Evening star., 1923-10-21
The Story the Week Has Told

OF the food riots shall say little. They have
: been numerous. but not so numerous and with
have been expected This aspect of the general
situation is or should be, far less serious thap
several others. There is sufficient food in the
reich. 1t is question of distribution. 1t Is UP
to the food minister.
passive resistance" against the Stresemann
government. She does not object to dictator
traire. She objects to dictatorship by the
Stresemann government because of its social
ist affiliations. nationalist dictatorship in
full accord with Bavarian ideals-that would
he the ticket. Stresemann forbears to put pres
Red Saxony and red ThurinGa rejoice in
mixed socialist-communist governments, not
other, but that their differences are forgotten
in a common hatred and fear of Bavaria. There
terror in both states, industrial magnates have
fled for their lives to Berlin and made the
welkin ring with their protests. The Saxon
minister president asserts his competency TO
cope with the disorders in his state, counter
blasts against the indutrial chief, charges that
the rechswehr commander in Saxony has ex-
ercised his delegates dictatorial powers op-
siege" and asks why the reichswehr should
show such zeal to suppress the "proletarian
hundreds" (Without arms in the open, what
ever their cachesl. organized to defend the re-
public In the reactionaries should levy
against il, or to defend Saxony should the
threatening Bavaran invade.
Stresemann is in a quandry. Should he yield
do. On the other hand. the governing board
of the united socialist party has declared sym
his demand for abolition Of the state of siege
Must the second coalition cabinet go? 1t looks
like IL. Further notice of this important de-
velopment must go over to next week.
The above summary is based on dispatches
notice Saturdays dispatches. some of which
herald stark. uncompromising defiance of
France, by Stresemann, absolutely refused by
him of reparaton deliveries to France, and an
appeal by him to the world against Poincare's S
policy coidly calculated to ruin the REICH
rcparations deliveries being a minor considera-
ton Apart from other consequences such a
NM HSfn nrpa -
the one part justifytng it. those on the other
characterizing it as the last word in passive
resistance and in the art of propaganda. The
Saturday dispatches tell also of fresh Instances
of Bavarian recalcitrance and or fresh striking
evidence OF q socialist tendency leftward
China.--Almost the first of Tsao Kun's
new government TO answer the diplomats
second note of protest and demand concerning
the Lin Ching affair.-From the brief digest in
the dispatches 1t would seem that the Chinese
note promises substantial compliance except
as regards the diplomats proposal of super
vision of the railway police by foreign Off
GERS One cannot but sympathize with Tsao
Kun's refusal to allow such renewed in
fringement China's sovereignty. 1t any
rate, it is certain that imposition of foreign
military control on the railroads would be a
return to the "oId forgotten. far-off" methods
of the days before the Washington conference.
/ am awaiting with much curiosity the full
of the new Chinese constitution Inc eX-
tracts | have seen are very satisfactory. They
prescribe large measure Of provincial auton-
onny but the abolition of all military forces
except a national army under central control,
and that "the military expense OF the nation
shall not exceed one-quarter of the national
annual expenditure. except in the event Of
a foreign war"
This is precisely as it should be. But it
remains to be seen whether the Tuchuns will
consent to be abolished
But what is Wu Pei-Fu thinking propos-
ing the while?
I spoke last week somewhat disparagingly
of Tsao Kun. ] should have remarked that he
has a considerable share Of Bonhomie, and that
a good deal of his success has been attributed
TO this trait.