But the news, though threatening, does not seem to have produced much effect in Peking. The equanimity of the Chin Yun-peng administration is still undisturbed. Three of the nine Cabinet Ministers are on sick leave, and the Government seems to be utterly incapable of shaking off the lethargy that is binding it hand and foot. "The President appears to be more interested in Sun Wen's election to Canton's mock presidency than in the Joss of all China's territory outside of Peking. The Premier, who is concurrently Minister of War, has so far not yet evolved a plan of recovering the lost territory or defending the land that is still nominally under Government control. The Commander-in-Chief of the Relief Forces left Peking not many days ago. He was dillydallying here arguing with the Government about men and money whilst one strategic point after another was being lost to the country.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.