Speech at the Second National Congress of the Chinese Nationalist Party

(January 18 and 19, 1926)

Minutes of the Second National Congress of the Chinese Nationalist Party

Day 12, Issue No. 23

Date: January 18, the 15th Year of the Republic of China

Time: 10:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

Attendance: 180 persons

Chairman: Wang Jingwei

Secretary-General: Wu Yuzhang

Recording: Stenography Section

(Abridged)

Chairman: Now let us discuss each article of the General Constitution that requires amendment.

Chairman: Article 15, any objections? (Passed without objection)

Chairman: Article 24, any objections?

Comrade Mao Zedong moves: After "hold a memorial week once a week," add a proviso: "Under special circumstances, with the permission of the provincial party headquarters, it may be held once every two weeks."

No. 32, Comrade Yu Shude: Holding a memorial week once a week, if there are practical difficulties, should allow for flexible changes; adding the proviso is correct.

No. 140, Comrade Liu Songfen: Adding the proviso is somewhat better.

No. 139, Comrade Fang Weixia: This delegate also considers adding the proviso to be good.

Chairman: Any objections to adding the proviso? (Passed)

(Abridged)

Chairman: Article 73, any objections?

No. 146, Comrade Yang Angong: After the second "other," a character for "province" should be added.

No. 16, Comrade Mao Zedong: The number of Central Executive Committee members and Supervisory Committee members this time is very large. This delegate believes that Central Executive Committee members and Supervisory Committee members may concurrently serve as executive committee members or supervisory committee members of other provincial party headquarters. In practice, it is both possible and should be done.

……… (Omitted below)

Day 12, Issue No. 24

Date: January 18

Time: 2:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.

Attending Representatives: 165 persons

Chairman: Wang Jingwei

Secretary-General: Wu Yuzhang

Recording: Stenography Section

……… (Abridged)

Chairman: Those in favor, raise hands. (Passed by majority)

No. 98, Comrade Hou Shaoqiu: Regarding Chapter 2, Article 6, this delegate believes the Party and merchants' organizations should not be conflated.

No. 16, Comrade Mao Zedong: This delegate believes the Merchants' Association charter need not be included in the resolution; it can be referred to the Central Executive Committee for discussion and decision.

Comrade Gan Naiguang: Discussing the charter here is indeed very difficult. It is best to refer it to the Second Central Executive Committee for discretionary decision. The Congress need only discuss the eight articles of the resolution now.

No. 58, Comrade Chen Gongbo: The Congress should only resolve on principles; the charter need not be mentioned at all. Refer it to the Second Central Executive Committee for discussion.

(More than ten seconders)

Chairman: Those in favor of the eight principles of the Merchants' Movement Resolution, but referring the Merchants' Association charter to the Second Central Executive Committee for review, raise hands for voting. (Passed by majority)

Chairman: I invite the review committee member for the Party Affairs Report Resolution to report on the review process.

No. 201, Comrade Zhan Dabei reports. (Draft text attached separately)

Chairman: Any objections to the resolution? Please discuss.

No. 46, Comrade Huang Guowei: Regarding Item (2), Sub-item (C) within the resolution: "Elevate the status of provincial party headquarters and overseas general branches, and expand the authority of provincial party headquarters and overseas general branches," all special municipal party headquarters should also be uniformly elevated and expanded, and clearly stipulated.

Chairman: Any seconders? The number of seconders is insufficient for the quorum; the motion cannot be established.

No. 16, Comrade Mao Zedong: In Clause (6), the phrase "whenever publishing political statements" should be changed to "regarding the publication of statements that alter the Party's resolutions and political guidelines." Also, before "establishing research societies," the words "whenever there is" should be added. "Must obtain prior permission from the party headquarters" should be changed to "must obtain permission from the highest local party headquarters." Delete the phrase "or obtain subsequent ratification from the party headquarters."

No. 37, Comrade Zhou Shouyu: The words "highest" should be added before "party headquarters."

No. 10, Comrade Fan Hongjie: Proposes changing it to "whenever publishing statements of political views."

