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APPENDIX P.
Report of an interview with the Rev. A. Baxter, of Canton Christian College. (Reprinted from the South China Morning Post of 27th June, 1925.)
COLLEGE VICE-PRESIDENT INTERVIEWED, Fault of Shooting Belongs to Chinese.
Hongkong was naturally astonished at the statement purporting to have been unanimously adopted by 17 teachers of the Canton Christian College relevant to the shooting at Shameen on Tuesday.
Yesterday afternoon, a representative of the S. C. M. Post interviewed Dr. Alexander Baxter, the Vice-President of the College, who was at the College when the statement was issued for publication and who arrived here on the "Tung On."
The main facts which emerge from the interview are that an unsuccessful effort was made to get to Shameen on Tuesday night by Dr. Baxter, he had no reason to doubt the truth and sincerity of his Chinese informants, the statement was drawn up by Chinese members of the staff, who gave him and Dr. Henry the gist of it and urged that it be issued to the Chinese newspapers. This was agreed to, and the statement appearing in the Canton Gazette is a translation from the Chinese.
On hearing the story from Shameen together with the statements of the Consul-General, of course Dr. Baxter accepts unhesitatingly the Shameen evidence of the events.
Dr. Baxter represents the London Missionary Society on the staff of the College. He was shown the statement and then said, "It is worth while pointing out that the situation of the Christian College has been and is a difficult one in
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view of the fact that the institution is a joint one, controlled by trustees and a council on which Chinese, Americans and Britishers are represented.
A Difficult Situation.
"Our great problem as foreigners, in recent events, has been to deal as fairly as we could with the national patriotic sentiments of the Chinese and act at the same time strictly in accordance with facts.
The statement taken from the Canton Gazette is, I presume a translation of a statement drawn up by the Committee of the Chinese staff on Tuesday evening after the unfortunate occurrence at Shameen. It should be understood that the report shown us at the College was entirely given by the Chinese staff and students who were present in the procession.
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The President of the College, Dr. Henry, and myself tried to get to Shameen on Tuesday evening, but found it impossible to get up the river. We did our best to sift the evidence which came to us and consulted only the more reliable members of the staff. They were unanimous in stating that they were not in a position to see or understand what had taken place further up Shakee, and near the English Bridge.
Statement Based on Ignorance.
"I think their statement was sincere, but it was based on ignorance of what was taking place at the English Bridge. Their statements were summarized, and we were pressed to allow it to be issued in Chinese to the Chinese newspapers. I don't wish to get out of the part responsibility for the statement going out of the College, but the President of the College and myself expressed our utter inability to understand
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