Jan. 16.
Tue sittiation in Peking would be farcical were it not infinitely magic. Whether Marshal Tuan Chi-jui is to retire or not; whether the new Cabinet presided over by. Mr. Hsu Shih-ying will or will not function; what is the influence of the Kuominchun and whether Marshal Feng Vu-hsiang counts for anything] in its leadership and what: these} questions no man can answer. By latest appearances Marshal Tuan's retirement, announced in one telegram which was called in and edited a few hours later, rot at all certain now to come off. According to the usually well informed Kuo Wen News Agency, when Mr, Hsu Shih-ying, who is Marshal Tuan's right hand man, was charged to form a Cabinet, he set about to gain Kuomintang support in order to make the new Ministry as representative as possible. The Kuomintang, however, only agreed to} come in if Marshal Tuan retired. Hence the telegram. Then th report got about that the left} wing of the Kuomintang were only secking to isolate Mr. Hsu, in order to "kill" him politically soon as Marshal Tuan was out} of the way, just as Dr. C. Wang's friends say that his acceptance of the Ministry of For-ign Affairs is the first step to his political extinction. Meanwhile Peking, as a Government, is more destitute than ever it has been. There is no salt money eft, even Chibli is now retaining that; the octroi has dropped toa fraction of its normal yield, owing to increased poverty in the capital; Communications pay nothing, because of the damage done to railways by military men; and every scrap of surplus of any kind is fully earmarked. And China New Year is drawing It would be interesting to Know what the Powers think of the situation in Peking in their heart of hearts: for it is indeed ithout precedent or parallel They have let it be known that it will not be their fault if the; conferences on Customs and exuaterritoriality are not brought} to a proper conclusion and, in defiance of all facts and logic, they continue to play the sorry, farce, rather than enable anyone' to say that they were to blame for dropping the curtain on an incomplete performance. Naturally Peking plays up to this with' all its might, and when Comrade Krotkovsky tried to organize a pogrom in Peking every available scrap of force was marshalled to defeat him. This is one the most significant things that lias happened for a very long time. Also we may well believe that the most powerful deterrent to Marshal Tuan's resigning was the broad hint from Tokyo that its recognition would not be given too readily to the new regime, From the standpoint of the Powers, the conferences do not signify much, so long as too many rash promises are not made, because it is perfectly certain that the so-called system of to-day will be something quite! different three or four years hence. But have they though: what their ostrich-like policy means to China? Nothing but the recognition they give enables Peking to exist as a self-styled Goxernment. If they announced. what is the simple truth, that it is preposterous to continue to} hold conferences with Peking under existing conditions China, on such grave subjects tariffs and treaty revision, the bubble would be pricked to-morrow. The Powers by their present policy are living a lie, and no good can be expected to come of that. With, no doubt, kindly' intentions, they are blocking the way for the emergence of all the respectable, forces which are working for evolutionary reform, but whose hands are sadly tied by the prestige Peking derives from foreign recognition; and Ithey are deliberately encouraging the extremists, who see no way, of altering things except by, violence. It is a very serious matter for China,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.