WAR AND PEACE

Press, Volume LXXII, Issue 21909, 9 October 1936, Page 15

WAR AND PEACE

TO THE EDITOR OT THE EEESB. Sir,—lt seems that the insidious poison that we must prepare to defend New Zealand, and that we are m great danger from outside sources is being deliberately percolated among the masses of the people in order that in due course they will take part witnout question in a war caused by tne clashes of rival imperialist powers, which is now only a matter of tune. It does not look very promising for world capitalism when 20 years after the last war, in which millions upon millions of people were murdered in mass and untold wealth blown into space, in what Lloyd George called a dirty trade war, that world capitalism is heading fast for another world war, the cost of which in human life and destruction of wealth will far exceed the previous war and will possibly result in the destruction of civilisation. It is interesting to note glib phrases by the repetition of which the enthusiasm of the masses was whipped up so that they would willingly enter into the carnage of murder and destruction in the war between rival imnerialisms. “Your king and country call you. “To make the world safe for democracy”—“To crush Prussian militarism —“Freedom for’the small nations and self determination.” These were the slogans used by the rulers in order to deceive the masses and to hold out the war as a great crusade, whereas it is patent to even the blindest to-day that such promises were made in the name of imperialist conquest and greed. To-day, we find that democracy is being put aside in favour of a most barbarous system of capitalist dictatorship, namely fascism, in one capitalist country after another. We also find that Prussian militarism is far mure powerful and a greater menace to society than in 1914. Furthermore, we find that in this world of 1936 the position of the weaker nations is no more secure than before, as evidenced by the plundering of Abyssinia and China by the imperialist brigands and also by the threat to the independent states of Europe by German fascism. What irony to ask the masses of the people to fight for “their” country when in all capitalist countries practically all the wealth is owned by a very small minority of the people and the workers are controlled through a ruthless system of wage slavery which allows them just enough to exist, so that their usefulness will not deteriorate. while the surplus is appropriated by the buccaneers and brigands of capitalism. The workers are allowed only to a limited extent, to share in the wealth which they alone create. Until all wealth is socially owned it cannot be said that it is “their” country, so it would certainly be reasonable to demand “cash in advance,” and to give the country to the people before expecting the people to defend it.—Yours, etc., S. H. BECK. October 8, 1936.