RED FEDS AND PRUSSIANISM.

Press, Volume LIII, Issue 15874, 13 April 1917, Page 6

RED FEDS AND PRUSSIANISM.

STARTLING SIMILARITIES.

ADDRESS BY PROFESSOR MACMILLAN BROWN.

In tho course of Professor J. Macmillan Brown's highly interesting address last night beforo tho Overseas Club on "Somo Aspects of Peace and tho Future," tho speaker drow attention to somo rather startling resemblances botween Prussian ideas and thoso underlying tho I.W.W.' and tho lied Feds. »

THE "VIRTUES" OF RED FEDISM. 'If you want to find out tho virtue that a man, or an institution has not got." Professor Macmillan Brown remarked, "look out for what ho trumpets abroad as his,, or its, special monopoly. Tho Germans, at tlio beginning of the war, claimed that thov and they alone possessed any tiling worthy to bo called culture —kultur—and that by all means they must impose this kultur upon tho world. AVo know now that tticir kultur doesn't riscj even as high as tho bestial. . . . Take our friends, tiio 1.W.W.—1 was going to say 'tho Industrial Wasters of the World'—(applause)—the Industrial Workers of tho vVorld. They arrogate to themselves that they are tho representatives of industrialism. that they aro tho workers, and that they aro tho true representatives of all mankind. Now, if you look into their acts you will find that thoy intend to destroy tho industry of Australasia. They aro almost all idlo vagabonds who live upon their fellows who work. Those that arrogate to themselves certain virtues clearly show that they do not possess them. So it is with tlio pacifists—thoy claim to bo tho truo friends of peaco; but tho peaco that tho pacifist wants is exactly the same kind of peaco that tho Kaiser wants—a breathing spaco in order to gather force for another attack on freedom and civilisation." THE SITUATION IN RUSSIA. The speaker dealt at somo length, and very illuminatingly ? with tlio state of affairs that has arisen in .Russia, and pointed out the possibility of the history of tho French Revolution repeating itself in Rustia —a succession of unstable governments giving place ultimately to a military despot. In his vision of tho near future Professor Macmillan Brown saw a chain of republics stretching across Europe and Asia to An.erica. This, h<3, said, was a great prospect for the world, but there was within democracy one of the greatest dangers to their freedom —a danger that could bo seen in tho cable messages from Petrograd, a danger that threatened tho Russian republic. Where freedom of speech existed and where tho sphere of education was limited, and tho sphere of rational and commonsense thinking was still more limited, there was tremendous soope for the irresponsible orator and the inculcation of one-ideaed schemes for the betterment of mankind.

UNSCRUPULOUS SOCIALISTS. Continuing, Professor Macmilhm Brown said: —"A sinister feature has appeared in the Socialist movement. Socialism has passed from the Utopianista and humanitarian dreamers, into the hands of the who have abandoned all respect for the rights of their neighbours. They have wiped from tho Ten Commandments 'Thou shalt not stejil,' and Socialism has drawn to it all the gaol-evaders and embyro criminals—there is no scoundrel in the world who ha s not come into the fold of Socialism, which has, therefore, become practically the creed of brigandism. ' Some of them feel quite holy in plundering by that up-to-date burglary of not paying their debts. (Laughter and applause.) There is a saintliness about that type of Socialist of which it is difficult to get 'within the fortifications. These vagabonds who have taken command of Socialism have made it one of the most aggressive creeds in the world —more aggressive than Mohammedanism. And one of .the most astounding things is that they have captured —or profess to have captured—the unions, although the unions consist wholly of capitalists; that is to say, of men who pay their debts honestly, men who save against a rainy day or to help a friend, men who own their own cottage and garden and have money in the savings bank! What else are such men but capitalists?"-

