| Show I Chinas China's Perilous Plight UT of the confusion in the dispatches for the 0 OUT J 3 past ten days enough seems finally to have emerged to form a basis for appraisal of the situa situation sit sit- sit sit-S ua ion in China j r k-r From a military viewpoint the fall of Canton Canton Cantori Can- Can ton tori and constituted terrific blows blows' of rn major jor significance to the Chinese army army Justification for calling either a decisive battle has not so far developed There is hardly hardly hard hard- ly any any cause for calling the capture of Canton s southern capital a battle despite the amazing rapidity of movement of the Japanese inland after putting into Bias bay near the British concession concession concession con con- cession at Hong Kong fell as the culmination cul- cul of long preparation by the Japanese undoubtedly made easier by a defeatist psychology ogy growing out of the situation at Canton That General Chiang shek Kai-shek sensed a growing feeling among Chinas China's citizens and soldiers soldiers soldiers sol sol- sol sol- diers that the war was over and China beaten is reflected in his appeal to them as faced certain doom Keep up the fighting All is not lost These two losses though picture a China with back to the wall wan It is still possible that it itcan itcan can extricate itself from its predicament and re return return return re- re turn to the field fit and nd fighting The political situation and the temper of the people of C China ina favor the odds for Japan even more than if it had won more and greater gains gainson on the battlefield ld The unification of all China and the support of the red army put better I. I chances of victory into General Chiang's hands th than n did the actual reinforcement of the army and the supply of additional materiel The present present pres pres- ent lent defection in southern China has destroyed this unity Unless the breach can be speedily healed possibly healed possibly even at the cost of depriving the theS ge generalissimo of supreme authority Chinas authority Chinas China's chance of welding its fighting forces together o in time to to defend what she still holds to re reo retake retake retake re- re take lost ground or prevent Japan from consolidating consol consol- id ting and holding its gains now seems remote indeed The Canton and victories have put new esprit in Japans Japan's armies and heartened the morale at home which had almost touched bot bot- tom torn The high points of those important gains have been Cutting off supplies from Chinas China's armies over the Canton railroad leaving leaving leaving leav leav- ing only precariouS precariouS' roads open for trucking supplies supplies supplies sup sup- plies into the Canton area from Indo-China Indo and Burma virtual neutralization of lines of supply from Russia into the territory north of the Yangtze river So Chinas China's lifeline for its armies armies' has lias been washed out A crushing blow even if other losses were not to be ad added edl edlAs As matters now stand China has lost nearly one-fourth one of its area to the Japanese but Japanese but it contains by far the larger portion of her wealth and half of her population China is left without a seaport of its own Japan has control of virtually all of the Chinese coast coast- line Practically all railroad mileage is in Japanese Japanese Japanese Jap Jap- anese hands Chinas China's six principal cities are held by the enemy enemy Shanghai Shang Shang- hai Canton and The Yangtze and her other great waterways are held by the invader Japan has taken 13 of Chinas China's 23 provinces inces but inces-but but their inhabitants are arc not yet reconciled reconciled reconciled recon recon- to accepting Japa Japanese ese rule If the Japanese Japanese Japanese Jap Jap- anese should finally prevail it may take more than one generation to obtain their mildly willing willing willing will will- ing submission Much more than has transpired in ir the news from China and Japan so far is needed before it may be said whether the war is to go on or peace is near at hand whether peace will follow follow fol- fol low stunning military defeat or the intercession of foreign powers Japan has about exhausted its treasury but evidently has a considerable credit Its army and its its' are weary of war Its manpower is running very low Chinas China's treasury is running low its m manpower is is' inexhaustible it nears zero on fresh supplies of munitions and has no way to bring them in if it could cO get them Her people are divided Even guessing is pretty much a waste of time |
