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THE HONGKONG WEEKLY PRESS AND
[December 30, 1897,
are
no more power than a Major commanding count even in fighting the pirates. The | the service to be sunk in a bog of corruption an isolated battery of artillery. It cannot French Infantry of Marine- the only regular were not criminally prosecuted The man reasonably be expected that the general soldiers employed in Tonkin-are split up who brings the least stain on the public ser- "officers of Marines should be passed on to into small detachments for the most part, vice deserves exemplary punishment. We they War Office, for that Department and there is only a very small force in expressed ourselves in similar terms when "has its own general officers to provide Haiphong, which is also without defences dealing with the gambling seandal, and we for; but in the meantime the Ad- and open to a sudden attack from the river now rejoice that the Government will miralty would be studying the best and from the creek, the numerous wharves shortly possess a weapon which should act "interests of the service if they gave giving a piratical expedition every facility
as a wholesome terrorizer to evildoers. We "their attention to the question as to how to for the purpose, while the road from Doson wish the weapon had been in use six months "find suitable and adequate employment for affords another convenient approach from ago. "the Marine officers serving afloat, by afford the sea. The small garrison were of ing them opportunities of putting to some course totally unprepared for this sur practical use the high education that they prise, which seems to have been of the have received." What better employ-most complete description. The numbers ment could be found for them than the of the band and the daring nature of
· garrisoning of the coaling stations? There the attack would appear to indicate a re- may be a good deal to be said in favour of crudescence of the Black Flag band, if in- leaving the present system undisturbed, but deed that body has ever been more than since the necessity of increasing and temporarily inactive. The French Authori- strengthening the army and holding it in tics in Indo-China have so far failed to root readiness for service wherever and whenever out the evil of piracy, and to have merely required is making itself so strongly felt touched the fringe of it. No Frenchman is it does seem rather a waste of force to safe five miles from the principal towns, and keep a number of regiments locked up in if any are sufficiently adventurous to at- the coaling stations, if the duty of protecting tempt to explore the interior without a body those stations could be equally well guard they are almost sure to fall into the discharged by the Marines. We may hands of bandits and be held to ransom. take it for granted at least we hope Now that these disturbers of the peace have so that Chusan is about to be added invaded. Haiphong and destroyed the to the list of coaling stations, and if so it is cherished security of the townspeople it will probable that the experiment of a garrison be necessary for the Government to take of Marines will be made there, in some effective steps to safeguard the town. the first instance. The form the civil ad- Owing to the peaceable disposition of the ministration is to take will also be a ques- Tonkinese, the Police Force of both Hanoi tion of some interest. Will Chusan be and Haiphong has always been a nominal made a dependency of Hongkong or be one compared with the establishment main- -endowed with a separate administration tained in this eity. It will be necessary of its own? Will the future colonists in future to place guards at various points, be allowed to exercise some control over the and to institute a system of alarms whereby municipal affairs of the island, or will they such attacks as the one made on the 15th have to submit, as in Hongkong, to the inst. may be met in good time, for it is dictation of officials? Will Shanghai be terribly disconcerting to be roused at mid- taken as a model for the municipal ad- night by incendiary fires and the rattle of ministration, or Hongkong? These are fire-arms. Probably the design of the interesting questions, but it will perhaps be pirates or rebels-whichever they were- time enough to discuss them after the formal
was to fire the town, loot the Government announcement of annexation has been
stores and offices, and do all the damage made.
possible. Never, even in the time when China encouraged and armed the Black Flags to raid Tonkin, has so daring an attack been made on the French headquarters. It is high time for the French Military Authori- ties in Indo-China to concert steps to put down this robber organisation, and purge the land of such a disturbing element in the population.
