CRISIS IN CHINA.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 11670, 10 April 1916, Page 6

CRISIS IN CHINA.

THE MONARCHICAL QUESTION MOVEMENT AGAINST YUAN-SHIH-KAI SPREADING. By Telegraph—Press ABSocintion—Copyright. (Received April 10. 1 p.m.) PEKIN, April 0. Tho tendency of tho whole of Southern China is to join the movement against Yuan-Shih-Kai. The President hiis not made the concessions necessary to save the situation and has lost tho sympathy of practically all the prominent public men A large part of the northern army is.blocked no in Szeehuen .and is dispirited owing to tho renunciation of the proposed monarchy. Many fear tho collapse of the President's Government following the division of the country into different military commands, but it is avoidable provided the Monarchists take no desperate steps to endeavour to keep Yuan-Shih-Kai in power. (Some explanation of the Political split caused by Yuan-Shih-Kars monarchical leanings was given recently in San Francisco by Sun Fo, son of Dr Sun- Yat Sen, foremost leader of the Chinese democracy and first President of the Chinese republic. Sun. Fo, speaking in a general way of tho numerical strength and geographical position of the two great parties—republican and monarchical—that have been stirred to activity in the last few months by the forcing of the monarchical issue, said that this line of political deroar'kation divides the country into northern and southern parts. In the northern portion, he said, Yuan-Shih-Kai has his greatest strength, while the southern provinces are almost universally in favour of the republican form of government.. The provinces that had revolted are Kwang Si, Yunnan, Kwei Chow, Szeehuen, and possibly Kiang Su. The provinces of .the north, where Yuan-Shih-Kai's strength lies, are the metropolitan province of Chili, in which PekiA is located. Shantung. Honan, the native province of Yuan-Shih-Kai,. Shan Si and Sh*n Si. Among the southern provinces, ho said, that will give strength to the republican cause aro Szeehuen, the largest province'of the republic, where the revolution against the Manehu dynasty originated, and of which Nanking is capital, Chiking, Fukien, Kwang Tung, Kwang Si. Yunnan, and Kweichow.)