March. 24.
It is surely about time that those responsible for the prosecution of terroristic activi~ ties in Shanghai came to realize the utter futility of their behaviour, and put a stop to it. On Friday, Ler Tien-chuen of the Central Reserve Bank was murdered. His connection with the new banking institution clearly suggests that this crime is in line with other attempts which have been made upon its personnel and must be attributed to those who are opposed to the formation of this bank.. This was swiftly followed at 12.30 am, on Saturday by the killing of five and the wounding of six employees of the Farmers' Bank, Simultaneously a band said to Ihave consisted of Chinese, and Japanese gendarmes descended upon the dormitory of the Bank of China and carried off over one hundred sleeping employees to an_unascertained destination, where it is believed they are to be held as hostages against any further acts of terrorism. These two crimes by far surpass in seriousness anything which has been perpetrated up to the present, and provide the completest proof, if such were ever necessary, of the fact that the time has come for all parties engaged in this stupid business to put a stop-to it.
For 2 while, after the Chinese National Government's armies withdrew from the Shanghai area, it was possible to preserve some degree of law and order, chiefly because of a general desire to maintain neutrality in Shanghai. Unfortunately that state of affairs was not to last long, and for nearly three years a war of assassination and counter-assassination has been carried on, which has become all the more intensified since the establishment of the Government at Nanking. Tt is unnecessary to seek to discover which side first started these terroristic tactics, for Whoever commenced it is in fact no more gullly than those who have carried the feud on. What appears to be lost sight of is that whether the two Governments at present in existence in China are actually responsible for what Is going on or not, there is little doubt that they are making no attempts to end this lawlessness, and are open to the suspicion that they are actually furthering it, If that is the case then the seriousness of the situation cannot be over-emphasized. It is surely the duty of every Government to do everything in its power to secure, and maintain Jaw and order. A Government which does not do so is not worthy of the name, for it fails in its prime function and resorts to thuggery which it is its bounden duly to suppress. 'The murder of the employee of the Central Reserve Bank is equally condemnable with the slaying of the men attached to the Farmers' Bank, and between the two crimes there is not a pin to choose. Why is it that humble employees whose only fault is that they happen to be working for Institutions, of which someone or other disapproves, must be slain in this manner? Apparently it is in order either to obtain revenge, or to prevent the organizations employing them from carrying on their businesses, There is no earthly justification for what is going on and this war of terrorism reflects the greatest discredit upon those who by a single word could stop it.
That. applies with equal force to Chungking and Nanking. If the past three years have taught them anything at all, it must surely have been that assassination as a political weapon achieves no results save the death of a few men unfortunate to encounter the assassin's bullet. The murder of political figures has not prevented successors taking their place. It may be said of them that the positions they occupy attract the attention of the murderer, but surely that is) no reason why lesser figures such as clerks in Chinese banks should be slain, or held as hostages which means that should this terrorism continue they will be made to pay the price. It is about time those responsible for this feud should call it off. It is leading nowhere. It involves the slaying of many innocent people and reflects the greatest discredit upon men whose duty it is to govern as civilized people expect them to govern, for the big danger is that if it is allowed to continue, whichever Government eventually obtains control of China will have the utmost difficulty in suppressing an evil for which it may have been responsible.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.