Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1916-08-01
Popular Spirit In England.
BY Ed L. Keen,


British public.
Conscription is no criterion. There
were less than million eligibles left
to be conscripted. The majority of
these would have volunteered if the
reasons why their services were re-
quired had been freely, frankly stated.
Lots of Britishers have relatives in
Missouri; some more skeptical than
Others. The military powers thought
they couldn't take the British public
into their confidence without enlight-
ening the Germans. "Your King and
country need you,' they said. That
sufficed for five million men; the
others wanted details.
But this installment of war ami
versary observations has to do princi-
pally with those who have achieved
patriotism, and it revOlves largely
about man named Ben Tillett-be-
cause he is type.
Before the war Ben was self-pro-
claimed international revolutionary
socialist. For the period of the war
he is neither international, revolution
ary nor socialistic. He is all Briton.
What he will be after the war, Ben
says is his own business. If he weren t
over military age, Ben would be in the
army. He is doing his bit by preach
ing patriotism to those who haven It
acquired it in full measure.
They Were Britons First.
Ben used to vie with Mrs. Pankhurst
for the doubtful distinction of being
Trouble e-Maker-in-Chief of the British
Empire. AS head of the DOckers
Union and organizer of the powerful
Transport Workers Federation, he had
successfully engineered some most dis
turbing strikes.
1t was to the Tilletts and Pankhursts
of England and Easements of Ireland,
that Germany looked for substantial
aid. But mostly her calculations went
wrong. Social and industrial unrest in
England didn' mean pro-Germanism or
anti -Britishism when the empire be-
came involved in outside difficulties.
There were serious labor disputes in
the early days-two of them, big, in
volving the Welsh coal-miners and the
Clyde ship workers. But in these there
were other causes than lack of patriot
ism. The strikers felt that they had
been unduly exploited. Their sole de-
mand was that they be accorded rea-
sonable share of the war profits from
their labor. In both the big strikes,
the men won.
This year s disturbance on the Clyde
was different 1t was obviously or
ganized by men of pro-German sympa-
thies and most Britishers believe,
financed by Germans. The labor lead
ers had no part in it; they protested
against it. The government sequester-
ed the agitators and killed the strike'
Unonism Is Patriotic.
As to the attitude Of British labor
generally toward the war: No fewer
than 4.SOO,0OO of the five million vol
urteer soldiers were drawn from the
working classes. But this is only part
of the story.
The Tilletts of England, men who
previously had put the rights of or
papized labor above everything else!
have surrendered their most cherished
principles. In the interest of the En-
nire the trade unions have forfeited for
the period of the war practically all
they had succeeded in estaDishine
through desperate and bitter struggle
Their greatest sacrifice was the
Hdilution of labor or placing uh-
skilled workers on par with IN ,ne
skilled-both men and women. The
bars of unionism have been let COM
pletely down in the name Of patriot'sm
The unions agreement with the gov
ernment provides: ...
"Co-operative efforts to increase
production by the adoption of all ex
Incidents which tend to increase anc
maintain output; interchangeability IN
side the trade of various classes Wne
are members of the trade; suspension
for the period of the war OF all ih,eI
nal lines of demarkation, and lntroduc
t;or from allied and other trades oil
skilled men, unskilled men, ana wo'
men, =.
This is organized labor's reply &c
the charge of lack of patriotism. Inc
Unions are still passing resolutions
against the principle and appheauoi
of conscription, against the one pecaus'
Il ;s repuenant to the ideals of union
ism and against the other because tney
st;ll think it unnecessary. but tnet'
have been ana VIII ue "a" =, 4
in England as there were IN new ioi'
during the Civil War. -.
So much for Ben Tillett and MI
friends. How about Irelandt
ireland with England.
Most of the Irish opposition IN th'
war is of American origin. There are
no finer patriots in Great Britain 70
day than John Redmond and Sir Ed
ward Carson, each representing eN
IRENE poles of Irish politics. The SIM
Fem rebellion, organized by well
meaning but misguided idealists, en-,
couraged by self-expatriated lrlshnel I
in America financed by Germany, was
not an expression of Irish natiSna
sentiment. No troops in the whole
Empire have fought more galiantly o.
suffered greater losses than the lrisr
regiments. The Ulsterites have proven
their patriotism by consenting TO tne
inauguration of Home Rule forthwith
The Nationalists have demonstrated
theirs by agreeing to the exclusion OF
Ulster from its provisions: PATRIOTISM
alone is solving the Irish question
Altogether Great Britain is showing
more firmly united front today tnan
when the war started or than year
have been