THE COLONIST. THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 28, 1918. PACIFISM AND TREASON.

Colonist, Volume LX, Issue 14648, 28 February 1918, Page 4

THE COLONIST. THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 28, 1918. PACIFISM AND TREASON.

In the German Chancellor's latest oration in the Reichstag, constituting in every respect a remarkable volte face, is again to be seen the vicious consequences of the unbridled talk of the British pacifists, whose behaviour is perilously akin to treason. These strange people are never tired*of representing the Empire as a house divided, and encouraging the enemy by every means in their power. It is scarcely likely that the Chancellor cherishes any illusions as to their weight in the councils of the Empire, but "their vapourings are a ready instniment to his hand in deluding the German people, , and the pacifists must be blind indeed if they cannot see that the course they are pursuing is contributing materially to the defeat of the object which they profess to be greatly concerned to encompass. In the House of Commons last month the Home Secretary was put upon his defence for 'suppressing pacifist leaflets and circulars which were being distributed broadcast, throughout England, and in his reply Sir George Cave gave some particulars of the contents ol these mischievous effusions. He said that these publications invariably exaggerated the number of casualties, mull.tiplying the dead and wounded by thousands. In every case the writers adopted the German view of the origin of the war and of the present situation. "The fault was always ours, except when sometimes, by a concession, it was half ours and half that of our enemies." These leaflets were spread all over English towns and in many country places. They were distributed at meetings and in tho streets. They were pushed under people's doors at night. Some of them were given to young fellows who were just going tc reach military age, giving a false statement of our position, and sometimes telling them how they were to act in order to become conscientious objectors to military service. They were forced upon soldiers who were home on leave in the hope, he supposed, that these soldiers would take the leaflets back with them to France. They were sent to the relatives of soldiers who had been wounded or killed —as cruel a thing as could possibly be domV This kind of propaganda was carried on without cessation and without scruple. Sir George Cave read a passage from a letter written by a young officer at the front and sent to his father. It was dated in November, and ran: —"The workshop sergeant, a very sound, • stout sort of fellow, has just come to me'and told me some pretty scandalous things about Boloism in England. When a man arrives on leave his relatives are bombarded with pamphlets: 'Why should your son or your nephew return to France? Perhaps he will be killed and you ■will never see him again. Why not strive for peace by agreement, which can be obtained at once. ' find so on.' I call it treason." And so will every patriotic citizen. A similar propaganda has been and is actively carried on in New Zealand by certain journals which in the interests of national unity and peace should be troated as were the pacifist {circulars at Home.

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