Evening star., 1925-04-26
VITAL PROBLEMS OF
PEKINC CONFERENCES
To Disband Armies-Reduce War Lords
Power-Punish Graft-Control Opium
Evil-Baffle Plots of Soviet Russia.

unchecked, 1t would undoubtedly
turn China into a soviet, and treat
the whole country as it treated
the merchants of Canton-to fire
and bIoodshed But the conserva-
tive party is now in power. This party
is the northern political division. and
has been subdivided into the Chilli
faction Gust displaced) and the Anfu
Club (which was considered extinct
upon the retirement of Tuan Chi-jui.
but is now represented in power by
Tuan and Gen. Feng). The Fengtien
party (Chang Tso-lin is representative
of Manchuria, and is supplying money
and troops to the central government
CTuan Chi-juD, although in 1920 Chang
had joined with Tsao Kun tof the
Chilli faction), who was then Presi-
dent. to disband the Anfu Club, Of
which Tuan was leader. China is
about as confusing to the Western
mind as Wonderland was to Alice.
China has some international as
we'll as domestic problems. The inter-
national questions most discussed by
statesmen and press are % eXtrater-
ritoriality, 2) the Sino-Russian affairs,
t3) the French gold franc case, (4 the
return of the Boxer indemnity, (5) the
suppression of opium traffic.
The Extraterritoriality Issue.
Extraterritoriality usually short
ened to extrality-is the right of a
foreigner to be subject TO the jurisdic-
tion of his own country-for example,
Americans in China are tried before
an American judge according to Amer
lean law. This principle has been in
effect in China since 1883, according
to treaty between Russia and China.
Russia has now given up her right,
and it was taken away from Germany
and Austria-Hungary at the time of
the war. 1t is not likely that China
will grant it in any new treaty to any
country, but those countries that have
it feel that it would be a serious mat
ter to relinquish it while Chinese laws
and Chinese justice are so different
from those of other nations. There are
IL countries which retain their privi-
lege of extrality, but it has been bit
terly deplored and condemned by the
bolshevists of China. Karahan. the
Soviet envoy at Peking, advised China
to tear up and throw aside all un-
equal treaties" and his words were
echoed and broadcast through Sun
Yat-Sen, who concentrated virulent
hatred against the foreigner.
The proposition of eventual aboli-
tion of extrality has been consid-
cred many times in the past few
years. Great Britain in 1902 stated
that China having expressed a strong
desire to reform her judicial system
and TO bring it into accord with that
of Western nations. Great Britain
agrees to give every assistance TO
such reform, and she will also be pre-
pared to relinquish her extraterritorial
rights when she is satisfied that the
state OF the Chinese laws the ar
rangements for their administra ton
and other considerations warrant her
in so doing" The Chinese began re-
forms in their judicial system in 1907,
and tried to get some action at the
Paris peace conference in 1919. How
ever, the question was put to one side
and not brought up until the Washing
ton conference, at which 1t was decided
to appoint a commission to make an
exhaustive study and to submit recon-
mendations TO be accepted or rejected
by the powers and China. This COM
mission was supposed to meet in 1924,
but at the request of the Chinese. be-
cause of the civil war and unsettled
conditions. it has been postponed until
a more auSpicious moment. Mean
while. our Minister at Peking, DR..
Schurman. in a recent speech, dwelt
upon the question in detail and de-
vised most logical plan of drawing
up code of laws which would be ac-
ceptable to all nations. with a for
eigner as one of the judges. Tuan Chi
Jul is not apt to allow extrality to
come up before the conference. al.
though Sun Yat-Sen, il he had lived,
intended to do everything in his power
to make an issue Of it.
BOlshevist Russia Capturing China.
Sino (Chinese)- Russian affairs have
been matter Of much concern to all
those in China who do not feel that
the Soviet constitutes the ideal form
of government. We watched with
anxiety while the consulate in Shang-
hal. crimson against the sky with the
red flags of the bolshevists, was turned
over to the Soviet; we read with in
dignation the arrogant taunts of that
very objectionable person at Peking-
karahan. envoy extraordinary; we
note with alarm the spread Of bolshe-
vism in the student organiza tions and
labor unions; we shudder at the
thought of the Kuomintang armies
drawn up around us-ready to murder
and rob the people for the sake of
the people" The Russian legation at
Peking has been made an embassy.
and China will send an Amba ssador to
Russia. Agreements have been signed
with the ever-vfctorious karahan (who
has also managed to effect an agree
ment with Japan while in Peking).
and the Soviet seems to be scoring
heavily. But Chang Tso-lin, in Man
churia. Is near enough to Russia to
know the true danger Of bolshevism.
and Tuan is wise enough to know how
70 steer the ship of state past the
Jagged rocks. Tuan is prepared to
execute his program of sweeping
hr0a DIR minded nf
the support Of the Kuomintang, which
organization has been in doubt
whether or not it would be represented
at the reconstruction conference:
karahan has not appeared in the
newspapers for at least a week Can
he have left Peking, or i. he working
on some new scheme in this sinister
silence? 1t will be worth while for the
world TO pause a moment and watch
the way Of Russia in China.
France Demands Indemnity i'm Gold.
The gold-franc case is slated to
come before the reconstruction con.
ference, and there is something about
IL every day in some paper. To one
not familiar with the intricacies and
fluctuations of foreign currencies this
question is difficult of comprehension.
The controversy, in effect, Is whether
the remainder of French Boxer in.
demnity shall be paid at the value of
the franc in 1901, when it was con.
tracted. or at the present value, which
Is considerably lower. The Chinese
claim that though the debt Is in
gold" this does not mean the gold
metal. but simply gold currency-or
the currency of the signatorN power
issued on the basis of it's gold stand
ard. However, the eight powers are
united in supporting Frances argu-
ment, so her point of view must be the
correct one, unless. as George Bernard
Shaw states "the minority is always
right France has planned to use