94
THE KUTIEN MASSACRE.
THE HONGKONG WEEKLY PRESS AND
There
August 7, 1895. takes up the reins of office again after an exchange will bring the contribution up to interval of three years and finds the question the same figure in sterling as that at which Since the Tientsin massacre in 1870 the of the safety of foreigners in China in much it previously stood. Such a rise in hostility to foreigners in China has given the same position in which he left it, all the exchange as would materially affect the rive to no more startling and lamentable fine professions of the Peking Government question is possible but very improbable; occurrence than the Kutien massacre of the blown to the winds, and the hatred of an increase in the revenue, on the other 1st inst., in which eight ladies, one male foreigners more intense than ever. If his hand, may be looked upon as practically missionary, and a child lost their lives. Lord hip wants a fow coolies' heads the certain, and in a few years the colony will Lamentable and horrifying as the news is, Chinese Government will provide them for therefore be paying as much as ever. it is not surprising. For the past five years him without making much trouble about it, is a proviso that in no year, shall the sum outrages upon foreigners have been perpe-likewise
& moderate amount of sycee paid excced the cost of the garrison for that trated with almost complete impunity and to compensate the Mission for the destruc. year; otherwise the bargain might have appetite has been increased by what it fed tion of its property, the injured for their turned out distinctly unfavourable to the upon. The outrages along the Yangtsze in sufferings, and the friends of the murdered Straits. For the year 1895, however, there 1891, including the partial burning of the for their bereavement. All this can be had is a saving, on the basis of the estimated foreign settlement at Ichang and the murders for the asking, but it is little to the purpose. revenue, of $142,229. An increase of of Messrs. ARGENT and GREEN at Wusueb, Let the rioters be dealt with as justice may less than a million dollars in the revenue as well as the murders of Messrs. WIKHOLM require and due compensation be paid, but would wipe away the saving, and such an and JOHANNSEN at Sungpu in 1893, and many over and above all that it is the clear and increase took place between the years 1884 other minor outrages that have occurred unmistakable duty of the British Govern- and 1890. During the last few years there since then, have all been allowed to go un ment to see that the Chinese officials has, owing to bad times, been a decline in punished. The decapitation of a coolie or whose connivance or indifference is respon the revenue, but during the next few years the payment of a monetary indemnity is no sible for the outrages are severely punished, a rapid increase may safely be reckoned on, sufficient reparation for such acts of not by some nominal deprivation of a In the meantime, however, the colony's savagery and affords no security against riding jacket or peacock's feather or any finances will experience some relief in conse- their repetition. The Chinese know by ex- nonsense of that kind, but, if not with death, quence of the new arrangement, and those perience that the cost of murdering a by some sentence to be carried out on British who have led the long and bitter battle foreigner or two or burning a foreign territory and under the supervision of British with the home Government are to be con- settlement has not hitherto amounted to officials; and at the same time let the eyes ofgratulated on their success, though it is only much, and they are apparently prepared to the Peking Government be opened to the partial and, if we look ahead, of somewhat pay it. This crowning horror at Kutien
danger of their devious courses by demanding doubtful value. The doubtful value arises must bring about a different state of affairs.
large concessions, something that will make from the consideration that while on the one However reluctant it may be to take action, them wince and he more careful for the haud the revenue may fairly be expected the British Government cannot stand by
future. Our French and Russian friends to increase, on the other hand an increase and see a number of inoffensive women and have opened their mouths pretty widely in in the strength of the garrison and in the children massacred. The details of the connection with the service they rendered expenditure thereon is also practically certain, horrible affair have not yet come to hand and China by securing for her a reduction of the so that it may be taken for granted that in it is impossible to say to what precise extent Japanese demands; let England open hers future the colony out of every dollar it raises the officials may be implicated in the matter as widely in connection with the outrages in the way of revenue will have to pay to the either as incitors of the outbreak or simply of which her subjects have been made home Government by way of military con-
And to remove as having neglected to take reasonable mea- the victims. And while demanding and tribution 17 cents. sures for its prevention or suppression. enforcing large concessions as a salutary "much vexel question from the arena of It has been known for some time, however, punishment to China let a vigorous gunboat annual debate" the Secretary of State sug- that i will was entertained by the policy be revived in order to ensure ber goodgests that a permanent Ordinance should be populace against the native Christians, behaviour for the future. This may stimu-passed appropriating 17 per cent. of the and the authorities when appealed to late the cupidity of other nations and lead colonial revenues to the use of the Imperial sent a single runner, who carried with him to the dismemberment of the Chinese em-Government. The argument founded on no authority at all. It was not at that time pire. So much the better. Under its pre- supposed by the foreigners that they them-sent government the country is only fit for selves were in danger, but there can be dismemberment. little doubt the officials must have had some knowledge of the mischief that was brewing. The murderers, it seems, belong to a fana. tical sect. It is possible the officials and lite- rati may have not been so closely associated with the matter as they were in the recent Szecliuen outrages and the riots of 1891 along the Yangtze, but it is by their default that the massacre has been allowed to take place, and for the failure to afford protection the Chinese Government must be held re- sponsible.
