Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1920-05-16
PICKING M|L|TARISTs
FEAR AsSAsS|NAT|ONs
Drive Through Streets Only With
Heavily Armed Guard Of Sol
dicrs Accompanying Them.
~ JOSEPH TINIMONS

MaTShal Tuan Chi-jui. whom l In
terHiewcd Mt his house in Picking, Is
the veteran militarist whose iniiu-
ence holds together and indirectly
dominates the officials, military gov
ernors of northern provinces and 9TH
crs of the Anfu Club who are the eff
tectiye force In the corrupt Peking
government that Is selling piecemeal
no Japan the birthright OF China.
Tuan Is generally accredited with
being honest. He lacks the tradi-
t!onal keenness and ability OF leaders
OF his nation. He is II brave soldier:
no orcrthrcw the farcicul restoration
oC the Manchu dynasty in 1916 and
mat is the secret. partly, of his strong
But chiefly old Tuan is tho "un-
miiitarists are all his pupils. Al one
time or another they have all been
Hnder his tutclnge and patronage.
loyalty to him holds men like Little
lisu' and Chang -Tso-ling together,
though they fear and distrust each
wicids BnncfuI Influence.
Tuan in way Yields an influence
rs baneful in China an that OF old
Marshal YamagatR. head OF tho Elder
Statesmen. in Japan. Any one who
dismisscs Tuan from his reckoning of
the. forces which control at Picking
VIII 30 wrong In his conclusions.
though Tuan Is inactive. and old. and
growing feeble. and though personal
~ no commands no army.
Tuan makes no secret OF his con-
viction that china has most TO gain
by cooperation with the Japanese.
The fact is that his own success has
been built upon their support. His
pupils and followers have been able
70 maintain themselves only because
japanese secret loans have enabled
them to keep going and support tnair
useless armies.
So Tuan urges d!rec, negotiations
with Japan for the restoration OF
Shantung" lie advises III. Cabinet
preston of the student movement and
the boycott. To me he defended the
military pact, which gives the Jap
inese dangerous foothold OF in
as being. In fact. greatly advan-
General Hsn shu.chnng. Little
patronage OF the veteran has made
him head OF the Northwest Frontier
Defense Bureau and through that po-
sitlon practically dictator in Mon
g?,nia, YIN the help of the .IHpan"se.
story brick house OF foreign style
and furnishings. but incloscd within
:, high wall after the Chinese style,
y soldier guard at the gate assured
himself that we were all right. and
on the way to the front entrance We
passed six other scntrics. Two others
received us at the door and an or
dcrly informed the marshal of our
arrival.
Live In Mortal Terror.
Mi OF the reking militarists are
through the wide streets of pcking in
motor cars they so at brenkneck
speed. with soldier guards riding on
the running boards. They live IN the
fear Of assassination, In mortal ter
ror les, the student movement should
suddenly flame into destructive rage.
Marshal Tuan entered his drawing
room alone and greeted us cordially.
He wore civilian clothes; his long.
dark -rolorcd and very plain quilted
and tur-l!ned coat entirely "nvc.oucd
him. His appearance was that OF
Chinese OF straitcned circumstances
aud contrastcd nstonishtngly with
photographs Of him in HIS gorgeous
marshars uniform:
fuller of face. bu, fecbler In looks
than the younger and thinner and
more 1T man shown BY the photo
sranhs l had seen His thin gray
corners OF his mouth. He has trick
OF closing his left eye and screwing
W the left side of his mouth in n
comi!cal WHY face when a question Is
asked that is hard to answer. I un-
ursiaud that he is sixty years o:
age. but he looks older. or at least
older than soldier should look at
WANTS TO He President.
Tuan. some say, Will make himself
Premier again. He has had three
brief terms as Premier under the.
bogus republic. Others say the only
ambition Tuan has IL "a be ircsi-
dent. PARLIAMENT. dominated by tho
.Nnfu Club. doubtless would force
ana make Tuan President. Wang Y
tang head OF the Anfu Club. Pre-
micr. and Little Hsu" Minister OF
War. except that they prefer to make
President lfsu and Premier Chin Yum
pcng bear the odium OF further deal
ings with the Japanese.
Quite generally 1t is believed that
when Tuan passes on the stage his
Chang Tso-ling and the tuchuns. or
military governors. will soon be mt
each others throats. That Will be
good thing for China.