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Political Notes -1 By F. W. Jowett, M.P. I WAR AIMS MEMORANDUM. I wonder who is responsible for the report of a speed] by Mr. A. Henderson on the Inter- Allied Labour and Socialist War Aims Memo- randum that has found its way to Germany through the Reiiter news agency? Mr. Hen- derson is represented by tlw report in question as having said that the War Aims Memorandum contains the minimum terms for acceptance by, the Central Powers. I cannot find any proof that Mr. Henderson has said that. If he has, then it must be acknowledged that he has gone far towards destroying the object of the Inter- Allied Conference. It is unreasonable to expect that German and Austrian Socialists will attend an international conference mere ly to ratify the conclusions come to in their absence by La- bour and Socialist repsesentatives of the Allied nations. J. NOT AN ULTIMATUM. I 11 The whole object ot the proposed lntei national conference is to endeavour to arrive at a com- mon understanding after hearing both sides. It is absurd to suggest that there is no other point of view than that of the Allies to be considered. The" Times" has all along done its best to make it impossible for an international confer- ence to niett by pretending that the Laoour and Socialist Memorandnn) is a sort of ultima- tuili to German Socialists. May we conclude that this garbled version ol Mr. Henderson s speech that has been sent to Germany is one of the first fruits of appointing Lord Northcliffe as Minister for propaganda in enemy countries? He, of course, is opposed to an international conference, and may be trusted to take care that its object is misrepresented in Germany. A MUTUAL WAR AIM. At last, the Governments of all the nations now at war have found a war aim they can all pursue quite sincerely. Germany is genuinely anxious to destroy the Bolshevists and all they stand for, and, with the connivance of the pro- pertied classes of Russia the German Army is executing revolutionaries whose names have been supplied to them by wealthy Russians who are opposed to the revolution. The Allied Gov- ernments are equally determined to destroy" the revolution if possible. France. Italy, and Great Britain are said to be united in requesting Japan to seize Vladivostock and move her forces with all speed into Russian territory. Needless to say, Japan is quite willing to get a foothold in Russia, but some delay has been caused by the umviilingness of America to sanction the plot. Germany is anxious for "the liberation of people from the tyranny of the Bolsheviks." Japan, too, feels anxious to put down tyranny—in Rus- sia. Japan also pretends that she must invade Russia bemfpi* the German Army—which is thousand s of miles away, with little or no means of transporting itself across Siberia, which lies between—threatens her. And Great Britain. France, and Italy are jointly associated with Japan in this pretence. SINS OF GOVERNMENTS. -? It is difficult for those in each of the belliger- ent countries who are earnestly skiying: rufter an agreed peace to pursue their object whilst their governments are continually putting themselves in the wrong. The press, in all the allied coun- tries. makes the mos.t it can of the conduct of Germany towards poor helpless Russia. On the other hand the press in Germany makes the most of the threatened Japanese invasion and of the secret treaties to which the Allies are Lonnd in a policy of annexation. In these cir- cumstances it is the duty of all who desire a just and lasting peace at the earliest ]>os»ible moment to denounce the sins of their own gov- ernment. The thing to be remembered in re- gard to both the German and the Allied Gov- ernments and their policy concerning Russia is that all the Governments—the Allied Govern- ments as well as the Governments of the Central Powers—are engaged in a struggle'between the governing and the oppressed classes of Russia, and. of course, they are all on the side of the oppressors. AMENACE TO CA PiTALISM. The triumph ot the Russian revolution would mean the nationalisation of land, the democratic control of industry, and, the destruction of the system of private banking in Russia. No Capi- tahst covo'nnicnt can lie expected to favour such a revolution. A revolution which begins its work of social reconstruction by throwing open the palaces and mansions of the rich to the slum population—enacting that no family7 shall enjoy spare rooms until every person has been provided with one room—is not .to be tolerated in a Capitalist world. GERMAN MAJORITY SOCIALISTS AND I RUSSIA. Whatever the yellow press and the Govern- ment's socialists