Sun Yat-sen Quotes
The difference between the Chinese workers and foreign workers lies in the fact that the latter are oppressed only by their own capitalists and not by those of other countries.
Sun, Yat-sen. San Min Chu I: The Three Principles of the People. Translated by Frank W. Price, Commercial Press, 1927, p. 401.
Jefferson was one of the first political and economic thinkers to express concern over the “wage slave” concept of the industrial revolution. This was one of the major reasons that he was not in consonance with Alexander Hamilton in his economic vision for America. While we followed the Hamilton direction, there are still issues of maintaining freedom and independence for an employee in modern nations and economies.
Sinclair had written an expose of the meat packing industry – the Jungle – which used as its setting the Armour meat packing factory. It changed the way the public thought about the industry, the role of government and regulation. President Roosevelt took up the reform role, and got Congress to Regulate the quality and cleanliness of the meat packing industry. Sinclair, however not only wanted that reform, but also wanted the labor wages and conditions reformed. He referred to the Armour plant as the fortress.
At the time, Australia would not allow Asians in the Country and the United States had severely curtailed Oriental immigration. Ironically, in the 21st century the United States and most of the “white” nations had opened their markets to Asian imports and China, Taiwan, Korea, Thailand all were dominating consumer manufacturing and were in free competition with white labor but there were still de facto restrictions on immigration and Asian guest workers in most white nations.
In his economic view, managers, accountants, attorneys, owners, shareholders, landlords, were all supported by the workers who have to support themselves and all the others.
Of particular interest is his point about the immigration of cheap, foreign labor in addition to presenting unfair competition to the American worker also regards him in society’s view and his own. It was a tremendous loss of dignity for now a free working man was no better than an ignorant, compliant Chinese coolie. This loss of dignity has been a problem to which politicians have not been very sensitive.
Sun Yat-sen was a Chinese statesman, physician, and political philosopher, who served as the provisional first president of the Republic of China and the first leader of the Kuomintang (Nationalist Party of China). He is referred as the "Father of the Nation" in the Republic of China, and as the "Forerunner of the Revolution" in the People's Republic of China for his instrumental role in the overthrow of the Qing dynasty during the Xinhai Revolution. Sun is unique among 20th-century Chinese leaders for being widely revered in both mainland China and Taiwan.
