The Southland Times. PUBLISHED EVERY MORNING. Luceo Non Uro. THURSDAY, DECEMBER 17, 1931. CHIANG’S RESIGNATION

Southland Times, Issue 21579, 17 December 1931, Page 6

The Southland Times. PUBLISHED EVERY MORNING. Luceo Non Uro. THURSDAY, DECEMBER 17, 1931. CHIANG’S RESIGNATION

The resignation of Chiang Kaishek may not be the simple retirement the announcement suggests. Despite the elaborate constitution drawn up some tune ago President Chiang Kai-shek has ruled virtually as dictator and he has been powerful enough to defeat the military rivals who have appeared against him, but for some time his Government has been under steady pressure, bankers and trades unions threatening coercive action unless the militarist government were replaced by a purely civilian one. Early in November the bankers issued a manifesto refusing further loans to the Government, and this followed close on the heels of a strike threat unless the character of the government were changed. Chiang Kai-shek waved these demands to one side while he attempted to deal with the Manchurian trouble, but his failure to achieve a settlement of the dispute compelled him to adopt a more conciliatory tone in dealing with his local opponents, especially those in the south, because Canton has been moving vigorously to bring about a'union of all groups opposed to the President. A month ago it looked as if Chiang Kaishek’s surrender was merely a matter of weeks, but while on the one hand it was believed that he would relinquish all grip on the Government and become merely chairman of the National Council of Defence, there were many important people who believed that Chiang would give up the presidency, but continue the dictatorship under a new title and in a new office. This he did on a previous occasion, maintaining his control of

the Government by virtue of his power as Commander-in-Chief of the army. The student demonstrations have not been the cause of his resignation, or at least not the only cause. Chiang Kai-shek has weathered more than one storm by knowing how and when to retreat, and it would appear that his successor has already been recognized as a servitor of the Dictator. The appearance of a new Cabinet in Japan, credited withmorepacifie ideas, may give some hope of a peaceful liquidation of the Manchurian trouble, but the Chinese students who have been making vigorous demonstrations have* been clamouring for warlike action, and their complaint against Chiang Kai-shek’s government is that it has not shown a stiff front to Japan. If Chiang Kai-shek relinguishes all power, and makes way for a government of civilians wholly free of his influence there will be grave danger of a new internal rupture, with the re-appear-ance of some of the well-known military lords. Chang Hsuch-liang in Peking joined Chiang Kai-shek, and so far his given no indication of any determination to desert him, but Chiang’s grip on Manchuria seems to have relaxed in the last few months and his attitude to Nanking may undergo a change. If Chiang Kaishek keeps control of the army, and maintains sufficient freedom of action he will be in a position to protect and dominate the Government at Nanking, but his withdrawal must expose a civilian government to tremendous .risks in a country in which the bulk of the population knows the central government only as a distant animal with an enormous appetite for money. China is not unified to-day. Chiang Kai-shek’s military strength, and his skill in intrigue has eliminated all serious rivals, but Feng and Wu Pei-fu are still alive and there are other military' leaders who are prepared to make a bid for supreme control as soon as the opportunity offers. The situation is complicated by the fact that while the Southerners who oppose the militarist government do not seek war with Japan, the Northerners who demand Chiang Kai-shek’s withdrawal do so because they think he has been weak in not pitting China’s armies against the Japanese forces in Manchuria. The situation may become clearer in a day or so, but the complete effacement of Chiang Kai-shek is unlikely and certainly is dangerous. The latest messages credit him with a determination to carry on as Commanderin- Chief, and that would suggest that he has only retreated and proposes to maintain his hold on the position through a Government ostensibly civilian.