FARMERS VISM

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 235, 30 June 1919, Page 8

FARMERS VISM

MRmW. h. field in reply

GUARDING AGAINST "A.HIDEOUS

POSSIBILITY "

Some remarks mado by' Sir. W, H. Field, M.l'., nt Palmcrston North with referenco to the organisation of farmers against Bolshevism produced a protest 'from tlio Wellington Labour Representation Committee. The secretary of this coiuuiitteo wroto to the Actiiig-l'i'imo Ministor (Sir James Allen) on the subject. Mr. l'ield has now explained his position in a letter to Sir James Allen. "I had not previously seen the newspaper reports of the spcccli in question," says Mr. Field in. tlio coui-sp of his letter. "Furthermore, I have no record of my utterances beyond a few rough notes, but I am quite clear as to their nature and meaning. Tho main object of my ad- : dTess was to urge tho complete organisation of farniers throughout tlio Dominion to maintain their rights, and those of tho community generally, and particularly to check tho spread of Bolshevism in this country. Dealing with Bolshevism, I pointed out that tho ISolsheviki of Russia, the Spartacists of Germany, and the I.W.W. organisation of America, and extreme revolutionary Labour in this country, were all of the same. political creed, though at present operating under somewhat different conditions. ,_I upheld sane and moderate Labour, and said that unhappily .a handful of extremists were attempting to sway and voice the workers of this country, .and that their influence was on the

increase. I drew attention to the fact that while the British Empire and her Allies were in the midst of a life and death struggle with the Hnns and savages of Europe, and our boys were fighting in tho trenches under conditions of incessant peril, and were laying down their lives for us, leading Labourites in this country, sheltering under the British flag, were di&oyal to King and, Emigre, and were doing their utmost to discourage enlistment and so prevent our soldiers from receiving reinforcements they so sorely needed. I said that these same people were no>v professing to extend the right hand of fellowship to our returned soldiers, whom they had endeavoured to so grievously harm. I said that, taking advantage of tho present unrest and''discontent, largely based on'the increased cost of living and the profiteering that unhappily is still rampant, the extremist leaders of Labour were seeking to make political profit and capital out of the war, concerning which they had played so ignoble a part. I warned my Jieareirs not to be misled by smoothtongued speeches from the platform, for the Labour extremist did not carry his politics on his sleeve. I to tho farmers present the deadly hatred of the Bolshevik for any mail who owns a piece of property fir who employs labour, and that; one of the chief objects of Bolshevism. was to,destroy capital, and private employment, and enterprise. ; .1 urged that; the two great forces, Capital and Labour, Were interdependent, and that if each did its duty to the other ! there was no possible room for enmity between them. I said that every man

who was prepared to do a fair day's work should receive sufficient wages to onable him not only to maintain himself and his family in comfort, but also, with . ordinary economy, to accumulate savings I for the purchase of a farm or home for i himself and to provide for his declining I years, "I read the German Spartacist policy, and also portion of the sermon of Bishop ■ Julius delivered recently in the Chris ti church Cathedral, in the course of which His Lordship predicted a terrible calamity in the form of world-wide Bolshevism, llis Lordship declared that we to-day were in peril, that a shadow of a great danger hung over us all. Bolshevism, what did it mean!' It was just that : fear, that 6ense of tho world driven to despair and nothing else, it came ro men, ignorant men, who could see just, this, that things were not what they ought to be. They found no help and descended ill despair, destruction and ■ ruin.. -'It is ooming. It is coming, -llis coming," continued Ill's Lordship,'"as ' surely as Christians are - unfaithful to the Church." We thought, he said, we could stop it by maintaining a sending ■ army, that in any case it was foreign to the character of the British people, but it was there, and it must coino till it overwhelmed our churches, our civil law upon which we prided ourselves, and there was nothing left but a desert to wluch once more a message from above might be heard. He said he knew very terrible days ivere coming, and perhaps, coming very soon. The Bolshevilci, I said, were out to create -ruin and.chaos from which they 'hoped to rise triumphant. I drow attention to t.lie terrible conditions of Russia under -Bolshevik rule, and said that if tliey got sufficient hold of Ivew Zealand the same thing might occur here, and that in the event of fnch , a disaster, I believe every farmer who wa6 present would willingly take up his rifle and defend his home and his rights.1 reminded the farnier.s present that tlioy form a section of the bourgeoisie, and they knew how the bourgeoisie had been . dealt with by the Bolshevilci in Russia. i I am perfectly well aware that in tho ■ event of laws, however unjust, being passed by constitutional means.- every citizen is called upon to submit to those laws, i »e all remember the strike in j 1913, when there was no war-created un- .

rest, and conditions were normal, but nevertheless' the country was reduced whilo the strike lasted, to a slate of terror and stagnation. The produce of the humor was left to rot on the wuarves, firearms were used,-anti men armed themselves with iron bars and other weapons. 'Happily, there was no loss of life. That strike was a mere circumstance compared with wlint a general strike, of which there seemed more -than a prospect a fow months back, would be under the present conditions. J. lift whole world is suffering from industnal unrest, fostered by extremist labour leaders, and nobody can foretell its development and consequences. If a. general .strike should occur, who can say that Bolshevism, if it. secures sufficient hold in this country, may not bB able to take advantage of the awful turmoil that would ensue, and with one fell swoop seizo control of the country? And who jrili.be hold enough to proclaim that civil war would not follow? It was not for this that our boys fought and endiired and bled and died. It is this hideous possibility, and it is more than u possibility, tnat I am doing my best to prevent, and with that view I am begging fanners to organise and exercise a steadying influence on the community, and assist in the bringing about oi a condition of tilings which will rencier our country peaceful, lmppy, and prosperous, with a full measuro'of justice to. every individual and section of individuals. I would draw your attention to the fact that recently an extremist : Labour member of the House delivered I a lecture on Lenin, tne Bolshevik leader, in which he extolled that man as one of the savious of the world; that another has recently been at great paiiis to defend Bolshevism aud its object®, and that another announced that if hn were in Russia ho would be a Bolshevik, and if in Germany he would bo a Sparfcvcist. I am informed, too, tliat one of these members, the course of returniii" thanks after his elcctiou, said: "They-oaf] fls Bolsheviks. So wo are, and we will show thefn that we are." How, therefore, can these members disassociate themselves from Bolshevism? IVe know only too well what Bolshevism means, that it spells revolution, confiscation, disorder, starvation, outrage, ml ruin. So long as my Voice can be heard it shall be raised to help save this country from i such colossal and deadly peril, no matter what the personal, consequences to myself. s '