TURBULENT SCENES

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 2123, 15 April 1914, Page 8

TURBULENT SCENES

AT A LABOUR MEETING

PftEE FIGHTS AMONG MEN AND WOMEN

U'iiftt n-iis described on llio admission ticket uh a 'j'a'iii rally of tho lndcpeiident Labour J'arty" was held recently in tin) hibrnry «.if ilio Memorial Hall, l''arringdoii Street, London. Mr. >V. U, Anderson presided, ami Mr. .Ramsay Sl;wfinnnW, A). 1 ,., was tho principal sjioa-k----or. The nudiciive, which was net vet}' largo, included a. eoiißidorablo numter of women, Mr. MucDonald wae announced liy tho chairman to givo an adtlress <m tho word of the Laijour I'u.rty in tho future, jilr. MncDonald, however, lia<l only uttered a fois , wottls ffJioM an Mproiir coinnwucod, uuprecedented «von m tVio iuiiials of the militant suffrage disturbances <>l tl» past fow years. i .For three-quarters of an hour there ! was pnndc-nuiuiuin mwl frso fighting W i t«ecli men and : ivomcii. Chairs' wore [ uatiglit iiold of and used by women, who ' \v»;r'o struggling against being ojcetod. Women stewards were employed nH far as jwseiblo to turn out tho wonicn interrapters.i Mnlo stewards wfiro in tiiroiig force to deal with tlio men who assisted the women in their organised attempt to break up tho gathering. It was found, however, that tho wofjieu skewsiriltt wero unable to <:0i76 With tho disorder created by tho women, and tho tuei.i ]iad to assist to carry tltom out.

Clothes Torn and Faces Scratched.

It was for au 'hour or more a scene of wild confusion, free fights taking place between tho fflieu, the ivomeii tearing oho another's clothes, scratching each other's iaeus until they blcdj and rolling about ml tho flood in a confused aud trantic iniies. As iho kicjjing men and women were thrown out through tho glass d'jors tho iviadows at tijo side were' shattered, whilst tho panes of the bookshelves at tho side of the hall were smashed in the violent encounters. Sir. MiicDonakl, early in the proceedings when tlus hubbtib was at its Iteiglitj shouted at the top of his voice; "U is cridens that there is an attempt to break up tho meeting. Wo are equally as determined that, they are not going to break up the gathering. Tlio House of Commons meets -to-fflorrovr at a cua-ar* lev to three, and I will go wi 1 havo not iinisted my ftpoeph before tlven.'-' .There wen loud cheers from a largo jjroportjoa of tiie audience, but about as a big a contingent iftdulgos. in howls. ■ Sir. Macßpnald strained its voice'to the utmost hi a futilo endeavour to make himself heard, but only those close to the platform had the least chance of liearißg what he «aid,

Ejected— Aitir. Protest. . Iα tbo midst of it Mr. H. W> Keviason roso and uttered Ms jtfpfest, aim was immediately seized, rnsliet! to the door, and bundled outside. In a twiukling another ma.a was vh his feet., aud half a dozen stewards made a dash for .him. The individual put forth all Ms strength to resist ejcctiiM) but lie was overpowered. Prco tights between men and women becanio so violent tuat there wero cries of '"Send for tie police, the place will bo wrecked." The _re* Ouost, howoTor, was not aad there was a constant sticcessiou of wojiic-n hustled out h}' Iho Womefi stewards. Mr. MacDunald at tho ssmo

tiiiio angrily faced.the■ yelling mob. but was Un«blo efiwtirelj- tp make his uttei , - ance heard. v

! At this stage tbo score of so who had ' been' turned out- at tiro ■ platform ©sit .assembled in force, aud made a conibined attempt to ro-entfir the hall. Simuitancotisiy, tbe ordinary ontraßco door was bcsiog«d, and it looked as tboush the meeting would bo 'broken up from both ends. This ivas everted by tbo stewards and stewardesses mobilising in force at oaeli point, and bj , 'throwing 'themselves bodily on t<S their antagonists ovctpowcred thorn after a strenuous combat. When tho cenfe'et was at Us height women sereamed out to Mr. lUacDowvld "Traitor!" "Torturer «f Women! ,, "Tool of tbo Literal Party!" and stosid about in gwtips aKgrily qu:srrelliiig and denouncing tho attitude adojstcd towards the militants.

