Wheeling majority. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1907-192?, 1914-04-16
The South African Outrage

stitutional liberty, have insulted their
own law courts, and held justice up
to the worlds ridiclue. Acting like
the tyrannical lords of some mediea-
val dukedom, they have driven forth
| fro mthe land of their adoption nine
of their fellow subjects, against whom
no crime has been charged.
Note the facts and pronounce judg-
ment. n July last the Government
made an agreement with the trade
unions, but it did not keep it's bar
gain with the Railway Workers, and
| these, in defense of their rights, struck
work in a perfectly legitimate man
ner. There was no disorder except
that promited by the Government, but
there was chance of the strike being
successful and SO the Government pro-
claimed martial law, armed $4,000 of
the back weld beers, trained artillery
upon the unarmed trade unionists who
were meeting in the trades hall, and
by grotesQue though terrible threats
of violence compelled those inside to
surrender. Other leaders who were
hated by the Government were seized
in the night, thrown into solitary con-
finement and then, to prevent any
action by the South African law
courts, dragged out of prison in the
middle of the night, forced, at the
point of the bayonet, into a special
train, which, in order to deceive the
people, was described as theatrical
train, and carried to the coast, where
between double lines of bayonets and
with reYolvers at their heads they
were, without being permitted to COM
municate with their families, forced
on board specially chartered vessel
and deported to England.
If the men were not amongst US
we should imagine that some writer
Of comic opera had submitted to the
world vivid and picturesque hbret-
to, but their presence sweeps away
the idea of comedy and leaves us face
to face with blatant tragedy. Seven
of the nine are married; two of these
are suffering from miners phthisis,
and it was a refinement of cruelty to
land them in England during the bleak
est months of the year.
Detest Government.
In England detestation of the South
African Governments action permeat-
les every class not always becauG
they sympathise with the trade IN
ions, but often becaue they cherish
traditions of justice and believe that
all offenses should be stated and all
Offenders tried in the established
courts. There are many who though
opposed in general to the trado I'M
ions yet realize that violent attacks
upon individual liberty cannot stoE
at arbitrary lines, and that what has
been meted out to the Workmen may
easely be passed on to the shopkeep
er and the professional man. There
are others, especially in the middle
classes, who believe the var of 1899
was righteous war and who feel that
SHUTS and Botha have justified their
belief and all their prophecies. All
deplore the revival of racica union
lists, and many regard another South
African war as probable. Those who
hold this view contend that the gene
sis of the affair is not industrial, but
political; that Shuts and Botha are
traitors who sought a pretext for re-
arming the beers and that they have
recovered in one week all that it took
Paul Kruger three and half years to
lose.
All this viii add to the strength of
the demand for redress and repatria-
ton. We in Britain realize our re-
sponsibility but we want our comrades
- understand that this q world