CO129-477 - Public Offices - 1922 — Page 181

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are more or less equally divided and engrossed with their own rivalries. Shensi and Kueichow and Kuangai are unimportant provinces, dependent on and influenced by their more powerful surroundings. The only inaccessible province that matters is Szechuan, which is secure in its own isolation, and possibly could only be brought into subjection by a boycott of its exports. As my recent experiences are connected with Szechuan, I feel that this province requires the most delicate handling; the feeling of restlessness may pass away with the struggle of contending factions, and the rise of a strong man to power. There is always the danger, however, of some imprudent action by a foreigner diverting the unrest to a movement against the white man, and causing a trouble which no one can foresee.

Sir,

Chengtu, December 14, 1921.

Enclosure 3 in No. 1.

Consul-General Hewlett to Sir B. Alston.

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G. PEREIRA.

Chengtu, December 24, 1922.

IN my despatch No. 29 of the 21st November I mention "disappointment at the results of the Pacific Conference as among the causes which might lead to popular movements against foreigners.

On the 19th December I was warned privately that all the schools, including the Union University, intended to go out on strike on the 21st December as a protest against the decision of the Powers, as reported in telegram which had been received by the student body here, to supervise the finances of China and to allot Tibet to Great Britain and Mongolia to Japan.

On the 20th December I called on the Deputy for Foreign Affairs, who confessed complete ignorance of the movement, and who asked me to keep Liu Yu-Chiu duly informed if the students carried out their intentions.

There was no need, however, for any such action on my part, as the students published the whole of their programme, including the route to be followed, in the native press. In addition to the student agitation, the Chamber of Commerce issued an appeal to the heads of every trade guild summoning them to a meeting. "According to a telegram," ran the appeal, "the Powers have discussed the supervision of China. Our Northern and Southern delegates there are divided in opinion. To the final extermination of our country lies before our very eyes..... We mean to rouse to action all the people here.

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The students issued two letters, one to their teachers, the other to all scholars. In the former, after stating that they are frequently in receipt of letters and telegrams from home and abroad reporting that all their most ardent hopes are being destroyed at the Pacific Conference, they continue: "We want to ronse the people and to form a foreign relations defence society. The matter involves the prestige of our country, so we ask you for one day's leave, and beg you to grant your students absolute freedom of action.

I understand the leave was not actually granted, but no steps were taken to stop the demonstrations. In the latter letter they again reiterate their intention to rise and form the defence society, as the "Pacific Conference, in so far as the reconstruction of China is concerned, has completely destroyed all our hopes," and they appeal for united action among

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The processions were perfectly orderly, and foreigners passing them were in no way insulted or molested.

Special students had been selected to give addresses during the parade through the streets. These students entered the tea-shops and harangued the people. Weeping copiously, they explained how China was on the verge of extermination, how after an existence of 5,000 years as a nation the Chinese people were now to become slaves of the Powers, no better than beasts of burden, and they urged their audiences to combine against foreign aggression.

In addition to these speeches, pamphlets were scattered broadcast. A few extracts will suffice to show the nature of these documents :-

"Arise quickly, stir up your merchant guilds, your farmer guilds, your labour organisations and every class of guild or society, and follow our example."

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The middle school of the Union University, of which Yang Shao-ch'uan is the principal, issued the following:-

"The conference has decided to hand over Manchuria and Mongolia, an area of several million square li, to the control of Japan; Tibet, a territory which produces gold, to Great Britain. Tibet adjoins Batang, Litang and Tachientu and is practically a part of Szechuan. If all China arises to oppose these measures, we may still have a little hope."

The French school is responsible for the following :-

"China's administrative and financial control are both to be handed over to the Powers.

"The eastern provinces go to Japan. The western provinces, such as Szechuan, Tibet and Yunnan and Kueichow, go to Great Britain. Southern and northern provinces will be divided between France, America and Russia, according to their propinquity. Here we have out-and-out the division of China.“

The "Public" School gives eight demands which are to be telegraphed to their representatives at the conference, Yü Jib-chang and Chiang, with the bidding that they be firmly pressed for:-

1. Equality for all countries.

2. Negotiations between countries must be public, not secret.

3. China's territory, administrative powers, mines, railways and every kind of

trading rights must never be wrested from her by force.

4. Tsingtau must be restored without negotiations

5. China's Parliament having been dissolved, no secret treaties made since the

dissolution can be recognised.

6. All leased territories and special privileges acquired by the Powers to be

abrogated.

7. Abolition of extra-territorial jurisdiction.

8. Revision of the customs tariff.

Their pamphlet ends: "All provinces, students and assemblies, officials and gentry must be requested by telegram to ask the Northern and Southern Governments to fix a limit of time within which we will make our internal affairs at one, so that we may oppose the foreigner."

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The agricultural college is the most outspoken: Who would have thought when the conference started that heart and gall could have been so utterly poisonous, and that Powers who deserve to be absolutely exterminated root and branch should avail themselves of this opportunity to discuss the partition of our territory, the control of our finances? Matters grow worse from day to day."

Although nothing untoward occurred, the pamphlets and speeches are bound to bear fruit. I had men out listening to the speeches, and the weeping students produced a decided effect. Tea-shop comment was: Yes, it is quite true: these foreigners are too brutal for words."

The use of [Chinese characters, although coming naturally in this place, is worthy of notice. I am convinced that the comment made in my despatch No. 34 of the 5th December is correct, and that the day has come when all the various societies are combining under this society.

This society, wishing for political ends to bind together certain factious in north and south, has seized on either false rumours or deliberate fabrications regarding decisions arrived at in Washington to start a movement, which now cannot be checked and which will probably spread rapidly. Once more they find that any appeal to resist the foreigner is the rallying cry, and this fact should cause those who maintain anti-foreign feeling on a certain scale does not exist to weigh their opinions more carefully.

In Szechuan, in any case, the fact may be bluntly stated, and had better be fearlessly faced, “generally speaking, the foreigner is absolutely hated.”

I have, &c.

W. M. HEWLETT.