WAR AND ORGANISED LABOUR

Maoriland Worker, Volume 13, Issue 26, 27 June 1923, Page 8

WAR AND ORGANISED LABOUR

PEOPiES'IOJST ESTABLISH PEACE.

Misconceptions are purposely kept alive by the Capitalist press on the attitude of organised Labour towards war- and militarism. Henry Dubb reads the newspapers and imbibes the poison conveyed therein, and in turn is misled and expresses wonder that "those peace people" should be always poking their noses into the concerns of Labour, when the ideals for which they .stand are so different from those of the Labour Movement! The worker who cannot discern the truth must not be blamed, as his ignorance is more his misfortune than liis fault; he has in the past neither had the time nor opportunity for the necessary disinterested study of the question to enable him to draw conclusions or arrive at the truth. It may be useful, therefore, to briefly run over some of the outstanding contributions io the subject during the last few ysars. In th various resolutions and expressions of opinion that follow it should be noticed that antagonism to war and inUitlarism has become a set principle of the Labour Movement. Wherever Labour has met in Conference, its voice has, quite naturally, been raised against these evils. And this is an eminently reasonable attitude, because the workers who take part in the capitalist wars of to-day j are actually ruining their own cause j land impeding the advance of Inter-i j nationalism, for which the Labour j Movement exists in great measure. J LAIMJUIi .HOSTILE TO, >VAR. I We cannot do better than quote the] 'trenchant words of W. S. Stone,; Grand Chief oC tho Brotherhood of | I Locomotive Engineers, in tho Labour j ' Day ;*>lo='.,s•.!?:■;?, 1'?22, U.S.A., in intvo-j 'diifLis tho reader to the subsequent 'tfit.-rsucfs: "Pcaeo wa must liave,"| he ciecku-es, "Ust civilisation porish. | "War, the reddest plague of mankind,'! must be for ever banished by tho ! v.-(>--kero, who, ot the bequest oi! dip-! lomats and profiteers, have for aye;-.; shed their blood and borne the bur-; clou of Wai , taxr-: , ." In a resolution; (19-21), the American Federation oj"| Labour declared that "the working! people can end war:?. iZ they liave the independenc.fi to think and to give their convictions reality by daring to i do." The "Locomotive Enjunsers'j Journal" of October in the same year: remarked that "if the next war comes, '■ American Labour v/iil be morally re- , :;ponsible. We will not ag-.'.in go to: Yγar if the organised workers oi! ; America say 'NO! ,, ' The truth or this statement is established by ex— ■K'rience.. On August 9, ID2O, when i war between Russia and Poland was threatened, a joint conference, repre- . seiiiiug the Trade Union Congress, ; the Labour Parly, and the Parlki- :

I ir.eutary Labour Party, "-warned ,7 the ; I Government "that, the vv-iulo industrial power oi: the organisea workers will 1-3 used to defeat this war; that i the. executive committees o'J affiliated j organisations tivroughout the coantiy i be summoned to hold vk&jjisoive;; ! ready to proceed immediately io Lou- ! Con for a national conference; that they be advised to instruct ihoir members to "down tools' on instructions from that national confeereucj; and that a Council of Action be immediately constituted to take such steps' as may he necessary to carry the : above decisions in effect." In September, I!I2L', when war threatened in I the Near East, British Labour sout a i ...teimtatiosi to the Prime Minister, and stop-tho-war demonslrations werej i made in London, Manchester, and j ! other cities of England. A BKinifesto ; j v/as issued statins: that if hostilities, increased the British Government ', would bcav the greatest part of the. J 'responsibility, and that if the League; I of Nations could not be used, a con-| fcror.ee should bo called, including; ' prGsentativcs of Russia. Bulgaria, and ■ I (\-rv.rxay. The Municipal Employees' ; Association protested asainst send- j in; 4 troops to Co'istantinoplo, and' plodded, in national convention, Sep-j timber, 1»22, as far as they were con-; eel-nod "not a man nor a ship nor! ammunition should leave England in; support of that war." "There can be; no fioubl," said Lord Lore burn, "that; the firm stand taken by Labour has j saved us from a ruinous- and interminable Avar." ■« ■•■•■ a*.;. THK C,U'>l-.S OF WAE. ' The MEMORANDUM ON WAR} AIMS pafrsed by !.h ; ? conference of the j Socialists and Lnbour Parties of the allied countries on February 14,1015, and later endorsed by the British conference (December 28, »1917), contains a remarkable passage in the opening paragraph: — "This conference cannot ignore the profound general causes of the European conflict, itself a mon- , strous product of the antagonisms •wlucU tear asunder capitalist so-

