THE RED FEDS AND THEIR LEADERS.

Press, Volume LI, Issue 15460, 13 December 1915, Page 9

THE RED FEDS AND THEIR LEADERS.

TO THE EDITOR Of "rllE IT.ESS."

gj ri It is a pity for the reputation of "The Press" that it would not "condescend" :<« endeavour to give e Wn the colour of truth to its insinuations concerning the I'm ted Federation 0 f Labour, in.-tead ot running away irom them into a medley of extraneous , matter I o*k»-d ' The Pros'-' to es- > M l,lish two points in it.-, indictment, s nd it has miserably tailed to do so. I challenged you as follows:— 1. Can vou produce one scrap 0 f evidence to show that there was ever the •lightest connexion between the Crated Federation of Labour and the American I.W.'K f o Can you produce one jota ot prooi that the American I.WW. was organ'iscd and financed by Germany? "The Press'' seeks refuge in amniguoU3 statements about constitutions, principles, etc.. i t-. Ti:e>, ; are quite taside the point. What is important is that "The Pre-*" deliberately misled ite readers into the belief that the American J.W.W. had been organised ind financed by Germany, meaning by ■Germany the official Kaiser-cum-Krupp pro-war'ganc. whom "The Press" formerly supported against the Social Democrats. Then it endeavoured to link tho United Federation of Labour with the I.W.W. that its readers would form the conclusion that the Vnited Federation was also connected with Germany. It had the impudence to pnt these contentions forward unsupported by a single particle of evidence. When asked to produce evidence it runs a«ay. ft hasn't even the dccencv to admit its defeat. Another point in "The Press's" case was that, because provision was made

in tfcc constitution of the United Federation of Labour for affiliation at some future date, not with ;i German organisation, but with an international labour organisation, ther'-lore German inflnencc. was established. I liave shown that the United Federation of Labour was never affiliated wit&- the international .Secretariat, which body was dimply a connecting link between the trade unions of the world.' and had absolutely no controlling power. t narc also shown that Mr Arthur Henderson, Mr G. H. Roberts. M. Jnles Gursede, M. Mareel Sembat. M. Albert Thomas, M. Einile Vandervekle. and others prominent, on the side of the Allies were, and are still, associated fith Labour organisations, which affiliated to tho International Secretariat. lam glad that- "The Press'' is

pleased (or should it be "condescends") <• to'.shower praise upon Emilo VanderteWe. Pie happens to be at present , tha nlftiiraan of the International Socialist Bureau, to which the Social ;• Democratic Party agred to affiliate two years ago. Mr Lloyd George's homage to our comrade Yandervelde is well desfirrod, and his high estimate is probably accurato since the Socialist movement lost the greatest orator in ; Europe, Jean Jaures. Now that "Tho ~rr Press" has such a high opinion of Vandervelde. it will. I feel certain, be . only too pleased to accept his decision , as to. whether Labour organisations .j. vhioh-Mverc affiliated to the International Secretariat were supporters or opponents of German militarism. Will '$ne Press*' do this? N ~ : thavo no desiro to "take shelter bebfjid the name* of honoured leaders of . Socialism in the Old World." I am . VOOly engaged at present in. as far as I protecting them from the slandof '"The Press."' for the matter of

rp the International Secretariat applies to , : them.

X 1 have no wish to liido„behind the Ig bodies of my comrades who have volunteered. .1 am only concerned that mean g attacks by "Tho Press" upon them, !jt yy h*n are in the trenches, should be .allowed to go past unchallenged. H Further, the Social Democratic Party gif; naa done, .and will continue to do, its utmost to get decent conditions for Vf-*' ..theso. men, to have the camDs sanitarv healthy, to have a fair wage for tnesn established, to get an adequate scheme, to saenre the abolition |,vof canteen exploitation, to retain de•isM*®''. labour conditions for them to »»der on their return, and to prellMpte the exploitation of their depen|ij,dfents and relatives by tho merchants squatters when they are «awav in s]|§®WP®' "The Press" say as much? party more important than its i-lyj'jtoriotism ? "Tho Press" to produce Passive Resister or member of Federation now in tho ExForco who says iho was ' deceived in connexion with ' They were against "* : -;»principles of coercion and conscrip- ■" -w; iThey believed in voluntaryism ,-" Igylplunteered. "Tho Press," in adto heaping insults upon these now endeavours to mako appearance afc its penitent form '•tondition of enlistment. If this is not t urteetanging recruiting, I would like to ' I jwbafc is. If l< Tho Press" goes on i *n> this inconsequential fashion, the attention of the military authorities will .. Jjare to be called to it. • > Although the personal matter intro- ' ■ QQced b\' "Tho Press" in order to : = OTcr aw its ignominious retreat has no waring; on the point at issue. I hasten - to«sure you that I have quite a good - :? ee wectk>n of the incident in question. * *l«o wish to stat* that I havo never retracted a single word of what I did 5, during the strike of 1913. I agreed, '*»n common with erery other strike priwith a similar offence, to bound over to keen the peace for 7?™** months. These "were all the inwtlctions I gave to the counsel V-'ho * for me. If he uttered the TOras you quote, and I do not recog"I 6 ®) tliev were spoken on his own nuQatire, and I accept no responsibility j M»m. I still adhere to every word not to what appeared in tho J «? newspapers, however, upon which, a charge of inciting to a breach of tho I - #Ce trtonpecl np. The circumwere these. The "Dominion," • e |jjp£t<> n Beform newspaper, liad Ur ßed the employers to settle down to *. P°' ,c y worse than that pursued by the Germans in Belgium, namely, to starr® the-Workers into submission. I ?®®Wiwed that cold-blooded, brutish, ."nnaish policy, and state<l that if it *'*& £iiren effect to. nobody need bo NHyrised if the 1 doors of tlie grain i not the shops, suffered the same M those of the Basin Reserve, and Uiat.it was more manly to steal, than , starve, or see women and children ««rve. I still believe that. I am still Prepared to advocate that, and am ■ ~ s *" t prepared, if ever these dreadful ttetoods of brutality .ire put into operatho workers here in New ' to JM-'t on that. j The Press" need not excite itself •boat my standing with the workers, j* isnot mv prestige, it is that of "Jhc j s '" ' s a£ stake. It had bes.t .. address itself to the task of re-estab-hilring its shattered reputation for truthfulness. The quotations grudgingly appreciative of the West Coast men who . ynlisted. merely shows that even in 'The Press" a tinv glimmer of oom®°n sense sometimes appears.—Yours, . etc.,

. P. FRASER. i Organising Secretary. Social Demo- , cratic Party. : - Trades' Hall, Christchureh. December A - -{We have referred to this letter elsewhere. Our readers will see that it is * nUimly a 'vain repetition" of Mr Fraser's previous communication. . UnJfess. therefore, he has something fresh to sav by way of personal t/' explanation we shall be unable to afford him further space.—Ed. "He Prcssl']. .