INTERNAL STRIFE

Evening Post, Volume CII, Issue 14, 16 July 1921, Page 4

INTERNAL STRIFE

Civil war is infinitely worse than international war. ■ Civil war over a nationalist issue, as in Ireland, is bad enough; but civil war is possibly at its worst when it becomes class war. In the fight between Socialists and Fascisti, Italy seems to be building up an internal struggle almost without end, for though a nationalist problem like that in Ireland may be solved—^ and, in fact, should have been solved, without great difficulty, years ago—the class issue seems to be incapable of being settled as long as it is immersed in an atmosphere of class bitterness. Given that atmosphere, no country is safe, not even a country that is nationally homogeneous, such as Australia or New Zealand. Statesmanship in Australasia strives to exclude nationalist, creed, and colour differences ; Australasia wants no Ireland, no Ulster, and no India; but isolation by ocean is no barrier against the social-industrial cleavage. In Italy, as recently in Ireland, the usual course of outrage-cum-reprisal is being followed, and there is the customary shedding of innocent blood—in this case the blood of English tourists. Events in Italy and in Russia show how necessary it is for every country to watch its own social development, and to carefully scrutinise the conduct of all public men who endeavour fo combine the professions of constitutional politician and Bolshevik.