Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1914-09-07
and to the Zemstovs throughout the en-
pire.
The London Demonstration.

Inc kOOQO0 U0mOuStIdt1OQs
'"The British parliamentary labor party.
with the trade unionists and other moro
radical groups. had written. spoken and
taken action against Britain's engaging
in the impending war.
"A great meeting of protest was held
in Trafalgar Square the Sunday before
England declared war against Germany:
It was attended by many thousands OF
working people. During the meeting
Russian. German, a Frenchrnan and
with Joined hands while the crowd
cheered. The resolutions adopted called
upon the workers to unite to prevent
their respective governments from en-
gaging in war.
The British socialist party issued
manifesto to the workers Of Great
Britain. declaring that 1t Is not war Of
peoples. that the workers Of Germany
declared vehemently against war that
never again must we intrust our foreign
an agreement between the peoples OF
France. Germany and Great Britain will
be solid guarantee of peace and a power
full bulwark against the encroachments
OF Russian despotism, result which may
easily come of the present war
After war had been declared. how
ever. all these groups decided to discon-
tinue opposition to the governments for
eign policy and concentrate their effort
to assure government protection and care
for the wage workers against the rising
cost OF living. unemployment and desti-
tuition from which they would otherwise
surely suffer as a consequence Of the
war.
British Labor Statesmen.
Not agreeing with the attitude thus
taken. ]. Ramsay Macdonald resigned his
Craftsmanship Of the parliamentary labor
party. John Burns also resigned as head
Of the local government board in the
cabinet. when Lord Morley and c. T.
Trevelyan withdrew on account Of their
opposition to the war. The Daily Herald.
which George Lansbury edits in the in
terests OF industrial unionism, continues
its protest against the war, although in
somewhat modified form. since it actually
began. Just before the declaration. In
an editorial entitled. Down With the
War; 1t alluded to the much talk and
many resolutions in recent years about
the international solidarity Of labor.
If the protest against war Is to be
made enective,' 1t declared. those work
ers who have In their power the control
fuse to allow them to be used for an
end which will cause untold human suf-
fer1ng Acting on this or similar advice
the Welsh miners at Cardiff refused
unanimously to accede to the request of
the British admiralty that two holidays
be curtailed In order to mine coal urgent
!y needed for the navy. In 30 doing they
Justified themselves thus: We do not
consider 1t necessary for defensive pur-
poses to ask the miners to work on these
two holidays. and We decline to en-
courage, or in any way countenance. the
policy Of active Intervention Of this coun-
try In the present European conflict
This action caused excitement In par
Lament. A ministerial party member de-
clared in the house of commons: If those
men had acted In that way in Germany.
they would have been taken out and shot
forthwith. The state should take some
action against those who melted the
miners not to go to work.
Trade Disputes Settled.
subsequently, the Miners Federation
in South Wales decided that all exist
ing questions, including those relating to
should be dropped and de-
clared that they were willing to work at
any time, day or night. The Scottish
coal mine owners informed their miners
that in view of the existing situation they
would not proceed with their claim for
a reduction In wages. In line with this
Of all differences to the ma
tional defense, almost all pending dis
putes have been settled or dropped by
the London building trades. the marine
engineers, electricians. boilermakers. ship
repairers and even the transport and
lockers unions. Lists of these settle
ments are printed and editorially en-
phasized In the London papers.
Meanwhile, at the call Of their home
lands, workers all over the world are lay
ing down their tools to go back to their
mother countries to take up arms to kill
each other. Surely, for the time being at
least. their 'class-consciousness' is super
seeded by their national loyalty. and yet
before this war Is over, or as result
of it. national loyalty may be subordi-
mated to the supremacy of race con-
sciousness But beyond all wars, behind
the clouds and darkness. above the val
lev of the shadow Of death there still
shines the fixed star-'The parliament OF
man, the federation Of the world"