Oct, 26.
The decision to postpone the Fifth National Congress is inspired by the belief that the breathing space will enable Canton and Nanking to come to closer agreement in eli~ minating differences now keeping them politically apart. It will probably be admitted that Dr. Wang Chung-hut must have displayed considerable diplomatic gifts dur ing his recent visit to the South it it can now be comfortably be-Heved that virtual agreement is in sight. Canton's relations wit Nanking have varied from cor duality to coolness in the last four years, At times there have been fears' lest the habit of "killing Kruger with the mouth" would lead one or other party into defini-rely hostile military action. Fortunately the fervour of political eloquence~mainly on telegram forms has been corrected by the! friendly understanding established between General Chiang Kai-shek and General Chen Chi-tang. And it must be added that Mr. Wa Ching-wei, in his capacity as Pres:- dent of the Executive Yuan, ha: been conciliatory in his language when discussing Canton's divergent point of view. In the special ci: cumstances it has not been surpris ing that unfriendly observers have affected to discern signs of a complete rupture between Nanking and. the spiritual home of its present Government. After all, it is not altogether unreasonable to believe that a central authority possessed. of decidedly superior military. forces may be inclined to ponder over sanctions when it perceives certain revenues being calmly diverted by a provincial administration, Nor is it surprising that, viewing the military concentration in Kiangsi, there have been in Canton questions which have asked: "After the Reds what,..2"
China continues to prove that she, above all, is the country where things are not always what they seem. So, if Canton has been withholding revenue to spend on the development of a strong standing iwfence force and Nanking has been turning Nanchang into a veritable Hindenburg Line, it is to be understood that neither party wishes to imperil the process unification. On the occasion of the Double Tenth, General Chiang Kaishek and Mr. Wang Ching-wei both gave this journal the privilege of publishing special messages in. which the appeal for political ce-operation obviously contained a friendly gesture to Canton. Such an attitude had the wisdom of strongth—strength purposely diffident and unaggressive. No-on2 would suggest that, whether on account of the "New Life" movement or other portents, Chinese' politicians were proceeding to grow wings. The old Adam cannot be exorcised even from political pirations in countries where regard for the public weal is held to be more firmly established than this land. Nor can the peculiar genius of Canton's vivacious individualism bow suddenly to the apparent steadiness of Nanking' controlling sway. Yet the greater attention paid to realities at Nanking may be shedding a gentle: glow on a situation which, fundamentally, has serious economic' difficulties requiring ce-operation rather than dissension for their' solution to the general benefit. The Generalissimo, during his present tour in the North—interrupted, it is hoped, only for a short time while he undergoes hospital treatment—has shown a lively appreciation of the importance of rural reconstruction. In Canton the provincial authorities, despite their unfortunate handling of fiscal policy, have displayed. considerable solicitude for' progress. These tendencies surely Suggest that mere political differ~ fences should be reduced to their proper proportion in adjustment of [relations between the two major Jpariners in the Kuomintang.
Reduced to the simplest terms, jit may be said that unity can be reached if Nanking can be assured that Canton's representation in the Kuomintang is not inimical to} the preservation of political equili-Jorium. On their side the spokes-Jmen of Canton have to be con-vineed that unification has not to be purchased by acquiescence in an open military dictatorship con~ centrated in General Chiang Kaishek's hands. These are purely domestic matters in which the outsider is not greatly concerned, except in so far as their ultimate settlement conduces to the—better jand more coherent administration jof the country. It is obviously unsatisfactory that, while General, Chiang Kai-shek is openly wel-looming "legitimate foreign investment", a series of erratic official regulations in Canton should im-
[pose impossible inequalities and handicaps on foreign enterprise. [The sensible approach made by General Chiang Kai-shek and his representatives in the North to the removal of obstacles to Sino-Jap-lanose ce-operation is deprived of some of its beneficent influence when, on that account, the Gov-jemment is assailed from Canton as betrayer of China's interests. The chief sufferers from these political inconsistencies are the people of China. They lose a sense of direetion. They are uncertain of the meaning of official politics. Full power to grapple with economic difficulties is withheld. Whether the technical plea that the defence Jof the country cannot be conveni-lently in the hand of a single central authority is valid or not, must lbe left to China to determine. It may not be out of place to remark that if that plea is only technical compromise is easy to suggest. If, jas seems probable, it is inspired jby reluctance to approve of Gen-loral Chiang Kai-shek's personal ascendancy, the adjustment of ideas may be intractable. It seems unfortunate that the plain evidence Jot the Generalissimo's achieve ments and success in keeping the Government at Nanking on an leven keel has not dissipated learlier_ mistrust. Yet Dr. Wang \Chung-hui may have been the bearer of convincing arguments which, in themselves, have pro-imputed the postponement with the hope of ultimately ensuring an honourable agreement. The next few months will disclose the justice of that view. If the outstanding points of difference are removed, then China may go into political conference in a stronger junity than ever in her recent history.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.