The Bon Homme County independent. [volume] (Tabor, S.D.) 1904-1913, 1912-09-05
CHINA THREATENED
With DISSOLUTION
Chaotic Conditions Still Pre-
vail In Celestial Empire,
. Says Paris Report.

Picking, Sept. a-Not only between
\ China proper and her dependencies. but
also among the Chinese provinces them
selves. conditions which threaten disin-
4 tegration become more and more serious
as leaders OF the republican movement
1 fail TO ~reorganize the government and
delay in re-establishing central authority.
The chaotic condition OF China is at pres
ent such as would cause widespread dan
gers, international as well as domestic, If
the country were not so favorably isolated
from the rest of the world and If the
people were not of an exceedingly peace
full temperament, Their conflicts are pri-
uarily struggles with money and not with
arms.
hi the late revolution there were no
battles In which more than a few thou
sand men were engaged and the fighting
was generally of a feeble character. Bar
tering usually took the place of fighting
and sornc OF the surrenders Of imperialist
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 1t Is generally
believed, would save China from her Of
hcials, who, with very few exceptions,
are men who at one time or another also
held office under the Manchus. Among
these officials those who are honest suffer
from the racial f~ailing-lack of moral
courage--and fear to accept the six
nations loan with the requirement of for
eign control. and the others are working
4 up the national opposition because they
4 desire no supervisor over their system of
"squeezes."
Meantime japanese consuls In southern
Manchuria and Russian consuls in north
ern Manchuria 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 OBJ
tain but poor advice and little support
from the cabinet in Picking, whose atten-
ton Is concentrated on maintaining its
precarious political position.
In Thibet, te whose sacred city the Brit
ish have shown their ability to penetrate
with a few hundred men, many of the
Chinese garrisons have been defeated and
driven out even from Lhasa itself, though
the soldiers Of the Lamas are little more
than an ill-armed rabble.
The deep-rooted prejudice against the
foreigner and the fear Of him seems to
be h greatest factor continuing to hold
together the provinces Of China proper,
which are Jealous of one another and
sectionally unfriendly. The national gov
eminent, being afraid to contract a for
eign loan and afraid to impose taxes or
even in some provinces to collect those
instituted by the Manchus, is unable to
purchase authority beyond the walls of
the capital. Such order as exists is main
tanned locally and is due chiefly to the
peacefulness Of the people.
But there Is, apparently, no organized
party with secession or a counter revolu-
ton in mind; nor Is there any foreign
pressure on the nation except in the So
called dependencies, over which the Chi
nese have held but nominal control foC
many years. Conditions in these depen-
denotes affect only a few idealists and
not the great uncomprehending Chinese
masses.