February 6, 1905.]
gave utterance to the famous aphorism that "Liberation without land has always ended in an increase of the proprietor's arbitrary power." He had in mind the effect in such instances as that of NAPOLEON's emaucipa- tion of the peasants in Poland, and of our own experiment in freeing the American negroes. For "proprietor" read "capita. list," and the EMPEROR's saying hits off with some justice the status of our own teeming masses at Home, before Trades Unions
grow and multiplied so as to adjust the balance of tyranny, and even to sway it somewhat to the other extreme. As we have briefly indicated in a previous article, ALEXANDER's well-laid soheme went wrong, owing to the success of the conservatives on the Commission, who managed to curtail the allotments while increasing the valuations by which they were to be gradually re- deemed. The Imperial scheme had been hailed with such a flourish of trumpets: the Press, upon which the embargo had been temporarily relaxed, ranted in Utopian strains of political freedom and general prosperity and when the expected ell turned out to be an inch, the seeds of the present agitation were undoubtedly planted in by no means stouy ground. The tem1- perament of the Slav is volatile, impression- able, prone to sentiments and ideals, like the French. There was a general uprising in May, 1861, and riotous demonstrations by University students in October of the
:
""
same year. "Land and Liberty was the title of a revolutionary journal widely circulated in secret. In June 1862 there was another big uprisal, on exactly similar lines to the present one, and in the same places. Then as now the troops indulged in licensed butchery. In 1863, the year of the Polish rebellion, MURAVIEV's severity in Lithuania shocked the world, whole towns being given up to fire and pillage by Imperial troops. Ever since, the trouble
It
has been an almost annual recurrence, is a shock to be told to-day by REUTER that six thousand Parisians have met to denounce
CHINA OVERLAND TRADE REPORT.
THE GOVERNOR'S SCHEME.
(Dealy Press, 4th February.) There is a big lot of misinformation to be acquired in Hongkong, which is easily obtained by those who are sufficiently con- fiding, and ask plenty of questions. We have recently had the benefit of a share of it, in connection with our desire to know more about the Sailors' Home. We have been told that it is a mismanaged charity, a well-managed charity, and that it is not a charity at all, but a self supporting institu- tion. But for one or two scraps of evidence which have reached us from trustworthy sources, we should now be worried by doubts of the existence of any such institu tion at all. But there it is, and our latest information is to the effect that it is likely to continue, irrespective altogether of the scheme of the GOVERNOR, for the objects of its care have to bear the cost, and its sur- plus for helping those who cannot do so is carefully hoarded. HIS EXCELLENCY'S scheme, of which we approved, does not in any way affect the constitution of the Home, and it appears that its critics cannot have regarded it in the only way in which we thought it could be regarded, namely, a scheme for preventing "deserving cases of destitution" from being turned away in cousequence of their inability to deposit the necessary sum. We do not agree with His EXCELLENCY that such deserving cases are likely to be "many," and as a matter of opinion, we usually suspect that a destitute person is so by his own fault. Still, the possibility of real deserts being overlooked was one for which, we were prepared to share the "noble impulses " of the senti- mentalists, and 10 the GOVERNOR'S scheine we saw only a method of allowing the Sailors' Home to go a little beyond its present province, and to help, where it might wish to help, those unable to help themselves. A barbaric yawp ' in one of our evening contemporaries accuses us of encouraging shiftless beachcombers, in the very article in which we tried t, emphasise the value of the scheme on the ground that by filtering its charity through two institutions, it was less likely to let it go to undeserving cases. The GOVERNOR'S scheme is expressly cou- ditional" should the case be a meritorious one, &c." To a destitute European, even $1.15 a day is too high a payment. be an honest man, a deserving case, and not a professional wastrel and idler, the fund provided by those who approve Sir MATTHEW NATHAN's scheme will save him from having
64
If he
