CO129-402 - Governor Sir May - 1913 [7-8] — Page 283

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5.

In paragraph 4 of your despatch you say that,

without the provisions of the levying of a special rate,

the Ordinance would be of no practical effect.

I was unwilling to trouble you with a mass of

detail when reporting on the boycott, and perhaps my omission has resulted in your arriving at an opinion

which the following considerations and facts may induce

you to alter.

4

275

In dealing with a boycott by Chinese one is confronted

with enormous difficulties due to the ease with which

members of the community, who may have no strong desire

to persist in a boycott, can be terrorised to continue

to support it. Such terrorism is made easy by the

power of secret societies, which abound wherever Chinese

are to be found, and of the Guilds to which practically

all Chinese belong; and to the extreme timidity and

want of moral courage inherent in the Chinese character.

685-

72-13

In my despatch of the 16th.of December, I referred

to the encouragement of the boycott by the Sze Yap

Association and by a certain section of the press in

Canton. I referred also to the evidence of the existence

of secret intimidation.

In the report of the Attorney General, which

2222 accompanied my confidential despatch of the 30th.of

12-13

December 1912, reasons are given for the enactment of

Sections 3 8 inclusive of the Ordinance, and I now

append a few samples of articles reproduced here from

the Canton Press, of notices posted in the streets, and

of threatening letters, which this Government was able

Josure 1.

to suppress by means of the legislation referred to.

Enclosure 1 is a good sample of the sort of

exhortation