To the Editor of the "Nonru-Cunva Dary News"
Gin—Tho forthcoming Municipal Blection is momentous in that the Japanese residents have nominated Yoree candidates, namely, Messrs. Urabe, 'T. Yamamoto and 7. Go, for Municipal Councillors instead of the customary two candidates of the recent years, That this does not mean that there a spilt among the Japanese elec torate with the possible result of electing only, one couneliior of the Japanese nationality 1s apparent in view of the fact that all the three Japanese candidates were proposed by an Identleal person, Mr. Amano, the president of. the" all-powerful Japanese Residents Association.
The local Japanese press have me Aleated {n no ambiguous tone that the Japanese community were united in their cherished hope of having three seats on the Municipal Couneti to represent their communal intereste and that they feel that this is but their just due. Now that they have posed three names they are in tenour bound to seo their three nominees duly elected If {tis kumanly possible to so do.
The present move, which repre-well considered deelston spanese community, 1s not unexpected as this desire of the Japanese residents existing for many. years steps which are being taken to-day could very well have been taken year ago. The surprise has been well Alscounted to most of the residents of this cosmopolitan community, "That the present Japanese "coup,* if one may use this nomenclature, will be a fait accompli Is a foregone conclusion. The Japanese are great mudhematiclons and barring the expected happened, their calculations are, as rule, deadly accurate, Of course It Is to be expected that the non-Japanese electorate will vote in concert for Messrs. T. Urabe and Mr. T- Yamamoto and against the newscemer, Mr. T. Go. The latter However will nevertheless be elected the Japanese voling with militant] precision will carry "him through In'splte of the ineffectual effort to defeat him.
We may well base our reckoning en past performances. Tt is unlikely that there will be drastic changes, for the potential voters. will not be ikely to suffer a change of heart and take sudden interest In commmunal affairs 10 exercise. their pre-
Ti will be recalled that at the election last year there were 1587 [votes cast in all, and out of this number 775 Japanese and 81) all" others. Although the—non-Japanese votes had a plurallly of 36 voles, they were scattered among diverse nationals of diverse interests. It'Is too much to expect that these '11 votes will be cast tke same way, hhenee the Japanese hopes will likely bbe realized, the increase of Japanese repre sentation on the Shanghai Municipal Council tg made at the expense of another national group it is bee cause tke members of that national group are lothargle and do not exercise their franchise while the Japanese residents are much more public-spirited and ake greater Interest in the welfare of the Munlelpal Council. "Education probably has. something to do with this, For the; educational policy of the Japanese Government lays great stress en good citizenship and the subservience of personal Interests and Inclinations to the collective good—a _polley, that deserves the highest commendation. the present effort to Increase the number of Japanese counelilors on the Municipal Counelt is suceessful—brought about only at consider. able sacrifice of time and the local Japanese electorate, As ye sow 80 shal reap"
Shanghai, Mar. 18.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.