The Wheeling intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1903-1961, 1918-01-16
Labor Party's Statement,

LONDON. Jan. l5.-Thc British labor
party. in a message to the Russian pep
pie. mad" public today. announced that
til" British people accepted lhn Rus
Sian principle at clf-dstrrmiualtnn Of
peoples and M innovations Toy the
British cmpir>. particularly in the mid
oil" east. Africa and India.
Tho m"Ssag" which was issued b..
the Lnbor party in conjunction with
the parliamentary committee Of the
trades union congress. says:
wv" nave reached n crisis in the war
TIL" negotiations At Brrst-I.iLvoSk have
been Interrupted because the Germans
hay" refused u admit tho principle Of
Sclt-drtcrmtnation Of peoples and tho
doctrine Of no anncXatinns In thus
acting. the central powers are speaking
clearly IN the nam" nf n miiitariSt state.
In this crisis the British people must
speak brcaus" tho Russians can only
succeed In thcir great and pcrilous task
;f supported Ivy the people everywhere
Tho British people must proclaim TO
Russia and the central powers that its
ann is identical with Russia'S. that we.
too. SEQ no solution for the evils OF
miitariSm except Characterization
and II" Indnmnilics.
"ln applying this Russian principle
20 our own ras", We arc conscious Of tho
problem raised. hut We d. not shrink
thrr"ir"u. The british p"nnl" accepts
the prinC!rl" o! no ;InncXa:inn$ 70" the
British "mp"r". This applies in our
r;lsc ~ tn" middl" east. Africa and In
ia.
I'VE wish - remind tho Russian poo
pie ;hat Great Britain, taught by the
loss IF I!i" American colonies in the
eighteenth century. was ;hn first mod
rru STATE To grant complete Sclf-dctcr-
mInar!"n 10 any group OF its inhahit-
ants for example. TN" Dnninlpns Of
Canada. Australia. South Africa and
Erw Zealand. w. accept the prin-
ciplr also Tor India and other depend
cnric& Of the British empire. though ""
h"liovc that ih" record III the British
government here gives littlc occasion
for rcproach.
we iI,"nd 10 moe; this by mere rap
id development OF S"lf-Snvcrnmcnt. ""
respect tho sovereign independents or
tho Turkish people in their national
homo, but we believe that the domina-
ton Of their government over other
peoples is Il hin,lriInc, To their o%n ma
ticnal development.
Our government is pledged ~ some
OF these pcoplc--ArahS lalcstinians,
Nrmcnians--lhRt H." Ottoman rule shall
not again hr imposed upon them. This
responsibility should l." undertaken by
tho peace conference and !; permanent
international organization that We hope
Gill be- constituted.
I'm trnpica! Africa We repeat our re-
nUnCiHtion Of RnnrXauons. Nobody con-
tends that the black races can govern
themselves They can only make II
known that the particular government
Under which they have been living IS
bad in some or MI respects. and irhi-
cato tho specific evils from which they
desire liberation. We believe that tho
peace conference would be we'll advised
10 place all tropical Africa under uni
form International control.
"Wo adjurc the people Of Central
Europe 10 declare themselves or make
th"!r governments speak for them In
answer to Russia and ourselves. We
call on them 10 renouncn anneSatiors IN
Europe with the Same good tnitn In
which we are rcnouncirg them In Asia
VIC cnll on them to give the same self
determination to the French. Alsatian'
Italian. Polish and Danish members OF
their States as Russia has given 10 Fin
land Courland. Lithuanian and Russian
Poland"