Pierre weekly free press. (Pierre, S.D.) 1889-19??, 1913-08-14
WASHINGTON TAKEN
AS MODEL BY YUAN
Chinese President Declares
He Is Working on Lines
Of Great American.

From the Philadelphia Public Ledger.
T. F. Willard, editor of the China
Press, has with great difficulty secured
\ long interview with President Yuan
Shih-Kai at his residence in the In
perial city beyond the Lotus pond.
Some Of the things which the China
man Impaired to the journalist are set
forth below, fresh from Mr.. Millard's
| Iaestions characterizations:
Nov that the people nave decided
upon a republic, we should give it a
tair trial. 1t would be foolish to think
Of revertlng to another form Of govern
ment before doing our utmos to make
the republic a success.
Since l embraced the republic I
worked to make it a success. II
1t has been in danger of disruption, the
danger did not spring from me, but
from those who would plunge the IA
ton into civil war.
Il nave taken Washington, not Ma
poleon, as my model. Who is the most
admired figure in history? Is it Ma
poleon or any king or emperor? No.
t is Washington. What did Napoleon
eave? A torn INC exhausted country.
What did Washington create2, A great
md free nation. Why should I want
70 be a Napoleon when 1 might become
mother Washington?
ut is necessary to reorganize the
ieVenue system and the methods of
taxation, also the currency. These re-
.orms are necessary to make others
easlble. Productive enterprises should
,e encouraged, and the of the
country developed, so that the people
nay become prosperous. Prosperity of
he people is the true foundation of
! table Vernmen =
THE disaffected politicians are Of
wo classes: those who are dissatisfied
With the rewards n offices they have
teceived under this government, and
hose who SO far have had no rewards
Ind offices, and hope to get them by a
ihange. Their efforts are entirely de-
Itructive.
Until it is capable of giving intelliv
gent help, the government must con-
inue to function without it. The re-
public has now been recognized by the
United States and other republican ma
ions as a stable government, and it
.annot fail to fulfill this position, 1,
Us president. would not do my duty if
would permit the government to be-
ZONE the sport of rebellious factions. I
nope the assembly will settle down and
Lssist me in establishing the govern
nent on a firm constitutional basis. 1t
IS one thing to criticise officials at long
faAiSS "a AolNC dllolIlel ~ ucdl WIFI
The actual problems Of government.
, y
There are really no serious differ
ences between north and south. These
differences are the inventions Of de-
tigning politicians. The interests of all
parts Of the country are one and all
sectional jealousy should be sunk in
the effort to. consolidate the nation.
Opinions may differ, but the will of the
majority should be respected; and until
the will of the majority has been as
certained and a way to express it in
legislation has been put into effect the
government has no course but to act
rs seems to it wise and Just. The gov
ernment cannot accept the lurid full
limitations Of politicians as the will Of
the people. To, do so would lead to
chaos"
In a recent confidential letter, writ
ten in many instances to personal en-
the republic, Yuan Shih-Kai takes up
many delicate points III handles them
with great daring. Even the thorny
question of finance and foreign loans
foes not brighten him, and in dealing
with it he has outlined to his reaction
Try brethren a program which shows
that he is a master builder.
Yuan her goes on to say that the
moneys derived from foreign loans will
pc used for the payment Of back debts,
,oreign n domestic, n for the fol-
lowing additional purposes: to build
Ind equip modern schools, colleges and
military academies; for railways and
roads in at least IL states; for the
scientific and accurate survey of more
than 1885, 900, 900 acres of public land;
to o thousands of poor people from
overcrowded centers to fertile but I'M
occupied sections; to dredge rivers and
lharbors; to open coal n iron mines,
1 =, orly Tho . cplt 1,1y1c ND o,,t s1yo ~, h14
hardwood; to build asylums, hospitals
Ind schools in 81 cities; to drain and
reclaim II, 900, 900 acres of public land
In eight states; to build adequate and
modern government. buildings at
Picking.
Then follows this straight tip to each
recipient of the letter:
Have you, as a worthy n patriotic
citizen, any objection to offer to one
Or more Of these items of intended eS-
~pense? If o have, will you
sraciously communicate your reason
,or so having"
Ever since Yuan Shih-Kai was called
10 the presidency of the new Chinese
republic many tongues at home and
the viper that h guileless republi-
cans had taken to their bosom, of the
coming empire and its Emperor Yuan
1. Perhaps he could be king. Certain
~, he has all the money and all the
troops of the country in his hands.
Yet we see him making personal APP
peals to his enemies, giving r%eassuring
Interviews at midnight and holding
cabinet meetings at half-past / in the
morning. directly absolute safety for
foreigners ana patiently working at
plans that will put China in the first
rank of the nations Of the world.
All this may be plotting for a king
IHom h,1t RI the world at largo IL 1ooks
like the building Of a republican edifice
from the ground up. Yuan Shih-Kai
has become one Of the worlds great
figures.
Hester.