'There are flesh: rumours fighting in the province, but. thes must not be taken too' seriously. It is reported that General Lai Hsin-hui, with the 22nd Army, consisting mostly of. Szechuanese, fs on his way here from Kueichow, province, where he assisted the late General Chow, Governor of Kueichow, in his fight against the Yunnanese. General Lai is not, inv position to attack General Lit Hsiang, as he has poor oquipmenty monthly contribution, "and end others under different names. Every month he draws more than $100,000] from the people. The District of! Chichiang is poor and the people impoverished; moreover, for the last twelve or thirteen years we have suffered from calamities by the act of, Heaven and from incessant Drigandage so"that we are at the point of despair. How, then, can we exactions? Last year, time, there was uprising of the people against this illegal taxation but this rebel (Kwoh 'Ru-tung- learned nothing from that event but, as the district he ruled was enlarged, he still more rigorously fleeced the people. year he insisted the land tax' being paid for the sixth' year advance. (This is a common davies of the militarists. One of gentry gets possession of a district! and finds that the land tax for the year has been garnered in by his predecessor. Ho immediately at ounces that the land tax for the "coming year must be paid to him. This has happened in Ch'ichiang five times already; so the people are compelled to pay a tax that is not Gue-for the next six years—Ed.)
In the last half year the people of Chichiang have paid in illegal taxes more than a million dollars. The aid rebel changed his tactics, apprehended the leader of the train bands, Lin Tsze-ching, seized the men's rifles and shot Liu. It is evident that he wants the lives of to collect this stuff for manure and the filth of the city is unbearable. There is a tax on vegetables and the market gardeners dare not enter the city and the people have no green food to eat. This scorns to bel robbing the people to the extreme! Himit. And the result of all this that the soldiers cannot oppose the bandits so the whole countryside is a den of robbers and neither merchants nor farmers - can make a living.
Of what advantage is it to the nation for the Government to tolerate a man of this kind? And Kwoh in the morning sides with 'Ts'in, in the evening sides with 'Ts'u., He keeps no faith with other troops and the orders he issues in' the morning are contradicted at} night. He keeps no faith with the! people but allies himself with the robbers to make the people his flesh' and fish and provoke the train bands to revolt and quarrel with each other. Kiwoh then lays the blame on the people and his troops have desolated Jet some tens of li in extent; some thousands of homes have been robbed and burned. East and west for some tens of li the bark of dog or the crow of a cock is not heard. Alas for my people who have met with this cruel fate. The water is deep and the fire is fierce] and there is no way of escape 30] the people sigh, as in the ancient} ode, that the cun and moon might perish that they would perish with them. Therefore we appeal to the ers a fair share of the fruits of their enterprises—United Press,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.