PARLIAMENT AND THE PROLETARIAT.

NZ Truth, Issue 770, 7 August 1920, Page 3

PARLIAMENT AND THE PROLETARIAT.

Dear "Truth," — The bourgeois state is utterly unable to guarantee the people the absolute essentials of life, namely, food, shelter and clothing 1 ; on that score alone it stands self-con-demned. Seeing that Parliament is the chief factor m thl3 colossal fraud, war created new ideas and a different plan of campaign. For instance, if a Labor man by his action m Parliament or elsewhere gives an impetus or fresh lease of life to the capitalist State, he is too ignorant to vejee the rights of the people. Any kind of agreement, compromise, or alliance, with the present system of society cannot be tolerated. Labor's attitude m reference to Parliament is clear — to use it as a tool, or medium for smashing the present inoompetpnt State with its thousand and one defects. It cannot be moulded into a l-espectablc workable organisa-

tion, through the efforts, however honest, of any Parliament. Prom other parts of the world we learn that the Bolshevik Party was one of the many parties represented m ■ the Tsarist Duma. Did this party recognise tho Duma as a channel for reform? No; it made use of it to attack Tsarism right along- the line. Liebknecht preached armed insurrection to the soldiers and sailors from the floor of the German Reichstag. Hoglund did likewise m Sweden, and the same tactics were repeated m Bulgaria. Thus we see on every possible occasion, those who realise the failure of the present system, utilise the Parliamentary pulpit for propaganda purposes, firstly to attack the capitalist system, and to usher m the people's, one. and only hope, namely, Communism. — Yours, etc., M .. H. WOODROFF.