The Fight for the Republic in ChinaPutnam Weale, B. L. (Bertram Lenox)
History
The Fight for the Republic in China
Putnam Weale, B. L. (Bertram Lenox)
China -- History -- Republic, 1912-1949; China -- Politics and government
Mr. Hu: A true republic must be conducted by many people
possessing general education, political experience and a certain
political morality. Its president is invested with power by the
people to manage the general affairs of the state. Should the
people desire to elect Mr. A their president today and Mr. B
tomorrow, it does not make much difference; for the policy of the
country may be changed together with the change of the president
without there being any danger of disorder of chaos following such
change. We have a very different problem to solve in China. The
majority of our people do not know what the republic is, nor do
they know anything about a Constitution nor have they any true
sense of equality and freedom. Having overthrown the Empire and
established in its place a republic they believe that from now on
they are subservient to no one, and they think they can do as they
please. Ambitious men hold that any person may be president and if
they cannot get the presidency by fair means of election they are
prepared to fight for it with the assistance of troops and
robbers. The second revolution is an illustration of this point.
From the moment that the Emperor was deposed, the centralization
of power in the government was destroyed; and no matter who may be
at the head of the country, he cannot restore peace except by the
re-establishment of the monarchy. So at the time when the republic
was formed, those who had previously advocated Constitutional
Government turned into monarchists. Although we have a Provisional
Constitution now and we have all kinds of legislative organs,
which give to the country an appearance of a constitutional
government, China has a constitutional government in name only and
is a monarchy in spirit. Had the government refrained from
exercising monarchical power during the last four years, the
people could not have enjoyed one day of peace. In short, China's
republic must be governed by a monarchy through a constitutional
government. If the constitutional government cannot govern the
republic, the latter cannot remain. The question of constitutional
government is therefore very important, but it will take ten or
twenty years before it can be solved.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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