Comrade Yu Shude: Such an amendment does not seem entirely satisfactory, because Party members publish political statements practically every day. If every instance requires party headquarters' permission, it would be overwhelmingly burdensome and practically impossible. After "whenever publishing political statements," add "must not contravene the Party's policies and resolutions."

No. 59, Comrade Gao Yuhan: The scope of "statements" is very broad; a piece of a thousand or several hundred characters is also a statement. This delegate believes it should be explicitly limited to written works, such as the pamphlets Comrade Dai Jitao published a few months ago, which must obtain the Party's permission. If even trivial statements all require party headquarters' permission, it would likely be overwhelmingly burdensome and practically difficult to implement. Therefore, this delegate proposes changing the word "statements" to "written works."

No. 16, Comrade Mao Zedong: Regarding what No. 59 said, this delegate also believes it is not entirely complete or appropriate. For instance, Lin Sen's recent speech in Beijing, though short in length, had great implications. Therefore, limiting it solely to pamphlets is also not feasible.

……… (Abridged)

Chairman: Now there are three amendments. First, put Comrade Yu Shude's amendment to a vote: "Whenever publishing political and party affairs statements, they must not contravene the Party's policies and resolutions. Whenever establishing research societies, prior permission must be obtained from the highest local party headquarters." Those in favor, raise hands. (Passed by majority show of hands)

Chairman: Is there any further discussion on this resolution?

……… (Abridged)

No. 16, Comrade Mao Zedong: In Article 2, Item (Ji), "various important regions" should be changed to "at appropriate locations." (More than ten seconders)

Chairman: Any objections? Passed without objection.

No. 163, Comrade Zhang Wenqing: In Clause (8), "thus acknowledging the late Premier's acceptance of Communist Party members joining this Party for joint efforts" should be changed to "abiding by the late Premier's proposition of accepting Communist Party members joining this Party."

No. 63, Comrade Zhang Tinghao: Should be changed to "The late Premier, foreseeing this, therefore accepted Communist Party members joining this Party for joint efforts. Henceforth, if any Party members do not understand the late Premier's testamentary intent of accepting Communist Party members, and disputes still arise within the party headquarters, they should be discussed openly in a public manner."

No. 81, Comrade Xu Zhuoran: Such amended wording seems to carry a tone biased towards one side; I consider it not entirely suitable and still request everyone to discuss.

No. 16, Comrade Mao Zedong: Still request to maintain the original text; no need for deletion or alteration.

No. 55, Comrade Yuan Tongchou: I believe this issue should be fundamentally resolved. The resolution adopting such an attitude may only increase misunderstandings and disputes. The recent Xishan Conference used anti-communism as its rallying cry. In fact, we recognize them merely as counter-revolutionaries; it is absolutely not a question of communism versus anti-communism. There is no doubt about this. However, among our classmates at the Whampoa Military Academy, such disputes also exist. They themselves admit they can argue in the lecture hall but jointly attack the imperialists. Therefore, we cannot say they are counter-revolutionaries. The provision in Article 8 of this resolution, stating that if disputes arise, they may be openly discussed under the guidance of the party headquarters, is merely a palliative measure. If we wish to resolve such disputes, the fundamental cure must be addressed. Based on my experience in managing the Whampoa Military Academy in recent years, I deeply understand that these internal Party disputes are truly not disputes over doctrine, because the Three Principles of the People inherently encompass Communism; the goals of both sides are actually consistent. Nor are they disputes between diligent and non-diligent Party members. In reality, there are misunderstandings between them. Some among them always suspect that Communist comrades are not open in conducting Party affairs and have not declared themselves to be Communist Party members. Because of this suspicion, many disputes arise between the two sides. Therefore, this delegate believes that the most important thing for a fundamental solution is to enable mutual understanding between the two sides. Based on my consideration, I believe there are several things that Communist Party comrades should accomplish: (1) When Communist Party members join the Chinese Nationalist Party, they should declare that they are Communists. (2) Communist Party members should make their activities within the Nationalist Party open. (3) When Chinese Nationalist Party members join the Communist Party, they must obtain the permission of the local party headquarters. If these three measures are implemented, the disputes will resolve themselves without needing further solution. I must further declare that I myself have certainly not joined the Communist Party, nor have I joined any other anti-communist group. I harbor absolutely no bias towards either side and hold absolute respect for Communist comrades. Now, with the utmost sincerity, I present this to the Congress and request everyone to resolve it. Because if this issue has no fundamental solution, causing further disputes in the future would not be a good phenomenon. (More than ten seconders)

