Sept. 8.
Ar the close of the first week of the war—in respect of fight-it may be! useful to situs and to sum up the probability dealing with the question. Is it to be a very big affair or merely local? serious conflict decide who shall dominate all China, or merely what Mr. Tong Shao-yi called a boundary dispute to settle who shall keep Woosung, the Kiangnan Arsenal and the Shanghai district? Until yesterday fighting had not greatly impressed the onlooker as serious. But the casualties now riving, many of them a grave kind, show that the struggle for Liuho has become fierce. The Chekiang troops have certainly more than held their own and even claim to have made a fair advance. If some of them aye very indifferent, there are among them undoubtedly good troops, better, according to those: who should know, than Marshal Chi's best. On the other hand, numbers probably favour th Nanking Tuchun, There is report of fighting yesterday on the western, that is the Taihu, side, By all considerations this should be the really decisive field of action as a victory here cither commander—would enable him to cut all his enemy's communications.
To-day we receive a rather extraordinary account. of interview between Mr, Rodney Gilbert and Marshal Wu Pei-fu. Considering that Mr, Gilbert has Known Marshal Wu intimately for some years and has no need of an interpreter in talking to him, what strikes one most is the very doubtful sincerity of Marshal Wu's remarks. At the time of the conversation, fighting had already been going on for: four days. Marshal Wu must have known this, although Mr. Gilbert might not, as he had been. travelling.' Yet the Marshal speaks as if hostilities were still awaited. He also rakes up the: old story about the flight of the: Fukienese generals into Chekiang being the cause of the conflict. Now we have very strong reasons to believe that not only was Kiangsu preparing for a war: before. the Fukienese entered Chekiang, but that Marshal' Chang 'Tso-lin was warned at: least five weeks ago that war might take place. Furthermore, there is practically unassailable! evidence that Marshal Chi of: Nanking, whose delay in attacking for' several days after had his troops in position puzzled everybody, was waiting for definite instructions from President Tsao Kun, who certainly would not have given such instructions without the approval of Marshal Wi <The bombastic announcement, from Canton that Dr. Sun Yat-'
is preparing a northern expedition to assist Chekiang, will not impress anyone very ussly, Tt furnishes an excuse for the Military Government of ton to stick to the arms and funitions from the Hay which lly belong to the Merchant] juntoers, But we have heard on President Tsao Kun and the reports of Marshal Chang Tso-lin's preparations in Manchuria, Dr. Sun's announcement helps to broaden the issue.
Undoubtedly the greatest event of the week-end is Marshal Chang Tso-lin's declaration of war upon President Tsao Kun and Marshal Wu Pei-fu. That this would follow upon Marshal Lu Yung-hsiang's similar declaration on the President seemed inevitable. So long as the conflict appeared to be localized between Chekiang and Kiangsu, it was not, perhaps, easy for Mukden to make a move. But directly Marshal Lu made his ect appeal to the nation, by denouncing "the illegal" President and declaring war on him Marshal Chang comes in at once to support his ally and echo war cry. Whether the floods in Chihli will enable him to get far beyond the Great Wall, whether his actions may not be hampered by fear of a Russian attack on the Chinese Eastern Railway, these are questions which only time can answer. But the gage has been thrown down, and, by the latest from Peking, the President has swiftly taken it up.
Thus all the great forces in China are now involved. And be it remembered that it is now excellent fighting weather righ: up to the end of November But we have seen other wars in which the same issue appeared to be involved, only to. end in compromise and disappointment. We certainly may incline to the belief that the unification of China can only be won by wai that is in accordance with Chinese history; but whether this is the war that is to achiev unification, is another question We have seen in Europe a war that was to end all wars, with the slightest indication now that it will have done so. In China we may be at least as sceptical
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.