the events taking place in Russia, seeing that it was French philosophers who gave birth to nihilism in the eighteenth century; and the temporary success of the Paris Commune in 1871 that fanned it into fiercer dame in Russia. Nihilism killed itself by its own violent excesses, but revolution remained in the air. When the present TSAR received his first deputation in January 1895, the party that had come to do homage hinted that the zemstv.s was only the germ of representative institutions. His reference to the teaching of his English tutor, HEATH, that "a man's happiness may be measured by the amount of happiness which he con- to associate with the all sorts and conditions fers on others," perhaps encouraged them. for whom the House of Detention is pro- They were told then, what we have been vided. There would not be heavy demands told lately, that the principle of autocracy on the fund, because the Sailors' Home is to be maintained. Whether it should or would continue charging those who have should not be maintained is a question with money, while it would only allow destitutes which we are not immediately concerned. to go on the fund after searching enquiry: Whether it can be maintained is another. That how the scheme appears to us, and The Russian Government is not fighting a we see no chance of its encouraging beach- dissatisfied political clique; it is fighting combers. If it did, we should denounce it the modern weltgeist, the universal array of us strenuously as we could, for all the ideals which are more terrible politically beachcombers in Hongkong who deserve it than an army with banners. The Russian have not been hanged yet. Really, there are protestant has always been bullied or cajol duo details of the scheme that need discussion. into quiescence in the past. It is merely a The scheme is barely a scheme -it is a question how much louger he will be in request that a Institution which is sup- making up his mind what he wants, with posed to have the ear of the philanthropic sufficient clearness to cause the struggle to public should do a little extra begging. be less spasmodic and more determined. The details merely constitute a method for Mr. G. S. V. Bidwell, foreman of the Mih-lo-regulating the order in which the guaran loongs, has been elected Chief Engineer of the Shanghai Fire Brigade in the place of Mr. K. W. Campbell, resigned. There, were three nominees for the post, Messrs. E. Lemière and H. B. Emerson being the other two,
tors are to be called upon, so that if A. pro- mises two, and B. one, B's one will be drawn upon before A's sccond. The Sailors' Home will not oppose, for to them it simply means that instead of rejecting JOHN Dog who
77
cannot pay, they accept him when RICHARD RoE pays for him. It is the Benevolent Society only which might object, for by agreeing they gain nothing more than an enhanced reputation for benevolence. If they do object, their only ground can be that it saddles their officers with extrn trouble, while adding nothing to their pre- sent ability to help the particular cases to which they are devoting their attention. The "sixty dollars a month "point of oue of our correspondents has been disposed of; and for the rest of the foolish comments we have noticed, as they mostly betray a stupid blindness to the main issue, need not discuss them.
SUPREME COURT.
Friday, 27th January
IN SUMMARY JURISDICTION,
BEFORE HIS HONOUR MR. T. SERCOMBE
SMITH (PUISNE JUDGE).
we
Chan So sued A. Hughes for $97. Mr. Almada e Castro appeared for the plaintiff. judgment and costs for the plaintiff. The defendant was absent. His Honour gave
Bank sued the Cheung Loong firm for 8505.98. The trustee of the property of the Po Fung Mr. Dixon (of Mr. John Hastings' office) appeared for the plaintiff, and Mr. Almada e Castro for the defendant firm. Mr. Almada e Castro consented to judgment, but asked that execution be stayed for ten days. This was
allowed.
for $1.9 (rates). Mr. Bonuar (of the Crown The Colonial Treasurer sued Chu Hing Chun Solicitor's office) appeared for the plaintiff. The defendant was absent. His Honour gave plaintiff judgment with costs.
W. Brewer & Co. sued Porchet Bovet & Co.
for $161.85. The defendant firm was not re- presented. Mr. George Richardson told His account since the writ had been issued, and Honour that the defendants had paid $100 on judgment was given for $61.85, the balance
and costs.
The Robinson Piano Co., Ld., sued James
Christie for $99.60 for tuning and repairing the pianos in the Praya East Hotel and the Metropole Hotel. Mr. P. W. Goldring (of Mr. judgment, which was given, with costs. G. K. Hall Brutton's office) consented to
Saturday, 28th January.
IN BANKRUPTCY.
BEFORE SIE H. 8. BERKELEY (CHIEF JUSTICE.)
In the case of Lau Kuk Chow, ex parte Chiu Hok Lam, the father of the debtor applied for an order on the Official Receiver for the return of $3,500. This he had deposited to save his son from going into bankruptcy, before his son actually did go into bankruptoy, Mr. Bailey appeared on behalf of the Official Receiver to oppose the petition, and Mr. Dixon (of Mr. John Hastings' office) for the petitioner. His Lordship made the order applied for. Master) appeared for Messrs. Lauts Wegner Mr. J. Hays (of Messrs. Johnson, Stokes and
and Co. in the case of the Hang On firm ex parte Lauts Wegner and Co. It was an application for adjudication. His Lordship made an order appointing the Official Receiver trustee.
Mr. R. A Harding appeared for the debtor debtor, an application for adjudication. His in the case of Li Ng alias Li Ho U ex parle the Lordship made order appointing the
an
Official Receiver trustee.
Monday, 30th January.
IN SUMMARY JURISDICTION.
BEFORE HIS HONOUR MR. T, SERCOMBE SMITH (PUISNE JUDGE.)
SAYCE V. NOMURA, Mr. D. V. Steavenson (of Messrs. Descon, Looker and Deacon) appeared for the plaintiff
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