Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-01-28
n CHINA'S SHIFT OF POWER
/ FROM NORTH TO SOUTH
The Worlds Anxious Query: Can Canton Bring
Unity and Strong Government TO China
Though Picking Failed?

United States would probably go too.
Our many past acts and constant
protestations of friendship would
make small appeal to either Russian
or Chinese foreigner-haters.
The Cantonese government is de-
handing immediate surrender by the
powers of extraterritoriality privileges
and limitations upon the tariff on inn
ports, while at the same time mobs,
abetted rather than hindered by the
soldiers, are driving out foreigners
with violence from Chinese cities and
towns, destroying treaty concessions
and privileges, and demonstrating the
utter helplessness of foreigners in
China If extraterritoriality is aban-
doned, or it's protection taken from
them by force. There is no proof, as
yet, that the Cantonese government is
better able under new treaties to carry
out its agreements with the foreign
powers in respect to Shanghai and
Tientsin than the government at
Picking was able in it's agreements to
speak for Shanghai and Canton.
Americas Puzzling Dilemma.
This situation confronts our gov
eminent with a puZzling dilemma. If
China is to continue to be the fight
ing ground Of war lords. each with
his ever.shifting army of mercenary
soldiers; If a responsible, powerful
central government is still to be lack
ing, and If the trend is obviously
toward a clash between the yellow
and white races, America is driven.
for the protection of the life and
property of its nationals in Asia, to
cooperate with a chastened Britain,
chastened by the lessons of the boy
colt and by the bruising assaults of
Chinese "nationalism." When Amer
lean or British lives are threatened
In some emergency in the Orient, the
United States and Great Britain are,
instinctively and promptly, natural
allies in protection or rescue of their
nationals.
pect of China unified politically
Cantonese government, and that
government has the power and
the purpose to contrec the aaobs and
the war lords and ia aanls * armed
mercenaries that irTASsi and AOfninate
China today, America wiz eagerly
cooperate with tina. suvernr cent, ask
ing no special discriminatory conces-
sions, privileges and powers, and in
hearty sympathy with China's strug-
gle for unity under tie inspiration of
the spirit of nationalism will exchange
carry out pledges of justice and amity.
Such action will be IL accordance with
America traditional pviicy Of friendly
and relatively unself1s6 Eelpfulness to-
ward China, which has been repeated
ly and consistently IN evidence of
record.
The demand OF the Cantonese gov
eminent that America and Europe
cancel at once the unequal treaties,
aTnts 4f1nN .F
ritoriality and abandon cGatrol direct
or indirect of the tariff rates on i'm
ports, is under present conditions
paradoxical and sardonic; for there
has never been a. time when foreigners
so Enthusiastically needed the protec-
ton of extraordinarily privileges,
or when anti-foreign mob violence
was so feebly controlled by the NOM
inal central government. And in re-
spect to the increase Of tariff duties
on imports. the Cantonese government
in the same breath inconsistency de.
mands the increased tariff duties and
protests against the British offer to
put them into immediate operation.
Canton confesses that it wants no
increased revenue from tariff duties
until it can handle the increased rev.
enue itself. 1t wants no money to
go to Shanghai to furnish the sinews
Of war to it's enemies. Consequently
1t demands and protests against the
same thing in the same breath.
AS Secretary Kellogg aptly sug-
gests, our government, determined to
abrogate an existing unequal treaty,
must negotiate substitute for it
with a government able 20 perform
the duties and meet the obligations
of the new treaty, and this agree
ment must then be ratified by the
Senate, just as the Objectionable
treaty which it displaces was thus
ratified. But il China remains divided
over government can as readily make
two new treaties of justice and peace
as one and will thus deal with both
Picking and Canton.
The Capital of Unified China.
Who will control the future unified
China's government? This is the vital
question which puzzles America and
Europe. Peking's pretensiOn to be the
dominating seat OF government of uni.
fed China has been negatived. Shan.
ghai and Marking are not now i'm the
active competition. Has Canton sue.
ceeded, where Picking failed. i'm i'm
pressing itself upon united China as
the sincere exponent and unfaltering
champion of Chinese nationaIisrn? Ia
Canton to be acclaimed as the proud
capital of unified China? Or viii China
be divided, and two strong govern
ments i'm their respective sections ex-
ercise control?
The result of the great battle, now
impending, between the two Changs-
Chang Ts0-lin of the north and Chang
Kai-Shek Of the sOutll-may answer
these questions.