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THE HONGKONG WEEKLY PRESS AND
which are still more heavy.
Relatives and neighbours are dragged in; it is not one family only that suffers. And all this results from simple litigation.
[Desember 3, 1904.
the Hankow-Canton Railway from selling their interests to a Belgian, French, or Russia” syndicate. We further learn that the would- be assassin furuished the Police with the names of a number of young men, members of an educational Club in Park Street, called the Hsinghsio Hui." ie.. Advancement of Education Societ whom he. (Wan Fu- hua) declared to be his accomplices. These youths were arrested and bronght before the Mixed Court. It is also stated that Wan
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reuses believes that international law amounts | presiding (paid by the' criminal), the fees for to prevent the American syndi ate constructing to a cant's worth of anything potent, not evin after a Supreme Court Judge has imported into his judgment a tilt at your arguments.
Thrice is he armed that bath his quarrel just.” but Russia has gone one better by getting her If the officials would but exercise a little blow in fast.“ What is the so-elled in control over their underlings, how could the fernational law" doing to upset linssian law people suffer like this? Surely it is not that all (nide her contraband declaration)? Nothing. officials are ignoraut, or is it that they know British law might do something. His Lordship's and connive at it? As a matter of fact the judgment is a s'ep in this direction, but-it
common people with aching heads and sad was British law, not international. The position hearts can only blame their rolers. How can is that the question can be settled only by the the officials take pleasure in screening their old trial by combat,” and a duel between either underlings and sacrificing their own fair name? individuals or n tious argues more for a s'ato I. the Goreruor, have given much thought of anarchy than a state of law. Law is somehow to reform this degenerate practice: I haveed by the Taotai's runners who searched it but. thing that guides a community, and presents already commanded the Provincial Judge to in- every man from beina law unto bimself.
struct all Tuotais and chihins to order the local Internation law should rule a community of anthorities honestly to reduce the number of their nations, but at present it does nothing of the underlings and to control them. If they are do- kind. As I think you said before, the term asing wrong they must be punished, and punished applied to the present iaeffectual conventions is severely. But if we wish to eradicate this only tiresome.—You ́s truly,
accumulated mass of malpractices the best plau is certainly to introduce gradually a system whereby pe itions may be presented in person. This is the best way to get rid of the underling abuss and at the same time to help the people. A set of Rules is appended to the Order and the manner of extending the method is explain ed at the end of this despatch. Read them together and you will understand. They hare already been printed to our satisfac ion, and we write this despatch to cover them, on receipt of which you will order your subordinates io act in accordance with our commands. In cases of murder, robbery with violence, fornication. fighting, or assault, there is no necessity to | abide by these instructions, and at the bom
mencement of their introduction it is not ne- The Governor instructs all Taotais and chih-cessary exclusively to employ thom Begin on -fus to give orders to their subordinates for the extension of a system whereby the people are themselves to present their petitions, etc.
"TIRED.'
THE WAYS OF YAMENS IN CHINA.
The following translation from an order issue by H.E. Chao Erh-sen gives a very interesting insight into the litigation practices in Chiness yamens. The correspondent who sent it to the N.-C. Daily News says that H.E. Chao was, genuinely anxious to reform the procedure in the yamens, and did effect something, but he was anxious to do too much too quickly, and he, of course, was not properly backed up. H has left a good name in Hunan, and it is a great pity that he left his post so soon.
"Now. amongst the official class, who is not anxious to be a good public servant? Yet those of good and widespread repute are hardly to be met. The reason, however, is not simply that of avarice combined with harshness, but is to be found in their not being in close contact with, or dii.ent on behalf of the people. Absence of close contact causes official busin.ss, to be placed in the hands of underlings; want of care will in the end, result in the people suffering injustice.
Inside the yamen are servants and their friends, outside are writers and underlings; these suppress public business, they squeeze by
means of fear and deception a hundred and one malprac ices, have sprung up, The fair name of the official is on the wane, and thes
are the reasons.
Now we will first touch on the malpractices. I have long heard of the exceedin:ly bad repute of the Hunan underling. Enquiries by the way have made known to me the general state of affairs, and a narration will make the hair stand oo end.
Petitions may be presented on one of the fixed days, or by arresting the attention of the official himself. or by means of a yamên servant; the scale of fees for these varies considerably. Erea in a case of ordinary arrest, three, four, or more constables are sent by the magistrate; after receiving their warrant the plaintiff has to defray their travelling expenses, and the defend- ant fees so as to obtain a delay. If going into the country, they travel by chair, accompanied by scores of retainers: their squeeze may be any thing from ten to a hundred dollars.
Hanging up the petition aft r it has been vised by the Magistrate, notifying the Magis trate that the plaintiff has come to have his case tried, examining the extent of bodily injuries incurred, sending an evil-doer to the yamen for punishment, the investigati n of a case, the production of evidence, the settlement of a case, a case being arranged privately, and many other occasions; for all these fees must be paid amounting to several hundred dollars.
The fees for adjourned cases and appeal cases have all to be settled afresh. On this account an untold number of families are ruined and a large amount of property lost.
