Workmen's advocate. (New Haven, Conn.) 1883-1891, 1888-04-28
A LONDON LETTER.
SOCIAL DEMOCRATS READY
FOR A NEW CAMPAIGN.
Celebrating the Commune Under Dir.
hcalties-A Cold Winter in Eng.
land-PrisOn Has No Ter.
r0rs for the Agita.
tors Moving.

LONDON, April l9.-Since | last
wrote you nothing of a particularly
exciting character in connection with
the movement has taken place. After
ia prohibition of the meeting in
Trafalgar Square on November l3,
and the disturbances which occurred
on that date, our comrades Burns
and Cunninghame Graham, NJ. p,
were arrested. tried and condemned
to six weeks Imprisonment for un-
lawful assembly, riotous conduct and
assaultlng the police. They we're
convicted on the first count, the Jury
rejecting the Others. 1t was, per-
haps, as well for our comrade Burns
that he was tried with All NJ. p.
English Jurlcs are. as a rue, more
inclined to treat people of that de-
scrlption leniently than an ordinary
workingman, and, of course what
ever sentence was passed on Graham
must be passed on Burns. Many of
those arrested over the Trafalgar
Square struggle and the meetings of
the unemployed were condemned to
three, six and twelve months, and
one poor fellow to five years impris-
onment, and none Of them took such
a prominent part as Burns or Gra-
ham. 1t is now two months since
they were released from Pentonville
jail. Burns has continued the So
cialist propaganda with greater encr-
gy than before his incarceration.
His imprison has certainly not
damped his ardor for the cause in
the slightest degree, on the contrary.
it has increased it.
One of the most encouraging meet
ings we have held for a long time
was the demonstration in celebration
of the anniversary of the Paris Com
munc which was held on March 10.
The two socialist bodies, the Social
Democratic Federation and the So
cialist League, combined on this oc-
cSsion to make the united celebra-
ton success. We had as usual,
great difficulty in procuring hall
suitable for the meeting. Two or
three of the places where we had
been accustomed to hold Commune
celebrations in past years refused to
let their halls for the same purpose
this year. At last we managed to
obtain hall, holding about l,GO0
persons, though only about ten days
before the meeting night. The 10Th
Of March was a most wintry night.
The snow fell heavily, and the wind
was bleak. Notwithstanding these
disadvantages the hall was packed
and fully 500 people were turned
away, unable to get even standing
room. The speakers were, IIynd-
man (chairman), Kitz, John Burns,
Kautsky, Mrs. Wilson, William Nor
ris, Mrs. Ayeling, Sparkling, and
Mrs. Hicks. Revolutionary songs
were sung by the choir, and the
meeting closed with the audience
singing the Marseillaise and giving
three hearty cheers for the Social
Revolution One very important
item concerning this meeting must
not be omitted. 1t paid expenses
and left balance in hand; an un-
precedented thing for large Social
Democratic gathering when the
enormous amount which always has
to be paid for rent is considered.
So far as the movement generally
is concerned we cannot complain.
We have passed through All excep-
tionally dull season. The weather
has been such as to put stop to all
open-air meetings, and also to pre-
vent good audiences for our halls.
Although we have not had anything
like the severe winter which YOU ap.
pear to have had on your side of
the Atlantic, yet it has been the
worst and longest which has been