Workmen's advocate., 1886-12-05
LONDON LAB0RERS.
SOCIAL DEMOCRATS FRlGHT-
 EWING ARISTOCRATS.
The LabOrers' Only Reliable Friends. The Lord Mayors ShOw-SOcial. ist Demonstration in Ira.
 falgar Square Despite
 The Police.

LONDON, Nov. lS.-Since my last letter the Soclal-Democratic Fedora ton has been occupying the whole of public attention. You will re- member that l then gave an extract from the manifesto which had been issued by the organization calling upon the unemployed workers of London to follow the pantomimic pageantry of the Lord Mayors show. Correspondence was commenced day or so after between the Fedora ton and Col. Sir James Frazer, the Commissioner of the City of London Police, in which the latter pointed out what he considered would be dangeous in holding the procession, to which the Social-Democrats re- piled that there would be no danger in peaceful manifestation if the police did their duty in keeping or der After the manifesto had been issued some ten days Col. Fraser de- cided to prohibit the unemployed pro- cession. They moreover stated that the unemployed would follow the Lord Mayors procession under any circumstances, as during the time be- tween the issuing of the manifesto and the prohibition of their demon- stration some 200 meetings had been held in the the metropolis for the purpose of urging the unemployed to follow the pageant and the pass ing of resolutions calling upon the government to reduce the hours of labor in their departments to eight day, to organize the labor of the unemployed upon useful work at reasonable rates of wages, and to give no contracts to firms who worked their men more than eight hours . day or who paid less than Trade Union rates of wages. Then the scare began. The police called on the shop-keepers and urged them to barricade their shops because of the rioting which they stated must inev- ltably occur.
 Arrangements were made for the demonstration and speakers appoint ed On the evening of the Sth inst, however, Sir Chas. Warren, the Chief Commissioner of the metropol- itan police issued a mandate prohib- ting the demonstration. This caused considerable excitement, as Trafalgar Square had always been regarded as place for the holding of public meetings.
 Intense excitement prevailed on the 9th. All the city, and that part of the metropolis along which the Lord Mayors show would pass, was barricaded as if in a state of siege. Nearly all along the route the Lord Mayors procession was received with very little enthusiasm, and towards the West End and Trafalgar Square it met with a perfect storm of hiss ing and groaning.
 Shortly after the procession had passed the end of Trafalgar Square the ocial-Democrats began their op- erations. Bateman and Ward, who were the two appointed to test the pro- hfbition attempted to speak. Ward was arrested by the police, but Bate- man managed to break through the cordon of police which surrounded the balustrade and made for the Nelson column, where he was soon joined by other speakers. The po- lice had not expected this move on tie part of the Socialists, and had left the column unguarded. The consequence was 1t was taken advan- tage of during the morning by large number of Social. Democrats whom the police thought were ordi- nary sight-seers. The Sociai-Demo- crats, therefore, held meeting of several thousand persons in spite of an arbitrary police prohibition, and the right of the public meeting was fully yindicated. H, w. LEE.