THE DWINDLING POWER OF PEKING
[To the Editor of the SrEc-raToal Sm,—I was absent from Shanghai for most of September or I should have written earlier about your admirable article on China in your issue of August 7th. The intentions of the Washington Conference were excellent, but they failed because they assumed that Peking was the Capital of China as London is of England. In point of fact, Peking as regards the provinces is not even primus inter pares, and its power has gradually dwindled to little more than the space within its walls, though from time to time it may suit the purpose of some provincial war lord to pretend that he recognizes its authority—which merely means that he for the time being can pull most of its strings.
Even at the time of the Washington Conference, Canton protested violently against Peking being accepted as the representative of China and sent a delegate of its own to Washington, although, of course, he was not admitted to the Conference. Very soon after the Conference it became evident that in promising certain concessions to Peking the Powers had only thrown a new apple of discord into this already distracted country. Take, for instance, the promise of additions to the Customs schedule. In the view of the pro- vinces these, if granted to Peking, would simply mean to the people, say, of Canton, that the politicians in Peking were to be permitted to clap an extra tax on Cantonese trade for their own benefit. And this, as China goes to-day, is no unfair view : because, if Peking got the proposed surtax, it would immediately raise a loan on the proceeds which would be squandered and misappropriated in exactly the same way that has happened to all other loans contracted by Peking in recent years.
Directly the meeting of the Tariff Conference was announced, Sun Chuan-fang on the one side, Cantonese on the other, declared that they would do their best to prevent its coming to anything. It is not too much to say that the recognition given by the Powers to Peking is a fruitful source of civil war in China, because the prestige resulting from that recognition, and the possibility of turning such prestige to profitable account by means of loans and also by what can be got out the surplus of the Customs and Salt Revenues is a continual temptation to political adventurers.—I am, Sir, &c.,
0. M. GREEN,
Editor, North China Daily News.
North China Buildings, Shanghai, China.
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