HELPING THE ENEMY

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2570, 18 September 1915, Page 14

HELPING THE ENEMY

A-WARNING TO CITIZENS BY THE NAVY LEAGUE In;<tlie course of a circular issued in London by the Navy League the statement is made that "sinco the beginning of the war certain misguided people have cndeavonred to pervert public opinion by methods perilously close to treachery to their own. country. .Misrepresentation and falsehood 1 have been employed with reckless indifference, and for no other object than to weaken the work of the Defence Departments, and to that extent subserve the ends of the enemy." Under the bold heading of "Premature Peace" the circular continues:— "The Navy League feels that the time has come when public opinion should be roused in opposition to the spread of these subtle influences. Meetings are. being held for the ostensible purpose of promoting an early peace and the opportunity used to denounce British statesmen and British policy. Masses of leaflets are being circulated, the general trend of which, is to throw the responsibility for the war upon the people of this country, and certain speakers and writers do not hesitate to stir up class feeling with tho object of injuring national efficiency. The criminal ■ attack of Germany upon the liberties'of the human race is shamelessly. justified at the expense of the good faith of this country and its Allies.

"The bodies upon ;wliom responsibility in the main rests for this pernicious activity are: (1) The Union of Democratic Control; (2) the Stop-the-War Committee; (3) a small but fanatical section of the Independent Labour Party. The Workers as a Whole—Sound. . "It is universally recognised, of course, that the great masses of the workers of tho nation havo showii abounding patriotism, and the number' of persons belonging to tho trades imions and Labour movements associated with the anti-war campaign is very small. The minority, however, is'.jnade up of extremists, who unfortunately are not very scrupulous in the. character of the methods or the veracity of the arguments they'employ. Hie organisations referred to may be composed of some persons with the craving for advertisement, but there are others who, for reasons less reputable, desire to embarrass the Government, and all alike constitute a standing menace when the whole Empire is fighting for its very existence. Our Plain Duty, . "Ini order to meet the propaganda alluded to it is urged as the duty of every patriotic man and woman to ondeavour to counteract any effects which it is likely to produce. It is suggested, therefore:—'...

"1. That every member of the league should warn the peoplo in his or her district of the dangerous nature of antiwar teaching. "2. That no peace is possible with Germany, except such as .will be dictated by the Allies, and which, must follow upon the complete destruction of the naval and military power of Germany. "3. That Germany,, and Germany alone, forced Europe into the present war, and that there is no Toom in these islands for any apologist of Teutonic aggression. „

"4. That the ruthless violation of tho law of God and tho law.of man of which Germany has been guilty since the war began can only bo atoned for by the extermination from the Councils of Europe of the Prussian politjy of aggression. . "5. That_ premature peace would mean, to a certainty another war before tho close of another generation. The only peace therefore possible is such as will prevent any, single l Power, or group of Powers, ever again trampling, as Germany and Austria have done, upon the rights of mankind. "Wherever anti T war effort is manifest, meetings should he held to place the facts before the people, and it, is hoped that this leaflet,. and others which it is proposed to issue from the Navy League, will be circulated in every house ill each Navy League district."