The Washington herald., 1920-04-03
General Strike Apt to Be
Called Within Next
Three Months.
RADICALS URGE STEP.
Government May Be Able
To Delay WalkOut
By Concessions.
BY COL. ARTHUR l.. LYNCH.
Especial Cable Dispatch TO The
Washington Herald.)

London, March 30.-The industrial
situation in this country is unset
tIed. CabIed reports of strikes give
only an imperfect view of the in
fuences at work here.
Strikers hitherto have had for
their object tho betterment Of the
conditions of labor such as shorter
hours and increased pay. Again and
again strikes have taken place. on
these ostensible grounds, and have
been settled. never with complete
victory to either side but in such
a way that the working man has
improved.
These strikes are only mutter-
fngs of storms which have been
steadily advancing, since the war
toward this country from the con-
tinent. 1t is difficult to speak of any
. boishevik element in Great Britain
and this for several reasons. On
the one hand the trades unions here
are the Oldest established in the
world, the best organized and most
efficient. besides claiming the great
est membership.
workmen Weigh Plans.
-. The British workmen are well
educated in trade matters and. as the
internal government of the trades
unions is elaborate and complex
there is less danger here than in
any other country of course or
action being adopted which has not
been carefully considered.
Also there are in existence many
other democratic or socialist bodies
Most of them are more radical than
the trades unions, such as the In
dependent Labor Party. The par
liamentary party is not recognized
as a leading body of the Labor
party. 1t is regarded rather as
special department.
IIeade s of labor here. men like
Robert SmilIie. president of the
Coal Miners Union. and Robert
Williams, secretary of the Trans
port Workers Union. are not out
merely to boost wages but to re-
organize. perhaps overthrow, the
present system of government.
Weapon Is General Strike.
Their weapon is the general
strike There have been various
tentative efforts in that direction
which. though defeated at the time.
may be regarded as rehearsals OF
the coming big event. In my opin-
ion, a general strike Will be tried
sooner or later. II is difficult tC
fix the date. II may probably be
delivered in less than three months
or, by a system of resistance and
concessions, the government may
be able to stave it off until such
time as general election is i'm
n1inent. Then the issue will be
fought out at the polls.
If, prematurely. the labor leaders
call for n general strike. Lloyd
George probably will call for a dis
solution of parliament. On the
other hand. the word "bolshevism''
has lost its power here of frighten-
ing people. This is due to the con-
Eestion of lies which were set aflOat
by European governments. and
which was overdone. No tales of
atrocities in Russia now affect the
workman, simply because he doesn't
believe them. BY the force of reac-
tion he credits the Soviet govern
ment with a much better record
than II should have. Recent provoc-
ative speeches by Lloyd George
and Winston Spencer Churchill have
increased this tendency.
Copyright 1920. by Cross Atlantic News
paper Service, InC.l