Sixce Dr. Sun Yat-sen and his} friends went off to Canton a week) ago to set up again the old Southern Military Government, two points of view as regards their enterprise have been put forward in our columns by recognized writers. Both condemn Dr. Sun's policy but for widely different reasons. And as each represents a certain section of Chinese opinion, the one in Peking, the other that of advanced Chinese thinkers in Shanghai, it is interesting to recall briefly what they have said and to see how far it carries conviction.
The writer who uses the pen name of "G. Gramada"' attacks Di. Sun for not making common cause with General Wu Pei-fu, the man who, it will be remembered, was strong enough in the field last July to defeat the forces of Anfu, but was not strong enough diplomatically to gather any practical result from his victory. "'Gramada's'' friends think that Dr. Sun ought to have backed General Wu, who is situated somewhere on the Peking-Hankow line, with all his wight, ordered an attack on Hupeh, when Hunan would probably have helped, and from that basis insisted on the Government's granting the Constituents Assembly (which he tried for in July but could not get) for the clipping of military power and the reorganization of the country under civil control. By going to Canton, says our contributer, Dr. Sun will be too far from Peking for effective action against it, and he only enables the Northern militarists to consolidate their own power. and hem in Gen. Wu Pei-fu so as to render him impotent.
According to Mr. Fraser, Dr. Sun is to be condemned for deliberately perpetuating the breach between Peking and Canton, when the former had offered an olive branch in the' shape of a new Parliament, to be elected next spring according to the Old Provisional Constitution of 1912, This Perliament, Mr. Fraser says, represents a great concession on Peking's part, for. the mere proposal is a tacit admission that the existing Parliament, convened by Tuan Chi-jui, was illegal and consequently the election of President Hsu also illegal. He goes on to say that ''the Government deserves credit for having taken the leap, for it puts President and Cabinet at the. mercy of the new Parliament, which will have the power to turn both out of office."
Still more noteworthy is the assurance that Generals Chang Tso-lin and Tsao Kun, the two dominating factors in North China, have agreed to give the Parliament a trial—a Parliament, which, if the meaning of the Provisional Constitution really be carried out, would be the supreme power in China, able to make and unmake tuchuns as it pleased. Here is Chronos not devouring, but de-youred by his children indeed.
If this really be the sincere intention of Generals Tsao and Chang and of Peking generally, then Dr. Sun Yat-sen is doing a very grievous wrong to his country, But is there any valid reason why Dr. Sun, or anybody else in China, should believe a word of it? We hold no brief for Dr.
Sun. His record since the Manchu downfall suggests no great constructive powers in him and he does not appear to be the ideal leader for Young China. But to blame him for disbelieve ing that Peking and the Northern Tuchuns are deliberately inventing a scourge for their own backs
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.