POLICY OF FRENCH SOCIALIST

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2412, 18 March 1915, Page 6

POLICY OF FRENCH SOCIALIST

PEACE AFTER COMPLETE VICTORY. M. Gustavo Herve, editor of the Socialist paper "La Guerre Sociale," when the war broke out volunteered to go to the front, but the authorities tola him ho oould serve hi 3 country far better by retaining the editorship of his.paper. On February 10 he wrote a leading article on the London Socialist Congress which deserves the widest publicity as emphasising the solidarity of Socialist feeling for continuing the war to the end. c . M. Herve writes: "The congress will be essentially a Congress of Socialists in Western Europe, that is, of the countries that, politically speaking, are in the van of Europe. It will be well advised to purge itself of the habitual phraseology of our Socialist congresses audi not to make use of those equivocal ambiguous, treacherous declarations, and of that stuff that clever cooks prepare in all our international congresses. ... If only wo speak clearly, who will refuse to listen to usP Where is the man with any affeoiimi for wife and children, who would consent that all the sufferings for the last six most-lift should be sacrificed? Hundreds of thousands of our people, often, the best, have given their lives in the full flush of youth, havo left everything, wives and • children, who were dearer than life, and because the bandits who attacked us, who wished to strangle Servia, • who violated Belgian neutrality, are not yet broken after six months, we are to let them go peace-, fully home, thanking them'for what they have done. . . .■ Tin most lim-, ited in outlook, those who worn out, will understand that this is a war of deliverance, a war that will kill war- and will free our unhappy, humanity from the worst of plagues. The policy of the French Socialists at the London Conference was outlined in tlio "Temps" by MM. Jules Guesdo and Marcel Sembat, two Socialist members of the Government. M. Guesde states that there is no possibility of peace till the German Imperialism is orushed, • and the Socialists must close their ears to all mutterings about fatigue. Secondly, Socialists must express their readiness to extend the hand of friendship to the Germans once.the Emperor and Prussian Imperialism are ended: Once victory is won a new. Europe niU6fc arise, based on 'ho satisfaction of the Nationalist principle, leaving no possibility for social antagonism, but only for class antagonism ultimately to ha destroyed' by Socialism. Thus, the victory of France to-day will'bo a prelude of the victory of Socialism to-morrow., M. Sembat eexplains that French and German Socialists are on different moral planes, the Germans not having protested at the violation of Belgian neutrality, He emohasises the need for guarding against a German attempt to sow dissensions, -'fter analysing and pointing out the reasons making tho final victory of the Allies inevitable. M. Sembat states: "I think, we shall be able to do good business in London on condition that we know what we want. Our objects are no peace that is a manoeuvre of war. After victory, there will be limitation of armaments, international inspection and control ana maufacture of cannons and ammunition and compulsory arbitration, ins Emperor Nicholas had already taken the initiative at the first Conference. He proposed, according to a recently published text, to submit the Austro-Servian conflict to that Court, as Jaures proposed. It will, therefore, be easy to ensure unanimity among the Allies." '