubll-
can movement fail to reorganize the
government and delay In re- establish
ing central authority. The chaotic
condition of China is at present such
as would cause widespread dangers,
international as we'll as domestic. IL
lated from the rest Of the world and
II the people, were not of an exceed
ingly peaceful temperament. Their
conflicts are primarily struggles with
money and not with arms.
In the late revolution there were no
battles in which more than a few
thousand men were engaged and the
lighting was generally of feeble char
actsr. Bartering usually took the place
Of lighting and some of the surrenders
Of imperialst commanders were the
result Of monetary payments, while
their loyalty might have been retained
had the Manchus been able or willing
to provide a greater number of silver
taels.
The same means today, it is gen
orally believed. would save China from
her officials. who with very few eXcep-
tions, are men who at one time or an
other also held office under the Man
chus. Among these officials those who
are honest suffer from the racial fail
ing-lacl of moral courage-and feal
to accept the six-nation's loan witt.
the requirement of foreign control. ana
the others are working up the national
opposition because they desire no SUI
pervisor over their system of "squee1-
es"
Japanese Authority Grows.
Meantime japanese consulb in south
ern Manchuria aud Russian conguls In
northern Manohuria and in the vast
territories beyond the Cobb Desert may
impose their authority as they will,
and the Chinese officials in those border
countries can obtain but poor advice
and little support from the Cabinet i'll
Poking. whose attention is concentrat-
ed on maintaining it's precarious poll
tical position.
In Thibet, to whose sacred city the
British Rave shown their ability to
penetrate with few hundred men,
many OF the Chinese garrisons have
been defeated and driven out. even
from Lhasa itself. though the soldiers
of the I.afhas are little more than an
ill-armed rabble.
The deep-rooted prejudice agains;
the foreigner and the fear of mm seems
to he the greatest factor continuing 10
hold together the provinces Of China
proper which are jealous of one an
other and sectlonally unfriendly. The
national government. being afraid tc
contract foreign loan and afraid to
impose taxes or even in some provinces
to collect those Instituted by the Man
chus. is unable TO purchase AUTHORITY
beyond the walls OF the capital. Sucl
order as exists is maintained locally
and is due chiefly to the peacefulness
of the people.
Rut there Is, apparently. no organiz-
ed party with secession or a counter
revolution In mind; nor is there any
foreign pressure on the nation ex'
cept I'm the so-called dependencies, over
which tho Chinese have held but nomi-
nal control for many years. Condi
tons in these dependencies affect onl,
few idealists and not the great un.
eomprehcnding Chinese masses.
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