University Missourian., 1915-07-21
STRIKE FOR BRITAIN,
SAYS LABOR LEADER
Ben Tillett, the ''Mother''
Jones of England, Urges
Workmen to Enlist.
breaches TOCROWDS
From Soap Boxes and Plat
forms He Tells LaborerS
to Get Into the Game.
BY Wilbur =. Forrest

BY Wilbur s. Forrest
UNITED Press Staff Correspondent
LONDON, July (By Mail to New
YOrk).-Ben Tillett, the British per-
sonification of Mother" Jones, "Bill''
Haywood, Charles Meyer and Samuel
Gompers, all rolled into one, is or
ganizing another strike in England.
Tillett has conducted hundreds of
strikes. He's the one man who holds
British labor under his thumb. When
Ben Tillett tells British labor to
strike, British labor strikes. When he
told British transport workers to
strike two years ago, British trans
port workers tied up traffic facilities
of London and practically every i'm
portant industrial center.
Tillett today is organizing the big
gest strike he has yet attempted. His
latest strike is against the Germans
and he is urging every union labor
man in Great Britain to get on the
job"
I'm preaching murder" said Tillett
to an enormous crowd of workmen as
sembled at a London industrial su-
burb. We've got to strike and we've
got to strike now. | want every ounce
of British nerve, every ounce of Brit
ish energy and every ounce of British
gold to get behind and push British
capitalists have got to get into the
game. They've got to get rid of the
idea that war is being waged to give
them profits.
Tillett An Effective Campaigner.
'We want ammunition. shells; we
want gas; we want every death-deal-
ing device known to man: we want the
fighting spirit. We're going on strike
against the Germans. II We don't
strike now and strike hard there is no
use striking. The capitalists must
strike with us. If we don't crush the
Germans tomorrow there'll be no cap
italists. Every man who can't get /
into khaki can get into the workshops
We're fighting Prussianism, some
thing that has been preparing to muir
der civilization for forty years. Ou,
fight must not be any kid glove busi
ness. We've got to murder back and
murder back as hard aS we can. 1t
must be slaughter for Civilizations
sake"
And so, Ben Tillett, who before the
war hated capital like ''Bill' Hay
wood, fought industrial oppression
ike Meyer and inflamed workmen
against both like a Mother" Jones,
las transferred his hate and fighting
capabilities to the Germans and is
elling British workmen from plat
orms and soap boxes to get into the
anne.
While Lloyd George, the new minis
er of munitions, is mobilizing indus I
ry, Tillett is mobilizing labor and.
0 use his own expression, he's
reaching organized murder"
Laborers who refused to listen to
lembers of the British cabinet who
ave been speaking throughout Eng
md on the need of national defense
re listening to Tillett Tillett IS
ne of them and they believe what he
ays.
T1llett has just returned from
orthern France where he saw the
erman menace, chatted with some 81
lie men who have followed him in for
er strikes but who are now in
haki, lunched with General French
I'D studied the situation with his own
yes.
I've learned that there is another
Gaming to the word strike now,"
illett is telling his audiences in Eng
nd.
T1llett, however, is telling the gov
nment something with no less We
'mence. While he is organic ing his
rike against Germany, the mauufac-
rers and capitalists of England
lst play the game
Let Government Control Supplies.
The workmen must be assured
at while they are sweat ng and Ia
ring and dying for the ir country