The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1930-05-15
By CHEN KWANG (Shanghai).

THE agrarian revolution and the partisan
fights of the peasants today one of the
chief symptoms of the Chinese revolution.
During the past year the revolutionary fights
of the peasants, under the leadership of the
Communist Party, have developed further and
gained ground enormously in South China. In
North China also the peasants have spontan-
eously taken the field against the rule of the
military rulers A strong movement has arisen
among the Mohammedan peasants in connec-
ton with the distribution of food in the famine
areas. Even if the peasant forces, known as
the "Red Lances" and the "Big Knives" are
still often under the leadership of the small
landowners and rich peasants, this movement
is, on the whole, directed against all property
owners. In the Eastern part of the province
of Chilli, in the neghborhood of Paotingfu and
in the Northern part of the province of Honan,
it has often happened that thousands of peas
ants have marched into the town, destroyed
the government buildings and opposed the col
lection of taxes.
In South China, the peasants waging
life and death struggle against the landowners.
In many districts the landowners, aided by
Kuomintang troops, have recaptured power
and driven the peasants off the land. They
have not only taken back their landed prop
erty, but also forciby seized the land belong
ing to the poor peasants. But the more bru
tally the landowners proceed against the peas
ants, the more fierce becomes the fight of the
peasants for land
In many places in South China, the peasants
have already confiscated the whole of the
estates of the landed propretors In those
places where the power of the landlords has
beer overthrow, the peasants have set up
Soviets. The boundary posts are destroyed
and the land distributed among the poor peas
ants and members of the Red Army. The vii
lage Soviets have also introduced the eight
hour day and labor protection.
Soviets in IS Districts.
Up to now the Soviet Power has been set
up in Is districts Many provincial towns are
in the hands of the workers and peasants. The
Soviet territory in the province of West Fukien
comprises eight districts. The town of Lung
yenchow, Yungtinghs, San-han and Tingchow
are in the hands of the Red Army under the
leadership of Chu-teh and Mau-Tsedung. The
Soviet territories in Kwangsi embrace over six
districts; the most important towns in these
districts also in the hands of the Soviets
There are even larger Soviet territories in
the provinces of Hupeh and Kiangs Accord
ing to the mperalst press in China, all dis
trcts in the province of Hupeh, with the ex-
ception of Wuchang, are in the hands of the
Reds. In Wuchang, the fight of the revolu-
tionary workers has broken out again: the
movement in this district will be one of the
chief points of support of the revolutionary
movement. In Tayeh Hsian, in December last,
two mutinous regiments of the government
troops carried out a revolt together with the
workers in the iron works and the red peas
ant defense force in the villages, and hoisted
the Soviet flag. Although the town of Tayeh
Hsian is again in the occupation of white
guardist troops the revolutionary centers in
East Hupeh have remained mistaken.
100000 Men in Red Army.
It is in this process of advancing agrarian
revolution that the Red Workers and Peas
ants Army has been founded. In the previous
years the armel forces of the peasants were
organized in connection with the sharpening
of the class struggle. In the past six months
over 60 well organized mutinies of the soldiers
have broken out in which It has happened
that whole battalions and regiments have gone
ovnr to the Red Army.
Thar'-s to this favorable situation the Chin
csc Red Workers and Peasants Army has