THE MILITARY CONTRIBUTION
QUESTION,
was
The compromise arrived at with reference to the Straits military contribution is not a very great victory for the colony. A slight monetary relief, likely to prove only temporary, has been afforded, but the political principles contended for by the local agitato s have not been conceded, have not even been no- The wholesale slaughter that has occurred ticed, by the home Government. It must excite the indignation of every right urged in the first place that the con- thinking man. The practical question, how-tribution made by the colony, instead of ever, is what should be done in the matter, covering the cost of the whole garrison, Lord SALISBURY was at the head of the should cover only the expenditure required Foreign Office when the riots of 1891 for purely local defence, the expenditure occurred and he allowed himself to be bam-caused by Singapore's being made an im- boozled by a tale that the outbreak had its perial coaling station being properly charge- origin in an anti-dynastic movement, the able to imperial funds; and in the second immediate object, it was pretended, being to place that the expenditure of the colony's re- embroil the Peking Government with the For- venue should be entirely at the discretion of eign Powers in order to afford an opportunity the local legislature. As a subsidiary point for the intended rebellion. People ou the it was also urged that the official members of spot had little faith in this explanation the Legislative Council should be allowed at the time and the history of the past four to vote" in accordance with their conscience," years has completely disproved it. China that is, to oppose the Government under All these points have in the meantime has been embroiled with a which they serve. Foreign Power to some purpose, has been been disregarded in the reply of the late brought to her knees and humiliated in the Secretary of State, who says, in effect, that dust, and yet of rebellion there has been as the lump sum in sterling previously uone, but the old anti-foreign spirit has demanded from the colony has been found been steadily fauned by responsible officials rather too heavy a burden the Imperial and men of letters, and has broken out | Government will in future accept in lieu with renewed virulence, resulting in the thereof a contribution of 17 per cent. of Suechuen outrages and now in the culminat- the net colonial revenue. Either an in- ing horror of Kutien. Lord SALISBURY crease of the revenue or a substantial rise in
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the imaginary distinction between local and imperial defence will thus be swept away once for all and the colony will go on automatically increasing its contribution with never a word said about it. There is at present no sign of any retardation in the increase of armaments, the tendency indeed is quite in the opposite direction, and with the changing conditions in the Far East it is not unlikely that within the next ten years the garrisons of Hongkong and Singapore will have to be doubled. Looking at the matter from an impartial point of view, however, there can be no doubt that if the colonies are to pay contributions at all a percentage of their revenue is the fairest What basis on which they can be levied.
the percentage should be is a point on which argument might be carried on indefinitely. The Straits people originally suggested 12 per cent., but Low, rather curiously, seem well content to pay 17 per cent.
Sir
Hongkong, it is reported, is to be placed in the same position as the Straits and in future pay 17 per cent. of its re- venue instead of a fixed sum of £40,000. There is a mistaken impression abroad
treated that the Straits have hitherto been more harshly
than Hongkong.
Governor of the CHARLES MITCHELL, the G Straits, in his recently published des- patch to the Secretary of State, after rofer- ring to certain colonies which pay no military contribution, says: Even in the cases of Ceylon, Hongkong, and Mauritius the "amount recovered is not nearly in the same . proportion to the cost of their defence "and to their revenues as is that exacted "from the Straits Settlements." As· re- gards this colony that remark, though