Chow Tze-chi's New Post in Prospect—The Trouble in Kansu From Our Own Correspondent, Peking, Jan. i2.
'The Chinese papers have been hinting lately that when Mr. Chow Tre-chi retires from the Ministry of Finance he will be appointed Tuchun of Shantung, his native province. Foreigners who' know Mr. Chow have considered this such an unlikely story that no attention whatever has been paid to it and will, therefore, surprise many to know that Mr. Chow's friends take the matter seriously and are convinced that the appointment will be offered and that Mr.
Chow will accept it. It is said that as Mr. Chow is not a military man, he will be appointed Civil Governor and will then be asked 10 exercise the power of a Tuchun over a commander -in-chief of troops who will be appointed his subordinate.
The situation in Kansu, which promises to be serious, is causing much uneasiness in Peking because it is recognized that the Government has made almost as awkward a mistake there as it made in Kuangtung and Kuangsi. Discussion of this error in policy has brought to light one feature of it which was not generally known before. It seems that when Tsao Kun and Chang Tso-lin were denouncing the Anfuites in circular telegrams Jast summer, they asked Ma Fu-hsiang to sign one or more of them, which the Mohammedan cheerfully did. To show their'appreciation of his support Tsao and Chang then wired him that if the Anfuites were overthrown he would be appointed Tuchun of Kansu. The recent action of the Government in appointing Tsai -Tutung to the Kansu post, therefore, appears in the light of a breach of faith as well as an indiscretion.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.