충남지방 국채보상운동의 전개양상과 성격

Abstract

Chungnam province promoted to start a campaign for subscriptions actively from the start of March. Mrs. So-Sa Yang who lived in Asan, was the first subscriber among the residents in the province. This was an important opportunity to arouse Chung Cheong people’s pride and the community leaders of 54 counties in Chungcheong province announced a suggestion to recommend a righteous national debt compensation and defined it as obligation to be paid back and the least necessary requirement to maintain an independent country. Around 20 National Debt Compensation Offices were organized in the province including “Hojung National Debt Compensation Society”, “Association for the realization of National Debt Compensation”, “Contribution Collecting Office for National Debt Compensation”, “Hoseohyeobseonghoi(a society)”, etc. They have diverse names like “Danyeon Alliance Association”, “Collection Office of Subscriptions”, “Ilsim Alliance Association”, “Daejeoneuiseongsa (Daejeon righteous Contribution Office)”, Righteous Association for National Debt Compensation, etc. Actually these organizations were the central groups which led fund-raising activities. The leading figures of these organizations were composed of local worthies like former and incumbent officials including county governors, county junior officials and financial secretaries, and local worthies like local wealthy persons, persons who were engaged in religious bodies, schoolteachers and students. There was considerable differences in its development phase by the region according to its conditions and characteristics. Fund-raising activities in administrative towns, business towns or important traffic centers were started comparatively early. This played a great role in spreading an atmosphere for subscriptions and led to the increase of participants in the subscriptions. Generally the way of fund-raising was to collect a certain amount of money according to the living standard of the participants. This way based on the operation of a village community was a main mechanism to induce the residents to take part in the subscriptions competitively with a village as a unit. The family system based on blood was actively utilized for the subscriptions. The participation of children, laborers, the old, and Confucian scholars in the subscriptions was one of the major factors which derived voluntary cooperation from the residents. The merchants of 8 towns of Naepo area, and Cheonan, Yuseong, and Gongju actively participated in the subscriptions. They were the same as the last fortress to protect the front line from the Japanese invasion. On this occasion, the residents in Chungcheong province came to seek new social order meeting the changing of the times. Deepened real understanding and self-awakening made them aware of their social responsibility. People’s participation in a social movement based on the public service like a campaign to establish private schools or a night school movement started from this historical origin. This is the real meaning of the national debt compensation campaign.