AN APPEAL FOR OUR DEFEN- DERS IN CHINA.
(Daily Press, 1st Angust.) In another column we publish a letter, dated from Weihaiwei, from Mrs. SCOTT, who addresses us in the absence of her husband, the Right Esv. Bishop Scorr, who has returned to Tientsin to render assistance in the work of mercy to the wounded Mrs. SooTT makes a most earnest and pathetic appeal for assistance on behalf of those of our forces wounded in relieving and defending Tientsin. Un- fortunately war cannot be waged even with the Chinese without a terrible butchers' bill,
י
THE HONGKONG WEEKLY PRESS AND
INTERVIEW WITH COUNT OKUMA ON THE CHINESE
QUESTION.
[SPECIAL ARTICLE.]
I have just had the following interview with Count Okuma, ex-Foreign Minister, and one of the most illustrious of the elder statesmen in Japan, with regard to the Chinese embroglio. disturbances, the Count said :——-
Speaking on the causes that led to the Boxer
"There are direct causes and indirect causes. The indirect causes are those that always operate when the Western Powers come into contact with old nations possessing a different
[August 4, 1960.
Here I asked the Count what indemnity would Japan probably ask from - Chin quiet had been restored, and how that indemnity would be collected.
"Of course, he answered, an indemnity will be asked, but the question is. How will if be paid ? At present the Central Government is very weak and incapable, I think, of levying taxes throughout the whole country. In any other nation an appeal might be made in similar circumstances to the national sentiment of the
ve shall have many fine fellows re- civilisation, and they have operated for a long tion of foreign Powers, and running their
on our hands physical wrecks. It is for such that Mrs. Scorr appeals so simply, yet so eloquently, and, we trust, so effective ly. As a first response thereto we have opened a subscription list and doubt not
time past in the neighboring Empire, which, considering itself immeasurably superior to all Western nations, hates them nevertheless for their superiority in material strength. This indirect cause has been responsible for the mas sacres, that have taken place more than once in China, of foreign teachers of missionaries, and it was once at work here in Japan.
The direct causes of the present trouble are, among others, the usurpation of the Empress Dowager and the popular antipathy to the Catho lic missionaries. When the Empress-Dowager usurped the powers of Government and sum moned to the front conservative statesmen who were in full and perfect sympathy with the popular anti-foreign spirit of which I have just spoken, it might easily have been known what was going to happen.
that our modest contribution will be followed by a ready string of names when once the movement has been started. Many Tappeals have been made of late to the purses of residents in the Far East, and have been most cheerfully and generously met, as witness the subscriptions for the South African Fund and the Indian Famine Relief Fund. These have not, we are sure, exhausted the liberality of the people of this Colony, and the appeal now made must touch them if anything still more nearly. The soldiers and sailors killed and injured have lived among us, they have shed their blood in defence of our country men and countrywomen in Tientsin, and they deserve well of their country and their countrymen. This is the seamy side of war, and it is brought home to us by the extensive preparations made at Wei- ́haiwei to accommodate the wounded who have been conveyed there. There will be work to do yet for the ladies of Hongkong, in preparing lint and bandages and finding medical comforts for the wounded. These will, we feel certain, be readily forthcoming if needed. Mean- time everything is being done at Weihaiwei that can be accomplished with the means at Command to provide for the comfort of the wounded. It is now our privilege and part to subscribe liberally to a fund for the assis-occasions, very much increased the hatred of tance of the invalided and wounded men of
As for the Catholic priests, when they first came to (hina they found themselves anable for obvious reasons to keep up anything like a close to live among the Chinese as Chinamen almost, connection with home, and being thus compelled they were very favourably received by the people and there were then none of those anti- missionary disturbances of which we have heard so much for this last fifty years or so. What was the cause of the change? It was this. The Catholic priests, taking advantage of the power and influence of their respective countries, at- tempted to arrogate to themselves political power which did not of course belong to them; and hence the feelings of the literati and of the people towards them underwent a sudden change. The treaties of Tientsin, forty years ago, showed that Napoleon the Third was anxious to use the power of his State for the good of the French missionaries and this tendency to connect religion with national on other authority, manifested as it was
the Chinese towards the missionaries."
I here asked the Count if he thought that the
people, but among the Chinese the sentiment of nationality is very weak at present. The hi- nese merchants do not, you will notice, consider themselves safe under the protection of their own Government, and great numbers of them are at present doing business under the protec-
steamers under foreign flags. Under these circumstances I am very doubtful whether the Chinese Government will be able to raise enough money to meet the demands of the foreign Powers demands which will, I think, be large. Much damage has been done to the property of their nationals by the Boxers, and the expenses for sending considerable bodies of troops to hina and maintaining large fleets in Chinese waters will serve to swell the bill. It will be useless, therefore, to demand an in- demnity, cash down, from China at the end of the present troubles, for at that time she will be unable to pay even the interest on the national loan of five or six hundred millions.
