The Daily News. THURSDAY, JANUARY 6, 1915. PAYING THE PENALTY.

Taranaki Daily News, 6 January 1916, Page 4

The Daily News. THURSDAY, JANUARY 6, 1915. PAYING THE PENALTY.

It is stated in a London cable, appearing in to-day's issue, that a lively scene occurred in the House of Commons, arising out of the suppression' of the Scottish Socialist newspaper Forward. The message relating to the seizure of the paper appears to be somewhat misleading, for it gives as reason lor the drastic action merely that a" full account of Mr. Lloyd George's speech was published, but the Minister of Munitions placed an entirely dill'erent complexion 011 the all'air by stating that tlie paper deliberately incited workers on the Clyde to disobey legislation for promoting the output of munitions —a crime which, in view of the hundreds of thousands of lives at stake, and the very existence of the Empire being im-p'.-iUled thereby—certainly deserves the utmost penalty that the law provides If is to be deplored that members of Parliament can so far forget or ignore the greiiLiiess of the crisis through which the Empire is passing, aiul that they should create a scene in the House in defence of a journal that publishes articles dangerous to the country. While all right principled people are justly jealous of the freedom of thought and liberty oi' criticism, they recognise that in wartime this privilege ought to be exercised with the utmost caution and with sympathetic consideration for those who are responsible for the conduct of tlio war. It was at Mr. Lloyd George's request that the Forward was suppressed, and he had the best of all reasons for taking; that course. It lias been an unparalleled struggle to organise the workers so as to secure an adequate output of munitions. We have it on the best authority that had the men and munitions at Gallipoli been sufficient when the operations there were first undertaken that Constantinople would liave been taken long ago. It has been

the shortage of munitions that has com- I polled tin; Allies to net on the defensive instead of the offensive, and yet a lively scene is made in the House, because a Socialist paper is suppressed for inciting the workers to disobey the law for promoting the output of munitions. Sucli an act is treason of the worst kind, and those members who resented the suppression of the- paper should be made to pay the penalty for their traitorous conduct. It is loyalty that we want above everything in these times of stress —loyalty, willing service, and selfsacrifice. The false "freemen" who dreate trouble and strike, and use their freedom for criticism are enemies to their country for they prefer their material ambitions of life to the call of tTVo nation's need. There has been too much toleration of dangerous and traitorous speech and printed matter in the Homeland, where the authorities are notoriously slow to take punitivs measures, but all who desire the Empire to emerge from this unprecedented war with honor and peace as, the outcome of victory should applaud every action taken to make tils' enemy within our gates pay the penalty for traitorous conduct,