The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1928-03-28
CHINA STRIKES SPREAD
Workers IN Struggle Against War Lords

h~tt VI ACOa . ICFOiA
scribes the economic and political
struggle of the Chinese workers and
peasants against the war lords in
northern and southern China. Sou
Chao-jen's report was delivered at the
second meeting of the Pan-Pacific
Secretariat in Shanghai, February 4,
1929
Can the Chinese ruling classes
stabilize their position even by such
methods? Our answer is, mo" AS
imperialism cannc5 stabilize itself,
even more so cannot the Chinese
bourgeoisie, who are the lackeys Of
imperialism. They cannot even come
to terms among themselves; like the
rival imperialists, they can agree on
ly to suppress the revolution.
Struggle for Booty.
Formerly when the working class
movement was strongly leading the
nationalist revolution, before the
treachely of the Kuofnintang, the
imperialists were being driven back,
concessions were being taken over;
then the imperialists could unite for
a moment to smash the revolu ion;
but now, with the militarists in power
in the Kuomintang, the revolutionary
struggle against imperialism is SCI
back, and all the imperialists are
rushing in again, intriguing among
Ill +ho Iol,.,ar io+e al
bing all they can from one another.
the Japanese from the British and
the American from both, their unity
to suppress the revolution gives way
to bitter struggle to divide the booty.
Each is trying to win over the
various mill ar,ts; the militarists,
in turn, have nothing in common ex-
cept their greed for money and
power, and degenerate to desperately
struggling groups of mercenaries.
Therefore, the wars will not stop,
Therefore, there is no consolidation,
no stabiliza ion. They form all sorts
of combinations and associations,
which shift from day to day, but they
cannot consolidate.
Financial Crisis.
Look further at economics and fl
nance. The bank notes of the mil
itarist governments continue to de
cline. In Hankow the notes are no
longer accepted by anyone. In Can
ton the notes aye quoted at 80 cents
to the dollar, and still going down
precipitately. Even in the north, the
Fengtien notes of Chang Tso-ling
are so rapidly becoming worthless as
to completely disorganize economic
life.
The constant wars are destroying
all transportation, trade is declining
everywhere, factories are closing
down, foreign trade is curtailed. As
for the militarists under the flag OF
the Kuomintang, each fights for his
own individual interests; the first
aim of each is how to get more money
into his own hands, more territory,
more troops, more arms. There is
limit to what they can squeeze out
Of taxation, but that limit is far
short of their appetites. They rob
the populace, and they turn to rob
each other. One day they are all
on good terms; the next day they are
disarming one another. The armed
forces are charging all the time, to
such an extent that the most ex-
IRENE exploitation of the suffering
people is not enough to finance them;
one militarist must destroy the other
to make room for himself to live.
Therefore, cliques, alliances, constant
sitting, constant struggles, constant
war. For these reasons also there is
and can be no sterilization.
Wages Cut.
Conditions of the workers and
peasants constantly grow worse. In
Shanghai the average wage of the
employed workers is $3.50 per mont h.
IN the factories still running, the
workers are being speeded up; in the
textile mills, since the crushing of
the trade unions, every third worker
has been eliminated, and the remain
ing two do the same amount of work
| formerly done by all three; the eat
ing time has been reduced; workers
are forbidden to sit while at WORK;
all former trade union agreements
are cancelled; hours are being
Heightened, wages decreased. The
Seamen's Union agreement won in
the big strike has been cancelled; The
mechanics in Hongkong who won ar
increase in 1921, are now reduced tc
their former rates. The same thing
goes. on everywhere. In such a stu
alton the workers must continue tc
struggle.
Workers Struggle.
The workers have continued t.
struggle energetically. In Shanghai