Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-07-01
Municipal Council Firm.

Municipal Council Firm.
The municipal council, however, stooo
firm in maintenance of the principle.
unon which the prosperity of the settle
ments is founded. that no taxpayer resi-
dent within settlement limits could be
handed over upon the demand of the Chi
nose authorities until convicted of crime
in omen trial at the mixed court, court
of first instance, in which representatives. Ne
of the consular body sit as assessors. Inc
Supao case, tried in that court, resuiseu
in the yindication of this principle
The reimbursement OF the reVoiu-
ton suddenly upsetting the entire
scheme of things celestial ana tenn
porarily substituting government oy
The nursery for government by the elder
statesmen, revealed among Dung emma
journalists. as it did among the SOL
diery. the spirit of indiscipline and the
elements of unrest which only the
strong hand of authority can Iepress
among oriental peoples Finding them
selves, as they thought. at the Degin,
ming of a new era In which the Sociai
and ethical code of Confucianism nad
lost all restraining virtue. many men,
who. until then. had written sooeriy
enough, became free lances in the
struggle for place and power which
followed the abdication of the Manchus'
and wrote. without restraint, as place.
men and partisans.
AS a class, they were naturally iden-
titled with the -ming-tang. the stu.
dents party, and as the torc.S OF
orthodox conservatism gradually raj
lied and came together under the guild
ing hand of Yuan Shih kai their Ian
guage became more and more violent
With the defeat Of Sun Vat Sens party
schemes and Yuan'S assumption OF su
preme power. their writings often In
cited to sedition and crimes of violence.
Gradually it became apparent TO the
law-abiding mercantile community ana
10 sNf he ION a.
ment that the political activities of
the foreign educated student class were
creating in China dangers of the same
kind as those with which the British
government has had TO deal in India,
Intensified by the absence of any re
pTessive force at Picking.
Only Means to Prevent Crime.
This opinion has recently been ex-
pressed. with unmistakable clearness
and unanimity. by the Chinese chamber
Of commerce at Shanghai. which frank
~ deplores the plottings of the ex-
treme republicans and supports Yuan
Shih Kat and the restoration of the au-
tocratic regime" as the only means Of
preyvn ing chaos and crime.
In these circumstances IL was right and
httjnS that the municipal council. respon-
sibje tor the good order of the settle
lnAts. should take STEPS to emphasize
In5 majority, and should intimate clearly
70 %ae fractions minority that the sane
tu4ry VI the self governing settlements
guild no longer be abused by those who
preach sedition and political assassina-
ton. The action of the council reflects
cieRrly the revulsion OF feeling and the
diSiiiuSiCns which have succeeded the
enthusiasm that greeted the Inaugural
top Of the republic. and the wording of
itstpublc proclamation is extremely sig
niffcant
Utter referring to the excuses of GER
tain Journals published in the settlement
wfpse 'infianmatory attacks upon pub
hc0personages and violent abuse have
been OF nature to perturb the public
mind, and may therefore prove to be sub
council proceeds 20 warn the public gen.
orally and ali editors. reporters, print
ersrand publishers that any persons who
venture either directly or Indirectly to
emit writings and pictures of this char
acter will on detection at once be arrest
ed 18nd imprisoned. pending decision by
the several authorities sas 10 the pro-
cedare Whereby they are to be dealt with
aedbrding 10 the gravity OF the offense
Their ultimate treatment cannot easily
be {oretold. Let al obey"
After t1he issue of The proclamat ion
There wefe no more open exhortatioNs "a
KILT the Autocratic Demon King; the
bitferest critic of the councils action con-
tented itself with an expression of edi-
torfai opinion 10 the effect that the proc
laHlation was inspired by Yuan Shih Kai
and not unconnected with the financial
operation of the powers at Picking DIR.
Sun fat Sen and his followers have per-
ceived. in fact. that they have forfeited
thefsympathies of the business commu-
ritS, and that Yuan Shih Kai's govern
medt commands the support OF those who
has, consequently. retired from active
pOlfticS, at least for the present