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Show LABOR'S WAR AIM IS TO SAVE DEMOCRACY, SAY BRITISH TOILERS Lloyd George Writes That England Will Restate Its Purposes Only in Agreement Agree-ment With Its Allies LONDON, Dec. 2S. Premier Lloyd George, hi a letter which he sent today to the special national na-tional labor conference, declared de-clared : "Achievement of the purposes for which the allies arc fighting is essential essen-tial to the future freedom and peace of mankind.' The premier also asserted that a statement of war aims could be made only in agreement with Great Britain's Brit-ain's allies. The question of issuing a fresh joint declaration, he added, was being: constantly kept iii view by the entente allied governments. The premier's statement is regarded regard-ed as the British reply to the German Ger-man peace offer. Democracy Must Be Made Safe. The labor conference was convened here today by the parliamentary committee com-mittee of the trades union congress and the executive of the labor party in the central hall at Westminster to consider a "memorandum on war aims." A pronunciamento was adopted, with a virtual unanimous ?how of hands, declaring that in continuing the war, labor is actuated by -a determination de-termination to make - the world safe for democracy hereafter. No sympathy sympa-thy was expressed in the text of the statement with attempts to convert the war into one of conquest, but it insisted that restitution and reparation, repara-tion, and also certain territorial adjustments, ad-justments, are necessary if the renewal re-newal of armaments and war is to be avoided. Demand Belgium Be Restored. The conference was attended by 750 delegates, and was expected to place on record an expression of opinion from British labor on the war aims of this country. Its adoption of the memorandum is considered especially significant, in view of the peace negotiations between Germany ajid llusyia. The statement placed at the forefront fore-front a. demand for the restoration and rehabilitation of Belgium at the expense of Germany, tt also dealt with Alsace-Lorraine, Italy, the Bal-kn Bal-kn lis, Poland, Turkey and German 1 African colonies on lines similar to those suggested in earlier documents on these subjects. The original memorandum was dis- 1 cussed and adopted early in August j a.t a special conference of the labor ! party and was a sequel to the abor- j tive ytockholm conference of last i summer. Its terms have .since been I considerably amended by various subcommittees, sub-committees, but the maJn features had been retained in the memoran- ' dum discussed today. Lloyd George Gives Government View. Afl er tho formal opening of the conference a letter from David Lloyd George, the British prime minister, was read. After thanking the conference con-ference for a resolution of the parliamentary parlia-mentary committee of the trades union congress and the national committee com-mittee of labor, which partly suggested sug-gested that Great. Britain make a declaration of the war aims, of the entente, the letter said: "A statement in regard to the war aims of the allies can, of course, only be made in agreement with the other nations who are fighting in alliance together in the war. The quest ion of issuing a fresh joint declaration on this subject is one which is constantly con-stantly kept in view by the allied governments, but it is not one about which it is possible for the British government to speak by itself. "We had looked forw.u-d to an interchange in-terchange of views on this subject with delegates appointed by the Russian Rus-sian government to attend the conference con-ference held in Paris; but. to our regret, the absence of any representatives represen-tatives of Russia at that conference made any such consultation impossible." impos-sible." Says England9 s Ideals Have Not Changed. As to Great Britain's war aims, the premier referred the conference to his speech on tho adjournrhent of parliament, parlia-ment, and expressed the hope that this speech would remove any misunderstanding. mis-understanding. Mr. Lloyd George's letter said that to his mind "the ideals for which we are fighting today are precisely those for which the British empire entered the war." "Wo accepted the challenge thrown down by Prussia," the letter continued, con-tinued, "in order to free the world once and all from the intolerable menace of militaristic 1,-ivilizatlon and to make possible a lasting peace by restoring the liberty of oppressed nationalities na-tionalities and by enforcing respect for those laws and treaties which are the protection of all nations, whether