ABSTRACT
An editorial that appeared on December 3 in the right-wing organ, the Shanghai Republican Daily, states, “The warlords fear the revolutionary party, but since when does the revolutionary party fear the warlords?” This is the reason they use to oppose the following telegram from Wang Jingwei and others: “The plenary sessions of the Central Executive Committee are open meetings. If held in Beijing, the meetings would be subject to external pressure from the warlords and to internal obstruction by reactionary elements making use of the warlords.” Thus the Republican Daily thinks that by holding its plenary session in Beijing the Central Executive Committee would be able to demonstrate courage and show that it did not fear the warlords. Why is the Republican Daily wrong? It is wrong in that it does not understand that there is a distinction between the open activities and the secret activities of a revolutionary party. When acting within the enemy’s sphere of influence, a truly revolutionary party organizes and meets in total secrecy, while its proposals and propaganda are public. When within the enemy’s sphere of influence, if the party wants to hold a public meeting on party organization, it must first obtain dispensation from the enemy. There must be at least a few things that are in the enemy’s interest before he will give his tacit approval, much less his protection. But what kind of a party would this be? This would simply be a friend of the enemy, and not a revolutionary party that wants to overthrow the enemy. Duan Qirui gave permission for the right wing to hold open meetings in Beijing, but would he permit Wang Jingwei, Tan Yankai, and others like them to hold open meetings in Beijing? This paper also states that Director General Sun Yatsen went to Beijing last year and was not afraid of Duan Qirui. They ignore the fact that there were two factors that made it possible for Director General Sun to go to Beijing last year. One factor was that, having just taken office, Duan Qirui’s political position was not yet secure, and he had not yet decided on the policy of suppressing the Guomindang; and the other factor was that power over the police was still in the hands of Feng Yuxiang, who was sympathetic to the Guomindang. If it had not been for these two factors, Mr. Sun would not have been able to go openly to Beijing. If Mr. Sun were still alive, Duan Qirui would definitely not allow him to engage openly in 300the revolutionary movement in Beijing today, and he would certainly have to go into hiding or flee somewhere else. In Beijing and in all places throughout China that are under the control of the reactionary warlords, there are Guomindang organizations. There are organs of all levels of the party everywhere, party members and cadre comrades all hold frequent meetings, and they all have various courageous tasks in the advancing struggle, in the attempt to destroy the power of the enemy. But this is all in secret. Within these organizations and tasks, it is only the left wing that is there, continually struggling. The right-wing members of the party are all afraid to get near the front. The strong points of the right wing are that they can open their mouths and spout a few slogans like “Down with imperialism” or “Down with the warlords,” and that they can also recite the resolutions of the party strictly from memory. As for taking any real measures to engage in real activities, they get frightened out of their wits if they even hear about them. The right wing is all mouths, without hands and feet. They only have the guts to hold meetings in front of Duan Qirui. They don’t have the guts to come to meetings in Guangzhou because the revolutionary atmosphere of Guangzhou would scare them to death. They have resolved that their so-called Second National Congress will be held in March of next year in either Shanghai or Beijing. As I see it, if their congress really is able to convene (no matter how many attend), they may not necessarily dare to hold it in Beijing, because the dragon throne of Chief Executive Duan is already not very stable. They will probably meet in Shanghai. 1 To hold the National Party Congress of the Guomindang openly, right in the old lair of the imperialists, right in front of all the foreign consuls and the City Council and that red-headed guy from the police station of the big foreigners, that would really be a show of “courage.” To be able to hold meetings openly, right in front of the warlords and imperialists, this is the greatest talent of the right wing. Left wingers could never match this!
