June 7, The news that Dr. C. T. Wang has been appointed Foreign Minister of the Nationalist Government at Nanking at least removes ome element of confusion in a situation already confusing enough. The prolonged delay in deciding between Dr. Wang's claims and Mr. Huang Fu's left a loophole for the continued functioning of Mr. Lo Wen-kan in Peking which might have had unfortunate results. Dr. Wang has succeeded a post of great responsibilities. It would be idle to pre tend that he has realized all the expectations formed of him in earlier years. But the times have been trying, even for a man of very great strength and [genius and we are sure he will take up his new duties with a full sense of what they demand.
The question which everyone will be asking is, Will Dr. Wang. now go to Peking? Nay more, Will the whole Nanking Administration now transfer itself to Peking? Hitherto it has given no sign of its intentions. Tt has announced the appoint= ment of General Yen Hsi-shan lof Shansi to be commander-in-chief of the gendarmerie of Pe-King and Tientsin, But to not a few people this appointment may seem only as an attempt to minimize in appearance an ascendaney which cannot in fact be disputed. We have no wish to "crab" the Nationalist Govlerntnent's prospects by magnitying the possibilities 9f dissent sion in the north, But it cannot be ignored that the political atmosphere of North China totally different from that of the [South and that the chief actors the scenes now being played around Peking have no training in the ideas prevalent in this art of the world and are un-Mfkely to be over-patient with them.
What the world now waits to see is whether Marshal Chang Tso-lin is to be succeeded by the sort of Government which the Nationalists have so confidently foretold when Peking should at last be within their grasp: or whether it is only a case of one regional Dictator giving place to another, The Diplomatic Body's telegram, printed yesterday, to the Nanking Government has given it an encouragement of no mean order: Nanking has been implicitly recognized as the only constituted Government left in ithe country. Will it prove worthy of the compliment? There are, of course, many things which it must take tive national conference and the revision of the present unworkable and obstructive Nationalist constitution. But some things there are which ought to be done at once, foremost among them that the Nanking Administration should decide and say plainly whether it means to stay where it is or to go north, The parallel case of Dr. Sun Yat-sen's first. presidency, and the ultimate necessity he found of resigning. in favour of Yuan Shih-kai, will not be forgotten.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.