The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1914-04-13
is OUT OF MONEY
The Chinese Government IL
Hard Pressed Financially.
Unable to Collect Taxes From
the Provinces.
PUBLIC DEBT COMMISSION
Or Foreign Financial Control
Seem Only Alternatives.


Yuan Shi Kai's Administration
Is Not Popular.
Picking, April 13.-That Yuan Shi-
kai's government Is faced with Sc
rious financial crisis is the opinion OF
a substantial body of foreigners in
Picking and the treaty ports of China.
These men predict foreign financial
control or a foreign public debt COM
mission. The difficulty of the situa-
ton is that the president and his sup
porters are, up to the present, unable
to obtain money from the provinces
for the administrative requirements
Of the central government. A letter
to the president from the tutuh (mili-
tary governor) of Human, accompany
an Interesting statement Of the case
from a practical Chinese point Of view.
Tang Hsiang-ming, the tutuh, says:
"Of late the country has been in
turmoil of civil strife and frontier
troubles, and scarcely a day has passed
without some military operations.
After your excellency suppressed the
internal troubles and made peaceful
settlements with the powers the first
thing that attracted your attention was
the financial administration. Foreign
loans have been resorted to to relieve
the country's financial embarrassment.
but owing to the fact that the terms
of the foreign syndicates were too
harsh, some patriotic people have sug-
gested ways of collecting taxes while
others proposed a retrenchment policy.
But all these specious words and the
cries can do no real good to the
country.
During this critical period there
seems to be hardly any remedy for
the country's financial troubles. When
read the documents from the CEN
trail government stating it's financial
difficulties and the orders of your ex-
cellency, I gave vent to my grief in
sobs and tears, like everyone else who
has the sense of patriotism.
I'VE are in duty bound to relieve
the embarrassment of the govern
ment. If the provinces do not help.
national bankruptcy will result and
the nation will lose it's independence.
And if the nation is obEterated, how
could the province of Human exist?
hereby remit the sum of 100000
(Mexican) to the government.
1T should be borne in mind that the
financial condition OF Human Is quite
different from that of other provinces.
1t would be easy for other provinces
to raise double the amount. Our re-
mittance. though not large. is sufi-
Gent to display our patriotism and
anxiety over the situation.
TANG HSIANG-MING."
This gift, as it might be called, from
the province of Human. small as it is,
is exceptional AS a rule little or moth
ing can be got from the provinces.
They are, on the contrary, continual
ly calling upon the central govern
ment for assistance, the tutuhs threat
ening that rebellion, or brigandage
and 1ooting that will implicate the
government with foreigners, will re-
suit unless the assistance is forthcom-
ing.
Army Lacks Discipline.
The president and his supporters,
by employing the army, succeeded in
lsuppressing the rebellion of last sum-
mer; but they have not been able to
! stamp out the elements Of disorder
| Indeed, in order to do this they would
have to abolish the army itself-a
| mercenary situation, as the frontier
fighting and the recent rebelMons have
shown, lacking discipline and not yet
developed above the idea that the
privilege of soldiers is the right to
plumber. Yet the president has not
the power to disband several hundred
thousand men in arms.
DISCRIMINATION throughout the coun-
try prevents the government from
| collecting taxes on western lines from
the provinces as whole, while active
| opposition-which will last. it Is said,
| as long as Yuan Shi-kai remains pres
| 1dent-wOuld otherwise present in the
| southern provinces, the institution of a
| new western system. But the greatest
| difficulty is believed by foreigners here
In Peking to be the lack throughout
the nation Of capable men, possessing
the character and intelligence neces-
/ nm, -
OF the corrupt and antiQuated eastern
| one which the country knows
4uan-Shi-kafS government has fall
len back on the old Manchu system OF
| giving the governor Formerly the Vice.
| roy) orders to send to the capital GER
| tain definite amounts, leaving the gov
| ernor to collect as he can sufficient
above the required sum to pay his pro-
v1nce's expenses, including the cost OF
his provincial army, and what sums
| ne chooses to take as his own per-
sonal compensation. But even this
plan hitherto has failed, for the central
government has not been able to re-
| the Manchus held, feeble as they were
The Associated Press correspondence
from Picking has shown how the so.
called modern army refused to f1gh
the Mongol tribesmen within the pro
vince OF the capital, Chill, itself; and
how, when disbanded. the troops joir
prlgand bands, one of which, in tn,
province Immediately south of Chill
numbers, it is calculated, over 500
men.
Collects Little Revenue.
Except where foreigners are givel
control or a measure of it-as in tn
case OF the extensive salt tax, the Sal
Gabelle-the government il able to col
lect little in the way Of revenues
fuan-Shi-kai might employ more for
efgners and put them in authority, bu
the men Immediately round him, a
well as he himself, have given con
| tinued proofs of their uuWilline nesa I,