HOW LED DOWN.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1187, 24 July 1911, Page 6

HOW LED DOWN.

» ■ . • OPPONENTS OF COMPULSORY : ■ . TRAINING. ;• ■•:.:-■" LIVELY PASSAGES. ; ' .UPROAR AT SOCIALIST MEETING.; The. first meeting of tho "Wellington bra-nbli of the Now Zealand AntUConecription League, which was held at His ' Majesty's Theatre last'evening , ,'was an' extremely lively ono. At no stage of tho proceedings could it bo called a serious one,* for the opponents of the "anti-con-Ecriptionists"' had assembled in force-., and/with their counter-demonstrations andTpointed interjections' succeeded in reducing the affair to a burlesque. Jlr. W.: Scott Bedford presided over the gathering, which filled the entire gallery and . a> portion, of tho area below. . '■'!■ "The Song of Revolt No. 4." At tho appointed time, tho chairman, ' '.who/sat at a biblo over which was laid a dark rod draping bearing the legend ■ ■■ "N.ftS.P." (New Zealand Socialist Party), lose- to his foot, and proposed that tho ; proceedings should commence with the Ringing of "Tho Song of Revolt, No. i." That proposition was not treated serions- > 3y by the opposition, which laughed immoderately. Then a difficulty arose. There was no musician bandy. After a ■ slight delay, somebody on the platform " rosoi-to his feet, and, remarking that If 1 no could not lead an army, ho could at least, try to lead the singing, burst into Bong.- The ironical cheers of the opposition drowned liis music, and he retired . after struggling.'; through a few bars of the..melody. .. , . . The chairman, with a. brief .apology for ; tho '.lack of an adequate orchestra, then .announced".the. purpose of the meeting. i "Ladies and Gentlemen," said he; ''this is tho first meeting of tho Wellington branch of tho' , -New Zealand Anti-Con-scription League " "And tho last,' , supplemented a ready ■ ,irit in the gallery. ! "This league," continued Mr. Bedford, ; "has.beori formed because tho.authorities have seen fit to "enforce the penal clauses : of. tho Defence Act " '. "Quite right," interjected tho voice of , I tho opposition. Enforcino the Act. ' Proceeding, Mr. Bedford, declared that & huge'' mistake had been made in- attempting'to'enforce tlio penal clauses of Mio Act, , while Parliament was not sit- : iting.. Sir .Tames Carroll should have suspended tho penal clauses till Parliament : Jiad met. There was, ho went on to i say, a precedent for this in tho action of' i ' ifJio late Mr. Seddon in suspending tho ; "Shops and Offices Act. regarding which : jthsro liad been a public outcry, till Parjliamont met. In tho light of recent ■events, thcro was now no other course i open to tho opponents of tho new flefence scheme than an attitude of passive resistance. The boy Cornish had paid ; tho full.penalty by going to gaol; tlicro- ; fore, argued the speaker, ho could not be ' sent there a second time. , Other boys i in Christohurch and Nelson had been : fined. Mr. Bishop, a most wise man, ; had uttered a most foolish statement •from' the Bench at Christclrurch ■when he said that those wlio refused to register should not bo allowed to marry. (Laughter and jeers.) Another objection was [ that. they were not going to be . made murderers"by compulsion. This might eottnd. like hysterical talk, but he. supposed that the laws ot the "Old Boole" ; still held good. Were they to suffer : themselves to bo compelled, as a matter of dnty, to break, tho "Decalogue? ; Ho ■would give them two reason why this movement had been started. Firstly, the ; system had bean brought in without tho consent of fho people. "No!. No!" vociferated the opposition. "Those who say 'No!' nrp uttering an untruth." asserted Mr. Bedford. A friehtfnl unroar sroetert this statement. "What abont MTSfab's tour?" aslted a : . voice in.the gallery; (Hear, hear.)' . "At the last ejection," said Mr. Bedford, "the question had not even been thought about." (Emphatic dissent in the ; gallery.) : v ; "Phew!" • t "Tho second reason i? _ that this Act is .one'-of the most pernicious pieces of ; cl.nw legislation—" : "Phew!" whistled someone in the gallery, whereat, tho opposition gave way to uncontrollable merriment. "Yes!" .shouted .Mr. Bedford. "You'll ' all come to whistle another tune." The sneaker then proceeded to enlarge upon tho alleged conservative aspects of the dofencp scheme. "Tho son of a. working man , will bavo no- chanco of getting a commission," he declared. "Yon'ro wrong! It's an untruth!" rcJorted tha opposition. "What .about the 'Officers' Training Corps ?" suggested Mr.'Bedford. § . ' '"They're abolished," ho was informed. Mr. Bedford, persevering, then quoted General Godlej—whom he referred to as Major Godley—as having said at tho big camn that for tho non-commis->6ipned officers "there was no ocen door ■toi the commisioned ranks." (More upJroar from the opposition).. Then ho referred to tho clauses of the Act governing the appointment of officers, which, he as.SflTtod, were all in favour of the -wealthy. (Uproar, and cries of "Stand up!" "Sit down.") A member of the opposition jumped up.and shouted "You've got hold ■of tho old Act." "Sit down! Sit down!" yelled the "antivecmscriptionisfcs." "One word—ona word," pleaded tho interrupter. (More confnsion.l "Will you jet me speak after?" he'ask-ed. The chairman signified -assent, and the commotion subsided for a few seconds. "The authorities can appoint men for officers who haven't even passed their examinations," continued Mr. Bedford, resuming hi* speech. ' . "Buncombe! commented a man in tho

