Gun-running in China: its principles

Title

Creator

Casey, Robert J.

Language

English

Year

1928

Rights

In Copyright - Educational Use Permitted

Fulltext

February, 1928 THE AMERICAN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE JOURNAL 13 Three McKinley Stars: Jacob, CF; Le Loup, P; Escamos, C.—Leaders in their positions and high in the batting list. tered their interest around the commander’s put ting. After he had sunk the fifth and sixth putts, their part in the golf match was practically forgotten. His seventh putt was sensational. It was over 20 yards. The excitement was at a high pitch on the eighth. The commander was visibly nervous and anticipated a break in his putting powers. He got by the eighth, and the ninth, as previously stated, was easy. “I wouldn’t take a $100 for the thrill of witnessing Slayton’s performance”, Captain Whitaker stated after the match was over. “It was worth all of that.” Gun-Running In China: Its Principles By Robert J. Casey* Business vs. Sentiment Mukden, Manchuria, Nov. 7.—There is good money in filibustering if you can sell your product. And whatever the advantages of peace times, they furnish a very poor market for second-hand rifles. The question of peace is, of course, an academic discussion. China is pretty old now and get ting older every day, but not within the memory of the oldest inhabitant has there been any of this thing called peace that threatens so much peiil to the arms market. However, it is sometimes necessary to provide new markets for one’s wares. It is a principle of gun-running, if gun-running may be said to have any principles, that when one army is completely equipped one must provide a new army that is not equipped. And through a strict adherence to this simple rule of the trade I. Namahashi, the eminent Japanese gun runner, has made quite a nice thing out of his business. Not once has Mr. Namahashi allowed senti ment to creep into his transactions with the factional chiefs of this fair land. And he has had plenty of cause to be thank ful for his sturdy reluctance to let friendship, if any, inter fere with the marking of his price tags. Consider, for instance, the case of Chee Yuankai. Chee Yuan-kai was a lieutenant of Chang Tso-lin and, as such, was widely respected. In point of fame he was almost as great as the dic tator he served. In fact, one of the few differ ences between him and his commander-in-chief was that the loot all went to Peking instead of to G. H. Q. This, of course, did not seem fair, and he mentioned the situation to I. Namahashi. “I am just as good a general as Chang Tso-lin and I am sure that I would make just as good a dictator. I know seventy-five new and un tried methods of levying taxes Just as Good and I could get rich very as Chang speedily if I were allowed to put them into practice. But I certainly would be a fool to tell what I know to this Chang. He would merely give me another medal or a silly citation and I should Other events in Manila golf last month wer e many. Mrs. E. J. Nell defeated Mrs. E. F. Butler in the finals of the Women’s Open Golf Championship Tournament, winning the title left vacant several months ago by Mrs. Merrill. P. B. Santos won the Yamato Trophy at the Wack Wack Golf Club after some heavy compe tition. The Manila Golf Club team made a successful invasion of foreign shores, visiting Hongkong and returning home with a scalp. The Caloocan stars, headed by J. R. H. Mason, defeated the Shanghai team in the 1928 interport matches after losing their first match to the Hongkong aggregation. This month should produce some spectacular golf at Caloocan, with the annual open cham pionship of the Philippines on. Several new faces are on the entry list, while Larry Montes, the muny links caddy who created a stir last year, gets his second crack at the title. In the boxing world, nothing of great im portance happened in January. A sailor named Joe King made his appearance as a main event boy and kayoed Plamus of Corregidor in the short space of 45 seconds, and then lost to Harry Wills in a fight that went the limit of 12 rounds. The other contests of the month were only mediocre. The evening of February 4, Pete Sarmiento lost to Little Moro in the sixth round of a sched uled 12 round encounter. Sarmiento actually won the fight by a kayo. The blow, called a foul by the referee, was in reality a solar plexus punch well above the waistline. A body puncher of Sarmiento’s type is out of luck in the Phildie possessed of only a couple of million yen.” “I am sure you would be the most able dicta tor China hai ever seen,” replied Mr. Nama hashi. “And I can supply you with enough arms to equip a pair of divisions at $50,000 Mex.per thousand, and some of our grade B am munition—plenty good enough for the fighting of a Chinese war—at $10 the thousand lounds, * * * And I shall require $500,000 Mex. cash in advance.” “I can hear the country calling for me,” mur mured Gen. Chee. “The time is ripe for a new savior of China to rise up and get his cut.” So Chet Yuan-kai took the field. And what happened is now history. The maps of the world have been changed before now because a strategist was just a little too good He Takes for his job. the Field Chee Yuan’s attack on the right wing was so unexpected that his opponents had no time for preparation—a per formance so much at a variance with the local etiquette as to seem incredible. His fresh divi sions swung into action so energetically and fired off their rifles so continuously that the enemy had only one maneuver left. The foe leaped out of the trenches and ran and several hundred men were fearfully injured by getting trodden under foot. The result, of course, was what might have been expected. Gen. Chee’s troops, led on by this simple strategy, got spread all over north China. Their line of communication was broken Mindoro Sugar Company San Jost, Mindoro, P. I. WELCH - FAIRCHILD, LTD SUGAR FACTORS AND EXPORTERS MANILA, P. I. Cable Address: VVEHALD, Manila Standard Codes Agents Hawaiian-Philippine Company Operating Sugar Central Silay, Occ. Negros, P. I. Manila’s Babe Ruth, Luke Gage, Cavite CF, has no local rival at the bat. ippines. Every time he lands in an opponent’s mid-section and the latter gets hurt, the crowd yells foul. In these islands a boxer is not con sidered unless he throws his leath er at long range. The remainder of the fights this month hold nothing much for the fans. Jimmy Hill, the worst fighter in the is lands, is slated to fight Irineo Flores, while Louis Logan squares off with Ceferino Garcia. The latter en counter may prove interest ing. Baseball was featured by the rise of the Eagles from last posi tion in batting averages to the top spot. The All-American nine came out of its slump to hammer every pitcher in the league. They won the majority of their games by attenuation and the general himself found that he was open to attack at any moment. Under the circumstances there was only one thing to do. Gen. Chee also ran. He got back to Mukden undetected and was congratulating himself on the narrowness of his escape when two of Gen. Chang’s secret service operatives arrived to question him. “A revolution?” he repeated. "Yes, I have just heard of it. I know what happened. This 1‘ . villain Namahashi has been tampering with ” some of my stupid lieutenants Oh, Another and I am just at this moment Revolution! going out to kill him and prove my undying loyalty to our tupan, Gen. Chang.” “It might be a good policy to do that at once, or else shoot yourself,” admitted one of the detectives. So Gen. Chee picked up one of Mr. Namahashi’s bargain rifks and set out to wipe out his disgrace, ii any, by killing his cor rupter. He met Namahashi out in front of the rail road station and he fired a complete clip at him from a range of 100 feet. Mr. Namahashi looked pained, walked into the station and took a train for Antung. “No use talking, you can’t mix anything but business with business,” Mr. Namahashi ob served to the Japanese guard as the train pulled out. “Just think of what might have happened if I hadn’t cut the corners a little and sold him paper bullets.” *While Captain Robert J. Casey is on his Far Eastern trip, the Journal will frequently reprint his articles from the Chirayo Dail;, Km. His war diary TheCannoncers llate Ilairy Ears, is his latest book.—ED. Eat New York Agents: Welch, Fairchild & Co., Inc. 135 Front Street San Francisco Agents: Welch & Co., 215 Market Street IN RESPONDING TO ADVERTISEMENTS PLEASE MENTION THE AMERICAN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE JOURNAL

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