San Antonio light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1911-1993, 1923-10-28
SITUATION IN CHINA

To the Editor:
| have been a reader of The Light
ever since l knew that paper was
printed to read and good for some
thing else than to start fires with.
am mentioning some incidents in this
letter that might be of interest TO
San Antonians. na. -t.--
What prompted me TO write this let
ter was an article which read in The
Light dated August 3. 1923. telling of
the arrival of the Z. s. S. Ashville at
Annoy, China, on that date.
According to most accounts Of the
Chinese situation which l have read
in the papers from the States the
question is somewhat exaggerated.
IHue enough there are quite number
of bandits and separate factions who
are always at war. but still there is
no striving for anything other than
loot Last April while at Swallow
there were sixteen different factions
fighting TO obtain possession of that
town. | have been in China for about
two years and as yet l have failed to
witness a real battle between the
Chinese.
was in Annoy from August to
September 13. and all the firing that
was seen or heard was at night when
the troops occupying Annoy would fire
on the Sampans sailing past their
| headquarters. The troops occupying
that city were at one time Il part of
DIR. Sun Yat-Sen's army but had brok-
en- away. Their present >leader is
working independently of any other
faction. The northern troops who were
to attack Annoy and wrest it from the
army occupying it. got within fifteen
or twenty miles. of the city but would
not attack until the northern Chinese
fleet would stand in and aid them.
The fleet has not arrived to date and
they were scheduled to arrive two days
following our coming. 1t seems as if
the harbor entrance to Annoy is too
well guarded by artillery and that they
We're afraid to take any chances. The
present holder of Annoy is forcing the
town to pay him 2000 Mexican dol
dars or $1,000 American money a day
in order to keen his troops from looting
the place. Failure TO pay this sum
would spell ruin for the merchants and
residents Of the town.
This ship has been lin practically
every seat of trouble in China since
September 16. 1922. but has had no
action so far. l was at Foochow when
$4,000 troops were expected to clash.
but they never did. At Tsingtao Ga
German colony before the war and lost
TO the Japs in 1915 after a 42-day
struggle which was returned to China
With Shangtung), wireless called us
but there was no trouble. This was
always the case. Wireless messages
giving accounts of trouble would call
us to various ports but when we ar
rived there we would always find
things quiet. This is the way it has
been ut FoOchOw, Tsingtao. Shangh !
Swatow. Canton and innumerable
other places expecting trouble but
never finding it. 1t seems that the
very presence of an American flag
backed BY American forces is enough
for a Chinaman; he knows we mean
business and keeps quiet when we are
around.
have found that the chief equip
ment of a Chinese soldier is usually
composed Of an umbrella, a fan, two or
three bandoliers OF ammunition,
rifle, a teapot and a few empty tin
cans In an army stations at Can
ton I counted ten different makes of
rifles ranging from an odd Tom muz-
zle loader to modern French Mauser
If You were to take a Chinese soldiers
fan and umbrella away and | don't
believe that he would fight. Imagine
him in battle. If the sun is out up
goes the umbrella, the handle is plant
ed in the ground. he fires n few shots.
then knocks off. rolls over into the
shade and fans himself until he is cool
again and then he resumes the slaugh-
her.
When / was a kid China was some
thing akin to the fairylands of Aesop's
Fables; full of romance. mystery and
wealth. In reality | find it a land of
filth, wealth and illiteracy. The only