1941-06-24 — Page 39

THE CHINA MAIL, JUNE 24, 1941.

CHINA MAIL

WINDSOR HOUSE

HOIST WITH HIS OWN PETARD

in

The predir ment which Soviet iussia finds herself to-day arouses less sympathy than has been accorded to any pre- vious victim of Herr Hit- ler. There never has been a more glaring example | of the utter futility of a policy of appeasement in dealing with a cold cal- culating madman like Hitler, but it is difficult to overlook the fact that Stalin has had no com- punction about profiting| by Hitler's depredations in Europe and has been guilty of equally naked aggressions against Po- land, Finland and Rumania. It may be con- tended, with a certain amount of truth, that Stalin's primary interest was the strengthening of Russia's strategic position against this very thrust by Germany, but it would be easier to give expres- sion to a mood of ready forgiveness if the Kremlin had been quite frank about it, instead of seek- ing to justify its actions by the same sort of in- credulously stupid charges as were made, by

1812

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Freedom And The Worker

Herr Hitler on Sunday THE protection of civil liberties against the Soviet.

must be a vital preoccupation of a Britain which proposes to emerge from war with its demo-

short of absolute over the lives

Disinclination to forget cratic foundations uninjured. The the part that the Soviet Government has powers little has played in Europe in and property of its citizens. How the last two years will not, has it used those powers? however, diminish

powers of the Executive have

of

By

Harold Laski

the outcome of this Committee's recommendations.

the

within our capacity, to I take first freedom of the press. unrest of 1936) but not elsewhere. sible decision, utterly alien from.

Two other classes of cases merit a word. There have been. some hundreds of cases of investigation of persons by the police, resulting on occasion, in search of premises and exumination of persons. These have been the outcome, in over From letters which have reach- been either bound over or Aned, ninety per cent. of the cases, of the ed me from the United States it and in twelve them the case information sent to the police of will to assist Russia by is clear that there are some people has been dismissed by the magis- alleged offences eg. signalling to

who have judged our position trates. every means in our power. rather in terms of the powers con- where fines have

In fourteen of the casus enemy aeroplanes on the part of been imposed, the person investigated. The duty If Russia is not our ally, ferred by Parliament on the these have, on review by the of investigation in cases of this she has been attacked by latter's exercise of them. Some in-mitted or reduced.

Executive than in terms of the Home Secretary, been either re-kind cannot, I think, be denied. It cannot either be denied that Germany in defiance of cident, above all perhaps, the

there have been occasionson. suppression of the "Daily Worker", Under the regulations dealing

which the police have acted with prior treaty engagements has struck their imagination, and with acts of sabotage, there have

stupidity and harshness. and a common interest they have assumed that the war-ficantly enough, occurring in June, been four convictions, all, signi-

An important issue has just with us is established.

deprived us of the major free- 1940. Two of the accused were arisen over the decision of More than that, it is in doms. It seems to me, a matter sentenced to three months' impri- B.B.C. not to employ any person who supports the People's Con- our own direct interest analyse the use of the Emergency

interest and importance to sonment, and two were fined.

Under the regulation dealing vention, the recently formed and to stiffen the Russian re- Powers by the Cabinet. Only in with power over processions and Communist-inspired organisation

that way can the outsider get a public meetings, public sistance to

proces- to promote revolutionary, defeat- the German real perspective about our stua signs of a political character have ism. This decision has aroused steamroller as far as lies tion.

been banned in London, (as they wide protest already. There cana have largely been since the Fascist be no doubt that it is an indefen-

the utmost of

Here two papers, both of them Three meetings have been pro- the Government's own attitude to our Communist, the "Daily Worker"hibited in the whole country.

those of its employees who parti- capacity. It is no time and the "Week" have been sup

pressed. In each case the sup-Home Secretary the power

A drastic: regulation gives: the cipated in, or have given support for recriminations

to to, the Convention. O pression has been by an executive detain persons whose conduct: or This is the record as it stands so, ideological calculations. act from which there is no appeal views makes it seem likely that far. Roughly, this is to say, some Hitler's attack upon Rus-regretted that

to a Court of Law, I myself have they may be guilty of action pre- 1,600 citizens are or have been the alternate judicial to the safety of the realm. | detained for various periods; some sia is but part of the regulation, which permits such an Under this power, some 500 per- 150 wider

people. have been fined which has as its final aim House of Commons on his deci-ity, but were of Italian origin, twenty-three people have been and were believed to be- in imprisoned for periods not ex- the smashing of resis-overwher, he was upheld by sympathy with the enemy, wore ceeding three months. As one to

an overwhelming majority.

interned on the outbreak of war whom civil liberty is a matter of tance in the British Isles Under the regulation which with Italy. About 200 of these the deepest urgency, I cannot be and the completion of his permits the prosecution of persons have since been released. Aboit lieve that anyone with a sense of charged with creating alarm and 700 persons have been interned proportion can regard these figures conquest of the Western despondency, there have been 105 because they were active support as indicative of a desire in the Hemisphere. . He wants cases. In only twenty of these ers of the British Union of Fosclats executive to menace the freedom have sentences of imprisonment, Sir Oswald Mosley's organisa- of the citizen. There have been the Ukraine and the Baku varying from one day to three tion. About 400 of these, mostly stupidities, even brutalities, on the bilwells

to

o exploit their months, been imposed. In the re- the lessor fry, have since been part of the police. One or two maining cases, the offender has released. About 400 persons: have magistrates, in alarm and des- resources for use against

been detained because, owing pondency" cases have played the the British Empire. And

elther to their hostile origin or fool on the bench: More than that we are placed in deadlier Staff, and they have to believing that they were in sym-seriously to claim.

ngscoiations, there was ground for the record does not permit anyona In the most danger if he succeeds, as deal on this occasion with pathy with the enemy. Of those, important case of detention, that some observers think he a population far more total number of a persona now figure, I have myself carefully 180 have since been released. The of a well-imown. Communist may, in running through skilfully versed in sabot- under detention as a result of investigated the issue, I should Southern Russia like a age. But we must do our 1929 of whom 790 are men and ment on the evidence, I add that,

orders from the Home Secretary myself have orderou his intern" } knife through butter. It part. The harder we can 180 are women. All of them have on that evidence, in pelther is not, however, such an make it for Hitler the bet been informed of the charges Germany or the Soviet Union, his rasy task that Hitler has ter it will be for us. The author use against detention note, do not therefore, accept against them execution would have been invite set himself. Experience in sole consideration of any to a powerful Advisory Committee the view that he is a martyr of a In the Home Office over which an Governnient careless of working- the Ukraine in 1918 will real importance is that eminent Liberal lawyer, Mr. class liberties. On the contrary, not be far from the minds when we help Russia, we of the German General help ourselves,

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~

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