To the Editor of the "Nonra Caixa Datuy News.
in,—While it woold be, at t stage, extremely ran to, prophesy gard upheaval we are witnessing, 1 outcome of
tarenting to try and foreeest what it may mean. It is now certain that the days of Mancha autocracy are numbered, and whether the Chinese decide on a limited Monarchy or " Republic, a new and a free nation will Lo found to ba been born. For more than 250 year the Chinese neck has been beneath the heel of " conqueror: condition that has crashed down the manly virtues of frankness and independence and has encouraged, and even made imperai the cultivation of cunning and intriga Webarve been accustomed to thenpectacle of a naturally proad race striving by diplomatic trickery to preserve some of the power that an ignorant and corrupt Government had destroyed: and it has been the trickery that has engaged our attention, instead of the conuses that bad made it the sole weapon of a disarmed and helpless people. We are now compelled to consider whether outward appearances have misled os in judging them, Chinese have suddenly arisen might, and they now stand before the world with their shackles shaken off, entitled at last to look neighbouring nations in the face and to claim that they are no longer slaves, bat freemen, It is one of the most wonderful events that the world has ever seen, and every generous heart must best in sympathy with the heroes who braved the executioner's sword and exile, and with the thousands who are at this moment offering their lives as their country's ransom, and who now see the coming fruition of their grest and dangerous that the Ohinese of the fatare any be Is it not fair to ex
ferent man from the type Freedom confers patio are we not justified: i cringing serv'
the arrogant insolence of the great will be changed for general and cheerful courtesy! May we not hope that the pessimists who argue that the Chinese cannot change his nstare, and that his inclines him to illicit gains that it renders impossible the prospect of an honest and efficient administration, may under the new conditions Il] prove to be mistaken The wonderfal spread of the vernscolar press, and the boldoes of the editors, has had ap immense inflaence in bringing about the revelation, and there ery reason to expect that a strict watch will be kept on the doings of officers chosen by the people, and that " new standard of official honesty will be evolved. The Chinese will feel that the revelation has to be jartified, and that they bare to show to the world that its aim was purity of Government not merely the transfer of the power of preying on th people Mancha to to Chineeo band If the above optimistic forecast in mi taken and doomed to disappointment, 6 common-ment of a period of appalling horrors. If the Chinese prove unequal to self-government: if ey obatrnetion are still development of thie wonderfully rich portion of the globe in to be kept back: if the people are atill to be subject to the oppression of their ralers and allowed to as flood and famine; and mistakes in foreign alia perpetrated, it would seen break-up of the in ivovitabl foreiga intervention almost nnavoidabl Bat before this result came about, we should see province fighting against ravines, all the forces of disorder let looge, and marder and rapine stalking through the land, with all the. wore rile of the Taiping rebellion exaggerated.
Fortanately, it is not in the least probable that @ people who have jast proved their vitality by throwing of the yoke of a despot are threatened with auch a destiny. Those who believed the Chinese decadent and doomed to alien rale, will pow, it is hoped, find symptoms of decay were not di disease, bat were the resalt of deplorably deleterious treament, and it is probably more profitable to speculate on mbat the fatare may bold for a people who will cast off other weaknesses with the came determination that they have show ridding themselves of the opiam rice. Let us imagine, then, that the na to be free with an honest and capable administration subject to the will of the people, and note only few of the niore certain results, Domestic trade be relieved from taxation and will be provided with facilities of transport, such as roads, railways and properly kept waterways. This will lead The development of potential wealth and industrial enterprises, in lconjonetion with the honest collection of the land and other taxes, will so leo rich the nation that it will be easy to support " large army and an efficient navy. The Japanese will then be reduced to their proper place among Asiatic Powers, and will have to change their present bullying attitude for one of humble friendship. It is not probable that Chins, even when powerfal, will be aggressive: bat those territories that have been lost in her time of weak-beer ilia gradally recovered, invading eventually Manchuria and Korea, There tare those who declare that when the never had before, of securing the friendship and gratitude of the Chinese race, by a sympathetic and, so far as may be compatible with correct neutrality, © helpful attitude daring Bat should any nation be '40 ill-advised s to interfere to prevent the people from gaining th the bitterness of hatred against th
others, would be deep and andy nation, possibly to be "reflected agai Foreign intervention should be arrietly impossible to guess what it might lead to, Trade must of cxnrse softer daring these times of unrest, and many must face severe lo id that those where pod fected should be impatient to see peace restored quick-revolution concerning 400 fortunate if we see trade beginning to ts normal course within a year. Coming profite will make up for pro-sent losses, and if we toosh the Chinese to trast and respect us in their time of stress, fatare conditions will be © vast improvement on the disappointing past, ae very satistectory anticipation for some of os is that the class of foreigner who has been a feronrite with the old répime will find no place in the councils of the new leaders; and this fact alone may do mach towards correcting Chinese misconceptions regarding foreign obaraoteristics.
One tea tore of the revelation deserves the who prate of intervention. the republican party ba control, perfect order has p the civility and good bebavioar of the where a0 interregnum where the new ralers have not yet had time to organize their go bad characters are naturally ile the sun shines, Bat too much importance not be attached to exceptional conditions, as it is quite certain that all sach disorders will be rapidly suppressed as soon as they can be attended to, and that life and property will be more secure than before, It would be most unreasonable to expect that such an upheaval should cause no
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.