893.00/4416: Telegram
The Minister in China (Schurman) to the Secretary of State
[Received 3:30 p.m.]
244. My telegram number 243, June 2, 4 p.m. Saw Acting Premier Chow Tzu-ch’i yesterday afternoon soon after President’s departure. [Page 712] He said that President had by mandate and in accordance with law ordered Cabinet to administer the duties of the office of President. He expected Li Yuan-hung in few days to take over Presidency.
Li Yuan-hung’s return to Presidency has been publicly favored by Wu Pei-fu, Tsao Kun and Chihli party leaders generally. They approve also of re-convocation of old Parliament of which a group of members met June 2nd Tientsin to discuss coming session and also to urge Li Yuan-hung as lawful President to complete his Presidential term. It is assumed that Vice President to be elected will succeed to Presidency and politicians are already supporting and opposing Tsao Kun the eastern boss of the Chihli party and “master” of Wu Pei-fu. It looks as though parliamentary quorum would be impossible without the block of some two hundred members whom Sun controls in Canton. Sun’s position meanwhile has been suddenly improved first by Macao trouble, see my telegram number 238, May 29, 6 p.m.,47 which he is suspected of having stirred up and in which he has won cheap fame by his Government coming forward in defense of the rights of the Chinese people and secondly by his capture in the last few days of Kanchow and Wanan in Kiangsi and his advance on Chian distant from Nanchang 105 miles. These military successes Sun owes to the refusal of Kiangsi Tuchun’s troops to fight, their pay being in arrears. But Wu Pei-fu is now despatching reenforcements and Sun should soon be checked. Possession of an indispensable section of members of old Parliament by Sun and his own name will be his most valuable assets when it comes to discussion of plans for reunion. American journalists [garbled group] Chen Chiung-ming are getting together.
Military preparations continue in North. In last five days of May about 10,000 troops passed through Tientsin en route to points beyond Tangshan. Intelligence officer American forces Tientsin estimates Wu Pei-fu has now more troops on the railway than Chang Tso-lin has within wall and Wu Pei-fu also has unknown number troops making flanking movement more than sufficient. Intelligence officer conjectures Wu Pei-fu is planning to follow Chang Tso-lin beyond wall.
Chang Tso-lin returned May 30 to Mukden for some days. Some unrest and disorder in Province but Chang’s position locally strong and no change anticipated so long as he retains loyalty of his officers. Chang accuses British Minister and British generally of assisting Wu Pei-fu and on June 1st he told five representative British subjects whom he invited to meet him in Mukden that on account of reports of such British assistance his troops had become anti-British and he might therefore be unable to protect British [Page 713] life and property in Manchuria though he himself doubted truth of report. Pontius considers this another move to bring about intervention.
Though Chang Tso-lin gave a different explanation I suspect the real reason of his visit to Mukden was the defection among his troops in Chinese Eastern Railway zone. He quickly despatched 1,000 then 2,000 then 4,000 additional men. For further details see Stevens’ and Hanson’s telegrams.
There is general expectation that Wu Pei-fu will be victorious in all military operations. His difficulties will come with politics and finance. In spite of all his declarations to the contrary circumstances will not I suspect permit him to keep hands off.
- Not printed.↩