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THE LONGKONG WEEKLY PRESS AND
CHINA AND THE NATIONS.
as
F
[January 5, 1901.
understood that she has not been alone Note only states that the prohibition of the
amongst the nations; and that if she claim importation of arms and such material as is
(Daily Press, 4th January.)
rights as an independent State, other exclusively used for the manufacture of arms and ammunitition is to be maintained There is probably no one who will be countries have under the same international under conditions to be determined later. found to affirm that the penalty inflicted on rules the right of insisting on similar rules The manufacture of arms and munitions of China by the injured Powers of having the as against herself. China has essayed to be war is not prohibited, though it may be terms on which she is again to be admitted a rule to herself; it will be one of the happy argued that this is in effect what the clause to the comity of nations dictated to her is results of her crime, if it at last convince entails. The two hardest conditions of all other than just and logical. China especial-her that in all things human the possession for the Chinese Government to swallow, ly has no cause for complaint, as her diplo. of right of necessity demands the acknow our contemporary continues, are those that matic traditions reach back for upwards of ledgement of equivalent duties. provide for the destruction of the Taku two thousand years-to the times, in fact, forts and other defences between Peking when she had to deal on equal terms with and the sea, and the establishment by the the Turkish tribes, who then, as Russia in THE QUESTION OF THE EMPRESS
DOWAGER. Powers of military ports between these two our own times, were threatening her exis- Then, as now, the points. These conditions, the clause relat-tance as a nation.
(Daily Press, 29th December.) ing to the garrison and defence of the doctrine of the sacredness of the ambassador
That the Emperor KWANG HSU will shortly Legation quarter, and the prohibition of was firmly established; and though China urms importation, seem to the North-China was as ready, then as now, to break her return to Peking, and that negotiations for Daily News writer likely to defeat their own pledged word, the ruler of the Turks for peace will then commence in earnest there object. "We want the capital re-established the time being did not fail to bring her to now seems no reasonable doubt. The Em "at Peking," he says, though nothing is account for her ill faith. "If formerly the press Dowager and her tools have long and "said about this in the conditions; but it is Chinese have committed an unfriendly act, strenuously resisted this move, but they are likely that the Court will come back to a the Hiung Nu have not failed to bring beginning, apparently, to feel that further op- capital in which the Foreign Ministers are them to book: if they have interfered with position to His Majesty's return to the Capi- "to have a small fortress of their own with an envoy, the Hiung Nu have not failed tal would be useless and only retard and ren- a permanent garrison, while the Court to pay them back in their own coin.", der more difficult any chance of a settlement itself is allowed no means of defence, and Yet, though indifferent or oblivious in with the Treaty Powers. If it be correct
their neighbours, that the Empress Dowager has decided to`. "is put at the mercy of the smallest Power their dealings with
If and ever ready the Chinese were, proceed to Wuchang, such fact may be that has a grievance and a gunboat? Peking is to be left with no armis, no forts, when the momentary circumstances seemed construed to mean either that the old lady "and access to the sea only at the pleasure to point to some trivial advantage, to dis- has thrown up the sponge altogether and "of the Allies, it will, we imagine, cease regard their most solemn promise, there; decided to retire, or that she hopes to so permanently to be the capital of China, were no greater sticklers for the etiquette of influence CHANG CHIN-TUNG and his fellow When the Viceroys of Central China as to induce them "and in that case the reason for these nations when applied to others. "conditions disappears." The conditions King of Yarkand, for instance, obstructed to offer a passive resistance to foreign are no doubt hard, as the reasons which the passage of a Chinese mission to Parthia, demands, and wear out foreign endurance led to their imposition were pressing. the Emperor of China did not hesitate, but and patience by ever extending delays. The But the guarantee against the possible sent a large army to chastise the recalcitrant Empress Dowager is so dogged and so aggression of any one Power surely state; and did not cease till the King had opposed to foreigners' generally that she lies in the practical neutralisation of China been executed in punishment of the crime. certainly would not stick at any sheme which is now proposed. It will, we hope, Diplomatically, the crime of the Yarkandese which might seem to offer a chance of check- be impossible for one Power to act in future was less serious than that of which the mating the enemy. There would seem to on the old rapacious lines which have hither-Chinese Government at Peking has been be another course open to the Treaty Powers effectually dispose of all to marked the conduct of the Western guilty; so that according to their own pre. which would nations toward China. The international cedent, the stipulations meted out by the opportunities for the treachery to which character of the guards provided for the injured European States are really lenient the Chinese officials so constantly resort Legations should provide against indepen-in comparison. Logically, according to their when cornered. That course hardly needs dent action of an hostile character on the own standards, the Chinese Government is indicating. It is so obvious that he that part of any one nation. Otherwise the ar-
