Under the title "The Condition of my Country," Tsen Chun-hsuan contributes to the "South China Morning Post" a lengthy article on the present political chaos. In his opinion, the continuance of interned cine strife, waste of wealth and re-farded development is attributable solely to Tuan Chi-jui who has imposed his autocratic will upon the Peking Government in order to prevent the union of North South, who is responsible for the continued existence of the politically corrupt Anfu Club, and has given his support to Chang Chin-yao whose undisciplined army has ravaged Hunan, During his Premiership in 1917-18, the writer continues, loans amounting to the enormous total of $400,000,000 were made with Japan, the resources of the country being sold, and her sovereign, power alienated to secure funds for the purpose of crushing the South and consolidating Tuan's autocratic power. After citing these loans in detail, the writer continues:
'THe Suacktes or Dest.
The above loans involve suns amounting to the gigantic total of 2.240,000,0W, and these are nov all the obligations ruthlessly entered auto, According to the report of the Japanese Alinistry rendered when tue late Count terauchi was retiring from the premiership, the Manchuria and Mongolia four alway Loan alone involved a sum of Y.150,000,000, including the first advance. Me iron Loan involved another—Y.100,000,000. All the above, except a few millions borrowed from America for pur po: of the Grand Canal, are Japanese loans.
Before August, 1917, China's obligations to Japan were only a hundred and twenty millions. During the two years of Tuan's administration, without the sanction of the people, he has increased them to over four times that figure. And what are these loans for? Most of them are not for the wellbeing of the Chinese people. On the contrary, they have been used for the support of a_ personal clique, for the consolidation of the power of an individual, for driving one section of the Chinese people to shoot and kill another section.
In short, the country is sold in order that the people may be oppressed.
The above deans would not have been so dangerous had they not been accompanied by shackle-like conditions. To give some instances:
In the Bank of Communications' loan contract, it is stipulated that Japanese advisors should be engaged in the management of the Bank and that if further loans be required, Japan should have the prior right of lending.
In the telegraph loan contract, it is stipulated that Japanese experts should be engaged and that Japanese materials should be used and that Japan should have the prior right to lend if, in the future, loans for similar purposes be re. quired.
In the gold mining and forestry loan contract, Japan is admitted as a partner, besides being given the right of management by Japanese experts and the prior right of further loans.
JapayEse CONTROL or Ratiways.
In the Manchuria and Mongolia railway loans contract, the con ditions amount to placing Easteen Mongolia under the influence of a foreign country. And yet, the contract was recognized "by the Terauchi Cabinet only after Tun had requested them to do so.
The Ki-Hui railway, as stipulate ed, starts from Kirin, takes a south-easterly direction, passes through Yenchi on to Huining across the Tumen river, connecting with the Korean railway system. When this railway is completed, the provinces of Kirin and Fengtien will be in the unenviable condition of being bounded on all sides by foreign railways. The Japanese planned to effect such a condition early. In the 34th year of Kuang Hsu, during the Manchu regime, Japan pressed the Goyernment to let them build the railway. Permission they did not get, but they started to build the An-Feng railway in spite of the protest of China. The Chinese Government at last yielded, but it was stipulated at that time that when the Kirin-Changchun railway should be extended to the south of Yenchi so as to connect with the Huining railway in Korea, the extension should be governed by the same stipulations as the Ki-Chang railway. As to when the extension should be undertaken, it was agreed that the decision rested with China, with the proviso that Japan be consulted after the decision had been made. This is the history of the railway during the last days of the Manchus. The right to decide the time of building the extension was reserved because the Manchus realized the importance of the rai!- way. But Tuan. because he was anxious to get the Y.10,000;000 advance, ceded to Japan every right connected therewith, regardless at the consequences
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.