THE H.B. TRIBUNE FRIDAY, APRIL 4, 1930 RUSSIAN PERSECUTIONS

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume XX, Issue 92, 4 April 1930, Page 4

THE H.B. TRIBUNE FRIDAY, APRIL 4, 1930 RUSSIAN PERSECUTIONS

Like misery, politics “acquaint a man with strange bedfellows." Mr. Ramsay MacDonald, the British Prime Minister, is no doubt, as he is represented to be, a man of strong religious convictions, and doubtless the same may be said, in greater or less degree, of his Cabinet colleagues. Yet it. is these same devout professors of the Christian religion who, as a minority Government in power, have taken to their hearts another Government that have not only renounced that religion, but have also declared against the restraints of religion of any kind as it is known in the civilised world. The Soviet Government make no secret, rather make a boast, that they do not believe in the existence of God, and that the official doctrine of Russia is an aggressive materialism. Other countries in other times have exercised persecution of one form of religion or another. But, except for a brief period during the early days, of the French Revolution, this is the first time that the Government of any great country has made atheism itself the religion of the State. That the diplomatic recognition of such a Government by the MacDonald Administration was a matter mainly of political expediency there can be very little doubt. It is difficult to believe that men holding the conviction# of Mr. MacDonald and his Ministers can have regarded such an association except with repugnance. But, under the urge of preserving support necessary to securing and maintaining office, these convictions had to go to the wall. There was, of course, the suggestion that the resumption of diplomatic relations would mean an accession of trade that would help to the reduction of unemployment in Great Britain. But that was really quite a side issue, in which there could have been no great faith having regard to Russia’s financial position. In any event, the hopes said to be entertained in this respect have so far been fulfilled to no appreciable extent. Thus even the material advantage held out in yoking up with a Government declaredly bent on the suppression of all religious belief has proved quite illusory. Now the cry that comes from practically all Christian countries, to say nothing of the Jewish community, for some move to stay the religious persecution that is going on has placed the Labour Government on the horns of a most uncomfortable dilemma.

The question as to what the British Government proposes to do is being brought up at short intervals in Parliament, but always so far only to elicit the same reply — that it is powerless to do anything Newspaper files received this week contain reports of the answer given to queries put in the House of Cominons six weeks ago and it was almost identical with that which one of to-day's cable messages tells us was given in the House of Lords last Wednesday. It has to be noted that on neither-

occasion did the spokesman for the Government make any pretence of denying that they felt well assured that widespread persecution was going on. In each case the plea was that difficulty was being experienced in securing the absolutely irrefutable evidence upon which alone the Government would feel itself at liberty even to enter a diplomatic protest. At the same time, there is no shadow of doubt but that churches have been despoiled, closed and destroyed and that priests and bishops have been imprisoned, exiled and executed. But all this the Soviet Government says has been done in the way of checking disloyal and ■ icherous movements oh the part of those subjected to punishment. This, of course, is a pretext which it is very difficult to disprove, no matter what may be the inner beliefs about it. That indisputable evidence is to be got in a countrj where terrorism reigns is almost out of the question* and as things stand it is merely a matter, of allegation and denial—though the Russian Government has hitherto deemed it scarcely worth while even to make denial.

The position into which the British Government have brought themselves is admittedly one of great difficulty. A country’s religion is the concern of the people of that country, and the British Government are pledged not to interfere with Russia’s domestic concerns. A corresponding pledge entered into by the Russian Government has had but Scant observance, but that does not absolve Great Britain from fulfil ment of her part. So Moscow, with not the slightest regard for the sanctity of treaties entered into merely to serve the purpose of the moment, is no doubt indulging, in much cynical laughter at the impotence of London bent on honouring its bond. In the meantime, too, the Russian Communist Press is treating the British Labour Government with the utmost derision, even the official Soviet organ recently referring to its members as “the King’s toadies.’’ As Mr. Baldwin has truly said, the treaty with Russia has done nothing for Great Britain except to subject her to an intolerable humiliation, and one from which she can be relieved only by the revocation of the treaty.