of this country may say to the contrary, the German Socialists do. in fact, de- notjne-e the sins of their government on every possible occasion. Even Sheideman. the leader of the majority Socialists ill Germany, does this repeatedly. He has over and over again repu- diated-on behalf of the majority Socialists of Germanv-the action of the German Govern ment in carrying on military operations against Russia. Here, in this country, not a single one of the Government's socialists have said a word against the wretched and discreditable secret treaties into which the British Government has 1 ent-ered. and not a word of protest bas come from any one of them, or may lie expected, against the proposed invasion of Russia by Japan. I THE MINORITY SOCIALISTS. I As tor the minority, or independent, Socialists of Germany, Haase. their leader, dealt faithfully with the German Government concerning its treatment of Russia, as the following passage, extracted from his speech in the Reichstag, shows: — ''After the ultimatum to Russia," said Herr Ha ise. there can no longer be any question of a peace of understanding: Luidendorff reigns over us. Give proofs of German faith, even towards our enemies. The alleged mo- tive for the march into Northern Russia is the protection of the maltreated popula.tion. I alll sceptical concerning reports of cruelty. We protest strongly against this policy. Our pos- terity will experience the certain consequences of this jjeaee with^Russia. We are against an English, French, or Italian bi.it we are also against German peace." AN AMERICAN VIEW. I With regard to the allegations of cruelty against the Bolsheviks, of which allegations the Socialist leader Haase expressed his doubts, Mr. King. in the House of Commons, quoted the experience of Colonel Tliomsett, who was Mili- tary Attache in Petrograd, and has returned to New York. Colonel Thomsett has publicly said that:— "It is astonishing the degree of order which they' (the Bolsheviks) have main- tained in Russia. lnPetTograd during the first months of the November revolution, I can say from my own personal observation, that there was better order than at any other time during my four nioiitti,' stay in Russia." FOREIGN OFFICE CONTROL. I Lord Robert Cecil, in reply to a question in Parliament recently, announced, with an air as if it were a matter of no concern outside the .Foreign Office itself, that the Government in- tends to re-organ ise the Foreign Office and the diplomatic service. He was immediately asked whether the Government intends to carry the contemplated changes through without consult- ing Parliament as to the nature and scope of the changes. He replied, with emphasis, that there was no intention of consulting Parliament on the matter, which he renrdedas merely one of administration. A running fire of supple- mentary questions followed, but Lord Robert could not be made to see that the public has suffered enough u consequence of the sumed superiority of the Foreign Office and its repudiation of parliamentary control, and can- not afford, therefore, to leave the question of reforming its methods to its own determination. The has been chiefly responsible for bringing the country ilito its present desper- ate condition and for the wholesale destruction of British lives during the last three and la-half years. It must therefore be reformed, but not by itself. What is required is that the control lot foreign affair.4 should be brought effectively under the House of Commons, and this cannot be done unless the Foreign Office is placed under the management of a Parliamentary Committee. MR. BALFOUR'S FOLLY. f What a.re we to think of a Foreign Secretary who, on being reminded of the fact that his speech would be used in Germany by the mili- tarists there for the purpose of preventing the German people from wanting peace, answered that the German Chancellor set him the ex- ample. however, exactly represents the -1 1 1 lia l foii;- N I I ease of Mr. Balfour. Mr. Mncdonald in the re- cent peace debate said, after pointing out the folly of Mr. Bail our in ignoring the essential .things that matter in his reply to Count Hert- ling and devoting his attention to mere denun- ciation and contradiction of Count Hertling himself:— The one hope we have of establishing a seeure peace in Europe is to get the German peopie to speak apart from the German Gov- ernment, and everything we say and do which enaoles thel German Government to go to the German people and say We told you so,' must bo avoided." Ifr. H!]foUl' BII t Court Hertling began this I« did not. W ith what wisdom we are governed

Trial of Rev. Herbert Dunnico

Trial of Rev. Herbert Dunnico