MEETING AT OPERA HOUSE.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 1908, 17 November 1913, Page 8

MEETING AT OPERA HOUSE.

MYSTIC WARNING

• "fHF. DAY AFTER TO-MORROW."' t ', A strikers'' meeting was held at the' . 'Opera House last evening, when Mr." L ' \\. T.- Mills, iho American agitator, ' . ga : vo aiv address on "'Pile Strike, on tho. Wharf and at tho Ballot Box.''' He i commenced by remarking that if every one of their loaders wero strangled that niglit a hundred others would spring up and do their work. Ho was asked why ho was contending for the right of tho workers ;to organise, and his reply was' . t.lmt if he, did not ho would lose Jijs job. ■ But, 'there wero some things which were ' better than his job.. The workers were..., ' fighting for human rights, whilst tho' ■ employers wore fighting for taking, what limy never earned, and tho mounted constables were lighting for, "ten bo.b.a'' day," and tho farmers were fighting ' lor their e.lieoso; Ho was asked: i "Didn't, you sav a year ago that the striko was out-qbdato and a shame and disgrace?" Ho admitted having said that, and ho repeated it, but tho shanio : and disgrace was attached to tho Union " Steam Ship Company, tho Wellington papers, and tho mounted sq'-inds.: .Ho admitted saying a. year ago."-!that,.tho • strike ought to bo at the ballot-box.,' and ; he repeated tl\at, pointing out that to ballot thoy must organise, and to or* ganis.o they must strike. _ 'Tho.Hon. J. . F. Paul had written articles .111. the , papers and had quoted several columns Of his (Mrf Mills's) speeches to show that he had since abandoned every ar- : gument, and had bepom.6 an advocate '. of bullets against ballots. Xo't 0110 wofd .tie had over uttered or , written justified such statements. '010 three who voted against, tho Eed'cratioii. the-: other evening were alt paid correspondents of 'the Government newspapers.' A voice (ono of tho three): "It's' a lie." ' , 'Sir, Mills: Of criurso thoy lio; that's ;;; what' tlioy are paid for. Amidst cries of "Turn him out," tho rrjan who "had. ft'ho courage of his convictions was compelled to 'leave tho. building. _ ■ ■■■'.' Proceeding, 2\lr. Mills said that it was better to have a sano rathor than' an insane movement, and that was why s 110 had .quitted co-operating with MrPaul. Tho. only fellow who objected to the plain siwaking -of. Scmplo and Young w'ii.s tno follow who was hurt by; it. lio '(tho speaker) had never taken part, in inty coln.siftictivo work of tho Labour Iteration, in which no 'men worked mtire patiently and earnestly to- .. wiirds producing a rational result than did Messrs. lliclcey, Scmplo,, and Young, who bad(Said. over , and ovei again that tho one tiling.they wanted 'was to stop )- the irxationar strike. It was Mr. Semplo .' who stopped tho trouble at Huntly and at Blackball, and tho Federation of Labour, which wa.s .brought into ..esisteiieo in Jul,y !£ had doiit- IK) thing but try . and settle strikes ever sinco. How flsW ■ it that those who were doing their best to settle tho strike were o.iijt of. work, whilo thoso who, caused tho disptue . Were left unharmed.? How was it every newspaper 111 Now Zealand was opposed' to them? Because they were owned by iho exploiters. flow was .it their-chosen representatives' 111 Parliament wero ngaiust them? They sent Webb to Parliament, and he was told , to sib. ■ down. That was a strike of tho .ballot box, , and thoy, wore going, to send, ! enough men. like Webb into Parliament 50 that they could, make tho rules,. Why wero alt the .best, people against them? His reply was that all the' best people fought for human rights, and that lie would rather liavo tho support- of a drunken, man. than a, sneaking coward. Tho best people wero those who earned their' own living. If his position was right, why didn't it win? It was winning all over the world, and tlie.y had more than a million converts a moiith. Tnev wero toltl tho strike was over, but his reply .to that; was that it. had only, 1 just commenced. , They wero told that it. was to bo s'ettlccl by the introduction of Japanese coal. Tho hour that Jap.moso coal was landed in New Zealand the free unions, would quit worfc » and ytlio 111011, oil horseback would return to their farms for shame. • 1 Throat of Civil War, Ho went on to say that 110 was not making idle threats when ho said.tliar, if that policy of murdering trades' ■ unionism by force of arms was adopted in Now Zealand, then civil was was before them. "Go, tell the cowards in Parliament that I say so,"' Shrieked tho speaker, who added that : i'f tho members of unions could not organise^ make their own rules, and elect their own oflßcerSj there would iiover bo peace m Now Zealand. If they wero allowed to orgaiiiso they would organiso a tic.al movement which would astonish the. world. They would never surrender, and, .oven, if thoy went to work it would-bo as free men in tho gnrb or slaves. Jim Lankin, the bravest Irishman and tho greatest hero, hail boon, released to win the stfilso in Dublin, and Larkin and men like lifm would«KC<» that Iho ships which left Xow Zealand woro not unloaded s.t tho other oivd. Mystics Utterance. , Tho speaker l concluded -v;it.li tho mystic warning thai tins day a.'ter tomorrow- they would discover that tho .Japanese working man was a better friend of the New Zealand working man than 'was the Xew Zealand employer, .and'that just as the hiaek and whito men had lcanied Is light tho battle of lalxfur together. 'in America, so the day after to-umnow il-,ev would ■ find that Iliey had. formed a world-wide brotherhood'.

Amongst flic- banners' dkfikvcrl. i„ -{ft* piwessicm to Xowfown Park' vest onlay irnS that of- the Ciirponlom' and Joiners' Inioir. As the union mot, on Satmdav ''r j-. y the.' display of the hiinnei was peifectly unofficial. j\u Oiliciiu ol tlio. uiuoiij.r sponlviiig ; 'to A' HMiorter, lno tested very stionply against Jt s .among tjio standards'' of' tho strikers, " ■*'