893.00/4907: Telegram
The Minister in China ( Schurman ) to the Secretary of State
[Received 4:20 p.m.]
76. My 66, February 24, 5 p.m., and 75, March 8, 1 p.m.5 Yesterday evening Chang Shao-tseng Cabinet resigned en bloc.6 At Cabinet meeting which lasted from 12:30 to 4 o’clock outstanding matters discussed were recent student activities, financial situation and ultimatum from militarists.
Students notably in Peking have since formation of Cabinet protested and paraded against Peng Yung-I as Minister of Education. They had very generally the sympathy of their teachers, and Chancellor Ts’ai of National University Peking resigned and went away on strike. Apparently in protest against Government and police, who interfered with their recent lantern demonstration, some students have now sent telegram to Sun Yat-sen addressing him as President of China denouncing Premier and especially President Li and inviting Sun to lead his troops into Peking, drive away these two tyrants, and dissolve the illegal Parliament.
I have frequently reported in addition to yesterday’s telegram how desperate the financial situation is. I now add this side light. I spent an hour and half with Minister for Foreign Affairs on 7th going over my answer in Coltman case,7 urging prompt execution wireless contract,8 and pointing out that in China’s interest something if only one overdue interest installment should be fair [paid?] to Abbott9 before he met newspaper men in San Francisco next month, after spending several months here in endeavor to get his loan repaid. In regard to last, Minister of Foreign Affairs said he had had the matter much in mind since receiving my note of a few days before10 and had consulted with the Minister of Finance who shared his sentiments and [Page 505] latter had promised him to keep for Abbott all the money that came into Treasury and he hoped they might have twenty thousand or thirty thousand dollars.
Militarist ultimatum came from Wu Pei-fu and Tsao Kun. The announced policy of Premier has been to effect the peaceful unification of the country and to hasten the promulgation of the constitution. Constitution waits on Parliament which has reported little progress not only since this Cabinet came in but since its convening on August 1st. Premier without waiting for constitution announced program of unification by means of conferences with tuchuns and other military and political leaders. Wu Pei-fu without any proclamation but by military measures embarked on policy of unification by force with the aim apparently of adding to his present central block of Honan, Hupeh and Hunan the adjoining Provinces of Kiangsi, Fukien and if possible Kwangtung on the southeast and also it is reported Sze-chuan on the west (where the local militarists have again started hostilities). To strengthen his position Wu has been demanding that the Peking Government appoint his Generals Sun Chuan-fang and Shen Hung-ying as respective tulis, that is, tuchuns under change of terminology, of Fukien and Kwangtung. If Premier consented Sun Yat-sen at least would not attend unification conference and Premier refused. Tsao Kun having now joined Wu in their ultimatum demanding the appointments, the only course open to the Cabinet was to resign. In a telegram to provincial authorities giving reasons for resignation Premier says, “attempts have been made recently to usurp authority in Kwangtung and there are signs of war on every hand. Peace is in jeopardy and there seems to be no remedy. To resort to force would be to stultify our original intentions; to sit idly by only permits the aggravating of the situation.” I am informed through ordinarily reliable channels President told Cabinet he would leave office if they insisted on resigning.