COMMUNIST PROPAGANDA

Otago Daily Times, Issue 24254, 23 March 1940, Page 19

COMMUNIST PROPAGANDA

TO THE EDITOR Sir, —Many years have passed since John Stuart Mil!, in his famous " Essay on Liberty," rather naively stated that the age-long struggle for freedom of discussion had been finally won. Yet we are experiencing to-day what is perhaps the most vicious attack on that liberty which has ever occurred outside the openly Fascist States of Italy and Germany. Mills's irrefutable arguments are either unknown to, or forgotten by. Mr McKnight and all those who, in the name of liberty would impose fresh chains of slavery upon us. The basis of all liberty is the liberty of free discussion. Those who are able to determine what views (political or other) shall be expressed, heard, or read, will use that power for their own material advantage. Now, more than ever, wide and full discussion from all sides should be encouraged. As Mill says, the suppression of ideas is a crime against society because it is only in the clash of opinion in free discussion that truth can emerge. Mr McKnight and his friends will say, " Oh, but the Communists are outside the pale; they must be suppressed." Thus Mr McKnight claims for himself and supporters nothing less than infallibility of judgment. The fact is that it is the minority opinion that needs special encouragement, because it is always heavily handicapped, yet is certain to embody truth which the prevailing ideas lack. History has brought into being a political movement for the development of human society to a higher level. The aims of Communism are the highest for which men can strive, the universal brotherhood and co-operation of men and nations. Of course, this real Communism is not that which is in the mind of Mr McKnight. The theory and practice

of Communism have always been distorted or obscured by those who control the main avenues through which ideas can be spread, and a monstrous caricature or travesty of Communism has been fabricated and thrust on the public view. It is this monstrosity that occupies the mind of Mr McKnight. He ingenuously suggests that the Communists are supolied with money from Moscow and that they have secret and sinister means of influencing trade unions or other organisations and individuals. If Mr McKnight knows of any means other than logical argument by which the Communists can win support for their " nefarious " schemes, he should let us know To be ignorant is to be dangerous and to the extent that the free discussion of ideas is stifled, people must be ignorant and therefore dangerous to themselves and the whole of society. Let Mr McKnight reflect that if Hitler had not been able to use the State power in suppressing discussion and destroying all popular organisations he could not have survived, and that he was greatly assisted by the foreign policy of Great Britain. It is not through prejudice and emotion but by intellectual work—by correct thinking—that security and rjrogress can be attained.

There are some statements in Mr McKnight's letter that are not in accordance with fact. It was not stated that the "returned soldiers held Anzsc Day for the purpose of glorifying war.' but that political use was made of Anzac Day and that the natural emotions of the people were exploited to glorify the last war and justify the next Mr McKnight rests his attack upcn the Communist Partv on the grounds of loyalty and patriotism True patriotism and loyalty are both dependent on knowledge and understanding. Ignorant end prejudiced people may be deluded into supporting, on false grounds, policies that are opposed to their best interests Soviet Russia which "stinks in the nostrils of all free men." is the only country in the world where the purocse of the production of goods and services is the satisfaction of thp needs of the people and not the profit of the few It is the only Power that hns so far struck an effective blow at Hitler. But for the break-up of the Rome-Tokio-Berlin Axis the Japanese Fleet would have prevented our produce from leaving New Zealand Only the presence of the Red Army on the Rumanian frontier prevented the march-in of German troops coinciding with the murder of the Rumanian Prime Minister. Mr McKnight's letter is .highly controversial from beginning to end and it would not be at all difficult to refute every preposition contained in it. But, of course. Mr McKnight does not believe in discussion.—l am. etc.. A. B. Powell. [This letter has been abridged.— Ed.. O.D.T.]