LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2501, 30 June 1915, Page 4

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

SOCIALIST LEADER AND GERMANY Sir, —The following paragraphs taken from an article in the "Clarion," tho well-known British Socialist iiowspaper, by its editor, Robert Blatchford, may bo of some interest to readers of The Dominion :— "If I am alive when the war is over I shall absolutely boycott Germany and the Germans, including German Socialism; and if every Briton will do the same that will be all that is necessary. "When" this war is over, Germany will devote all her energies to preparing for the next. The wider and the richer her trade, the sooner and the better can she prepare. I can see no reason why Britain should help tile Germans to make money to build up naval and military power. "We shall hear more or less pernicious nonsense about 'forgiveness' and 'chivalry' and 'frao trade' and 'our German comrades';'" Yes, some of our incurable mollycoddles will even have the face to prattle about our 'German comrades.' Our German comrades have turned out.worse tliau I expected: and I expected little. And the one quality of all . others which a German least understands is chivalry. And the last tiling the Germans will do is to forgive. If they are defeated .(k completely as they deserve to bo, they will hate us with a poi-'onouS' hatred. I do not see a single reason why we should trade with these malevolent engmies, nor why we should allow them to set foot in our country. We may make up our minds beforehand that every German who comes to Britain to trade or ■work will be a secret and implacable enemy. What reason can we give for according them once more the chance to spy upon us and injure us? "I do not hate the Germans._ I do not "hat© anybody. My point is that the Germans hate us and will go on hating us for a century. "It will be a vital necessity for the. Allies to secure themselves and rebuild and expand their commerce and manufactures, and no sane Russian, Frenchman, or Briton will play into the .Trends of the enemy. For Germany cannot be trusted • now, or hereafter. She is greedy, she .is ambitious, she is unscrupulous, and defeat will leave her revengeful. It will only he by holding her back after she is overthrown that she will be prevented from active misohifif in the future. Having fought and spent our blood and treasure to put Germany down, shall we be wise anough to prevent our mollycoddles from setting her up again? "Our business for many years will be to organise the trade and defences of our own Empire, and to help our Allies in every possible way. These changes cannot be made by the Government; they must be.made by the people.: Tho first thing needful is to put before tho people the issues at stake; to mrAe clear to them how nccessarv it is to extend and improve our relations with Russia, and France, and to organise ourselves against the invasion of Britain by our enemies while thero ia tine." —I am, etc., LONDONER.