When, therefore, in 1912, certain self-constituted officials proclaimed the Chinese Republic, and _the American Government hastened to offer recognition and congratulations; on the institution of a system similar to its own,—our people, having forgotten how their own free government had been acquired, failed to realize that the only thing which could be said with certainty of the new government was that. it. could not possibly operate in accordance with its scheme.. For the scheme, fof course, vested the ultimate political power it. the people, and the Chinese people are utterly incapable of exercising such power.
No one can have a clear title to an office, for the people are incapable! of giving it, and any government} that is established must be some kind of usurpation. And this is what all tthe governments brave been since the overthrow of the Manchus. The late leader of the Nationalist party, Dr. Sun Yat-Sen, realized this, and placed militarism as the first step in the programme by which a real] republic is to be established. After which is to follow tutelage of the people, and then democracy. That is say, there is to be military usurp. tion of political power from the other militarists who are now exercising it in different sections of the country, after which the new usurpers; fare to prepare the people to replace! them in the exercise of control, and then they ave to give up the power (obtained by fighting) with the pro-{fit and importance accompanying it. And the leaders,—according to Doctor Sun's programme—are to do fall this without any compulsion from below, which the people are yet confessedly unable to exercise. They are to do it because they are different kind of militarist from! those whom they re to replace or from those the world has heretofore produced!
The Old Adam Rises When it is stated thus, in the light of history and of reasoning upon human nature, we can see what] chance there is of any early success! for the Doctor's programme.—And, indeed, we have already seen some of the' results of its operation—in. the considerable section of China where the Nationalist forces have secured authority. The Old Adam has appeared among the leaders, fand personal profit and rivalry for power are repeating the distressing] history of the past 16 years So we must believe that if China is to be regenerated by her own efforts and her people relieved from exploitation by their native rulers it must be by the educative process: ziving power to the governed who exact accountability from officials, by} which alone the task has been accomplished in all other parts of the world where popular liberty prevails, And this will certainly come about eventually, because the spark, of edu has been lighted—in China, and it can never be put out. But as to how long it will take, and as to how much suffering incident to the struggle there will be in the mean time, the experience of our own race is not reassuring. Al-[though China, with the help of our example, can traverse the arduous} course in less time than it took us by the method of trial and error, still the spirit wilts in contemplat tion of the weary generations which must be required for success against installed power, under the: handicap Jof the disturbed conditions which blight the growth of education.
13 there no way of accelerating] the process from the outside?" And, {in conscience, is not that part of the world where the thing has been better worked out called upon to' try Jand help: the Chinese people? 'The Powers' Duty to' a Struggling We: are told by well! neoning persons. that the Chiness' people have a right to work out. their own Salvation in their own' way'tna that it would be wrong to interfere in their internal affairs. But "who are the Chinese? Are. they' the' two per cent: who exercise of hutberatic land profitable rule' over the' others? ixs Or are'they: the inarticulute°95' er feat. who -have nothing "to say' the matter, and never have had, we have any duty or responsibil ity in the premises, to which group is it? Or have we any at all? By staying out and keeping our bande off we leave the two per cent. free to fight among themselves for the control of all the others, and to fore many of the latter' into tha fmélée as they can arm and cquipy while harrying the remainder with the miseries of civil war. The only, Justification which~ we admit. for making use of our strength defence of our own interests, of lives and property of our nati But what idealism is there in plea when dealing with a weak backward people?" Is the selfs reason the only one to which will grant any validity But we are also told that the tasht Jof assuming charge of China, against the united - opposition which would encounter from. all the faction which are now fighting each other, would be too big; that the rame would not be worth the candle; and that it could not be prosecuted success in any case, for it would involve endless guerilla watford with the irreconcilable 400,000,009 of China's hostile population, T.of us look at the situation for a ment. i A Consideration of Facts 4
China's armed forces are loosely, estimated at some 2,000,000 meny whose sole present occupation fighting each other ox plundering the unarmed people. And thix the limit of her numerical possible ity, for the task of armament and supply, particularly of ammunition is alrendy too much for her warring chiefs, even with the considerable which she receives front finished product, raw material and technical help, notwith standing the quasi-embargo. "Chg numbers. are formidable, and ficiency were maintained in rede sonably like degree, they would ficient, to deter any thought soldier {vom advising" his goveena ment to undertake military" opera ions against them, away off here iff China, The Chinese are much better armed than they have been in ang, of their previous clashes vith ute side powers, and far better organized and dellled. "They know more about the use of modern weapons; and they have never lacked, courne6y when they' recognized an. occasinil for its display,. Somé of them hava exhibited: discipline and endurance of a high order in campaign, and, although very litle fighting generate ly accompanies their military operas tions, their advances. and treats and their occupation and abandonment of position, they hav shown on more than ' one recent occasion that they are capable off maintaining a pitched battle with a tenacity which, is, evidenced high percentage of casualities. Fufl their training searcely extends bee yond the duties of the infantry, soldiers, and in that it is practically, Timited to elementary close and nett order' drill and manceuvre, and the ure and care of the rifle and the pistol, Their ammunition supply if too limited to permit the target practice necessary for any pro ficiency in marksmanship, and fom the same reason they cannot have the training required for familiavine ing the detachments with the operas tion of their automatic arms, doubtful if any number, of the worth considering could keep machine gun in action, even if the quality of their ammunition would permit anybody to do No Artillery Manufactured Some of the arsenals can manus facture trench mortars, and this simple weapon they can tse to some extent; but they do nit manufactung field. artillery, their supply of modern guns is very limited, and ceticers lack "the. seientifid taining without which it is impofo sible to utilize the mange, and powell important. arm. Thal service is" almost norns They have Sow planeely still fewer native pilots, and thei lanes are rarely in the air. Theg, Thave nothing like the organization! fand equipment for the constant overhauling and repair. vhich ar@ Ineeded to keep'an aviation served going, and they havecho: menns of renewing their supply of planes and arts; except from abroad." They, have no dirigible: balloons: whatevers They have next-to ud taziks; no gill masks and no. gas service, and £3 means of manufacturing en' quantity' either the masks or: the gas. They, rave afew' motor ches and motor potty Sabot ood Mees Fee
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.