Current Topics

New Zealand Tablet, 3 July 1919, Page 14

Current Topics

"Gaiters and Gas " 'io:ezv&> ieid6;ia& r'-uatWejtake this opportunity] of expressing our thanks to the Directors, to the Manager, and to the Editor of the Otago Daily, Times for the high compliment paid to the Catholic Church, to Ireland, and to ourselves, in :their-columns, : by the frequent vituperation of- the exposed- falsifier } of ; history, "Civis." -The following is apparently : : the red rag which started ••''.-Civis"-? in his latest exhibition of ; senile John Bullism: o'dw ssswjS i 0 "Paris, : June 16 (delayed).—The Irish-American Commission has notified the American Delegation to the v Peace Conference that the United it States Senate's resolution requesting a hearing for- De Valera, : Griffiths, and •■: Count Plunkett has been presented to the Peace Conference. The jlrish-American Commission demands a sweeping and disinterested inquiry into its report on English outrages in Ireland." q :-.?? - : ' •; - ; F;.- ; How it compares with what the New Zealand Piggott says sof Irish feeling in America ! ;:. :

Meditation on Peace ,5; The leader of the German Centre Party uttered a truism when he said recently that if Germany was forced to sign the present peace terms, or anything like them, "a war which we cannot prevent, and which the Entente shall have difficulty in coping with, will be the result." Germany's signing under compulsion is a far different thing from laying a foundation of peace and goodwill on the lines of justice and universal brotherhood. France signed in the same way after 1870, and France went into the future with hatred in her heart for her conqueror, a hatred that is bearing fruit now in what is seed for a future war. It is certain 1 that the "statesmen" who are sitting round the table in Paris are absolutely unfit for their position. They have gone on adding mistake to mistake, and disgusting people by the flaring contradictions between their acts and their high promises. It is small wonder that the Labor Executive of Great Britain, at a recent meeting, declared "that ..the agreed opinion of the - executive of the Labor Party is that the Allied Peace Proposals are very defective from the standpoint of world's peace, and bear evidence of compromise influenced by capitalist imperialism, which still dominates the European States." Germany signs now with "a mental reservation" —as the English one day signed another treaty in Limerick. '

Peace in the Empire At least there is peace in the Empire! As an indication that there is, consider that in the House of Commons, last month, Mr. Bonar Law—a typical peacemaker—said that the Government was considering whether or no it ought to prosecute the Daily Herald for publishing the text of a military document instructing the commanding officers to send in reports as to the sentiments of the troops under their commands as to the feeling with regard to industrial' disputes. A typical question asked was, "Would -the troops assist in strike-breaking?" The War Office admits the responsibility for the document. There is no need for comment on this sign of peace. It is as eloquent of the sort of peace that is coming as all the fireworks that will be squandered in Australasia. We recall a few r facts that tell of how peace is felt in Ireland: Armed soldiers and machine-guns in Dublin streets boys kidnapped by the police"; passports issued by the straight-going -and consistent Lloyd George in favor of the American '■> Envoys and then repudiated; Mrs. Sheehy-Skeffington (whose' husband : was murdered' by the Government-protected lunatic, Colthurst) refused a passport to the Geneva Conference; J Lord French "reduced to desperation by the way in which his advice is neglected ! by men'''of the Walter Long, Carson, and George ; type; Americans' s significant s remark that they > ; will-make"" the necessary comment on what they saw - and experienced in Ireland in } the proper place—these" things" r all undoubtedly stand for peace. We

want another word than peace. That does hot.'fit in y~with the acts ~ just yet: Panem et cir censes, was } the I cry when the ; old; Roman Empire was spading to'ruin I under its incompetent autocrats. And who needs to be | told that history repeats itself ?-. --■,■ m m ia : «s.Oi. : "i-. J -

