482
THE HONGKONG WEEKLY PRESS AND
GERMANY AND THE OCCUPATION | either in the shape of new ports being
in
1.
view of
OF KIAOCHAU.
still all a
opened to trade, the grant of some new
boundaries of this colony. trading privileges, or the rectification of the The latter had not at that time become a burning question; but something should have been exacted that would have wounded Chinese vanity to concede in order to make the lesson a perman nent one. It may be, and is, objected | by some of the Powers that the deniands of Germany were excessive, and that she for what she had long since determined to hastened to seize the opportunity to press obtain as the price of her intervention in favour of China after the late war with Japan. But however that may be, it is certain that none of the Powers will make any protest, and it cannot be doubted that the moral effect of the action now taken will be beneficial to foreign interests generally.
L
K
<
[December 22, 1897.
Having given a detailed account of the mur der he says " The immediate cause of this "outbreak is a mystery, but the remote cause is perfectly clear. This particular murder "is simply the fruit of a condition of
things which the officials of Chaochoufu __ "have permitted to grow up until it ripened in this atrocious attack." There had been many previous outrages, and "since Li Ping-hêng took over the Vice- royship at Chinanfu, our position has only grown worse, Mandarins known to be friendly to Europeans have been put aside, apparently as a matter of principle, while those left at their posts were en- 'couraged to ill-treat Europeans. Calumnies regarding the missionaries were listened to with open ears and their circulation encouraged justified complaints obtained no bearing and the most ignorant official felt himself called upon to furnish the missionary with warnings and exhorta- tions." The "Big Sword" Society, once alleged to have been suppressed, has been quietly permitted to grow again, its ́adherents to hold armed assemblies and to 'go about as they choose without molesta- tion. Some mandarins go so far as to afford the Society their protection. The result of this is to make this naturally rough people so much the bolder and to "render European more helpless and ex-
*posed to greater danger than ever.'
It is satisfactory to find that the statement that Germany was to evacuate Kiaochau and receive instead a port in Fukien is offi- cially denied. If Germany is to acquire a coaling station in China-and there can be no objection to such acquisition from reason- able people-it is better that she should have one further north than Fukien, for more than one reason. In the first place, she will be able to exercise more influence at Peking from the coast of Shantung than from an obscure port in one of the Southern pro- vinces. In the second place, the cession of a port so near to the metropolitan province will tend to humble the arrogant mandarins. They are very much allied to the ostrich in their manner of thought. As the noble bird of the desert is prone to hide his head in the sand in a fatuous effort at concealment, so the imbeciles at Peking fondly imagine that THE FUTURE OF KIALCHAU. if concession has to be made to the l'an Kwei it is an advantage that it should be made at Notwithstanding the reports to the con- as remote a distance from the capital as pos- trary published a few days ago, it is becom- sible. The sting to their pride is modified, ing increasingly evident that Germany has and they believe the humiliation is not so
gone to Kianchau to stay, and not merely generally known. Another point is that, to occupy the place temporarily as a means too possible of enforcing compliance with other demands partitionment of the Celestial Empire, for reparation for the murder of German the United Kingdom would naturally missionaries. The cession of Kinochau itself regard Fukien as within her sphere of is, in fact, the chief item in the bill of influence, and would therefore prefer that reparation. Prince HENRY is coming out no foreign settlements should be effected to preach abroad the gospel of is Sacred Justification or no justification, however, within that sphere. For Germany the Majesty" the Emperor of Germany, and Germany has long intended to acquire a advantages of retaining Kinochau are
with instructions from "His Sacred Majesty" station in Chi, and, having selected obvious. Firmly seated there, she will to "strike with his mailed fist" in case of Kiaochau, the practical and important. be able the better to see that the various affront or prejudice. The latter may per-question is what she intends to do with it. The answer is supplied by an demands agreed to between the two Powershaps be regarded as a threat to the world at are properly carried out. The memorial to large to abstain from interference, rather than article in the Ostasiatische Lloyd, which be taken be erected in Shantung to the memory of as directed against China in particular, and from internal evidence may the murdered missionaries, the payment the expression is in keeping with the general as semi-official. This article has been trans- of the expenses incurred in sending the peculiar tone of the Emperor's speeches. It lated and appears in English in the N. C, punitive expeditions, the effective punish- is not likely, however, that any Power will Daily News of the 14th December. It is written from Kiaochau Bay by a correspon- ment of those concerned in the outrage, wish to interfere, unless it be Russia, which and the realisation of the pledge to uti-
was understood to have eyes on Kiao haudent, who, having given a description of the country as viewed from one of the em- lise German engineers in the exploitation for herself; but it is probable that an of mines in the province--all these can be understanding has been arrived at with inences, asks, “What shall we look down better watched over from Kiaochau than that Power. But whether Russia consents from the South, at a great distance from the or not, it is clear that Germany intends to theatre of operations. The Peking Govern- remain at Kinochau, and the first trooper ment have apparently decided that it will with Marines for the garrison has already be advisable to comply with the terms sailed. required without delay, for the degradation of LI PING-HING, the Governor of Shantung, is already announced. This is as it should be. Punishment and reparation should fol- low on crime or outrage promptly and fully in order that its deterrent influence may be widely felt.