PRUSSIAN AND RED FED. METHODS. "Now, it is an amazing thing that thoso who kavfe agreed with these Socialist orators, that the "villains behind them who have taken command of these institutions, undoubtedly mean to uso them, as Prussia has used Germany, for the destruction, of the freedom of mankind. Undoubtedly there is before us ono of the most difficult struggles that mankind has seen, and we have got to exorcise that evil, else we shall never have peace within our borders. Wo must eradicate not merely tho garrulosity but also tho criminosity of the I.W.W. and the Red Feds behind them. (Applause.) It is perfectly true tjiat these men are against some of tho fundamental laws of nature. Thoy have used Prussian methods to persuade the unions that tho best way to prosper is to thievo. to steal—to steal from their neighbour. That is what Prussia has been doing for all time; that is how she persuaded Germany. So it is with these I.W.W. people, these Red Feds; they liavo persuaded the unions that tho only true prosperity fs by taking from their neighbours. One of Nature's laws is that the only •work worth rewarding is work that has got intelligence, in it."

THE UNIONS PRUSSIANISED. • Nature docs not divido men into capitalists and workers—bocausc most mon arc both. Sho divides them into honest and dishonest workers. . . . "Well, say our friends, we will enjoy life; 'after us the deluge.' The attitude of these Labour leaders is amazing; they are supposed to be tbe protectors of tho oppressed workers, to stand between them and tyranny, especially the tyranny of capitalism. And yet there is not one of them who lias raised a finger against Prussia and her evil deeds —not one has championcd the oppressed of Belgium. These Labour leaders oppoflo conscription because of its interference with personal liberty; but they have used the most drastic conscription that could have been applied, by persuading the Governments of Australasia to agree to nrefercnce to unionists, which moans bringing every worker, by hook or by crook, into their unions and so get the workers into their hands as a means of attacking the liberty of their fellows. There is very little doubt that wc have got in this truo Prussianism."

PRUSSIANISM AND RED FEDS ARE ALLIED. <- I have heard somo express tho opinion that the only way to explain tho allianco between our Labour leaders and Prussia and their playing into the hands of Prussia, is that they have bueen promised some of tho bright milliohs of Bernstorff. There is no need to resort to that explanation. "We have in their own raothods an explanation of their affinity and sympathy with Prussian ways. One of the methods of Prussianism—tho famous 'scrap of paper,' keeping no treaty unless it served their purpose—that is exactlv the method of the Red Feds. You will remember 'To Hell with agreements!' That is exactly on all fours with tho 'scrap of paper' policy of Prussia. You will remember during tho "Wellington

strike that one of tho labour leader!, at a conforenco -with Mr Massey, said that, unless they had thoir way, they would make tho streets of Wellington 'flow with blood.' What, is that but Prussian fright-fulness to cow oppo. nents?" WHAT OF THl\ REMEDY. "I think we liavo got tru* Prussianism in our midst—Prussianism that we -will have to cut out as wo cut out & cancer. (Applause.) Mark you! it doesn't belong to 11s. It. i s in the United States, it is in Franco, wo sen it in tho cablcs from Russia it would bo easy to manage tho mero pnrrnlosity of tho Socialist orator, but this sonrct junta of criminals bohind the Socialists is a raoro difficult matter • it is, iu fact, tho greatest threat to human liberty and to civilisation." Concluding, Professor Macmillan Brown advocated that these- criminal misleaders of labour should bo placed on an island in the Pacific, whero ther could do just as they pleased—and he has no doubt that tho result would bo similar to thatof the Kilkenny cats. As for "our Socialist friends," 'ho recommended that they should be sent to tho Northern Territory of Australia, and there, by experiment, show that Social, ism could bo made a s-uccess. Ho strongly urged the necessity of cducation to combat Socialism, and ended with the peroration spoken by Patrick Henry, the American patriot, when, urging his fellow-colonists to resist tho tyranny of George iTI.: "Is life so dear lis peaco so swoot, as co be purchased at the cost of chains and slavery. For. bid it, Almighty God! I know not what course others arc going to take but for mo I must harp liberty, or death!" (Continued applause.)