174
THE INTERNATIONAL CRISIS.
THE HONGKONG WEEKLY PRESS AND
THE RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE NANCHANG MURDERS.
(Daily Press, 6th March,) Although we are never likely to know the details of the last disgraceful affair at Nanchang, the main facts are now very well known, and it is difficult to judge on which of the parties concerned rests the greater criminality. Had it been a matter where only Lazarist missionaries and the provincial government of Kiangsi suffered wrong, we might have felt very well content that the guilty parties, pre- tended preachers of the Gospel, as well as
[ March 10, 1906.
Then comes in the equally inexp bla conduct of the Chinese officials, incl ing in this case the Governor of the province in person. Governor HSIA's duty was simple : it was not for him to sit in judgment, that being of course reserved by treaty to the representatives of France, who would cer tainly have seen that the priest did i
I not in case criminality were proved, go without punishment. He was in his provincial capital, and certainly had sufficient force to arrest the delinquent and send him under escort to Kewkiang, but a day or a day a balf's journey, taking care, of course, that no undue violence were usel. Instead of
and
those
(Daily Press, 5th March.) Notwithstanding the conflicting nature of the news which renches Hongkong as to the proceedings at Algeciras, there can be little doubt but that a situation has resulted which can only be regarded with the deepest anxiety. The deadlock, serious in itself, would not be so grave were it not for the fact that the principals are both prepared for the natural consequence of a rupture. Ordinarily this would not occasion any apprehension, as most first-class Powers realise that the best way at present to preserve peace is to be prepared for war, shuffling officials, had met their punishment. this he permitted the culprit to take refuge but the temperament which both countries The affair cannot, unfortunately, be thus in the mission premises, while he or have recently displayed leads to a feeling of dismissed, because as the result of the unis-about him inflamed the feelings of the uneasiness as to the outcome. Although deed the innocent have been involved in mob always at hand to be aroused both France and Germany have indicated the punishment due only to the guilty. We amongst the proletariat of a Chinese city. that they do not intend to abate the are not by these words to be unders'ool to The consequence was to be easily foreseen demands which they have formulated, and have any desire or intention to condone the encouraged by the absence of the slightest although diplomatic efforts have 80 far action of the officials in having made their attempt at coutrol the mob, in the method failed to effect a compromise, it cannot yet appeal to mob law, any more than we are of mobs from time immemorial, procecded be said that the International Conference disposed to pass over the outrageous and to pluder and destroy everything or per. has proved a failure. Even were that the criminal conduct of the Iazarist missiou-son that came in their way; the perpetrator unfortunate end of the arbitration pro-aries, whose misdeed in the first instance of the outrage was the first unfortunat ceedings, there is always the hope that was the sole and entire cause of the whole | wh fell in their way, and he seems to have! mediation on the part of some neutral proceeding. The main facts of the case-are b given short shrift. But the evil Power would not be without avail. King fortunately unquestioned. According to the EDWARD VII., with the qualities which have practice of the Roman Church, to prevent earned for him the title "Edward the l'eace misunderstandings, the various provinces of maker," is the first to whom the nations China have been allotted to different reli- will naturally turn their eyes in the circum-gious bodies, and that of Kiangai was stances, and it is re-assuring to find the TSAR granted to the Lazarist Mission. Whether ranged on the side of peace and willing also from the inferior social status of the in- to mediate between the two Powers.