In serious cases of murder or robbery with violence, there are examination fees, erection of sheds (in which the case is tried over the body), and travelling expenses, if the case is tried in adifferent hsien to that of the magistrate
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one case; the people will derive benefit from that case, and later on will trust in it as impli- citly as in their own limbs.
Fu hua has a houseboat which is moored by the hinese Bauk, outside the East gate of Shang- hai native e ty, and that this boat has been seiz-
so they say, found nothing incriminating ca board. There is a rumour that a few youths who have been studying in Japan are filled with a burning desire to emulate the heroic deeds of Japanese Soshi," who occasionally put away any they consider traitors to, or enemies of, their country. This may be true; but there is reason to believe that Wan Fu-hna was playing us it were to the gallery, when he declared to the Police that he wanted to put away Wang Chih-chun, for trying to sell his country to the Russians, instead of the truth, namely, that he had done so in order to satisfy a private revenge Having "done the heroic the man found it necessary to give out as fellow-conspirators the names of a number of harmless youths whose greatest sin is admiration of Western costumes and desire to don them. One can ·
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imagine the kind of patriot we have in Wan Fu-hua and the stuff that is in him, when presumably without torture or coercion, he volubly unreels a string of uames to the Police accusing the bearers of them of being in the same boat as himself. We understand that the local mandarins in the city, under instructions from the ex-Governor. hare demanded that Wan Fu-huu and his so-called follow-conspira- tors be turn-d over to their tender mercies. We trust the authorities will stand firm and
THE HOK LO AND NAM-TO --
PIRATES.
If the local authorities are able themselves to devise a new scheme, better than this one. or can pick out its advantages and disadvant-refuse to do so. ages according to local conditions, they can inform us and wait till we have considered its merits and have advised them. If they let things slide, and betray their trust and do not sincerely make a start, or if they begin, but not thoroughly, and so cause divergences, or listen to their underlings making plans to frus- trate it, or, being long in office, adhere to old methods and treat our commands lightly. I the Governor. when I hear of it, will certainly dismiss and denounce them and will thoroughly
examine into the case and show no mercy. special order and not to le disobeyed!
ATTEMPTED ASSASSINATION * AT SHANGHAI,
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On Saturday the 19th instant. a Chinese youth drew a revolver, and was going to shoot the ex-Governor of Kuangsi as he came out of a Chinese restaurant at Shanghai. He was prevented. The native note-writer of the Daily News made the following comments on the occurrence. Wang Chih-ch'an, the notorious ex-Governor of Kuangsi, is the man whose exceedingly bad and rap cious government of that province in 1902 actually extended the re- bell on there, and who was even on the point of
the introduction of recommending
French
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For five years past this daring band, undər the leadership of Chan Sheng Hing, who was committed for trial by Mr. Hazeland on the 30th Nov. at the next Criminal Sessions, have held the
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residents of the coastal towns in Southern China in complete terror. The whole band were Triad Society members, and sailing under the black flag, extorted "cumshaw" from all quar- ters. Fong Ki Fat, a certain junk owner of i ai O, had paid the small amount demanded of him. like other Chinese residents, but when the leader demanded $100 to be paid down, Fong refused, whereupon the pirates Ki Fat threatened to kill him and wreck his junk. They would no doubt hare carried their threats into execution but for the timely arrival of the 1 ai O police under Sergeant Floyd When the pirates saw the police they took to the hills. closely followed by their pursuers. An Indian constable who outstripped his com- patious in the pursuit and found his way into the midst of the pirates, was so severely handled that he has since had to be pensioned off. this pursuit two of the pirates were captured, but the majority, with their ringleader, escaped. Whilst the Indian police marched round to meet the pirates by land. Sergeant Floyd crossed the Tai-O harbour in a police boat, and was jus in time to arrest two of the pirates making good their escape in a Hok-lo fishing boat. These two were secured, and eventually appeared before the Court, where they were sentenced to two years hard labour and 24 The ringleader of the strokes of the birch. band is now in custody in Hongkong. but the sub-leaders are at large in Chinese territory. and aro being diligently hunted by hinese As & i
officials. The junk leader was captured by 80 fishermen surrounding the village whe e he was living, and giving notice to the police, who went to his house and took him in custody. This man, as before mentioned, is committed for trial at the next Criminal Sessions, and on the charge of returning from banishment will be imprisoned with hard labour for one year,
troops from Tongking to assist him in his work of suppressing the people of that rebellious province. It now transpires that the would-be assassin's name is Wau Fu-hua, forty-one years of age and a native of Anhui province (Wang Chih-ch'un is a native of Hunan), and it is said that he desired the ex-Go- vernor's life because the latter was in the pay of the Russians and a traitor to his country. Wang Chit-ch'un is, however, a man reduced to the ranks-a cashiered official--seventy-one years of age and in very bad odour with the Empress Dowager on account of his bombastic boastings to her Majesty of his ability to crush the Kuangsi rebel·ion in four months. matter of fact the ex-Governor can hardly be a dangerous man," and we understand he came from his temporary residence some- where in Anhui province about three months ago, in r sponse to an invitation from a number of his fellow provincials now in Kuangtung as expectant officials, to assist them in the agitation
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