New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-07-15
British Union Leader
Of Seamen Thwarted Pacifists
-,,., Sailor Blocked Macdon-
Id and Jowett When They
We're Ready to Sail for Peace
Farley

Farley
,..son. July l4.-Nothing funnier
-,,r,ened in this country since the
~ Ian than the holding up, at Abb
W ~. 81 the two pacidst labor lead
'''''I Ramsay Macdonald and F. W.
~ ,,. both Members Of Parliament
CIV, ~, On their way, or thought they
$40 - the Socialist conferences at
''s and Petrograd. Both Mac
s~n Who sits in Parliament for
go. and Jowett. who represents
Bradford. are peace eranks OF
"''' ..,sr,e TYNE. They were elected
." ,',.,,tes 10 the TWO conferences by
Is ~sollv unreprcsentatiye gathering
* a.1o- men" which recently congre-
" :. Leeds. The whole tone Of
.'%1 CONGRESS" was "be nice 70 the
~ ~ and its delegates had no
''..-n,,iOns 20 demand reparatiOn for
-, or any Of the other ravaged
',s ..r;ss when confronted with their
-. Hun brethren at the Swedish
apiiaL .o,,o,r;rc
gs.,sn, line from that Of France
,..3.s after consultation with the
80. 80 Ambassador at PetrOgrad and
- -, Henderson, ". P. the famous
=, leader and member of the Brit
:, war Cabinet who is now a special
- 10 the Petrograd government, to
,.,r. passports to the two pacidsts
-. than appear 10 muzzle any
80 80, ~ the representatives OF labor
So. .L",s islands. So Macdonald and
-, felt certain of getting away.
49, ~. ,srloDed. however. without the
4Le$ ,,;c sailors Of Great Britain, who
bsnsed together in a trade union
az .ss;r own known as the National
I,.sicsmsted Sailors and Flremen's
Union.
Sailors Decide Matters
y. sailor, decided that the peace
.-s,Is should not sail. The crew OF
80 rood ship Nulture, on which Mac
s-,s5 and Jowett had taken passage,
i..ijped 10 leave port II the pacihst
,,;r were on board. When the two
,s,,.jtes reached Aberdeen they were
y;--nslIv made prisoners. Pickets
vs,s piaeed around their hotel and
,ssv we're shadowed wherever they
v... BY representatives Of the Sea
-sr's Union. OF course, the crew OF
ne Vul,ure rsked being sent 10 jail
i,r breaking their articles OF agree
-snt rather than take the cranks 10
sea. but they rissed that
I, was said that If the Nulture men
vsrs arrested every sailor and fireman
IN the country would 90 on strike.
However. the government accepted the
,i,ns,ion and so. perforce, did the two
|paciisi delegates After. being ma
roonsd in Aberdeen for three weary
davis they returned 70 London much
iovncast
This outcome OF their attempt TO mis-
represent their country has caused
general satisfaction, except, OF course,
among other peace cranks-
The man who, more than any other,
: responsible FOR this thwartlng OF the
British pscifsts is Joseph Havelock
Wilson, the veteran trade union leader
who is general president Of the Ma
|,io-sl Seamen's Union. Wilson. who
sity.nine, was the original organizer
IL tie union, which has over l4O
branches and between 10000 and 10000
members During the years that he
81, IN Parliament he vas known as the
Sailors ". p" and what he says
rosly goes in the shipping world here
Details Not Diyulged
wilson didn't divulge all the details
q row the NARROWING" Of the outward
Bond -cranks was managed when
II addressed a big meeting OF mem
I;sn o. the British Workers League IN
Trafalgar Square recently, but he made
(. pain how big a shock their detention
a tie eleventh hour was 20 Macdonald
| rd Iowett
Joseph Havelock Wilson is one OF the
cost striking personalities in England
Zen IN a seaport town OF seaiarng
;o,f, be shipped before the mast as
~ and for many years lived a life OF
i.wtiure OF the deep. The more he
av, however. o. the wretched condi-
Tors Of sailors life then the more
;sn-rined he grew 20 get them bet
nFtd, and. with this in view, left the
"a iid settled On land.
L Wtsl be put bis hand 20 his SELF
lipo.nisG task his friends frankly told
- t.at he was a madman-the idea
beng able % get sailors 20 combine,
nl less % tght the shipowners,
"-sa chimer.cai 20 a degree. But
,s Sailors and Fircmen's Union be-
Az an accomplished and potent fact
sipp.ng circles. and what the ner-
3tls mariner o. today owes % Have
't wilson IL the way Of greater Sc
6n'y o. lie and LIMB, better food,
ages and, generally speaking, i'm
N'so eorditons o. existence only the
'n o. The old days know.
| Success Leads to Undoing
Forever, The very success Of the
i'i nearly proved Wilson's undoing.
| ho2ght hin into bitter conflict with
~ Hlfowrers and involved him IN
"a. Acel actions, in one Of which
~ e4nages were given against him.
Alofg iae many reforms that be
.-s's' anc carried through may be
,-"osee the extension OF the en-
9ssis liability act 20 seamen, the
@'"sament Of an authorized food