Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1917-12-20
BRITISH LABOR'S
ATTITUDE CHIEF
WAR DISCUSSION
Meeting January % May Be
of Worldwide, if Not Rev
olutionary Consequence

CORRESPONDENCE of The associated Press
London, Dec. 3.-British labor's at
titude towards war and peace will
be the chief subject of discussion at
the seventeenth annual conference OF
the Labor party. beginning January
23. Advance copies of the Agenda,
which have just been issued, contain
important sidelights on what, 1t is
believed, may prove to be a meeting
of world wide, il not revolutionary,
consequence with regard to the rela-
tions between capital and labor.
Among the resolutions to be sub
mitted is one by the British Socialist
party which says, in effect. that Ia
boris participation in the government
has not resulted in any tangible BEN
efits to the mass of the people. the
resolution adds that neither has the
association of the Labor party Win
the government assured that the COM
Ing peace will be made by the democ-
racy rather than by capitalistic dl-
plomacy" The document also refers
to 1.-The methods employed to remove
Mr. Henderson from the war cabinet
when acting in perfect accord with
the decisions of the Labor party
prove that participation in the gov
ernment and fidelity to the labor
movement are incompatible" 1t will
that members of the Labor party now
holding office be withdrawn
Will submit Resolution
Regarding peace, the Independent
Labor party will submit a resolution
for discussion which, in part, says:
THAT in the opinion of this confer
ence the war marks the breakdown
of the old method of diplomacy when
settled the international relations OF
the peoples without consulting, or
even informing, them; but with
statesmen, who have used victories
to impose terms of peace which leit
suspicion, hate, and resentment pc
hind; which were followed by mill
tary alliances and armaments and
which violated the principles of SELF
government, in order to satisfy mill
tary demands and imperialistic appe-
tites: it therefore calls upon the gov
ernment, If the sacrifices or the war
have not been in vain, to provide lor
the direct representation or the Or
ganized democracy in every confer
ence which discusses the conditions
of peace, to reject war aims whlch
give the war the character OF an I'M
perialistic venture and to use its in
luence and authority in every possl-
BILE way to remove the causes or war
to this end the conference declares
that no obstacle should be put In the
way of responsible representatives ol
labor comforting together with we"
to arriving at such an understanding
upon the problems of Europe as Will
receive the cooperative support OF
all the democracieS, without whlch |
there can be no lasting peace.
other resolutions to be submitted
criticize the governments handling OF
food supplies and urge as remedy
that distribution be made on family
a.. rIN q
Ask Levy on Wealth
Perhaps the most revolutionary or |
all the resolutions is one oy tne
Amalgamated Society of Engineers
which says in part:
This conference, recognizing that
the present system of financing the
war has resulted in giving to the
rich not only excessive prohts durlhs
the war but also a constantly IN
rreasing claim upon the national in
come after the war in the form OF |
interest, calls upon the government
TO impose at once a levy or twenty
five per cent. on the whole capltdl
wealth of the country, to be leVleu
on all persons in possession OF more
than 1000 pounds sterling, to be loI-
lowed by further levies for the pur- |
nose of extinguishing the national !
debt and compelling the rich classes
to repay to the nation the wealth
which they have acquired, not in re-
turn for service rendered, but as the
result of an unjust and vicious eco
nomic system"
State FOodstufTs Control
A second resolution by the same
organization advocates 'the complete
naturalization of shipping and trans
port" as we'll as the following:
state purchase and control OF all
essential raw materials and food
stuffs.
The fixing of maximum, but not OF
minimum. prices for all essential
commodities, both for the govern
ment and for the civilian consumer.
The elimination of all unnecessary
middlemen's profits
The full utilization by the govern
ment of the resources of the coop
erative movement for the purposes of
distribution.
The complete abandonment of the
policy of bounties and subsidies to
capitalist producers and the substi-
tuition of a system by which produc-
tion is stimulated not by bounties but
by increased state control of agri-
culture and industry.