The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1932-03-29
THE HORRORS AT
S H A n G H A [


killing about fifty persons in one afternoon A
German friend OF mine, 8 newspaperman, was
taking picture Of group OF Japanese civilians
who had captured a Chinese civilian and were
busily engaged in stabbing him to DEATH when
a marine saw my friends intention, stepped up
to him and stuck a Mauser against his nose ~'
When The japanese extended their opera
lions to the WooSung fort and the surrounding
towns and villages at the mouth OF the Whang-
poo and the Yangtze, they repeated their ac-
lions in Shanghai The foreign concessions and
the Chinese territory beyond the Chinese lines
are now filled with hundreds OF thousands Of
refugees and with civilian and soldier wounded
It is said that fully 100000 Chinese are home
less, or have suffered injuries or death. About
100000 skilled workers in Shanghai are unem-
ployed, which means that, with their families,
100000 persons Of this group alone are without
the means OF subsistence.
All of this Is but the external view Of the
scene. There were many diSgraceful events TAX
ing place In the rear Of the heroic 18th Route
Army. This army, though composed Of Canton
csc men and officers, has not been under the
command of either the Marking or Canton gov
ernments; instead 1t has been under the sole
orders of its commanders, who have taken 1t
here and there according to their own personal
military alliances. General Chang Kai-shek has
never commanded it and it is known as one Of
the stumbling blocks to his supremacy. There
fore, when the Marking government, under
Chang Kai-shek and the so-called 'leftst"
Wang Chingwei, laid down a policy of nom
action the 10Th Route Army commanders publicly
announced that they would defend Chinese
territory to the last. 1t is generally said by
Chinese that Chang Kai-shek sent two brigades
of his own forces to Shanghai to disarm this
Shanghai garrison, but the brigades arrived af-
%I1a SnoS Sc
tenders. In any case, nearly two weeks passed,
and while the Shanghai defenders fought with
a courage and heroism that aroused the aston
ishment even Of the trnperialists, General Chang
sent not one man, gun, or aeroplane as rein
forcement, Marking and Chang Kai-shek
aroused the hatred of most Chinese during this
period, for not only did they sabotage the Shang-
hal defenders, but under the pretext of remov-
ing the capital inland Chang Kai-shek and
Wang Ching-wei escaped to Loyang. Chinese
sometimes remark cynically: THE first man to
reach Loysng was Chang; he ran that fast!
The Cantonese Kuonintang clique headed by
Sun Fo and Eugene Chen. recently ousted from
Marking by Chang and Wang, attempted to ex-
plot the heroiSm Of the Shanghai Chinese de-
tenders in order to consolidate their own posi-
ton They sent appeals to Marking for rein
forcements and got replies that were evasive
refusals They gave money to the commanders Of
the 10Th Route Arny-many Chinese declared
this was but an attempt to induce the COM
nlanders to withdraw their forces southwark so
that Chang Kai-shek would have to fight the
Japanese. Rurnor had it that Sun 70 was try
ing TO form a new government In Fangchow.
1t was known that Chang Kai-sheks policy
seemed to have as it's objective the destruction
Of the 10th Route Army by the japanese while
rival Kuomintang clique desired nothing bet
ter than TO see Chiangs own model division an
initiated. Yet the brave young defenders Of
Shanghai territory thought they were fighting
for the freedom OF China, not knowing they
we're merely being used as paWns in game OF
political chques During this period the Central
Executive Committee of the Kuonlntang con-
sisted Of about fifty members, and so extensive
were their conflicts that they could not hold one
united meeting, but instead gathered in sepa-
rate halls Only after nearly two weeks had
passed, when he was being n1ercilessly exposed
and when he saw that he would lose control
even Of his own forces as well as of the 10Th
Route Army, did Chang Kai-shek find IL ex-
pedient to change his tactics and send rein
forcenents to Shanghai. The Chinese fiers
that have since come to the rescue Of the de-
tenders have so far defeated the japanese In
every air battle.
OF course, both The foreign and the Chinese
authorities passed DEGREES Of martial law for
bidding mass demonstrations and any kind OF
organization Of the masses which might lead to
revolt The Chinese press in both English and
Chinese, constantly carried editorials warning
the Japanese that their actions might lead TO
Communist outbreak most undesirable thing
for the Japanesel The American afternoon daily
Solemnly declared in one editorial that Japan
"had struck at the very elements in China
which the Japanese and the other powers we're
pledged to Support"--that is the corrupt, re-
dictionary Chinese ruling class.
But despite all the precautions taken against
mass action there was and continues to be some
revolutionary activity although it is weak in
deed There have been some workers demonstra-
tons, broken up by the police; number of
organizations continue to exist and operate in
secret or semi-secret-though closed down re-
peatedly, they always spring TO life again. The
strike committee Of workers from the Japanese
textile mills continues TO exist and the Cultural
Federation Of Chinese writer's, artists, and So
cial scientists has issued proclamations and is
active The walls Of the city have also carried
manifestoes Of the Korean Revolutionary Com
nittee. But the revolutionary movement after
five years Of terror and under the continued re-
preston OF the Chinese and irnperialist authori-
ties, has not been able 10 acquire much strength
in Shanghai.
II the demands OF the invaders are not mat.
nobody seems to know what the Japanese will
attempt TO do. 1t may be that they viii try to
occupy all coastal and river ports and try TO
make a colony OF China; or they may try to
force the Chinese TO declare war so they can