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902
PUNISHMENT OF THE GUILTY IN CHINA
THE HONGKONG WEEKLY PRESS AND
day of dreadful
The reason for the frequent repetition of such outrages in China has unquestionably been the im- munity that has for many years followed so has mattered nothing to the officials and far as the instigators were concerned. It
literati if an indemnity has, on occasions, been required, and the punishment of the instruments of the deed demanded. It was an easy matter to raise a few thousand dollars, and there were always coolies obtainable to bear the punishment due for that or other enormities for which the
the hated
er us
1900
THE INLAND WATERWAYS QUESTION
(Daily Press, 17th October.) Despite Mr. CONGEE's fears that the Allied expedition to Paotingfu will inflame Nor- thern China generally, the fact that this punitive force has reached its goal will be hailed with general satisfaction. If the Government of the United States is satisfied to allow its citizens to be plundered, tor- tured, outraged, and murdered by
Chinese officials, soldiers, or mobs, that is no reason vicarious sufferer had been probably well statements at greater length. Mr. SCOTT SAYS ||| why other civilised Governments fortunately paid. But it will be a new experience to Jess amenable to mob rule should acquiesce have the guilt brought home to the real in such shameful crimes. The Chinese criminals; and one such example, in high Government is responsible for the blood of places, will go farther than the decapitation bable it could be expected to do so has scores of innocent men, women, and children, of a thousand coolies who had taken part slain, under circumstances of horrible bruin some inhuman massacre of foreigners. tality, in cold blood, in various provinces, and in many cases by order of the officials, and even by one official's own hand. To the excesses committed in Manchuria, Shansi, and Shensi, the barbarous massacre at Paotingfu must be added. Concerning this atrocity, Dr. MORRISON, the Peking correspondent of the Times, wrote under
That the Powers will not stop short by a hair of the demand for the surrender to justice of the bloodthirsty ruffians who were mainly instrumental in promoting the mass- acres and bloodshed we ardently hope, and no sophistry, no idea of self-interest, no mis- placed tenderness, for rank, no weakness for the poor ignorant heathen, should for a mo-
(Daily Press, 15th October.)
made a brief reference to some of the state In our leading article of the 5th inst. we ments made by Mr. Consul Scort in his Trade Report for Canton; extracts from which are quoted at length in another column. We now purpose dealing with these that, in spite of many assertions to the con trary, the Inland Waters Navigation from Canton in the only direction it seems pro- proved a very considerable success ;
she, how ever, quite omits to info many assertions to the contrary were and tis what the
on what they were based. We will endea- vour to supply the omission. The public at home and in China understood the open- ing of the Inland Waters of China to mean what it said, namely, that anyone, Chiness or foreigner, who wanted to run a steamer from any one
any other in China.
date 31st August :—“To-day the foreign ment divert attention from this first and could do so. Which was the only
“
"community has been thrilled with horror "at the news, tardily reaching us, of a massacre of missionaries, men, women and 'children, in Paotingfu, the capital city of "this province, while under the protection of Imperial troops. Children were but- chered before their parents' eyes, white women were ravished and carried into captivity, mothers and fathers were tor tured and murdered." Dr. MORRISON goes on to add in indignant comment:-
Massacres by Red Indians never call in vain for vengeance, but, though Pao- "tingfu is only eighty miles from Peking, "the troops remain here inactive, their one thought and wish to be given work or "be recalled from Peking. Surely the civi- lised world will not suffer this cruel mas- sacre to remain unavenged and raise no "hand to ascertain the fate of the poor martyred Christians and white women." This appeal, happily, has not been made in vain; the Powers have not been so blinded by fears of consequences (presumably in the direction of temporary obstruction to trade) as Minister CONGER would appear to be. The commercial idea has not so petrified the minds and consciences of the nations that they are ready to condone murder and outrage for the sake of a little trade-some paltry gain. Perish the thought! Let us have justice, first, whac- ever, may be the loss to trade.