Mr. MaePonald's tortured Speech,

During ail this time Sir. MacDonnM went 'hammering away wjtli his speech) insisting iipou uhity in the Socialist ranks, pointing oni tliat tho liisu : ranco Act had laid bafo tic eondiiiou of tho working jjcoplo lindw tliD prescht social system. "Wo liafo to unite tho great bedy of Socialists," Uβ hoarsely cried) "and also Socialist opinion in order to itfit social legisiation o» tho Statuto Book,"

"\Vo dcm'fc want to boar the ret of a dishonourable man who has betrayed us," shrieked out a woman, this was tUo signal for more attempts to throw out- the malcontents, nitd a regular lucfoe followed in all parts oJ tho hnH. The fouialo Militants pioiod VV cfei.rs nud fought witit fhctn, And an, mixed Hp inextricably, came'helter-skelter towards tho reporters' table, against which they fell in a body. Half a d»2en stewardesses nt a time hauled tlio interrupters shoulder hfgli by the loss and anus, and carried them out Idckiisg. In a hill, occupying alecit a couplo of minutes, Mr. MncDonaid was heard to $ay that ivJiat the Independent Labour party had got to do was to form a solid regiment. Then they cotild move the wWo'body At visl] f ami thoir final triumph was absojntpli.' seeuro. There wcro mingled cries of itpjw'oval and dissent at this declaration, awl then a series of questions were put to Mr. MacDotatld about "terturing women," the Labour party supporting the Jjtbc'rn} pin-ty, ilvo attitude of tho Labour party towards India, and cm a variety «f othor «nbjccts.' Tjje replies of Mr. Jlacpoiiiiltl appeared to give littlo ssitisfactiijii to tho turbu3cnt. section, who jcM'cd mootungly 4 and laughed arid ettdesrmired to ciitor , into arguiiKMits with tho Labour Ipaeter. Wiicii tho latter mods of procedure was not allowed tliorc wens stouts of "You dirty dog." One man w-ho at tjijs stago was particularly stiidtsnt iu his toiid v.as niiprtflcliod by stewards for tho purpi'iso of oject-wn. A. woman who «*:ts iritis him turned on .them, struck them in the face, anil daroti them to touch him. The- individual liimscM partly.look ; oft' his coat, unci, denwiwuig tlw etow'ards as "a jwelf of cowiircHy curs," of* fered- to go'otttsjdn and fight <iI).V ono of thorn, an invitation which was Hot accepted. . .. ■

The Right i>f Puftilo Meeting,

In this toinper tho preecodiiigs went on to the end, *H}l i>? a« allusion to tvhitt hotl occurred, Mr. JlncDoiittld said; "What is soi»g to Impiien so ftiv as I am concerned is this: I am going to hear with thinus I. simpJ.v hnlo jind M-hkh arc luimiliatmjs awl disgusting. My duty is i« sco tlmt tho rißlit of ptibliu njeettiiK is fiiH? I am B«Hig to do it." (Cheers and boointt.) Mnttors tiven qwiotiHiod doivn, and Mr. Maebonaltl lioW wnversntions with Btombf-i-s of liis party, wiw him on not allowing tho incotmg to be lirokpn up. A lai-Bo liody (vf Suffraffist-a <a fietli •soxes asso-mWod ontsido ilto .front ontrnnre to the liall to give Mr. MaeßtiiioW "a rccepllon" «!>"« rCttcbing tiro street. Ho, liowover, dp-parted by n sido lioor, awl wiveu Ihis bocamo known there was a ehenw of jeering wsjivicn, tt'ho iriumplwHtlj" smited, "He's had to escape."