18th Jan.
We do not believe there are ten Germans in Shanghai, excepting possibly quite new-comers who have not got into the swing of things here, who think that the proposal to impose two German members on the Municipal Council is a judicious one. It may be perfectly true that German interests in the Settlement have increased so much in the last few years that they are not adequately represented by the presence of one member on the Council, if it is supposed that it is customary for each member of the Council only to look after the interests of his own nationality, This has never been the case, and it is to be hoped never will be the case, and it is most unfortunate that any German, official or non-official, should even tacitly assume that it is the case. Only a very late-comer to Shanghai, unacquainted with the? way in which the municipality is administered, could think that it is the case. We all know, and our German fellow-residents' as well as any one else, that there is not an association here from the Municipal Council down—with the exception of two or three special societies like the China Association, the American Asiatic Association, the St. Andrew's Society, and the, St. Patrick's Society, which are necessarily sectional—that is not really as well as nominally cosmopolitan. Americans, English, Germans, French, and all other nationalities, mix freely in the government of the Settlement, in its amusements and its sports, without the question of nationality being even thought of, and it is a great pity that this question of nationality has been raised.
"The two gentlemen whom the German community have determined to support at the coming election are, it is universally conceded, unexceptionable candidates. One of them has, as the French say, given his proofs during the past year; the other is one of our oldest and most respected residents who has a very large and pleasant interest in the continued well-doing of Shanghai. Had his name been proposed to the Council before their list was made up, there is no question about its being readily accepted. There is some misunderstanding about what is sometimes referred to disparagingly as the Council's list.. The Council, of. course, know some_'little time before the election comes off, how many of their number do not propose to seek re-election, and for years they have conceived it to be their duty to make sure that there are enough candidates to make up the full tale of nine. The work of a Councillor is so hard, it occupies so much time, and so many people have a horror of the careless andi irtesponsible criticism to which a Councillor is subjected during his year of office, that unless there is some burning question underway at the moment, it is not easy to get good men to undertake the somewhat thankless post of Councillor; and the Council are morally bound, in return for the consent which they obtain, to do their best to secure the election of those whom they press to serve in the place of the outgoing members. There has never been any desire to introduce a system of ce-optation, or to impose a Council on the ratepayers; but it is often difficult to find nine good men ready to serve, though there are men ready to come forward, perhaps, whom the majority of the ratepayers would not care to elect.
When the list of candidates is published, after the nominations have been sent in, it will be time to consider the names critically; it is most important now that we should have a really good Council, for there is no doubt that it is a critical period, and the situation is made more: difficult by this injudicious attempt to introduce the question of nationality. But asa contribution to the discussion that has been going on and will go on more actively when the list of candidates is given to the world, we may mention that of the ratepayers qualified to vote at the election of Councillors, about 340 are British subjects, 70 German, 60 Americans, and 35 French, In addition there are about 190 absentee voters, who are sometimes here and sometimes away, and of these fully ninety per cent, or say 170, are British. Our German contemporary, understanding evidently how: great is the preponderance of British votes, suggests that votes should be weighed not counted, his contention being that much of the supposed' British pro-toty which qualifies for voting is hinese-owned. This is no doubt trae, but as the agents for this Chinese property are already voters, and as their votes are, if they.are once qualified, quite independent of the a amount of property they hold, this argument falls to the ground. If it comes to weighing and not counting, it must be taken into consideration that British subjects pay very nearly three-fourths of the whole of the taxation paid by foreigners. We are glad to see our contemporary, as the representative of German interests, saying: "In no way is it the intention of the German colony to throw down the gauntlet to their British fellow-residents in bringing forward two candidates. On the contrary the sincere wish of the German community is for the continuancegand increase of the present admirable! relations between Germans and British'so far as municipal representa tion is concerned. We therefore are of opinion that the more active participation in the affairs of the Municipal Council will be towards this end, especially when the greater interest in common affairs taken by the Germans is remembered." We are quite sure that if the Council had known when they were considering the filling-up of the seats of their retiring colleagues that such an eligible candidate as Mr. Buchheisterwas ready to serve, his name would have been readily adopted in conjunction with that of Mr. Rohde. The objection, and the only possible objection, is to the way in which it has been done, to the introduction of the pernicious principle of particularism. We want to be Shanghailanders first, in municipal matters at any rate, and Englishmen or Americans or Germans afterwards. It is to the benefit of us all that every section of this cosmopolitan community should takea "greater interest in common affairs." It has often happened heretofore that the majority of the Council, which must from the nature of things remain English, has had to press an American or a German to come in, nor has a good candidate ever. been rejected on account of his nationality, but there is an almost universal feeling that to take this new departure of endeavouring to insist on two Germans being elected as Germans, is a mistake, as it would be to insist on there being seven Englishmen on the Council because Englishmen pay three-fourths of the taxes.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.