LABOUR PARTY COMMUNISM.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XLIX, Issue 3870, 13 November 1928, Page 4

LABOUR PARTY COMMUNISM.

ARE THE COMMUNISTS EXCLUDED? REPLY AND CHALLENGE TO MR. P. ERASER, In “The Post” of 6th November, Mr. P. Fraser raises the question of the relations of his party with ..'Communism and throws dust in the eyes of the public by pretending ■ that the quarrel with a local “Communist. Group” proves that he and his party have no connection with Communism. It proves nothing of the kind as we will show.

We do not say the socialist Labour Party and the Communists are the same. They are, however’, close relations and what is taking place here is merely a family quarrel. A similar quarrel over methods is taking place in Soviet Russia between the Stalinites and the Troskyites though everybody knows both are Communists. In Russia Stalin’s party has banished (without trial) Trosky and many of his supporters. Here the Labour Party still harbours the Communists group in the Trades Hall enabling then to carry on their propaganda of straight out bolshevism.

In his statement to the “Post” Mr. Fraser says: “Members of the Communist Party know perfectly well that I have been one of the strongest advocates of their exclusion from the Labour Party.” The question arises are Communists excluded from the Labour Party because they are communists ? We say emphatically they are not, and we are able to prove it. The public should, also, understand that even if the members of a Communist group are excluded because their methods are embarrassing to the opportunist politicians of the Labour Party that does not imply a repudiation of the doctrines of Communism or all of the methods of the Russian Communist Party. Lenin advised that anything might be professed which would give a tactical advantage towards securing power.

That is being applied by individuals who are in the Labour Party both here and elsewhere, not as professed communists but as persons hloding communist convictions carrying on the method of permeation arid moulding of policies to communist ends. In addition to those veiled communists there are openly declared . communists in the N.Z. Labour (Party taking part in its business and using it for ultimate revolution- ‘ ary purposes. In order to show 'that the profession of no connection between the N.Z. Labour Party and Communism is entirely false we openly challenge Mr. Peter Fraser to openly deny and disprove the statements. LABOUR PARTY’S RELATION'S I WITH COMMUNISM. (1) The Objective of the Labour Party and the Communist is the , same —namely, “The socialisation of the means of production, distribu- . tion and exchange.” (2) That the Labour socialists and the communists agree on fundamental principles and differ only on methods of applying same. (3) That the Labour Party has at various times endorsed the policies embodied in Karl Marx “Communists Manifesto.” (4) That the leader of the party, Mr. 11. E. Holland, declared himself a supporter of the Marxian philosophy. (5) That the Marxian philosophy is the foundation of Communism in Russia and elsewhere. (6) That Mr. P. Fraser in a letter replying to Mr. T. M. Wilford which appeared in the “Post” on the 14th May, 1921 said: “I consider Lenin and Trotsky to be two of the" worlds greatest statesmen.” and has never withdrawn that endorsement of the Communist lead- ’ era. (7) That the “Maoriland Worwer Publishing C 0.,” owned by the Labour Party membership, republished a booklet of Lenin’s, teaching Communism from beginning to end, for circulation amongst the workers of New Zealand. (8) That at the time of the death of Lenin the N.Z. Labour Party sent a cable to Russia and 'Mr. Walter Nash, Secretary of the 'Party writing in reply to Mr. J. McCombs said that the cable was ■sent because of the great work Lenin had done for the workers of Russia. Thus ignoring all the crimes against democracy and humanity the dictator was guilty of(9) That at a conferencemlVlay 1925 the party adopted a pledge of membership and Messrs R. Semple and P. H. Hickey in presenting the report said: “The party aimed at being the National organisation of the workers, and it shpuld have no wish to exclude any individual merely because he held revolutionary or communists views.” Again, “no individual was excluded because he was a revolutionary —the exclusion operated oply when individuals declined to give the Labour Party their unqualified support.” (10) That Mr. D. G. Sullivan in a special article in the Lyttelton Times, April 19th, 1928, acknowledged that there were a group of Communists present at the Labour Party’s Conference as fully accredited members of the party and taking part in the business of the conference.

Readers will recognise that we have given Mr. Fraser, Mr. Semple, and others of the party, enough to 'go on with. There is here proof that the Communists are not excluded for the reason that they are 'Communists. The profession of “no connection with communism”

is seen to be just another electioneering dodge. People are being misled by opinions that, this or the other of the party candidates is “not a bad fellow.” It is politics we are dealing with not personalities and of this (party’s polities, to which all are individually pledged; we say in the language of Shakespeare—“Ye have angels faces, but Heaven knows your hearts.” We wonder if ' Mr. Fraser will reply or will hide as Mr. .Semple is doing on another question. (Contributed by the N.Z. Welfare League).