Peking, May 20.
One obligation to both the' Chinese people and the foreign Powers which the Chinese authorities have most conspicuously failed. to discharge: in this Lincheng affair is that of fixing the responsibility for it and of holding the political leaders, who directed and probably still direct this bandit enterprise, personally responsible for the present safety and eventual release of the captives. Throughout North China the politicians and military leaders are busy saying that the outrage on the railway was not a simple bandit raid but a political manoeuvre engineered by the former Anfu leaders. This seems likely enough, but after three weeks the Chinese authorities are still reiterating a vague charge and have produced no detailed nor tangible evidence to support this charge. It seems to the. writer that this is very important. There could be no surer way of putting the bandits in a position where they would cease to dictate terms but would take orders than to have those who- are presumed to be giving them orders in durance and under such pressure as Chinese practice in these matters dictates.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.