LANCINGS WEDNESDAY, MARCH 17, 1920. DIRECT ACTION VOTED OUT.

Free Lance, Volume XIX, Issue 1029, 17 March 1920, Page 6

LANCINGS

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 17, 1920. DIRECT ACTION VOTED OUT.

Here shall the Press the people's right maintain, Unawed by principle and unbribed by gain, Here patriot Truth her glorious precepts draw, Pledged to Religion, Liberty and Law.

British Labour Shows its Common Sense. BRITISH Labour has proved its common-sense by voting out the principle 6f direct action and deciding to attain its ends by the methods available to all classes of the country for the redress of grievances-—political action.- The British working man, and "his overseas brothers), are coming rapidly to the conclusion that one section •of Labour cannot resort to direct action without breaking the windows of other Labour dwellings as well ds those it intends to break. It is like a boom•erang ; like a badly-fired charge of dynamite that strikes unexpected places. •k- •» ■■■■■. :

. Over in Australia a handful of marine tried direct action to .gain their ends. Their , action, and ' their obstinacy, reacted on thousands of other workers, whose employment depended ,on the' continued activity of the shipping/ The watersiders were ■so hard hit by their fellow workers : ,that they went .Mr Hughes, ;■ the , Federal Priine Minister, arid ffsTced for relief. He did not give them relief. Instead, he pointed out that the thing they were complaining about was the precise medicine they, had handed •out to other workers during the ■waterside strike. He rubbed it well in and wound up by advising them that the best thing for them to do was to go . to the engineers and pitch their tale of tvo© to them. The deputation left ixni, "riaersed in thought. It looks 7as\ if •direct action, will have, to take. the •count generally, pretty soon. '"