THE CHINESE UPSET.

Free Lance, Volume XIV, Issue 707, 17 January 1914, Page 6

THE CHINESE UPSET.

Yuan Shi Kai Finds Things Very Troublesome. SOME good democrats who some time ago threw their hats into the air to mark their approval of the establishment of republican institutions in China, may now with advantage pause a bit and take stock. It is true that the Manchu dynasty was tryannical and reactionary, and that many details of Manchu government were hideous and revolting in the extreme. But it is depressing to note that pretty much the same sort of thing is going on under the new order of things. President Yuan Shi Kai is a strong man with certain great qualities; but he is a dictator, and no democrat. He will have his own way or none. "When the Republican Parliament did not' suit him, he suppressed the Republican Parliament without pretence of scruple. He appointed a consultative body of his own, and that body has utterly failed to satisfy him. He admits that the situation caused him profound anxiety, and be says that only a very brief interval divides the country from bankruptcy.

One remark is commended for its wisdom in a general sense. "Men talk glibly of patriotism, but if we entrust the Government to men simply- on the score of patriotic zeal without enquiring into their capacity, the almost inevitable consequence will be national ruin." The fact of the matter is that the Chinese move slowly, and these sudden re- • volutions are foredoomed to failure. There has been a tremendous growth of corruption and conspiracy since the Republic was established. Even Yuan Sln\ ■ Kai himself, great statesman though he is, has been- the -cool and dupe of con-cession-sharks from 'the ends of creation. Evolution is a sure process, but slow. In the end, China will settle to the new conditions and so find herself. Meantime, we can only hope for the best and have patience.