Tue recent discussion in the columns of the Shen-pao, arising out of the Yang-yeh-lin case and the threatened action of the Taotai, afford matter for reflection to all who watch the progress of events in China. Firstly, it is matter of unmixed congratulation to find that there is actually in existence a newspaper capable of rousing the people and authorities into action of any kind. The great curse of China has been and is ignorance and apathy, and if there is one means more than another well calculated to dispel these two drags on progress, it is an enlightened public Press. Another incubus under which the country groans could be put down by nosurer hand than this same right of free discussion, and that is the gross misgovernment of the provincial officials. The crying cases of oppression which are to be found in almost every Peking Gazette would soon cease to exist, if the details could be made known and the voice of public opinion be heard. But while this is so far satisfactory, we must at the same time admit that we are yet very far from anything like a free press in China; indeed we suspect the local mandarins are only just beginning to understand what a formidable weapon such a paper as the Shen-pao may become, and we foresee many a hard struggle before they will submit to have their high doings discussed by the vulgar public.
The case in questionispretty well-known to our readers, and would no doubt have soon passed into oblivion, had it not given rise to a discussion which soon lost sight of the original subject and passed into a wordy warfare of personal abuse. The contest seems to have been a triangular sort of duel, in which the combatants were certain anonymous correspondents signing themselves Fairness, Justice, &c., the Cantonese literati (at the head of whom is the Che-hsien), and the Cantonese Compradore class. The latter, who are spoken of in the correspondence as the Hsiang-shan men—that being the name of a district in Kwang-tung of which many of them are natives—had been abused as menials and foreign slaves and got rather the worst of it; and the Editor of the Shen-pao, in closing the discussion to both sides, had a few remarks by way of soothing down their ruffled tempers, pointing out the high position they took as a whole in foreign trade, their energy, ability &e., and saying it would be abappy day for China if every Hsien produced such men. But these gentlemen refused £0 to be soothed on the contrary they seem to have interpreted the language as an apology on the art of the Shen-pao, and expressed their resolution of still further humiliating the offending paper by inflicting condign punishment on all concerned therewith. Phis produced the short but vigorous article of 22nd January, a translation of which will be found'on another page. The literati, on their side, were no less displeased with the handling they had got, and carried their grievance before the Taotai, demanding the punishment of four natives in the Shen-pao office who, they alleged, had been guilty of writing about matters with which they had no concern, spreading false reports and unsettling people's minds, &o. The Tontai com: plied so far as to order Ch'en, magistrate of the Mixed Court, to have the parties arrested..A happy thought, however, seems to have struck him that it would be better to consult Mr. Medhurst first, and the latter, on being applied to, emphatically put his veto upon the whole proceedings. Nothing more was done, and thus the matter stands at present.
The important part of the above story to us, and what makes us apprehensive for the future, is the fact that the Taotai should so readily sanction the arrest of the native employes in the Shen-pao office. Of what offence had they been guilty, even supposing they had been the authors of any or all of the articles objected to? Judging from a European point of view, it seems to us of nothing more than what might possibly be ground for a civil action for slander. Yet it is likely that only the timely intervention of H. M. Consul saved these unfortunates from a two or three months cangue, possibly from being handed over to the tender mercies of the Che-Hsien himself. Thisintervention has fortunately been successful, thanks to the good sense or the party feeling of the Taotai, but we can scarcely hope that every case will be so easily settled. Supposing the Taotai had been himself the one whose actions were impugned, instead of the
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.