dividuals, or from a less stringent discipline, the Mission has of recent years been involved was in fact that he lived next door. in more troubles with the Government, and however, was sufficient in the eyes of a mob has adopted a more unfriendly attitude with its blood up, so his house was attackel towards the Protestant missionaries in the and himself and his wife immediately province, than all the other missions com murdered, while even the sight of two bined. Notwithstanding the false move of innocent little girls, his daughters, scarcely. the Chinese Government in itself granting restrained the mob. One of the children was substantive official rank to the chiefs of the wounded so severely that she died the next various missions, common-sense seems today, the other, little more than an infant, have in the majority of cases prevented probably excited some pity even in the hearts undue friction; but all common-sense seems | of a mob, nad was spared. Too late for any to have been cast to the winds in the unfortunate affair at Nanchang. Assuming to himself a power by all international law reserved for the supreme government, the individual in charge of the mission seems to have made on his own account claims on the representative of the Chinese Govern- ment for alleged wrongs in the past, an indemnity for which formed part of his programme. The means adopted took very much the form of private war: the respon sible, or supposed 1
Should such a contingency as n.any fear actually take place, it cannot be regarded other than a terrible calamity. The awful carnage which was associated with the hostilities between Russia and Japan have invested war with perhaps even greater horrors than ever it had before, and no one can contemplate its dire results with any feeling of equanimity. Apart from the slaughter, inevitable at the meeting of the combatants, and the suffering inflicted on the people of both countries, a rupture between France and Germany would considerably affect our port and its great shipping interests. The interchange of commodities would be retarded, certain traffic routes would be disorganised, and generally the tra le essential to our pros- perity would be injured by the greater uncertainties and risks which prevail in a time of war. So that on humanitarian and material grounds, we have reason to deplore the present situation and its possibilities and to indulge the hope that the delegates Basembled in the little Spanish town, al- most under the shadow of Gibraltar, will be
passions of the mob had been aroused, and baving tasted blood it did not care to stop. Unfortunately next door resided a man perfectly innocent, with his wife and family; it is not necessary to say anything more of him that that during his residence he had carefully avoided giving offence to people or government. His only crime
This,
useful purpose, and, shivering with fear, the incapable GOVERNOR, the day after the crime bad been committed, took the step which he should have taken in the first instance, and sent his troops to defend the other foreigners. Even so, instead of putting down and taking measures to punish the guilty leaders he confined himself to sending the other foreigners who had done no wrong to anyone as prisoners out of the city. It may be quite true that for the priest LACRUCHE, official was whose action really brought on the whole invited to dinner for the alleged purpose disturbance, there is no room for sympathy. of discussing the matter privately. Having He, a private individual, inste id, if he had a explained his inability to act without the wrong, of appealing to the arm of the law to authority of his superiors, the chief of pat affairs right, preferred to take the way the mission proceeded to threats, and of violence and be the executor of his own produced a paper
the officer self-made ideas of retribution. H was required to sign then and there a have had right or some how of right on recent example of a fellow officer who had side in the first instance, but the use of been degraded because under somewhat violence in the assertion of a right capable similar circumstance, he had submitted to of being remedied by legal methods,
which
must be the dispute has arisen. Such also personal insult, doubtless came uppermost | course deprives him of any s andpoint
ere they conclude their deliberations, congratulate themselves on bringing the two great nations to an amicable under. standing respecting the administration of Morocco which will not be incompatible with the claims of either and at the spine time beneficial to the people over whose government
wish of all who are not under the influence
of national jealousy-few of whom are to be found in our international community—and the present misunderstand- ing will not le regretted if it achieves a better relationship between the two peoples concerned, thus providing another safeguard for the pence of Europe and of the world.
in the chi-hien's mind, and apparently he made an attempt at suicide, Here the evidence as to what actually took place fails, but in the struggle somehow, whether to prevent the rash act or otherwise is not known, and we must give the missionary the credit of the doubt, the official got stabbed. This seems to have been the final act, for the missionary left the scene. The There were 106 subscribers for 124 griffius at whole affair looked exceedingly like what Shanghai, At a meeting held at the Race Club a hundred years ago in England would have Grand Stand the subscribers decided to leave been held to be a case of highway rob- the limit of subscription to the purchasing.com-bery-in more recent times the title has mittee. It was also decided that all subscrip- tion griffins shall be raced by the drawer, and in the event of their changing ownership they shall only be raced as ordinary griffins.”
bean softened down to "holding up," and is occasionally practised on trains passing through the prairie districts of America.
It is
any tribunal of justice in any part of the world. But the crime of the Governor, whose duty it was to see justice exercised has not even so much pullistion. quite true that in a great measure bis crime was the effect of craven cowardice, but that is hardly an extenuating circumstance; an strictly the GOVERNOR is as much answerable for the murder of LacRUCHE, who, whatev - his crine, had the right of trial, as of the perfectly innocent KINGĦam. Little mora than a month ago we drew attention to the peculiarly Chinese evil of swarmeries, and the danger always pressing of their being maue use of by officials foil to their own misconduct. We little expected that
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