AUSTRALIAN LABOUR AND THE SOLDIERS

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 70, 17 December 1918, Page 5

AUSTRALIAN LABOUR AND THE SOLDIERS

TELLING COMMENT ON A MANIFESTO. Commenting on a manifesto which was recently issued by a conference of official Labour members to returned sailors and soldiers for the purpose of winning the returned men's support to their scheme, Mr. Jf. P. Pimentel, secretary of the lieturned Soldiers' National Party, stated that there is not, nor has there been throughout: this war, anything in common between official Labour and returned men and the cause for which those men fought. The manifesto is only one more attempt on the part of selt-seekers to exploit soldier sentiment, and will therefore be treated accordingly. The pettyminded persons responsible for the manifesto have in their wisdom congratulated their "German brothers" on their emancipation. This in itself flhowa how much the One Dig Union people think of the returned soldiers whose ufturts in ornshing Germany made tho emancipation of the German workers possible. It is only a matter of days sinco these people were debating whether they should recruit tlio men -\yhoso support fliey are now tiying to obtain. Their attitude towards tho war hnn always been one of antagonism, but they aro now Teady to enjoy tho fruits of victory, which has bßen secured by tlie efforts of others than themselves. The audacity of these people in putting the German worker on tho same piano as the Australian is beyond comprehension. Thero is no comparison between the German worker who willingly remained a slave until emancipated by tho Allied armies and the Australian worker who lifts always enjoyed full liberty of franchise. Returned soldiers who prior to their enlistment enme from the Labour class went forth, said Mr. Pimentel, not ns Labour men, but as Australians, and oven assuming that official Labour had boon loyal to the Allied caiiEo it is hard to eoncoivo even in such circumstances that these returned men, who have had their viows broadened, would have beon willing to go back to the old order of things. Men who have helped to crush German autocracy will not submit themselves to oilier forms of autocracy, and tho vote of theso men in future will not ho cast for the purpose of securing an advantage lo any given section of the community; it will be cast to further Hie welfare of the nation for which they havo fought and bled. < For all the good these union officials will realise from their surprising and unexpected manifesto they mny just'ns well desisl, and confine their ofi'orts in fulure to people r.s small-minded a.s themselves.