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THE HONGKONG WEEKLY PRESS AND
people as many of them assume, but men of like passions with themselves and, when it comes to business, with no more passionate views. If in writing on the Imperial Maritime Customs question we displyed more passion than would be thought proper in a Foreign Office despatch I trust it may be overlooked. The heat of our viers is 'rec-iving justification continually.
the Fdict of the 9th May in the administration 3 should be considered were "the shrieking of the I.M. Customs, A trae Chinese patriot | Colonists of Hongkong." This utterance in- honestly desirous of reforming the national dicates sufficiently well the attitude with which institutions would not start by attempting many Home critics view our opinions. It to change the order obtaining in the | should be one of the sims of the China Assocía- only well-organised and honestly-administered tion to correct this error; to persuade the government department. He would begin his Home folk that we are not such peculiar crusade elsewhere. He would agitate for change where it is needed. He would agitate for it | everywhere except in the Customs Service. Oddly enough, adverse criticism on the methods and motives of the Officials who instituted this raid on the Customs Administration has been misrepres uted as a display of hostility towards | the legitimate aspirations of the Chinese people, in fact as originating in an attitude unfriendly to China. Nothing could be further from the trath. As far as this Association is concerned it was and is our belief that if the raid had been completely successful China's credit would have suffered severely. In our view the ultimate effect would have bean to hamper honest trade, to promote smuggling, to fester corruption. It is a strange sort of unfriendliness that works to hinder the progress of such misfortunes. An old enemy wishing evil to overtake the
have rejoiced in Middle Kingdom would the complete success of the original aim of the Edict. Anyone who wanted to see China gatting into a hopeless mess again would have welcomed the threatened upset, Precisely for the opposite reason we endeavoured to pre- vent it. We thought we saw c'early enough that the assurances offere were an insult to the intelligence not only of the British Mercantile community but of all foreigners. They certain- ly were. They were probably meant to be. But whether meant to be insulting or not there. was never any doubt as to their business mean- 'ing, not at least in the minds of business meż, In the mind of any business man it must, we imagine, have been clear from the outset that the assurances palmed off upon the Legation and quoted in the House of Commons, to allay public uneasiness in England, were false and fraudulent from beginning to end. Business tanghes men to judge promptly and act swiftly. These were the qualities which might have saved the situation, before it developed out of all control. Now, people at Home who hear us
have complain say, Would you
wished England to risk an inconvenient war over the affair? This question is an annoying one, Englishmen in China seem to be regarded by many Home critics of Far Eastern politics as a particularly bloodthirsty lot. We are thought to be always wanting to make war. War is the last thing we want. We want our Treaty rights. If diplomacy cannot get th-se for us We would not we grumble; that is all, grumble even if it were not that diplomacy tries to treat us like children. To be told that
-
the Customs Ediot made no change made us all angry for this reason. But we never advocated war. We imagined that diplomacy might perhaps succeed in instituting a foreign combination against the designs of the wreckers. That was our mistake, nothing worse. But we are more over misrepresented as being filled with prejudice against the people among whom live. Because we stick to the social ideals of the Germanio peoples and prefer to mix only with
we
[January 12, 1906.
of engagements I osanot understand those who pose as her friends condoning it. I may be old-fashioned—if so, I am glad to be-- but I cannot believe that a Government any more than an individual can prosper in the long run by acquiring a reputa tion for unreliability. China's true friends those who wish to s09 her keeping
are
Boone
8
of
Us
faith with the nations; meriting a good name for dependability; maintaining her oredit iutact; increasing her people's wealth and pre- venting famine in a land of plenty by improved communications and by the game means unifying her scattered strength. The welfare China lies along these lines: not along ronds Of the year's Edicts the two to which involving fantastic reforms or leading to I have alluded are by far the most im- military ambitions. This is the view that has portant. Bat there have been many others all governed our policy during the past year. This more or less displaying the old faith in the is the faith that has inspired oar utterances. efficacy of fair words and a new belief in political Whether these have been of the smallest avail machinery as such. People who belier that
is a speculative question into which I do not national character has deeper origins will not
propose
to go.
Many people will tell you that be very sanguine of great results. There the work of the China Association, is, in is a modern tendency to underestimate the | addition to baing B
weariness to the survival-value of character. As regards the flash, mere vanity and vexation of spirit. latter it is, to say the least of it, doubtful They
results. look for
They uk whether China has changed at all, or, if at all, to show them
is some. It
difficult. whether it has not been for the worse. Sinc In this dilemms I sometimes think of a far the earliest days of our diplomatic relations with
other and of far
form of Mandarindom there has never been any discovery atrif; of a morning spent in watching the made of an active principle of good faith. We Japanese artillery bombarding the east wall of should like to record evidence of this discovery. the Tartar City of Peking. I remember think. But exciting as the events of the past year haveing the busy gunners did not seem to be doing been, there has been nothing as wildly exciting much good. Their shells were flying high over There seems to be no greater avidity the battlements from whose embrasures half- to meet Treaty obligations than formerly. We naked defendert had lately been successfully have noticed no sign of it in respect of the preventing the efforts of storming parties of Mackay Treaty. On the contrary, evidences infantry to blow up the grest gate which of a wholesale desire to repudiate engage towered in front. The firing seemed too high. ments are chiefly reported from Peking. In It did not seem to get down to the business of the this matter also there is the oddest adverse attack. The shells struck the watch-tower occa criticism of foreign residents in China forsionally and seat clouds of brick dust dying, but venturing to protest against the eno urage mostly they sailed over towards the Forbidden meut of the Chinese Government in this atti- City and burst in little smoke rings. It all tude. Our old friend the Spectator took us all seemed rather ineffectual. But afterwards when badly to task not long ago in this matter.
