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order mcans. But the underlying idea of the inferiority of the Chinese to the In many foreigner has been traceable throughout almost its whole existence. instances too much weight is liable to be accorded to the word of the foreigner, and such is accepted before the evidence of the Chinese. In addition to this, other ideas as to convention and morality, familiar to the Caucasian, but totally unknown to the Oriental, have been permitted to exert an influence out of all proportion to their merits upon the decisions of the Mixed Court, and it was out of one of these cases But the main cause that the primary and nominal cause of the Shanghae riots arose.
of the riots, which led to loss of Chinese life and the destruction of foreign and Chinese property, for which destruction of foreign property only an indemnity has been claimed from the Chinese Government, was the inefficiency of the foreigner's police. This contention requires little, if any, amplification herein; the deliberate statements of foreigners of every degree, both in an executive and private capacity, that have been made from time to time during the past few months, and which were emphasized so strongly at the recent ratepayers' meeting, prove this contention right up to the hilt.
The factors of disorder are cumulative in their effect, and a slight disturbance of the equilibrium of a few units in a mass, if permitted to go unchecked even for the most inappreciable period, have a tendency to set that whole mass in motion, whether it be the falling stones which start the avalanche or the turbulent rowdies to be found Thus, if the police of the in any and every community who commence a riot. International Settlement had been in a state of proper efficiency as a corporate body, the preliminary outburst of rowdyism which subsequently developed into riot would have been nipped in the bud.
In accepting the sole responsibility for the preservation of law and order in the International Settlement, by denying to the Chinese residents that representation, which should accompany taxation, and without which no liability, either creditor or debtor, can be allotted any man, the foreign resident took upon his own shoulders the discharge of all liabilities, as well as the credit account of his personal convenience. He constituted his police for the preserving of his peace, but as a condition of the granting of permission to reside and trade and work in his Settlement-which residence, trade, and work are essential to the existence of that Settlement--he has inade the Chinese pay the bulk of the cost not only of his police, but of his other executive machinery as well. The failure of that executive machinery leaves the International Settlement alone responsible for damages resulting from that failure. Under such circumstances, the demand for an indemnity from the Chinese Government for failing to control those forces of discord and disorder over which it had absolutely no moral or material control, and over which the foreigner had himself assumed the entire control, can be regarded as nothing else than a monstrous imposition and attempt at exploitation by every impartial and unprejudiced person of whatever nationality be may be.
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the Government means all of the people, it will be recognized that this is a most equitable law, which calls on the many who did not incur losses personally to co-operate and make good the losses of the few who did. The general method of making good the losses is by increased taxation. In a city like Shanghae, where by far the larger part of the property is owned by Chinese, this would mean that this tax is actually paid by them, but in this way the dignity of the Government of the country would be preserved and the establishment of an injurious precedent avoided.
If the Wai-wu Pu is unable to convince the British Government of their right, they should offer to submit the case to arbitration or to The Hague Conference, from whom they will without doubt get a verdict in their favour.
Inclosure 6 in No. 1.
Extract from the "South China Daily Journal of April 22, 1907.
IT was reported in one of our local foreign contemporaries last week that the Wai-wu Pu had agreed with the British Minister, Sir John Jordan, to pay indemnity for private property lost or destroyed during the late Shanghae riot, but none for property belonging to the Municipal Council. If the Wai-wu Pu has really yielded to the persistent demands of the British Government and made the agreement above referred to, we think it has committed a serious mistake and established a precedent that will have injurious consequences to China. As shown in our previous articles, we are decidedly of the opinion that the Chinese officials are quite free from responsibility for the late riot here, and the insistent demands of the British Govern- ment for pecuniary indemnity is only the usual argument of employing might and force against the rights and justice of the weaker side. The law in most countries is that, in the event of a riot, the Government controlling the place where the riot occurs is responsible, and not the authorities of neighbouring localities, and makes good the losses incurred by individuals. People in a community pay taxes to secure, among other things, police protection, and if they do not get this protection, the Government must indemnify them for losses incurred. And when we consider that
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