WORKERS' PERIL
•/ * t LABOUR LEADER'S GRAVE I WARNING \ HEADING TOWARDS REVOLUTION ] Mr. T. Richards, M.P., General Sec- •( rotary of the South Wales Miners' Fede- ( ration, addressed strong woTds of coun- l sel and warning to a body of working , men and discharged soldiers to whom he , spoke at Ebbw Vale. Let their motto, i ho said, be "Best for all." ■ He wanted to address a fow words to working men, ho said; working men needed talking to to-day. Tho working classes of this country were growing daily more powerful, and through the channel of trade union organisations were beginning to boss the show; indeed, loss everyone. With the growth of power there was always a temptation to use that power; in other words, to resort to measures they, condemned during ' tha war, namely, that might was right. He was afraid they were on very dangerous ground in this country at the present time. There was far too much anxiety on the part of working men to be influenced into utilising tho powers thev 'had. ■ To them he would say, Tou have power, certainly, but be careful how you use it." . . They allowed too many faermnn weals and gods to be brought book from tho battlefields of France. Because they had power and were strong enough to force demands was no reason or argument that their claims woto just or even fair. Each man should «xam\ne those claims carefully and thoughtfully, and endeavour to see them through the oyes of reason as apart from force, incy must oease to worship the German ideal that might wa3 right. Fairness and righteousness exalted a nation, not might and, force There were many things wrong, but he urgeu. them to right those wrongs by peaceful negotiations, not by threats of force. There was a lot of talk at present about ('ireet action, a more aristocratic name for "strikes.'' Everything that went wrong or was assumed to bo wrong was, according to 6omo people, to.be settled by direct action. It was the basic pnnr.jplo of the doctrine that might was right that brought about the downfall of the German Empire. During the war he had never seen eye to eye with pacifists, and failed to understand their point of view. Many had been' conscientious enough, no doubt; many had believed in tho laws of-God; but the bad pant of the whole business ■ras that pacifists who during the war would not shed the blood of a, German because they hold that fighting was wrong, wore to-day heading a movement calculated to end in revolution and create bloodshed among our kith and km. l'lie direct action talk waa fostered by those so-called pacifists. He did not call them pacifists, but hypocrites. Before him were boys who helped to save tho British Constitution, and in all seriousness ho said that with all its faults, with i all its shortcomings, it was still tie finest Constitution in any country in tho world. Let them comparo it with what they liked; it was the finest, most glorious, and best tho world had' ever seen, and he added, 'Boys, its worth saving. Take America, if you like, and compare it. Take any other nation, and still tho British working man with all his grumbles is the freest subject under God's sun. Tho British Constitution is worth saving. Mr Richards proceeded to say that he had done, and would continue to do, his best to prevont bloodshed' in the streets, but it was what was coming d working men allowed themselves to oo i led after any and ©very will-p -the-wlsp scheme If that took place they would put back the clock of progress a hnn, dred vears. Trade unionism had made marvellous progress. Hb might > oldfashioned, he, might lack the vision of the idealistic young man of to-day, but he had had experience. Ho knew what had been accomplished. "Men, he added "don't abuse these «reat privileges tfuit have been won for you by sacrifices and struggles. Don't lose your benefits by endeavouring to force issues faster than conditions and circumstances permit."
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Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 193, 11 May 1920, Page 7
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682WORKERS' PERIL Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 193, 11 May 1920, Page 7
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