Free trader-journal. (Ottawa, Ill.) 1916-1920, 1918-01-16
BRITISH LABOR IN
SUPPORT Of R USS
NOANNEXAT|ONPLAN
ENGLANO'S WORKERS PASS RES
OlUTION BACKING TROTZkY
AND CALLING UPON GERMAN
PEOPLE TO OVERTHROW
AuTocRAcY.

Ieonles and OF no anncNations for the
British empire particularly in the
Central East. Africa and India
This Is the pledge OF the British
Labor party in message to the Rus.
sian people. made public today
The message further pronounccs in
favor Of putting the whole OF tropi
cal Africa under uniform intoyn&-
tional control
\ more rapid Development of self.
government in India and protec.
Iorate for Asia Minor peoples by an
organization 10 De
formed when a peace conference is
held are also favored
AnpeaI Made to German Masses.
The manifesto which concludes
with an appeal to the Teutonic mass.
es Is as follows.
The family interests Of dlnas.
ties or the desire OF the German,
Austrian and Magyar eoyerning
classes to dominate other classes
and nationalities must no more be
suffered 10 prevent lf.determina-
tion n central Europe and thereby
impcril Europe as a whole than
the interests OF British imperial.
ism or British capitalism must be
suffered TO do elsewhere
Peoples OF Central Europe, This
catastrophe Of the human race. this
fatal schism in the civilized world
can only be ended by the defeat o;
mlitarsm on both sides and by he
victory on both sides of moral AID
intellectual fair dealing. If the
world is to be saved it must be
saved by good faith and reciprocity
on the part Of all DO not fail rs
now. DO not let your governments
drive the British people, as they arr
. driving the Russian people. into the
terrible choice between continuin-
the wa. and abandoning the orlv
principles that can save the world.
Aims Iecntc-l with Ru3cia's.
II This choice / forced upon rs
we shall choose, as Russia choose
We shan eopingc (thc war;. bui
the resp ,'.il.E viii Re yours"
The messages, which was issued by
the Labor party in conjunction witt
the parliamentary committee OF Tie
trades union congress. says,
We have reached crisis IN thc
war The negotiations at Bresi.
Litovsk have been interrupted be
cause the Germans have refused %
admit the principles OF selF-deter-
nl'nation Of peoples and the doe
trne Of no anneXations. In thus
acting the central powers are
speaking clearly in the name OF a
militarist state
IN this crisis the British people
must speak because the Russians
can only succeed in their great and
rerilous task il supported by the
b people everywhere The British
people must proclaim to Russia and
the central powers that its aim is
identical With Russia s. that We,
too. see no solution for the evils OF
militarism, except self.determinatio
and no indemntes.
In applying this Russian priuci.
pie to our own case. we are con.
scious Of the problem raised, but
we do not shrink thercfrom. The
British people accept the principle
Of no anncXations for the BIRTHS
empire. This applies to our case to
the middle East Africa and India
We wish to remind the Russian
people that Great Britain, taught
by the loss of the American colo
MES in the eighteenth century. was
the first modern state to grant com
plcte elf-determination to any
"roup Of its inhabitants--for exam
pie. the dominion OF Canada, Aus
tralia, South Africa and New Ia
&. land. We accept the principle alsc
lol India and other Dependence.
of the British empire. though W
believe that the record Of the Brit
ish government here gives li.tle
OCCASION for reproach.
Favor self.Govcrnment.
I'VE intend to meet this by moro
,apd development Of self-go7cln
ment., We respect the soverai,'
Independence Of the Turkish PEG
pic in their national home. but ",
nelicvc that the domination OF the1
government oteI other people q ;
hindrance to their own notiorHl nc
,c'opment
Oar government Is pledged /
so'ae Of those peoples Arabs. Pa
estutans. ArntEinns that tn o.
toman rule shat not again be n
puse1 upon tncm This rcsGoos'
liliy should b, undertaken BY III
peace conference and permanent
: international organization that "
hope viii be. there constituted,
international Control
IN tropical Africa We repeat on
remuneration Of annexatiOns Nc
> body contends hat the black race
, can Govern themselves. They ca