The Daily Missoulian., 1913-01-27

ones would be cared for by the state
| anyhow. In addition to all this there
was the. tremendous cost of maintain
ing the boards Of agriculture and buy
ing large lots of seed. The bitter dis
pute over who should bear this burden,
the government or the rural population,
broke up the Wang Ngan-che system.
| When Emperor Chen tsung died this
minister was cashiered. A decade or
two later the plan was started again
| but failed more miserably than before
| and those back of it were exiled to
Mongolia. The motive was all right
but the method was wrong.
After lapse OF eight centuries DR.
Sun Yat Sen advocates another at
tempt to apply socialism to China. He
Is confident OF success. for there Is to
be no givn of something for nothing,
no bureaucratic meddling in the per-
sonal affairs of the people, and abso-
lutely no redistribution of wealth. In
answer to criticism he has repeatedly
stated publicly that he considers the
last named feature absurd, and that it
will not be attempted
Cooperative sharing of nrofits with
/ .iie "aSe et'i iiei ), WHO are the real pro-
ducers and government ownership of
public utliues are what DR.. Sun is
after He believes the government
should own, and proceed to buy up as
rapidly as possible, RAILWAYS, tram
ways. electric light power, gas works,
water works and canals besides keen
ing control of the forests. In this
| connection reforestation of the coun-
try would prove very beneficial. for
Woodless China is sadly in need of
trees. Even DR. Suns tremendous
railways plans, contemplating the
building of $4,000 miles of track by the
aid OF foreign capital, provides for
| government ownership 40 years after
completion, and he hopes to arrange
for all of this great construction work
| within 10 years. In a recent issue of
| the China Press. Shanghai. DR.. Sun
set forth his comparative ideas as fol-
i lows:
Il favor the Introduction of sys-
tenn whereby the suppliers of physical
| necessities Wall be able to derive NUT
| ual benefit upon q common ground Of
justice and fraternity. That, after all.
is the definition of socialism, | want to
| see the laborer obtain the full value
of his hire, and to see the Chinese work
upon a cooperative plan, so that in
the new time coming we will be able
to build up nation politically and
1ndustriaiiy democratic, each unit de-
pendent upon the other. all living in a
sense of mutual confidence and good
Will. The ideal is difficult to obtain,
but one should strive for the ideal, and
so secure some Improvement of condi-
tions which are far from the wishes
for stage of perfection.
BY this system production will be
enhanced, and advanced to the maxi
mum, with a minimum OF poverty and
labor slavery. All men would have
their proportion of the products of the
wealth now taWating development at
their hands; they would reap the full
fruit of their toll; secure favorable
conditions of labor, and obtain oppor-
tunity In leisure to think of other
things that the daily grind in the mill
or the mine. They would be capable to
cultivate the mind, have adequate
recreation and procure the blessings
which should be in all mems lives but
which, on the showing of other ma
tions, are largely denied the worker
and the poorer masses. A chance
would be given all in the race for live
lihood and life, and the fullest measure
of liberty would be provided This Is
what l want to see. When I urge a
socialistc system l urge system
which will create for the citizens a
direct interest in the country that Is
theirs 7 n vt, ,i,o 20
In the results Of it's productiveness."
Certainly there will never be better
time than now or the immediate fu-
ture to give socialism a fair trial In
: China, for better or for worse Indus
: trial development being in it's infancy
j there, it can be applied as commerce
grows and manufacturing concerns
spring up. Chlna's toilers are situated
differently than their brothers of the
western world, where combinations of
capital and unearned increment have
builded high and heavy an industrial
structure Of which the laborers them
selves are the corner stones. The west
ern system is heaving, and may fall,
with damage at first to all, workers
and capitalists alike. China, 1t seems,
would profit by this spectacle and
build in a different way
1t might be worth while to operate
practical socialism at the very outset
of China's industrial advance If for no
other reason than the avoidance of the
terrible strikes which now rend the
countries Of the occident. Blood has
been shed. families disrupted, business
held up, and there have been displays
of great violence which have done
good to no one. All this is due to the
fight of the working classes for big
ger share Of the profits on the things
they can produce. Witness the strikes
OF the coal miners, wooden workers.
taxicab drivers, hotel employees, street
and steam railway employees in the
United States, the miners in Germany,
the coal miners and dock wallopers in
Britain, the miners in France and Aus
tralia China has plenty OF trouble,
but very little Of this kind and it does
not wish for any.
| By the operation Of his system DR.