HUNANESE RIOTS.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 804, 29 April 1910, Page 6

HUNANESE RIOTS.

CHANGSHA QDtET. By SJeleffrap-—Press Association—Copyright (Eeo. April 28, 11.5 p.m.) Peking, April 28. It is officially stated'that Changsha, tha centre, of the recent riots, in tho Hunan Province, is quiet,.

A CHINESE VIEW OF CAUSES.

CORNERED RICE, ALSO AMBITION OF MISSIONARIES. Mr. Tong Chai Chili, of tho "Tung Wah Times" interviewed in Sydney in reference'to the rioting and cornering of rice in the province of Hunan, said.— "I am deeply interested, at the same time somewhat distressed, at events now going on, Hunan being my native. province. /The province, of Hunan has an area which is estimated at 83,400 square miles, with a population of 22,000,000. The people of the province, it is said, are the sturdiest and most straightforward of the provincials of China, and they have never allowed the Empire to forget that to them was due its salvation during the period 1853-63, when the Hunan braves, under Tseng - Kwo-far, arrested and turned back the advancing wave of the Taiping rebellion. From that time until the recent formation' of the 'new model army' the Chinese Army was largely composed of Hunanese braves, j "Changsna, the capital of. the province, was opened as'a treaty port in 1904. The city is noted as a centre of learning and culture. ■. - "The province of Hunan as a rice-pro-ducing province is. splendid.,, The alluvial lands and-valley produce rice, with an exportable surplus*of over a million picnls annually." When Mr. Tong was asked if ho thought the rice was cornered, he said in all probability it was. The officials probably •heard that there was a shortage of rice in the other, provinces, and' decided on cornering it, to the detriment of the people of Hunan; •..■■•'■■■

. Official Status Claimed, : ; . When asked his opinion as to .how th» missionaries became involved, in "the trpuble,..he said:—"lt is, in my opinion, only a repetition of former missionary troubles. • All missionaries in China are Tinder the extra; territoriality l clause, and are to be dealt with by their own national authorities. Among the missionaries are some, who, exalting, the importance of, their office, arrogate to themselves an official status. "This status was forced bv M. Pichon, the French Minister at Peking, and a Koman Catholic Bishop,, on March 15 1899, ■ the status. of a. ■ Eoman Catholic Bishop being the equivalent of a viceroy, •this power, I regret to say, has caused considerable irritation amongst all classes. The priests, in some cases at least, have undertaken to enforce the idea of the temporal- authority of the Church, and.have, attempted to add political jurisdiction to their spiritual functions. The result is bitter ill-feeling and constant strife. ..... "A Eoman Catholic Bishop, it is said, has been seen travelling the circuit of his diocese in a sedan chair covered with Imperial yellow,' borne by eight men, and attended by a numerous retinue, and all, dressed in -official uniform. The 'Imperial yellow* is reserved for the exclusive use of the. Emperor, and any Chinese sufficiently bold to make .use at it j would suffer immediate decapitation.

Missionaries as Protectors. "What China cannot .tolerate and submit to, and is going to try to eliminate "? toeesfra-territoriality, is as it regards Chinese subjects on Chinese soil. It is only the Chinese authorities who should deal with them,.and Chinese subjects, whether Christian or not, to be accounted' good subjects .must render an exact obedience, to the laws of* China. ; if any, offend. against. those laws thev P^ onß S d Christians or nonCnnstians alike,, submit to be dealt witlr by- their, own native authorities, and the foreign missionary' cannot be permitted _to usurp the right, of shielding them from the consequences,-of their acts. At the same time, I do not agree with the lawless mob attacking the mission." ..Mr. Tong added that; he feared'' the trouble would to other provinces, lhe Chinese had. appealed to'the authorities at Peking for constitutional government, and the. answer received was very unsatisfactory. Further disaffection was: likely,, as a. protest, "■ i