great or small." Says Allies Fight, for Mankind. The premier concluded that ho was , never more convinced that the purposes pur-poses for which the allies were continuing con-tinuing the war were not imperialistic imperialis-tic or vindictive, but that their achievement was essential to the future fu-ture freedom and peace of mankind. Joseph Havelock Wilson, president of the International Seamen's union, characterized the memorandum as the most contradictory document he ever had seen presented to a trades lui to n congress. "Until wo have made the German nation feel that it has made a grievous mistake and It has repented of its crimes and foul murders, our' aims should be to carry on the war," said Mr. Wilson. Attempt to Amend Is Voted Down. James Henry Thomas, nssistanf. general secretary of the Amalgamated Society of Railroad Serva n ts, said that when peace was discussed it must be a world peace. Ho addod that if Germany did not agreo to , labor's war aims, labor must fight on to secure what labor believed to bo right. An attempt to amend the motion to consider the memorandum was made by Stephen Walsh, parliamentary' parliamen-tary' secretary of the local government board and a labor member of parliament, parlia-ment, ifr. Walsh contended that as many branches of the national labor movement had not had an opportunity opportu-nity to consider the memorandum, further discussion of it nhould bo (Continned on Page Two,) LABOR'S IU Hi IS TO SAVE DEiyiOCHACY (Continued from Page Que.) adjourned for a month. The proposed aiv.MMlment was rejected by a voie of 213: to 1164. Some Opposition ct Conference. There was considerable opposition opposi-tion disclosed at the opening of the conference to tl.e announcement oi the chairman that the decision ot the conference on the memorandum on the war aims must be bir.dmy. seven; of the delegates interrupting with the crv. "cet on with the ar." Arthur Henderson, leader of the labor la-bor pauy in the house of commons and former minister without portfolio, in moving the adoption of the memo-ran memo-ran d u m . said t h at in f ra m i r. g t h e proposals the committee had regard to tiie imperative needs of humanity as a whole find the rights of frf-e Peoples. When he declared that Britons were not fighting the German Ger-man people. Mr. Henderson was interrupted in-terrupted bv a shout, ' Weil. ? ought to be!" from the delegates of the Seamen's union. Henderson said the guiding principles prin-ciples uf the labor party were of essential es-sential importance in securing a settlement set-tlement of the controxersv as soon as possible, a settlement founded on the principles of democracy and security; se-curity; that all territorial adjustments adjust-ments must not be dictated by annexationist an-nexationist and imperialistic designs or for reasons of military strategy, but in the interest of progressive civilization and world peace. "He added that the trade policy of the country must not be founded on economic eco-nomic oppression or commercial iso-lation iso-lation of the German people. For Principles, Not Conquest. In making a plea for a restatement restate-ment of war aims. Mr. Henderson said this did not signify "hands up" or the white feather. Labor had no desire to see Germany admitted to the league of nations while she was intoxicated by a spirit of militarv triumph. What labor insisted on, he added, was that the allies should make it unmistakably ckar that if the struggle was to continue it must continue only for principles and not for conquest. Labor, Mr. Henderson continued asked for the opportunity of ascertaining ascer-taining how far Germany was pre-jaredto pre-jaredto accept labor's peace proposals. pro-posals. Referring to the statement of Sir Edward Carson that Turkey and Austria did not want to go on with the war, Mr. Henderson asked why these countries were not dealt with a? Germanv had dealt with Russia. Joseuh "Havelock Wilson then rqoved a rejection of the memorandum, memoran-dum, but his motion was lost by a vote of 12 to 345- Henderson Sends Word to Stockholm. At the conclusion of the conference confer-ence Mr. Henderson telegraphed the results to the International Socialist bureau at Stockholm, requesting that j they be communicated to the chair- i man of the workmen's and soldiers' delegates in Petrograd. Likewise be requested that the strong desire of the conference against a separate peace be made known to the Russians. Rus-sians. The telegram included the statement state-ment that the laborites were endeavoring en-deavoring to influence the government govern-ment in accordance with the decision reached by the conference. |