The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1926-12-18
BY MANUEL GOMEZ.

atey after the capture OF Nanchang by the Canton
csc forces, which has a particular claim on our
attention.
Our attitude toward America" said the Chinese
revolutionary commanderin-chief sis friendly, but
we consider America an imperialist because she
has not give the Philippines freedom Any country
holding territory outside Its natural boundaries has
an imperialist nature and must relinquish claims
to such territory"
TUBS simple statement by a leading Chinese revo
lutionary nationalist, experienced in the ways Of
imperialism, strips the mask OF democracy from
the face of Wall Streets government and exposes
1t as an instrument of nance-capital using its police
power not only against workers in this country but
also against weaker peoples abroad The fact that
the United States is formally republic does not
prevent 1t from being ruled by handful Of hnanc
iers whose lust for empire no less imperative than
II they were living in what is frankly styled the
British empire. General Chang mentions only the
philippines, but the American empire includes also
the colonies of Hawaii Guam and Porto Rico, the
protectorates OF Cuba, Panama Haiti and Santo
Domingo, and sphere of influence extending thru
most Of Central America and far down into South
America
NEVERTHELESS. as is set forth in the resolu-
~ ton imperialism adopted at the last plenary
session OF the central executive committee of the
Workers (Communist) Party of America, "the steady
expansion Of American capitalism upon an imperial
bt basis Is accompanied by the enormous extension
o. the Vulnerable surface which 1t presents to at
tack
Nations exploited threatened with exploitation
BY American Imperialism, are drawn into the poit-
tcoeconomic conflicts of the American sphere They
strike back at the foreign power which seeks to
dominate them, and every blow is blow against
che enemies of the American working class The
American class struggle thus becomes much more
complex; it is not simply conflict of opposing So
cial classes but Of classes, races national minori-
hes and subject peoples whose interests are summed
up in the general class struggle. American work
ers must find waygto unite the labor movement in
this country with the movements of all opposed
groups thruout the American empire
This requires first of all support for the cause OF
national independence and selfdetermination in all
Wall Streets foreign possessions.
WTHAT powerful factor the movements of the OPP
W pressed peoples become is dramatically pic
tured in the case OF China. And now General Chang
Kai Shek, whose business it is to fight imperialists
who cannot afort to mistake imperialist when
he sees one, points out the truth concerning Ameri-
can democracy, American labor cannot help but
recognize the voice of a friend and an ally.
General Chang's Associated Press statement con-
tains lesson for the subject peoples OF the Ameri
empire no less than for the American labor
movement. In this connection it is worth repeat
ing the paragraph quoted from him in my article
Of last week
"This revolution purposes the downfall of inn
perialism, not as it is confined to China alone,
but our opposition to IT must spread to other
countries under the mperiast yoke"
IN speaking of American imperialism General
Chang makes special mention Of the Philippine
Islands General Chang is practical man. The
Philippines lie only $40 miles from Canton-certainly
not too far away make every advance of the anti
imperialist forces in China of profound importance
TO the people of the q. s. island colony.
The Filipino people want their independence. Every
session of the Philippine legislature adopts reso-
luton calling for the Immediate complete and abso
lutte independence from American rule.
How is this independence to be achieved? 1t is
in the consideration of this vital point that the Fill
pinos will have to learn from the Chinese revolu-
donary.
While recognizing the maturity, experience and
wide scope of the Philippine independence movement
ut the present time. one cannot fail to note its very
serious deficiencies. 1t is essentially pettybour-
geois movement growing naturally out OF petty
bourgeois environment II moves exclusively within
the realm Of legality; 1t is immersed in the concep-
ton of legality, and therefore really accepts the
legal framework of Imperialism.
L,ILIPINo leaders predicate their activities upon