New-York tribune., 1920-07-18

nlch 400 0Q0, 600 people on the con-
nene OF Asia are vitality interested in
moving. 1t is one Of the great world
@estions Of the day. There are few
ssher political questions for which the
4rrect answer may be more signif-
In regarding the forces which are at
Way IN the Far East there are other
subsidiary questions which are impor-
Rnt. They are questions which must
e answered or at least comprehcnded
Rfore one can gain any adequate con-
caption of the situation in the Far
Nast.
q One of these subsidiary questions is
e regard to the relation between Jap
snese public opinion and the effective
sapanese governmental policy. One
you'd like to know how far that policy
y ultimately controlled by public opin-
ron or whether at times it is even
markedly influenced by Japanese pub
Hc opinion One would like to know
8ith some dcfniteness just what are
she relations between the civil govern
Ment Of Japan and the activities of the
military branch Of that government.
Gan the civil government itself control
Ahe military policy? Is the military
party still in the ascendency or is its
influence and power of independent ac-
tion declining?
a The foregoing questions relate to
1apan itself. There are, however, many
collateral Far Eastern questions, and
some comprehension of those questions
IS necessary to form q BACKGROUND
against which to view the answers that
might be made regarding Japanese gov
ernmental policy.
Political Chaos First Question
= Perhaps the foremost among those
questions relating to Asia would be one
which asked how complete is the exist
mg governmental paralysis and poiit-
acal chaos in China. Mongolia, Man
Ehuria and Siberia. And then. how
ever complete that political chaos may
he found, are there inherent elements
m the political situations in those vast
territories which give promise of an
ultimate creation of law and order from
Within, or must there be imposed from
1utsIde strong hand and an infiexi-
pie will before some semblance Of or
ser IS first brought out of chaos?
4 AT present it must be admitted that
IN those countries there is. TODAY a
population of more than 400,00O,00O
who are existing without any adequate
system of central government. In much
ahf that vast territory there is situ-
alton to-day which resembles complete
political disintegration. In China it.
self there are many instances where
local government functions fairly we'll,
but there-is in that vast country no
central government really worthy of
ihe name. The officials are said even by
ssthe Chinese to be weak, cunning and
Corrupt. They are without the real
Stacking of the Chinese people. They
Jack the courage for autocracy and
seem to have little ability to rally the
n don
divided against itself The North is
arrayed against the South. The Peking
officials lack the sense of broad
national patriotism. They are not
Strong even in. their own corruption.
They can be bought, but sometimes
Jack the courage to carry cut the de-
tails of the purchase.
: In outlying provinces the, hand of the
central government is paAsied.. The
seperation of law and Che Conditions of
public safety have been upset because
some of these outlying provinces are
anfested with bandits. Instead of
strong hand reaching out from the CEN
fral government to give law and order
TO such communities there have been
cases where compromise has been made
with bandit chiefs. Instead of hanging
these bandit chiefs there are instances
where the Peking officials have made
generals Of them.
: There is a Chinese army of perhaps
l,500,000 soldiers. They are unpaid,
sanderfed, controlled by q military
Clique not responsible to the feeble
military policy Of Peking.
3 Ninety Per Cent Are Illiterate
s Back of all this chaos in China is the
experiment of converting the Oldest
smonarchy in the world, without inter-
mt
iform of government suddenly has been
offered to 400,000,000 people, more than
20 per cent of whom are illiterate.
They live IN country most made
Guately furnished with transportation,
where communication is hampered not
only by lack Of physical means, but
by illiteracy and a variety of widely
different dialects. Further than that,
they are people who for endless gem
Iation to central government authority.
e This vast population speaks more
than twenty widely varying dialects.
There Is written language Ineligible
70 but few. 1t is quite different from
any spoken language and it is closed
book Of communication to all but per-
haps a per cent minority.
y Infiltrated into this political chaos
are spheres of foreign influence, in
long histories of devious diplomacy and
san unhappy record of commercial con-
Test.
= The situation. however, is by no
means hopeless. Underneath this un-
promising mass there Is developing
Vital political influence. There is i'm
.pressive evidence that real political
sense is awakening in growing body
OF intelligent young men and women.
This is the so-called Student body"
sAut it is more than body of students.
There is being drawn to the move
sMent a certain number Of enlightened
sHen of affairs, journalists and educa-
Tors. The whole group is developing
National consciousness. In some di-
Iections that national consciousness has
Become patriotic fanaticism. Some
smembers of the group are moved by
racial prejudices against foreigners
And their aggressions.
- One Of the strong ties binding the
group together is an intense antipathy
&gatnst their Japanese nei8hbors. There
are, however, distinctly hopeful elc-
sments In this group Of people who are
struggling for enlightenment, and who
have vision of the rehabilitation Of
the political life Of China and the
hope OF reastablishing a government
Which will be voice of central author
saty worthy of national name.
8 Interesting Problems in Siberia
4 Turning to the still vaster territory
sof Siberia, that extent Of Asia from
sfhe Pacific to Lake Baikal, one finds as
interesting set of problems. Here