The Northwest worker. [volume] (Everett, Wash.) 1915-1917, 1916-05-11
BRITISH GOVERNMENTS REIGN
OF TERROR ON THE CLYDE
WORKERS BEING TERRORIZED AND JAIL.
ED FOR DARING TO PROTEST AGAINST
PARASITIC DOMINATION

The trade union movement IN the
Clyde area has been severely handled
during the past two weeks and those
interested are beginning to wonder if
it is the intention of the government
to clear out every person in any way
suspected of influence among the rank
and file. All the active officials of
the Clyde Workers committee have
been deported, or imprisoned; some
two score strikers have been heavily
fined for leaving work; men who were
appointed shop stewards in place of
those removed have been dismissed;
stalwarts like Mclean, Muir, Bell and
GALLAGHER have been sent to prison
for long periods; Maxton, McDougall,
Smith and Benson are in prison await
ing trial; while threats have been
made of proceedings being taken
against others who are unaware of
having committed any offense except
that they have been busy in the cause
of labor. Public meetings called to
protest against the deportation and
Imprisonment have been prohibited by
the authorities, and the Glasgow
workers have been led to infer that
slavish silence on their part will be
acceptable during the war-and after.
The terrorist regime of Lloyd George
is at it's height. His dominance will
be short, for the insurgents on the
Clyde will rally their forces and, when
the opportune time comes, they will
act and act effectively.
The Edinburgh Sentences
The four men who were sent to
prison last week at the High Court
of Judiciary" in Edinburgh were, one
might say, condemned before they
were tried. All of us must make their
cause our own and every legal means
at our disposal must be used to secure
their release. The Parliamentary La
Dor Party does not seem very keen
on moving for the release Of the de-
portees and prisoners; therefore we
must ourselves do the work necessary
to secure their release. Take the
cases of Muir, GALLAGHER and Bell, who
were convicted of "sedition"; the first
two were sent to prison for twelve
months each, and Bell for three
months. The charge against them
was based on an article entitled,
SHOULD the Workers Arm" which ap-
peared in the Worker, the organ of
the Clyde Workers committee, which
was suppressed in January last under
the Defense of the Realm Act. The
article consisted of about 1000 words,
and after examining the possibility of
the workers arming, concluded by
stating that there was no need for the
workers to arm as they could obtain
all the reforms necessary by trade
union and political agitation and Or
ganizatiOn.
Inc article was puDnSned anony-
mously and was not written by any
of the three men sent to prison. Bell
had nothing to do with the article, ex
cept that, as an employee of the S. l..
?. Press, he helped to print it; Gala
cher never saw the article until after
he was arrested and was prosecuted;
while Muir, who edited the paper aft
er his ordinary working hours, did not
think the article favored the use of
armed force or he would not have pub
lished it, Both Muir and GALLAGHER
are opposed to the use of force; Meth
er of them has advocated strikes dur
ing the war, and both of them have