The Daily News. MONDAY, MARCH 29, 1920. CLASS WAR.

Taranaki Daily News, 29 March 1920, Page 4

The Daily News. MONDAY, MARCH 29, 1920. CLASS WAR.

In his recent address to the Coali-tion-Liberal members of the House of Commons, 'Mr. Lloyd George ; strongly urged them to join hands' : with the Unionists and fight the i Socialistic Labor Party. He as- ! serted that the real danger the ' country had to face would be a conflict between the Liberals and ! Unionists, when the Socialists ; might snatch a temporary majority. When interviewed in rela- : tion to this speech, the chairman of the Parliamentary Labor Party ' (Mr. W. Adamson) remarked that the Premier was preaching the doctrine of class war. Mr. Henderson, another prominent Laborite, said that Labor accepted the challenge, and would raise a fund of £IOO,OOO in readiness for a general election. To raise aloft the old banner of "class war" suits the tactics of the extreme section of Labor in their efforts to obtain dominance in the Gov- ; ernment of the country. The more they inflame the masses by such means, the better for their cause. . All they are concerned about is the furtherance of Socialism, and it 'is part of their policy to create i disaffection in the ranks of the other political parties in order to prevent the existence of a strong opposition to Socialistic aims. Apparently the political arena in Britain is witnessing much the same phenomenon as was in evidence in New Zealand at the time of the recent general election in relation to Labor. Naturally the Harmsworth press is taking part in the controversy, and has sharply criticised Mr. Lloyd George for identifying Labor and Socialism, urging that it is a false and dangerous doctrine, "for it proclaims class warfare," thereby playing into the hands of the Labor Party. Early in the present year Mr. Churchill asserted that the Labor Party was unfitted to take office, and would fail through incompetence if it essayed the task. To this Mr. Henderson replied that the Coalition was lacking in principle and was weak in performance. It will be noticed that Mr. Henderson did not meet the real charge, though he took occasion to deny that his party wanted to inaugurate a class dictatorship, but, according to the Spectator, it is well known that a section of his party—the noisiest and most active section—does cherish such aims. The Lord Chancellor (Lord Birkenhead) agrees with Mr. Churchill that as the Labor Party is unfit to govern it must be squarely met and opposed in the political arena, but his contention is that a National Party ought to be formed for the purpose. At the same time he committed the remarkable indiscretion of writing to the Weekly Dispatch disparaging the Coalition to which he belongs, and stating that the result of the Spen Valley election

may be expected to give ground for hesitation to those Coalition Liberals who are faltering in their allegiance to the Prime Minister. "They may think," writes Lord Birkenhead, "that his umbrella is leaky, but they will not fail to observe that its shelter is drier than the shower which is in progress without.'' Apparently there is an organised movement at work, supported by a section of the Press, to bring about the political downfall of Mr. Lloyd George, the one strong, dauntless man who, in the darkest hours of Britain's recent crisis, rallied the nation to a supreme effort and won the war. Moderate, sane Labor has no more forceful advocate than Mr. Lloyd George, but he has seen and experienced far too much of the tactics of the Extremists to regard them other than as a menace which has to be guarded against at all costs. Hence the outcry that he is waging a class war. He sees the reality of the danger, politically and from a national standpoint, and is striving his utmost to build up a barrier that will defy the machinations of the Socialists —a barrier formed by the joining of hands oy the Liberals with the Unionists against the inroads of the Socialistic Labor Party. This stern fight can by no means be regarded by sane democracy as a class war, but has for its object "peaee at Home and abroad, war against Socialism, and the development of the League of Nations." Admitting that the elements he proposes to coalesce are not such as under ordinary circumstances will form a satisfactory blend, the British Premier is evidently convinced that a joining of hands for a definite and vital purpose is possible, though it may involve much difficulty, and possibly be not free from troubles. The Labor Party has its bitter feuds and lack of discipline, but these are kept in the background as much as possible, yet they form a stumblingblock to securing a Parliamentary majority and to holding office. •What the Labor Party are counting upon is a Unionist revolt, and it would seem that some of Mr. Lloyd George's colleagues in the Government are obsessed by the same idea. The present Coalition may be badly constructed; it may need reorganisation, but with all its faults it has brought the coun-

try through the most critical period of its existence and is now striving to prevent the coach of State from being propelled at headlong speed down the road to revolution. Whatever tendency there is to class war emanates from Socialistic Labor and not from the Coalition. As a matter of fact the country is beginning to get seriously to work, and it is claimed there are plenty of signs of better heart and better intentions in the masses of the people. The present political intriguing is much to be deplored. A firm and united front shown by the Liberals and Unionists is what is urgently needed, and that is what Socialistic Labor is marshalling all its energies to prevent.