The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1925-03-07
Social and Personal
Bismarck Naval
Man Writes of
Man in China

Mr.. and Mrs. c. L. Hansen hav
received an interesting letter fror
their son Carl, who is on the U. S.
Pigeon of the Yangtze Patrol Fore
in China. The letter dated Januar
"a, reads in part as follows:
II am still on the Yangtze Rive,
Just think have been on a scagoin
q ship over q year now and haven
seen the ocean since came to China
| don't know how long will stay OF
the Pigeon, but l would just as soo1
stay here until I 60 home. l am du,
to go home in November. hope
can make it by that time. Som,
V dcstroyers arc going home in May.
would like to make them, but don,
know whether can.
Marking and Shanghai War
1--WE have another war going on in
China now between Marking and
Shanghai. General Chi of Marking
drove General Lu out of the terri
tory around Shanghai last fall and
then the Picking government ap-
pointed General Lu to succeed Cen
cral Chi at Marking. General Chang
Tso Lin of Manchuria gave Lu an
army to drive Chi out of Marking.
General Lu came into Marking from
the North without any fighting and
Chi gathered his forces togcther
outside of Shanghai and started to-
ward Marking to drive Lu out. Cen
eral Sun Chuan Fang of Chekianp
province, south of Shanghai, is help
ing Chi. but now it is not definitely
known whether or not he will stay
on CHS side or come over to Lu.
There is so much trcachery among
the Chinese Generals that you can
not tell what they will do.
"Chi's forces have been driven
down pretty we'll toward Shanghai
and apparently are not we'll under
control as they have been doing a
lot of looting in the small towns
Through the country. 1t looks now
as if Chi's cause is lost. If he is de-
feated there will be several thousand
dlsorganized troops near Shanghai
who will probably cause lot Of
trouble.
Military in Control
Chi belongs to the Chilli party
which was in power in Picking be-
fore the war last fall and Lu belongs
to the Anfu party which is in power
now. If in the states all the partv
leaders were generals. each with
several thousand troops and instead
OF deciding their problems by the
ballot they fought them out, YOU
would have the same thing that is
going on in China now. The mill
tary have absolute control. It is a
fine example Of republican govern
ment.
Besides that these generals each
make few million dollars from
taxes. They come into a place and
demand certain sum of money from
the Chamber of Commerce. In
Szeswan province the taxes for the
year 1880 have been collected. The
central government gets little if anv
OF this money. Most of it goes into
the generals pocket to support his
army. China has more men under
arms per capita than any country in
the world.
Shanghai Is International
"A few places in China like
Shanghai and Hongkong arc not un-
der Chinese control. Hongkong be-
longs to the British and Shanghai
is an international settlement gov
prncd by a municipal council COM
posed OF foreign residents of Shang-
nai. mostly British, French and Am.
srican, and protected by all nations.
LAST fall during the hostilitics there
we're twenty-five British, French,
Italian and American and Japanese
men of war in the harbor to pro- \
ect the settlement. A landing force
# about fifteen hundred sailors and
marines of all nationalities was kept o
'shore for over month to Keep the n
'hlnese soldiers out of Shanghai.
Inferno Troops in Shanghai c
"This month, when Chi started his
esistance, about 5000 Chinese troops
ntered the settlement and were in
erned. Later they were sent to .
heir homes in Shantung province. N
hen it they can't find work they
viii probably become bandits. As
ong as the Chinese coolie gets his
ice, he is perfectly happy. Il
The Pigeon was in Marking in "
'ovember and December until Christ Is
las. We expected to be in Shanghai
month and then this other war
tarted and we had to come to Nan
ing to look out for American inter.
SITS here. We will probably be here
ntil the fight is over. 1t looks as
Rough it will be over shortly and
lat General Chi will be defeated"