New-York tribune., 1919-05-05
British Labor
ll1siste1nt, Says
" oman Leader
Miss Macarthur Asserts the
Workers Are Determined
to Have the ''New WorEd''
That Was Promised Them

"England stands to-day at the turn
ing of the road. The question is no
longer, Will she enter into the new
days? The new day is already or
dained. 1t must come The question
now is will England enter into it peace
fully, by bringing about the inevitable
changes through orderly Parliamentary
procedure, or will she lag back until
the workers force her into the new day
through other means"
That is the present British situation
as Mary Macarthur, labor leader and
late Parliamentary candidate of the
British Labor party, epitomized it last
night at the open forum Of the Church
of the Ascension, Fifth Avenue and
Tenth Street. Miss Macarthur made
the pronouncement when, after her lee
ture on Labor Unrest in Great Brita in
Today" question was sent up to the
platform asking by what methods the
great social transition is to be brought
about
81 hope and believe," she added, "that
it will come through constitutional
methods"
In her speech Miss Macarthur
strongly criticised the coalition gov
ernment and the conditions which have
prevailed during the war under its
leadership in Great Britain.
Unrest Even Before War
at is not strange that there is the
widespread unrest that there is in
Great Britain to-day" she said. "There
was unrest before the war. There is
nothing new in that. The strange
thing is that there is not more un-
rest"
All through the war Miss Macarthur
declared, the laboring classes were told
by the statesmen that they were the
backbone and strength of the country.
Now" said she, 'they believe it."
"The new world that was promised
has not yet come to pass in Great Brit
ain" she went on, "but the workers
mean to have that new world just the
same, and they mean to have new
status. We want full share of all
the good things of life, and we want
for our children what we never can
have-the capacity to enjoy life. That
is what the British Labor party seeks
to bring about for the people,
The root and basis of British war
tiiiN SSt, NIiSo hdCfhI CltuI SOIu, were
to be found in the profteering that
hourished on every side, and she
quoted voluminous figures and anec-
dotes to show how fragrant much of
this had been.
Employers Ignored Truce
Taking up the matter of the industrial
truce" she protested that it had been
a truce on one side only.
"The employers steadily ignored it,
she declared.
Among numerous anecdotes which
Miss Macarthur told in this connection
was one of factory in London which,
during air raids, made its girl night
operatives stand at attention for hours,
the factory doors locked, while bombs
and anti aircraft guns popped and
cracked all about.
And then" said she, "the girls were
docked for this time because they were
producing nothing"
At the present time, she declared
half q million people are out of work
in Great Britain, although vast
amount Of labor which should be per-
formed is being allowed to remain un-
done.
Here in America" said she, 81 look
into happy eyes. You cannot find such
eyes in Great Britain to-day You over
here cannot fully understand how we,
after four years of war and broken
pledges, feel"