Dictator Proclaimed

One hundred and eight guns boomed, at Peking last week in terrific salute. At the Hall of Ceremonies, an imposing structure on a tiny island in the middle of a toy lake, hundreds of Chinese officers and diplomats prostrated themselves thrice. A Chinese band struck up the national anthem--to Western ears shrill and squealing. At the focus of this orgy of homage stood a slim, imperious Chinese, clad from neck to heel in a gorgeous, shimmering, blue silk Field Marshal's uniform of his own invention. This personage was the War Lord of Manchuria and North China, the great Chang Tso-lin. Japan has supported his Manchurian regime. Great Britain is believed to have poured not a little gold into his coffers. Last week he was engaged in the gesture of proclaiming himself "Dictator." In a harsh, compelling voice he swore a 20-word oath of his own devising, to the effect that his armies will now "purge China of Communism." Unfortunately all this meant nothing whatever. Chang has always been an absolute autocrat in his own dominions. He has told correspondents almost every day for at least a year that his armies were going to "purge China of Communism"; but those armies were in retreat last week toward Peking, driven from South China by the great "Nationalist" Generalissimo, Chiang Kai-shek (TIME, June 13). It seemed not unlikely that "Dictator" Chang was sounding last week the first brave notes of his swan dirge. At any rate, the Occidental diplomats at Peking did not honor his "inauguration" by their presence, seemed totally unimpressed. The wire was strung, the bags piled up (TIME, April 11) to barricade the Occidental quarter at Shanghai against possible Chinese violence after that city was taken by the "Nationalist" armies of Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek (TIME, March 28). Last week the danger of Chinese violence at Shanghai was thought to have vanished. As a precaution, however, the barricades were taken down only where they interfered with traffic, were left standing at many places in case of future emergency.