ciety and the aggressive policy of colonialism and imperialism against which International Socialism has never ceased to fight, and in which e-veTy Government has its share of responsibility." Then follows a very long and carefully considered policy for recon- . I The Intei'national Federation of \ Trade Unions has made it quite clear J that it will not tolerate, in its name, , warmongering- of any sort. J. Oude- ' geest, secretary, made the following t definite statement at the opening Ou \ one of the congresses: — "The toleration of wai , by cheapen- , ing human life contradicts in princt- \ pie everything for which Labour contends. At the last meeting of the , League of Nations, Lord Robert Cacil ' already clearly stated that if the gov- , ernments would not proceed with ! disarmament and the establishment , of world peace, then it must be the [ peoples themselves who will decree \ that it shall be done, and will pro- . ceed to do it. That is the spirit which '. will animate our congress, the spirit of determination to compel diplomat-- , ists and govern merits, by the power of public opinion, to proceed with disarmament and direct their steps along the path of peace." GKNEBATi ST3UK.K AGAINST' THE INFAMY. At the I.F.T.U. Congress at Rome, April, 1922, it was resolved that "the International Congress declares that. it is the task oC.the organised workers to counteract all wars which may threaten to break out in the future, J with all means at the disposal of the Labour Movement, and to prevent the j actual outbreak of such wars by proclaiming and carrying out a general international strike.' A Committee cf I Action again s-t war and militarism; l was created. i I The Hague Congress, in December ' i 1922 (GOO Labour, co-operative, and , i peace organisi.lions from 24 nation:.*, i ' represented! declared for "NO MORi. : ; j j WAR AT ALL, even no' war between j : the classes." and supported the Rome i I '•general , c ;trik-j" resolution, adding | I that "the Labour Movement must,;. J with the briefest possible delay, ron- ; , tier the manuiiich.v/o and transport oi . J vvar materials i'Y>poi;.-:bie. War indiu;- i : trios must betroncfarmeci into induj- : tries lor peace."' ! i The International Federation oi [ < I Working Women, at Geneva, October : • 102 L proviounceil ior "total interna- : ■ tional disarmament." : ; ' leading laisoo pauiiists. j I I In the British Labour Party in.th:- ', \ House of Commons at the present : : time are many ur.:--.v.- f ;-vla» paeiilsts ; and anti-mUiUirisLs; the ii<s.m?s o;! ( . Ramsay MacDouuUL Philip Svio-vilcmi. \ IL\ D. Mo: , - , !, Arthur Ponsonbt'. H;:;:;, '. i-P. Tveveiynn, Sidney Webb, Koel ] ! Cuxtou. Ro-rU'U Buxton, Fret! Jowett ' Xeil MacLfan, Georgo Lansbury aro ; J among the best known. On February ■ 10, 1923, a manifest:) on tho cei>upa- ; . . tion of the I'v.hr v.-as issued by Uia ; ( : British Labo;; , . , Party, pretesting;' against the dismerabermem ot Gev-j many, and demanding a world con for- j enco to revise the.: Treaty of Vor- j, sailles, the freedom of the j f?e!f-governmcut fo-: Int'u , , and a c:t;<i- j tal levy i:>v the paynisiit oT war ! debts. j ; American Labour is e-in;Miy c-r.iph.?.-: tic on the quest km. The Secret.try oi the American Ft-.'»raiion of 'Laboin _ paid: "The pcupio ot; the world <!•> .' mand freedom from the burden of ar- ; maments and they demand :\ world:' organised for peace." The 3921 con- I, vention of tho Federation cleclar:-,:! | that "the cause oi' disarmament and ;_' international peaot 1 can be promoto.! i' by creating and stimulating a piib.Ut: .'; syntiment that will not tolerate wastt-; ' of life and by establishing intovnational relations, under.standings. r.nd ''

