New-York tribune., 1918-06-06
British Labor Still
Favors Conference,
Henderson Asserts
Party's Leader in Commons
Takes Exception to u. S.
Missions Report
Aims Are Unchanged
Believes Peace Of Cancellation
Possible; Secret Parleys
Under Way
Aims Are Unchanged

LONDON, June 5.--"Wc arc willing !
TO converse, but not to negotiate, with |
German labor" says Arthur Hender- /
son, labor leader in the House of
Commons, in a statement referring to
an announcement mado by Chester NJ.
Wright a member of the American
Labor Mission that visited England.
which implied that the policy of Mr..
Henderson and his party had been
radically modified, especially regarding
the question Of conference between
the Allied and German workers.
Mr. Henderson believes this view is
likely to mislead the American public.
Nc emphasizes the fact that the policy
of the Allied workers is not that Of
compromise on any essential issue, and
still less Of surrender to the militar-
istic and imperalstic Central Powers.
He says the Allied workers are just as
stcrnly resolved to resist the predatory
designs Of the German militarists as
when Belgium was brutally violated.
Nor will they accept a cynical peace
on the basis of a military stalemate.
nc says What they want is peace of
harmony with the principles Of inter
national justice and the right Of ma
tions to freely determine their own
destinies. Their proposals were con-
ceivcd before the cnunciaton of Pres
ident Wilson's "four principles"
Explains Aims of Labor Party
"The keystone OF the new interna
ticnal system at which the Allied
workers aimed" says Mr.. Henderson,
"was league of nations, including not
only all the present belljgerents. but
every other Independent state. Their
plan also means, as President Wilson
has repeatedly declared, the renuncia
ton of any financial and economic boy
colt of Germany
Regarding the supposed change of
national conference, we have declined
from the first to associate ourselves in
any conference organized with view
to negotiating a peace. On August 10,
1917, the national executive committee
Of the Labor party submitted the fol-
lowing resolution to the National
Labor Conference: That invitations to
the international conference at Stock
holm be accepted on the condition that
the conference be consultative and not
mandatory
"From that position there has been
TO departure. 1t has been reaffirne ed
in the war aims memorandum adopt
ed by the British Labor party. The
suggestion that we seek to enter a
plenary congress to negotiate a peace
over the heads of the responsible gov
ernments is thus completely disposed
of. Upon the conditions laid down in
that memorandum, but for that pur-
pose and that only, the Allied working
class parties desire to meet represen-
tatives of the working class movement
from the Central Empires.
Favors Conference
owe seek to unite the German pco-
pie with US in an effort to overthrow
militarism and Imperialism, which is
as much their enemy as 1T is ours. 1t
is imperative that the German people
should be made to realize in a face-to-
face talk with representatives of the
five democracies of the West that we
will not submit to German victory like
that imposed on Russia, the Ukraine,
Rumania and Finland. If we cannot
convince them that the triumph of their
militarists and imperialists will per-
manently fasten upon the democratic
nations, not excepting the peoples of
the Central Empires themselves, the
awful burden of armaments and com
pulsory service, there opens up a
vista of unending war until civiliza-
tion itself col]apses.
ITO whatever reason and conscience
remains in the people of the Central
Empires we desire to appeal for the
purpose of forcing them to choose,
knowing the consequences of a choice
between our programme of permanent
peace and democratic progress and the
programme of world conquest and
spoliation and oppression pursued by
their present militarist rulers.
Secret Conferences Held
"If the material resources and moral
qualities Of the German people are to
continue to sustain Prussian militar-
ism, then the war will be prolonged
until one side or the other is COM
pletely subjugated. But it is our duty to
declare to the German people that
Ger,nany's military success only post
pones the possibility of world peace.
We seek, by argument, as we'll as by
sustained and resolute resistance in
the field, to bring them into line with
US in our effort to end forever the rule
of force in international affairs.
"Wcre We convinced that President
Wilson'S ideals were obtainable only
by fighting, we would fight rather than
accept a dictated German peace. We
are not so convinced. There have been
already informal conservations and con-
ferences-secret, not open-and British
labor believes that the representatives
of the common people will seek every
opportunity of settling the issues in
volved on the basis of a peoples peace"