Established 1866. The Marlborough Express. THURSDAY JUNE 3, 1920. MISPLACED SYMPATHY.
Stronger proof of the fact that one at least of th.4 great inciusti^al unions, of Australjaiis hon^copbed. with a noxiQus spirit:x>£;i|9n^h"pt for law and order is ;fco' bj* -found in the 'resolution of the" ill Sydliey demanding. ' the of thgt twelve I.W.W. criminals Jriojw serving sentences in the. gaols of _ "New South Wales for attempted incendiarism p£n<i'%th^ry vile which it was intended, to spread the ; diabolical* gospej.of anarchy. These ben were* tionvioted-after a long and scrupulously fair trial, and they \, no -more desoi'ye 'the sympathy of *' airy ,honest and loyal worker than does) the foulest, murderer. To pretend.jfchat; such :croine's.j ? as Ithose.of -which vgaflgstersr w;ere /guilty■'•'yiTe'--..->mej.<^[y* poltMcalpoSeiices/^aiui; 'fhat the"; cuUi; ' spritsiV'ti^ve »be©n:- stfflcien[fcly ; ;by; jJapihg ';' ihrsi^ned::i: or Va.'^couple i.;ofe j'e'irsi of- so/ ;'is ;tih-e' veriest nonsense) an insult to common sense.. . The Seamen's Union of Australia; ihclud§3, .however, it is notorious, amongst 'its members a number of foreigners who seek to aitrodxice iutp. tfie iComnlbiiwealth the , yile ' ,', teachings and methods of the Continental , Bolsheyiksy! Cpnlmun^stH, '",., . and,",., Anarchists, on tiiore. ihari ,piie. occasion this section hast .succeeded, in carrying i%-' solutions, id Which v the', more respectable; law-regpectihg,/"aiid .lojsal-niem-bers' HaveT greatly objected, i' Unfortunately, the. anarchist in the Labor ' ,unioiir»:. ifc. !a> ncjisy ast<ft truculent that, tho. ;'■nibderiites afe'"howled down' aa£d retire" jfrqin the meetings.;in,,disgust, leaving the're^ volutioharyi ■element to pasfs resolutions which by no .[..means the' opinions '-of the- organisations 'as a whole.- fFqr examples of ithis*siprtiof thing it' 4 is'rtinnece^ary ltd, go soi far;.afie.ld<. ais' SyrineyV; for during .thel. Prince of. Wales's visit .to New Ze?; land; a little inside Labor, daueus at. 'Christoliureh produced ati jmpudent ■:n{^fesitoi,|.-<>atiiibst^ openly disloyal in iori&i jso rahioh/'so.it is- no'tp&ous,.;th# grqaib • rriajority of 'the tforkehs* Of th<* citgr- ; S|trongly bb]ectedv :i*' ■,: -i <- .-,.-.-.>- To return toi.theifeSblntioV passed hy the Australian Seamen' 4 Union, of, raither, by- the 4Ftar^"n^ -: section > tliei^pf. . .After ' deriiiainciing 1 the release' of therX.W.W. incezidiaries, the, t'nionproceeds to make threats. ■ s If.; the,.criminals are.nofo releasedTwithin a mqflth the Union threatens to' take "drastic, action.?', "Drastic jaotionyV ot'coiirse, means a strike, i ■ and a-.-•fuWaier paralysis of AustraUab industry1, •■- and ~ [perhaps. • : as ;an ; indirect, si^uel, the paralysis o& the shipping; trade of i lfe.w..?eaJaK(Ji^lso.r Vtt rg- ( ; mains; 1 to be x seen hW thi<jriinp]udent •threat, to ;piinisi the,• /wholes 1 Jty unless- certain V icon,victcd> crfmihaif}-'ai-e set free'will^e/reoeivedrby the' JjaboT $oyertim6nt whieji |has 're':<«n% ,come;4nto and vpbwer iK: iNew-Scjuth l^ales. .Iri. the; city■■*elec^. I^r^l' Xit■•''i4^iie7;-^^-r : e:ieas6^of :the> ■■}• v. • ™*.was ; a plank lit the ptatfoi^ns of'i most M] tiiej Labor candidates'. The now v Cr.byseriSmehtj", however,, is depenciont upon the votes ■of ,/mawv couritrjr itiottibbrs. vThe rural constituent cies, whilst disgusted with t|ve Holinan Government, and. deciding ;to give Labor a fair trial, are1 by no means in favor of movements kuch as ■ thait of the. I.AV.Wr The , Government; also lias had a proof, billy ■ withw in the lat& few days, of; tlie sterling; loyalty of- the returned soldiers andtheir disinclinvation -ito; tolerate any r«*lsxmg pf,laws find- regulations,. affecting aliens. The returned solc!ier.s.are not any more likely to favor the release of incendiaries thaii they are to. release Germans from the penalty of deportation, and i-e can cuite understand that the new! Labor bbverament will think twice before it lowers its flag to the impudent on.slaiught\ of . the Seamen's Union and rides roughshod over the decisions of nroperlv constituted courts. To release thes-fe. iLW.W. scoundrels would be- to bring the whole administration' lor Hiflvice in. Australia into contempt mdeed,, the judges of the Supreme t'OU'-t ;wouJd be j>epfectly justified in tendering their resignations in a body ■were so foul a .wrong.'