It will be observed that the Chinese Government is responsible for no. indemnities to the Lincheng victims, but that such reparations as the Government sees fit to pay, will be paid as an act of charity.
The Powers have no right, according to this document, to demand the dismissal or punishment of Chinese officials, but in this particular case China has, on her own initiative, according to her own laws and at her own diseretion, punished several officials already and is considering the punishment of others in the same wholly independent spirit. Not in response to the suggestion of the Powers, but on her own initiative and at her own discretion, China will reform the railway police, employ foreigners if it seems to be to her own advantage, and organize bandit suppression. There is no need to write a detailed analysis of the document. A cursory reading yields the impression that it is extremely courteous and conciliatory. A careful reading reveals all too clearly that there is nothing in it but studied defiance, a studied -repudiation of international obligations, and a flat rejection of the Lincheng note's demands. The oftener one reads it the more obvious this is and the less courteous it.seems. The dangerous feature of it is that, there are probably very few men of authority in the Hiome Governments familiar enough with the spirit which pervades China today to be impressed by the real significance and purpose of the reply. It devolves very heavily upon the diplomats in Peking and upon all public organizations in the foreign communities, to sce that a correct interpretation. reaches the Occident as soon after "the actual text of the reply as possible.
Tt must be understood clearly that China's refusal to be bound by the treaties and agreements which give her access to the community of nations, is precisely equivalent to a citizen's refusal fo be bound by the laws and conventions of a civil community. If the individual in a community, detected in a crime and accused of it, were to say: "It does seem as though something had gone wrong and I am sufficiently conscious of it to wish to make some sort of reparation—when, how and where I please, of course; but I don't
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.