FLAYING A SOCIALIST.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXXVII, Issue 1482, 7 December 1915, Page 3

FLAYING A SOCIALIST.

MR HYNDMAN ON A german. The well-known English Socialist (H. Hyndman) discusses a German fellow-Socialist with fine vigor in a letter to the Morning Post. It is interesting, he writes, in in view of Herr Noske, the SocialDemocrat member for Chemnitz, to recall the utterances of this fire-eating fraternalist rather more than a year ago. He was then on a mission to the Belgian Socialists at Brussels, in company with Dr. Koster, also a Social-Democrat, editor of the violently Chauvinist Hamburgher Echo. Here are a tew of the inspired utterances of these two gentlemen on that occasion : In answer to the contention of the Belgian Socialists that the honour of a nation, the respect of its independence and liberties, international treaties, etc., ought to count for something with German Socialists, these worthies replied: “The honour of a nation is a piece of bourgeois ideology with which Socialists have nothing whatever to do. As for international treaties, they cannot hold in time of war. The German Socialists must support the Government.” When asked whether it was in defence of the German workers they violated Belgian neutrality aud massacred Belgian workers, their answer was that “ Belgian neutrality was not worth the lives oE 100,000 men. The passage through the Vosges ment the sacrifice of 100,000 more lives than the passage through Belgium. The choice for us could never be in doubt.” When the Belgians urged that they, would rather die than betray their country the German Social-Demo-crate missioners declared that this was a contention hitherto “ unheard of,” but admitted that they themselves were “ merely playing a political game when they opposed their own Government in its aggressive policy. When we talk like that we knew it was not true.” Further, Noske, in common with ' Koster, vehemently defended the hideous atrocities committed by German troops at Vise, Louvain, Dinant, Aerschot, and elsewhere, and said they were justified in every way. They refused to answer any questions about the burning of libraries, cathedrals, hospitals, etc., and “declined to accept an impartial enquiry into any of these matters. In conclusion, Noske. and Koster told the Belgian Socialists that when Germany won “Belgium will not be allowed to keep up an army. Liege, Antwerp, and Namur will be dismantled ; and Germany will make Antwerp the base of a fleet so powerful that England would never again entertain the idea of going to war.” Since this mission to Brussels I have heard that Noske has stongly supported that German piracy on the ocean which has put German seamen below the level of the old skull and crossbones pirates of of the Spanish Main.” My reason for bringing up these ugly facts against Herr Noske at the present time is that certain persons, well-meaning enough I dare say, seem not disinclined to enter into relations with the official Social Democratic party, which supports the German Govenfment, and is represented by Noske’s friends Suidekura, and their like. For my part, I think the less any of us have to do with such people the better.