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with the women of the villages and hamlets where they worked. There is no such thing as religious rancour, as we understand the expression, in China least of all among the poor women among whom the sisters worked. The Chinese, as a people, are simply non-religious, They have a religion of their own, but it has to do with luck and profit in their earthly concerns. There are no religious fanatics among them. When fanaticism does arise in reference to foreigners, it is directed against them as such, and not against the foreigners' religion. I know there is a strong feeling in the mind of many, If not against the propagation of christianity by missionaries, at least against many of their methods. No doubt missionaries, like mer- chants, make mistakes. I have myself found fault with some of the modes of working of the missionaries. But God help us if we are to be massacred for our mistakes! The sisters, the children and Mrs. Stewart were massacred or hacked at simply because they were foreigners and helpless, and now what are we going to do? What steps shall we urge on our Foreign Office? We must urge our Government to re-consider the whole question of diplomatic dealings with China. For long years past our Foreign Office has been treating the Chinese Government as if it were a civilized Government alive to its responsibilities to its own people and to peaceable foreigners residing by Treaty rights in various parts of the Empire. They have regarded the Chinese Government as having, by its various Trestles with foreign nations, entered the comity of nations. We here know what an utterly false view this is. The Chinese Government whether at Peking or throughout the Provinces has not the slightest sense of responsibility with reference to the treatment of foreigners in China. Where foreigners can help themselves as at the Treaty Ports, things go on smoothly, but where they are defenceless, they are exposed to be robbed or killed by ruffians while the Local Government looks on and does nothing. Since 1890 outrage has followed outrage. In the Yangtze valley property has been destroyed and lives have been lost repeatedly. In Sz-chuen lately riots went on for days unchecked though soldiers were close at hand and might have easily dispersed the rioters. Over & hundred Christian teachers were in imminent peril of their lives. And now very close to us comes the ghastliest outrage of all. What are we to do? Are we to be satisfied with the falling off of a few or many heads of coolles or with a donceur of cash? God forbid 1 (loud applause) What sre we to do? Let us place these facts before Lord Salisbury in all plainness that he may under- stand the sort of Government with which he has to deal. Let him understand that the present Government of China has neither the moral nor the physical power to check these rlots against foreigners. I feel I am on delicate ground and think it would not be wise to enter much into particulars; but, if the whole case can be thoroughly represented, there ought to be
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some severe dealing with high officials and occupation for a longer or shorter time of the offending region. (applause and cheers.)
The Chairman-Mr. Francis will now move the second resolutior,
Mr. J. J. Francis, who on rising was loudly applauded, sald-Ladies and gentlemen, this meeting has been called not merely for the purpose of expressing our deep sorrow at the atrocious crime that has been committed and our sincere sympathy with the survivors of that massacre and with the friends and the relatives of those who are gone, but to express, and I hope express strongly, our bitter anger and Indignation-(applause)-not so much at the unfortunante men who, misguided in their ideas as to Europeans, and as to their position and objects in China-not so much against the actual perpetrators of the offence, but against the Chinese so-called civilised government ("hear, hear,” and applause) whose officials for so many years have assisted in and connived at the most atrocious outrages against the persons and properties of Europeans in China, to do what, as members of what our Chairman called the Democracy of England, we have a right to do-to express our views and our opinions as to the conduct of the Chinese Government. We are the Democracy of England however few we may be here as its representailves, and we, the people, the Democracy, are the governors, and not the Ministry, of England, and if as the Chairman Indicated, the Democracy of England call out loudly enough and clearly enough every Ministry, every Government, must attend to their behests, I ask you gentle- men who are resident in China, who have studied and are Intimately acquainted with the Chinese, and who know more or less the history of the last fifty years-I ask you to-day to express clearly your opinion as to the conduct of the Chinese Government; to join to the representation to the Home Government that in our opinion every Government official in China from the Viceroy downwards is cognizant of what is going on and cognizant of the ant foreign movement, and sympathising with it and conniving at it. (Cheers.) We have had abon- dant evidence that in the recent disturbance in Szechuen the Viceroy of that province and the highest officials in charge of the Government of that province were not merely cognizant of what was going on but by their proclamations and their reports which were put in circulation were permitting the disturbance and urging on the people. We have it from the last speaker that with reference to this massacre in Kucheng the officials, from the Viceroy down- wards, were aware of what was going on and the threats made against the missionaries. The officials took no precautions to protect the helpless persons resident under tresty in their midat, (applause.) We have not only to express our opinion as to the guilt of the Chinese Government and its officials but we have also to point out to the authorities in England that In one opleion—an opiniot fully justified by the
