The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-02-19
Is a Cautious Advocate of Votes for Chinese
 Women
PEN PORTRAIT OF THE
 FIRST PRESIDENT
Says Wu Ting Fang Is Better Lawyer Than Diplomat--Will Assume Charge of Reformation
 of Chinese Laws
By SPENCER TALBOT

| Ranking, China, February N.-Your cors
 respondent has just been given the privi-
 Iege of interviewing Sun Vat Sen, the | first president of the provisional repub- l lie of China. My interview, however, probably will not be found more inter-
 estlng than the interview which preeed-
 ed it.
 | My card was handled by no less than l 12 military and secretarial dignitaries
 before it reached the former chief ex- eoutive. and when I finally was ushered l into his office found another inter- l viewer ahead of me who was engaging
 ex-Presdent Sun In most earnest conver-
 saton. This person proved to be Miss
 Lin Strung Su, walking delegate, business agent, or whatever you are of mind to
 call her, of the Chinese Suffragettes' | union.
 Suffragettes in China l She is an attractive young girl. That
 Sufragettes union knew what 1t was about when it picked her out. Her mis- sion on this occasion was to attempt 10 put MT Sun on record in favor of the ballot for Chinese women and she came
 very close to doing t. He told her
 that he was glad to see her. that her object was a good one and that he was inclined 10 view 1t with favor. 'This important matter is not in my hands," he said. but will have a good deal to do with 1t when 1t comes 10
 be dealt with. If tho Chinese women hope to gain the vote. they will have to qualify themselves. They will have to educate themselves in regard to the laws .t..lr.
 regards the election laws. Chinese men
 are going to he doing this for some years
 to come and 1t will be good opportunity
 for the women to do so. When they
 are qualified there is no doubt In my
 mind that the vote will hc given them.'
 ~sfiss flp sxs. apaa3 nr siim y;ay fs'fss 1 already were laid by her dnion fol sn
 educational campaign among Chinese
 women bv means of lectures and articles
 in the Chinese press. He then gave her permission tc wire her headquarters in Shanghai Of his views and the audience was over.
 Pen Portrait of Sun
 pr. Sun is small, dark and iovial He works fast and good hunoredly and eVi- dently Is clever organizer, for he Is making a very chaotic situation begin to show some evidence of system, His
 
 being rather far sighted Il Is often said that the women of China have more ln- 1uence over their me- than the women of any other country over theirs This is to great extent true. lt is dne 10 the system Of clan and family life. When a youth marries he continues to live with
 lis own family. The bride becomes very humble member of her husbands family. Thus it is not tie wives who control but tho mothers the old women. and. largely the old men. although this revolution Is bringing many young men into the center of the stage. summing np this phase or the situation. 1t would not be s'irprisng 70 see China, the young
 est republic. the first 70 grant the vote to women.
 i Dr. Suns long residence abroad has
 caused him 10 sl cd n good deal ef tho
 retieence and philosophir evasiveness one encounters In the average Chinese stotes- man He talks freely and frankly when n question is asked which he feels that he can answer The interviewer Will i find him a good deal like Wu Ting 1 fang in this regard He asks as many
 questions as his interviewer. 1 What about the cabinet2' was asked, the interviewer having in mind Yuan l Shi Kais experience. when he was ap- l pointed premier some two months ago and snpointed a cabinet. only 10 have two-thirds of the appontees decline the places.
 Cabinet Ministers "Al have accepted with the excep- l ion of Mr. Wong. who feels that pr. wu Ting fang ought to be retained as minister of foreign affairs. The first sit- ting Of the cabinet has been held, at which all the members were present ex- ceptlng pr Wu and Mir. Wong. and received many helpful suggestions" Dr. Sun was told of the general sur prise which had been manifested over the appointment of Dr. Wu to the min
 istrv of foreign affairs
 That was not a mistake" he replied
 pr Wu probably Is better known among
 foreigners as diplomat than he Is as a lawyer. but we consider him a better lawyer than diplomat. He has prac-
 ticed law: he was graduated as an Eng fish barrister in London. Tn recent years he has drafted the civil. criminal an1 commercial codes of China. still moro recently he has been engaged in drafting
 n stlll more modern set of laws. which we expect to adopt with possibly soma alterations consider his appointment the most important one in the cabinet. If is very important to have strong man as minister of. foreign affairs. bnt
 K we had Bismarck or q Napoleon i'm that office he would be able to
 accomplish nothing until our laws arc reformed. That must and will he the first thing on the reform programme. With 8 good legal foundation We will
 be able tn accomplish things In the bg- reau of foreign affairs. Yes, until we get good laws we will be able to accom- pllsh nothing.
 "What Is your reform nrn-ramme?'' "Tt s too eariv to go into that We
 must do a great many things f,it tho cabinet must discuss and formulate the programme
 Abolish Obnoxious Tax What about likln7" Crhis. fl shoel1 be explained is tax on goods in tram
 sit which has given no end of trouble
 and expense to foreign hongs doing bus- mess in China. It is in a way compar- able to the old toll gate system in some parts of the United States, but in China it results In an enormous revenue only small portion Of which ever reaches the governmenD.
 That is already abolished was his
 answer
 "And currency reforms9"
 We intend to get 10 that among ths first things
 Do you hope to abolish extra-terri- -~~>~~>~~~~>~~~~~~~ . fasa . mn AN us A fsu e