The daily worker., 1924-10-09
British Imperialism and Macdonald

DTILISH imperialism ana I1nCOOnQtQ
1t is the irony of fate that the two acts of the
Macdonald government which the masses forced it
to perform against its will are the issues which
the liberals and tories are challenging it and on
which the resulting election will be fought.
The recognition of and the treaty with Soviet Rus
sia and the quashing of the indictment returned
against the editor of the Workers Weekly for tell
ing soldiers and sailors not to shoot their fellow
workers the only two acts of the Macdonald
government that have had any working class charac-
ter The treaty was signed because the left wing
laborites in the House of Commons threatened to
go before their working class constituents if there
was further delay
The indictment against Comrade Campbell was
dropped because the Communists had the support of
the majority of the organized workers when they
pointed out that certain members of the Macdonald
government, among them Macdonald himself, had
said just about the same thing during the war
before power and association with mperialists had
squelched their pacfsm
1t the organized might of the British work
that responsible for these two measures
and not the Macdonald government 1t has al
lowed the imperialists a free hand in India Irak
Persia, the Sudan and China. 1t has built battle
ships for the fnanciers and the industrial capital
lists. 1t is for the League of Nations with Britain
holding the power. 1t has taken up the hue and
cry against Soviet Georgia and gave moral support
at least to the abortive and hopeless attempt of
the Georgian mensheviks to overthrow the power
of the Georgian workers and peasants
1t is for the Dawes plan and the slavery and
exploitation of European workers that is the in
tent of the plan.
1t has traded its heritage for a series of com
promises and betrayals of labor that rank with
the worst exploits of the German socialdemocracy.
1t has not tried to weaken the hold of British
capitalism upon the working class in any way. 1T
discarded, Immediately taking office, the capital
levy and naturalization of the miness
1t threatened the British workers, when they
went on strike, with the application of the Emer-
gency Powers Act the equivalent of martial law.
Since the signing of the Russian treaty the Brit
sh mperialists have conducted systematic cam
paign against Soviet Russia on all fronts with the
unexpected result that not only did China sign the
Russian treaty in spite Of them but also turned
the operation of the Chinese Eastern Railway
to Soviet Russia. Meantime the Hull conference
Of the British Trade Union Congress showed that
the British labor movement was developing a new
miitancy.
The function that the imperialists expected the
Macdonald government to perform, that of toning
down and emasculating the labor movement it'll
has not, in spite of its studied efforts, been able
to carry out and its usefulness to British imperial
ism is almost at end. 1t might indeed, under
growing pressure from the rank and file of labor
cause the imperialists much embarrassment
There many conflicting interests within
British capitalism itself and the capitalists are not
a unit in the struggle to rid themselves of govern
nlent that came to power largely thru their suffer
ance but think that this is about the process Of
reasoning by which the tories and liberals arrive
at the conclusion that Macdonald has outlived his
usefulness.
This policy is dangerous for British capital
ism because it is possible that the labor party may
be returned to power and even tho it losses the
election in will have a powerful minority in the
House of Commons that swept in wave of work
ing class protest, may prove much harder to handle
than the present Macdonald government.