The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1927-02-05
The Chinese Situation

THE Cantonese (nationalst) troops are sweeping
4 across central China. Between them and the cor
rupt Picking government which they hope to wipe
OUT stand the reactionary lords and the troops
Of the imperialist powers which pouring into
China.
VIII the Cantonese succeed in defeating the war
lords. who the tools of the foreign pundering
nations; will they be able to reassert Chinas indie
pendence by abrogating the unequal treaties wrung
from them by the foreign powers? Will they, per-
haps succeed in establishing workers. and peasants
republic that will stand shoulder to shoulder with
Soviet Russia in it's fight against the imperalist ma
tions of the world?
To attempt to answer these questions you've got
to find out what all the shootings about; you've got
to get an idea of the economic and social forces
underlying the nationalist movement You've got to
find out who's pulling this revolution and why
Ask an imperialist statesman who's pulling the
revolution and he'll answer "Soviet Cold" Soviet
gold has purchased Sacasa, the Civil Liberties Union
Gales and the Emir of Afghanistan.
Ask a socialist and he'll give you "a more plaus-
bic answer. "This is bourgeois revolution" he'll
tell you. "The industrializaton of China which has
taken place in the last few decades has given birth
to Chinese middle class. This new native bour-
geosle wants to get the gravy that has been going
to the foreign capitalist The bourgeoisie and the
students the backbone of the revolution"
There is much in this theory that is correct
The native merchants and factory owners are pow
erul factor in the revolution They and the students
Suppueu Ine fireworks at 1lrSC. After the Shanghai
massacre the Shanghai Chamber of Commerce called
a protest meeting which made the following de-
mands:
1.-The annulment of unequal treaties
2-The return of all foreign concessions.
9-The dismissal of all foreign concessions.
4-The transference of the municipality of
Shanghai to China
5-The release of those arrested the day be-
fore.
But in the last year or So the leadership in the
struggle for national liberation has been assumed
by the working class. Beneath the huabaoo and
the froh raised by the students and the bourgeoise
has been the tremendous drive of labor
The forces that have created bourgeoisie have
created proetariatand if the Chinese Industrial
ist has been getting it in the neck the Chinese
worker has been getting it twice as hard.
Forced from the farm by poverty and famine
1.-THE income of the average Chinese rural family
of five ranges from fifty to seventy five dollars
year, Chinese men, women, and children entered
the foreign-fnanced factories springing up in the
coast cities. All the horrible conditions that Gus
tomarilY attend capitalism in its early stages exist
In China. Children of six work twelve and fourteen
hours day, with not more than an hour off for
meals for twenty silver cents a day.
Since 1920 organizations of the workers has
proceeded rapidly. This Chinese worker is cha1leng-
ing the BOSSES In so far as he is challenging his
foreign expoiter, he is a force land the dominant
force) in the nationalist movements in so far as
he challenges his native boss land this angle will
become infinitely more important when China has
settled its scores with the imperalist powers) he
is the dominant force in the creation of a Workers
and Peasants Republic.
It is a mistake therefore, to assume as social
lists do, that the interests of the Chinese worker