REVIVAL OF TERRORISM

Evening Post, Volume CX, Issue 48, 25 August 1925, Page 4

REVIVAL OF TERRORISM

The "Daily Herald," which at one critical period of. its career was saved from disaster by financial help from Soviet Russia, is still indebted to favours from the same quarter for a considerable advantage, over its rivals. The report which we publish to-day of a revival of the terrorism which the Soviet regime appeared to be outgrowing comes from "The Times" correspondent, at Riga. Riga, which is the capital of Latvia, one of the Baltic States carved out of the old Russian Empire, is about 500 miles from Moscow, and it is at this safe distance from the capital of Russia that "The Times" deems it prudent to place its Russian correspondent. The "Daily Herald," on the other; hand, is privileged to keep a correspondent at Moscow who enjoys the confidence of the rulers of Russia and is able to gather valuables information "straight from the horse's mouth." If "The Times" was equally well prepared to say smooth things of the, Soviets it could share these privileges, but what can a newspaper expect or deserve at their hands which, months after a British Trade Union delegation had reported the land to be flowing with the milk and honey, of human kindness and happiness, still tells us stories of sudden arrests and banishments, of confiscations and executions without trial ( and of an extension of these terrors to the country districts which had enjoyed a relative exemption?

Five hundred miles away from the heart of this earthly para-., disc is quite near enough for the representative of a newspaper i which is prepared to publish such stories as these. The disabilities under which it labours present a striking contrast to the favour which has enabled the Moscow correspondent of the "Daily Herald" to supply Us at the same time with the results of "an exclusive interview" with the Eussian For- | eign Minister. The persistent malignity with which British diplomacy is seeking to thwart the pacific intentions of Russia is making it exceedingly, diffioult for her to maintain the policy of turning the other cheek to the smiter which has hitherto been the governing principle of Soviet rule, and M. Tchitoherin has been compelled to confide a mild protest to tho sympathetic ear.of the "Herald's" correspondent. He regretted that Anglo-Rtissian relations were at present rather strained. He attributed the position to the universal hostile attitude of British diplomacy, and to the policy of a united front against Russia, advocated bymembers of the British Cabinet and :by the newspapers. The only specific illustration which the Soviet Minister appears to have supplied of this "universal hostile attitude" on the part of Britain was taken from her share in the negotiations for a Security Pact. He is satisfied that her efforts to come to an understanding with Germany and France regarding Germany's western frontier as "in reality directed against Russia and aiming at the destruction of the friendly Russo-German' relations." To the readers of the "Daily Herald" this remarkable information may supply another powerful argument against what its diplomatic correspondent has denounced as a "blood pact," but' it will strengthen the conviction of others' that the conclusion of this pact would be an invaluable safeguard for the peace of Europe. The role of universal disturber which is assigned by M. Tchitcherin to Great Britain is by another authority cited in one ol' to-day's London messages assigned to his own Government, or to that not easily distinguishable organisation over which M. Zinovieft" presides. The industrial troubles from which various parts of the' Empire arc suffering and a considerable share in it.s foreign troubles fire ascrib- <;,.( Vty U.c "Daily l\1:):il" f.o «,i. for. ixiiduble ,uud ucmuorLeil (Juuuuua-

ist onslaught, financed and directed from Moscow."

The Bolsheviks, says the "Mail," are using every kind of poisoned weapon. They concentrated the vagua Nationalist upheaval in China into a furious anti-British boycott. They also aim at producing disaffection among the sailors and dock-workers In Australia, Canada, and Britain, in pursuance of a plan of specially attacking ocean transport, from which Britain draws her lifeblood.

The interesting detail is added that the propaganda against naval discipline includes "the sending of bogus bluejackets to harangue Hyde Park audiences on the alleged wrongs of the lower deck"; and "old soldiers," who may or may not have smelled powder, are doubtless available to perform a similar service for the Amy. It may be that the "Daily Mail" is overstating the direct power of the Bolshevik propaganda, but the parentage of the tactics which have lately been finding favour in England is too obvious to be mistaken. They are. based on Bolshevik models even if they are not financed by Bolshevik money. The committees advocated for "every barracks, aerodrome, and ship" by the artiole in the "Worker's Weekly" which got the Macponald Government into trouble were simply Soviets translated into English and transferred to British soil. ,And this reminds us to ask whether the policy of ignoring this propaganda which was favoured by the Mac Donald Government in its second thoughts is to be consistently maintained by the present Government towards ths renewed attacks of the same kind. The position attained by Mr. A. J. Cook as the leader of the Miners' Federation, the spirit in which he is organising for a second victory 1, and the menacing and dictatorial nature of his public utterances supply another vivid illustration of • the spread of Bolshevik methods in the Labour movement. He is raising a war fund and a commissariat for the great fight in May. The Coal Commission ' in which the hopes of peace are centred" he denounces as "packed." He warns the Government "not to tempt the Army and Navy too much."

They are our lads, he says; we will capture them by having them controlled by a Labour Government. '. . The threat.may seem to be weakened by its constitutional anti-> climax, but if Mr. Cook told, us all that is in his mind he would doubtless say that the ideal leaders of the kind of "Labour Government", he is after would not be ■ Ramsay Mac Donald and J. H. Thomas but Lenin and Trotsky.