893.00/3690
The Vice Consul in Chargé at Canton (Price) to the Minister in China (Crane)49
Sir: I have the honor to state that the outstanding political features of the past week in Canton have been the arrival in Canton on November 28, 1920, of Dr. Sun Yat-sen, Dr. Wu Ting-fang, and Mr. Tang Shao-yi to take up their duties as members of the Administrative Council of the Military Government; the formal prohibition of gambling by an order issued December 1st by General Ch’en Ch’iungming functioning as Civil Governor under the Military Government at Canton; and the general state of military inactivity along the Kwangtung-Kwangsi border. The opinion is currently expressed that the Cantonese forces are losing much of their enthusiasm for any military activity beyond the borders of Kwangtung province. On the other hand there seems to be taking place in Kwangsi province, under the leadership of the disaffected Kwangsi General, Ch’en Ping-chun an “Irredentist” movement similar to the “Canton for the Cantonese” enterprise of General Ch’en Ch’iung-ming. This [Page 485] movement appears to be directed against General Lu Jung-t’ing and his followers. General Mo Jung-hsin ex-Military Governor of Canton, under the Kwangsi regime seems to have lost his entire power.
Canton is quiet though business is still very dull.
I have [etc.]
- Copy forwarded to the Department by the vice consul in charge at Canton under covering despatch no. 189 of the same date; received Jan. 5, 1921.↩