The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1928-09-04

! 1 he ulSdIIndIIleHG COMEDY Oh Cllc
Geneva League of Nations has found
a worthy continuation in Brussels
The social-democratic press reports
on the "unanimity" with which the
disarmament resolution was passed
in Brussels. In reality it was pre-
cisely in this question that the ma
'tional antagonisms of the separate
social-imperialistic parties collided
most violently with one another. To
speak of actual unity here is simply
ridiculous. The sole unity" observ-
able among the delegations in Brus-
sells consisted of a mutual willing
ness to come to a decision placing
no obligations on anybody, and CIV
ing the separate socialist parties a
free hand for the continuation of
their imperialist policy.
Submit Resolution.
The Executive submitted to the
| Congress a resolution on the dis
armament and military question in
full accordance with this standpoint,
a mere string of empty disarma-
ment phrases, expressly demanding
equal freedom in the choice of their
army system" for all nations, and
containing nothing further than
/ few pacifist demands which do not
bind the parties to anything. There
was naturally no mention of any de-
scription of proletarian fighting &C
ton against the war danger. The
Swiss social democrat, Reinhardt,
observed very truly that the accept
ance of the proposal for free choice
of the army system could only mean
that the labor parties of the con-
quered states should demand better
and more effective armies, in other
words, renewed armament.
The disarmament commission in
Brussels, after a lengthy consulta-
ton, laid before the Congress a reso-
luton practically identical with the
draft already submitted. This is all
that the public has learned up to
now about the unity" of the Con-
gress.
Internal Fights.
How did this resolution come to
be accepted? We hear from reliable
sources that violent disagreements
took place in the disarmament COM
mission. The British Independent
Labour Party opposed the Executive
resolution by one of its own, begin
ming with an approval of the dis
armament proposal of the Soviet
government:
"The Labour and Socialist Interna-
tional declares that the experiences
gained by the Disarmament Com
mission of the League of Nations,
and the failure of the Anglo-Amer-
icano-Japanese naval disarmament
conference, have clearly emphasized
the impossibility of arriving at dis
armament by means Of partial meas
ures which do not completely ex-
clude war. 1t congratulates the
Russian Soviet government on its
proposal for complete disarmament.
In it's opinion partial disarmament
can only be of slight value for re-
moving the danger of war"
Pacifist Slogan.
A further paragraph of this reso-
luton demands the closing down of
the key industries. and adds to the
pacifist slogan of refusal of war
service the further refusal to manu-
facture munitions:
"The time has come for the Inter
national socialists to take up a re-
lentless attitude against war, to join
forces all over the world in the
struggle for complete disarmament,
and to organize the working class to
resist every threatened war, even by
means of resort to the closing down
of the key industries and the refusal
of war service and the manufacture
of munitions"
A final paragraph demands in
creased pressure on the governments
and the refusal of all military
credits:
Meanwhile the socialist parties
should invariably vote against all
credits for the army, navy, and air
force"
The British Labour Party, of
which the Independent Labour Par
ty forms only small part, found
itself obliged, under the pressure ex-
ercized by the British working class,
to bring forward demands falling
but little short Of those of the indie
pendent Labour Party. 1t supported
the motion for congratulsting the
Soviet government on Litvinov's dis
armament proposal, and proposed
the following supplementary motion
to the resolution submitted:
"The Congress not only appeals
for socialist peace policy, but calls
upon the workers to make it clear
to their governments that they will
meet every danger of war, whether
defensive or offensive in name, by
the organization of general resis-
lance, including the refusal to bear
arms, to manufacture means of war
fare. or to lend any material aid
whatever. 1t demands that steps be
taken for organizing, with the ut
most ranidity a world conference of