Kueiyang, Dec. 5. published-an article "which stated A few days ago a local pal
that the Financial Commissioner committed suicide to avoid the punishment due to his crimes. On the other hand the "Young Kueichow Daily News," generally regarded as belonging to the sonic political party, speaks very appre-datively of the Commissioner's great services to provincial finance. I think it must be admitted that the "Young Kueichow Daily News" is no more than just in its encomium on his management of the finances of the province.
Only a few days before his death, Mr, Chang said to a friend of that he was in a very difficult position, as, during his term as Financial Commissioner, he had been obliged to pay sums of money from time to time to the order of various military commanders, such orders not being official receipts for the moneys paid. On his ask ing them to give proper receipts in exchange for these orders, each commander referred him to another! Tt ig said that there is a deficit of about $1,000,0W. Little wonder then that he committed suicide.
Tue Gutter Press.
The Tuchun has closed two of our four daily papers, namely the "Diligence" and' the "Bell"; the former presumably for it virulent attacks on r. Chang Hsieh-luh even after his death. Kueichow loses nothing worth keeping by the closing down of these papers for they were regular "stink pots" of abusive language. Just fancy, the "Bell" about two months ago published a "news itent"" (under the general heading "Kueichow news") in which a Swiss missionary lady and a Kueichow young lady—both qualified nurses, the former having acted by General Tang Chi-yao's official appointment as doctor in charge of his military hospital when he was our Tutuh in 1912—were violently abused for failing to save the life of a woman who was in a most critical condition, and who had_ been under the care of Chinese old style nurses for three days and four nights previously, and who was afterwards under similar care for 16 hours after the ladies left, before she died. The "news item" used offensive terms of these ladies which are usually applied to women of ill fame. On my pointing out to the editors that this grave libel called for an apology, they had the impudence to suggest that I put in a correction, as if that would meet the case. To add to the insult, the editors suggested that in my correction I give the proper titles for the two ladies since I objected to those given li "'news item"! I could not refrain from saying to an English-speaking Chinese friend, "The average
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.