Mexico weekly ledger., 1907-05-02
JUDGE VILRLEY'S
WORK in SHANGHAI
St. Louis Globe Democrat.
BY WIN. 7. ELLIS.

|
! plish, In the way Of Cleaning up the
American reputation out here, and
improving moral conditions, Judge
Whitley has wrought almost over
night.
j The shame Of Shanghai is interna-
tional Iin every part Of the civilized
world. Shanghai is known as a wide
open city. As one resident expressed
it: "There is no public sentiment
here" Shanghai about fultills the de-
sire Of Kipling's soldier:
"Ship me somewhere east Of Suez,
Where the best is like the worst,
Where there amt no Ten Command
ments.
And man can raise a thirst.
AN AMERICAN MONOPOLY OF VICE.
But here comes the rub: the Ameri-
cans have had almost a monopoly of
the business end of the vice of Shang-
hal. The gamblers, panderers, dive
keepers and loose women were mostly
registered at the American consulate.
British consuls in the east have had
the right, which they have generally
exercised, to deport shady characters
Of their own nationality; American
consuls have not. For fifty years,
then, the abandoned women of this
chief port Of the orient have been
claiming the protection OF the stars
and stripes. The result Is that no
where in decent circles In the east are
the terms American LADY, ever en-
ployed, for they have only one signif-
canoe. An American father dare not
speak Of his daughter as an "Ameri-
can GIRL" When first l came to this
city 1t needed a few pointed and illu-
minating words from a friend to ex-
plain to me the large proportion, OF
richly clad and artifcally bedizened
women, manlfestly my comp atriots
who rolled along Bubbling Well road
In sumptuous equipages
So open and shameless has been
this corruption Of Shanghai society,
ramlfying into the most extraordinary
and unexpected places, that gradually
orazen vice has crowded virtue to the
rear, and as most eminent resident
assures me, the demimonde Iof Shang- |
hai has held the center OF the social |
stage. 1 have 1t on credible authofi- |
tY that leading business men, married |
men, with elegant homes, In Shang-
hal, have been In the habit Of drop |
ping in of afternoons,to take tea with
the American girls''. A short time |
ago prominent British nobleman
found, after spending an evening In |
thea merican colony, that his waCch
had disappeared. Now, this particu-
lar watch bore autograph evidence
that 1t was personal gift from King
Edward, in recognition Of high public
services, so every effort was put forth
to recover it--without publicity, Of
course-but In vain. There is no alb
solute evidence that it was taken to
the states by one of the score Of
American girls" who left on single
steamer few weeks ago, but nobody
would be surprised should it turn up
San Francisco.
Despite an occasional misadventure
Of this sort, the Dritishers and other
foreigners here have been very well
content with the situation prior to
Judge Wilfley's advent. The disgrace
and legal responsibility were borne by
America, so from their standpoint the
matter was quite satisfactory. AS
one Ivexed Englishman said to me;
"Really, this Judge Whitley is making
duece OF a bother for the rest OF us.
He is doing good thing for America,
Of course, but think Of the trouble
that is bound to come to other ma
tionalities II they have to handle this
thing. In word, the nations were
quite willing to let America bear the
blame for all their misbehavior.
HOW MISSIONARIES WON
oNPoPULARITY.
Against this infamy missionaries
have for years protested and labored
In vain. Shanghai, like all other
treaty ports in China, is an interna-
tlonal extraterritorial settlement;
each resident is under no law except
that of bis own country, as admini-
stored by his consul. The very fact Of
American laxity has caused disrep-
utable characters, even OF other ma
tlonalities, TO seek the protection Of
that flag for their evildoing.
A few of the official figures from the
settlement records may be enlighten-
ing In this connection-and be 1t re-
membered, these are not statistics Of
the native city, but of the foreign set
Elements, over which the Chinese have
no control whatever. The unedifying
spectacle has more than once been
presented in Shanghai of "heathen"
officials vainly pleading with the re-
presentatives Of Christian nations to
close out or restrict certain forms OF
evil, notably opium resorts, gambling
houses and brothels, for the sake Of
the thousands of Chinese who are be-
ing ruined therein. Shanghai's
foreign population is 1900 of whom
llOO are Americans. The British
dominate, although they are somewhat
outnumbered by the Japanese. French,
Portuguese and Germans come next in
orner Of Importance.
In licensed existence, within the
settlement, were, at the time Of theis-