minister them but that their patrons have told them to do so. In plain fact, what are the Powers recognizing Nothing, says Dr. Sun Yat-sen in effect, but the moral prestige derived from this recognition and the money drawn from revenues under foreign control has kept the Peking Government alive; and he continues aptly, ''Unconsciously perhaps, they have thus done something which they have professed they would not do, that is, intervened in China's internal affairs by practically imposing on the country a government repudiate ed by i The accuracy and forcefulness of this statement cannot be challenged, in respect of the situation with which the Powers are confronted to-day. Tf their recognition of Peking had worked for the good of the country, it might have justified itself on fact. But it has led to nothing but anarchy, interference with trade, illegal taxation, bloated armies which serve only the political ambitions of their generals, ind increasing violence done to foreigners and foreign interests. What earthly moral or practical excuse can there be for recognizing the sham and helpless thing behind which such outrages on every principle of decent government are perpetrated with open contempt and indifference? And yet there is no indication that the Powers will not tamely swallow whatever pretence of a government may be cooked up to-morrow in the political kitchens of Tientsin or Paotingfu or the next military centre that gets the controlling hand. And inasmuch as the scraps from the salt and Customs surplus have not been enough to satisfy the appetite of Peking in the past, an additional two-and-a-half per cent. (with even more in some instances) is to be clapped on the Customs duties for its benefit. If such additional taxation were for the benefit of the people of China, well and good. China is often commiserated with for being unable to modify her tariff without the foreign Powers' permission. But China and the people of China do not "'come into the picture'' in the remotest. degree. Recognition and the surtax are for nobody but the wirepullers who have set up and pulled down ''a bewildering number of premiers and cabinets' for their own pleasure. Why should we burden trade, to our own and the Chinese people's detriment, with fresh imposts for the advantage of these schemers? Why consolidate their debts and free the railway revenues to enable them to contract fresh debts and new mortgages? And what will Canton and other con-fumacious centres say when they find their trade taxed, by the foreign collectors of the Customs, to maintain in power a puppet which they repudiate and abhor?
The case for withdrawing recognition from Peking was never so strong as it is to-day. The Lincheng outrage, within striking distance, as Dr, Sun Yat-sen pithily argues, of the headquarters of some of the most prominent and powerful militarists of the North, has proved the evil and futility of their administration. It would be unfair to criticize the penalty ies which it is proposed to inflict for Lincheng on the forecasts we have hitherto received. But there appears only too much reason to fear that they will leave the real problem of disorder in China untouched, On the top of this great international-scandal, has come the yet greater domestic scandal of the driving of President Li from office and the unblushing tricks resorted to by. General Tsao Kun's followers to push their man into office. It abears now that General Tsao Kun will not accept that office unless he is legally elected. But no legal election is in the circumstances possible. No Government can emerge from the present turbid intriguing in the north which the Powers can recognize and support without unfriendliness to China and moral humiliation to themselves. If we withdraw recognition, we are certainly no worse off than before and the people of China will be the better; for it will remove one great barrier that now stands in the way of their asserting their will. If they fail us, and we are driven to some form of direct intervention, we are merely brought a little sooner to the expedient which will earlier or later become inevitable in the present trend of events. We do not see that the conclusions of the Washington Conference prevent the withdrawal of recognition. On the contrary they tacitly support it. For the Washington resolutions were framed for the good of China and her people. With these the lords of misrule have no concern.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.