What We Fought-For ; i; :" v J?* 1 '; %*f*Z :... "The destruction or disruption of" the German people has ; never been' a war-aim with us* from the firsts day 1 of the war; to this:" --• • " '/'■'■":' '^""_■!'*.'''.",• '..'.".'. *l'■■ /•'; : "We are not fighting a war of aggression'against,, the German people." : ' ''J "■■/' •'; '_.'/ " ,_ ..''..,,-■:",.'. ' ; ! "The sanctity of treaties is to be re-established."» : . "A territorial settlement to be secured, based, on - the rights of self-determination or the consent of the governed."—(Lloyd George.) './/'".'.''yV'. '-• '.,."'C'■'Let us, whatever we do, fight for and work towards great and sound principles for the European system. And the first of these principles which we.., must keep before us is ' the principle of nationality—. that is to say, not the conquest or subjugation of any great community or of any strong race of men, but the setting free of those.races which have been subjugated and conquered; and if doubt arises about disputed. , areas of country we should try to : settle their ultimate destination in the reconstruction of Europe which must follow from this war, with a fair regard to the . wishes and feelings of the people who live in them."—(Speech, by Mr Churchill.) .^".'i' There we have a brief statement of what we fought for. For the principles thus enunciated men were invited, or forced, to fight. We are told we have won; we are told that we have secured peace; but we were also told that there could be no lasting peace until those principles were secured. What is the conclusion ? Has. the war bettered the democracy in any way ? Have secret treaties been done away with ? Has autocracy got its deathblow? Has militarism been destroyed ? Has war in the future been made impossible? Beforeanswering, consider that Lloyd George repudiated his. pledged war-aims when seeking re-election, and that, his programme then was to crush Germany. ..Consider that the drafting of the League of Nations has been changed into a scheme for the aggrandisement of the five great Powers. Consider that the Peace Conference. has proceeded by way of secret diplomacy and . secret treaties, just as of old. Consider that the condition of the democracy in all Europe is more unstable than ever it was. Consider that a small minority of alien bigots, protected by the British Government, are allowed to keep Ireland in slavery. Consider that, even while we have talked of peace, we were starving German women and children. Consider that the machinery, for securing peace, according to Clemenceau and Lloyd" George, is a huge French army and a huge British navy. President Wilson's ideals of justice and clemency as the basis of a lasting peace have been rejected, and a policy of conquest, in accordance with the election addresses in which Lloyd George repudiated his pledges to the soldiers, has been adopted instead, with the result that a sullen, defeated foe will go towards the future with determination to retaliate as brutally and as savagely as possible if the occasion ever offers. Consider lastly that what has been done has helped to drive Germany into coalition with Russia, and that we are likely to see one day a union of toiling millions arrayed under the Red Flag in a terrible war against the plutocratic army which has strangled humanity by Red Tape. We are told that this is peace. , There. are many who cannot close their eyes to the fact that it is ruin. "We only know from particulars,, gleanedoutside the Peace Conference, says the London, Cath-, . olic Times, "that all the old passions have been reasserting themselves. Jealousy, greed for territory, and the ambition of the strongest to make their will the law of right and to suppress whatever was opposed ,to /their interests have been fully : in ; evidence. "But 1 of a demo- '. cratic- programme we have heard nothing." Have we then won * the war ? ; The plutocrats will say, "Yes." ; What will -the democracy say ? 1 ' 'Compare. the promise 1 with the fulfilment.'**'* oi : :a£ .:fi, XK T^w^T.:'.

Manifesto of American Hierarchy ir>nw *ry, &d; It <is worthy of note that while -we havei*Gaad. : glowing notices in many papers--of the Manifesto of the J American Hierarchy the text of the pronouncement seems to have been considered by '■ most ? journals of -'lessis* importance than the comments. We , have had great difficulty in extracting from the press , the leading heads of D the Manifesto, and until a fuller, and more authoritative report is received we must be satisfied with giving our readers a rough summary." Having condemned the evils of woman and child labor, the Bishops say. that it is certain that the present industrial; system will last for years, and' that private \ ownership of capital -will; not be supplanted in the near future. They advocate reform and reconstruction, but not by extreme measures which" would only end ;in greater. disorder : _ '., ,~, r "The present industrial system in its main outlines will last for a r long time. Private ownership of capital will not be supplanted in the near future. We are opposed to Socialism, which would mean bureaucracy, politicaV tyranny, the helplessnese of the individual as. a factor in the ordering of his own life, and in general social inefficiency and decadence." J -As''" to the main lines of reform they say :—■ '- ' s ' '.The present ~ stem stands in grievous need .of considerable modification and improvement. Its main defects are three: Enormous inefficiency and waste in the production and distribution of commodities ; insufficient incomes for the great majority. of wage-earners and unnecessarily large incomes for a small minority of privileged capitalists. The evils in production and in the 1 distribution of goods would be in great measure abolished by the -reforms that have been outlined above." ■■■■■u'.'. .".'..".. ■ " : The remedies suggested are: (1) Universal living wages'; (2) Adequate industrial education ; (3) Harmonious relations between Capital and Labor on the basis of adequate participation by the former in all the industrial aspects of business management; (4) Elimination of wastes of commodity distribution by co-opera-tive' mercantile institutions, and co-operative selling and - marketing associations. The Bishops insist that the most urgent reform is to make the. wage-earners owners, so that the means of production shall be owned by the majority instead of remaining as at the present time in the hands of the few : ,; "The full possibilities of increased production will not be realised so long as the majority of the workers remain mere wage-earners. The majority must become owners, or at least, in part, of the means of production. They can be enabled to reach this stage through cooperative productive societies and co-partnership arrangements. The instruments of production should be owned by individuals, not the State. The second great evil, that of insufficient incomes for the majority of the workers,' can be removed only by giving larger incomes. This means not only universal living wages, but the opportunity of obtaining something, more than that amount for all who are willing to work hard and faithfully. For the third evil, excessive gains by a small minority of privileged capitalists,. the main . remedies are prevention of monopolistic control of commodities adequate Government regulation... of such public service monopolies as will remain under private operation, and heavy taxation of incomes, excess profits, and inheritances. Human beings cannot be entrusted with immense opportunities for oppression and extortion that go with the possession of monopolistic power. The poor should bs relieved .of ..injurious .tax burdens," and the small class of specially privileged capitalists should be compelled to return a part of their unearned gains to society."

