"New York Times' " Comment on Mr, Strawn's Diagnosis: China Her Own Worst Enemy The following striking article, with ita clear recognition, of facta in Chi and. obvious suggestion that internat ftp {8 needed to enable her to put her affairs righ: appeared in the "New York Tinea" of October 29.
Disheartoning alike 1o Americans and Chinese must be the picture of conditions in China given by Br. Silas H, Strawn, American delegate to the Chinese customs tariff conference, in an address to the Chicago Association of. Commerce. A country with no stable government, overrun by militarists and civil wan its railroads rapidly going to ruin under the war lords; its merchants subjected to outrageous levies; its debts in default; its people altogether at the merey of tyrants—such a country is in a bad way, To enter into negotiations with it is impossible for the reason that there is in it no power capable of enforcing on its own people any agreement which it may make. Even the men with whom to negotiate have proved so elusive and impotent that much of the time of the various commissioners has beea completely wasted.
This report on Chinese conditions confirms what has long suspected, Its significance lies in the fact, that Mr. Strawn had exceptional facilities fas an observer, ard went to China th an open mind, anxious to help the Chinese people, Despite his many disappointments at the hands of the Chinese to his credit be it said that he is no less keen to-day to help them. The problem is what to do. As ko himself pointed out to a group of Chinese students whom he addressed Inst winter ab Chinghua College, the evidence is overwhelming that China's troubles fare internal rather than external.
Contrary. to the fessional Chinese and their friends in this country, China has only herself to blame for her present disruption. As Mr. Strawn put. it, the "unequal treaties, extra territoriality, tariff autonomy and imperialism are political slogans which azo availed of by agitators to excite the people of China into 1 frenzy of criticism and unre Mr. Strawn might have gone even further. The ery againat foreign: ers, the charges of "imperialism," tie' denune'ation of the so-called "unequal" treaties, avd other similar manifestations of _anti-foreign have been sedulously encouraged by the militarists in order to divert. at~ tention from. their own. crimes, That many of the young students who have caught up these slogans are genuinely and earnestly patriotic eansot be But they have bbcen the victims of the war lords and, in some cases, of the Soviet leaders.
It is curious to see how in China pacificism has played into the hands of the militarists. For centuries the Chinese people have been taught despise soldiers. They have. been pacifist in fact as well as in theory, Urversed in the arts of war and accustomed by tradition not to offer resistance, they have fallen an easy prey to a fow handfuls of unscrupulous armed tyrants. How this yoko is to be thrown off Mr, Strawn has not been able to suggest, That it is the greatest curse China to-day there can be no doubt, Under the circumstances it is only fair to the Chinese not to judg pat them in their struggles, them too harshly or to be too im-
But the existence of the state of affairs must be fully recognized by the American people and other foreigners if they are really to understand Chinese problems.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.