Sun of Canton

Dr. Sun Yat-Sen, head of the Canton Government in South China, took a new lease of life. Recently he was reported on the point of disastrous defeat at the hands of General Chen Chiung-Ming's army; but as that force peremptorily demanded their back pay, and as General Chen was not in a position to accede to their imperious wishes, the army deserted and the General fled to Peking, whence he had come, and Dr. Sun Yat-Sen was left a virtual victor on the field of battle.

Securely lodged in Canton, Dr. Sun was reported to be on the point of declaring that city a free port and erecting a customs barrier around it. This would, it was pointed out, deprive Peking of 13% of its maritime customs and would thereby weaken the Central Government's already shaky finances. This is evidently part of Dr. Sun's plan to force President Tsao-Kun, against whom he is so bitter (TiME, Oct. 22), out of office.

The Diplomatic Corps was not impervious to the situation. Being essentially interested in the maintenance of the Peking Government, because it pays or tries to pay the Boxer indemnity and foreign loans, the Diplomatic Corps was allegedly of the opinion that Dr. Sun's reported attitude was not only a dangerous precedent but a measure calculated to warrant the active intervention of the Powers.