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that the Customs should have nothing whatever to do
with the collection of the new taxes in Kuang-tung,
in Shan-tung or at Hankow. There would remain, of
course, the danger to the Custom administration
from the duplication of its organization by means of
provincial collectorates and the "inspection corps".
But this risk was less inmediate than the certainty
of disaster if the Customs machinery were used for
collecting the new taxes.
45.
In the evening of the 16th December the
United States' Minister at Peking told Mr. O'Malley
that he had just received a telegram from the State
Department at Washington stating that the Japanese Ambassador there had presented the Japanese case at
great length to the Sesretary of State, who had con-
sequently telegraphed instructions that "the State
Department did not wish the proposal for the uncon-
ditional grant of the Washington surtaxes put forward,
unless there was unanimity amongst the twelve Powers'
The United States' Minister further said that he had
received a visit from the diplomatic agent of Mar-
shal Chang Tso-lin, who had given him to understand
that the northern military confederation must have
money to fight the South, that no means of raising
it apart from the Washington surtaxes had occurred
to them, and that they intended to press for the unconditional grant of these surtaxes or, if neces- sary, impose them illegally. Mr. Edwardes also in-
formed Mr. O'Malley that there was no doubt whatever
that Marshal Chang Tso-lin intended to press the
question
150