JAMES CONNOLLY

NZ Truth, Issue 568, 6 May 1916, Page 5

JAMES CONNOLLY

Who and What He was Ono of the greatest uurpHaea, to thoso familiar with the warklng-clasH movement m the Old Country/ was to hoo from the cables that James Connolly, the well-known Socialist, auilior nnd lecturer, w«wi a "cotnmamUinl" of o>* retato who have been holding up Dublin for nearly two weak*. Jumea Connolly, tho Irishman with tho soft MOURNFUL VET MELLIFLUOUS VOICE. James Connolly, who, with a keon cutting logio and a fuall&da of faoU, would strip tho 'roero political Homo Ruler of every ah red of argutawnt and »how him u«aln«i hid will Umu m battling for a mere change of political masters Irishmen wore unlng a thouMiitd ton hammer to drivo a tin* tack not only whero it wtw not ne«ded, but whero it would do *erioug harm to thoiw who u»«d tho hjunroer, Th« cablo m«JMa«e# which so far havo mentioned 4«rnt« Connolly, a,rtt "pttuJc" rnt«#»B»j«, »ft 4 nn> written originally by m«n who do uot know the man they wriio about, and hay« not boon nb)« to set Into touch with aoyono thni dooj«. Tho "Evening Pout" of Tuesday Uwt, referred to Jtun^n Connolly on a "notortouH «yndtcaliiit, M and a» "I^arkin'n lieuienani und cwmma^tltr-in-cbl^f." Th» erudite "Post" doenn't »top to axplain how any man could b« both A

"lieutenant" and "commander-in-chlef* at the same time. Presumably, tho "Post" was referring to the Dublin tram strike, of two years ago. 'io, those who know the two men, tho idea, of a man of James Connolly's stamp, playing second fiddle to a. Jim Larkin is too ridiculous to be taken seriously. Connolly was 1 never any . lieutenant of Larkin's, but ho was ever and always ready to help the workers m times of industrial trouble. That ; explains his being an active force m Dublin Labor circles. Furthermore, James Connolly was no syndicalist, as the writer will show before he concludes this article, James Connolly was an Irishman* who, from his boyhood up, was AN ARDENT "IRISH" IRISHMAN. In his early manhood he had read all the bitter side of tlie history of "the most distressful country," and he had early pledged his life to help drive "the hated*Engllsh garrison" from its shores. The present writer made Connolly's acquaintance over^ a quarter of a century ago, when he was taking an active part m Socialist agitation, and m the municipal politics of Edinburgh, -where he resided tor over twenty years. Writer never mat a more companionable man, nor one who was. so free from personal vanity, and despite his unmistakable ability, which was 1 always at the service of others, religiously kept m the background' when seats m city councils and other public bodies were to be contested. He would canvass till he was a physical wreck, he would speak till his tongue refused to articulate another word, la order to help a "comrade" to gain a "seat" on some local body, but he religiously declined to allow himself to be put forward as a contestant for any such position. Connolly was as clever with the pen as he was with the tongue, and something like twentythree years ago, when the I.L.F. wa» started as a national body, although *ho refrained from joining it, he already being a member of H. M. Hyndman's organisation, the Social Democratic Federation, nevertheless, when tho Edinburgh It*". Peers started "the Labor Chroniole," Connolly Joined tho N Board and wrote many fine articles without payment, although at the time ha was as poor as the proverbial church mouse. His activity In THE WORKING-CLASS MOVEMENT of modern Athens, that home of prlda and poverty, where snobbery is equalled only by jobbery, and his outspokenness m exposing commercial and capitalist robbery of the workers, soon made him a marked man, and the result was Unit his hands were often Idle, so far as regards earning the means of life for wife and weans. It was after a protracted spell of Idleness that the word was passed round that "Jimhad decided to return to Dublin, and fears wero expressed that if he did ho he would be "arrested.". For Jlra, while quite a lad, it was said, had been an adheront of the "Invincible*." Connolly did return to Dublin, but wwa unmolested. He did not make good, however, and he returned to Scotland, this time to Glasgow. After touring Britain lecturing on Socialism and certain phases of Irish history, ha wont to America, where he remained for a number of years and "mado good," both as a writer and a lecturer. But Ireland and Dublin kept calling and ho rcturnod.to tho Irish capital, which he made his homo up to the unfortunate escapade which, tho cables '■ Inform us, has ended In his MEETING A POOL'S FATE. In Dublin ho had organised, during his former residence^ a SoolullHt JUpublican Brotherhood, and it wan James Connolly who got the little printing plant together that turned out llrat "The Harp," and, subsequently, other publications, chiefly Socialistic. Jim was ever m "Queer" -street, however, so far as finance was concerned, and ho had to appeal to frionda fur money to buy the plant. Keir llardlo was on tour of the North of Ireland at the time and to him Connolly cippeulod for help. Hardlo could not ref use. Mo asked what was tho price required tor the plant which was on offer, and oh being told he wrote out a cheque for tho full amount, Connolly handed Hardleau, I.O.tJY for tho money which Keir Immediately destroyed, remarking, "Vo can pey me gin ye'ro ablo, Jamie!* "Jamie" never wa« able. As a proof that JAMES CONNOLLY WAS NOT A SYNDICALIST. "notorious" or otherwise. It need only bo remarked that during tho thno ho wan m America, the I.W.W. was uC its height, but Connolly combated the contentions of eotno of Its leaders that Industrialism without political action would be of any lasting good to tho working class. He travelled all over tho States loctoring, and several times dobatod this very point with leading Aniorlcun Syndicalist*. At ll)» some timo ho was not an opponent ot Industrial Unionism, but an enthusiastic advocate of the stuoo, but hu held thut it was Absolutely indtapen»able for tho ofttclont training of tho working claim ulong correct lines that action ut Iho ballot box should accompany action m tho workuhop. That nails tho "notorious Syndicalist** Ho to tho countor. A* to his conviction that tho Homo Rule movement, even when successful, would bo of no valua to tbo worker, this ho illustrated m the same work from which tho above ax-< eorpt is taken: "LIST Ufc FRISK imOLAND," nay a tho patriot who won't touch Socialism. Lot ua join together ! and cr-r-rush tho br-r-rutal Saxon. Lot us all join together, says ho, all classes and creeds. . . . And, says tho town worker, after we have crushed tho Saxon and frood Iroland, what will wo doT / Oh, thon you cftn so back to your aluroa, Bitmo ah before. , . . And, says tho agricultural workors, after wo have- freed Iroland, what then? Oh, thon you cart «o scraping around for tho landlord's ront or tho monoy-lenUora' InterwU name us before . . . Aftor Iroland In free. my» tho patriot who won't uwvh Hoen»iir»in, wo will protect all dowries, nml \t you won't pay your ront you will be evicted wmo a« how. i)ut tho «vititln(f party, under command of tha Hhcrlff, will wotir Rroen mjlfonn» and tho Harp without (he Crown, and tho warrant turning you out on tho rosidslUo will bn »tamp*tl with tho arm* or the Irish Republic. ... Oh. it will be nico to live In Uh>»o days! "With the tireen Viati llofli- < ing o'er uh** and on «vor*lnorf«»ln«r army of unemployed workers w.»iu. inff about under tho Green Plnj& wUthlnK they hud something to eat. Same a« now! Whoop It up for liberty! Clearly, Jamen Connolly bad no h>ia« giving* as to the futility of Unmn Hum of kygtam* of Government, no lonj; m tho *y*»tt?m of plundering the |K>or wx* allowed to *ro on. Then why wait ho at In*! found among THE RBBKLMOUH SWN KKINICItS? To anuwox thl» qu*»Uon si »* n*«a&ary

