Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1917-06-11
.pETROGRAD DELEGATES
ARE HELD AS PRISONERS
National Seamen's and Firemcn's
Union Will Not Permit Pa
ciflsts to Proceed.
CREW REFUSES TO SAIL
Both Frederick w. Jowctt and James
Ramsey Macdonald, Appointed by
Socialists, Are Members OF Parlia-
ment-Great Demonstration.
IRx Associated Prcss.l


LONDON. June l0.-Members OF the
to-day have taken prisoner Frederick
w. Jowctt, president Of the Independ
ent Labor party, and James Ramsey
Macdonald, chairman of the Labor
who were about to sail for Petrograd.
An enthusiastic demonstration was
held this afternoon In Trafalgar Square
to protest against permitting Mr.. Mac
Petrograd. on account of their sup
posed pacihst leanings.
The meeting was opened by the read
ing OF the following telegram from
Firemcn's Union:
Il have Macdonald and Jowett pris-
oners. The crew refuses to sail with
them"
The Trafalgar Square demonstration
brought together great crowds. Joseph
Havelock Wilson, president of the Ma
tional Seamen's Union. in the course
of a speech. said:
This Is no new question. I wrote
eighteen months ago n protest to the
council of the German Transport Fed
Grafton against submarine barbarities
and warned the council that unless it
protested against the U-boat warfare
my union would refuse to participate
after the war in any conference that
included Germans. The answer I re-
ceived was that my proposal was
laughed to scorn and that the U-boats
were perfectly justified in acting as
they did"
ASKS HIM TO PRODUCE
LABOR CREDENTIALS
Mr.. Wilson said that there were
100000 organized workers in Great
Britain. and IL Ramsay Macdonald
was able to get 100000 of those votes
in his favor the union would immedi-
ately withdraw the boycott If Mac
Donald wanted to go to Petrograd
said the seamen's president, let him
produce his credentials to represent
British labor
Several others spoke. and a rcsolu-
ton was carried declaring that
mass-meetinG OF citizens of London
depiores the decision to grant pass
ports to paciffst delegations to the So
cialist conference at Petrograd, and
indorscs the action of the seamen's
union in refusing to work on ships
on which such delegates are passen-
gers"
Captain Tubper. in an announcement
made tonight at the port where Mac
Donald and Jowett were held. said
there should be no lawlessness. II the
law had TO be broken, he would not
ask his men to break it, but would
break it himself and suffer the con-
sequences. He said that II Macdonald
and Jowett were to get away by a
destroyer, he would be in Petrograd
as soon as they were.
OTHERS IN PARTY ON
WAY TO PETROGRAD
The party on its way TO Petrograd
at the same port where Macdonald and
Jowett are being held includes George
IL. Roberts. Labor whip in the House
OF Commons: Mrs. Emmeline Pank-
hurst. the suffragette leader. and
others.
After the demonstration In Trafal-
gar Square, telegram was dispatched
to Premier Lloyd George. saying that
10000 British citizens had assembled
and supported the action of the Sea-
mems and Firemen's Union in refusing
to sail with Macdonald and Jowett.
The telegram requested the Premier to
cancel the passports of the delegates,
in view OF the overwhelming mass of
British opinion opposed to their pro-
ceedng to Russia.
MIR. Jowett and Mr.. Macdonald were
appointed by the Independent Labor
party. the pacifist Socialist element,
to go to Petrograd to confer with
Russian Socialists. The Seamen's and
Firemen's Union adopted a resolution
last week that none of its members
must be permitted to man any vessel
conveying paciists to Petrograd or to
Stockholm. where the international
Socialist conference is to be held, un
less they signed guarantee that thew
would insist upon restitution to allied
merchan. seamen for murder and de-
struction committed by German SUBJ
marines.