...Since the Western Hunan issue arose, Zhao's position has been shaken, and he cannot but use the provincial constitution to defend himself. Therefore, several days ago, he had his partisans Fang Kegang, Li Jimin, and others use money to have the Public Corps send a telegram, or to create a mass movement. ...The purpose of upholding Zhao is embedded within the maintenance of the provincial constitution... It was decided to hold a street parade at eight o'clock in the morning on the fifth... They sent out letters mostly to workers' organizations, thinking that workers have simple minds and that over a thousand people would surely come. On that day, they waited until ten o'clock, and not only did not a single organization show up, but even the private individuals who participated were only a few of their own relatives and friends. They were extremely anxious and sent people out everywhere again; to places like the Zhonghua Labor Union, which has long been run by those scoundrels, and the Yangjiyuan and the Buddhist Lecture Institute, they offered five jiao in silver dollars per person, plus a meal of refreshments, hiring one hundred and several tens of people. At twelve o'clock, they set out on the parade. Before the parade, a meeting was held in the magic lantern hall of the Education Department, with a hall full of monks, beggars, and others, totaling one hundred and twenty to thirty people. First:

(1) The monk Chipei acted as chairman, reporting on the purpose of the meeting, stating roughly: The provincial constitution is not called a constitution but a constitutional scripture, just as in Buddhism there is the Buddhist scripture... The monks and beggars in the audience immediately waved their hands wildly.

(2) After the meeting adjourned, they set out:

At the front were two large banners, one inscribed "Provincial Constitution Maintenance Society," the other "Provincial Citizens' Petition Rally";

The first contingent was the long-gown-and-mandarin-jacket contingent, appearing just like provincial citizens' representatives, about twenty to thirty people;

The second contingent—the Zhonghua Labor Union, about five or six people;

The third contingent—the Buddhist Lecture Group, old men in broad robes, about forty to fifty people;

The fourth contingent—the Yangjiyuan, about forty to fifty people;

A motley display of colors... performing this ugly farce, exhausting all the arts of buffoonery...,

Seen in the *Minguo Ribao*

We have always opposed the federation of autonomous provinces, because it is not a federation of autonomous provinces, but a federation of warlords for partitioned rule. We have always opposed the provincial constitutions under the stolen name of warlords and rotten politicians, because they cannot serve as a safeguard for the people, but only as a safeguard for the warlords and rotten politicians in their struggle for power and profit. Hunan is the clearest example. Zhao Hengti is now grandly raising the "army to protect the constitution," yet in the past two years—since the provincial constitution came into being—he has massacred laborers (Pang the silkworm worker, and others), sealed up newspaper offices (*Dagong Bao*, *Zizhi Xinbao*, *Xinxiang Bao*), deprived the people of the freedom of correspondence (the postal and telegraph censors have not been withdrawn for a single day), deprived them of the freedom of assembly and association (sealed the Rickshaw Pullers' Union, sealed the Grain Millers' Union, sealed the Diplomatic Support Society, and repeatedly banned meetings of academic societies and workers), protected his troops in purchasing all kinds of opium, bought elections (dispatched decorated soldiers to rig the general vote for the provincial constitution, used money to rig the provincial assembly, used money to buy the governorship), extorted donations from merchants (the chairman of the Changsha General Chamber of Commerce was repeatedly forced to flee), collected land taxes from peasants in advance (in some counties, taxes have been collected up to the 17th year of the Republic), violated the legally stipulated budget by reducing education and industry funds while increasing military expenditures, and colluded with Wu Peifu to deceive the south. Is there any of this that was not done under the false mask of the provincial constitution and in enmity to the people? His mobilization of forces this time also began with a dispute with Sen Juyou over the opium tax (the so-called salt tax). That Zhao Hengti, such a thing guilty of ten thousand evils for which he cannot be pardoned, is still there borrowing various righteous names to grandly boast and beat the drums for "protecting the constitution," truly he is not afraid of shaming the people of Hunan to death