Sensational Developments Among Nationalists: Nanking in Hands of Militarists: Feng Shanghai, Aug. 15.
mander-in-Chief of the Nationalist Gone: long Kai-shek, Com-
Army, resigned his position on Pri-day might- at a conference in Nanking of the Military Council. It is understood that General Chiang Jeff }for-Ningpo, his native city, yesterday,' although there were reports to the effect that he was in retirement in Shanghai but had given it out that] jhe had gone to Ningpo to avoid callers.
General Chiang Kai-shek's resignation did not come as a surprise as the negotiations between Hankow and Nanking made such a resign-Jation inevitable if there were to be' union between the contending fac* tions of the Kuomintang. A-series of telegrams had been exchanged between Naniking and Hankow through! the mediation of Marshal Feng Yuhsiang. At first, the civilian members of the Nanking Government] defended General Chiang's position and asked that the blame for the! split be placed on them as he was tat the front and was not responsible] for what happened. The last telegram from Canton agreed with the Hankow contention that all who} were responsible for the split should vamove themselves from the political The split between Nanking and] Hankow was largely a personal] quarrel between General Chiang] Kai-shek and Borodin. As the split! developed everybody in the Kuomintang was dragged in on one side or the other. The result was that a number of personal feuds came into being which impeded coalition and which resulted in the failure of the Ohengenow and Heuchowfu conferences over which Marshal Feng Yujinsiang presided.
Preliminaries to Reunion Hanikow took the first steps to satisfy Nanking's demand; Borodin jand all the Chinese Communists were excluded from. the Hankow Government, Hsu Chien, Teng Jan-(dah and all the bitter opponents of Nanking were forced to leave Hankow. Hsu Chien, for some time, stayed at Chengchow and Loyang] with Marshal Feng Vu-hsiang but he jhas now disappeared. Hankow, having taken these steps, expected king fo follow suit by sending away General Chiang Kai-shek, but Nanking took no overt notice, where-jupon the Hankow armies began to march against Nanking.
From the standpoint of the polities of the situation, Hankow had much in its favour. It had contend fed that the discipline of the party must be upheld and that ber were dissatised with the part decisions, he Chiang Kai submit himself to a Military Coun: cil and, therefore, was guilty of breach of party discipline. There} were many persons who sympathized with this point of view but who were opposed to. the Communist affa: tions of Hankow. As soon ax Han-ow drove out the Communists and Borodin and even made the sacrifice of letting General Galen go, there
the was no longer any explanation for A Pertinent Question From the military standpoint, the presence of General Chiang Kai-'Shek involved the party in even' greater difficulties. The fall of Hsuchowfu was due, not so much to the superior fighting qualities of the northern troops, but rather because the principal armies of the Nanking Government were wWithdrawn from Northern Kiangsu to meet the attack from Kiangs. Since "the fall of Hsuchowfu, Marchal Sun Chuan-fang has been occupying increasingly more territory, until he is within reach of Pukow.
Members of the Kuomintang asked, "Is it advisable that we should spend our energy fighting our own! troops, our. brothers from Hankow, while the Northerners defeat us i Kiangsu? In that case the entire Kuomintang cause is destroyed, both Nat and Hankow being' destroyed?" This question became increasingly more acute as Chang Fa-
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.