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officials to act in accordance with the Self Government
Society's wishes, but in this view they are entirely
mistaken for we have not even any power over our own
officials, much less over the officials of another country.
We can only exercise
some moral influence because of the
good standing our Firm has in all parts of China for just
treatment of everyone. We employ over 10,000 Chinese in
all parts of China, besides having friendly business
relations with Chinese merchants all over the Empire,
and we are proud to think that not one of all these many
persons will say that they have ever received anything
but just treatment from Taloo.
We would ask the Self Government Society to
again consider the matter with calm, judicial minds,
between man and man, and justify to themselves the (in
our opinion) very unfair attitude they have taken up
with us who are entirely blameless in the matter.
They
may hope to gain their ends by coercing us, but we must
tell them frankly that we are absolutely unable to agree
to any other conditions than they at first suggested,
that is, conditions 1, 2, 3 & 4, as per our letter of
9th June, not because it is our wish to oppose them but
simply because it is not in our power if we are able
to accede to their demands we should have supernatural
powers, and should not have to negotiate with them at all
because we would be gods.
We are, Dear Sir,
Yours faithfully,
(ad) Butterfield & Swire.
P.S.
We can only hope that our negotiations will come
to a ...
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