The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1918-04-27
z|NG PR0P0SEDPR0GRAM
OF THE BRITISH LABOR PARTY
BY WILLIAM ENGLISH MAILING

BY WILLIAM ENGLISH WALLING.
Editors Note: Mr.. Walling, former
~ member of the Socialist party. has
an:lyZed the proposed program Of the
Brltlsh Labor party, giving the whole
matter deep study. This is the second
Of his series on the subject
Fatal Weakness of International
Proposals.
The first reference to the war in
the new program that is now under
consideration by the British Labor
party would lead US to infer that the
Laborites are considering the adop-
ton Of the Bolshevik peace policy.
For the program attribd tes the war
to the present social and political sys-
tenn, which it calls "the system of
capitalist production" and it also
agrees with the Bolsheviki that the
war is due not to militarism or autoc-
racy but to capitalism.
We look in vain, however, for the
Bolshevik proposals of a new organ
ization of the nations. While all ma
tions, races and colonies are to have
equal freedom, there is no, plan of
international organization by which
that equal freedom is to be secured
We are asked to believe that if each
nation, acting as an absolute sover-
eign, and in complete independence
of every other nation, adopts the in
dustrial democratic form Of society
proposed by the Laborites, all the
nations of the earth will henceforth
love one another and live in peace
and amity forever!
The new party stands for the main
tenance Of the British empire, but the
absolute sovereignty Of every part OF
the empire being guaranteed.
with regard to that great COM
monwealth of all races, all colors, all
religions and all degrees Of civiliza-
ton, that we call the British en-
plre, the labor party stands for it's
maintenance and it's progressive de-
Velopment on the lines Of local au-
tonomy and Home Rule All Round:;
the fullest respect for the rights Of
each people, whatever it's color to all
The democratic self-government of
which it is capable, and to the pro-
ceeds of its own toll upon the re-
sources of its own territorial home.'
While some of these expressions are
most kindly it is clear that the Aus
trahans have preserved their right to
exclude Asiatics, while the South At
rlcans reserve the right to exclude
East Indians from Africa, etc.
In every essential matter, control
of immigration, Ownership Of re-
sources" and taxation. every import
ant part Of the British empire is to
remain an absolute sovereign nation.
The program continues:
I'VE have no sympathy with the
projects of Imperial Federation in
so far as these imply the subsection
to a common imperial legislature
welding coercive power (including
dangerous facilities for coercive i'm
perial taxation and for enforced mil
ltary service), either Of the existing
self-governing dominions, whose au-
tonomy would be therefore invaded;
or of the United Kingdom, whose
freedom Of democratic self develop
ment would be thereby 1ampered; or
of India and the colonial Dependent
cles, which would thereby run the
ASA "a OSA11S III LllS1 oAplOlloQ LOT
the benefit of a White Empire.'"
Nothing could be made at variance
with any league of nations or society
of nations than the above policy.
Lest we fail to comprehend what is
meant. it is definitely declared that
the autonomy of each self-govern-
ing part Of the empire must be in
tact"
If it is held impracticable to form
even a British United States, we can
see how far this nationalistic Labor
party is from willingness to partici-
pate in any general federation of ma
tons. 1t is especially in the most
vital of all International questions,
namely, economic relations, that the
new program is an expression of the
most extreme form of nationalism.
All the nations are to promise to be
good, but there are to be no real
economic bonds to guarantee that
they will hold together and to pre-
vent the development in the future
Of that same aggressive economic
hostility which has led to the present
war.
Each nation must be left free
to do what it thinks best for it's
own development, without though Of
injuring Others"
The new program pretends to favor
a universal league of nations, but as
already noted it is to be a paper
league-that is witfOut economic
function. The nations of the world
are "solidly to unite and PROMISE
to be good.
/ Moreover, any powerful aggressive
nation, or group of nations, which
may remain after this war is to be
given the right of vetoing the very
existence of a peace league, for the
new program opposes any league
which does not include all nations.
The empty, moralistic and uncon-
sciously insincere character of this
whole international program is shown
by the absurd demand for 1.-The i'm
mediate establishment, actually as a
part of the treaty of peace with which
the present war will end of this uni
versal league. Not even the Bolshe-
Wiki themselves have been capable of
a greater absurdity. Not only do these
through self-appointed prophets of
! labor promise to be good. but they
propose an ultimatum to the nations
that each and every one of them shall