PEACEMAKERS, NOT "SPIES"

NZ Truth, Issue 534, 11 September 1915, Page 2

PEACEMAKERS, NOT "SPIES"

Wellington, New Zealand, August 23, 1915. To Mr. John Norton, C/o "Truth" Office, 112 King- street, ' Sydney, N.S.W. Dear Mr. Norton, — I have read your recent splendid articles m connection with the war, and I judge by the opinions you have expressed that you will be interested to hear of the occasional inconsistent attitude which your New Zealand "Truth" assumes when dealing with the question of universal peace. As you are aware, at the time of the establishment m Australasia of compul-: sory military training a good deal of opposition was shown to the same by sincere peace advocates both m Australia and New Zealand, those of the latter being castigated m our local pinchpenny press as "foreigners and enemies of their country," and subsequently became associated m the public mind with suchj despite the fact that they were entirely British. Now this is generally understood to be true, but recently the New Zealand "Truth" haa seen fit to adopt the role of one of the above referred to scurrilous rags, and commenced to ridicule the past efforts of the local agitators for peace and goodwill among men, who haA'e been forced by consideration of "the times m which we live" to cease preaching the doctrines of universal peace. Dear Mr. Norton, the following extract is taken from the New Zealand edition of "Truth," dated Saturday, August 21, and m which your commendable article, entitled "Germany's Real Danger: The Spectre of Socialism," also appears, "Sassiety Spice: By Lady Dot." To "Dot's" mind there is no doubt that those men who, some four years ago, interrupted political meetings, protesting against conscription, and always with a strong German accent, m fact, were .Germans, and were paid spies of the Kaiser's, out to upset our military and industrial systems. I personally attended many pf the meetings which this contributor to "Truth" refers to, and I never witnessed the interruption of one of them by "men with a strong German accent," but have seen Britishers interject at a jingoes' meeting, when insulting language was addressed /to peace advocates. Furthermore, I halve written to "Lady Dot," Informing her of the facts. Another antagonist of the peace movement somewhat remarkably came to light recently m "Critic," on the same staff, and his contribution took the form of inquiring "where, were the windy anti-militarists these times," and taunting them with keeping quiet, because