We publish to-day a_statement of the Chinese point of view, signed by Dr. V. K. Ting and other eminent Chinese of ithe North, which is worth attention. There are, of cour: points in it which might be con-troverred. But the general reasonableness of the—state mei ut commends it to careful jeration and in the obvio us distress felt by the writers at the present state of bitterness. and hard feeling all foreigners may well share. 4 In the present situation China there appear three hi sues, connected, but none the less quite istinet, and demanding wholly separate treat me First, there are the events in Shanghai of May 30; secondly, there is the general assault by Bolshevism, primarily aimed Britain, but ultimately at the whole of China, which Mose ow seeks to overwhelm and devo the Bolshevists first upon Great Britain, ultimately upon China, which cannot be compromised, but must be fought. In this battle the interests of Great Britain and China, although for the moment the one may ap-Pear to antecede the other, are fundamentally identical, and no Chinese who has the independence of his country at heart will demur to any measure which the Hongkong Government, in the common cause of Chinese and foreigners, may find it necessary to take for the destruction of the deadly menace from Moscow.
There remains the question fof foreign standing in China and the treaties. Some of our readers have expressed surprise that there should be any dispoition to admit that these can be discussed' under present con-Aitions; and so long as present conditions exist, there certainly can be no modification of them, But the status of foreigners in China is too anomalous to be left untouched, sooner or later, by the growth of the national int in China, In other words, changes will have to come and it is best to face that fact now }in order to take all possible as it has already devoured Mon- precautions that, when they do and is in process of de~ come, they shall be of a kind vouring the Chinese Eastern to respect the claims alike of Railway and North Manchuria; of Justice on the one side and pa-lastly, there is the question Lriotic feeling on the other, foreign rights in China and the There are certain places so-called "unequal treaty it China where the energy and Now in respect of May 30, probity of foreigners have built is not disputed that the Chinese. up flourishing towns and enor-have a case; the verbatim mous interests. In these the port of the Mixed Court trial, Chinese share and to some ex-which we are now publishing, tent financially assist, though in must suggest to any unbiassed mind no other respect. 'The' only solu-that Inspector Everson tion for the administration of was justified in the action found himself forced to take. these places, which are general-But it will also suggest other ly felt to have grown beyond the measure of their original points to which inquiry might constitutions, is by joint coun-be directed. Up to the present the Chinese have demanded sen-ells; while, if Chinese are represented in the government of tence without investigation; the Diplomatic Body, or its rep re these towns, it is a fair claim sentatives, have promised inv that foreigners should be repr tigation, have even done th sented in the government of ad-utmost to hold one; but that Jacent regions, If for example, there are to be Chinese mem investigation does not oppe: 10 ws to be of the kind caleb bers on the Council in Shanghai, ted to satisfy all parties. then there should be foreign members on the Councils of What is wanted is a judice: inquiry. Neither the Diplom Chapei and Pootung, unless, of ie nor Consular course, these districts could be representatives nor casual included in the whole area of Chinese officials, however highly placed, are the Shanghai, which would obvious-right kind of people to conduct ily be the better way, such an inquiry.
They have no As regards extratervitorialit training in the sifting and)the only feasible way weighing of evidence and th eir|ceeding™ towards conclusions, except for the presmoval would be to establish tige lent by their offic ata Chinese courts in certain places would be worth no more than which should have jurisdiction those of anybody else not leg: al for a specified class of cases. ly trained, What impera-After a given period of years, tively needed is a commis ion of the scope of these courts might reign amd Chinese judges, be enlarged, if they had ace isted by leading counsel. quitted themselves well. But such a commis ion the diploma-"li reforms of this nature must tie and official world might depend upon the establishment represented, but the major ity of an organized and effective jof the members, and certainly government for the whole of the President, should be judges China. Without that it would nothing else, be most rash and mischievous mission should sit in Shangh aj.|t0 abolish—extraterritoriality absurd to talk of negotia-and the treaties, because they tions, in Peking, unt there is constitute an incentive to China some' dispassionate onclusi ion to put her house in order, by facts, which both Which all children stand to cept, and only al benefit, formal inquiry, on the spot, by judges will get that.
To the second point: the Bolshevist attack stands entirely. alone and must be dealt with en totally distinct lines, The declaration of strikes Sha. moon and Hongkong is an unprovoked, unjustifiable chal lenge to British authority on British ground by the Red Gov-lornment of Canton, which, having destroyed. the Yunna1 ese, determined to try to make itself master of South China, an ito capture the British colony of Hongkong as a starting poi int, towards subsequent attacks on Central and North Chi In [this case there ig no ground whatever for inquiry os negotiation, It is war, declared by.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.