To President Wilson
Nov. 19, 1918*

President Wilson
The White House
Washington D.C.
Your Excellency:
　I congratulate you on the complete victory you have gainedover militarism in this world war. You have done the greatest ser-vice to civilization and democracy since the world began.When you advised China to join you in the war last year Istrongly objected because I knew that the militarists in my coun-try would surely utilize the occasion to strangly democracy in China.My prediction has unfortunately turned out true.In the summer of last year while the question of joining thewar was before our national assembly the Boxer Chief Chang Hsunundertook a coup d'etat under the secret order of the then Pre-mier Tuan Chi-jui, to force the abolition of parliament and to ef-fect the restoration of the Manchu emperor. Thus they intendedto crush democracy at one stroke. But this act was not welcomedby all the powers and was bitterly resented by the people of China.Tuan Chi-jui saw that the movement was foredoomed to failure sohe changed front at once by joining the christian general, Feng Yu-hsiang, who was already marching with his brigade on Peking to
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fight the monarchist. Tuan Chi-jui established himself the chief ofthis anti-monarchist movement and thus pretended to be the sa-vior of the republic.
　Immediately after hearing of the restoration of the monarchyand the overthrow of the republic I left Shanghai, on the 5th July,1917, with a part of the Chinese navy for Canton, with a view tofight the monarchists. But on arrival at my destination all the workI had intended to do had been done already, apparently by TuanChi-jui. I conguatulated him for his patriotic action and advised himto restored the parliament at once. To my disappointment he ig-nored my advice and to my surprise I further discovered that hewas at the bottom of Chang Hsun's boxer movement to destroyforeign institutions and to uphold the Manchus.I then took steps upon my own responsibility to reconvene theparliament at Canton. At first I was strongly opposed by the south-ern militarists also, but realizing that public opinion was with me,they let me have my way. The people of Canton welcomed my pro-posal and the Kuangtung provincial assembly at once sent out in-vitations to the members of parliament in all the provinces to cometo Canton, and they responded enthusiastically. The southern mi-litarists finding that the constitutional movement being so stronglysupported by the people dared not openly come to terms with thenorth, but they conspired to overthrow democracy in the south as
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well. Thus, after a year laboring under unutterable difficulties, I fi-nally succeeded in getting the parliament into quorum, which con-sisted of the majority of both the houses. During that interval thenorth sent expedition after expedition to crush the south. Thus thesouthern militarists were compelled to fight for their constitutionalcause with my followers purely in self-defense, although they werenot working under my direction. This is the real cause of the warforced by the northern militarists upon the south. But it is not awar between the north and south, as commonly supposed to be,for half the number of members of the parliament in Canton noware from the north.
　It is in fact a war between militarism and democracy pure andsimple. The northern militarists knowing well that our cause is justand that we cannot be subjugated by them, created a bogus par-liament in order to counteract the one elected by the people togain public opinion in their territory and thus to throw dust intothe eyes of the foreign powers.
　Since the change of the cabinet in Japan the supply of moneyand arms to the northerns has been stopped. Being left helpless,the northern militarists now make overtures to the south for a com-promise on conditions that both the bogus and true parliament bedissolved and the official posts of the republic redistributed. Thesouthern militarists welcome this idea, as it enables them to
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divide the nations property among themselves and to crush thepeople's rights.
　It is officially given out from Peking that the United States wantChina to cease internal war, and if the south does not agree to theterms, the militarists will bring American pressure upon the south.Thus when the world was at war we were accused as anti-war; now,then peace is dawning, we shall likely soon be accused as anti-peace by the militarists. We have fought against overwhelming oddsand against Japanese money and arms and yet survive; but if theUnited States moral and physical forces are to be misused as theJapanese by the Peking militarists against an oppressed people, thehope of democracy in China is gone.
　Therefore I am compelled to appeal to you personally for thesake of justice, democracy and peace in China, and make knownto you our peace terms. We insist all along upon one condition only,that is, our parliament must have full liberty to perform its properfunctions. If this simple reasonable and moderate condition is de-nied we will fight on despite whatever pressure the Peking milit-arists may bring upon us. For this parliament was won by the bloodof the martyrs of our revolution and is the foundation of the re-public. We could not suffer to see it so ruthlessly destroyed by themilitarists. Moreover, this was the parliament duty authorized toformulate and adopt a permanent constitution for the republic. Until
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this special duty is fulfilled and the new constitution promulgated,it cannot be dissolved. When Yuan Shi-kai was preparing his wayto the imperial throne he abruptly abolished this parliament. Thenthe people rose and defeated him. This is now the second time thatwe are fighting for the same parliament. And this very parliamentwas first recognized by the United States through your own good self.May I not look upon you now to save democracy in China asyou have done in Europe, by saying just a word for the oppressedpeople of China to the Peking militarists that the parliament whichyou have recognized must be respected.
Sun Yat Sen*The date of sending is unknown, here is the received date.
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