Evening journal., 1921-08-22
Chinese ARMY
IS SCOURGE
Nearly 100000 Men Are
Under Arms in the
Country
GIVE PEKING THE
MERRY HA-HA
nv wIIrIAM rHILTp srsrMs


written Expressly for the \. f. A.
sHANGHA1.-If the Great Powers
decide at the Washington conference
on some form OF benevolent inter-
vention In China 20 save themselves
another war, the first problem they
win have to tackle is the incubus OF
the Chinese army.
Estimated as high as 1000, 900
men. China's army is slowly contrib
uting TO her destruction. For years
she has been trying TO demobilize
and can't Instead. the army is on
the Increase. II anything. and Peking
Is helpless.
China has no money with which
to pay her troops. so they mutiny
and sack the country In lieu OF
wages. They refuse to be mustered
out OF service because soldering is
easy. working for living uncertain
and a uniform adds class to robber
bands with which some OF them
travel.
Nor will their overlord. the Gov
crnor General. allow them TO be mus
tered out II he can possibly help IT,
Being little king in his own right.
doing precisely what he pleascs, re-
gardlcss O. what Peking has TO say
about II. he realizes he is no more
powerful than MS army.
1t not ln-rcquently happens that
somebody Disputes his title. so the
Tuchun keeps his command as
strong as he possibly can TO defend
r.
Soldiers IN China are seldom more
than the uniformed coolies OF the
particular war lcrd who pays them,
and have LITTLE or no conception OF
what IL means tc serve nag or coun-
try. Theirs hut 10 do the Kidding OF
the Tuchun. sheir diroct master. coll
lect his ''squeezes' and hold him on
bis pedestal
In return for this. the Tuchun al
lows his troops pretty free rein, dis
cipline. IN The 0cci5cntal sense. being
klmod unknown; feeds and clothes
them a. bes; he can and. from time
to time. gives them a little cash tc
10 with as they like.
The so-callcd Chinese army. ir
reality. is fifteen or twenty armies
each one independent Of the Others
and all independent of Peking
These armies vary IN size from
10000 men 10 several times that
General Chang Tso-lin. ruchun II
Moukden. alone commands an arm,
larger than THAI OF the United States
IL is SAID 20 he the best-paid outn
In China and for that reason would
1t is be.ieved. follow Chang withou
question
General rsao Kun. Trchun o
Chihu proyinc e--vhcre Picking Is 10
Gated Thar following just about a
large Thesc Tlchuns arc rivals. but
Tor the tne being. have pooled theii
Interests
peFlug has repeatedly ordered Z
general cut In the army. but tho onll
discernihlc resair has been some
thing that sounded very much Ike ;
T'ucAnnish chrcgle. a few mutinics
cons.dcracic lcotirS the sackine o
soire cities and apparently -addi
tionsl cnistments
Nov 1nd then some ovcrlord set
cnrSht between fundless devil ant
a De. , blue sta OF an ovorsizcd. un
derpaiG anc muiinous soldiery. a
such dimes l.e sueEcsts dcmoeriza
ton and one az two things happens
Either h.s trocrs become pccve
ana so o. q looung rainrare ella
demand a honus and the right I
retain their arms. Cf the two IN
arms become the hrseucihlc min
mum. without which they refuse
be fired.
The bohnt ihes car dispense wit
---it will be small. anyNay----hut vii
arn,E tncy can SCI themselves up
tho bandit business and do very We
Cccarionaily. toe. a company
battalion decides Ell masso to az
-conectinr" fof their ovcrlord az
deserts en- masse m favor OF q
bush Thereafter a new band
Robin MODS ucke.i the, ncighbo
hood lively with its pliarinc. XII
naliny burning torturing and mu
dering for spoil
An this sounds very primitive al
cold -hlooded. and is.
But. most nprejudiced observe
agree. the blame must not be Ia
entirely on the rank and file. Pi
rather than censure. should be thei
They arc the victims of an ae
Tong system.
Through no fault Of their ov
their Ignorance Is abysmai. For &c
t1ries they have been treated u
dogs by Huns and Mongolians. Ts
tara and Manchus. and showed do
the human scale so far they are M
only a fraction OF a degree above I
OK.
As parents bound the feet OF IN
eiri-habies and stopped the grow
Of tho feet. so the System in Chi
bound the heads Of the coolic ella
stopped growth Of the brain. a
warped the mind
Today there are millions In Chi
who scarcely know right from wrc
Iii that much. The only law n
know is the law OF self-preservati
The great powers have contribu
to this state OF affairs. BY help
China 10 rid herself OF the incul
OF her overlordship and army. n
will rid hcr--and incidentally. the
selves--of a grave peril
china's useless troops should
put TO ad-building. Her erea,
needs unity and education -
never make much progress until
communities isolated for thousa
OF years. can commingle and
change ideas. Dirt roads and 7
roads, by the tens Of thousands
miles. are imperative.
Progressive Chinese everywl
tell me this is essential TO China's
construction
Chinese and foreign capital sh'
20 into this public work. and q