The Dominion. THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 5, 1918. BRITISH LABOUR AND THE WAR

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 298, 5 September 1918, Page 4

The Dominion. THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 5, 1918. BRITISH LABOUR AND THE WAR

What attitude the British Trade Union ' Congress now sitting at Derby -will take up towards the war has yet to appear, but it has been given a bad lead by its president. Mr. Ogden's speech will be read with more pleasure by Germans than by loyal citizens of the British Empire. As lie is reported, ho said, amongst other things, that wc ought, after four years of war,, "to try to discover a way to peaces" This statement, though lie added that he did not mean a dishonourable. peace or a peace at any price, reeks with black ingratitude to all the men and women who have fought, toiled, suffered, and died during more than four years of war to the end that the just cause of the Allies may prevail. The way to peace is clearly defined, and the suggestion that it remains.to discover it is a libel on all the Allied nations.. The only way to poace is to defeat Germany, exact reparation for her crimes, and compel her to renounce the aspiration of enslavingand degrading the rest of tho world. Instead of accepting this elementary and solidly established fact, Mk. Ogden by inference set the Allies on a level with Germany. He advocated, wc are told,

internationalism amongst the workers in order that those who are doing tho bulk of the fighting might decide the question of peace or war. He intended that tho full significance of that statement should bo appreciated in the. enemy countries. He unhesitatingly welcomed the plea for a peace atmosphere. If tho workers remained solid and kept their vision clear they would soon see an industrial Can nan. It was impossible to express anything but horror and detestation for Germrisy's crimes, but their aim'should bo to get together, and settlo disputes. These arc not the' words of a man •who is honestly facing tho facts of the. war. To say in one breath that' it is impossible to express anything but horror aftd detestation for Germany's crimes arid in the next that their aim (that is-to say, the aim of workers in Britain and Germany) should bo. to get together ancl settle disputes is in the most literal senso to condone Germany's crimes and push them into the background. It is hardly necessary at this time. to point out that the theory that friendly approaches to tho German proletariat would in auy way smooth the road to peaco was long ago exploded. Even Mi. Arthur Henderson, one of tho British pacifists who has clung most tenaciously to tho idea of meeting and conferring with the German Socialists, u'as constrained to admit a few days ago that he went too far when ho declared in July that the German Majority Socialists were -willing to discuss peace on the basis of Labour principles. The Trade Union Congress has yet to define its attitude, but fortunately thore are substantial grounds' for believing that any declaration of pacifist "principles" by its delegates would simply demonstrate that they were as far a.s possible from reflecting the real attitude and opinions of the British working classes. Men of long and recogniscd standing in the Labour movement in Great Britain arc to be citcd as supporting the charge that the pacifists have established a far greater influence and control over the different executive bodies than they would obtain on a basis of genuine representation. It is possible in. these circumstances that "pacifist views may for the moment preponderate at the Trade Union Congress, but this is by no means assured. The pacifist drift of some of the Labour leaders has provoked a strong and rising movement of revolt. At tiro end of June, for instance,, a meeting of about 400 delegates from trade unions, held at Westminster, protested against the repudiation of the party, truce during the war, and also agreed to submit the following resolution to the Trade Union Congress now sitting:--

This congress declares in favour of a distinct political Labour Party for tho Irado union movement based on representation of and controlled by (he congress, and instructs tho Parliamentary Committee to take tho steps necessary to establish a Trado Union Labour Party.

Afc tho Westminster meeting informative light was thrown upon tho plahs and methods of those, who are attempting to carry the British Labour, movement into ways of pacifism. One of the delegates (Mr. J. B. Williams) declared that the resolution to end the truce was all part.of tho non-unionist and pacifist programme. The underlying intention, he added, was the desire to force a, crisis, remove tho present Coalition Government, and instal a Ministry "which would secure for us a peace similarto the one. Lenin and Trotsky obtained for Russia." Another delegate stated that unions which he named were given no opportunity of considering the trucc resolution, so that their delegates voted any mandate. In view of the part played by tho British- working classes, as combatants and in vital industries, during the war period, there can be no hesitation in accepting tho statement lately made by Mr. Ben Tili.et that tho Labour movement in Great Britain is ninety-eight per cent, absolutely loyal and anti-Ger-man, and that freaks and faddists who prate on pacifist lines do not represent tho British workers. In its scope, however, the agitation conducted by these men is wholly malign and plays directly into Germany's _ hands. Plain eviderico on this point was supplied by Professor Hans Delbruck in a rccent newspaper article in which he discussed prospects of creating in England tho "peace atmosphere" which Mr. Ogden has out of his way to advocate. Insisting that'it is useless for Germany to make approaches to the Lloyd George Government, and that her only profitable policy is to supply material for British pacifists, Delbruck explains:

Tho diplomatic • offensive which must go sido by side with the Hindenburg offensive must bo a real offensive; it .must aim not at an agreement with tho English War Party, but nt making the English War Party impossible. In order to achieve this, it is necessary to place weapons in the hands of tho decent elements in the enemy peoples, and Hint.is by no means difficult. Again and again our Government has given it lo be understood that we desire nothing from Belgium. [This is, of course, untrue, ns Count. Ifertling's statements about treating Belgium ns n pawn have again shown.'! Tor the whole Anglo-Saxon world Belgium is the conditio sine c|tia non. Tie who wants to destroy the chauvinism in nil countries must speak so plainly about Belgium dial not only the diplomatics Ixil also tho man in Iho street will understand what we wanl. Hindenbuiio's offensive has failed

and tho Allied armies arc advancing victoriously. It is on this account more than ever necessary that the agitation of those elements in our nation which Deujruck is pleased to describe as "decent" should be pitilessly exposed in the light of truth and common sense. Too much emphasis can never bo laid on tho fact that if these elements—"decent," by German standards—had their way, Britain and her Allies would speedily find themselves involved in the horrors of a German peace. Sincc, however, they distort instead of reflecting the opinions and outlook of those for whom they profess to speak, the pacifists who are attempting to dominate British Labour organisations are less a danger to their country than a disgrace.