.Jo be done to Hie cause 'of justice and national rifruteousne^s. It is not only in Australia that certain sections of organised Labor attempt to dictate to the Government and pass resolutions of sympathy with persons who are riot in the least deserving of such sympathy. It is true that in the Dominion "there has not been, as yet, any publicly o«-_ ■p-essed sympathy with convicted cnminals, but there lias long been noticeable a. tendency on the part of the "Red Feds" to usurn the powers or the Sbate and to judge, or misjudge, offenders against "the laws of the land according to how the political opinions of the culprits may be concerned. As an example of this ye notice by a-report of one of the ston-work"1 meetings held by the VVeJlington watei-sido wo7-ker.s. that a demand'^ was made that the Government shall cease the' '■ prosecution of military offenders, that all conscientious objectors stil' in pnVon shall ,be released, and that the Deiaulters' List be withdrawn. Some very impudent and violent talk was indulged in on the occasion to which we allude, but this was only to be expected in such a quarter. The resolutions in question having been brought under the notice of the responsihle Minister, that Kontleman has communicated certain" facts, to the press which show that there is no just cause for the hysterically expressed indignation of the gentlemen, who condescend to lump coal and discharge' cargo on_ the Wellington wharves for such, miserable pittances as £7 to £10 a. week. The only r>Prsons prosecuted of late under the military laws have been deserters,
and it. is pointed out that no country has aa yet granted an amnesty €0 t offenders of this class. Wherever, in Great Britain, France, or the United States, they have been caught they have been punished. These men are in a totally different category from: the ordinary conscientious objectors: They are men who tqok the oath of allegiance, .went through their .training—thus putting the countiy to considerable expense—and then deserted bri the eve of ; the departure of their drafts for the front. Such men can scarcely be held to have any real grievance if,, .when they are caught, they axe punished, and tlie greai majority of loyal New Zealandei's will, *'we feel sure, support the Government in refusing to release the<n at the; behest of the Waterside Worbers'; Union • or; any similar organiaation.;^Mob law does not as yet hold good—or ,bad-—in this countiy, ivhatover it may do in-Russia. As.to the, List, the official explanation of the actual facts of the case is entirely .satisfactory.
A!en who- sneaked out of their due bbiigfj-tions to their cou.ijtry, who hid away under false names and skulked xand shirked whilst their fellow countrynien. did their duty, many of them falling at the front in defence of the .families and, homes of the cowardly shufflera whose names aro on the Defaulters' List, have no right to expect 'or' obtain any sympathy, save
from crack-brained demagogues and' the fbolisli- and ignorant persons who support thetii.- The penalty attaching, to1, the Defaulters' 'List is de-
privation of civil rights arid beingl :deba,rred from entering the public service.. Wlio—outside these precious vvatei'side.^workers of Wellington—will dore to say that such is too severe a disability to ; be. placed upon men whoshirked and , skulked;, whilst their, braver and .better fellows went to the fibnit jind fought like true men? As. to the cbnscient-ious objectors.s each; case has .been investigated individually by:, the, Commission set- up by the : Ministor" fbr' .Defence after the signing of the armistice. The "genuine"., conscientious objectors have had full justice'^oriei tb them, arid the names: of sudh persbris do not now appear on the Defaulters' List. The pix>cess of 6J4miiiatirig,"tihe ; names of men who have sbeen;; MAe to: prove .'■.that.'..Aeir objectiottr,,-.to'; .military. :^Bervice/ was; >;r,e^yN;^d.'Jv^.ul^;.Vj^^^owi^^ : science^'Mdv-nist':'--^erely. > 'a:"V''^war®y.-;:----trick; '-jp^mS;-; going bn, names l)eing i withdrawn tfrom the list whenever the defence authorities are satisfied thht' Rppd.cause has:be^n shown. It is to be,hoped that both;iri 'Australia jpid,. in New..Zealand tlie • Gbverhment \Vill1 stand firm in deolining to. be die--t{\ted _.tcji by.; Labor' or any other qrganisaibipha nyhich evidently include amongstr, their members nien; who encourage; and, applaud tuny snd ev^ryj case of ffloiiting'and defying* the; law,) of..the land. The elements of-..ihdus-trM arid- politicali:^xii^rdei^niiy.^ worse , ihan mere disorder, ■: actual anarchy—are, mischievously; > 'active |pjst;npw^jt< ; boti ssfy- of th^-.Tasmah" be'a; dv.4 the good sense, reppeet-fori the.|aw, ; . and, lpval majority must "pa-evail in 'tho long i Un--,.. ; .r:i. -:r->". :' . - \ c.-^yb :>.
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Bibliographic details
Marlborough Express, Volume LIV, Issue 129, 3 June 1920, Page 4
Word Count
1,353Established 1866. The Marlborough Express. THURSDAY JUNE 3, 1920. MISPLACED SYMPATHY. Marlborough Express, Volume LIV, Issue 129, 3 June 1920, Page 4
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