The Irish standard., 1911-09-02
I. P. O'Connor Tells of Conditions
Which Preceded Settlement
of Strike.
Troops Were Armed With Fixed
Bayonets and Police Were
Everywhere.
Passing of Crisis Leaves British
Workers With New Sense
of Power.

t. P. O'Connor, M. P, in his cabled
letter from Liverpool to the Chicago
Tribune OF last Sunday says:
L have passed through an exciting
week in Liverpool with one of the
Tory members for the city and a
home office official. was sent here
to try and compose the fierce strife
between employers and workers. Liv-
erpool was like a city in a state of
siege. Soldiers and police were ev-
eryWhere, and the troops were armed
with fixed bayonets. Thousands Of
men were sworn in as special con-
stables, and conveys were passing
through the streets guarding provi-
sions as though in actual warfare.
The docks lay idle and silent for
miles. Ships from all parts of the
world were tied up and helpless. Ev-
cry hotel was crowded with Amer
leans, wearily waiting a chance Of
getting home, and riots, small and big,
were numerous.
In common with all England, Liv-
erpool stood face to face with an en-
tirely new development in trades un-
ionism. The strike no longer was
confined to one trade, but linked up
with innumerable trades.
s's@>s-4@ Strike Problems Unique.
The men on one railway line went
out on strike in sympathy, although
they had every single point already
which the other railway men were
seeking to win.
The dockers struck to help the rail-
way men and then the street car en-
ployes went out to help both and all
agreed to stand or fall together. This
brought about the strangest situa-
ton, especially in Liverpool.
The lockers could not go back to
work until the railway men were sat-
until the lockers were satisfied, and
made treaty of peace, the dockers
were satisfied and made a treaty of
peace, but the street car men still had
to meet the street car committee of
the city council to obtain reinstate-
ment.
National Strike Near Flame.
Thus the whole country was held up
by the decision of the street car off,
cials with regard to $50 men. If they
agreed to the reinstatement of their
workers the strike would be at an end
everywhere. If they refused, then the
national strike was ready to burst
into universal flame again.
TO add to the complications, the
Moroccan situation gives at this mo-
u1ent extreme anxiety to the govern
ment, which is impotent to face Ger
many or any other complication with
the country paralyzed.
The street car committee was begg-
ed by exasperated capitalists to hold
out, and for hours the result hung in
the balance, although the government
sent down special pleader and
great official to add his influence to
ours, but reinstatement ultimately
was agreed to, and within an hour of
this decision the lockers agreed to
return to work and universal peace
1e:ened instead of a renewal of civil
war.
Teaches England New Lesson.
This is England's first experience
with what French strikers call synd-
icalism and syndicalism has won.
It also has imperiled the existence
of strong ministry, threatened the
whole food supply of the nation
placed an almost irresistible weapon
in the hands of the working classes
and given them a new sense OF their
pcwer-it might be said, omnipotence
It, indicates that if working classes
really were united against a war they
could bring it to an end in twenty
four hours In short, we have this
week opened an entirely new chapter
e English history, the final conse-
Quences of which nobody yet feels
competent to forecast or estimate.
Enormous Cost Of Strife.
It is practically impossible to esti-
mate the strike bill" which will have