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
of industries and our abundant natural resources will likewise be
developed by others. China will thus disappear as a nation.
In selecting a man of the Li Wang type, the aforesaid foreign
countries will desire merely to facilitate the acquisition of
China's territory. But there can be easily found such a man who
bears remarkable resemblance to Li Wang, and who will be willing
to make a treaty with the foreigners whereby he unpatriotically
sells his country in exchange for a throne which he can never
obtain or keep without outside assistance. His procedure will be
something like this: He will make an alliance with a foreign
nation by which the latter will be given the power to carry on
foreign relations on behalf of his country. In the eyes of
foreigners, China will have been destroyed, but the people will
continue deceived and made to believe that their country is still
in existence. This is the first step. The second step will be to
imitate the example of Korea and make a treaty with a certain
power, whereby China is annexed and the throne abolished. The
imperial figure-head then flees to the foreign country where he
enjoys an empty title. Should you then try to make him devise
means for regaining the lost territory it will be too late. For
China will have been entirely destroyed by that time. This is the
second procedure in the annexation of Chinese territory. The
reason why that foreign country desires to change the republic
into the monarchy is to set one man on the throne and make him
witness the whole process of annexation of his country, thereby
simplifying the matter. When that time has come, the people will
not be permitted to make any comment upon the form of government
suitable for China, or upon the destruction of their country. The
rebels who raised the standard of the republic have no principles
and if they now find that some other tactics will help to increase
their power they will adopt these tactics. China's republic is
doomed, no matter what happens. If we do not change it ourselves,
others will do it for us. Should we undertake the change ourselves
we can save the nation: otherwise there is no hope for China to
remain a nation. It is to be regretted that our people now assume
an attitude of indifference, being reluctant to look forward to
the future, and caring not what may happen to them and their
country. They are doomed to become slaves after the loss of their
national independence.
Mr. Ko: I am very much frightened by what you have said. You have
stated that the adoption of a constitutional monarchy can avert
such terrible consequences; but is there not likely to be
disturbance during the change of the republic to monarchy, since
such disturbance must always accompany the presidential election?
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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