Peking, Jan. 14.
General Wu Peifu telegraphed to the Government yesterday: "If the Liang Shih-yi Government resigns within three days there will be no further movements of troops. If it has not resigned after five days I will further denounce the Government and appeal to the nation to eject it. If it has not resigned after seven days I will advance forcibly to eject it."
Premier Liang Shih-yi replied that he does not expect to resign within three, five or seven days.
The Chinese Press predicts that fighting is inevitable, but that the Chang Tso-lin and Liang Shih-yi combination will plan not to oppose Wu Pei-fu but to withdraw, as they believe that he will be unable to form a Government and arrange finances for the New Year and they anticipate that here his power must collapse.
Government officials are circulate ing much propaganda about Wu Pei-fu's subservience to the Chin-puting Pa hoping thereby to preven: union with any his Kuomintang element in the South, also to stimulate fresh Hunanese and Szechuanese movements in his rear. The officials are also spreading rumours to the effect that Wu Pei-fu is prepared to set up a third Government at Nanking, recalling} Yuan-hung to the Presidency.
Officialdom nevertheless is badly frightened, fearing popular—support for Wu Pei-fu, if the latter issues a sweeping denunciation of; the reactionaries and submits ai constructive programme to the} people.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.