THE ATTACK ON HAIPHONG.
hundred
(23rd December.) What the British in Burmah characterised as dacoity and the French in Tonkin have regarded as piracy is, unfortunately for the latter, far from extinct in the provinces of Indo-China. We have for a long time been aware that outside the towns there was little security in Tonkin, and that the banditti were practically in possession of great tracts of country, but we were not prepared to hear of the daring attack made on the town of Haiphong on the 15th inst. It is certainly rather startling to hear of the port of Haiphong being suddenly invaded by several
band its, who set fire to it in several places simultaneously. The horrible murder of Messrs, MARTY & D'ABBADIE'S book keeper, M. Gauthier, shows that the pirates were a savage and desperate band intent on plunder. No details are to hand, but it is probable that M. GAUTHIER offered resistance, and was at once cut down, when his ruffianly assailants proceeded with cowardly brutality to hack the remains to pieces. Presumably the priates were at length driven out by the garrison, so soon as the latter were roused; but the mere fact that such an event could, without warning, take place in the peaceful port is a striking proof of the in- secure condition of the country. The French have a considerable garrison in Tonkin, but not many white troops, and the native tirailleurs and militia are not of much ac
|
BRIBERY AND IS PUNISHMENT,
No opposition is likely to be offered to the Misdemeanors Punishment Or dinance, which was read for the first time at the meeting of the Legislative Council on Monday. On the contrary, everyone having the interests of the public service at heart will sincerely welcome the introduction of which of course is the the measure, outcome of the recent bribery scandal. At the present moment a criminal prosecu- tion for bribery can be instituted only against police officers, and not against any other Government servants, but when the new Ordinance is passed it will be an offence for any servant of the Govern- ment, whether permanently or temporarily employed, to accept a bribe with a view to influence his conduct as such public servant,
If
But while we hail this Ordinance with a considerable amount of satisfaction we must express our regret that nothing has yet been done to materially limit the extraordinary power vested in the Captain Superintendent of Police. Of course according to the Police Consolidation Ordinance it is the Governor who dismisses a police officer, but such dismissal is founded on the recommendation of the Captain Superintendent of Police,. and it may be taken for granted that his recommendations for dismissal invariably adopted by His Excellency. We doubt whether a single recommendation has ever been over-ruled by the Governor. In connection with the police bribery scandal Inspector WITCHELL was the only man criminally prosecuted, and he got his deserts. But what about the other men? Why were they not placed in the dock? The public cannot forget that during the WITCHELL trial the Attorney-General and Mr. J. J. FRANCIS, Q.C., stated that it could be proved that two officers, whose names were mentioned, received bribes. The fact that no prosecution was instituted against these two men, or against the others, goes to show that there was no proof against them at all, there was proof, then the Hongkong Government failed in its duty in not All but criminally prosecuting them. one of the men who were discharged were told that they had simply failed to discover and report a gambling house, and for this, and this alone, they were dismissed with loss of pension. The case was disgracefully bungled from start to finish. If the men were guilty of receiving bribes they all ought to be in gaol now; if they were innocent they ought to have been reinstated in the Force; if there was simply a case of strong suspicion against them they might have been called upon to resign, but, in the absence of strict proof of guilt, it was unfair to punish them by loss of the pension they had earned by their past services. In any case they ought to have been tried The Captain by an impartial tribunal. Superintendent of Police, however, accused the men, obtained the evidence, tried them, found them guilty of neglect, and recommended their dismissal. In England any charge against a constable would be investigated by the Judicial Sub- Committee of the Watch Committee, and not by the Chief Constable, and we contend that the power at present possessed by the Captain Superintendent of Police is far too great and ought to be considerably curtailed.
THE HARBOUR MASTER AND THE
LIGHT DUES.
The Harbour Master apparently found the proposing of the formal resolution reducing the light dues, at the Council meeting on Monday, an unpleasant task. What he had and on conviction he will be liable to in- to say was not in favour of the resolution, prisonment with hard labour for two years but directly against it. Under the circum- and also to a fine of $500. The offering of a stances it would perhaps have been more bribe is also made a punishable offence. dignified to have said nothing at all; for It was because of the absence of the power there is little but ridicule to be gained faces over a bitter this Ordinauce will give that certain by making wry public servants concerned in the scandal pill that has to be swallowed. Captain which lately revealed certain branches of RUMSEY, however, could not let pass the