Manawatu Evening Standard. THURSDAY, MAY 21, 1925. HEADING THEM OFF.

Manawatu Standard, Volume XLV, Issue 143, 21 May 1925, Page 4

Manawatu Evening Standard. THURSDAY, MAY 21, 1925. HEADING THEM OFF.

Sir William Joynson-Hicks, Secretary of State for Home in the British Government, lias made the welcome announcement that the Government intends arming itself with sufficient power to deal effectively with the Communist movement directed from Moscow against the British constitution. “We do not intend,” he says, “that this country shall degenerate into a Communist Republic, and we shall have to see that the necessary steps are taken to deal with this great menaco from East Russia. We are tired of the influx of men to this country who are merely coining here to embitter and breed class hatred with the object of destroying our constitution.” It was high time some such statement was made and that tile Soviet Government of Russia was told in plain and unmistakable terms that its nefarious plottings and conspiracies against the British Government and Empire will no longer be tolerated. We are aware that, even in New Zealand, there are people who regard the Soviet with friendly and even benevolent eyes, and who would, were they in a position to do so, force a similar form of government, or misgovernment, upon New Zealand. Fortunately they are not, but they have a way of sapping at and endeavouring to undermine the foundations of government, and of “white-anting” Labour unions, which, if unchecked, might lead to a revolution, in which many lives might be sacrificed, merely to meet the crazy ideals and unholy ambitions of a handful of political adventurers. It was Pope who wrote:—

Vice is a monster of so frightful mien, As, to be bated, needs but to be seen.

Bolshevism, despite Bertrand Russell’s apology for it, and the support it has received amongst a certain class of politicians, is about as vicious in both its practice and theory as the most vices, because in the former it has* embodied and continues to embody, some of tire most atrocious happenings which havo befallen and can befall humanity. It has no conscience, no sense of morality or justice, and is devoid of all humane feelings where those who oppose its monstrous decrees and per verted authority are concerned. Recent English papers make it plain that the Communist movement in Great Britain is making rapid inroads upon the trade unions, so much so that Bolshevist trade councils have either hold, or are arranging, trade conferences in London, Nottingham, Birmingham, Leicester Leeds, Manchester, Darlington, Bristol, Ipswich, Norwich, Cambridge, Cardiff, Southampton, Swindon, Hull, Carlisle, Canterbury and Exeter. At the London conference Tom Mann and other leading Communists were elected on the Joint Consultative Committee set up to more closely co-ordinate the working of the trades councils and the general council of the Trades Union Conference. The Workers’ Weekly (formerly known as The Communist and still recognised as one of the official journals of the Communist movement) boastfully declared that “their election marks a definite step forward,” which “must be followed up by making the local conferences a driving force in developing the will to struggle for the

demands agreed upon.” The Communists are at work in Great Britain endeavouring to corrupt the soldiers, sailors and airmen of the British defence forces, anti have formulated demands absolutely incompatible with the maintenance of discipline and efficiency in the three branches of the service. There is iurther evidence that in each direction they are proceeding along the same lints that were adopted by the Russian Bolshevists. It is probably to guard against this sort of thing that Sir W. Joynson-Hicks proposes to take act on.

INSIDIOUS BOLSHEVIST PROPAGANDA.

I j may be merely a coincidence, but it in nevertheless worthy of notice that, concurrently with the British Home Secretary’s statement on the subject, a cable has been received indicating that a further attempt is being made to show that “the famous Zinovieff election letter was a forgery.” The General Council of the Trade Union Congress (the Communist organisation tha, is) has, according to the Daily Heiald (the Labour daily) approved the report of the delegation to Moscow, declaring that “their investigation of i.he Communist International’s confide itial archives provided convincing evic.ence that the letter was a forgery.” it was Mr Fred Bramley, a memoer of tha; delegation by the way, who told the Soviet Assembly (according to the Isvcstia, of November 19th, 1924) that “when the revolution comes in Britain the funds of the British workers will be available to help you.” Zinovieff is not only a member of the Soviet Government, but is a leading official of the Communist (the Third) International, and the authenticity of the letter which is now again called into question, has been placed beyond all douit in the minds of the officials of the British Foreign Offico and by Mr Ransay MacDonald, who was Foreign Secretary at the time of its receipt, so that the delegation’s report may be accepted just lor what it is v.'ortilth at is nothing. Bolshevism has been rightly described as “primarily a war against Christianity.” In that war it recognises neither truth, justice nor morality. Professor Struve, Fellow of the Russian Academy and lion. LL.D. (Cambridge), says: “It is the creed of a n ilitant sect which knows no frontieri?, recognises no ethical or moral standards or obligations, and is inspired by an intense fanaticism. It is not (ho says) a mere purposeless atheism; theie is a design behind it—an immense driving power. It is pervacieu with the religious spirit of a new religion, which may be described as deified 'humanity’ or the exaltation of pure materialism into a religion—tho worufiip of man.” While this must seem to British minds “grotesque as an deal, it has been accompanied in Russia by such revolting exhibitions that people are not taking it seriously, hut dismiss it as the conception of a few perverted and disordered minds.” But, after all (says an English writer) stripped of these crudities and blasphemies, it is quite indistinguishable from tho creed of Socialism, it is the religion, not of the Soviet only, but of all those subversive elements which are comprised under the title of Socialist. For no one has ever attempted to interpret the philosophy of Socialism without coming to the conclusion —tho inevitable conclusion—that its principal enemy is Christianity. In this Hyndman, Marx and Bakunin (to take three typical and wholly different interpretations) are all agreed. The great danger from the Communist movements of to-day arises out of their subt o activities in the schools, colleges, and universities, on the education, and in tile trade unions, on the industrial side, which are being successfully permeated in Great Britain and elsewhere. Quits recently in a debate at the Oxford (University) Union ofTthe question of whether the imperialism of Britain was, or was not, a crime and a menace to the peace of the world, in which Mr George Lansbury took the affirmative, he obtained 180 votes in support of his view on the subject, against 155 votes that Britain was not as black as he painted it. It would scarcely be possible to obtain a more striking illustration of the manner in which Socialistic and Communistic propaganda is being successfully carried on amongst the youth of tho British nation. We have, however, the further illustration of its effect on the trade unions of Great Britain in tho fact that a Russian Soviet delegation visited Lone on in March last for the express purpose of persuading British unionists to throw in their lot with the Third (Moscow) International, tho revolutionary objects of which are well known. Soviet delegates loudly proclaimed their object and Russian Communists cheered them when they embark id on the return voyage to Russia. The Communist leaven—an evil thing as wo have shown—is at work, and tho British Government is welladvised in now stopping in to counteract :ts insidious action.