The Beijing Rightist Conference and Imperialism

Imperialism detests that the Guangzhou Central Executive Committee of the Leftist Kuomintang has become the general command of the national anti-imperialist movement, causing all imperialists to tremble with fear, so the Beijing Rightist Conference resolved to suspend the functions and powers of the Guangzhou Central Executive Committee; imperialism detests that the Kuomintang Political Council can centralize power to command the Guangzhou-Hong Kong strike and eliminate its various useful tools—Yang Ximin, Liu Zhenhuan, Liang Hongkai, Zheng Runqi, Mo Xiong, Wei Bangping, Chen Jiongming, Lin Hu, Hong Zhaolin, Deng Benyin, Xiong Kewu, so the Beijing Rightist Conference resolved to abolish the Political Council; imperialism detests that the Leftist Kuomintang leader Wang Jingwei leads the National Revolution in a life-and-death struggle against imperialism, so the Beijing Rightist Conference resolved to expel Wang Jingwei from the party; imperialism detests that the Soviet Union helps the Kuomintang government employ Russian advisers, increasing its strength to attack imperialism, so the Beijing Rightist Conference resolved to dismiss the Russian adviser Borodin; imperialism detests that the Kuomintang admits Communist elements, adding a new force to the anti-imperialist army, so the Beijing Rightist Conference resolved to expel Li Dazhao, Tan Pingshan, and others from the party. From this, we can know what work the Beijing Rightist Conference has done for imperialism.

Imperialism's Final Tool

The Beijing Rightist Conference has done all sorts of work for imperialism suited to its needs, as described above. However, this is one of imperialism's final methods for dealing with China's anti-imperialist movement. The attempt by imperialism's tools Yang Ximin and Liu Zhenhuan to overthrow the Guangzhou government to realize the objective of today's Beijing Rightist Conference was ineffective; the attempt by imperialism's tools Liang Hongkai, Zheng Runqi, Wei Bangping, Mo Xiong, Zhu Zhuowen, and others to realize the objective of today's Rightist Conference after assassinating Liao Zhongkai was also ineffective; the attempt by imperialism's tool Xiong Kewu to seize Guangzhou by attacking from the North River to realize the objective of today's Rightist Conference was also ineffective; the attempt by imperialism's tool Duan Qirui to dispatch warships to attack Guangzhou from Humen to realize the objective of today's Rightist Conference was also ineffective; the desire of imperialism's tools Chen Jiongming and Deng Benyin to thrust into Guangzhou from the southeast to realize the objective of today's Rightist Conference was also ineffective. The work done by these tools of imperialism has all been ineffective. The Kuomintang Rightists became indignant, and thus the Beijing Conference was convened, changing the method from "attack by cannon and ship" to the method of "resolutions." What is the efficacy of this method? It is truly hard to say. Naturally, the various resolutions of the Rightist Conference can only be considered childish resolutions. But this method of "rebelling from within the nest" is indeed an improvement over "rebelling from outside the nest." After exhausting all its tools, imperialism found this final tool, giving it a small bit of comfort in the wake of its failures. Even if a few among the Rightists are still saying "down with imperialism," even if a small portion of the Rightists have no sincere intention of being used by imperialism, and even if they refuse in any way to admit that they have become tools of imperialism, in reality they have greatly helped imperialism's cause, in reality they have become tools of imperialism, because their work has suited the needs of imperialism.

The Greatest Skill of the Rightists

The December 3rd editorial of the Rightist organ, the Shanghai *Minguo Ribao*, said: "There are only warlords who fear the revolutionary party, how can there be a revolutionary party that fears warlords." It used this reasoning to oppose the following words from a telegram by Wang Jingwei and others: "The Central Plenary Session is of a public nature; if it were to be held in Beijing, there would be oppression from the warlords without, and reactionary elements using the warlords to create obstructions from within." Therefore, the *Minguo Ribao* believes that holding the Central Plenary Session in Beijing can show courage, can show fearlessness of the warlords. Where is the *Minguo Ribao*'s error? Its error lies in not understanding that the activities of a revolutionary party are divided into public and secret. For a true revolutionary party, its party organization and meetings are completely secret when under the power of the enemy; its propositions and declarations are public. To make the party's organization and meetings public under the power of the enemy, one must first obtain the enemy's understanding, that is, at least some points must be beneficial to the enemy to gain his tacit approval or even his protection. But what kind of party would that be? It could only be a friend of the enemy, not a revolutionary party that wants to make a revolution against the enemy. Duan Qirui permitted the Rightists to hold a public meeting in Beijing; could he permit Wang Jingwei, Tan Yankai, and others to hold a public meeting in Beijing? The said newspaper also stated that Premier Sun went to Beijing last year and was not afraid of Duan Qirui. It does not know that there were two reasons why Premier Sun could go to Beijing last year: one was that Duan Qirui had just come to power and his political authority was not yet stable, and his policy of oppressing Kuomintang members was not yet determined; the other was that the police power in Beijing at that time was still in the hands of Feng Yuxiang, who was sympathetic to the Kuomintang. Without these two reasons, Mr. Sun could not have gone to Beijing publicly. If Mr. Sun were still here today, Duan Qirui would certainly not allow him to conduct revolutionary activities publicly in Beijing; he would certainly have to go into secrecy or go elsewhere. In Beijing and all other places across the country occupied by reactionary warlords, there are Kuomintang organizations, party headquarters at all levels have offices everywhere, and party members and cadre comrades hold meetings at any time and carry out all kinds of brave and progressive work attempting to eliminate the enemy's power, but this is all secret. In these organizations and this work, only the Leftists are there, struggling ceaselessly; the Rightist party members are all fearful and dare not approach. The Rightists' strong point is just their mouths; they can recite the slogans "down with imperialism" and "down with the warlords" without looking at the party's resolutions. As for actual practice, actual action, they lose their nerve the moment they hear of it. The Rightists only have a mouth; they have no hands and feet. They only have the guts to hold a meeting in front of Duan Qirui, but not the guts to go to Guangzhou for a meeting, because the revolutionary atmosphere in Guangzhou scares them to death. They have resolved that their so-called Second National Congress will be held in Shanghai or Beijing in March of next year. According to my observation, if their congress can truly be convened (regardless of the number of people), they will probably not dare to hold it in Beijing, because Chief Executive Duan's household is already not sitting very steadily. They will probably hold it in Shanghai. In the old nest of imperialism, to hold a national congress of the Kuomintang publicly before the foreign consuls, the Municipal Council, the foreign masters, the police station, and the red-turbaned Sikh police—this can very well show "courage." To be able to hold meetings publicly before the warlords and imperialists, this is the greatest skill of the Rightists, which the Leftist elements cannot hope to approach!

(December 20, 1925, *Political Weekly*, No. 3)