Feb. 21.
We much regret to be at issue with the Chairman of the Municipal Council, and we naturally accept his assurance that he did not say that he and Mr. Fessenden being consulted over the Provisional Court negotiations was the same thing as the Council being consulted. In justice to our reporter, however, who is not normally careless, we must say that he is quite positive that this was the purport. of Mr. Arnhold's words if not the words themselves. We can only re~ gret that the latter did not im: mediately send us the letter he drafted on February 8.
But this apart, Mr, Arnhold's account to-day of what passed between himself and the: delegates to the Provisional Court conference gives rise to serious reflections. In the first place the delegates told him that ther instructions were "only to consult me." On Mr. Arnhold's urging that he must have assist ance, he was allowed to call in Mr. Fessenden, and the two of them had four meetings with the delegates "which we were asked to consider as absolutely confidential." It was fur-her made plain that "the decision as to the practicability of any suggestions made by us Gin, Arnhold and Mr, Fess den) was a matter resting entirely in the judgment and discretion of the foreign delegates," We should not like to attribute Machiavellian designs to the diplomatists, but the obvious re-Sult of these secret meetings was to put them in the position of being able to telegraph to their respective Governments that representatives of the foreign community of Shanghai had been consulted as to the proposed agreement, had thr ed out the matter in four meet ings (not just one) and had made suggestions as to what should be done. It does not appear from Mr. Arnhold's let= ter whether he stipulated that ig the Council must know what he was doing and that, if they were not allowed to' sce the draft agreement, he himself must get their full authority to discuss the agreement with the delegates. But if this was not done, we must frankly say that it ought to have been done. In this connection we would recall the amazement with which Hankow residents learnt, after.the Chen-O'Malley Agreement had been signed, that they had been consulted about it and had sanctioned its terms, Incidentally, why was such absolute secrecy insisted upon by the delegates to the Provisional Court Conference? The only possible reason was that they knew very well how strongly and justly the foreign community of Shanghai would rebel what it was intended to There is far too much secrat diplomacy in China and payers undoubtedly.
it their Council's duty toward em selves is to do all they can to expose, not to abet, it,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.