The Irish standard., 1911-08-26
I. P. O'Connor Describes Conditions
Existing When Truce Was
Suddenly Declared.
Popular Sentiment Seems to StronR-
ly Favor the Position of Rail-
road Employees.
George Wyndham Would Succeed
Balfour as Leader of the
Opposition Forces.

England is in a condition of real, al.
though outWardly subdued panic, de-
clarcs II. p. O'Connor in his cabled
London letter to the Chicago Tribune
of August 10.
Labor troubles which have been
brewing many months, if not years,
especially on the railways, have broka
en- out with volcanic force and swept
away even the labor leaders and
smashed good part Of the ordinary
framework of society. That truce
has been declared is hailed with Joy
by all sides, though there are many
who fear the struggle has been merely
postponed, not averted.
Transportation facilities and the
food supply were embarrassed and in
some cities, especially Liverpool, the
population stood confronted with tho
possibility of famine. In addition the
strike in Liverpool of the scavengers
threatened an epidemic and a strike
OF the men in the electric department
for one moment seemed destined to
deliver over the city during the hours
of darkness to riot and pillage,
In the meantime the work people
were the first to suffer privation and
the fierce rage already existing embit-
tered the pangs of hunger,
The sympatlics Of tho public are
strangely mixed. The general feeling
Is that the gigantic prosperity of the
country and the rise in the price Of
food have made necessary IL general
advance in wages which have remained
stationary for ten years.
Tho Crux of tho Controversy.
The real central point in the dis
putc has been the obstinate refusal of
railway directors. who arc mostly tor
les Of the reactionary school, to recog-
nizc the trades unions. Many of the
labor leaders arc more moderately ra.
tlonal than the officials.
Anyhow, the railway mon will con.
tnue agltating until the RAILWAYS are
compelled to recognize them. The
railway directors were not unwilling
to precipitatc a fight just at this mo-
nent when they thought themselves
strong and the labor element weak.
The ministers. especially President
Buxton, of the board Of trade, VIM
ston Churchill, the homo secretary
and Chancellor Lloyd George, acting
for premier Asquith, were immensely
worried and this national peril sub
nerges for the moment all other is
sues. Even the final victory Of the
liberals in getting royal assent to tho
Veto bill passed with scant notice and
indeed seemed for a moment dead sea
fruit in the face Of this ghastly spec
ter of national disruption through
class strife.
AS is usually the case in England
he people, except where there was
rioting, kept their temper wonder
fully, but Liverpool was a danger GEN.
ter where a series of biunders ny po-
| lice imported from Birmingham made
| much trouble.
1 came myself to Liverpool and was
asked by Mr.. Churchill to try to help
| in restoring peace. Party politicians
| speak in somewhat subdued tones in
| the face of the dreadful possibilities,
| but now and then recriminations burst
forth and while the tories charge
| Lloyd George with the original re-
| soonsiblity of the violence, by his
speeches on the budget, the liberals
can well retort that when Lords Hugh
| Cecil and other aristocratic tories
howlcd down the premier in the House
of Commons and called upon Belfast
to resort to arms against home rule.
| no wonder the starving Workingmen
| bettercd their instructions and broke
out with open violence.
BirrelI Amused.
Mr.. Birrell, the chief secretary for
of even grave situations; and when
he was asked short time ago what
he thought of the political situation,
he said the chief interest to him was
to see how Arthur Balfour would
come out of it. Would. he said. that