The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1917-08-25

that when it holds its meetings at
the East India Dock Gates, our great
public forum, it's usual audience is
between five and fifteen people. If /
stand up to advocate the war, several
hundred people will gather in few
minutes. They do not stay merely
to listen to Bill Crooks. They have
known me for many years, for have
spoken there for thirty years. But
they come in greater numbers than in
the old days. They come because I
tell them about the war.
I was walking down Commercial
road with a young fellow in khaki
fresh back from tho front, when he
saw an old chum come up. "Why,
Bert" he said, mot In khaki? You've
not Joined up?" "Naw!" Bert replied.
II amt such a fool And he went
on to argue against the war.
The soldier had to go on. I re-
manned and turned to the young fell
low. I purposely pitched my voice
loud to attract the attention of
,passers-by.
Dragged From Homes.
II noticed" said I, that before you
answered your friend, you took a
cigarette out of your mouth. Do you
understand that it is the likes Of him,
doing what he is doing, that enables
the likes of you to be where you are
in safety. You are not willing to do
your bit to stop the kaiser from
numbering women and children" BY
this time a number of women, proba-
bly, about fifty, were standing around
listening. LET me tell you about
scene at a Belgian railway station a
little time ago. A train was loaded
up with 500 young women, married
and single. They had been dragged
from their homes by the German
soldiers. Tears were on their faces
and their hands were outsretched as
they cried, beseeching neutral friend,
Where are we going? For. Gods
sake, tell us where we are going!'
They were being dragged from their
homes to Germany. And you, my lad,
are not such a fool, you say, as to
help to save your women and chill
dren from a fate like this.'
There was no need for me to say
any more. I heard the women calling,
Leave him to us, Mr.. Crooks, leave
him to U.S." I left. That is how our
women feel about it. They encourage
their sons and husbands to 20. They
want this wicked and dreadful war to
cease, but they do not want it to- cease
until the power Of the kaiser to re-
peat such evil has been broken.
Appeal Successful,
This is what has moved our people,
the danger to the home and family.
I have asked gatherings Of men time
after time what they; would do if: they
came back from work in the evening
and found no home. If they found
a mass Of ruins over the dead bodies
Of their wives and children. have
.asked them IL they would sooner fight
among such. scenes, shooting and
lodging round the street corners, or
do their fighting now. And the .ap-
peal has never failed.
It is our home that stands first
with all of us. You know the familiar
scene, the little home, the wife, the
child. The father hurries back from
work to play with the baby. He does
not even stop to wash. The wife
tells him not to disturb It, 't1t's" Thine,
as well as yours, old girl" he says.
He worships it. He worships her
The baby sickens. They hang over It's
cot, hour after hour, with anguish at
their hearts. It dies. Heartbroken
the man leans down, resting his head
in his hand. my God!" he cries.
''What have I done to deserve this? I
would have given anything, I would
have done anything, could my boy
have lived"
AS that father feels over his dead
babe, we feel over our homes and over
the cause Of liberty we are defending.
We will give anything, do anything to
save it.
But" say some folk. "you are CIV
ing UP librety. You are Prussionizing
yourselves. You are adopting all
kinds of regulations in England. The
people cannot do this, they cannot do
that. You must stay at work: you
must go as a soldier if you are called;
you can no longe do as you like"
Must Pay the Price.
Yes, but why? We have temporar-
lily made a sacrifice of our individual
freedom in order to secure it perman-
entity. We are paying a price, but we
are paying it Of our own free will. You
cannot get anything except at a price.
You cannot have any spiritual gain
without material sacrifice. When a
big bit of work has to be done, you
call in the expert and place yourself
under his direction. We are engaged
on the biggest task any nation ever
undertook. We have called in the ex-
perts, the best experts we can find. We
are letting them tell us what to do and
how to go to work.
But if anyone supposes that the
British people, who for hundreds Of
years have been pioneers in the fight
for liberty, are going to allow them
selves to be permanently deprived Of
freedom because Of this. he is wrong.
Our people have shown in the past that
they know how to safeguard their
rights. Today they are willingly sac
rificing much Of the old freedom. But
when the needs of the war go by, the
temporary conditions will cease.
One Concern Is War.
The great thing that concerns us
now Is the war. This is fight to the
finish, and the kaiser has got to be
finished. This war is everybody's
business, workman and aristocrat
alike. Everybody must help, and
every class is helping. We are going
to see this thing through. And we
are willing to sacrifice everything.