The people's voice. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1939-1969, 1945-07-27


makes and only goes into battle when
he is pretty sure of the outcome. He
uses his head and plenty of paper
bullets (propaganda).
Chu Til robs neither landlord or
tenant and while his income in taxes
are small he pays for all he gets, he
gets no money from the Shanghai
bankers nor does his army get any of
the big loans we furnish China, yet,
has in spite of all, made bigger
showing keeping 500 of the Japanese
force of occupation busy than has Kai-
shek with his Nationalist armies. Had
Kai-shek used the half million troops
watching the communist armies to
| fight Japan it likely would have saved
the American airfields in China; on
the other hand, had some of the
American equipment been sent to Chu
Teh he would have a strong base
from which to strike the strongly
held Manchukuo where likely Japa-
nese troops will make their last stand.
Sun Vat Sen made a good start in
laying the foundation to Chinese de-
mocracy but, since the bankers, mon
eylords and reactionaries got control
of the Kuomintang, there is little hope
for China in that direction making
political changes in name only max
ing a succession of warlords, man
darines and usurpers China's lot with
the resulting hordes of rickshaw driy-
ers, beggars and bandits instead of a
satisfied industrious population.
Such has been the lot of the Chi
nese people since the 18th century
when the big Chinese Wall was built,
more for to make work for the I'M
employed than to keep the Mongols
out Had half the energy spent there
been put in reforestation, canal and
road building, it would have done
China 10 times more good
kai-shek's Program
With the United States entry into
the war against Japan the outcome
was a foregone conclusion regardless
of what China did in the matter and
Kai-shek's pre-war problem still re-
manned, the problem of getting rid of
the pesky communists and putting
China back to its pre-war status of
the sleeping dragon. What China
really needs more is some rank-and-
file education and dozen Twas to
turn China's disastrous floods into res
ervoirs for electricity and irrigation.
Kai-shek spent millions of dollars
chasing communists in 1884, yet that
ragged army starting from scratch
has done more fighting the Japs than
Kai-shek and all his war lords while
the daily press gives the wrong party
the credit, same as it did in the case
of Yugoslavia.
With all the planes and military
equipment furnished Kai-shek his bet
ter equipped troops and stronger posi-
ton at Chungking he is making a |
poorer showing than Chu Teh with
his poorly equipped troops inside the
Japanese lines along the China sea
coast.
We are equipping Kai-shek to fight |
the Japs and when Japan is licked, |
he will have fairly well armed force |
and now the question arises; would |
it be fair for him to bring the hun
dred million people Chu Teh liberated |
from Japanese domination back to a |
pre-war status. They now enjoy more
democracy than China has enjoyed in
a thousand years.
We will eventually have to make
a landing somewhere between Swallow |
and Shanghai, but If we go in there
to help Kai-shek to disarm the guer-
rillas, we may be pulling a boner.
Living the Primitive Life
The Japs are holding the main rail
roads and industrial centers as well
rs some of the seaports while the
liberated regions are blockaded by
Nationalist and Japanese armies; in
spite of this the liberating armies are
low outfitted with home-spun uni
orms made by their own co-opera-
ives. They melt down church bells
md pewter Buddas into bullets and
land grenades, being this way more
Useful than ornamental, and some
years ago when friends smuggled
hem fancy ambulance it turned out
o be worth more for junk as they
lad no gas and water buffaloes would
,e too awkward on the firing-line.
Jhina will soon make front-line news.
A. E. ANDERSON.
Butte, Mont, July "a, 1915.