'The riot, however, cannot but be considered' as part of an inspired and organized attack on the Foreign Minister which seems to have been fostered in certain high quarters the Kuomintang. To loom at the matter in any other light would be} almost impossible in view of the} extreme indulgence that has characterized the official attitude. The} shouted in the streets as a national] traitor; his official residence wrecked; an attempt, though wnsuecess¢ul] made at incendiarism, and more than a dozen guards were assaulted, including a Division Chief of the Foreign Ministry who was mistaken for} the Minister. But not a single arrest wus made, not even the slight-tempt to sift the affair, the violence being officially atoned by the alleged patriotic motive of its perpetrators!
'The press, too, especially political organs, were easily guilty of condi vance.' In their reports of the incident the next day the rioters were} invariably referred to as "the citizens of Nanking," while the element of violence was glossed over and facts about it were but briefly mentioned and appeared in small print, Nevertheless it has become a matter of open knowledge that the entire affair was stage-managed and that the "citizens" spoken of were but students from certain schools, better known as political hotbeds. by the nationals of the country or the nationals of any other country.
Tt is argued that this clause grants something more than the "most favoured nation" treatment by bit China, in effect, to a restric-jon not to impose at any Chinese port, maritime or frontier, higher tariff rates upon foreign goods imported from abroad than those imposed on similar native goods imported from another port in the country. Thus, for instance, Belgian cotton. cloths, "when imported into Shanghai, cannot be made subject to higher customs dues than similar native cloths coming from another part of China, say, Tientsin; and this in spite of the fact whether or not there is or may exist in future an economic necessity for keeping away such foreign goods. Insteat of absolute autonomy, the argumem, concludes, there is created but an objectionable restriction on China's right to fix her tariff, and such restriction is held to be of a permanent character as no provision is included in the treaty regarding its termination.
In view of the fact that tariff autonomy forms the chief desideratum of the Chinese people, who for years cheve been educated by the Kuomintang leaders into many of its hypothecated blessings, and that the belief has taken rest among many Chinese of the necessity to enforce protection in order to free China's young industries from for-ign competition and to place them on their feet, the above argument has appeared' in Chinese circles almost conclusive and has induced many to ask, "Why sign away one of our inalienable rights so badly needed to maintain the economic existence of our nation?
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.