Apr. 5.
Tis week we have been formes that Dr. Sun Yat-sen has begun fighting again with Gen-Chiung-ming on the and that the Tuchua has been plotting against Marshal Wa Pei-fu, who} is making ready to invade Shen-and oust him. A- few days ago one of readers contributed a [violent denunciation of Dr. Sun, in our correspondence columns, asking if-any mortal, Dr. Sun} himself included, could say what he was fighting about and what conceivable good he might hope to. produce i compensation for the immense misery which his. foreigners' fighting hod brought upoa_ his fellow-countrymen. Dr. Sun! has explained that He has no personal atitagonism to General Chen and is merely fighting him as the agent of Marshal Wu. But that is obviously no answer to the question unless we know what Wu, has been doing and whether he deserves to be treated as a common pariah. Quite possibly he does. His propose? invasion of Shensi, for example, appears to need some more con-vineing explanation than that h3 does not like the Tuckiun of that province. But if we begin to look for the explanation of inter-provincial rivalries, we are soon lost in an utter maze of in. trigues and mutual denunciation, stretching back and back for} years, of which foreigners have long since utterly lost the clue, And if the provincial leaders} insist on fighting each other and their countrymen are s9 chickenhearted as to submit to the inconvenience unprotesting, it is] not the foreigner's business to} say them nay. What is the fors eigner's business is. that the breakdown of all centralized government and complete independence of the" provinces, each going its own way as pleases, has brought about gradual whittling away of the treaties which, unless stern measures are taken, will very soon virtually have ceased to ox-ist. The worst offender in. this respect. is Chekiang, and this is the more regrettable in that Chekiang is certainly one of the three best-governed provinces in China, But in her lawless disregard of treaties she is giving a lead to all other provinces. She has declared independence of Peking. professes herself _unbound by treaties that, Peking has signed and claims the right to impose taxation as she pleases, Transit passos are practically ignored in Chékinng and all classes of foods are subjected to} heavy and irregular duties. The twenty per cent. tax on cigarettos has attracted most attention, not because it is a heavier charge than that imposed other goods, but because more ig known about the movement of such things ax tobacco, sugar and oil than of other commodities. But they are being taxed!
wecisely the "amo way and it is always those people who} can bear it Yeast who are hit] worst. 'The big distributing' companies can to rome extent look after themselves and carry The smaller firms are very likely unconscious of what is affecting their business: they know only that it is falling off that the up-country buyer will hardly take one or two enses or bales of goods where once lis would take a dozen. Tegal and ive taxation is the cause.
wy other ways Chekiang deliberately challenging the treaties, Her officials boast that nobody can touch them and they make no secret of the fact that they de not want the concessions promised at the Washington Conference to come. into force, because they would restrict the province's freedom to do as she Pleases with foreign trade. A curious parallel may be found in Canton's demand after_ the Chino-Japanese War, that Japan should return her ships, because Canton was not concerned in the war, which was purely Peking's affair. But in those days there was an organized framework of Government, through which the} capital could impose its will o1 the provinces. Now: there is mone. Peking promises that} bandits shall be suppressed and and property respected. Neither promise ie Kept, and even in provinces which have not declared their independence, which ate mor finally on Peking's side of thi hedge, contempt for national, obligations touristies unchecked, Our Liuchow correspondent, for example, reports to-day thal 9 launch journey which" used take three days may now occupy; eighteen because of the multi plication of tax-offices and "tHe corresponding growth, of smugs gling. Probably native. trade a8 yot mora affected in this way, than foreign. But there is. no doubt that other provinces are watching the behaviour of Che, Kiang ana will copy her example if no retribution befall. And already the list of claims filed la Poking on"account of taxes illegally levied on goods moving un dor transit pass is very large.
The point has been reached at which half measures will not avail. Tf the evil is to be obied" ed, it. must be dealt with flinchingly; and if it is mot dealé with at once, it will spread throughout China with absolutes ly fatal effect. Tt is necessary: to mako a public example Chekiang and, inasmuch as Pos king still professes to have a re gard for treaties, the Legations would be perfectly justified in assisting Peking to. maintain them. "To this end they might begin by recognizing Chékiang's declaration of independence anc invite the Chinese Government) to recognize it too, for all pur. pose of Customs' collection. All Chekiang produce leaving the province for other provinces of for Shanghai should be treater ax coming from a foreign counry and taxed accordingly, exception only being made in pect of staple foodstuffs, meal fish, poultry, and the like. Simultaneously a blockade on all telegrams into and out of Che king might be urged, a course which had a great effect a few years ago in calming the hot~ heads of Canton. Chekiang must be taught that independence hag its pains as well as its. perquisites. She cannot. be allowed to enjoy the treaty pri vileges of a province of China whilst ignoring the correspond ing privileges "of those who. do business within her borders, And as regards the mass of claims accumulating against the Chinese Government, claims in respect of the looting of Ichang three years ago, of Lincheng, of many bandit outrages and of illegal taxation in the provinees, we would urge that the Dip-Tomatic Body should insist on the Customs surplus being devoted to their satisfaction before. being used for the service of the domestic loans. At the end of 1922 that very threat was made, at the time when Peking peared likely to take the surplus out of Sir Francis Aglen's hans for its own spending, and the clamour raised by the Chinese: banks showed how very powerfal a lever there is to the. Dipplomatic Body's hand in this rection, In 1922 the chief preoccupation was to supply security for unsecured loans; of whicl it may be said that people who Tend money to: China without being sure ofthow it is to be re+ paid are not entitled to any sym: pathy. 'The claims mentioned at' the beginning of this paragraplt are quite otherwise. Just itr themselves, they ire futtliermore synonymous for a reasonable demand that the treaties, shall be respected and that the insidious nibbling at them, now every-day occurrence and in every direction, ahall. be-put stop to once and for'all.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.