"Several important questions will confront the allied Powers when they reach Peking and bring about the restoration of peace, for it is not yet known if the Chinese Emperor is alive or not. It was reported, you may remember, that the usurper who has taken possession and, if that is true, it is not likely that the the Emperor's throne has also taken his life; Powers will recognize this usurper; for it was owing to him that the present difficulties have arisen. It is probable, in that e
ease, that the powers will elect a suitable person from among the members of the Imperial family and place him on the throne. With him at the head of affairs, the necessary security for the lives of missionaries and the property of foreign mer- chants must be obtained; and for that purpose the hands of the Central Government must be strengthened. No better means of doing this
the army and navy who have suffered injury action of Russia and Germany in leading the proved; and the power of
or disablement during the hostilities 80 lately commenced by the Chinese against the Treaty Powers. We do not pretend to beg for this Fund; we are sure there is no need; its existence only needs to be known for it to awaken a warm and eager response in every patriotic and sympathetic heart.
way in Chinese "grabs" had contributed to any very considerable extent to the creation of the present difficulties,
on
He answered as follows -
"The effect of the action of Russia, Ger- many and other countries is not, I think, as great as might at first sight appear to be the case, for the hinaman has, as you know, no patriotism, or his patriotism is at all events The following naval appointments have been confined to the limited district in which his notified at the Admiralty: Lieutenants: particular dialect of Chinese is spoken-there Charles B. Mangel, Howard B. Wilson, Frederick being in the middle Kingdom, I need not re- B Noble, Arthur K. Betty, all to the Cen-mind you, a great number of dialects not turion, additional, to go out with draft for China at the end of the month, all to date from June Sub-Lieutenants: Francis C. Harvey and George P. Legard, both to the Centurion, to go out with draft for China at the end of the month, both to date from June 22, Commander J. B. Eustace to the Centurion; additional, to take charge of ratings for China, to date June 21 Assistant Paymaster R. A. M. Burridge, to the Centurion, additional, to date June 21. Staff Surgeon J. McC. Martin, to the Centurion, to date June 25, Surgeons R. C. Munday and J-Roche, to the Centurion, to date June 25. Beutenants: Francis M. Leake, to Bramble; Walter, to Britomart. Sub-Lieutenants: John A. Followes, Charles S. Forbes, to Brito
Francis M. Hodgson, Malcolm H. S. Macdonald, to Bramble. Burgeons; G. B.
to the Britomart, and J. W. Bird, to Bramble, to date June 28. Assistant Pay- R. A. M. Burridge, to the Centurion, onal, undated, to go out with draft in the Jelunga,
in some cases intelligible to one another. I am therefore of opinion that, however much effect the seizures to which you refer may have had the educated Chinese, the uneducated majority were not in all probability aware that the seizures had taken place at all, and were doubtless ignorant of the fact that the Lisotung Peninsula was within the boundaries of their country at all. Under such circumstances it is not impossible that the seizures may have had some effect in kindling the hatred of the literati, but I think that the amount of its influence on the people was very small.
The causes I have already mentioned are the really important causes that have been at work for a long time they are the feeling of hatred entertained by the Chinese in general towards the civilized Powers and their profound dislike for the missionaries. In this latter connection I may add that the efforts of the converted Chinese to escape from the control of their ow Government contributed not a little to the dis- like with which the missionaries were re
rded.
can be found than the creation of a regular and well disciplined army, directly under the control of the Emperor. That will require the taking of another step, however the readjustment of the finances. The finances of China are, I need not tell you, in a very bad state at present, the different Governors having com- plete control of the finances in districts under their control. This system must be im- controlling - the finances all over the Empire must rest with the central Government alone. At the same time, well-organized police, established at the dif ferent open ports, must see to the safety of foreign merchandize. These things cannot, however, be accomplished by the Chinese them- selves: they must be assisted by the allies, in- cluding of course the Japanese. The amount of the national debt is, as I have already pointed out, five or six hundred millions, and the amount of the indemnity that might be demanded by the allies might, though it cannot of course be fixed as yet, amount to, say, four or five hun- dred millions besides. In that case the interest on the whole national debt will be four or five hundred, millions, and, as it will be utterly im- possible for the Chinese to pay such a sum at once, the allies must, when they reach Peking, cause them to adopt various measure for the improvement of the national finances. There is one step which the allies might take with regard to this payment of indemnity sup posing they take t the taxes for security, and that is the abolition of interior. This measure would good fruit. The tax in que as you must be aware, on merol terior, and as it goes altog official
pockets, it does national Chinese
erce
rapidity. It is at present lions against Japan's 415 millions, but years Japan will have
the
evied
lar. That will indeed, considering how very slowly the resources