The San Francisco call., 1913-09-20
| cam Work in the FIowery Republic
Continued from Page o.


the guilds and when this happens for
eign trade usually emerges from the
conflict with no honors and mighty
glad to make peace. A New York
firm with Far Eastern Headquarters
at Shanghai had built up large busi-
ness by the only successful method
of studying the demands of the ma
tive trade and conforming to them,
without regard to the violation of
American ideas. After the Shanghai
manager had spent several years in
building up the business and appar-
emily had it on a sound basis, he re-
ceived years leave of absence, and
one of the partners in New York came
out to fill his place.
AS soon as he got in touch with
office detail and learned enough
pidgin English to make himself un-
derstood, the partner began to dom
mate the business just as he had
done in the New York office. The
Chinese managers authority became
less every day, for the New Yorker
insisted on dealing with his custo-
mers directly. One day a Chinese
merchant came in with claim for re-
bate, because of damaged goods. The
claim was refused and as the new
manager was in a hurry to catch a
mail steamer and post an important
letter, he was more abrupt than diplo-
matte. The following day request
from another customer for an exten-
sion of credit met with a similar re-
fusal.
IT was a week or more before he no
ticed that there was a sudden falling
off in sales. He asked the Chinese
office force about it, and received po-
lite but misleading replies to the eff
feet that it was because of the state
Of the local market Continued alb
sence of orders compelled him to look
further for the cause and he found
that the guild to which his customers
belonged had decided to boycott his
firm. They had reached the conclu-
sion that his refusal to comply with
the requests made by two of their
members presaged new manage
ment, which would be unfavorable
to them.
1t is through their guilds that the
Chinese have always enjoyed rath-
er democratic administration of a
very autocratic government. Under
the Manchu rule, the local magis-
trates, taotais, or projects, possessed,
in theory, almost unlimited powers.
In practice, they had at all times to
be very careful not to run afoul of the
guild regulations, or to arouse public
opinion to the point that all the guilds
would combine against them. In the
latter case, the guilds inaugurated a
cessation of trade" which is a COM
bined strike, lockout and boycott.
Workmen quit work and employees
closed their doors. No one bought
anything and the shop-keepers put up
their shutters. The whole city took
a holiday, or several of them, if the
official was unusually stubborn.
The self-governing guilds natural
ly bred a democratic spirit and dur
ing the recent revolution many of
them gave valuable aid to the Repub-
lican cause. The first contribution
to the funds of the revolutionists
was made by merchant guild at
Hankow, and similar contributions
from many other guilds enabled the
republicans to keep on fighting and
finally win against the monarchy.
The guilds were well able to do this,
for some of them are fabulously rich,
owning carved and lacquered guild
houses and boasting of millions of
taels in their treasures. In many