On War Scares, Mr. Bedford tlieu. enterod upon a dissertation upon the origin hud purpose of wars. It had been said that wars were waged in the interests of the extension of "commerce. That was not eo. "War scare?," lie declared, are engineered itn\ Vo«tcro.'l " , "Beally?" asked a falsetto voice; satirically, ami the gallery rocked in its The speaker 'concluded, "with nn appeal to his hearers to pull together for the repeal of the defence, laws. Miss Sclirta Anderson. Miss Selina. Anderson, who declared that she felt "the proudest woman in New Zealand" at that moment, speaking for "tho women of the country," indulged in a denunciation of those who had suiferod, unprotesting, this iniquitous legislation to go on tp the.Statute Book, and pointed a. picture of tho possibilities which the futuro held for thoso ..of the same persuabian as her "If," she prophesied, "they can't get cnougli to join, they will raise the age to.fifty, or sixty, *nd then"—she glared ui tho g.illor.v— "tho whip will cut yourselves; then you will-squirm like crawling worms!" (Tremendous- uproar,) Then came a reference to the .press: "Parasites!" was her comment. "AVhat is fl, man a soldier for?" she asked. "Liberty!" said a voice. "Liberty, be Mowed!" dissented a member of thu Socialist party, disdainfully. . Proceeding, Ifiss Anderson referred to a reported, remark by Lientenant-Colonel Oosswell, at Christchurch, that ho had seen the day when 'he Iml "smiffetl" a man in the interests of discipline. "I think I see him taking some of our friends by tho scruff of the neck outside this hall," was her comment. Thero were, sho continued,' 13.000 boys in New Zealand who were in danger of being made gaol-birds. "Conscript or gaol-bird —that was the position," she said indignantly. ■ She entreated her hearers to seo that tho innocent-boys were- not scut into barracks. "Keep them at homo!" sho urged. "The soldier docs not Taise tho moral standard. Ho lowers it. AVhat mother would allow her daughter to bo wen walking down tho street with a man in such a uniform?" she asked, and tho reply was a.derisive shout from tho oppoA Resolution Moved. Dr. Couzcns, speaking not aa a Socialist, but as ono supporting a- grcat principle, moved tho resolution. Ho referred to tho civil disabilities imposed upon those who refused to comply with the Act. DLsfranchisement: was ono of these. They must cut the bonds_ of compulsion; cut the bonds next election. Tho real peril was not tho yellow peril, but tho peril.,

lery.) Hβ then moved: "That Ito .meeting strongly opposes the Compulsory Military Service Act—(uproar)—as it is directly opposed to tho great principle of freedom upheld by Great Britain '' (Cheers and further .iipr»ar.). "You didn't hear tho final portion of this," shouted tlio doctor, waving his notes in the air—'"and ' demands, its repeal' I" (Fresh uproar.) Two other speakers followed, ono of whom, Mr. Hickey, brought about the climax. After uti address on , tho ponal clauses' of tho" Act, with a brief excursion into tho realm of social economics, Mr. Hickey referred to the officers and noncommissioned officers who had been brought out from England. "Some of theso non-com missioned officers think themselves Josus Christ!" ho shouted. "Withdraw that remark!" canio an angry demand from the gallery. Mr. Hickey stood firm. "Withdraw! ]ioo-hoo! Blasphemy! Paid agitator! Paul agitator! Withdraw." The tumult was frightful. Mr. Hickey was unable to proceed, and after a brief consultation with tho chairman resumed his seat, -after a defiant refusal to.withdraw, which brought upon him a fresh denunciation, of wrath from the gallery. Tho motion was then put. "God Save the King!" "Show bands in favour of the motion," said-the chairman. The "anti-conscrip-tionists" responded. "Against!" , Tho opposition rose en masse, hands waved frantically in tho air, and pandemonium raged for a few seconds. Then tho opening bars of "God Save tho King" struggled through tho inferno, and the assembly dispersed. Out in the street, in the pouring rain, cheers and groans dissipated tho Sabbatical calm, and once more tho National Anthem was heard, as tho opposition rallied for a final shot.