The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1930-05-30
BY KARL MARX.

A MOST profound yet fantastic Spectator on
n the principles which govern the movements
of Humanity, was wont to eXtol as one of
the ruling secrets of nature, what he called
the law of the contact of extremes The home
ly proverb that extremes meet" was in his
view, a grand and potent truth in every sphere
of life; an axiom with which the philosopher
could as little dispense as the astronomer with
the laws of Kepler or the great discovery of
Newton
Whether the Contact of extremes" be such
a universal principle or not, a striking illus
traton of it may be seen in the effect the
Chinese revolution seems likely to exercise
upon the civilized world. 1t may seem a very
strange, and very paradoXical assertion that
the next uprising of the people of Europe, and
their next movement for republican freedom
and economy of government, may depend more
probably on what is now passing in the Celes
tial Empire-the very opposite of Europe
than on any other political that now
exists-more even than on the menaces of
Russia and the consequent likelihood of gen
eral European war. But yet it is no paradox,
as all may understand by attentively consid-
ering the circumstances of the case.
Whatever be the social causes, and what
ever religious, dynastic, or national shape
they may assume that have brought about the
ten years past, and now gathered together in
one formidable revolution the occasion of this
outbreak has unquestionably been afforded by
the English cannon forcing upon China that
soporific drug called opium Before the Bri-
fish arms the authority of the Manchou dy
nasty fell to pieces; the superstitious faith in
the eternity of the Celestial Empire broke
down; the barbarous and hermetic isolation
from the civilized world was infringed; and an
opening was made for that intercourse which
has since proceeded so rapidly under the golden
attractions of California and Australia. At
the same time the silver coin of the Empire,
its life-blood began to be drained away to the
British East Indies.
Up to 1880, the balance of trade being con-
tinually in favor of the Chinese, there existed
an uninterrupted importation of silver from
India, Britain and the United States into China.
Since 1888, and especially since 1910, the ex-
port of silver from China to India has be-
come almost exhausting for the Celestial EN-
pire. Hence the strong DEGREES of the EN-
peror against the opium trade, responded to by
still stronger resistance to his measures. Be-
sides this immediate economical consequence,
the bribery connected with opium smuggling
has entirely demoralized the Chinese State Of
ficers in the Southern provinces. Just as the
Emperor was wont to be considered the father
as sustaining the paternal relation to their re-
spective districts. But this patriarchal author
ity, the only moral link embracing the vast
machinery of the state, has gradually been cor
roded by the corruption of those officers, who
have made great gains by conniving at opium
smuggling. This has occurred principally in
the same Southern provinces where the rebel
lion commenced 1t is almost needless to OBJ
serve that, in the same measure in which
opium has obtained the sovereignty over the
Chinese, the Emperor and his staff of pedantic
mandarins have become dispossessed of their
own sovereignty. 1t would seem as though his
tory had first to make this whole people drunk
before it could rouse them out of their heredi-
tary stupidity.
Though scarcely existing in former times,
the import of English cottons, and to a small
extent of English woollens, has rapidly risen
since 1888, the epoch when the monopoly of
trade with China was transferred from the
East India Company to private commerce, and
on a much greater scale since 1910, the epoch
when other nations, and especially our own,
also obtained share in the Chinese trade.
This introduction of foreign manufactures has
had similar effect on the native industry to
that which it formerly had on Asia Minor,
Persia and India In China the spinners and
weavers have suffered greatly under this for
come unsettled in proportion.
The trihate to be paid to England after the
unfortunate of 1910, the great unproduc-
tive consumption of opium, the drain of the
precious metals by this trade, the destructive
influence of foreign competition on native man.
ufactures, the demoralized condition of the
public administration, produced two things:
the old taxation became more burdensome and
harassing, and new taxation was added to the
old. Thus in decree of the Emperor, dated
Pekin, Jan. 5, 1853, find orders given to
the viceroys and governors of the southern pro-
vinces of Woo-Chang and Hun-Yang to remit
and defer the payment of taxes, and especially
not in any case to exact more than the regu-
lar amount for otherwise, says the Decree
show will the poor people be able to bear it 2"
"And thus, perhaps" continues the Emperor
will my people, in period of general hard
ship and distress, be exempted from the evils
of being pursued and worried by the tax
gatherer." Such languag this, and such
concessions we remember to have heard from
Austria, the China of Germany, in 1S48.
All these dissolving agencies acting together
on the finances, the morals, the industry, and
political structure of China, received their full
development under the English cannon in 1840
which broke down the authority of the Emper-
or, and forced the Celestial Empire into con-
tact with the terrestrial world. Complete iso-
lation was the prime condition of the preserva-
ton of Old China. That isolation having come
to violent end by the medium of England
dissolution must follow as surely as that of
any mummy carefully preserved in berrneti-