Jan. 10, The letter we publish to-day from the Cable Companies on the reports recently current in the Chinese Press, that the National Government intends to put the Companies out of business the end of this year, is very welcome. Such reports naturally attract attention, the more so because of the despondency and uncertainty of the future that now prevails. But a little calm thinking should show the essential absurdity of this particular scare. The only real danger in such agitations—starting Heaven knows whence but all too readily caught up and propagate ed by so-called patriotic organizations—is that they may end by committing the Government far beyond what its.own good sense tells it is advisable.' The sooner, therefore, this particular agitation is checked the better. There is no more question of infringe ing China's territorial rights in a foreign cable company's selling her the use of its cables to transmit messages across the world, than there is in a foreign shipping company's selling her space in its ships to carry her mails, or in a business firm's selling her piece-goods to clothe her people. There is reason to believe that the Nationa] Gov-
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.