The most serious trouble will come from Wu Pei-fu and the Yangtze Tuchuns. One significant feature of the telegrams from Wu and Chi is that whilst the messages were addressed to all the high civil and military officials in the country, including Chen Chiung-ming and other Southern leaders, the Premier's name was _conspicuous by its absence. Wu's original telegram was very strongly worded. It charged Liang Shih-yi with betraying the interests of the people by instructing the delegates at Washington to change their policy and personally promising the Japanese Minister to contract a Japanese loan in connexion with the Kiaochou railway without reference to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. To Liang's reply Wu Pei-fu has now sent another telegram to Peking, addressed, as before, to every high official in the country but Liang himself. This telegram charges Liang with deliberate mis. representation of facts and attempting to deceive the public by antedating his reply. It openly calls Liang a traitor, and ends by declaring that the people must unite themselves to rid the country of this man. In this call to the people Wu is supported by Chi Shih-yuan, Chen Kuan-yuen, Hsiao Yao-nan, Feng Vu-hsiang. Lu Yung-hsiang and Ho Feng-lin.
It is evident, therefore, that the struggle between the Chihli and Fengtien parties foreshadowed in my last article has commenced. The issue cannot now be settled by peace emissaries, and Liang has either to adopt a policy favourable to the people, or resign office or advise his patron to take up Wu Pei-fu's gauntlet.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.