The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1922-01-30
Mr.. Mel Chi-Chu GiUes
Information on China


NHINA is borrowing often; European Powers and
private bankers make huge fortunes lending to her.
= China is afflicted with famine; Europe and
America give rather stingy. We hear much news that
is bad from China, and very likely, Mr.. Cchu says
we form false impressions. ~
Commenting on an article under the heading "Today"
in The Times, Mr.. Chi-chu writes:
Dear Sir-Beevng that you ardent friend
and advocate of truth, you may permit me to add
some comment to the two paragraphs you devoted
to China's plight in your column appearing In to
days Times. =.
Whether the population of China is 400,000,0O0 or
SO0OOO,OO0, the people not bankrupt, as you in
tmated but the government in Peking is. The gov
eminent recognized by the Powers, including the
United States, the de facto government in China,
is bankrupt and shall remain bankrupt so long as
they continue to enjoy the recognition of foreign
Powers. I need hardly explain to gentleman with
your fund of information why this is so. As re-
Gently as November 7, Monn Chang dean Of the
Picking National University said that the govern
ment in Picking is under the absolute domination Of
Gen. Chang Tsoling ex-bandit, exscout for the
Japanese during the Russo Japanese war, now war
lord and autocrat and paid catspaw of Japan, a
scoundrel and traitor, at this very moment holding
no less than $16,OOOOOO in cash in his Golfers,
squeezed from the Ministry of Finance of the govern
ment that is recognized the 'only stable govern
ment in China" as the American State Department
recently termed it. r.
That's interesting, important and very exciting. You
cannot help feeling interest in Gen. Chang Tsong even
if he is exbandit. 1t must be wonderful to take
charge and control of nation of about half billion
human beings and collect sixteen million real dollars!
Mr.. Chi-chu says further:
The people of China bankrupt Mr.. David c. T.
Yui, secretary to Ii Suan-hung while the latter
President Of China, and now general secretary Of
the international Committee Of the Y. M. c. A. in
China, in his address at Teachers College last Mon
day said that the merchant class alone in China to-
day possess enough ready cash to pay all of Chinas
outstanding debts. He related an experience when
wealthy merchant tried to deposit several hundreds
Of thousands Of dollars in foreign bank in Shang-
hal. The officials in the bank would not accept the
deposit on the ground that they could not make use
of it. The merchant willing to deposit it with
out interest. Still the officials held out. Then the
merchant finally succeeded by offering to pay per
cent interest to the bank for the safeguarding Of his
money The people Of China bankrupt
That will make American merchants envious. It ought
to send American bankers starting branches in China
Over here they saying, won't you please start
little account, no matter how lttle7"
Mr.. Chi-chu has a remedy for China 3 condition:
Let legal and honest government like that under
Dr. Sun Yat-sen be recognized by the United States
and the other Powers after that you will have some
better to distribute to your readers about the
solvency Of the Chinese government.
Right now the Peking government is bankrupt
but the people Of China, 4O0,Oo0000 or So0000000,
are rich and wait only for honest government
recognized by the Powers, to come to the fore When
that happens China will be on her way to progress;
when that happens what you term the plight Of
China, evoking your lamentation, will be the
prosperity Of China inviting the world to share her
fortune.
Sincerely yours, MEL CH-CHU.
Here the impression is that the trouble Is not with
the Pekng government entirely and not entirely with
the fascinating EEK bandit" Chang Tsong, but rather
in the fact that the four hundred millions eight hun
dred millions in China-nobody knows which It isdo