Mr. Ko:  What do you mean by honesty?

Mr. Hu:  It is a bad policy to deceive the people.  Individually the people are simple, but they cannot be deceived collectively.  The Manchu Government committed an irretrievable mistake by promising the people a constitutional government but never carrying out their promise.  This attitude on the part of the then reigning house brought about the first revolution.  As the standard of our people at the present time is not very high, they will be satisfied with less power if it is properly given to them.  Should any one attempt to deceive them his cause will finally be lost.  I do not know how much power the people and the parliament will get in the constitutional monarchy, but I would like to point out here that it is better to give them less power than to deceive them.  If they are given less power, and if they want more, they will contend for it.  Should the government deem it advisable to give them a little more, well and good.  Should they be unfit for the possession of greater power, the government can issue a proclamation giving the reasons for not complying with their request, and they will not raise trouble knowing the true intention of the government.  However, honesty is the most important element in the creation of a constitutional monarchy.  It is easy and simple to practise it.  The parliament must have the power to decide the laws and fix the budgets.  Should its decision be too idealistic or contrary to the real welfare of the country, the Government can explain its faults and request it to reconsider its decision.  Should the parliament return the same decision, the Government can dissolve it and convoke another parliament.  In so doing the Government respects the parliament instead of despising it.  But what the parliament has decided should be carried out strictly by the Government, and thus we will have a real constitutional Government.  It is easy to talk but difficult to act, but China like all other countries has to go through the experimental stage and face all kinds of difficulties before a genuine constitutional government can be evolved.  The beginning is difficult but once the difficulty is over everything will go on smoothly.  I emphasize that it is better to give the people less power at the beginning than to deceive them.  Be honest with them is my policy.

Mr. Ko:  I thank you very much for what you have said.  Your discussion is interesting and I can understand it well.  The proper method of procedure and honesty of purpose which you have mentioned will tend to wipe out all former corruption.

Mr. Ko, or the stranger, then departed.