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CLASS INTERESTED AND CLASS WAR.

ANALYSTS OF MR. H. E. HOLLAND’S SPEECH.

Mr 11. E. Holland ALP., ms leader of the Socialist Labour Party, shows great skill in the use of language towards presenting as true and unquestionable, what is often entirely false and misleading. For this reason it is desirable to critically examine what lie says, and question his dogmatic assertions. Further, it is well to accept the words he uses not merely in their ordinary significance hut as indicative of the reservations he is tactically withholding. He is a master in the art of verbal camouflage and to know his real mind it is necessary to bring the light of full critical examinations to bear upon his every statement and sentence.

Recently in Parliament he spoke on Marxian socialism and class war. That part of his speech we will now examine.- First he said “I am one of those who believe in the Marxian philosophy, because I belive it is scientific.” What doesthis involve? That this political leader of a party supports the Marxian creed of class war. I-lere is Liebknect’s clear statement as to what that means “Marxian Socialism in politics:—We have declared ihat the movement accomplishes it„el£ on the basis of the class war. The class war is a war of living mini, a real’personally fought, genuine war; and lio one lias expressed the nature of the war more precisely than Marx.” What does Marx say? Here are his words: “The proletariate will use its political supremacy to wrest, by degrees, all capital from the bourgcoise, to eontralise all instruments of production in the hands of the State, i.e. of the proletariate organised as the ruling class.” Renders will recognise that this is not merely recognition < 1 f conlliels in society, it is a definite declaration of war to make one , |aLs supreme ruler over all others. That is the philosophy Air Holland endorsed and seeks to recommend bv calling it “scientific."' Those foolish people who are disnused to regard the socialist party t.- moderate would do well to recognise the extremely dangerous charoner of the doctrine affirmed by its cader. more especially as no mem ■ juj of the party dares to oppose the lolioy of class war lie has atlirined. ATTEMPTED PALLIATION. In a fiiirther pari of his speech, Air Holland sought to palliate the class war doctrine by saying: “We do not seek to make a class war. Von cannot make that which is already in existence. We recognise that the antagonisms that divide society 10-dpy into classes tire eeo■omically foundationed, and we tire going, if we can, to change those economic foundations, to end the .■lass war by ending the causes of class warfare.”

Let us examine these suit omen ft: “We do not seek to make ;i class war.” Is th;il true'? Is it not rather the truth that they are constantly •ugaged in making class attacks, aiiring up class strife and exciting class passion '! The party's organ carries on a regular campaign of i lass and personal bombardment the whole year round. “You cannot make that which is already in exisiance.’’ This sentence exhibits Mr Holland's verbal subtlety. If: reads logical yet it is only a trick of evasion. Of course you ca 11140 1 make that which already exists, hut you

an make more of the same and worse than what already exists. He goes on: “We recognise that the antagonisms that divide society tons v are economically foundationer!."'Here are two assertions, first, that antagonisms divide society into classes and, second, that the antagonisms are economically conditioned. We deny the truth of troth asseri. Society is not divided into' classes by antagonisms v but from the need for classification towards the general welfare. A factory is divided into departments for the -ame reason and sound management aims at preventing conflict and inspiring unity to the common end of success. Divisions in Society are by no means all economically conditioned. -They are due to political social, religious and personal causes as well a's economic circumstances. Class war is bad management in Society setting up conflict in place of co-operation. To “end class war by ending (be causes of class warfare” is, Mr Holland says, tlieir aim. This we submit is but covering the real intent of their Marxian Socialist designs which are to carry on class war with file object of making the proletariate supreme dictator. The honest, outspoken Marxian says that they will end class war by destroying all classes l.ut their own. To end class conflicts by removing the causes of conflict is a rational plan of action but we find, unfortunately, that the socialist party is engaged rather in providing fresh grounds and causes of Youllief. With their mistaken view of Society as consisting simple of two armies at war with each other —ignoring the unity ot Slate, nation, and Empire —they involve themselves in constant warfares and lose sight of practical reform in their passion for revolution. When Mr Holland and his followers drop their policy of class warfare and turn to National constructive endeavours they will then justify the name they have taken as the New ‘Zealand Labour Parly. We commend to them these words from Mr Ramsay MacDonald’s book on “Socialism and Society"-»-The tug of tlie class war is across not up-

wards. There is no constructive value in a class war., ((.'outributed by the N.Z. Welfare League.)

Permanent link to this item
Hononga pūmau ki tēnei tūemi

https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/MH19240823.2.19

Bibliographic details
Ngā taipitopito pukapuka

Manawatu Herald, Volume XLVI, Issue 2775, 23 August 1924, Page 4

Word count
Tapeke kupu
903

CLASS INTERESTED AND CLASS WAR. Manawatu Herald, Volume XLVI, Issue 2775, 23 August 1924, Page 4

CLASS INTERESTED AND CLASS WAR. Manawatu Herald, Volume XLVI, Issue 2775, 23 August 1924, Page 4

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