The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1927-04-08
RAID VIEWED AS
MOVE TOFORCE
RUSSIA TO FIGHT
Northern Chinese Leader
Long Bidder for Out
side Support.
BY William Philip Simms

By William Philip SimmS
Foreign Editor Scripps- Howard Newspapers
WASHINGTON, April SIS Mar
shall Chang Tso-Lin commander-in-
chief of the armies defending Pellin
against the onrushing Nationalist,
deliberately attempting to force a
war with Russia?
This may be the answer to the
raid by Marshal Changes emissaries
on the Russian embassy quarters in
side the sacro sanct legation COM
pounde of Pekin.
Marshal Changes speciality is. work
ing for one or the other of the great
powers interested in retaining hold
on China. AS war lord of Manchuria
bordering on Siberia, he has been
fishing for years for foreign support
against what he calls the red
menace.
n Aided by Japanese
a UP to the present he has only
partially succeeded. The Japanese
have given him certain support,
enough to make him the most power
full of all the many Chinese war
lords and car of Manchuria over
which Japan claims special interests,
but that doesn't seem enough. With
additional help he might make him
self master of all China.
But the powers have held back.
The desired subsidy has not been
forthcoming despite the advance to-
wards Pekin of the Cantonese armies
which, Marshal Chang charges, are
the tools of Moscow. One by one
Hankow, Shanghai and Marking,
three of the greatest foreign centers
in China, have fallen to the National
lists and still the great powers have
hesitated.
Act of War
Then, like bolt out Of the blue,
came Changes armed raid on the
Soviet embassy quarters in Pekin.
Such an act is unprecedented unless
the nation whose officials authorized
the raid is prepared for war. A raid
on the diplomatic premises of a
foreign country, even by hoodlums,
calls for prompt apology. A de-
liberate. armed raid under orders
from the Government itself is
tantamount to an act Of war.
The shadowy authority known as
the Picking government charges the
Soviet government was harboring
criminal plotters bent upon the over
throw of that government. 1t
malleges overwhelming evidence" to
bis effect was found among the
ysiles rifled by the raiders.
True or not, Moscow will be none
the less furious over what has
happened. How diplomatic rupture
can be avoided is impossible to see.
As an apology seems out of the
question, since all reports agree that
the raid was a deliberate affair,
Moscow faces either utter humilia-
ton through having to swallow
what she must term as an affront,
else she must punish Marshal Chang
for his act.
Invasion Would Help
Actual invasion of Manchuria or
Mongolia by the Russians would play
into Marshal Changes hands at this
time.
Unless something happens and hap.
pens soon, Chang sees himself fad
ing from the picture within the year.
For the Nationalists, now gathering
their forces for the final blow, have
the upper hand and only foreign civil
ization in some form can save him
from catastrophe.
Japan certainly will not sit idly by
and watch the Russians overrun
Manchuria, Japans own very special
zone of influence. The British are
likely to take a similar view of the
situation, because, in addition to
their vast interests in China proper
they are very apprehensive of So
Wet influence in Indian via Turke-
stan.
Possible Outcome
In the above event, Chang would
almost surely get his wishlmitless
support from Britain and Japan at
least--and a mortal blow, perhaps,
Aould be dealt the Nationalist cause
DR. the time being. Accused as it
already is, of being the tool of Mos
COW, it is hardly conceivable that the
Cantonese would be allowed to con-
tinue their march on Pekin, while
the Russians themselves were cross
ing the northern borders into Mongo-
liza and Manchuria, heading in the
same direction.
All this is sheer hypothesis, of
course, a sort Of thinking out loud;
but it is one possibility among others
CxD1aininR Chanr's almost rnheard