Soldiers and Communists The Incitement to Disaffection Bill is a
measure which savours rather of Southern Irish than of British politics. If militant Communism were seriously increasing, if mutiny and widespread insurrection were in the air and the public were in panic expectation of violence and revolt it, would be easier to understand why the Govern- ment should strengthen its hands against those who may seek to seduce soldiers and sailors from their allegiance. But none of these dread menaces exist. Conimunism in Britain is weaker than it has been at any time in the last dozen years. Hateful as is the action of those who attempt to play upon the minds of ignorant men by dis- tributing subversive pamphlets, the existence of such criminals is not a sufficient ground for conferring extra- ordinary powers on the police, armed with a search warrant, to enter private houses, and seize literature which a magistrate may think likely to seduce a soldier from his Oath of Allegiance. These drastic powers have not been needed hitherto, and the Attorney-General has cited no sufficient reasons for invoking them now.
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