not in a position to treat till the crime runs may read. An exaggerated respect rangement is reduced to nonsense. It must for which it stands arraigned before the for the person of a ruler has so far pre- also be considered within the bounds of court
of nations has
absolved. | vented the Powers from coming to the possibility that the severity of the restric- The principle involved is one which in the reasonable determination to depose and a state prisoner the Empress tions on China may in time relax. If the interests of the commonalty of nations it is hold as
should be thoroughly com- Dowager, but the divinity that is supposed new government prove in years to come a success, China will take her place once more rehended. Although the rules governing to hedge a king hardly appertains to the among nations, and that place will then be diplomatic intercourse have by common concubine of a former Emperor, who has very different in character from what it has practice come to be universally observed, risen from the ranks. Though the Empress been in the closing years of the past century. there has fortunately been no occasion be- Dowager is a woman of undoubted ability, The essence of the conduct of the Allies fore this last outrage to bring them to the and has shown equal craft and courage, toward China, in so far as their expressed test of a common consent, and in this yet she is not a person for whose feelings desire for the Empire's integrity is sincere, respect the attempt to murder wholesale the any great degree of sympathy need be dis- is that there is hope of a regeneration of this representatives of other und presumably played. She has had her innings and has people. It is plain that the reactionary friendly States has conduced to render used it to her own great benefit. For more party remains too strongly entrenched in plainer the international law and to em- than thirty years she has, as regent or as the possession of all the chief posts in the phasise the privileges of the order. At one usurper, managed to sway the destinies of government for the liberal-minded Chinese time the dissonant views of the great nations China and has pulled the strings which have to be able to make any impression on them with regard to China, and the different ordered its policy. Always secretly inimical except by intervention from outside. We nature of their designs with regard to the to foreigners, she has consistently succeeded do not see the necessity of reading into the future of the Far East, seemed likely to in keeping the clock of progress set back conditions of the Powers a desire perman- result in a weakening of the laws relating to and in relegating all wise and useful mea, ently to degrade China if she really has the international usages; and it is therefore sures of reform to the background. Her power of raising herself.
satisfactory that a common agreement on latest developments, as patroness of the this topic has been at last arrived at. Boxers and the sanctioner of massacre and Of course this common agreement as outrage, have proved that only the oppor- to the safeguarding of the rights and tunity was lacking for her to display a re- position of ministers does not include | fined cruelty worthy of Eastern tyrants of old ́. any claims for compensation from in- time or any modern semi-civilised savages. dividual Powers, but it will certainly have For our part, we see no reason to treat the effect of simplifying them. Looked at from a Chinese point of view, the ready acquescence in the joint demands will more than anything else conduce to a better
After plague in Glasgow, beri-beri in the Midlands of England. At least this is what is suspected about a curious epidemic which broke ont toward the end of November, as related by the home papers. At first the symptoms, which appeared in some hundreds of cases, were attri- buted to some poisonous substance which had accidently got into a large stock of beer; and arsenic was fixed upon. But doctors subsequently did not hesitate to say that had the occurred in the East they would undoubtedly have been put down to beri-beri. The mystery, however, had not wholly been cleared up when he last papers to hand left Europe.
necessary
been
of China's position towards the rest of the world. It has been no advantage, but very much the contrary, that China has not
Her Majesty with exceptional indulgence. She has imbrued her hands in innocent blood and has been guilty of barbarous butcheries. Moreover, she cannot be trusted
would be better therefore to strip her of the power to work evil. We would not advocate unnecessary severity, but it would undoubtedly be wise policy to
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