Wheeling majority. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1907-192?, 1916-01-06
take Poor Mems Bodies!
Take Rich Mems Wealth F.

That the British workingmen are
standing true to their declaration that
they would oppose conscription of
the botdies of workingmen unless the
wealth of the rich was first conscript-
ed is proved by the result of the Brit
ish Labor Congress held yesterday
The action taken was precisely as pre-
dicted in an article prepared some
time ago, and which appears in an
other column of this issue.
The following is an Associated Press
dispatch:
London, Jan. 6, $3.50 p. Morgan
lied labor of Great Britain, sitting in
congress in London today, decided
against the government compulsion
bill by the Overwhelming majority Of
1895, 900 to 783, 900.
Hostility to the government feas
ure was uncompromising and neces-
STATED the resignation from the coali
ton ministry of all three labor mem
bers, Arthur Henderson, VIM. Brace
and George H. Roberts, holding re
spectively the offices of president u
the board of education, parliamentary
under-secretary for home affairs ans
lord commissioner of the treasury and
their designations were announced
during the evening.
More than one thousand delegates
were present, representing four hun
dred unions and three million workers
In addition to the formal vote
against the governments .compulsion
bill, the congress rejected by four to
one a motion pledging support to the
principle of compulsion for single
men; and passed by 2 to 1 another mo-
ton directing the labor party to op-
pose the bill in all its stages in the
house of commons.
The congress closed with an en-
thusiastic scene, the feature of which
was the singing of the socialist an
them, ''The Red Flag" by some of the
delegates.
The proceedings opened with a
formal summary of the situation fol-
lowed by the introduction of the off
in tone, the substance. of it being free
to vote as they saw fit on the ques-
ton of compulsion.
Some section of the audience werf
inclined to be FESTIVE during thesc
formalities and when later there cam
succession of impassioned orations
against compulsions the opposition
which at first had been audible only in
Intersections, and murmurings. grad
Tally hardened and there were loud
demands from every part of the hall.
One of the early spectators, Jas.
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
appealing to the trade unions mot to
sell their heritage of freedom"
Speech of Arthur Henderson, presi-
dent of the board of education, came
as a sedative to the passionate feel
ing aroused bys the earlier speakers
He spoke calmly and logically, de
Tending not merely the resolution be
fore the meeting. but also the com
pulsion bill itself. But his effort was
insufficient to turn the tide of opposi-
ton.
With the exception of the Miners
Federation, which refused to partic'
pate, owing to internal difficultiet
with the joint board, virtually ever
trade union of importance in tn
country was represented in the cor
gress. The number of societies vot /
ing is given from one source as 400,
made up as follows: Trade unions, |
311; trade councils and local labor
parties, SO; labor party organizations. |
Is.
Col John Ward, NJ. P.. who calls
himself an independent laborite, and |
is one of the picturesque foreigners |
of the house of commons, declared in I
the house tonight that the decision Of /
the labor congress could not be re-
garded as actually representing fhej
win of the labor men of the coHrtry /
For" said he. .svou must consider
the fact that certainly from one half |
to one third of the members of the /
trade organizations with which eon-l
gress meet. are either in the trenches I
or preparing to take their places
there. |, for one, have done my best
in the past to oppose conscription but
never contemplated the circum-
stances which have now arisen and
Z in common with manv other labor
men. WIN support this compulsion