A Manifesto was issued yesterday (March 2nd) by the Southern
Peace Delegation to the Chinese press locally and throughout the
country, to all the Provincial legislative bodies, as well as
the commercial, [Page 308]
educational and other organizations, in explanation of the
present situation as regards the Peace Conference and in
justification of the stand taken by them in this connection.
After more than a year of internal strife with which the
Republic of China has been inflicted in the midst of the
great world conflict then raging, the Military
Government pursuant to the trend of public opinion and
the disinterested advice of friendly Powers, in a spirit
of sincerity, took joint action with the Peking
Government in convening a peace conference and delegated
to it special representatives with plenary powers in the
hope that all fundamental questions at issue might be
thoroughly threshed out and settled, so as to attain our
object of permanent peace—which action and resolve are,
we believe well known to all, at home and abroad.
Unfortunately, complications have sprung up from the two
major questions which were the first to receive the
attention of the six sessions of the Conference since
the 20th of February last, namely the cessation of
hostilities in Shensi and the suspension of formation of
the War Participation Army. The result is that the
[other] fundamental questions are given no opportunity
of discussion.
As peace is the objective of the Conference, and as peace
and war are logically impossible of simultaneous
pursuit, the Peking Government is either manifestly
guilty of insincerity, when it attempts to carry on
warfare while on the other hand it talks peace; or else
its authority carries no weight. If the latter is true a
patched-up peace will prove an unhappy one.
It may be observed that on the 16th November last the
Peking Government issued a mandate promulgating the
armistice, which included Shensi and Fukien in its
operation. But under the pretext of fighting to subdue
bandits, the invasion of Shensi was made, so that for
the past three months or more the inhabitants of Shensi
have been inflicted with indescribable miseries
resulting therefrom. This state of things dragged on
until February 13th, when a mandate was issued ordering
cessation of fighting in Shensi, Fukien and Western
Hunan, in accordance with the five articles of the modus operandi proposed by
General Li Shun, Tuchun of Kiangsu.28 Then it was
that the Northern Peace Delegation declared formally at
the Conference that the Northern Government would accept
full responsibility for the enforcement of the armistice
in Shensi from the 13th (February) henceforward. But
express mail advices received from the front in Shensi
dated between the 14th and 21st (Feb.), all confirm the
reports of a general invasion by Northern troops, the
loss of positions in the Eastern and Western fronts and
even the instability of San Yuen, the headquarters of
the Southern forces.
Although this Delegation requested to be placed in direct
telegraphic communication with San Yuen as a preliminary
step towards [Page 309]
the cessation of hostilities, we have up to now received
not a single telegram from our friends there.
In this anomalous state of war and peace parley going on
simultaneously, how could the undersigned, who have been
charged with the duty of negotiating peace, have the
face to meet the people of Shensi or the world without
self reproach? Consequently, on the 28th February at 9
o’clock in the morning we demanded an answer, within 48
hours (from the Peking Government), to our proposal for
the effective enforcement of the armistice and the
removal of General Chen Shu-Fan from his office of
Tuchun of Shensi, and that if no satisfactory reply or
none at all was received within that time limit; it
would be conclusive evidence of the want of sincerity on
the part of the Peking Government, and in that event the
suspension of negotiation would become an unavoidable
matter.
The period having expired without receipt of any reply,
from tomorrow (the day automatically set for the next
session) forward, it will be impossible to proceed with
the conference, the Northern Delegation furthermore
having already resigned in a body.
We, Tong Shao Yi and the others of the undersigned, being
deficient in talent and learning, deeply blame our own
selves for the unexpected set-back administered to the
universally longed for peace.
Moreover, in view of the Military Government’s earnest
desire for peace and its conciliatory spirit and the
sincere wish of the undersigned to push forward this
peace movement in spite of difficulties, we would have
positively refused to see this set-back come to pass,
had it not been a case of utter impossibility to proceed
under present circumstances.
That the War Participation Army should be dispensed with,
the reason is manifestly obvious. For to make peace is
to desist from war. At the present juncture of the close
of the European war, when it is the purpose of the
present Conference to make a start with the scheme of
military reduction on a large scale, the North takes
occasion to materialize its scheme of increasing its
military strength under the pretext of national defence.
What other motive could it have in taking such an
extraordinary step?
Upon our request to be put in possession of copies of the
Sino-Japanese naval and military pacts and their annexes
and complete version of the War Participation Loan
Agreement, only copies of the military and naval pacts
without annexes have been put before the Conference
which so far has had no opportunity to take them up in
discussion.
In a word, peace can only be attained by (1) getting at
the root of all trouble and (2) removing all obstacles.
The success of the two steps are dependent upon each
other. If the obstacles are not removed, there is no way
to get at the root. The first step has hardly been taken
so far, but a great upheaval is already in order. Under
such circumstances we can do nothing but bear the blame
and reproach of the public. But so long as the existence
of the nation hangs in the balance and so long as the
people are passing through the ordeal of fire and water,
we must appeal to our friends for advice and guidance so
that we may know what to do and how to proceed. [Page 310] Tong Shao Yi,
Chang Shih-Chao, Hu Han-Ming, Miao Chia-Shou, Tseng Yen,
Kuo Chun-Shen, Liu Kwang-Lieh, Wang Po-Chun, Peng
Yun-xi, Yao Ming-Luen, and Li Shih-Ying.
