"A Reasonable Request": Defence of Assassination To the Editor of the "Nonrit-Ciuwa Darty News"
Sin~The leader published in your issue of July 26 on the subject of terroristic outrages tu Shanghai presents only onle side of the. picture. Reference Is made only to one or Wwo recent events. and by a most unfair Inpplieation all the rouble is laid t9 the door of one party alone.. The Teader would lead one to understand that the only victims of assassination. and attack have been supporters. of the Chungking regime. The writer of the leader cannot even cast. his mind bade a here two or three weeks fo the murder in broad daylight In the very centre of the Settlement of Mr, Mo Shih-¥ing, 2 prominent sup porter of*Air. Wang Ching-Wei, Keswick's Ielter in the subject of terrorism docs, it is true, make: passing reference o this incident but Without so much as mentioning Me. Mo's name. and. also to the threat received by the "Kuo-Min Hsin Wen Dut it lays a great deal more stress fon the assassination. of Mr. Samuel Chang: in fact. it would seem that the Samuel Chany ease had not hay pened, Mr. Keswick would not have Written his Tetter at all, Nor does the writer of your leader make any. reference to the. threats constantly. being received by the leading Tocat organ of Nanking, the "Central China Daily News." and by many peaceful residents in Shanghai. engaged legitimate trade and commerce, whose only ver ime is. that they believe i peace and wish to.see the end of the: futile and unnecessary sufferings the deserted Chinese masses. Again your leader refers with sympathy to the lot in the hot weather of a cor~ tain Chungking supporter who fects It necessary to wear a bullet-proof vest. That it has been necessary for months past for leading supporters of Mr, Wang Ching-Wei to travel round Shanghatin armoured ears during their visits here—sueh is the danger they go in from Chungking gangsters conveniently overlooked.
Nor does your leader make any reference to the undeniable fact that political assassination was frst resort ed to in this city by Chungking fayents, frst against the Japanese and then against those Chinese, who, pre {erring the example of heroic Mayor Max of Brussels to that of Mr, O. Yul who regarded desertion as tet of patriotism, assisted in restoring local Chinese' civil administration. For many. months. these Chungking agents had the field of political mrs themselves, "Then this frst Datch was cleared out, and the city enjoyed 'a period of comparative: peace, With' the emergence of the Peace Mpvement headed by Me. Wang Ching-Wel, however. a fresh' batch made their appearance, and it was then, and not" until then. that reprisals bevan to occur, owing to the Inability of the local foreign authori-tex to secure the safety of the porters of the Peace Movement. Even then and now the vast majority of "outrages" have teen and are bela committed by Chungking agents, and ICean be stated without fear of' con~ tradiction that four out of every five of those who have suffered as vie~ tims "of these "outrages" have bee supporters of the Peace Movement.
Your leader refers to the list those whose arrest has been ordered the Nanking authorities. This st contains the names of those wh one way oF another, have been mainly. responsible for the continued propaganda, carried on under "the: protection of the foreign muniebpa cotly allied to the act King's 00 responsible f are direct the same derer the. status of way to have ensured tie safety these men. and a cessation of the Aivities which have provoked liatory measures, would have been heed the order for their arrest, over to the Nanking then safety a would Not ave been thereby exposed (0 any= thing in the way of vindictive punish= ment is shown by the treatment corded those: who have been trested Gand. after. conversion, Joined the Peace Movement). The idea behind the order was prover punitive, snd It has already" effect in that direction. Some tw persons on the Fist have already rendered of their own {eee will, have been released on thelt promises of future good conduct, Turning (0 another point, the orde: for the deportation of 3 nuunber of foreign newspapermen, Here T would refer you to Article XE inthe. 1908 Commercial Treaty between Chins and the United States "The conclud EDITOR (continued) ing sentence in this article "This article shalt not be held to protect against due process of law any citizen of the United States or Chinese subject who may be author, proprie-for or seller of any publication calculated to injure the well-being of China." Tt is true the Article refers in particular to certain aspects of copyright, but the implication is perfectly. clear, namely" that citizens of the United 'States cannot claim with impunity' to indulge in propaganda injurious to the "well-being of the Chinese State, or for that matter. to indulge in any other action simita injurious.
'The question that arises is what is the "due process of law" referred to, It cannot! mean' trial In the Chiness Courts, since American' subjects Joy the rights of consular" Jurisdic-Yien. It can hardly mean trial in the American Consular Court by. American law, since American law knows hho such offence as action injurious the wellbeing of the Chinese State. 'To take a very simple example. what power has the American Consular Court of dealing with an American subject apprehended by' the Chinese authorities for taking photographs. forbidden areas. But even it the Court would take cognisance of an offence against the Chinese State, how many instance could it investigate itt" How could it, for example. ao American citizen charged by the Chinese' with espionage? Obviously the very nature of the charge woul make it impewible for' the Chinese to produce the evidence necessary secure conviction.
Does it therefore result that the]
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.