Gen. Chen Chiung-ming, former Commander-in-Chief of the Camtonese Forces, was not defeated in battle. -He lost because he tried to be honest and straightforward. This was the opinion given to a representative of the "North-China Daily News' en Saturday by a gentleman who is in close touch with the situation: in the south.
Jealousy and disappointment were given as the chief reasons for Chen's downfall. When they drove out Dr. Sun Yat-sen last year, Chen's military commanders thought they were fighting their way to promotion, They expected to receive high positions. But they were sorely disappointed when Chen Chiung-ming informed them. that he had decided to abolish all military posts and establish one instead which would be known as the 7'z Hui Kuan (54408). By this arrangement all military commanders, whether old or new, high or low, were' placed on equal footing. Each commander was placed direct-under Chen himself.
The younger officers were doubtless pleased with the arrangement, but not so the elder ones, those who had really held: power. Jealousy and discontentment reign ed. The yaricus commanders, loyal to Chen for a whole lifetime, disliked the idea and tried to dissuade en, without, however, meeting with success.
There is no doubt about the honesty of Chen Chiung-ming, our informant said; he has been trying to do what good he could to benefit his native province. Unlike practically every other militarist and politician in China, Chem Chiung-ming is a poor man and has no large female establishment. Gen. Wu Pei-fu is the only other military leader who can thus be described. Chen is a, good man, of excellent character, but he is narrow-minded, using or having confidence only in his own elatives and fellow. natives.
The self government scheme introduced by Chen Chiung-ming has proved a complete failure, our informant continued. The time is too early for such. China is not ready for self-government. It was a mistake to allow the people to appoint Chen's downfall. (Chen Chak-yn is an uncle of Mr. Chen Bing-him, compradore of Messrs. A. W. Bur kill & Sons and Chairman of th Cantonese Merchants' Association of Shanghai). In announcing the appointment of Chen Chak-yn te the post of Civil Governor, Cheo Chiung-ming said that it would prove both timely and suitable Chen Chak-yn was a returned student, and a prominent merchant in Hongkong, from which port he could secure support, both moral and financial.
During the first few days of Chen Chak-yn's regime, the value of the provincial notes-rosa to about 80 cents. But they soon fell again when it was learned that no loans were forthcoming from Chen Chak-yn's friends in Hongkong. A loan with certain French and British bankers was negotiated, the first payment of which was to have been made some months ago. But payment of this also was postponed.
The soldiers, who were paid in notes, and the officers, who hoarded the notes for future profit, were growing restless. Then came an-tether financial calamity, equally disastrous to Chen. Gen. Hsu Tsung-chih (Dr. Sun Yat-sen's Constitutional commander in Fukien) had sent his agents to Swatow with huge bundles of notes. These were placed on the market there, but the people refused to accept them. They were token to Canton, where some were accepted, the hard cash being sent to Hsu. The people thought that Chen was. responsible for this new lot of notes, and con-\fidence in him dropped still further.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.