Socialists Charge Church With Inconsistency
From Our Own Correspondent ANTWERP.
The Socialist Press cannot contain its rage at the concentration of the anti-Marxist forces to fight the communal elections at Malines on October 9.
T5hese communal elections are the test of what public feeling is in the country and foreshadow what the 1940 parliamentary elections are likely to show.
Malines, the centre of Catholic Belgium and the archiepiscopal city, has, however, just decided on "Concentration," uniting all forces against the Marxists, whilst remaining above all political and confessional formulas.
This means that the Catholic forces at Malines comprising Conservatives, Christian Democrats, Flemish Nationalists, and the Rexists, are now formed into one " Bloc " to fight Socialists and Communists. The alliance is one set up on the antiMarxist standard.
Le Peuple, the official organ of the Socialist Party, states:
"The Catholics of Malines have just concluded an 'Anti-Working-man's' alliance with the Fascist Rexists and Flemish Nationalists.
" The Archbishopric, which, on April 9, 1936, denounced Rexism as a danger for the Church and for the country, has done nothing to oppose this alliance. We ask ourselves whether it has favoured the alliance.
"Going on its knees (i.e., to Rexism) is not a too strong expression, for all the Catholics are capitulating all along the line after months of negotiating.
"The Catholics have taken this opportunity to demolish their own party by their alliance last Friday night with the Fascist bloc.' There will be four Fascists on their list."