The Mandate's Evil Effects Not a week has elapsed since the issue of the Mandate breaking off relations, vith the Russian diplomatic representatives in China, but the time has been sufficiently long to show how hasty and ill-advised has been the step taken by the Chinese Government. It is only neces. sary to quote the position in Shanghai, where facilities for dealing with affairs under the new order are greater than in any other place, to reach the conclusion that the Government has allowed itself to be rushed into the present position without the faintest realization of the consequences.
It would have been thought that by the time the Mandate was issued preparations would be completed for taking over the work now done by the Russian Consulates. There is, however, no sign that this ever received a moment's thought. At a day's notice the Legation and Consulates have theoretically closed their doors, and the question which naturally arises is, What has happened to Russians since then? There are Russians who are defendants in civil cases in the Russian Court, others who are accused of offences against the law, and nobody can say definitely at the moment where these people stand. Presumably the jurisdiction of the Consular Judge has come to an end, and all these cases must fall to the ground until Peking can find 2 way of dealing with them. Then should it happen that an accused person is in prison awaiting trial, is he to be kept indefinitely there, or is he to be turned loose upon the community? At the same time the Russian Assessor in the Mixed Court has an amount of work on hand which in normal times would probably take weeks to complete. What is to happen to these cases?
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.