Old and New In the Manifesto of the. American Hierarchy which has aroused so much admiration we. have old truths put in a; new way to ; suit the "exigencies of. the times. In a practical and actual manner, [ the .Bishops have; taken up the evils which are, so plain to the whole world today, and side by side with them have suggested remedies which were already to be : found waiting for

practical application in the Encyclicals of Leo- XIII. The chief cause of the social trouble is the * growth of capitalism, already described by Leo as "the* concentration of so many branches of trade in the r; hands of ;1 a ; few individuals; so that - a small-number of very rich *• men have been able to lay upon thej masses of ' the poor as yoke little better . than slavery itself." For our 7 hundred years the growth• of this -■- system has gone on unchecked, throwingi back •: into industrial slavery 'tthemasses who had just emerged from the i tyranny of feudalism. ■ i Since i the Reformation, r Catholic ; ideals of the dignity of labor and of the worth of manhood 'have been .destroyedHint:favor of f a fifalse individualism \ on j which modern autocracy has; been erected. : > ; The old guilds were broken up and their -revenues appropriated' for the private-; emolument of private persons. The powers of 'economic legislation'" passed ! - into the 'hands of a few people who exploited them for their - f own ad- * vantage.- Out of this grew eventually capitalism; and out of the intolerable oppression of the poor grew, by way of a natural reaction, the evils of anarchy and communism. As the first cause and origin of the"- evils which begot anarchy is capitalism, it is there the reform must begin- now. When profiteering is removed : we. may hope to remove whatever is wrong and harmful; in Socialism, but not until then. The war has done exactly nothing, to remove the evils. As a matter of fact, it has strengthened the capitalists, who in . too many cases made increased riches out of < blood-money. The universal discontent in all lands is proof that the lot of the poor has not been improved, and that the politicians have taken no serious steps to improve it: Reform must: begin with capitalism, and unfortunately Governments to-day stand for capitalism. When the excesses due to the primary cause of the : evils are removed, we may hope to reduce the desperate, remedy of communism to sanity and reasonableness. Both extremes are opposed; to sound principles. :: Legitimate rights of property and true liberty for individuals; must be safeguarded. All reform must.aim at preventing by. sound legislation the concentration of wealth in the hands of the. few .securing its just distribution, \ while at the same time maintaining strict principles of distributive justice. and charity. Human nature being what it is, it is clear to all Christians that unless the principles of God's eternal laws are at the root of reform ithere can be no stable improvement, and that the old adage, Homo homini lupus Man is a wolf towards his brotherman —will always be verified. No superficial legislation will help. A drastic reform is needed to ; :save the world, and the suggestions of , the American Bishops have given us the broad lines of such a panacea as serious legislators ought to welcome. Three points of the Manifesto seem to be cardinal. ; First and • most fundamental, the prevention of monopolies , and ; the heavy taxation of capitalists aim at breaking down the power of plutocracy. Second, the principle; that a constant living wage must be paid to : workers aims at removing much of the existing misery. _ Third, the proposal that gradually the means of production should pass into the ownership of the majority is ; a helpful idea which ought to .ensure the stability of; relations between all classes of society. The burden of the reform is thrown on the State, which supposes that the State is a Government for the people and by the people. As long as: the Governments remain machines in the interests of the. capitalists we shall have to wait for any real progress. It will come in time.,. It may not.come without trouble, but the people are. awaking , and ; finding out how they , have ,-,been hoodwinked. . The danger ,lis that the avarice of the rich will blind them until? it is too late for peaceful reform. ; r^.;•;.->/.;,j,, r .;;:^ ■min / iVQO :