The Evening Star TUESDAY, MARCH 29, 1927. CHINA.

Evening Star, Issue 19519, 29 March 1927, Page 6

The Evening Star TUESDAY, MARCH 29, 1927. CHINA.

Gpapuaija' it becomes possible to separate truth from wild alarm, and draw a connected story from what has been happening in China. Nothing has happened so had in either Shanghai or Nanking as was feared and reported on Saturday. There has been no concerted attack on the Settlement in tho first city or massacre in tho second, but tho position is bad enough. Tho Settlement would have been invaded at least by mobs, and its thousands of foreign residents driven into the sea by now, after the pillage, murders, and rapings from which the Chinese inhabitants of Hangchow had to suffer a few weeks ago, but for tho presence of General Duncan’s force, and massacre would have been the true story of Nanking but for the promptness of tho British and American naval commanders in taking the most forcible measures for the protection of their nationals. A barrage of shrapnel, interposed between one great party of fugitives, men and women, on a hillside and a mixed force of Cantonese soldiers and civilians who were advancing against them, saved nearly a hundred from destruction, and a threat to bombard tho city was responsible for the deliverance of more than a hundred others, chiefly Americans, whom howling mobs had,surrounded in the University. The retreating Northern army seems to have been innocent of atrocities at Nanking. Everybody expected it to loot tho city, as the native city had been looted by retreating defenders at Shanghai; but' it did not do so. As soon as the conquering army began to drift in the reign of terror began. Not a single foreigner’s house, we are told, osonped, the occupants being driven out. beaten, and robbed. An English and an American doctor were murdered because they had attended the Northern wounded. That statement does not lend conviction to tho explanation of the Southern Com-mander-in-Chief, General Chiang Kaishek, that the atrocities were really performed by Northern soldiers, dressed in Southern uniforms for a disguise. Refugees insist that the attacks upon foreigners were obviously under subofficial control. It would seem that either tho Nationalist leaders were quite willing that their troops should enjoy an orgy, at the expense of “ foreign devils,” at the beginning of their triumph, or that they were utterly unable to control them by their own unassisted authority. Tho affair recalls what was reported of the indignities at Hankow. As the mob thronged through the streets of Hankow tho position became critical, but the defenders carefully refrained from firing. In order to give tho Nationalists no possible excuse for violence tho looal British authorities decided to withdraw the marines and to see what could be done by negotiation with the Kuomintang Government. Mr Eugene Chen, its Foreign Minister, professed to regret the excesses of the mob, apologised for the defacement of a war memorial, and promised to maintain order. Tho promise, in the words of the London ‘ Times,’ proved to be a ruse. Tho marines were withdrawn, the mob was driven out fay the Chinese authorities, and then Nationalist troops themselves hauled down the Union Jack, hoisted tho Nationalist flag in its place, and assumed control of the concession. Later the mob returned, ranged through the concession, attacked the police station, stormed the golf club, and established in the Union Jack Club the headquarters of tho Labor unions.

Foreign nations have much reason to feel more confidence in their guns, for tho protection of their nationals, than in any assurances given by Chinese generals. An emissary of Chiang Kai-shek, sent to Nanking, has tho sang-froid to state that “tho cause of tho foreign bombardment was unknown,” as if that might make a grievance of his countrymen. Chiang himself takes occasion to watn tho Powers that “ Britain and others cannot send enough ships and forces to crush Nationalist aspirations,” as if any effort had been made, or were likely to bo made, by the latest forces to chock aspirations of any kind, except those which might find their gratification in the looting and murders of foreigners. Ohiang’s boast that after five days he has restored order in Shanghai appears to be approximately correct. Reports suggest that the position there is now comparatively peaceful, though a .system of order which largely depends on Communist workers, enrolled as police, for its maintenance cannot prompt any great confidence in its continuance. In more than one city which the Nationalists have added to their conquests the Labor unions, organised in the first place to prepare the wav for them, now completely dominate the situation. The.v will be a problem for tho Southern armies to deal with when the millennium which they have been taught to expect fails to materialise and an end has to come to looting. The position of the foreigners, including missionaries, in some inland towns, is still highly precarious, and the only safe plan for providing for those would appear to lie in their immediate evacuation. It will bo a bad

day for Christian missions in China till tho tide of anti-foreignism, which is now the strongest sentiment of tho country, has subsided. Chians Kai-shek is already preparing for Ins march on Poking. He can get there when he pleases, thinks tho ‘Times’ correspondent. There is only Chang Tso-liu, tho Manchurian war lord, to bar his way, and Chang is faced already by the substantial army of the so-called Christian General Feng, who is in dose alliance with the Cantonese. If Chang’s troops aro not better than tho Shantungese whom he sent south, there will not be much resistance from him. But the Cantonese conquest of the whole country, if that conies to pass, will not necessarily bring peace to China. It is more likely to leave anarchy in its wake. The day of a settled Government for the chaotic Republic, with which foreign nations will be able reasonably to negotiate, is too far off yet to be discerned.