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cts the officials of the Chinese Government have not the power to stay the storm that they hemselves have raised (loud applause.) These putrages are not being committed without their knowledge; they are fully acquainted with them; they are urging the people on. Sometimes a disturbance goes far beyond what they themselves desire, or what they think prudent; and when it does, they are powerless to check it. They have no forces at their disposal to carry out and give effect to the treaty rights which they have ganted to Europeans. They are helpless and hopeless; and we might well say that China, in its present condition, is not capable of being reformed. (loud cheers). A revolution of the deepest and far-reaching character is absolutely necessary; and until the Empire has been broken up and cast into a crucible and melted down no effective reform of the Government or of the people of China is possible. ("hear hear" and prolonged applause.) Now it is well to be Indignant with the Chinese and with the Chinese Government, but if all these facts; #f the weakness and impotence of the Govern- ment and the connivance of the Government officials in all these outrages have been known to us in years past, they have been also known to our own Government, and we may justly feel indignant with the English Government and with the English Government officials becauLO in the past they have neglected their duty towards their subjects resident in the treaty ports in China (applause) and because it is in conse- quence of that neglect that the recent massacres and outrages have occurred. (applause). When a crime is committed in any country punishment aught to follow. If an offence is committed against foreigners in our own country punish- ment follows almost automatically by the opera- don of our laws and by our courts of justice. If our Government officials fail in any part of their duly in any part of the world they are removed from their posts and incapacitated from further service for the State. What we do ourselves we are in the habit of demanding from other nations. Il a Consul is insulted and offended an enormous indemnity is demanded, and if not paid, 'blue jackets' are landed and take possession of, say, a town in Central America. (Laughter, cheers, and applause). Why has not the Chinese Government been treated in the same way? (deafening applause). As his Lordship the Bishop bas pointed out, this is not by any means the first outrage that has occurred in China, There has been a perfect succession of outrages of different degrees of enormity year after year. Compensation bas sometimes been given to the sufferers; but has any effective punishment been imposed upon the Chinese Government or demanded by our own; or if demanded has not that demand been a simple farce ? I has never been put in force (loud and prolonged applause). The individual sufferers may be compensated and their property restored, but is that a proper amend to the Government whose subjects have suffered, and whose power
ment and government it is not afmply sufficient that there should be a restitutio in integrum of the property destroyed; it is necessary that there should be a public apology; it is necessary that officials who have been found guilty, and who have been negligent in their duiles, should be removed, and permanently removed ; and as between nation and nation when those demands are not carried out, what are the remedies ? In China, as I have said before, compensation bas often been given. Some peor coolles, as his lordship the Bishop said, have been execated, but never the actual criminals. (applause) Centures have been bestowed upon efficials and they have been removed for a day, but promoted the very next, and our Government, satisfied with the removal of them, bave rever found cut that next day they are rewarded by higher promotions. Are we not entitled to ask ourselves to look round and see if any other Government in the world but the English Government would have tolerated outrages such as those which have been commit ed in China and demanded so Ittle from the Chinese Government ? (applause). I put it to you that the English Government have neglected their duty in regard to the protection of their subjects in China. They have not taken effective measures to protect their representatives in the interior of China. They have a right to be in the interior of China under the treaties, and the missionaries who were murdered the other day at Kucheng had just as much right to reside in the interior of China as we have to reside here, or as any traveller who passes through the country, Their occupation has nothing to do with the question, (applause) They were British subjects; and it is not a question of what they were or how they got there, or how they were conducting themselves. If they were misconducting themselves--and 1 am perfectly certain they were not-there is provided by treaty a means by which they might have been punished; but they were mordered in cold blood-murdered by a cruel, heartless mob, (cries of "shame" and applause) and the only redress demanded by our Government is that one of our Consuls should be sent to conduct an enquiry on the site of the massacre, and that be should be escorted to the place by Chinese armed troops (hisses) And as you have heard from the telegram just read the Chinese armed troops which were sent to protect the missionaries on their arrival immediately dis- tingutshed themselves by further plunder and destruction of the missionary premises! (bisses.) Now there is but one remedy. The Chinese Government are absolutely unable to give us or the English Government adequate satisfaction, therefore, as between nation and nation, there is but one remedy; satisfaction must be taken.. (loud and prolonged applause). Investigation by Chinese officials is a farce; the investigation must be conducted at the place by a competent European commission and properly supported by an armed force (cheers.) To rely upon the Chinese
has been made light of 7 As between govern- 1, authorities for the protection of that Commission :
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