And there have been no -eaily discordant opinions between native and foreign business men as to Lie authority to which the government of the Settlement could be tore safely entrusted to the general welfare of Shanghai. The thoughtful native has the daily ocular proof before him of the orderly and impartially administration of the Settlement. He is impressed by such proof that all righto, whether of & personal or property nature, and: whether foreign or native, are justly: balanced and equitably determined, and there can be no good reason why the authority, thus exercised, without partiality as to the levying of taxes, the collection and accounting for the same, and the honourable and prudent disbursements of the public revenue, for the general convenience of all! sidents and the preservation of sanitary conditions, should be transferred to another and entirely different national authority to interpret and enforce the law ai offenders who live in the Settlement, If it be just to apply extra-terity to China, it logically follows that it is just to apply it in matters where foreigners are directly or indirectly concerned, and they ars invariably more cone: rned in cases coming before the Mixed Court than elsewhere, for, as stated, a decision of that Court, although the litigants are natives, often proves the main asset of the foreign creditor.
It can be said, without the fear of material contradiction, that the native business men of the International Settlement are satisfied that the Municipal government of the City should not he changed, and it can be aald also, that they are no less satisfied, of the full protection of their rights, for the Mixed Court to continue under the control of the foreign Assessors, than to return to the old way when the runners and squeezers were the terror of almost every native who was compelled to recart to the Court. Sitice the assessors have been directing its proceedings such pilferers have not dared to show their hand in perverting justice or bringing the Court into disrepute, and the opportunity ought never to be revived.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.