Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-06-05
Change in China
a. .ee Lineup Puzzles
BY DREW PEARSON. +:


Events in China this week, includ
ing the movement of nearly 2,0O'
American Marines to Tientsin. where
thew are due tomorrow, indicates tina
the United States soon may be forced
to recognize the Nationalist govern
ment.
The troop movement also points II
a determined policy on the part of the
American Government to defend th'
9O.mile stretch of railroad Whlcf
connects Picking with the sea, ant
which was allocated to the United
states to safeguard after the Boxer
rebellion.
Nationalist victories have convinced
American naval commanders in emma
that there is imminent danger OF re
kings fall. Up until the present the
Nationalist armies have been pickering
among themselves on the north shore
of the Yangtze River. at a very safe
distance from Picking. Chang kal
Shek. the generalissimo who led the
.riumphal march up from Canton, spit
with his colleagues over the question
of communism, his colleagues favoring
a radical anti-foreign program.
Now, however, both sides have come
together, though how no body knows
Probably because each expects to get
the major portion of cabinet seats
once Picking is reached.
Allied with these reunited National
lists is Feng Yu-Hsiang, the so-called
christian general" who has long
dominated northwest China, and Yen
Shi.Shan. governor of Shansi province
and one of the most honest admins
traitors in China. WI Pei-Fu, once a
power in Central China, is also re-
ported to be cooperating with the
Nationalist, but his allegiance is
rather an uncertain factor, since he
has at odd times fought Strenuously
for Feng against Chang, and cham
pioned Chang against Feng. His last
break with Feng came on Wu's birth
day, when WI, who is great drinker,
received from Feng a gift of a large
jug of water.
This allied combination has sue
ceeded in pushing the forces of Chang
Tso-Lin to the north bank of the yell
low River, whence American eX-
perts believe there will be steady adj
vance on to Picking.
Tientsin is the pivot point in this
advance. The most important railroad
junction in all China, it controls not
OIllN IHS uuNdICG W l. p'N HANO
the route along which the Manchurian
forces must retreat north. To protect
Americans living in TientSin against
hooters of both armies is one OF the
reasons for the sudden dispatch of Ma
rines. The other reason is the obliga-
ton of the United States under the
Boxer protocol to keep open the rail-
road between TieStsin and Picking.
Picking is the goal for which every
Chinese army has fought, not because
it's massive walls and dragoned tenn
pies are really sacred to the Chinese,
but because the government which
captures Picking has always been
given diplomatic recognition by the
foreign powers. This recognition is
granted chiefly because the foreign
diplomats live in Picking. Failing any
other system of deciding what war
lord represents China, it is easiest to
deal with the one who presents him
self at the gates of the Picking legation
quarter ready to do business.
Therefore with the Nationalist gov
eminent controlling Picking. it may be
impracticable for the State Depart
ment to refuse recognition, especially
since the Nationalist now hold a
firmer hand over most of China than
any recent government.
With a Nationalist victory at
Picking, the State Department will
face the problem of dealing with a
government whose success is consider
ably due to Soviet propaganda, Soviet
advisers and Soviet munitions, and
also the problem of abolishing extra
territoriality and foreign customs
control.
Those who know China, however,
are wondering whether the Nationalist
government once Picking is seized,
may not run true to the precedent set
by all other Chinese governments and
disintegrate into rival factions, each
claiming to represent China,
tCopyright. 1921