THE LIBERTIES WE ENJOY

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 2958, 22 December 1916, Page 6

THE LIBERTIES WE ENJOY

The deputation of anti-Conscrip-tionists which waited on the Minister of Labour yesterday advanced nothing now in support of their contention that a mail should bo permitted to enjoy the full privileges of citizenship in time of peace without bearing the obligations of citin zenship in time of war.. There was one remark made by. the leader of the deputation which shows the hopeless, unjust, and one-sided view which these people take. Mr. Dovgray, the chairman of the recent conference, made this remark. "Tho workers," he said, "were very strongly imbued with the idea of freedom which they have enjoyed for so long and the idea of conscription was repugnant to them." We do not admit for one moment that this truly represents the view of the majority of the workers; but what does such an attitude mean? What is the freedom the workers have enjoyed for so long? The freedom that was won for them by the sacrifices of their forefathers.' And it is this freedom that they are now being called on to fight for. Tho antiConscriptionists claim the freedom not to fight for the freedom they expect other peopleto maintain for them. Could anything be more contemptible? They claim the right to all the liberties and, all the privileges of citizenship under the British flag, and make protest when they are called on to assist to defend the privileges they enjoy. The case for the anti-Consriptionists was made still more shameful by the complaint that those who had enjoyed the freedom and advantages of the country in time of peace were not permitted to desert it in its time of danger.