FORCES OF ANARCHY

Thames Star, Volume LII, Issue 18644, 9 March 1918, Page 2

FORCES OF ANARCHY

AUSTIIALMJN BOLSHEVIKS DIS- . , CDUftAG'ED. '

SYDNEY,' February 27. When the forces of anarchy burst* loose in, Russia, and reduced the Em-, pare to dhaois,. N and murdered and robbed the middle-class people, tlhe approval of the "Red Rag" element -in Australia was both open and noisy. /' 'If the ignorant, downtrodden Russian^ can. do these tilings for the glory of humanity," they cried in effect, "What may not the cultured, progressive Australian, Boltaheviks do?" j But recent events have discouraged our -young Australian Bolsheviks. Tllie lesson to be learned from the appalling results of wild experiments in Statecraft has sunk into even their limited intelligence. The effect, in one respect at leat-it, has been 1 rather comic. I A few weeks ago a number of Melbourne extreme Socialists decided to send a delegation to Russia "to find out what the true position was." They fixed upon Mr. A. W. Foster, a young barrister. A couple of supporters, . well-known- business men, promised to t foot the bill. Then the official Socialist Party intervened. It complained that Mr. Foster would speak in Petiograd as a Melbourne ; Socialist, yet the Socialist Party liad no vote in his selection.They demanded that the delegate be elected by a vote of the party. A thoroughly Bolshevik argument ensued, but this course was eventually decided upon. Then the two guarantors <said that as the Socialist Party was selecting the delegate, it might also have the privilege of paying his expenses. Upon the wild clamour of the rival candidates for "the trip to Russia" there fell a stony silence. This was an aspect of affairs that had occurred to ho one- .the. party said it had been "doubleKJ-rossed by the bourgeoise." Eventually, the resentful Socialists got their own way; it was decided that t^e "capitalistic Socialists" Aould advance the money ' without interest, and the party should elect a delegate. There were two nominations—Mr. Foster, and the fire-eating, extremist M. P., Mr.Frank Anstey. (Socialists in the other States joined in; the elected one was- to speak for "the United Australian Party." When the vote was taken, further complications arose. He Labour Party raised the point•■that, if Mr. Anstey were chosen he, as a Labour