The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1914-07-27
YUAN SHl KAPS GOvERN INTENT IS
 KILLING MANY

Picking, July 27.-Yuan Shi-Kai's s government, lenient for awhile, has become so severe that the summary executions of sentences to death or tex- ile for political offenses are again nu Nderous. It is not only those who violate the law but also those who but psssively support it and who " Il not work for reforms, on whom the hand of the law Is set.
 Yuan Shi-Kai has found that dras- tic regulations are necessary for iT1n~ proving the provincial administra- tions and purging the country of reb- els, who are still striving to turn the army against the presi dent. A re- cent presidential mandate prescribes execution of officials who receive bribes for perverting the law. Life Imprisonment is prescribed for those who accept bribes for neglecting to put the law in force. It appears from the mandate that punishment by death may take the form of shoot ing 2 instead of the old time decapi- tation, and penal ,servitude may take the form of banishment to e. mote and unhealthy provinces
 Besides, rebels and corrupt ofI1- cials, persistent gamblers and secret service men of vicious practices are also to be put to death, if the presi- dential orders can be enforced. Such lists as the following are appearing daily, indicating those whose life may be the forfeit of their crime.
 'sTong-chong, acting magistrate of Hsiao Kan Hsien, failed to perform his duty and practiced squeezes. giv- ing great trouble to the people
 ''Tu Chong-Yu, acting magistrate of Ching Shan Hsien, allowed his rela- tfves and servants to receive brib es and to frequent evil houses.
 ''Tung Lai-yu, magistrate of Chia Yu Hsien, misappropriated govern f,,- ,Ie- E,sae &I,o Ia Iii ,0f smoking opium and gambling. $.
 ''Feng Jui-sung, active magistrate of Chung Yang Hsfen. refused to hand over his office when instructed to at tend the examination of ma gistrates.''
 One regrettable phase of the dras- tic program which the government has undertaken, is the fact that many innocent persons. have to go to the execution grounds. It has long been the practice of trade rivals or any person who holds a grievance against another to bring the authorities down upon that person and perhaps bring about his execution. One Of the most familiar methods has been for one to send through the mail letters which would seem to connect his busin ess enemy with rebel operations.
 The government authorities, care fully watching the mails, detect these letters and believing them genuine, run down the person to whom they are addressed. and take summary ac- tion. Perhaps hundreds. of guiltless persons have already been executed as result of such fraud.
 It would seem that the administra- ton could easily detect such fraud ulent letters but the Chinese aut1ori- ties are still naive and life is held very cheap because it is so wretched and miserable.
 A serious evil continues to exist in the secret service branch of the gov ernment The detectives have, long made it a practice to extort "'squeezes' by threats of denunciataion and to ob- tain rewards. by accusing innocent men of compIicity with Sun Yat-Sen and his party.
 An account comes from Chentu, in Szechwan province of an opium smo- ker being executed publicly as a warn ing to otohers who persist in defying the prohibition against use of this drug. It is not clear from the report but it seems to be he case, that the execution was performed at one Of the burnings of conf1scated opium, which takes place from time to time and are made occasions of public rejoic- ing