Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1916-01-07
GREAT BRITAIN
LABOR DECIDES
AGAINST BILL
ON C0MPULS sion
1895, 900 Votes Are Cast as Op-
posed with $4,000 in
Approval

London, Jan. 6.-Organized labor of
Great Britain, sitting in congress in Lon
don today, decided against the govern
ment's compulsion bill by the overwhelm-
ing majority of 1."9s,TJu votes to $4,000.
Hostility to the governments measure
was uncompromising and necessitated the
resignation from t..e coalition ministry
OF all three Labor members-ArthUr Hen
derson, William Brace and George H.
Roberts, holding respectively the offices
of president of the board of education,
parliamentary undersecretary for home
affairs and lord commissioner of the
treasury, and their designations were an
nounced during the evening.
The labor congress was in many ways
assembled. More than 1000 delegates
We're present. representing 400 unions and
1905, 600 workers.
In addition to the formal vote against
the governments compuson bill, the
congress rejected by four to one a mo-
ton pledgng support to the principle of
compulsion for single men and passed by
two to one another motion directing the
Labor party to oppose the bill in all its
stages in the House of Commons.
Some sections of the audience were
inclined to be FESTIVE during the form
alltles at the opening of the session
and when. later. there came success
sion of impassioned orations against
compulsion. the opposition, which at
first had been audible only in inter-
jections and murmurings. gradually
hardened and there were loud demon
STATIONS from every part of the hall.
One of the early speakers, James
Henry Thomas assistant general sec
rotary of the Amalgamated Society of
Railway Servants, kindled his hearers
to fierce enthusiasm. His was an out
and-out anti-compulsion speech. ap-
pealing to the trade unions not to
sell their heritage of freedom"
A speech by Arthur Henderson. presi-
dent of the board of education, came as
sedative to the passionate feelings
aroused by the earlier speakers. He
spoke calmly and logically. defending not
merely the resolution before the meeting
but also the compulsion bill itself. But
mis- effort was insufficient to turn the tide
of opposition and it was a foregone con-
clusion when the vote finally was reached
that the resolution would fail
With the exception of the Miners
Federation, which refused to partici-
pate owing to internal differences
with the Joint Board, virtually every
important trade union in the country
was represented in the Congress. The
number of societies voting is given
from one source as 400. made up as
follows: Trade unions 311: trade
councils and local labor parties, SO;
independent labor party organiza-
tions, Is.
Colonel John Ward. NJ. P who calls
himself an independent labofite" and
is one of the picturesque figures of
the House Of Commons, declared in
the House tonight that the decision
of the Labor Congress could not be
regarded as actually representing the
will of the labor men of the country.
For" said he, you must consider
the fact that certainly from one-half
tc one-third Of the members of the
trade organizations which meet in
Congress are either in the trenches or
preparing to take their places there
/, for one, have done my best in the
past to oppose CONSUMPTION. but new
er contemplated the circumstances
which have now arisen and /, in COM
mon with many other thinking labor
men will support this compulsion bill.
THE nation is looking to the House
Of Commons for its lead-not only the
nation. but the whole empire Almost
the whole world is WANTING for our
decision at this crisis Of the worlds
history"