we got in and wan tered about the city and saw The editor seemed to think that in advocating where the shells had been oreating havoc and resistance to Mandarindom's lapses from realised what the feelings of the stiff-aecked grace Englishmen resident in China display Palace Officials must have been when the rain an unreasoning impatience with, and hostility of shrannel aime down, it seemed probable that to, the Chinese people. It is often important the influence of the artillery are was perhaps to keep in mind à distinction between the word after all not inconsiderable in hastening the China, meaning Mandarindom, and the same
In the same way movements of the Court. word used to mean the Chinese people. With perchance these oar activities may, in some unseen way, do a little good. This is the hope ia which the work is carried on, Braced by it I have the temerity to invite you to vote for the adoption of the report, which has been in your hands for some days, and to pass the accounts. This I now formally mɔve.
as that.
these the interests of the entire foreign mer- cantile community are manifestly bound up. This cannot be said of Mandarindom. Though its rauks are recruited from the people, its in- terests are in many respects opposed to the general good. Hence the fact that the for
the eiga merchant and
Chinese trader Mr. BALLOCH-I have much pleasure in are frequently at one in being against the seconding the resolution that the report and Government. Criticism of the latter by for- accounts be pissed. In doing so I wish to | eign residents is seldom indicative of an unsym- express our gratitude for and our appreciation` pathetic attitude towards China-the Chinese of the excellent work done by the Committee people. It may be, on
I the contrary, and | daring the past year. su sure you havə generally is, indicative of a wish for their welfare
all read the report and listened to the able But without narrowing the view down so far as speech by our Chairman with the greatest to make this distinction necessary I claim to interest and admiration. You must feel that they speak a broad truth when I say that the British have covered nearly all the questions that aff set marcantile community in China is on the whole the interests of the British mercantile com. friendly to China and anxious to see her coming manity. I noticed, however, that the Chairma those who observe them we are assumed to be well out of the difficult problems of the economic did not refer to the two very important the victims of that wicked race-hatred which revolution ahead. As the mouthpiece of the question of currency and opium, on both of is believed to course like malaria in the community the China Association has done its which we would have liked to have heard his blood of European residents in the tropics, best in the past to make this plain. Euglish- opinion. I have no doubt he has excellent
race-hatred men I think are naturally inclined 10 а And because of this wicked
reasons for keeping silent. We would have which is supposed to obsess our mind, our sympathetic understanding of the difficulties of liked to have heard something about the Canton-
the Chinese. opinions on all questions are heavily discounted
Our own strong conservative Kowloon Railway. I sincerely hope that there instincts make
Emerson in advance. I bave an idea that opin ons
us respect theirs.
will be no difficulty in patting through the next emanating from Hongkong are especially badly named the English and the Chinese as
agreement and that the Chinese officials will off in this way. Perhaps this is how I cam by most conservative peoples in the
show their appreciation of the liberal minner in the idea. At the time of the massacre of a body Personally I have much in common
which they have been treated by the Hongkong of missionaries near Foochow a meeting was the leisurely medievalism that is passing Government and meet them in a fair and held here in this Hall and a telegram-possibly away. I respect
friendly spirit. While on the subject of it rather an indignant message was despatched, letting
go lightly, and I realise officials, I would like to endorse the remarks hardness of the task of conscien- of I fancy to the Foreign Office, protesting against the matter being treated as of no importance. tious officials who are called upon to find, somewhat suddenly, new ma'bods to meet I happened to be in Glasgow at the time and to see an article in Glasgow's leading morning the instant need of things" I claim that
the criticisms of the paper on the subject. It discussed the ma ter
Chinese Government with the calm detachment and disinterestedness contained in the representations made by the which is easy ten thousand miles away and finish- China Association during the year have been ed up by alluding to the meeting in Hongkong directed by a sane view of what constitutes and to the telegram giving the resolution passed | genuine friendship for China. at it, by saying that, in any case, what-ver tested against attempts to repudiate agreements the Foreign Office might in their wisdom, and responsibilities. I can understand China's decide to do, the last people whose opinion enemies encouraging her in the repudiation
the
the Chinese for
the two world.
with
not
oar Chairman regarding the oriticisms the that are sometimes passed by Association on the acts of officials in China. These criticisms are made in ao unfriendly spirit, and I hope the China? will never regard them as made in that spirit. No one of us who criticises the action of the British Government is regarded as being unfriendly to Britnia, sud We have pro-
no one who criticises the acts of the officials in China should be regarded na unfriendly towards China. I have much plessure in seconding the resolution.
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