FORD'S INSURGENT PEACE LEADER

Greymouth Evening Star, 15 May 1917, Page 8

FORD'S INSURGENT PEACE LEADER

M‘CLURE DENOUNCES GERMANY.

Shortly after the Russian revolution Mr S- S- M’Clnre, the wellknown American publicist, who led the insurgents on .Lord's illstarred peace ship and blankly refused to offer an insult to President Wilson with the peace delegates, arrived in San Francisco, bound for Russia, where he had intended to study the new 71 evelopments consequent upon the dethronement of the Tsar. A few hours before the steamer sailed for Vladivostock APCTure decided to postpone his Trans-pacific visit. Before the distinguished publicist returned to New York he analysed the war, and declared timl “mob impulse” was Hie sole impulse that had moved the Teutons- “ This war,” lie said, “is to determine whether the principles of_ individual liberty or mass organisation are to dominate the world]t is to determine whether the individual is made tor the Stale or the State for Hie individual. We are accustomed to exhibitions ol mob psychology, in which the acts of a few hundreds or a few 1 lionsands shock Hie world. But in this war- we must take into account the psychology ot a mass which contains all the peoples of a nation, or even of a group of nations. All Germany—all the seventy millions —think as one, bate as one, love as one. 'Hie ‘Hymn of Bale was part (if the general order issued to his troops on November 11th, lt)Tl, b\ the Bavarian" Crown .Prince,

MOB IX BELOITM“Now lot us apply this state of iuuni, this mass of psychology to a study of the treat merit of Belgium- Everythin*'’ habitually done hy the most cruel aud_iuseiisato mob we find repeated iu Belgium, even to burning people alive- fu fact, in this war the mass spirit illustrates itself from the North Sea to Bacific, by the use of tiro to destroy life- 1 he liquid fire apparatus invented hy tlie German military authorities carbonises its victims in a few minutes. The wholesale and eontinned cruel ties inflicted on the Belgian people can he paralleled oulv by instances in which mobs have held full sway- The professors and publicists ot Germany thought in abstractions: but the execution of thefr theories involved men and women and children, homes, farms, and food, life and liberty, and the sanctity of the family- The great General Staff put into concrete form the theories of the professors. If Germany's submarines sunk every ship at sea and drowned • every sailor and every passenger, all the German people , would approveNeither the German Government nor the German people have disapproved the sinking of the Lusitania. The prevalence and validity of ideas of spoliation, of-de-portation will be greatly strengthened it Germany wins the war or if the war is a stalemate- To England and France this war is not only for human freedom, but for the right to exist- In setting forth the view that the present German reach for world ascendancy is tin.' result of a definitely formulated policy, expounded through years of teaming and propaganda. I might quote Baron Yon Stengel as typical. Stengel said: ‘The war has demonstrated throughout its course that we, the Germans, have been chosen by Providence from among all the ('uidli’s peoples lo put ourselves at the head of all civilised nations and guide them to a sure peace under our protection- Lor this reason we possess not only tin* necessary power, and force, but also, in the highest degree, the

intellectual giUts requisite, and we are the itower of the entire creation's kultur-’ GERMANV AND ENGLAND CONTRASTED. “Everywhere I went in Germany I found one fuel dominating the .nation, and that was the national structure of German mil it airy discipline- Everything was imposed by force, and under this baneful system the individual is restrained by external forces. What a pleasantly different position was revealed to me in Jiugland! Everywhere in England I saw evidences of the economic and military effectiveness of institutions which do not suppress the individual- Many Americans make the mistake of judging England by London- It would be just as unjust to judge New York by one of the east-side slums of New York. In Birmingham, Man-ehe-ser, and other manufacturing centres of England I was struck by the vigour, vitality, and intelligence of the English workmenIt is the Englishman which makes the British Umpire the glory that it is- llyndnmn. the father of English socialism, told me that it had been estimated that before the war only -‘IT per cent, of the man power of the nation was used in productive work- This application of productive enertrv had been doubled- The 8,000.000 workers withdrawn from the industries of the country have been replaced by as many more- Women have entered industry by the thousands. and the ‘labour slack' has been taken up- 'There is now no submerged tenth in England- In England labour lias become the most highly respected thing in the world- Class 'distinctions of all kinds are being thrust asideKhaki takes a man anywhere. Evening- dress has been abolishedIn fact, it is extremely bad taste to be seen at a luncheon in evening dress- One of the most striking instances of this democratising process came under my observation when I attended a house party at the estate of Lord Haldane in Scotland. Gne of the young women guests made her apologies to her host for leaving early- ‘You see.’ I’m on the night shift,* she said-” LAND PROBLEM DARY“Is the tilling of the land of big estates hitherto uncultivated of any permanent significance jn the socialisation of wealth 1 M‘Clnre was asked- “ No. I do not believe so.” he answered- “ the thing that has held back intensive cultivation of land in England is that the competition with the States and Canada has made agriculture in Great Britain unprofitable-” “In view of the present world situation, do you believe in compulsory military service in the United States . “I believe iu compulsory military education on the lines of the Swiss and Australian systemsAmerica, like Russia, has great natural security, which Germany and England lack, and I do not believe'it needs a large standing army. I am convinced the professional army is the most effective, for the regulars have the traditions and the training of the army behind them-” Without a doubt MT’lure summarised the conclusions of what is indisputably the most thorough and discerning study of the war made hv auv American-