To the Editor of the Nowrit-Ciiwa Datty News."
'Sim,—From day to day, cables have brought us information of the Powers' willingness to relinquish extraterritoriality and the friendly spirit in which China's request is generally accepted is deeply' appreciated both by the Chinese G ernment and people, In this atmosphere of friendly discussion, however, it is regrettable that foreign residents in the Far East. do not seem to share the broadness of their governments' viewpoints and their spokesmen appear to have made use of every pretext to attack the Chinese judicial system with a view to destroy China's credit abroad. Thus, every time a president of the Provisional Court resigns, the Government is. ascribed with 'a sinister motive for permitting the resignation. In your leader of November 13, and an article of earlier date, emphasis laid upon the frequent changes in the presidency of the Shanghai Provisional Court and an attempt! is made to establish a connection between this phenomenon and the Sheng estate, Whether there is. any foundation for alleging that such connection exists is not within the writer's knowledge. If the allegation ly based upon your sunnis hoped that a frank admission to this effect should once appear. On the other hand, if you are in possession of concrete evidence which could fully prove the: allegation, including any. ut-terence by the persons. concerned themselves, its full disclosure will be awaited with interest.
'The corruption of the Chinese sficialdom in the late Ching Dynasty. is well-known to old foreign resi ents in the Far. East and' as foreigners have repeatedly- insisted that China should first set her own house in order before asking for the abolition of their special privileges, it appears strange that the present attempt of the Government at the reform of officialdom should be criticized with such bitterness -In any country, special privileges are not given up without.a struggle, but it is hoped that the foreigners? Present fight for the maintenance of their extraterritorial rights will be characterized by fairplay and that extraneous allegations will not be drawn in to support their cause, when such allegations are not just ifed by facts, The only criterion set up by the' Powers is that they will relinquish, consular jurisdiction when " the Chinese codes and courts of law are on a level with Western Standards, When China fulfilled this condition, she can naturally all upon the Powers to live up to their promise. As to the existence of political injustice, it cannot be claimed that the Chinese govern-above criticism, this stateing borne out bythe writer's own unfortunate experience, But the prevalence of such political injustice is no less common in other countries than in China and is no plea-to the foreigner to retain their extraterritorial rights, It'should be further remembered that the position of the. president. of a law court in China has no an-logy in: the Anglo-Saxon judicial aystem, such president being an ad. ministrative judicial officer who usually docs not sit on: the bench to try cases and in any event has no right to interfere with the Judges in the performance o
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.