To All Newspapers, Labor Unions, and Respected Elders, Brothers, and Sisters of Every Sector Throughout the Country:  Since the nefarious warlords Wu Peifu, Xiao Yaonan, Cao Kun, and others have wielded their military might to dissolve the labor unions along the Beijing–Hankou Railway, while ordering troops and police at Changxindian, Zhengzhou, and Jiang’an stations to brutally massacre more than three hundred workers, execute union leaders Wu Ruming and Shi Yang, quarter the president of the Beijing–Hankou Railway Workers’ Union, Lin Xiangqian, and shut down the Hubei Provincial Federation of Labor Unions—such outrageous acts have left every compatriot who has witnessed this violation of constitutional law—the freedom of assembly and association—in a state of indescribable fury. We are so enraged that we long to tear these bandits limb from limb and skin them alive.

In response, our federation has directed all labor organizations in Hunan to lend support to our brothers and sisters on the Beijing–Hankou Railway, striving to overthrow the warlords through various measures: issuing our first telegraphic appeal to arouse sympathy across all sectors; initiating the establishment of the “Hunan Provincial Committee for Supporting the Beijing–Hankou Railway Workers,” which has provided substantial material assistance; and sending direct, scathing telegrams denouncing Wu Peifu, Xiao Yaonan, and the other chief culprits. Now, in addition to these efforts, we issue this second telegraphic appeal, earnestly urging all organizations nationwide to uphold the constitution, defend the people’s rights, overthrow the warlords, and cleanse China of this scourge. Only by uniting as one, maintaining unwavering resolve, and fully embodying this spirit can we secure the people’s rights to freedom of assembly and association, restore all suppressed labor unions, punish those responsible among the military and police, and offer due compensation and care to the injured and fallen workers of the Beijing–Hankou Railway. It is with the utmost hope and urgency that we make this appeal!

The Hunan Provincial Federation of Labor Unions  November 16, 1923  Selected Materials on the Northern Region Workers’ Movement (1921–1923), Beijing Publishing House, 1981  Bloodshed of the Beijing–Hankou Railway Workers, Henan People’s Publishing House, 1981