Peking, Apr. 30.
{n casting sbout for some good thing to say for the late Reorganization Conference, several writers in the Chinese press have of late commented on its remarkably good behaviour. They have good grounds for this compliment. There can be question that, as compared with the "old Parliament, which was impliedly abolished by Presidential mandate a few days ago, the Conference was model gathering, expending its! energy in discussion rather than in aerobatics and brawling. In fact, it has discussed matters so strenuously that it has been described talking shop, but it need not have been seriously perturbed by this ap. pellation, for at some time or other all parliaments "are thus dubbed. 'And it was really far more complimentary than "bear garden," by' which the old Parliament was often resolution had to be referred to a committee for report and was not Passed until the next meeting, on April 6, ft was apparent that' the delegates. were dubious as to the advisability even of getting any of those facts. Whether they did receive any information, either from {the Government or the provinces, is not revealed, but it can be taken for granted' that the Conference closed in the same state of abysmal ignorance of actual financial conditions as it, was when it opened. The last session ended oh April 20, and provincial records would have had to be brought to Peking by ait to have gained even a cursory ex: amination by the Conference, even if the provinces had been anxious gratify the delegates, which does not take much emphasis to rove they were not.
This explains why the Financial Bill reveals neither facts nor deci known.
Barren of Results is remarkable, however, that: so much discussion should have been So barren of result, Altogether, the Conference met formally on 21 occasions, and, informally, on perhaps more. They wore enjoined to decide tie number of convocation of the Citizen's Conference, to settle immediate and pressing problems, and to solve the financial and milit: ary issues resultant upon the overthrow of the Tsno Kun regime. In other words, they were to lay the foundation of w new reconstructive order. To accomplish these excellent. objects, thely term of office was extended twice, bat it was only in the last few days that any action at all was taken. Then, the Citizen's Conference regelations were approved, and two Bills, the Financial Read: justment Bill and the Military Reorganiaation Bill, passed. Tt occurred to me after being informed of these measures that your readers would like to Have a summary of them; but on-questioning the officials of the Conference about their contents, I was told that they merely provided for the formation of two Commissions, Financial: and Military, which were designed to carry on the work of the Reorganization Conference. "Tiere was not time enough for us' to go into financial and military questions", said the dfcial, "9 we recommended the formation of these two commissions to complete the task." These, then, wore the plans which Tuan Chi-jui said' at the farewell gathering accepted "for the time being and '8 thousand yeary to come."
The Constructive Germ Even it the delegates had been predisposed in favour of the settlement of these two vital problems, they were completely lacking in the data necessary adequately to dise them, And they were not helped by the Government. A glance over: the agenda papers shows it was not, until April 3, after at least ton full dress debates on China's finances that the delegates discovered that if they were to pursue the discussion og all' intelligently they. must have at lest a few facts upon which to Proceed. So one man with a grain of constructiveness in him. troduced this resolution: "That, telegrams should be despatched to Provincial military and civil officials and military commanders, asking: them to report within a stated time' on the military and financial conditions of tHe places under their jurisdiction" He apparently infected another delegate with the constructive germ, for on the same day, another resolution was tabled calling om the Government "to Publish accounts of all loans, domes-fie and foreign, incurred at times with. explain: way they have been spent".
This wfter the Conference had been given two fresh leases of life, One wonders what had been discussed before these two resolutions, were introduced, for the mere fact of their submission showed pretty plainly that the delegates had -not the foggiest idea of the financial conditions they were called' upon to remedy. And, seeing tha: the second Flagrant Disregard Tt was just the same with military problems. Simultaneoasly with the discussion of military problems, the ists were engaged in their solution without regard to the academic interest of the Peking' con. forces. Yet the delegates continued to behave circumspectly. According to the evidence of their agenda, they received not the slightest sup-ort either from the Government oF the provinces. If they were at all serious in their deliberations, this Hagrant disregard of the purpose lof the assembly, which made of it 4 laughing stock, should have been ufficient reason to arouse considerable indignation. That it failed to dg so shows that the members did not, and were not intended to, take any serious view of their functions Now, for the complacent way in which they regarded them, they are' rewarded with a longer' term of office, not as Reorganizers, but as Provisional Senators. Mest of the members, like the good boy at school fare to be given a remove; in their case, it will take the form of more permanent employment, and a con-Minuance of their salaries. Even ithe officers, according to. reports, are to transfer their functions over to the Senate The absorption of these delegates into administrative service is good Ipolicy for the Government. It has worked so successfully that the {Provisional Chief Executive evolved quite a number of commis: ions and committees to amuse the attention of potentially hostile critics. In addition to the Finanjclal and Military Commissions, we have the Preparatory Office for the Convocation of the Citizens' Conference, the Committee for the Drafting of the National Constitution, and the Committee for the Discussion of Constructive Measures. If the Reorganization Conference is any indication of the work to be pursued by these bodies, we are approaching a season of official verbosity without equal in the annals of the republic.
The Anti-Bribery M.
But these bodies. will not absorb all the surplus energy of would-be conferees and committee-men now in Peking. Tuxn Chi.jui, in a mandate issued on April 27, declared that the would also employ the anti-bribery M. P.'s in. some official service or other. These men are now regarded as. specially-favoured Persons, due solely to their refusal to accept bribes from Tsao K'un. Their conduct was undoubtedly estimable, but would not seem to warrant the excessive adulation it, is now receiving, throwing into re-Hef as it does the foundation of official life in Peking. But the Provisional Government does not shave this view, preferring to emphasize a virtue which is generally taken for granted in Parliamentary life. 'Tuan' recently went to the length of telling the world that by this negative restraint they had fought for justice in China. Hence, they will soon be promoted to the ranks. of the decorators and uphold-jets of the manifold signboarde of the Provisional Government.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.