The "Eastern Times" comment:
Following a long spell of tra: depression, Shanghai is now acting a rice famine. People are Sndiag it hard to make a bare livelihood.
Nevertheless, our Government his sought to impose just at this moment its stamp duty in this Settlement. As the manner of in-traducing this duty would involve some sacrifice of our sovereign and other vital rights, our merchants have repeatedly opposed this new form of tax. However, our protest must have fallen upon deaf ears. The Government <loes not' appear to worry about <vblic opinion when it is obsessed with the idea of sucking dry the j-2ogle's resources. The abandon mes: our sovereignty for such a purpose is like drinking poisonous wine to allay one's thirst. We wonder whether our money-crazy officials will ever make up to a full sense of their duty now that our General Chamber of Commerce has again sent Peking strong protest by telegraph.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.