Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1915-09-19
ALL ENGLAND IS DIVIDED
ON CONSUMPTION ISSUE
Railway Workers Declare That
Forced Service Will Result in
Civil War.
Same Kind of Bitter Strife That
Americans of Last Generation Saw
in Civil Wnr-London Daily News
Says 1t Is Class Question.

LONDON. September 1S.-The eNccu
tive committee OF the AmalGamated
Hallway. 100000 workers. to-day form
ally notified the government that any
attempt to force consumption will re-
suit in civil war. Tho committee unan-
imously Endorsed the fierce speech Of
J. II. Thomas, labor member of Parlia
mcnt. last Thursday.
This is the reply of the British rail-
way roads tn Lloyd George last week:
Unless the union allows unskilled
men. and women and to do far as
they arc able. work hitherto done by
skilled men. and unless they allow an
unqualified relaxation of union rules
limiting output. we are making straight
for disaster. for unless the nation can
exert it's whole strength i'll this war
we shall fail"
The 500 delegates to the trade union
congress. representing 100000 Brit
ish workers. also voted yesterday al
most unanimously against CONSUMPTION.
All England is now divided on this
question of forced service in the army
and in the workshops.
England needs larger output of
war munitions and it also needs o.ooo.-
coo more men in the army, besides the
100000 already at the front.
SAME KIND OF STRIFE
SEEN IN AMERICA
1t is the same kind Of bitter strife
that Americans of the last generation
saw in American Civil War. The Fed
cral government. after raising nearly
1000. 900 volunteers. was forced to re-
sort to CONSUMPTION or forced service.
The result was the draft riots"
| Men We're shot in the streets Of New
York City for resisting arrest by the
provost marshal guards.
For CONSUMPTION in England to-day
are Lloyd George. the strongest poll
hat l., n,ic
generation: Lord Ncrthcliffe. who pub :
fishes the most popular newspapers,
and Lorn Curzon.
Against CONSUMPTION are Sir Edward
Grey, the great Foreign Minister: Lord
Kitchener and Arthur Balfour. the for
mer Prime Minister.
Premier Asqutth and Bonar Law, the
Conservative leaders. arc sitting on
the fence.
The arguments against CONSUMPTION
are here stated by y. q. Gardner. edi-
tor Of the London Daily News, who
makes ii n class issue" He says:
If CONSUMPTION would not give Eng
land another man, or another shell, or
another gun. 1t would give England a
cheap army.
That is the first of the gifts of con-
scription. The British soldier is to
have the penny a day that the Germa n
Conscript gets.
!lt Will IL costing our TlCn men
too much. They want their war, but
they want il cheap.
They are shocked that the men who
are lining the trenches to-day and may
be buried in them tomorrow should
be paid for their service.
"A member OF the House of Lords
/ who is leading advocate of conscrip-
ton tells me he is horrihed at the
waste and the cost of the war. What
was the illustration he used?
There are laboring families ne
said, who are now getting twenty five
shillincs a week $50, who have never
had fourteen shllings before. and the
case is even worse in Ireland
Yes. ! dare say it is.
Il dare say that heroic Irishwoman,
! Mrs. Fury. who has given her ten sons
10 the British army. and who has al
ready lost five Of them. is not living on
charity.
But are going TO sacrifice the
gospel Of freedom for which we are