The daily worker., 1934-07-05

immediate aid. Chang Kai-Shek
Two hundred carbineros were rush.
ed to the district by special Tram
and fed fifty Of the starving peas
ants hot lead, which proved 1atal
on empty stomachs.
A VERY important strike of 4,OOo
"A tobacco workers recently TOOK
place in Shanghai, at the Pootung
plant of the British-American Ios
bacco Co., Limited. The B.A.l'
workers are known for their MILL
fancy. But this strike was OF the
greatest political Importance pc
cause of the many unusual factors
entering into it. First of all, the
workers in the company's plants IN
Manchuria, despite the iron heel Oh
japanese imperialism, went on a
sympathetic strike. Then butcher
Chang Kai-shek, leading nearly a
million soldiers against the Red
Army of China, took time OH to
try to break the strike. He sent a
telegram to the Chinese municipal
authorities in Shanghai, ordering
them to smash the strike. You see,
the BAT. has been supplying
Chang Kai-shek with millions OF
dollars to wage the war against the
Soviet districts, and in return
Chang Kai-shek offers his forces
for breaking strikes wherever the
Kuomintang rules.
Sir Alexander Cadogan, British
minister to China, personally visited
Chang Kai-shek in behalf OF this
huge British tobacco trust in China,
and the butcher of the Chinese
workers and peasants graciously re-
sponded to the request Of Sir Alex
ander.
THE BAT, however, somewhat
impatient at the ineffectiveness
Of Chang Kai-shek's strikebreaklng
ability, hired over 1000 White Rus
sian strikebreakers. The White Rus
slams in Shanghai are the dregs
of the defeated armies of Kolchak
and Semenoff. The men are dope
runners, cut-throats, scabs, and the
women are prostitutes. Whenever
strikes break out, the White Rus
slams in China are hired to break
them.
But the tobacco strike also had
repercussions among the Chinese
cigarette manufacturers, who are
competing with the favored huge
imperialist concern. In return for
huge donations to the anti-Commu-
mist war chest, Chang Kai-shek has
given the BAT. lower tax rates.
Recently, however, small Chinese
cigarette factories have been under
mining the special position of this
imperialist firm.
ANOTHER factor which entered
"A the tobacco strike was Chang
Kai-sheks own pet New Deal"
which is known in China as the
New Life Movement" To divert
the masses from the growing anti
imperialist struggle, Chang Kali
shek has ordered stringent change
in morals and customs, such as re-
framing from splitting in the streets,
keeping the rags of the starved
coolies carefully brushed, and re-
duction in smoking.
What with growing impoverish-
ment, and violent efforts of some
local authorities to instill the New
Life Movement" cigarette consump-
ton has fallen off heavily. Sir
Alexander undoubtedly had some-
thing to say about that too, url-
doubtedly, to Chang Kai-shek, and
we can be sure there will be re-
vised cigarette code in Chang Kai-
shek's New Deal" hereafter.
THE Trotzykyites seldom lose an
l opportunity of reviling the
heroic Communist Party of Ger
many, the very Party which is send
ing shivers of fear down the spines
of the world bourgeoisie as they
observe its undisputed growing
strength, it's acknowledged leader
ship of the rapidly maturing forces
of proletarian revolution in Ger
many. Comrade Phil Stern has
sent us several clippings which
show to what lengths Trotzky's
agents in the United States go to
heap Goebbelian slander against the
German Communists.
One of them, taken from the
Trotzkyite sheet, dated May 10,
1884, says: THE aid to fascism Of
treacherous Stalinism was rewarded
by the complete annihilation of
the Communist Partyw The other,
from just as servile an agent of
the bourgeoisie, Johannes Steel, ap-
pearing in the New York Post Of
June %, 1884 says
There is today no factory, shop
and no company of Storm Troopers
without Communist or radical So
cialist cell. The Red Flag, official
organ of the German Communist
Party, is circulated by one and
half million a week and pamphlets
in form of photostatic glossy print,
SO small that it must be read under
magnifying glass, are being pro-
duced in the four corners of the
Reich"
On another occasion the same
Herr Steel declared it was undis-
puted that the Communist Party O.
Germany was the recognized leader
of the anti-fascist front.
The only Communists whom the
Trotzkyites admit exist in Germany
are those who have their heads
chopped off by Hitler. What the
Nazi scoundrels cannot accomplish
in fact, the Trotzkyites accomplish
for them-on paper.