The settlement of this Shantung outrage by the German Government forms o curious contrast to the very unsatisfactory repara- tion exacted by the British Government for the horrible massacres at Kucheng. The word reparation, however, is out of place in the latter case, for there was no reparation asked and certainly none proffered. It was only by the aid of the United States Repre- sentatives that any satisfaction at all was obtained at Kucheng. Some coolies who were more or less implicated in the savage butchery of innocent women and children were found guilty and suffered decapitation, but there expiation ceased; the instigators of the outrage were allowed to escape. A trifling monetary indemnity to the families of the victims was paid, but no punishment was ever inflicted on the Government which permitted and encouraged a long series of atrocities and outrages in the Yangtsze Valley and elsewhere, which finally led up to the slaughter at Kucheng. Had the British Government of the day pos- sessed any backbone it would certainly have insisted upon some reparation being made
!
"
It is hardly worth while arguing on the ethical aspect of Germany's action, for a stan- dard of ethics applicable to international rela- tions, especially the relations between civilised and barbarous nations, can hardly be said to exist. When it is a case of substituting a just for an unjust government aggression may be regarded as a righteous act, for the people benefit thereby, while the rulers, who are the only ones to suffer, have generally nothing better than previous conquest to advance in support of their claim, as is the case in China, where the Government is a foreign one. Ge. nany's action simply means the substitution in a part of China of one foreign Government for another and the substitution of civilisation for barbarismi. However, for the satisfaction of the public conscience it is generally considered that there ought to be some cause of quarrel be- fore aggression can be fully justified, and in the present case the cause of quarrel is the murder of two German missionaries. The case is somewhat weakened by the fact that the murder was committed by brigands, not in a popular uprising, and murders for or dinary criminal motives may of course take place in any country, even the most civilised. We note, however, that a writer in the stasiatische Lloyd sets up a case of full justi- fication for Germany's action on the ground of ample provocation notwithstanding that the murder the work of bandits.
was
35
upon from this spot in ten - not to say a "hundred-years hence? How will events develop ?" He predicts that new harbour improvements will develop a new traffic, and new trade routes will be opened up, while the barren hills are to be clothed by Ger- man forestry. "The question now is," he where to build the new trading set- says, "tlement." Incidentally it is suggested that as there is a perfect beach the place will become a pleisure resort where Shang- hai will take refuge from the summer heat and that we shall see bathing machines be- ing pushed into the cool waves.
**
That is not
a consideration that would be likely to pre- sent itself to the minds of the German Go- vernment, or to be considered a special re- commendation if it did present itself. It is not as a summer resort for Shanghai that Kinochau has been taken, but for the pur- pose of making of it a German Hongkong, for the extension of German commerce and the promotion of Germany's political influ- ence. We can only wish the new owners success in their enterprise.
We learn from Kinkiang under date the 13th inst.that two of the priests arrested by the Chinese authorities in connection with the Russian land purchase in the Kinkiang moun-
tains have died under their tortures. There are three more in prison and they will all most- likely shortly die if relief is not given them. The Russians do not seem to be doing anything to stamp the Russian deed as the sale was a fraudulent one. The lard there belongs to 49 clans and the priest who gave the deed had no authority whatever to do so.- -N. C. Daily News.
for them. The Chinese authorities still refuse