The citizen-Republican. (Scotland, Bon Homme County, S.D.) 1???-19??, 1912-09-05
CHINA THREATENED
WITH DISSOLUTION
Chaotic Conditions Still Pre-
vail In Celestial Empire,
Says Paris Report.

Picking, Sept. 3.-Not only between
China proper and her dependencies. but
also among the Chinese provinces them
selves, conditions which threaten disin-
tegrat1on become more and more serious
as leaders Of the republican movement
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 m
gers, international as well as domestic, If
the country were not so favorably isolated
from the rest Of the world and IL the
people were not of an exceedingly peace
full temperament. Their conflicts are pri-
marily struggles with money and not with
arms.
In the late revolution there were no
battles in which more than a few thou
a men were engaged and the fighting
was generally Of a feeble character. Bar
tering usually took the place Of fighting
and some of the s%urrenders of imperialist
commanders were the result of monetary
payments, while their loyalty might nave
been retained had the Manchus been able
or willing to provide a greater numbe Of
silver taels.
The same means today, it is generally
believed, would save China from her Of
ficials, 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 failing-lack of moral
courage-and fear to accept the six
nations loan with the requirement of for
eign control, and the others are working
up the national opposition because they
desire no supervisor over their system Of
''squeezeS."
NTo,r%;,,o ,,ooa. aa,,-,. -:
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, to whose sacred city the Brit
ish nave shown their ability to penetrate
with a few hundred men, many of the
Chinese garrisons nave 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 the 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 OF
even in some provinces to collect those
instituted by the Manchus, is unable tc
purchase authority beyond the walls OF
the capital. Such order as exists is main
tanned locally and is due chiefly to tho
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 foq
many years. Conditions in these Deepen.
denotes affect only a few idealists ant
not the great uncomprehending Chinese
masses.