The Daily Worker Newspaper, January 23, 1926, Page 8

has once more been compelled to take her oath on the monstruous treaty of Versailles, that Germany has been dragged into the league of nations, in which, in view of the present situation, she cannot carry on any independent policy. Today, after Locarno, there are two governments in Europe which have maintained complete independence in their for- eign policy: the British government in London and the Soviet government in Moscow. All the other govern- ments are in the bonds of the Anglo- American bloc and are dependent on the treaties dictated by this bloc which, for the sake of form, are registered under the league of na- tions, the league of nations however being a direct instrument of the po- licy of imperialism. The last (6th) autumn session of the league of na- tions showed sufficiently clearly that in this institution, England is the mistress of the situation. An American newspaper corre- spondent describes the policy of Eng- land in the league of nations, as fol- lows: d “In any conflicts which may occur, Great Britain trusts more to her navy, her air féree and her army than to obligatory arbitration procedures. The arbitration agreement is binding for all except London which intends to be the arbitrator in conflicts between other countries.” (New York Times.) In Locarno also, England carried on this policy. In spite of its being an advantage to the bourgeoisie to ad- yertise Locarno in every possible way, in order to deceive the vigilanc- of the peoples, in order to mitigate the mistrust of the masses in the present governments, even the bour- geois journalists reveal part of the truth about Locarno. Thus, one of the English newspapers of best repute, which is closely connected with the By A. I. Rykov. We publish below a verbatim report of that part of Comrade Rykov’s great speech on the activities of the central committee of the C. P. of Russia at the party conference in the Moscow governmental district, which deals with the relations between the Soviet Union and the league of nations. Ed. * * * Beato by the expressions of opinion of a number of responsible statesmen of the bourgeois world, plans have been made for a whole series “Ot conferences of an economic and political character in the im- mediate future. The bourgeoisie is endeavouring to bridge over in some way the antagonisms which exist and those which are maturing, in order, as they love to express it, “to estab- lish peace in Europe.” This enormous number of confer- ences, treaties and agreements be- tween the separate states do not and cannot in any way solve the questions of vital interest to capitalism, neither can they, im the slightest degree, pre- vent the danger of war. It is Very symptomatic that in re- cent times, the bourgeois and menshe- vist press as well as statesmen of great repute have begun to invite the Soviet Union also to join the “league of nations.” It was especially pleasing to read invitations of this kind in English newspapers, which ha hitherto regarded the government of our union as a gang of robbers. Only a year ago, the conservative party won the election by means of the forged Zinoviev letter and under the slogan of the fight against the Soviet Republics. If one of us were asked whether he believes in the sincerity of such an abrupt right about turn, I do not doubt for a moment that he would answer “no” without any hesi- tation. Soviet Union and the League of Nations In our opinion however, she did not achieve anything positive. In the let- ter to the allies, the following con- crete explanation was given: “The obligations which the said ar- ticle (article 16) imposes on the mem- bers of the league of nations, must be understood in the sense that every power which is a member of the league of nations, is under the obli- gation of cooperating loyally and in fact to ensure the observation of the statutes of the league of nations, and of resisting any attack in a measure which corresponds with the military and geographical situation - of the country in question.” The treaty of Locarno is signed, consequently Germany has placed her- self under the obligation of fulfilling the regulations of the league of na- tions in the direction indicated above, that is to say that, thanks to Locarno, Germany is threatened with the danger of becoming an instrument of English policy. Entente Dissolved at Locarno. 1 peppeenahegy through the treaty of Locarno, the entente was dis- solved, i. e., the war alliance between England and France lost its force and significance. England has freed herself from the fetters of the entente but, being in a situation in which, thanks to the dictatorship of the league of nations and thanks to the circumstance that she is in the nature of things the intermediary between Europe and American capital, she still remains the dictator in Europe. All this togetfier points to the fact that a re-grouping of forces is taking place in Europe under the hegemony of England. When we take into con- sideration England’s endeavors to keep a free hand for herself in the solution of various questions concern- ing eastern Europe, and her antago- nism to the Soviet Union, we have every reason to be cautious. and economic renunciation on the part of the Soviet Republics of every- thing they have done hitherto, a re- nunciation of their program, of the October revolution and of the most essential principles of their existence, They have not achieved this in open fight, they now hope to do it through an enveloping maneuver, New Wars Under Mask of Pacifism. 