After initially stirring up public opinion, the entire visiting delegation was divided into three groups.
Zhou Hexuan traveled north and accepted invitations from major universities in the United States. While giving academic lectures, he united with American cultural circles to call on the U.S. government to cancel the Silver Act;
Mei Lanfang, Meng Xiaodong and Vivien Leigh went south and performed tours along the way. At the same time, they stated the suffering caused by the Silver Act to China and asked the American art world to help build momentum;
Song Ziwen and Fan Heyan went directly to Washington, got in touch with Shi Zhaoji, the Chinese Minister to the United States, and sent telegrams to ask consulates in various places to cooperate in their actions and secretly contact those outside groups who opposed the Silver Act. Updates are fast and without ads.
With such three aspects cooperating with each other, coupled with the help of the American right-wing and left-wing elements, as well as the help of some outside groups to fan the flames, the matter finally... completely got into trouble!
Facing public attacks from all sides, the Silver Group certainly could not remain idle. While lobbying for a stable White House, it also spent money buying newspapers to defend itself, and repeatedly stated that the Silver Act would help the United States get out of the Great Depression and improve the lives of the American people.
Life.
Many economists who have received money have come forward to express their opinions and use their professional knowledge to clear the grievances of Baiyin Group.
However, economists in the United States have long had a bad reputation. When the stock market crashed, they claimed it was just a technical adjustment, and they deceived many Americans into bankruptcy. It was okay for the economists to remain silent, but when they spoke, public opinion started to riot.
More fierce.
Especially Comrade Raff, whom we mentioned in the previous chapter, this left-wing writer can be called "American Lu Xun". He scolds everything, scolds the government, scolds capitalists, criticizes the federal government, and will criticize him whenever he doesn't like it. He himself is
A left-wing writer, he still criticized the old left wing in the United States in the 1920s, believing that the old left wing had formulaic ideas, mechanical materialism, dictatorship, etc. He was keen on studying communist theory and yearned for the Soviet political model, but he often caught Stalin
They started trolling, saying that Stalin was a traitor to communism.
Even Raff’s friends commented: “His article is not literary criticism, but literary murder!”
No, as soon as those economists talked about money, Raff started to get all fired up. One of the economists named Irving was even grabbed by Raff's pigtails, and he listed all the ugly behaviors in his past, calling him a "capitalist"
"lackey" and "scavenging economic vulture".
The entire American public opinion exploded, and the discussion surrounding the Silver Bill even overshadowed Roosevelt's New Deal in a short period of time.
At this moment, Song Ziwen suddenly accepted an interview and publicly declared: China is about to launch a currency reform plan, intends to abandon the silver standard within six months, issue paper legal tender, and hopes that the United States can provide assistance. If the United States does not help, China will consider
Ask Japan for help.
Far away in Asia, the Japanese Foreign Minister began to promote "Sino-Japanese friendship", and the Japanese Minister to China contacted Wang Zhaoming in Nanjing. Chang Kaishen and Wang Zhaoming jointly issued an "Order to Prohibit Anti-Japanese Movements". For a while, it seemed that China and Japan were going to reach a comprehensive agreement.
economic Cooperation.
The Americans suddenly couldn't sit still. The U.S. Consul General in Shanghai, Kening Han, called U.S. President Roosevelt and pointed out: Japanese representatives are actively contacting China. The two countries may reach unpredictable economic cooperation. Once cooperation is confirmed, Japan may completely control China.
The financial and economic system... At the same time, I want to emphasize that the British are also taking action. The British Minister to China met with Chinese leader Chang Kaishen yesterday.
White House.
President Roosevelt of the United States is sitting in a wheelchair smoking a cigar. Like Churchill, he is a heavy smoker.
Also sitting in the room was Morgenthau, the U.S. Treasury Secretary who claimed to be an "apple farmer." This guy looked at the telegram and said: "Don't pay attention to it. I have consulted experts on Far East issues. It is impossible for China to fall to Japan unless China
All the rulers are mad."
Roosevelt worried: "It is undeniable that there have been many lunatics among China's rulers."
"Maybe." Morgenthau shrugged.
Roosevelt asked: "Did the Silver Act really have that big an impact on China?"
Morgenthau said helplessly: "It should be like this."
Neither U.S. President Roosevelt nor Treasury Secretary Morgenthau expected that this move would bring huge trouble to China before promulgating the Silver Act. They also did not expect that the Silver Act would affect the situation in the Far East and bring the United Kingdom to its knees.
Great powers such as France and Japan were involved.
If Zhou Hexuan had not made a big fuss in the United States, the United States would not have cared about China's life or death at all at this time. Historically, it was not until China began to fall into the arms of Japan next year that Roosevelt finally became alert.
It is undeniable that the development of things has completely exceeded Roosevelt's expectations. He did not have too complicated ideas in promulgating the Silver Act, just to win over the silver group. That was the vote of one-seventh of the senators, which could make his New Deal more smoothly implemented.
.
Roosevelt asked: "What do the other groups think?"
"The Farmers Union wants to end the Silver Act." Morgenthau said with a wry smile. In fact, he himself was a member of the "American Farmers Union". Before meeting Roosevelt, Morgenthau was not a businessman or a politician, but a genuine farm.
host.
Roosevelt asked for advice: "What do you suggest?"
Morgenthau said: "From the perspective of a farmer, I hope to end the Silver Act. But as your political partner, I will advise you to ignore external public opinion. The voting rights of the Silver Group are too important. Once those guys are angered,
Many of our new policies will not pass."
The silver output value of the United States is far less than the agricultural output value, and it is not even as good as the output value of potatoes.
From this point of view, it seems that the power of the "American Farmers Alliance" is far greater than that of the "Silver Group".
But it is by no means that simple. Farmers are everywhere, scattered in various parts of the United States. They appear to be powerful, but in fact, their political power is scattered and they hold very few Senate seats. As for the Silver Group, it is concentrated in the seven silver-producing states and owns
14 seats in the Senate.
That’s why Roosevelt hated the Silver Group very much. These guys brought very little benefit but occupied too many political resources. They must be defeated in the future!
Roosevelt thought for a while: "What should the British do? The telegram said that British diplomats are in contact with the Nanjing government."
Morgenthau said: "We must invite experts on Far East issues to discuss this issue. As for domestic public opinion, we don't need to pay attention to it and let Baiyin Group solve it on its own. If they can solve it, then everything will be business as usual; if they can't solve it, we can also follow the trend.
Cancel the Silver Act. In any case, the White House cannot take the initiative to cancel the Silver Act, otherwise the Silver Group will make more greedy demands."
"Thank you, old man, your advice has broadened my mind." Roosevelt smiled.
"Then I'll take my leave first." Morgenthau took the initiative to leave. He knew that Roosevelt would also meet with other officials and advisers.
Roosevelt was sitting in a wheelchair, smoking a cigar alone and smiling bitterly. As a president, he was too cowardly. There were many obstacles to the New Deal, which almost caused an objection from the business community. The biggest purpose of promulgating the Silver Act was actually to win over the silver group and thereby fight against it.
"American Chamber of Commerce" maintains a delicate political balance.
The biggest enemy of Roosevelt's New Deal was not the Silver Group, but the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.
Once the Silver Act is cancelled, it will inevitably cause a backlash from the Silver Group, the political balance he painstakingly maintained will be broken, and Roosevelt's New Deal may also face failure.
Zhou Hexuan stirred up public opinion in the United States this time, which posed a big problem for Roosevelt. As long as the Silver Group did not take the initiative to cancel the silver bill, Roosevelt could only grit his teeth and continue even if he was burdened with national infamy.
