Foreign News: Civil War

General Shen Hung-Ying, recently appointed military Governor of Kwang-Tung province by the Peking Government, attacked the Canton troops supporting Dr. Sun Yat-Sen. The attack was provoked by an entangling series of alliances between the Tuchuns (war lords), and it is stated on reliable authority that the present conflict was principally due to the efforts of General Wu Pei-Fu who is the most powerful supporter of the Peking administration and the bitter enemy of Dr. Sun.

The present political position is that President Li is obliged to stand in with General Wu in order to keep his job; for Dr. Sun has openly agreed to recognize as a candidate for the Presidency General Tsao-Kun. The Government party is, then, a tertuis quid, because the issue is between General Wu and his friends and Dr. Sun Yat-Sen and his supporters.

For some time a civil war has been in the course of preparation and it is considered that war on a large scale between the two camps is not improbable. Peace negotiations were inaugurated when it became evident that war would ensue between the North and the South; these negotiations, however, broke down when it became known that General Wu had virtually ordered the attack to be made on Dr. Sun. The delegates on both sides showed some surprise, for it was considered that a peaceable solution could be found to the problems of the two factions. Says Dr. Sun: “The other party lacks sincerity in its peace talk. Shen Hung-Ying attacked Canton upon receiving secret orders from the Northern Government. Fortunately, we defeated him and he is being pursued by our army. Falsely they talk peace to slacken our preparations, but in fact they dream of military conquest.”