CO129-497 - Public Offices - 1926 — Page 518

( 40 )

APPENDIX Y.

is

The following article by Sir Percival Phillips, K.B.E.,

reprinted, with special permission, from The Daily Mail of December 11th, 1925. (Sir Percivial Phillips is the Special Commissioner sent out to China by the Daily Mail to investi- gate and report on the recent disturbances.)

HONGKONG, November.

Disillusionment is already the lot of the Chinese in Kwangtung province who were persuaded to put on the shackles of Bolshevism. Their masters have followed exactly the same procedure as in Russia, where the Red Terror entered softly and, having gained a firm foothold, revealed itself as a grim and ruthless despot.

The Cantonese officials and the native population are the foolish dupes of the Moscow Soviet. They were beguiled by specious promises of help in freeing China from the yoke of "unequal" treaties and "humiliating" Customs agreements. Now the Russians are showing cynical disregard for this camouflage. They are beginning to turn the screw.

Terrorism, conscription of labour, destructive taxation, confiscation of private property, and the domination of an army of mercenaries are some of the familiar manifestations of the second phase of Bolshevism in the province of Kwangtung.

Jacob Borodin did not show his hand until he had an army at his command. It is a small army, but it possesses the distinct advantage of being armed, whereas the local opponents of Bolshevism, although great in numbers, lack weapons and munitions.

BRIBES, THEN TYRANNY.

Moscow is moving in China exactly as it moved at home. The lesson may be taken to heart by the lukewarm opponents

( 41 )

of Soviet propaganda in Great Britain. Bribes for "pro- letariat" leaders at first, with ground bait for the "freedom" of the workers of the world; then tyranny, greater than any experienced under "capitalism," backed by machine guns and strengthened by executions; and, finally, government by two or three resolute men acting as servants of the Russian Soviet.

The first thing the Reds under Borodin did when they became the rulers of Canton was to eliminate all "doubtful" elements from their organisation. For "Moderates" they had no use whatever. Chinese officially described as "pink" disappeared from the council chambers. The Cantonese generally were suspect. Chekiang troops really recruited from districts miles distant, with Whampoa Academy officers representing many northern towns and provinces--became the military power for the enforcement of Russian decrees.

USEFUL AS EXECUTIONERS.

General Su Seng-chi, commander of the Cantonese forces, a "pink," was removed. His "pink" and "white" subordinate officers retired to civil life. Doubtful Cantonese units were swept together under vigilant Russian “instructors," who had at their command picked levies of northern-born Reds and trusted Chinese Bolsheviks who could speak Russian.

[There were about 100,000 Chinese in labour corps in Russia after the revolution, and many of these became useful allies of the Soviet as "counter-revolutionary units" and executioners.]

The Cantonese army was placed under a "committee" of three workmen and four soldiers, on the Russian plan, with a Russian at the head. The civil Government became really interchangeable with the local Russian consular staff and its "trade advisers." It consisted of a tribunal of sixteen, with

509