Forces of Anarchy

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume XIV, Issue 198, 30 July 1924, Page 5

Forces of Anarchy

Courage Needed TO DEAL WITH DISRUPTIVE elements. STRAIGHT TALK BY N.U.B. SECRETARY. It i s easy to piay to tho gallery. It is easy to rouse the passions of men by promising them impossible things. It iy unpopular, and in. volveg on© in odium, to take the straight constitutional hue and tell the men the tiuth. Nevertheless it is the only straight and honest way. These words wer© uttered by Mr C. T. Cramp, secretary oi the British National Union oi itailwaymeu, during the railway strike in England ©any in June last. The following is the iuJ text of his statement. It one that will give lood for thought to ail who read it. He says; This is a fight between order and mob law. It is only one mauiivsUiUoo of an underground movement winch has been going on ior a considerable time. Almost every large union in the country has been afflicted by this foul disease; wherever it has temporarily estabashed a hold, disaster to the workers ha a invariably followed. Th© organised Labour movement should reaaze that attempts to placate, or temporise with, the force* of anarchy, whil© they may provide a breathing space, must lead to worse disasters later on and the steady disintegration of the forces of the w'orkers, rendering them less potent to protect the general interest of their members.

'ihe National Union of Railwaymen, during a period of severe depression, when conditions ail round were being worsened, has succeeded to a very great degree in maintaining the conditions of its members and has built up for itself the greatest reserves of funds which it has ever possessed during its life. Attempts have been made to dissipate its strength by spying, lying, and sectional propaganda. Hitherto these attempts have been defeated by tho commca sense of its governing bodies and the rank and file of its members generally. So far as I am concerned, I will neither compromise with, nor bow down to, th© handful of people who are conducting this wretched business. The tragedy of the whole thing consists in the fact that large numbers of honest and decent workmen are being led away by persons chiefly interested in obtaining prominence or money, or both. Now that the issue is raised in the National Union of Railwaymen it had better be fought out right away without hesitation, and our members should understand that in certain cases those responsible for dragging them into this position hav© done very little work for many months past. The funds and the present standing of the National Union of Railwaymen .were not built up by our members to be dissipated in this way, and co long as I hold a position of trust in the union they shall not be frittered away in this manner.

It seems to me that what is needed in the British Labour movement at the present time is greater courage in dealing with all these disruptive elements. Our constitution was framed by working railwaymen; its supreme governing body is composed of working railwaymen; its executive committee, which administers its affairs, is composed of working railwaymen; th© decisions of these bodies constitutionally expressed I shall carry out, but I shall fight now, and at any future time, self-appointed dictators just as strongly as I will fight the railway companies when the union so decides.

Those men who are members of the National Union of Railwaymen, employed by the Great "Western and London Underground Railway com. panies and who are now out on strike, should at once go back to their work and understand that they are merely being used as tool s in the hands of unscrupulous men who have axe a of their own to grind. The executive committee of th© National Union of Railwaymen has taken a quite definite attitude on this question, and they are the only people competent to issue instructions. It is easy to rous© the passions of men by promising them impossible things. It is unpopular, and involves one in odium, to take a straight constitutional line and foil the men the truth. Nevertheless it is the only straight and honest way. It is th© only way in which one can live with a clean conscience and conduct business in a manner which shall have the best ultimate result. That line ha B been followed by mv executive committee. That line will be followed by myself regardless of any consequences which may ensue, and I call upon the membership of the National Union of Railwaymen to fight against these forces of disruption and corruption which are seeking to undermine the position which we have attained. Every loyal member of the union should regard it as his duty to sup port the executive committee in thia case; they should realize that the only blacklegging which can take place id this dispute is to refuse to accept the instructions issued from this office, and should assist in saving those who have been misled; they should use all their influence to secure an immediate resumption of work.