The Detroit times. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1903-1920, 1912-05-18
WITH 100000 ARMED
] AND STARVING SOLDIERS,
CHINA FACES CRISIS
Troops Threaten Revolt Unless
They Are Given Pay,
Long Overdue
PRESIDENT IN DILEMMA
Yuan Shi Kai Head of New Re-
public, Is Bucking Combina-
ton of Money Powers
PRESIDENT IN DILEMMA
BY Harry O. FARMER

SHANGHAI, China, AMY 17.--Scat-
tered throughout China are about L.
OOO,OOO men with rifles In their hands
and ammunition In their belts. Their
pay Is behind from one TO three
months and most of them are positive
ly hungry.
III an attempt is made to disarm and
disband without paying them there
will be such a mutiny and such
scenes OF violence as the world has
never seen before. II they are neither
'disai med disbanded nor paid they
will also mutiny as rapidly as their
suiferings for food become unendur-
able. Indeed mutinies of more or less
formidable proportions are already of
daily occurance.
Lots OF bosh has been talked and
written by foreigners concerning the
"mercenary spirit" exhibited by the
:nutneers in placing a matter OF two
or three months pay above their
country's welfare. The truth is that
the troops were recruited from class
which lives always on the verge or
!. starvation. A few days pay is mat
ter OF life and death to them, so they
prefer robbing others to starvation.
President Yuan Shi-kai sees the
danger OF domestic chaos II he fails
to raise the necessary funds in time
On the other hand he risks losing his
country's liberty II he raises funds too
hurriedly.
Between these two perils he Is
Feeping a perfectly cool head
promising, maneuverlng, pacifying,
decapitating maintaining at least
semblance OF order at home and yet
resisting the tremendous pressure
brought to bear upon him by greedy
foreigners, and in a fair way, from
all appearances, finally to extricate
himself from the difficulties and to
make OF China a really great nation.
President Yuan's nerve, Is colossal.
A weaker man would long ago have
accepted any terms offered to him for
the money China can only get to a
sufficient amount from the five pow
ers"
The powers idea was that the
: new government, like the old one,
would take what II could get and be
( thankful for It. American. English,
French and German financiers sup
posed the whole thing was all hxed
Sup. They were going to supply $3.50
600 900 or $500 100000 and practical
ly take over the government in re-
I turn To all intents and purposes,
4 their plan was to buy China.
\ The 1--WE powers" ministers at
Pekin called on President Yuan forth
with to tell him what they thought OF
his attempt to borrow money from
.Be.gium. Not long ago, China would
I have grovelled before the five pow
ers" representatives. In fact. every
body expected President Yuan to
\ erovel. He did nothing of the kind.
He listened to the ministers pro-
test I'm silence. The ministers said
what they had TO say. Yuan didn't
open his face. The ministers began
to .ook foolish. Finally the president
took pity on them and spoke Few
words in Chinese to his Interpreter.
The interpreter translated, In sub
stance. he said: "All right you can
go. The president will answer your
protest when he gets good and
1 ready"
Many days have passed and the
president hasn't got ready.