What Socialists Think About Colonies.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 20, 18 October 1907, Page 10

What Socialists Think About Colonies.

The thousand Socialist delegates, who; have met. at the seVeritii' Jnterriationivl Gorifetessi in StiittgXrt,, discuSse'd. .the arg'UrtontS' for ind against a colonial policy oil the' paTt of their Governments. .''l''':.';. . ! Colonies under ..Socialist' Regimes. -put' forward; by a ;majority' of the 'Third' Commission,; wliil.e observing that tho. utility of the colonies for tho Itnriking classes Has been greatly exaggerated, does not .condemn in'principle and always .every .colonial policy which, under a Socialist regime, might become a work of civilisation, b\it; "confirming the resolutions, passed at Paris ! and ; repudiates' 'colonisation as it is now carripd'on, sihco it only.;aims at-'the* exploitation of, new 'coiintrios/for the benefit 1 of an insignificant minority,''while increasing the ..burden, of the jit home." ~ The resolution adds that Socialist members', of. Parliament must oppose the exploitation of-colonies and exact , reforms, and t ; hijy must propose; that" .Governments/'shall c'reate an international' understanding' to establish : a-colonial codo for the protectionof aborigines. A minority of the Commission, headed by Herr Ledebour, rojects colonisation and demands a policy guaranteeing peacoful development and civilisation and the placing-of natural riches atthe *disposal of ontire humanity. -l'he extremists triumphed, and a resolution was adoptod expressing the opinion of the Congress: that capitalist colonial policy must lead,by it?' Tory nature to onslavement, to compulsory'labburj and to tho extermination' of the natives in \colonial territories; that the civilising mission to which capitalism appeals only covers conqnost and oxploitation; that only with the achievements of Socialist society can peoples dovolop themselves to complote civilisation ; that capitalist colonial policy'destroys tho natural riches of the countries in which it plants its mothods, and hinders commerce thereby'; that tho Congress condemns the barbaric mothods of capitalist colonisation and demands for tho development .-of productive forces a policy guaranteeing peaceful, development:; that icivilisatipn 'places,'natural .'riches at./the dis--po'sal--of--humanity; that'in'reaffirmation of the Paris and Amsterdam resolutions, the .Congress- condemns tho present of. 1 . colonisation., . as, , moreover, 1 '; .'ihcreaarhg./the danger of., international complications; that colpnial;oxpensos must be homo by those who of the colonicsand thoVCongre'as/.cfcclares finally that it is the ■duty • of Socialist'members of Parliament tp.;9ppps6'; tlio j regime serfdom now prevailing -.in''the'Colonies/'to, exact reforms in .the';;conditipnof .the-natives, and to .work', of subject;, -races".to Socialist-M.Prandthc.Coionlos. '■ "The best speech ia jho morning's debate;" says Router, "was that" of, Mr. Ramsay Mac-' donald, M.P., whoso temperate cloquenco at-, tracted much attention '/among the more moderate sections of the Congress. He submitted the Labour party's attitude on the resolutions under discussion, and arowed-him-self in favour of a moderate policy. Ho advocated tile adoption of tho majority amendment,'which, lie regretted to see, omittod all .mention of the,-colonial/questions which most interested Great Britain.' England, ho pointed out, had granted autonomy to the majority of hor colonies. Tho resolution, could, thoreforo, only apply to dependencies.. Aftor all, the crux of tho colonial 'question' .was the administration; Jfhich, could not bo '-.fixed 'by- Parliament.' understandings on the chief points of colonisation .could ~(io ~no harm,., for" was' there not a Socialist parfovjii every Parliariiont in tho world;' wliich" would seo that the Government kopt their.word ?" Tho delegates from Great. • Britain had twenty votes, and of these -fourteen were for tho minority and extremist resolution, while six voted against it.