5 ges present period can be charac- 4 terized as one of a fresh attempt to consolidate imperialism under the mask of pacifism. This attempt is dictated on the one hand, by the ex- tremely straitened financial situation of the most important imperialist countries of Europe, on the other hand by America’s attempts to have her debts in Europe paid more or less punctually, further by the fear of new wars which prevails among the peo- ples, but also by the unsuccessful en- deavors of last year to ensure the rule of imperialism by the method of di- rect military action (occupation of the Ruhr, Morocco, Syria, events in China, anti-Soviet bloc, etc.) I believe that the task of the day for the Communist International and the revolutionary trade unions is to reveal the danger inherent just in this pacifism, for under the mask of pacifism, new wars have been and are being prepared. A notice recently appeared in the papers on “Red Imperialism.” — This theme was first brought up by Kaut- sky who invented “the danger which threatens from red imperialism.” This idea now crops up from time to time in other foreign newspapers. We must combat this stupid calumny with all the means in our power. It must be pointed out that as long ago as at Genoa, the Soviet Republic was the first country to propose the only pos- sible plan for the complete disarma- ment of all states. We did the same Trick to Discredit Soviets. HEN our enémies begin to speak so kihdly of us, we must ask: “Does this not meam some change in their tactics; do they not wish to at- tack us from another side and beat us by other means?” In the present political circumstances the newspaper campaign for including the Soviet Union in the league of nations aims at discrediting us in the eyes of that part of the working class which still cherishes pacifist illusions. The “MacDonalds” of the whole globe are persistently spreading amongst the working class the ver- sion that the league of nations is an diplomatic world and with the Eng- lish foreign minister, tes: : “It must not be Gaheted, that’ per- manent equilibrium in’ Europe can be|- achieved or war prevented by means of new treaties and guarantees. Neither the drawing up of documents, nor a protocol, nor guarantees can turn that which by its nature is un- stable into something stable. There are many and various European ques- tions which have already become dangerous and which may lead to sharp controversies in the compara- tively near future. For Great Britain it is at any rate very important that, at the time when these questions come up for decision, in 1922 in the negotiations with our Baltic neighbors. Every worker with- in and without the Sovicet‘» Union , should thoroughly’ “wadeérstand "that ' our party is absolutely in favor of disarmament, that the Soviet govern- ment will be the first to declare itself — prepared to dissolve the armed forces of our country and to destroy our whole war industry, on the one and only condition that other countries do the same. What significance does the bourge- oisie itself attribute to the question of our joining the league of nations? l have read in a bourgeois paper a very exact political characterisation of what the bourgeoisie expects from our joining the league of nations. In this characterisation it is stated that it is expected that the entrance of the Soviet Union into the league of na- tions will bring about a “political capitulation in the east and an eco- nomic capitulation in the west.” This is expressed very clearly and exactly. _ Why do we not join the league of Forces Real Armament Limitation. J RECALL a conversation I had with Lenin about peace and disarma- ment in which, in referring to some institution which is to ensure peace- ful development to mankind. As long as there are sections of the working class who, in their hatred for war, place any kind of hopes in the league of nations, it is more advantageous, from the political point of view, for our enemies to carry on the discus- sion with us just in this direction, in order to represent the Soviet Union as an enemy of peace. For this reason, Chamberlain in his fight against the Soviet Union, for this reason the 2nd International in its fight against our party, are endeavoring to find ways to stir up even part of the working class against us, to influen¢e even isolated groups of workers in their favor thru agitation. Every step in this direction, however small it be, naturally represent for Chamberlain, _-tor MacDonald, for the 2nd interna- tional, a great victory. she should have a completely free hand.” (September number of the Round Table.) In all our newspapers and in a considerable part of the foreign press, it was pointed