nsenci.es that will constitute insuper- ; able .barriers to politics of force and destruction. With humanisution. edu- ; cation, cultivation n'ld the est: , .b<. Lsii- ', ment of the rule of reason, occasion?; Cor wars and wars themselves will I cease. THE WORKING PEOPLE i THE MASSES OF THE WORLD i POPULATION, CAN END WARS li< \ THE WILL BUT HAVE THE INDE- j PENDEN'OE TO THINK AND TO: GIVE THEIR CONVICTIONS HEAL-! ITY, BY DARING TO 1X). ,, The 1!>22 convention recommended an International Economic Conference to lie summoned by the United States, "held iv the United States, under an agenda prepared by the United States; urged "the'Tecognition of Mexico." The Federation, unfortunately, could not see its way to attend the Hague Antiwar Conference in 1922. WOMEN WISH. TO. OLTLVW WAR. The NATIONAL WOMEN'S TRADE UNION LEAGUE, in. its 1022 convention, resolved: "That the ultimate purpose of all international conferences and peace efforts should be to OUTLAW WAR itselfi and 'thereby abolish it as an institution for the settlement of international, disputes; that to this mid a code of international law be created; that the waging of

war be made a public crime under the code; that we, as national and local leagues, do all we can to arouse the conscience of our own groups on this uestion."At its meeting on January 27, the Executive of the Spanish Federation of Trade Unions decided to appeal to the Spanish Government to take action in regard, to the occupation of the Ruhr. The Executive confirmed the protest already sent to the French Government, and demanded that the Spanish delegate to the League of Nations be, instructed to demand the 'intervention of the League in the pre-_ sent Franco-German conflict. HE AX FHA.TKRNTY. The Executive Committee of the unions affiliated with the Netheri lands Federation of Trade Unions met on January 23 to discuss the question as to what the Federation might do to support the opposition of the German' workers in the Ruhr district. It was decided to make a beginning by placing a proportion of the funds of the Dutch Trade Union movement at the disposal of the German workers, on the understanding that no organisation shall contribute less than 50 per cont. per member for this purpose; in this way, an amount of some 150,000 will be obtained. Further Jpntribuiions were promised if requireTL Public protest has been rnatle by the Italian Confederation of Labour, the Socialist Party, the Maxim: I .list Socialist Party, the C<Kuni"::.isl Farcy, i-ie Popular Party any the Federation of Christian Trade Unions, against tho Ruhr occupation. Similar protests have been made by the Swiss General j Federation of T.U.r,. the Swedish Social-Democratic Party, tlie • Gen&.vd Federation of CzecliColov.-kb.i- T.U.X and the Belgian Gsnera! Feeder:; tion ■of T.U.'s. I Thus it will be seen that tlie Lan- [ our Movement has come uirc-ctly into the international polities! fifl-i, iv;:! is in opposition to the gcvefrivaont;; oE the day in their policies of i-eiir&.'.isiyri. Not only floes it protest, but ;s prspaved to adopt active measures far the furtherance ol its objects. More and more is it becoming clevir to tie workers" of tlie earth that imperialism, "'big .business." balance of r»ow;*r, of iiiflueiice, peaceful poaetration, etc.. are directly boiuni tip ia the auer-tion, , " and ,if for no other reason, demaiul c-reCui thought by every section of Labour. The present L'uvope-.'i.ii situation bristles with dangers and must inevitably lead to war, hence it is that the Labour Move-nent;-; o£ all loads are dc-m-mdir.g a change of policy. It behoves us here in Mew Sealand to hitch our wagon' to the advaucing clv.iviot of Labour i:i other portions of the world. Labour is all-r-owri-iul and should so act as to nip in ihe bud all ATTEMPTS to xu:,l) the world into war and so obviate the to "clown tools" wlion the crisis is upon us and the war fever has gotten hold of the populace, and it is perhaps too late to rally the people. Do it now ,and do it effectively