There are many foreigners who have cherished this belief for a long' time and who believe that it is the only solution from within. They have blamed Wu Pei-fu for not seeing this truth earlier and will probably applaud loudly when they understand that he is now convinced that it is the truth. Chinese, apart from their politics, will not believe' that it is possible for Wu to succeed in a campaign that will have for its first objective the overwhelming defeat of all rivals. They will point out that Wu's enemies are now forcing him into the same position as that which Yuan Shih-kai and Tuan Chi-jui assumed and that this is the beginning of the end. Apart from the difference between the personality of Wu Pei-fu and either Yuan or Tuan, there is a great difference in his circumstances. Both Yuan Shih-kai and Tuan Chi-jur sought and obtained foreign support and foreign money. This provided! their enemies with battle cries which made a strong appeal to all classes. Wu Pei-fu is not likely to turn to the outsider for support. Aside) from this there is no material upon which to found surmises upon Wu Pei-fu's possible success. the Chinese will say that an enormously big military machine will have to be real to control all of Ohina politically at any one time and that the bigger the machine the more likely it is that the creator will be caught in it and crushed. They will say that to enjoy power over a great territory lacking adequate communications, a military chief will) have to depute power to many others and that by deputing power he will raise up potential rivals who will sooner or later unite against, him, as Yuan Shih-kai's and Tuan Chi-jui's too powerful lieutenants did. This is something upon which it is now fruitless to speculate. From a sentimental point of view it only seems a pity to find that Wu Pei-fu has been forced by circumstances to abandon pacific idealism; for a campaign of nation wide conquest, though it must be admitted that from General: Wu's point of view there is no alternative to offer.!
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.