ESTABLISHED 1866. The Marlborough Express PUBLISHED EVERY EVENING. MONDAY, JULY 3, 1916. INTERNATIONAL SOCTALISMAND THE WAR.

Marlborough Express, Volume L, Issue 155, 3 July 1916, Page 4

ESTABLISHED 1866. The Marlborough Express PUBLISHED EVERY EVENING. MONDAY, JULY 3, 1916. INTERNATIONAL SOCTALISMAND THE WAR.

A iso-callod! lai'gumpnt against national military service which is being freely employed by "Red ' Fed" orators a^nd ill the columns of the LaJbor, press is that Ifiuropean Socialists, not only in the neutral countries but in Germany, Austria^ Italvj and France, are gradually coming 'together, if not in. person, at least in spirit, and will exercise a very vorisiderable ixtfiuonce in determiriiing tlie'" terms of peace, in making peace possible, £aid in bringing it nearer. One of the leading exponents of New Zewlaiid Socialism, Mr Holland, of Welliiigten, has recently been in- j dulging !ia a newspaper: ooii'trpiei'sy'"! with' the Member 'for Nelson, Mr Field, Who roundly accused the-Social. DGirtoefatio pai'ty 'in this country, of ') hnying been,' hefore the war at ;'dny j irate, an close community ot;spirit and' aims. ' with International t SociaU i ism _as -understdod ii't Berlin. We need' no^go into the details of tlio j ophtroversy as conducted1 by'the* two j disputants, butKve should like to-day to niake it perfectly clear tliat if New Zealand Socialists believe that there, is any possibility of their Contiiiental ''comrades'' " working together viu; friendly co-operation, •eitiier to bring about a speedy peace qr, afte-r. peace. is declai'ed, for a i-e----vival of what is called International Bdclal^im, they .'are--•■'making a very grave error.' • • ■' v ' . ..A most enlightening article-.: ontiiis subject recently appeared in tho columns of ~the New York- Evening Post, the author being Mr Stoddp.rd .-Dewoyj;- = the special correspondent in Paris of the niost..;influential of New ,York 's; newspiapei'S."^ Mr.' V ■ Dewey heads liis article "-.Socialists, on War and -Peace Afterwardfe; Frvenchiarid-i Spanish Views', of \, the Militaristic Taint in their G^eraian Brethren." We direct special, attention to one < of; Mr Dewey's opening ' paragraphs. "H"e.'says-.':^, ,■..-..;.• ..' -^': : ;!: ■■:.'•■■■■.'■'■><■;■■■.'.■■'■>

It is a part of prp-GeiTnan propaganda' to persu.ido neutrals-1 that; Socialists generally; are "keeping U]> : their-' interaatignal* > feeling,'', ;aiJid that •all; a.l-© , anxious., ..French "as ; well' as Germans and tlie rest,1; to, ■lnQ&b^ together "again;- that;, tlie working masses of; tlie nations at ;--'War are with the Socialists,in this, '■:'■■ arid,, that all wish to, hurry upi' l a" .':... -jtea^e an "which /• there : sliall bte.; ; conquerors nor ' coriquer- ■■■■■■ ea^.V X'"-',-. --.:/--;e'-<•■■■.---. ■'.:■•• - ,-'■ After' pointing out that such questions as "Who or. what caused the war?" are now surely superannuated, the! American joui'natist proceeds- tp---Jsay that the one really important question now; is,; "Are French, .Belgian,,'. . v ltalian, and neutral Socialists'.'^villing to take -U]> theu^ folTner ■ international: rekitioris with tho'-; Gei-man and • Austrian So--eialisfs?" • This question Mr Dewey sets himself,to answer in his article, whic.li is of a most ■exhaustive character/and i3ie'answer-ho grives is clearly, : and . decidedly in ;■ tfliej. - aiegatiive. After describing'a meeting: held at Ziniiiierwald, in Sv^it/orlfind, to se-ctti-o international delegate- ]■■ -for'; a" Berne Peace Conference—which died before' it was born—Mi" De\vey says that two well-known French Syndicalists—:who were not leaders in the French Socialist party—consented to meet German dedegates,'- with the lest. At once tho French. Socialist body officially protested that the two . men had represented nobody but themselves. It was felt that this was not enough. First tlie Socialist delegations of Paris, to which the men' belonged, and! then the General Socialist Cohprress, sat on their ca.se. The question was .put very* bluntly, . "Can French Socialists, either during war or ; after war,, unite with German Socialists?" Three possiblo answei-s were fully discussed and: voter! on., .Tho--first .wjjs that of Merrhf.ini and his comrade who went to Zirnmerwald. According to them "War change? nothing in tho old International. It is based on the permanent struggle of wageearners with employers, which constitutes the 'war of classes' at all times." Therefore, it was contended,, ''even during; tho war,-:members of, tho old International, which represents that struggle, may properly meet together members from tli^ ; [belligerent natious and exchango "views, so that their International; [ Friion may not be destroyed w-hen v i^peace cpmos." >-. This .ansiver was not,;' fifays Mi- Dewey, exactly > wliat the ■: | pro-German pacifists who managed | tlie Ziminenvald. Conference desired, ' but "it w^is nil-they could get out! fp France." ':• .■ ; ■■'• i -.. .'■■;■•'. ', j The second answer, was pi'oposed i by; Charles Longi-et, who is a grand- I son of the famous Karl Marx and.i son of a member-of tlie1 Paris 'Com- j niune o^lß7l, and now sits .as, *>• So-^;. /cialistrp^puty iis./'.<fche>-;;French'Parlia-: paiCß^,js utiwiiiing'-";to!j gp:; b-a^k. cm '" }}is vt6afehinfe.?.'.;-.xli.^fc.] Socialism 'is ossentiall,v r''the'!'Tjvai".'., pt; classes' iri! '^6c?ety, Amwerea | accordingly. ••> Durine: war it is. the, pa-triotic du'txr of 'Fi-encfi Sociaftsts : nor. i(>'•■' cpiVsmunioate -with Germa-iii? R^ihl^t<*::;j-"it i]i^; •moiriiffrit. Xr^r. , is,, ; tjvor bhti. ':'shz\\ld take itp'-hgain' to-