out that Locarno was aimed against the Soviet Union, al- though nothing was said about the Soviet Republics. In order to put this assertion in a more concrete form, 1! quote the explanations that were given by England and France in con- nection with the entrance of Germany into the league of nations in the ques- tion of article 16 of the constitution of the league of nations. This article states that every country belonging to the league of nations, is, on the basis of the resolutions of the league and in proportion to its own strength, under the obligation of participating in the armed conflicts of the league, i. e., in carrying out military sanctions for enforcing the resolutions of the league of nations, ‘World War Against Russia. N the present international situa- ‘tion and in the present relation of forces, we can be sure, from the beginning, that, if any bourgeois coun- try which is a member of the league of nations, begins a war against the Soviet Union, the league of nations will find the necessary formula for representing us, and not its member, as the attacking party. Thru her membership of the league of nations, Germany will automatically be under the obligation of carrying out the resolutions of the league of nations even if they be directed against us. Germany tried to make reservations for herself with regard to this article. j | } Instrument of War. 0’ principle we take up and carry “\Y thru ‘a fight for the point of view “that the league of nations is an instru- ‘| ment not of peace but of war, not of Hberation but of oppression, further that the propaganda for the opinion that capitalist countries might find a remedy for war within the capitalist society, is a crime and not an error on the part of the 2nd international. In our opinion, war was, is and will . be inevitable under the rule of cap- italism; war is insolubly bound up with capitalism, is part of its very nature, Locarno. HE chief significance of Locarno is that Germany has once more been forced on to her knees, that she Will Never Betray Colonials. HE league of nations is a shop which deals in peoples and sells them as it sees fit, in the form of “mandates” to the so-called states of high culture. The latter however de- fend their rights of mandate by force of arms and mercilessly enslave the peoples under their tutelage. For this reason, the east would naturally regard us as traitors if we were to stand behind the counter of this shop. We shall not agree to this, We shall continue to rejoice in the develop- ment of the movement for national freedom among the oppressed colonial peoples, Joining the league of nations would for us an economic capitulation in the west, because we should then be bound by the resolutions of the bourgeois majority in economic ques- tions also. I do not believe that those govern- ments or those papers which propose our joining the league of nations, or at least write about it, are honest. I believe that they know from the be- ginning that we shall not join ‘the league of nations and I am convinced that the only object of these invita- tions is to enable MacDonald and his comrades to say to the workers, whom they continue to deceive by maintaing that the capitalist world is capable of avoiding war and by: rep- resenting a conference which pre- pares for war, as a peace conference, that: “The Soviet Union, by refusing to join the league of nations, is re- sponsible for its own isolation,” as was said in the resolution of the 2nd international. They hope to bring about a political international conference or other, he said that the bourgeois governments are making all kinds of hocus pocus in the questions of disarmament and of limiting the construction of large and small warships, and that by such measures they will deceive one an- other and the workers, “Is it not better,"said Lenin, “to propose the limitation of military ex- penses on the condition that there be a real, genuine and objective control as to whether these limitations are observed? In carrying out this con- trol, the workers ought to participate to such an extent as to guarantee that the classes which are interested in war cannot practice deception in this connection.” If such measures are proposed for disarmament and the limitation of ar- maments in Europe, the Soviet Union will be the first to support and defend consistently such an initiative. It would be stupid beyond words to believe that the economic stabilisa- tion and a so-called “political pacifica- tion” of the bourgeois countries would solve the questions of vital interest to capitalism, Capitalism is, it is true. stronger today than it was in 1920-21—in the period of the most serious crisis—in the period of the most radical fight for power of the — working class in-a number of coun- tries. The stabilization in. itself is transitory, ‘The whole period of stab- ilization will be accompanied by crises of varying intensity, by crises which the labor movement in, the west must make use of in order to organize the revolutionary forces, to prepare itself for the period when © further attempts to stabilize-capital | ism will prove impossible,