Jan, 21, 'THE news of the day does not look pleasant for the Chihli party. Nor for China, When Marshal Chi Hsieh-yuan turned Chang Yuan-ming out of Lun, hua and established himself in the Shanghai area, we suggested that it would be a good thing if he recovered Nanking. We took that view not out of any particular enthusiasm for Marshal Chi himself nor with any wish to "boost" him against anybody else, but simply because it is not xoing to be for the good of China as a whole if the Anfu party have things entirely their own way, and Chi is, just at the moment, the last hope, as he is probably the ablest leader of the Chihli party. Again, we write in no antagonism to Anfu. But it cannot be overlooked that they are very unpopular in China, and a Rehabilitation Conference which was called by Anfu and conducted as it undoubtedly would be only in their interests, with all the Chihli people left out in the cold, would only sow the seeds of new dissension and civil ware But the prospects of Chi gaining Nanking are to all appearances very small. He is to-day in the same position Chang Tso-lin was last autumn, after Lu Yung-hsiang's flight and before Wu Pei-fu's downfall. Then, there was apparently nothing to prevent all the Chihli forces being concentrated on Chang. Now there is nothing to stop all the Fengtien troops being directed against Chi. Furthermore, the latter's position on the Shanghai-Nanking railway is hopelessly compromised. The picture drawn by our special corres pondent at Wusih of the confusion and disorganization at that point seems effectually to dispose of any hope of Chi's establishing a line from Wusih to Kiangyin. Even if he could sla that, our Soochow corre pondent tells us that that city hoe again been taken by the independents, who, if they are not "pro-Lu" are certainly duti-Chi," and thus cut his line of communications with Wusih, What assistance Marshal Chi might get from General Sun.
Chuan-fang is a matter of pure speculation: Our Kashing correspondent to-day reports military activities which might One would not be unfair general strikes one as an excellent specimen of the Vicar of Bray. Three months ago he was a mere divisional commander in parti bus. He is now lord of a normally prosperous province. [In the circumstances of the day, would it be wonderful if hig
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