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It is alleged that Paotingfu is still the headquarters of the Boxers, and that was cer- tainly another good reason for attacking the city. It is to be hoped that the expedition will succeed in capturing some of the officials responsible for the massacre as well as inflict condign punishment on the city itself, the inhabitants of which have given such strenuous support to the anti-foreign crusade and revelled in the blood of foreigners and native Christians. For our part we do not share in the tremblings of Mr. CONGEE as to the consequences of the fitting punish- ment of Paotingfu. It will not inflame the Chinese people generally if they hear that Paotingfu has been razed to the ground, though this fate is not, we think, likely to overtake it. If the place be sacked, the news may perhaps make some impression upon the people of Chihli. It may for the moment
it inspire some rage of a futile charac. ter, but it is more likely to prove a salutary lesson to the populace to abstain in future from the murder and outrage of foreigners, from the certainty that such crimes will bring
:
This is an
one possible in
paramount claim. While Price TUAN, CHAO SHU-CHIAO, KANG-YI, Yu HSIEN, and ment and of the repeated assertions made by of the published agree- TUNG FU-HSIANG are suffered to walk the responsible officials and statesmen, was ac- earth, the blood of the innocents will go cepted by the bulk of the Consular Service unavenged, and justice be mocked. No and also, to some extent, by the IM. Cus- terms should be listened to, no negotiations toms. When, however, Sir ROBERT HART opened, until these men have been given up. imposed an entirely different reading of the No recognition should be accorded to any agreement, and excluded the great bulk of Chinese Administration until these men the waters of China and steamers using have been brought to book. Let China be them from coming under the concession, it taught once and for all that the primary was felt, and rightly so, that a fraud had condition in any settlement for wrongs done been perpetrated on the public at large; and by her Government or people is the punish- it called forth emphatic protests from some ment of the perpetrators of that wrong, not of our Consular officials, notably Messrs. compensation for the injury suffered. It MANSFIELD, HOSIE, and Fox, who voiced has heretofore been too much the policy of public opinion in saying that the concession Western Powers to accept compensation of thus shorn would be of no practical value a pecuniary or territorial nature for injuries whatever. It is the omission to state this received by their subjects, and this has been elementary fact that is so misleading a a grave mistake all through, for it has led feature in Mr. Scorr's report but it is not the Chinese officials to believe that however the only manner in which a misconception gross the outrage, however cruel the of the facts of the wrong, it could always be paid for, question of the carriage of goods by stam case is conveyed. The and the instigator could escape the consequences of his act.
is placed in an equally false light. Mr. SCOTT's argument is that the great bulk other delusion that should be shattered, and of commodities are carried between inland in its place a crushing example of punish-places and Canton in ordinary native junks ment surely following crime, no matter how propelled by cars or sail; that these junks exalted the official, should be set up as a and steam-launches (or boats towed by warning for the future. For this reason them) would and do all come under the we sincerely trust that if the Empress-Dow- same lekin administration; therefore it fol- dger is allowed to retain her liberty she will lows that, if the goods are not carried in at least be stripped of all power and rele- the launches or in boats towed by them, gated to the obscurity from which she the reason must be looked for somewhere sprang. No terms ought to be made with else than in the intricacies of the lekin any Government in which she has a voice, system of taxation. Now the justness of and no share in public affairs should at any this argument depends entirely on what time hereafter be permitted to this woman, interpretation Mr. Scorr gives to “Inland whose pernicious counsels have plunged the Waters." As we have already explained he country into disasters and been the cause of omits to mention the manner in which these so much misery. She has wisely (for her have been curtailed. As a matter own safety) sought safety in flight, and the he takes small radius round. Canton Foreign Ministers should refuse to deal with as the range over which his observations any Chinese officials holding her commission apply; and over that As the first preliminary to negotiations they admit they apply with justice. But ex range we quit should ask that His Majesty the Emperor tend that radius ever so little and Mr. KWANG HSU should be reinstated in power Scorr's arguments at once fall and be accessible to the, Plenipotentiaries. ground. On the contrary say the With this point gained, and some indepen ping companies of this Colony, ther dent notables nominated by the Emperor as very large quantities of cargo coming
Peace Commission, one great step towards out of Canton in native a restoration of peace and a rehabilitation steam, to and from places of the Empire would be gained. The pun-away, and one of the ishment of the instigators of the murders and argue, why it is massacres would follow, and be succeeded instead of being by such restitution of lost property, do, is owing to the as would speedily result in the Chinese re- | lekin or otherwis cognising that, after all, the expulsion of quantities