Comrade Zhang Guotao: The three points raised by Comrade Yuan Tongchou are all very good, but in practice, they may not be feasible. First, regarding the first point: If the whole country were like Guangdong, there would be no difficulty, but outside Guangdong, it is truly impossible to implement. For instance, saying that Communist Party members joining the Nationalist Party should inform the highest party headquarters of the Nationalist Party is not a problem. However, there are very many party headquarters; district branches are also party headquarters. Among Nationalist Party members, many do not understand this significance. If lower-level party headquarters must also be informed, danger might immediately arise. Perhaps there is no danger in Guangdong, but it is hard to guarantee there won't be danger elsewhere. Second, regarding the second point: Originally, political parties have the freedom to be open. But under the current oppression of Chinese warlords, the Communist Party has no alternative but to operate secretly. If activities were open, the police and detectives would immediately arrest you. Several Communist comrades have already been victimized in the North, serving as precedents. Therefore, open activity is impossible. That is why the late Premier, at the Second Central Executive Committee meeting, resolved only to ask whether Communist Party members joining this Party abide by this Party's discipline, and not to inquire about other matters. That is precisely the reason. If a provision requires Communist Party members' activities to be open, it implies distrust and carries a supervisory intent, which was also not the late Premier's original intention. (The Chairman announces that the time is now up; the session should be extended until this issue is resolved before adjourning. The assembly agrees.) Third, regarding the third point: Nationalist Party members joining the Communist Party must obtain the permission of the local party headquarters; this is also quite proper. But everyone should understand the history of political parties worldwide: Party members have full freedom to join or leave a party. There are also Communist Party members who leave the Communist Party to join the Nationalist Party, and the Communist comrades do not feel unhappy about it. As for Nationalist Party members joining the Communist Party, the actual number is no more than three percent of the Communist Party membership, which is very, very small. We should only ask whether a person is revolutionary or not, not whether they are Communist or not. Unless Communist Party members, after leaving the Party, embark on a counter-revolutionary path, then we naturally oppose them. If a good Communist becomes a good Nationalist, they are equally a good revolutionary party member, cooperating with us on the revolutionary front; that is extremely good. We do not oppose that. In terms of party principles, it should be so. At the same time, if someone is in both the Communist Party and the Nationalist Party, we have even less reason to be unhappy. I recall a conversation with Comrade He Huihan a few years ago; he said that a good Communist Party member is certainly also a good national revolutionary. A good national revolutionary certainly does not oppose the interests of the workers and peasants. This statement is indeed very correct. Today, Comrade Yuan has raised this opinion, and this delegate also feels pleased, hence also offers this sincere discussion.

Comrade Mao Zedong: The issue raised by Comrade Yuan is very discussable. The facts mentioned by Comrade Zhang must also be noted. Moreover, we are not afraid of these three conditions. First, regarding the first point: If one is afraid to declare oneself a Communist, then one is certainly not a true Communist Party member. However, the Communist Party in China is still a secret organization, unlike the Russian Communist Party, which governs and can operate openly; the circumstances are different. As long as the Communist Party in China has not yet obtained legal status, it cannot but remain secret. In places like Shanghai, if one were to make a declaration, one would immediately face execution by shooting. Regarding the second point, it is the same as the first. Openness is possible within the territory under the power of the Communist Party's friendly party, the Chinese Nationalist Party. But if openness were required elsewhere, one would immediately face dissolution and elimination. This would deal a major blow to a part of the forces within the national revolution and would also be detrimental to the future of the national revolution. Regarding the third point: Regardless of the party, party members should have absolute freedom to leave or join a party. There truly need not be any restrictions.

