WORDS OF THE REDS

Grey River Argus, 26 November 1914, Page 2

WORDS OF THE REDS

THE " SOCIALIST REPUBLIC "

THE OPPOSITION'S EMBARRASS-

ING ALLIES

Messrs. Hickey, Semple, and others —the reddest of the "Red Feds."— are now identified with the Social De mocratic party, which ihas arrayed it se with the Ward Party .against the Reform Party. .

On July 11, 1913, the Red Federation's official argan, the Maori land worked:, reviewing the Unity Congress of that month, remarked that "it adopted, on the voices, a straight-out Socialist objective." That objective (which was 'publish ed in the New Zealand Times in the early part of July last year) is: — "To organise systematically upon an industrial: union basis, in order to assist the .overthrow of the capitalist system ,and thus' bring- about a cooperative Commonwealth based upon industrial, democracy." defined by The Worker as the- "Socialist Republic")' .'- Clause 18, of the "Principles" of the Social; Democratic Party states: — "The Social Democratic party therefore calls' upon all the- workers of New Zealand to forthwith enrol themselves in the ranks of the United Federation of Labour on the industrial field, and in the ranks' of the Social Democratic Party on- the political. field." . O.n July 22 last year (after ample time' for meditation on the published reports of the Unity Congress) the New Zealand- Times stated :— "The Federation of Labour aims at the same ultimate political objective as the Liberal Party -theparties are traversing parallel progressive lines." Exactly three months after that adrrisson by" the New Zealand Times (chief backers o> fthe Ward Party) the waterside strike began (October-22) n Wellington, and the "Red Fed." "Progressives" soon resorted to violence. The character of the body with "the same ultimate political objective as the Liberal Party" was shown in the deeds and words, of its member-!, as the following extract' of public speeches prove:—October 26 Sunday (Mr. 11. E. Hoi ''and, editor' of the Red Federation of Labour) : "If this case can be settled only, by setting ' the country on fire industrially} that is going to be done. I am not playing a game of -bluff."

October 26 (Mr.- Young): "If they put on the 'scabs' to discharge cargo, there will not be a' ship leave port, and df they persst there will be -no wharf for 'scabs' to work on."

On the same, day "Genera.!" Young made his well-known remarks about a possible "march on the city .of Wellington with ten or fifteen thousand armed men" to assist the strikers.

November 4 (Mr. Hickey, secretary treasurer of the Red Federation) : "It might be that free labour would lo>ad the ships but they would never get the ships away." November 4 (Mr. Srmple, organiser of the Ked Fcderaton): "The strike ■committee, would stop the ships, even 1 if they were loaded."

November. 11 (Mr. Semple at Fetone) "We are going. to. thfc whole hog this time. We have done something already, and wo are going to' extend it from the North Cape to the Bluff, even if. we paralyse -. New Zealand!"

November 15 (Mr.. Allen, ' acting editor of the Maoriland Worker) : "We will have the old red flag over the top of Parliament Buildings yet as the si.q.n that New. Zealand is the first Socialist Republic in the wolld."

November .19 (Mr. Hickey) : Speak ing- at Petone, Mr. Hickey admitted

that some of the Red Federation's ' members were foreigners and declared that the best fighters- on the side of the strike in Wellington were all foreigners — Germans, Frenchmen, Danes Scandinavian and Belgians. They were by far the best fighters, and they were to be respected far more than the. New ( Zealanders who ; come from "that scab-ridden Wairarapa." , November 24 (Maorilarrd Worker) : "The working class is becoming lear afraid of revolutionary principles every day. Not only are the workers not afraid of revolutionary teachings, they agree with them. . . We shatl cross swords again on both the industral field and in the poitical arena. We shal^ challenge you (the employers) at the seat of government itself. We are not revolutionists ; we shall not rest until the workers themselves own and control the means whereby they live. . . . Yes, gentlemen, it must be war until victory crowns our ef-' forts. . . . There will be no peace but an armed truce. . . . We shall ultimately triumph, even i-n a war to the end." Deceber 14^ Sunday, at Newtown Park (Mr. Edward Hunter) : "You fellows must realise that if you are g-o---itig to control things properly 'you must have mig-ht behind you. You cannot do it vhh. ia. box of cigarettes and a match. The strikers control the Coast and hay* set aside all law amd order. The menon strike were told by the leaders' that they had the free.dom of the city there, and havingthat, could do anything they thought fit. There is a IVfcryor in Westport, but he has been set aside ,and everything is controlled by the strikers. They can bring the 'specials' round to the Coast, in fact, we give them a special invitation, and I swear this. An' the name of the party most concerned that for every 'special' they care to put .down on the Coast, up to one thousand, we can put one down beside him, just as good a man, and if this is going" to be a contest as to who is going- to control, then we are ready to make it a contest."

December 21, Sunday — Mr. Armstrong, a West Coast delegate, in a Wellington' halli: "The very same people that are -fighting* 'the Federation of Labour to-day are those who crucified Christ. 1 veViture to say that if Christ came back to earth He would be crucified again and every newspaper editor in New Zealand would be at the cricifixion."

THE NEW "CHRISTIANITY."

On Sunday, November 30, i<)\\, M. John Payne (Socialist member for Grey Lynn) preached in a Wellington hall on the "New Christianity."

"Christianity," he said, "had been instituted to spread over the whole world, and bind the people tog-ether in one grand brotherhood. But it had failed in its humanitarian work, and to-day they wanted something 1 which did not pander to the rich. Christ'humanitarianism had been neglected, and instead they had lip service and outward show. I.W.W'ism would bind the workers together on a grand humanitarian- bas<is."

Some doctrine of "the New Christinanity" on "the g-rand humanitarian basis" wias published during- the striko by the Industrial U-nioniist, Auckland, official org-an of the New Zealand branch of the I.W-W.

One report, signed "P>ailcy," in \\w. issue of November 13, 1913, had these

passages :— -

"The special' constables (?) are beginning to learn they are down here on the wrong scent ;they thought the own was on ,fire.

"The boys are giving them a glon ous tilme, building and clearing up wreckage where 'scabs' have been served

"The women and boys are serving them with' plenty of soft material, such as bricks, bolts, bottles, sticks and a.n occasional dose of lead."

Mr. Torn Barker, an' organiser of the LW.W. (subsequently bound over to keep the peace). ; explained, on October 23, 1913, to ;t|ie Weington strik ers ho they "could; annoy the bosses by quietly dropping cases overboard from slings and such like methods. \ot that he would urge them to adopt thv.s course." A week later the "New Christian," Mr. Barker gave another "graoid hu manitarian" line about "dropping a few matches and starting fires on farm properties." Mr. E. Canham, president of the Auckland Waterside Workers' Union, said on October 28 (after strikers had been guilty of personal Violence and damage to property.) : — • "He agreed with all that the strikers had done' and "even -a little sabotage, if it helped the men in their fight, ■ was good enough for him." According to the official report of the Red Federation's fourth conference, in 191 2, Mr. Semple said:— "He had read various systems of organisation, and the. soundest that he knew' of were the principles which had been adopted by the T.WAV.

.Such, are the men on whose support tile Ward Party depends in "he fight against the- Reform,- Party"