A TWO=EDGED SWORD.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume XLII, Issue XLII, 16 October 1922, Page 6

A TWO=EDGED SWORD.

EXTREMISTS' PROPOSED

WEAPON,

A correspondent writes to the Sydney Morning Herald:

The extremist "Council of Action" has published a manifesto practically threatening, __ in certain eventuality, civil war against democratic government in Australia. It is interesting, in view of the double edge to the weapon proposed to be adopted, to republish one of the principal clauses in this manifesto, which reveals its own proper counter-measures:

Tactics advocated by Communist Council of Action manifesto:

"That the time has gone by when the organised workers are prepared to permit irresponsible politicians, who themselves risk no personal danger, and who shoulder none of the burdens of war, to plunge the people of this country with impunity into the horrors of any capitalist war, even with the aid of the referendum, and that should the workers of this country once more find themselves faced with another imperialist war, the council of action issues the following warning: That the organised workers will hold those individuals who precipitate the people into such a war personally responsible for the death or mutilation of any member of the working class resulting therefrom."

The other edge to the weapon: "The time has gone by when the organised unions are prepared to permit irresponsible extremist officials, who themselves risk no personal danger, and who shoulder none of the burdens of a strike, to plunge the men, women, and children of this country with impunity into the horrors of any strike, even with the aid of a so-called strike ballot, and should the workers of this country once more find themselves faced with another disastrous strike, the unions issue the warning: "That the organised workers will hold those individuals who precipitate the people into such a strike personally responsible for the death or mutilation or loss or starvation of any member of the working community resulting therefrom."