The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1894-03-19
DOWN WITH THE LORDS.
The Trades Union Demonstration in
London Yesterday.
THE SCUM OF THE CITY MADE 1T
A WILD HOLIDAY

And Their Cries and Jeers and the Con-
fusion of theParade Made the Streets
Bedlam-Rival Bands Added to the Din
by Engaging in Battle With Bass
Drums and Trombones as the Artillery.
London, March 18.-The trades union
ists' demonstration in favor of an en-
ployers' liability bill and against the
House of Lords, in progress all the after
noon, transformed London, between the
Thames embank ment and the further
side of Hyde park into an indescribable
bedlan,. The whole district was filled
with workmen, paupers, brass bands,
professions, banners ana truckloads OF
spectators. There was mist, the air was
raw and it was unusually dirty under
foot, but before eleven crowds from the
East and North quarters began gather
ing at the embankment and along the
proposed route of the professions. From
the North district came the scum of all
London. There were men but half clad
and women with babies in arms and
small children clinging to their skirts
Family parties camped IN the little open
NOAtRN@A'~~
fruit or nuts or hot potatoes. Despite
their pitiable poverty the crowds In
dulged in much horse play, dancing and
general picknicking. The main pro-
cession formed on the EN- mbankment
shortly before noon. Thousands took
places in line and thousands more
marched beside the regular parade or
marshal sled the line. Behind them came
the unions and societies marching four,
eight or ten abreast. Many women
walked with their husbands, some lead
ing little boys by the hand. Many more
filled vans and brakes which occupied
the parade from the embaakment to the
park. The rows of men in the procession
were huddled together and marched
with exceptional rapidity, yet the line
REQ quired two hours to pass given point.
Four hundred banners were IN the pro-
cession and represented all trades.
Vulcans, Neptunes, bl1ndfold justices,
brooms, rods and little coffins were
borne a1oft on platforms or displayed
from the tail boards of carts. One truck
carried coffin draped with the UnIon
Jack surmounted with sign: The
veto coffin for the House of Lords" Be
fore and after the truck came groups. OF
signs such as Down wi tn the Lords"
"No hereditary law-makers;" The
Lords threw out the employers liability
bill, let us throw them out"
The most roublesome part of the pro-
cession was the bands There were more
than hundred in line and each insisted
upon marching in front of certain
unions. Sometimes four were playing
within 200 feet of each other raising such
q discordant din as to confuse those IN
the parade and elicit jeers from the
spectators. In several cases rival bands
fell in side by side and some came to
blows, but most of them fought out the
contest by playing the bass drums and
and trombones with all the Juror they
could muster. The crowds along the
route were good natured and applauded
and cheered the contestants. This bed
lam lasted from noon until hve, When
those who had not gone to the park dis
persed to their homes.
The meetings in the park were at
tended by tens of thousands. There were
twelve platforms and more than one
hundred speakers. The most notable
addresses were made by Ben Tillett "the
dockers' friend"; John Burns, Labor N.
p: Joseph Arch, Liberal, M. P. James
RowIands, Radical M. p; Michael
Austin, Anti -Parnellite M. P: Samuel
Woodes, Miners. M. P; Charles Fenwick,
Miners M. P; William Cremer, Radical
Reform MP. All the speakers were in
terrupted repeatedly by cheers. At
every stand the audience adopted a reso-
Iutiop condemning the amendments in
troduced by the Peers into the employers
liability bill, and demanding that the
government take steps to prevent the
Peers from opposing successfully the will
of the nation. The park looked like a
The grass was:.strewn with scraps of food,
bundles of paper and broken lunch
baskets. A few well dressed persons
were seen, but the walks and drives
were virtually abandoned by all outside
the wor king classes.