……… (Omitted below)

Day 13, Issue No. 25

Date: January 19, the 15th Year

Time: 10:30 a.m. to 1:10 p.m.

Attending Representatives: 188 persons

Chairman: Tan Pingshan

Secretary-General: Wu Yuzhang

Recording: Stenography Section

……… (Abridged)

1. Chairman Wang Jingwei reports on the Propaganda Outline for the Party Regarding the Current Situation in the North After the Congress Closes, proposed by the Presidium
……… (Abridged)

2. Financial Resolution
……… (Abridged)

3. Disciplinary Proposal

Comrade Lu Youyu reports on the review results of the Review Committee (attached separately)

No. 32, Comrade Yu Shude: This delegate generally approves of this proposal, but perhaps attention should be paid to the wording, because there may be those who have already declared their withdrawal from the Comrades Club that we are unaware of. There are many newspapers in China; although I cannot present counter-evidence, I cannot help but consider this possibility.

No. 59, Comrade Gao Yuhan: This delegate believes that anyone declaring withdrawal from the Comrades Club should, on the one hand, publish a declaration in the newspapers, and on the other hand, must also report to the Central Party Headquarters.

No. 201, Comrade Zhan Dabei: This delegate believes this proposal should focus on the Party concept, not from a political standpoint, in order to achieve a correct understanding.

No. 16, Comrade Mao Zedong: This delegate also very much approves of this proposal not involving the issue of the Xishan Conference, but only addressing matters within the scope of Party affairs after the Xishan Conference.

No. 21, Comrade Dong Yongwei: This delegate believes that regarding the punishment of individuals like Ju Zheng, if everyone considers whether there are difficulties for the future of Party affairs in various localities, a suitable opinion can be reached. Therefore, this delegate proposes that Ju Zheng and Shi Qingyang should be permanently expelled from the Party. As for Dai Jitao, there is still no need for additional punishment.

Chairman: Now we can revise the discussion format, dividing this issue into several discussions. First, resolve the case of Ju Zheng.

No. 215, Comrade Zhu Jianfan: This delegate believes there is no need for discussion; it can be directly put to a vote, because there is absolutely no one present who would approve of such reactionary elements colluding with warlords to sabotage Party affairs.

Chairman: Those in favor of permanently expelling Ju Zheng from the Party, raise hands. (Passed by majority)

Chairman: Regarding the second item, although Sichuan representative Wu Yuzhang has stated that there are no facts yet regarding Shi Qingyang's harming of comrades, collusion with warlords has been attested to by many comrades. Should he be expelled? Please discuss, everyone.

No. 215, Comrade Zhu Jianfan: Please put the original proposal to a vote.

Chairman: Those in favor of expelling Shi Qingyang from the Party, raise hands. (Passed by majority)

Chairman: Regarding the third item, for Qin Zhen, Shi Ying, and Mao Zuquan, the original proposal advocates issuing a warning, requiring them to declare withdrawal from the Comrades Club within one month, and also to send a letter reporting to the Central Party Headquarters; otherwise, their names will be removed. What does everyone think?

No. 16, Comrade Mao Zedong: This delegate proposes changing it to two months. First, because transportation is inconvenient, one month is truly insufficient for messages to travel back and forth. Second, it allows them to understand the cautious and sincere intent of the resolution. Third, we still hope they may return to the revolutionary path. (More than ten seconders)

(Abridged below)

In January 1926, the Second National Congress of the Chinese Nationalist Party was held in Guangzhou. Mao Zedong delivered a propaganda report and was elected as an alternate member of the Central Executive Committee. The image shows the portion of the meeting minutes recording Mao Zedong's speech and the election results of the Congress.

--- Notes

1. Comrade Gan Naiguang reports on the Resolution on the Merchants' Movement

2. Comrade Mao Zedong reports on the Resolution of the Propaganda Review Committee


3. Comrade Jiang Zhongzheng proposes the Resolution on Improving the Economic Livelihood of Soldiers

4. Chairman: The Resolution on the Merchants' Movement has now been distributed to everyone. Please discuss.


5. Resolution on the Central Party Affairs Report