CORRESPONDENCE.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XLI, Issue 1972, 3 May 1919, Page 3

CORRESPONDENCE.

(To the Editor.)

Sir. —Now that the elections are , over, I wish to make public the l. reason of my resignation from the Party. This lam compelled to do owing to certain false state-

ments which Avere assiduously cir-

culated previous to the School ' Committee election by some avlio, when one disagrees Avith them, or refuses to savulloav their views holus-bolus, ‘ becomes a subject for their potty spite and A'indictiA'eness, Avhieh may be put doAvn to defects in their mental equilibrium. While 1 am a solid supporter of Labour, I also believe in using legitimate of-

forts to obtain Labour’s ultimate goal, and I recognise this can only be done by proceeding on rational lines. The following is the chief reason of my resignation, contained in the fourth paragraph of my letter to the Party: “As representing the Labour Partv on that Commit-

tee 1 adopted a democratic attitude

in regard to an attempt to instill -**p into the minds of the children a sentiment of hate against the peoples of another nation Avhieh the British Empire was Avaging Avar Avith, AA'hich peoples Avere not responsible for the Avar, and as the Labour Party of this country, of Avhieh you are a branch, fought against the sending of mon from the country, even tc* -the extent of going to gaol for (heir

principles, in marked contrast tfi your principles when yon, Mr Chairman, and oilier members of your Parly signed a petition endorsing that sentiment oi’ halo, (hereby freeing me from any longer posing as your representative on the School Commit lee, a s 1 prefer to be consistent. Such, which you have failed to do, and by your actions in signing that petition places you, and those of the Party who signed the petition, in the position of traitors to the spirit ot Internationalism, which the Labour Party of the world stands for, and which our leaders are forever .pro- 1 pounding, but which you and those

of the Party who lent themselves to he iwed in the interest id some l blatant jingoes, for no other reas- ' on than that you possessed and took opportunity presented by others-, to vent your animosity on one who has the courage ol his convictions, so painfully lacking by (hose members of the Party who threw their doctrines of Internationalism lo (lie winds in order to appease (lie above enmity.” Paragraph 5: “Because hv your actions above-menti-oned, you have brought (he Parly into nothing hut ridicule by consistent inconsistency. 1 can no longer associate wilh (hose who so forget what they profe-s to stand lor. i These are my chief reason.-, and at u Inter date 1 may criticise your ' actions from the public platform, and also challenge your right to sit on the committee of the Patriotic Society, when I will use statements made hv some of the signatories to

that petition, as I now consider my-

self free from (lie pnlriotie-cum-seditious cum-jingoistie party falsely using and nlmsing the sentiment of internationalism —the brotherhood of man as preached by (hem, but not practised by them.” Dated 5/2/10. The above are Ihe chief reasons of my severance from the Parly, and as I have upheld the full traditions of Labour, 1 leave,the public In judge between us. While the above resignation is in no wise charged against the majority of I lie present Party, I must stale that the active membership at that time was less than half-a-dozen, and the individual members 1 re|cr to are those who signed those petition:;. In conclusion 1 may state I reserved to myself the right to publish this resignation, and while I knew, and others also knew, that a motive Jay behind the action of certain individuals to damage me, previous to the School Committee elections, I refrained from publishing it, prefering to lake my gruel, as otherwise it- would have been said I was looking for votes, ami while 1 recognise that: there are a number of level-headed men in Labour's ranks to-day who are conscientious enough not to bo ridden and brow-beaten by one or two whose‘'mentality is infantile, I also admit that while such disunity is in vogue we will never succeed until the causes tire removed. —I am, etc., E. G. MARTIN.