The Birmingham age-herald., 1918-01-16
BRITISH LABOR PARTY SENDS MESSAGE TO THE RUSSIAN PEOPLE II N RISING STAND
Continued from page one)


 to our own case we are conscious oi the problem raised but we do not shrink therefrom. The British people accept the principle of no annexation for the British empire. This applies in our case to the middle east Africa and India
 "We wish to remind the Russian peo- pie that Great Britain, taught by the loss of the American colonies in the eight eenth century, was the first modern state to grant complete self-determina- tior to any group of it's inhabitants, for example, the Dominions of Canada, Aus tralia, South Africa and New Zealand. We accept the principle also for India and dependencies of the British empire, though we believe that the record of the British government here gives little oc- ca sion for reproach.
 AS TO TURKEY "We intend to meet this by more rapid development of self government. We re- spect the sovereign independence of the Turkish people in their national home, but we believe that the domination of their government by other peoples is a hirdrance to their own national develop ment.
 Y Our government is pledged to some of those peoples-Arabs. Palestinians, Ar menians-that the Ottoman rule shall not again be imposed on them. This respon- sibility should be undertaken by the peace conference and a permanent inter na tional organization that we hope will be there constituted.
 IN TROPICAL AFRICA | 'In tropical Africa, we repeat our re- nunciation of annexatons. Nobody con tends that the black races can govern | themselves. They can only make it known that the particular government under which they have been living is bad in some or all respects and indicate the specific evils from which they desire 1 Liberation. We believe that the peace COL ference would be well advised to place all tropical Africa under uniform interna tional control.
 "We adjure the peoples of central Eu 1 rope to declare themselves or make theil | governments speak for them in answer | to Russia and ourselves. We call oi them to renounce annexations in Europe ! with the same good faith in which w are renouncing them in Asia. We cal or them to give the same self-determi nation to the French Alsatian, Italian Polish and Danish members of thei states as Russia has given to Finland Courland, Lithuania and Russian Pc land"
 | MANIFESTO CONCLUSION The manifesto concludes:
 The family interests of dynasties o
 the desire of the German, Austrian am
 Magyar governing classes to dominat other classes and nationalities, must n
 more be suffered to prevent self-deter
 imitation in central Europe and thereb
 imperil it in Europe as a whole, tha
 the interests of British imperialism Q British capitalism mus, be suffered t
 do elsewhere.
 Peoples of central Europe: This ca
 tastrophe of the human race. this fats l schism in the civilized world can onl : be ended by the defeat of militarism O
 both sides and by the victory on bot
 sides of moral and intellectual fai
 dealing. If the world is to be saved
 it must be saved by good faith an reciprocity on the part of all. Do nc
 fail us now. Do not let your govern
 ments drive the British people, as the
 are driving the Russian people, into tn
 terrible choice between continuing tn
 war and abandoning the only pricipe
 that can save the world
 If this choice is forced upon u 1 we shall choose as Russia chose. W
 shall continue, but the responsibility wi | be OurS'