Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-08-16

dered to us on Tuesday. The other was
that delivered by H. c. Arnhold, chair
man of the Municipal Council of
Shanghai, at the dinner given in our
honor by the council that same eve
ming.
Nothing Gained in Either.
But upon reading these two addresses
since the copies were received, I have
come to the conclusion that nothing
particular is to be gained by citing
them at any length. For they come to
q square issue of facts, and 1t Is en-
tirely too warm in Shanghai at present
to try to Sift out the truth from these
disputes.
But we are, nevertheless, amused at
the tenor of some of the press COM
ments upon our visit and some OF the
advice given to us by the local press on
the subject Of our gullibility. Let me
quote from an article printed on the
first page of this mornings China Press,
which, doubtless with perfect sincerity,
seeks thus to guide us in our judy
ment:
"The main business of our esteemed
friends is to penetrate the ShamS and
nance of things. The gentlemen are
RECALLED by leading Chinese and by lead
ing foreigners, and sentiments Of good
will are running high. At such mo-
ment it would do well to show the
skeleton around In the festivities in
order to put a. mental break % upon
any headlong and impulsive decisions
that may be in the viSioning. Receive
everything, but conclude nothing now!
70
have come and gone and truth has
been twisted. Barefaced lying seems to
have been rampant in the journalistic
world as far as China IS concerned
Arch-propagandiStS in the name OF pa
triotiSm and altruiSm seemed to have
had an even break with the forces OF
truth and justice. Interviews
and convivialities should serve not for
the formation of impressions but merely
as an introduction into the case and
the wiSest course for international re-
lationship. We would eXhort our hon.
ored visitors to hold the detached view
in which the Chinese and foreigners
best interests become finally identical"
Admonition Is Amusing.
This treatise on the first principles Of
newspaper practice and ethics may some
day find its way into a text took on
delegation, all Of whom have served for
more than Is years and some for nearly
so years in the work of getting at the
truth, this solemn admonition is at f1rSt
annoying, then amusing. But behind 1t
is the spirit that prevails in this area
of controversy. 1t is to be noted that
the true outlines of the skeleton" to
which reference is paSSingly made do
not appear. Yet it is a case of dollars
to doughnuts that the writer OF these
kindly hints for the prevention OF
youthful indiscretions of premature
Judgment is himself propaganda for
a cause 1t would have been much
more interesting If he had proclaimed
his own faith.
All persifiage aside, there are at work
here elements making for trouble, ana
yet when we get the leading protagon-
lists Of the two sides of by themselves;
meetings and feasts, they acknowledge
that there IS justice to great degree
in the other sides position. OF course,
it Is always necessary to remember that,
after all. this IS China. The foreign
powers have established certain areas
of the local community as immune to
Chinese law and have set. up a system
of juricature within those areas that
supplants that law. Within those areas,
territoriality, nationals of the foreign
powers have recourse to the laws OF
their own countries, administered by a
special court.
Many Chinese in Foreign Areas.
Now it is a significant fact that a
great many Chinese live and do bust
ness within the foreign settlements and
concessions Thus they secure the pro-
lection of the laws OF these foreign
powers. Individually, doubt If any
material percentage OF these Chinese
would wish to have extraordinarily
abolished. Indeed, I have been told by
some Of them that such abolition would
be ruinous to them, for the moment
they got out of the area OF foreign
power protection they would be subject
to the inequitieS Of the Chinese courts,
which are seemingly without any honor
In the ewes of these native Chinese.
Those who reside in the foreign set
Element and the concessions are just as
fully subject to Chinese taxation as
those living within the Chinese jurlsdlc-
tion. but they have a chance to get
their taxes adjusted to closer approx
imation to equity through the consular
court than they can hope to secure
through the native courts. on tnlS
matter of the native courts, heard an
enlightening story yesterday from an
American, who has himself no com.
plant to make on the score of personal
grievance or injury. He said that eli.
ent of his, a Chinese business man, had
been compelled, during the past few
years, to sue in the Chinese courts Tor
the recovery of money due in claims
In every instance he gained a judg-
ment, after long delays, but to this date
has never been able to collect from his
debtors on those judgments. The rea-
son is that after judgment is given the
Chinese court may be influenced" to
delay execution. For one reason and
another the Judge postpones until,