g-ethoi- the inbernational struggle of classes whiph i$ the one tiling needful. The third ..answer was tliat of Piea;re ItGaiaudel,> .who i& also a 'Socialist Deputy in- the French Parliament, and!,,hi a way, has taken the place of Jaures in the party organ, L'Humanite. .; ,He protests;, that; German ♦Socialists have; so identified themselves «s,a bod.y with Prussian militarism that, even .after" the warFrench, and! otlieivSooialists can have nothing to <lo with tnein-vunHl th©y expressly renounce > such militarism with all its. works. . ■; . • , The" voting on tJie threo answers, representing ,- the; views of / threo separate sectioiis of the Fi-ench Socialist party,, was very instructive. Merrheim was suppovted by 500 votes, Longuet by 3000, and Renaudel by 11,000. .'Biis, according to Mr Dewey, means, 'first, that "the action of German Socialists since war began has disqualified them for international union; Second, that, tlie feeling against the present resumption of; any, T .jSjiich.-junion is practically unanimous amongst French Socialists."' "•', ...;■■-: '.'.'■ ■■/ ■"■■■•■■ ..-■■■■■.■ •' The -Spanish. Socialists are equally determined with the..French to have ro relations with International Socialism: of th'oYHun type. One of tlie ablest and most respected of Spanish Socialists, Fabra, Ribas, has spoken I thus, in tlia.nanie of Spanish Socialism:^— '.'' ' ■■•'..•'■ '■•■:'.-..-.. ". '. ' ■' '■ : •■.. "As. Socialists, : we ought to consider Austro-Gernian "militarism— | and chiefly Kaiserism—-as our first and! foremost , enemy, ; and much more to • be. feared than Russian [ <Jzarism. The reason is_that hero |, and now, llussian Czarism • represents only an. interior danger; and it is 'Rombateji .with-: fir© and blopd by tlie. Russian . people themselves —whereas ICaiserisui, ■; here^ y and now, is;.a djingor \] : to the whole : 'world!, and is tolerated! and upheld - by German Socialism, which --passed for the : most revolutionary party of the'worldl*'' ~ , Equally eerei-e condemnation of German Socialism froiiT Belgian, Russian, and Italian Socialist-lead-ers might also bo quoted had we space to -spare. It is clear that German Socialism, that particular brand of: SocialLsm which—the fact is of ; a .certain sinis&er a Rignifioaiioc^thiO ■Arch Assaisgiin of Europo recently went out of his way to pat on the back, highly commending its fie\Vborn patriotismrr-is \ thoroughly dis-ci-edited throughout " JEiUroipe. Everywhere in France, Italy, and Belgium, the same note of ; profound distrust is souridedi; It is therefore manifestly! absurd }for our: New Zealaml 'Socialists .to pretend that the Avar can fbe brought•:,'■'to a.n end by cooperation betw.een " tho Geii'man Sdci'ali&ts and ' .th-ose: 4of ■ the Entente countries,. ; and -equally ab?urcl te arkue ' that;., -military service should not Tbe compulsory, hero because some: wild liop^ or belief that sooner 0r... later,-.'.the. Socialists in the European '" countries .engaged in ■the walr will decide to "down arms." ; .