The Taihape Daily Times. AND WAIMARINO ADVOCATE. WEDNESDAY, APRIL 14, 1920. THREATENING RUPTURE.

Taihape Daily Times, Volume XI, Issue 3460, 14 April 1920, Page 4

The Taihape Daily Times. AND WAIMARINO ADVOCATE.

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 14, 1920. THREATENING RUPTURE.

With which is incorporated “The Taihape Post and Waimarino News.”

A difl‘erence has arisen. between the French and British Governments in connection with Germany’s undoubted persistence in disregarding‘ the terms of the Peace Treaty by sending a {powerful army into the neutral zone, !inimical to French interests and menacing to French safety. No one underistood why the British Government should object. to Fr”a'fi<Te; after repeated warnings, moving up troops to 1 compel tH'e Germans to observe a most limportant part; of their compact for i peace. When the Armistice was signed well-informed people were stupificd with the suddcnness of Germany’s icollapse. It was explained with the ‘statement that Germans feared the class of invasion which had afl.’lict.ed France, but many leading newspapers of the world were not at all satisfied with that story, and they hinted that it was not quite clear whether it was a war of nation against nation, or a capitalistic war to crush down the world labour movement. Some newspapers went so far as to say that commcrcialists had long been striving to_ supcrcede the old aristocratic regime, taking their places of privilege, and donning the trappings which were a bequest from semi-barbarous times and peoples. Victory over the titled class iwas not difficult of achievement, but lat the other social extreme ‘vas a much harder problem to solve. One chartist or Socialist leader after another was bought over to the ranks of commercialism, but for every one so corrupted a hundred has taken his place, and the war against the ever;increasing encroachments upon the rights of the people has become stronger as time passed. Commercialism has tried every weapon to fight the people that came to hand; there have been alternating p"eriods of force and trickery; at one time it has been bitter war, at anotlier the most obvious cajolery and deception. From readirg what l1.:1.s been wrirten on all aspects of the war little doubt remains about the truth of the assertion that it was a commercialist war, and leading French newspapers are being ccmpelled in self-protection to tell the truth about the cause of fighting that will not cease. French Governmen organs are aiiirini-.1; that lsrnjsh capitalists are now influencing the German Government to take military action that will nullify all that the people have fought to attain; that the war against Germany was also a. war against commercialism; that when ? Germany failed commercialism faile<],l and it. was because neither wished tel be killed outright the war ended with bewildering suddcnness, to enable the‘ discomfited defeateds to return to the lists with schemes of cunning a.nd subtlety. France is being remanstrated with for having the audacity to stop German military encroachments with armies the Peace Treaty condemned to demobilisation, and the Germans are in high dudgeon about‘ having driven a wedge in the Entente_.i and they are celebrating the occasionl as though it were a great victory. The “Petit Par-isienne” accuses Britain of diplomatic attempts to prevent Bel-‘ gium intervening with France against German military action, which failed. British capitalists would readily sacrifice both. France and Belgium in their efi‘orts to crush and enslave ‘the people. “Le Matin’? states that German newspapers are ea;--I.'l_: watchingevents and hoping for a definite break in Entente relations. German Social-

iSI- papers even see in -the dispute a possible Franco-German co-operation. “Le hiatin” frankly states that it believes responsibility for the FrancoBritish dispute is largely attributable to British capitalists, who have considerable interests in the Ruhr District, covertly supported by financiers, demanding from Germany military action powerful enough to coerce the Ruhr District workers. If not based on undeniable fact, “Lo Matin’s” statement is more calculated to cause rupture with Britain than any forward movement of French troops into the German neutral zone.‘ Is it true that British capitalists are in alliance with German militarists, with the enemies -of the British Empire, in an effort to nullify or destroy conditions of the Peacp Treaty to the detriment and jeopardy of France and French interests? True or false, no more damning statement could -be made calculated to bring about serious, if not bitter, estrangement between the Allies that have fought and sulfered together for sheer national existence. But if true is it. not time people of the whole British Empire rose up as :1 man against .a Satanic greed that consorts with the Empire ’s enemies that it may drive men to work in its coalpits and ironworks at the bayonet point of a Prussian military system Here, in the columns of “Le Matin,” is given the explanation of the. never—eilding' climb down from the Peace Treaty terms by the British Government. British capitalists, the men who rule Britain, arc said to be using the Goiverm ment machinery of Britain to drive workers to labour in coalpits and puddling works whether they will or not, and are allying themselves with Prus,sian Inilitarisi's' in their diabolical 'sehemes. There need be -no surprise that erstwhile brothers in affliction are ‘now seriously at variance; can Britain ‘stand up against “Le Mati.n’s” acrcusation, if not the probability is that ‘the life of Brit.ain’s Government will ;be short. What nation, not excepting IRussia, would silently stand accused ior solving its labour troubles with :'nlachine-guns‘, cannon, and the bay‘onct‘;? We are of opinion that if “Le %Matin’s” statement has no truth in fit, it. constitutes a deliberate attempt ‘to break with Britain; ‘even such a zbreuk is understandable, for, without: any doubt whatever, after all France ,has sufliered for national freedom, the British and American profiteer has, ‘since peace was declared, maintained a. war of starvation’ against the }French people. Britain has bought food in Australia at a price she has not :shared with her friend in advversity unless loaded with unreasonable profit. Americans have acted similafrly, indeed, the American legislature openly flouts and refuses to enter into any Treaty of Peace or League of Nations; the Americans exhibit an obvious’ desire that a condition of war shall continue, and a rupture between France and Britain would be just what the commercialist kings of . America could consistently pray, and hope, and work, and scheme for. The real nature of’ British. commercialism has been disclosed by the searchlight of French criticism, what effect is the disclosure going to have on the masses of British Workers, Who are already in an advanced state of discontent‘? Is a. condition of indu.strial rest and peace possible while capitalism will invoke the Prussian military system to play ducks and drakes with the Peace Treaty, and drive men to work with the threat of death and extermination‘? “L 0 M.atin’s” statement may not be true, but the very fact that such words were written and published inn leading French ne.w;<paper makes one pale with wonder as to what French intoxitions are if the words are not true, and xvhat effect the charge against British capitalists will have upon the slumbering revolution throughout the British Empire if- they are true. W11i1t9"01' the outcome, the most notiCC‘ill3lf‘ aspect is that the forces arrayed against labour have committed a serious blunder.