Aug. 27.
LviveNce accumulates of the growing restiveness of British copie connected with China in all directions. Our London correspondent's letter to-day about the dissatisfaction felt by the big firms at Home only bears out what has been received from many sources. The strong comment passed by the "Times," in the article which on another page, circumstances most welcome.
ie description of Balfour's' attitude of "dept detachment" reminds one of the old gibe, that politicians believed there was a great future for Lord Balfour if he would stick to philosophy, while _philosophers held that with more sing-lenes of purpose he might have done admirably as a politician. But, after all, when it comes to action, Lord Balfour is no worse than anyone else. We have heard numbers of brave speeches, but for any result thereof we Jock in vain. Phe efforts of the Foreign Office seem to have been. chitty diverted to preventing questions from being sleed im the House until the rising of Parliament should take away all opportunities therefor. _Aindy now for the second time Hong-Kong has held a mass, indignation meeting and has telegraphed Home a demand for action against the Russian Bolshevike Canton, which will be endarsed by every British subject in "China and by innumerable The fundamental cause of the British Government's inaction la well understood, namely, the dread of being "pushed into lat Hame would not endorse. But surely this apprehension unnecessary. Hongkong aske fter a blockade of Canton to strengthen the hands of the anti-Red party and to compel the Jexpulsion of the Bolsheviks. Such a-blockade could easily be enforc~ jed with the ships already at the Government's disposal in local waters. Furthermore, such. jection need in no way appear as jan active war against China, which indeed it would not be. It would be an act of demonjstrably necessary retaliation against the agents of Moscow and on behalf of the Chinese [people as a whole, who, already suffering greatly from the in~ trigues of Bolshevism in this country, are destined to' suffer still more, unless they can get some assistance from outside to expel the enemy. In these. circumstances, a prior notificstion to Peking of what was, and why it was, being done, should surely be sufficient to explain ithe line that Great Britain was taking and we are quite sure [that it would be welcomed by ithe overwhelming mass of Chin-business men, not to mention other classes, whose apprehension of what Moscow seeks to do in this country daily grows more apparent. In this respect the resolution passed at' the mass meeting in Hongkong was wisely worded in the clear [distinction it made—a distinetion about which there can be no argument—between the Chinese people of Canton, and the Russian Bolsheviks who now Jdominate the Cantonese against their own will, One thing is perfectly certain, namely, that just as China has been brought to its present pass by the vacillation and weakness of the Powers, the situation in Canton will infinitely,, mare-difficult. to ideal with, the longer it is lett alone. It is worse to-day than it was a few weeks ago; it will be far worse Inter on. Moscow calculates to ruin Hongkong and, if it should succeed, the disease would spread through all China land most probably to Indo-China, ithe Straits and India. Nothing will avail but resolute action on Great Britain's part. The Bolsheviks in Canton seek to blockade Hongkong: Hongkong must blockade them. Ninety per cent. of the Cantonese would applaud wholeheartedly.
To turn to the question oft Shanghai and the incident of May 30, Has not the time come when the Municipal Council should assert its freedom of acition? The Shanghai issue and the Canton issue, though to some extent they overlap, are essentijolly different. In Canton the British practically alone concerned and are accordingly fully entitled to take such action las the case requires. In Shang-nai, the question is an international one; and whatever the ultimate settlement, or however }much the agitators endeavour to fasten the quarrel upon the: single motion, it is an international Council and the interests of all nations together which fare at stake. Ever since May 30 the Council has been hamper-led by its diplomatic associations. Tt has continually been in a state lof not being able to act for fear lof prejudicing the chances of something which somebody else iwas supposed to be doing. There has been too much politeness, too much caution, altogether too secrecy; and so the dead-flock has continued for nearly Ithinteen weeks with steadily diminishing signs of any solu~ tion. The time has come when ithe Council should take matters Jin their own bands. First, it might oak, Is the judicial inquiry lof the Powers going to take {nlace, yes or. no? If it is, when [and how? If it is not, then there appears no valid reason why the Council should not hold a judi-
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.