The disorder accompanying the voting today in the Legislative Yuan at Taipei marks the vitality of the democracy that has taken root on Taiwan. It’s apt, too, that all the banner-waving, protesting, speechifying, and even tossing around of balloons bearing political slogans took place under the gaze of a portrait of the founder of Chinese democracy, Sun Yat-sen, a New York Sun contributor, who urged self-rule because “I believe in the Chinese people.”

In a debate over presidential power, and defense spending, the parliament was “festooned with banners promoting both sides in the dispute,” the Associated Press reported, “while arguments on the floor broke into shouting and pushing matches.” Quite a contrast with the solemnity and lock-step conformity of the meetings in March of Communist China’s top legislative body, the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference National Committee.