SOCIAL DEMOCRACY

Evening Post, Volume XCIII, Issue 29, 2 February 1917, Page 2

SOCIAL DEMOCRACY

DIVERGENT VIEWS

'AN OVERSEA ARGUMENT.

.(FROM OUR OWN COKRBSrONDEXT.) LONDON, 15th December.

Some time ago I sent out a manifesto issued by the-Nationalist Socialist Party; here on the war. Apparently "the synop-. sis was cabled at the same time, and to this the New Zealand Social Democratic Party has sent a. reply. ■■

•Writing from. Wellington -on 29th September, Mr.' P. Fraser, the organising secretary there, combats the suggestion that the Nationalist' Socialist Party .mi England is in a. better position to understand the underlying philosophy of.tha war than the party in New Zealand. " The Socialists of New Zealand," he says, "are just as well informed, to say tho lea-st of it, on the questions involved in the present war as the members of the National Socialist' Party,' and further, they have as a whole adhered to their principles of working-class solidarity and internationalism, which, unfortunately, does not seem to be true; of the National Socialist Party. Thafi the organised workers of" Australasia think with us is shown by the factithat Mr. W-.M. Hughes, after playing";the Jingo and capitalistic game in Britain, iias been expelled both from Uhe Labour Party and the Waterside Workers' Fede-. ration of-Australia."

THE REPLY FROM ENGLAND,

Justice ' this week contain? the reply of the National Socialist Party,, which is signed by the joint hon secretaries (J. G. Webster and W A Woodroffe). • They, express the opinion that the signatories of the British manifesto " were and are capable of forming a more correct judgment, as to the danger to international Socialism of the success of militarist Germany than is possible, for colonists resident many thousands of miles from the seats of war." " Whjen the choice was offered to English Social Democracy in August, 1914," says the reply, "we could not hesitate for a moment. This is not a capitalist war. The Junker caste of Prussia, is not a. capitalist class. Ifc is a teect of arrogant, narrow-minded, .de,spo£ic, and ferocious aristocrat*': "leaving completely beaten down democracy, in. their own native Prussia, they were extending their jackboot rule over-tho rest of the German Empire. Their suppression of universal suffrage in Saxony,and .their tyranny iv Alsace-Lorraine'and: Poland prove this conclusively. ' The object of the" present war, as is. admitted by the Prussian leaders .themselves, is to subjugate Western as well as Eastern Europe to Prussianised. Germany. Capitalist domination is hadi under any circumstances; but capitalism, controlled and handled by Junkerism is the worst form of reaction—to be opposed to the death by Social Democrats of all nations. ' .

" We co.nnot understand therefore how you Soqal Democrats of New Zealand! can wish l<Tan.ce—undoubtedly ithe most democratic, progressive,, and idealist nation of Europe—-and Great Britain, which in spite of her shortcomings is rapidly arlvancino: towards freedom* to be- crushed by fiercely auti-deinocratic Germany. Still less can we comprehend: your philosophic indifference and entire* lack of sympathy towards" the outragedl a,nd '•massacred peoples of Belgium, Servia, and Northern France. ! The whole campaign of Germany has.- been' one continuous orev of horror.' Victory for the Germanic.: Powers would take us back permanently to the methods of the Tartars, the Saracens.- and the Ottoman' Turks. ■ Scientific ruffianism would cap/ ture democratic civilisation.

" It is this: latter foTm of force which! German 'kultur' .now y represents and: ruthlessly uses. _•_ Were Prnoeianised Germany to* vanquish the Western' Powers, Social Democracy, would he headed back for at least two generations. This being so,-we are doing our utmost,'-always -as'-Social Democrats, to support: the Allies, and we aTe quite confident that in this way we are helping on the triumph of .democracy and 1 Socialism,' as well as serving the. cause 'of oup-ressed nationalities 1.

"In conclusion, we can' assure you" that we have not in the least given up our principles, or abandoned our propa-r ftunda. The class war is ever with us"The curse of capitalism and -wage-slavery; is upon our people in war as in peace.But great economic changes! are even now being brought about, and when, the armies return from the war we have* good rea-spn to hope that our victorious soldiers will work with us for the raak isation of the Co-operative Common-: wealtl) and permanent neace for all."'