to go back a few years. When. James CVnnoiiy returned to Dublin after nufriy years' residence I" Scotland and a number of years m America, the awful poverty of , his Irish countrymen a.nd tho ; terrible conditions of slum-Hfe so •:-m_uch-', -In evidence there Jappealed, to him overpoweringly, %uid the iron seared his very soul. There was poverty m America, much poverty, but' bad as it wks it had not reached the deeps to wh|c'h the Irish workers m Dublin and also m Belfast and. other cities had sunk. He threw his whole heart with renewed vigor" into the)'S6> cialist and Labor movement, and when, goaded to revolt by the utterly unbear- ~ able ;,..'.• : -;; ■ ■■:• ■■ ■ \ . ... ■> TYRANNY OP "BOSS" MURPHY,- : thetramwayrnen of Dublin came out on strike, he became" a recognised leader. Murphy, who was and is, a., millionaire, was chairman of the Tramway Company, and since the strike has-been knighted. He also owns and controlled other industries, besides owning mtich house property and the leading daily newspaper, the /'lrish Independent/ which has been a bitter and un veracious opponent 1 of the working-class nibVe^ meiit, although 'f ßoss" Murphy was ai good Catholic and a liberal contributor, to the funds of the Nationalist Party, as "Truth" reported at the time,': the strike was "brolce" by the authorities and the intriguing of the Nationalist leaders. . Just aboiit'tiie same tlmeltheire vasa strike m Jacob's biscuit facipjfyi which building tbje rebels of a week ago seized. Jacobs was ''Boss" Murphy's lieutenant diiring the tramways' strike also, and Murphy stood by him when his turn came to face a revolting working class.? Jacobs is a most holy man, a member of the Society of Friends, those friends of peace who do not beI lieve m war; but; he did not hesitate to go to war with hip; own country wt>men» the girUi m his bisduit factory because they became so squeamish, not to say prudish, as to .; demand separate water closets from the [ male workers ! Is It any wonder, theft, that when the Sinn Feiners talked rebellion and open revolt that many w'orkei's Joined m the rising, goaded thereto b^ the awful industrial and economic r condition under which, they drag out a jjtoilsorae, soulless ex> istence. Knowing, the: conditions of the great masses, of 1 the Dublin . workers one is not surprised that they, joined the rebellion,, but that they have 'not revolted /long ibefore Sir William Murphy's trams were overturned and converted into' barricades, and Jacob's biscuit factory wits turned into a . fort, and- 6s :a result gt act of war has been destroyed. /ij Perhaps m the, new plans frbtn which the building will be rer-erected this :. ;i GENTLE AND (IIiACIOUS QUAKER will , give x instructions that separate watpr closets, be provided for the differentse>:6S!, . ' 'j .'• ■. : Another, firm typical of the average Dublin ''emptoyer is that of Williams and Woods, pickle arid preserves manufacturers. So bad were the conditions m thig company's factory that six months ago if was 'scheduled under the Trades' BpttriiS'. Act as .'o|f. Sweated Industry! When the Board fixed a minimum wage for, Avomen over 18 years, the company dismissed over 150 females over that age and took on jgirls, under eighteen. Many of the dismissed women had been with the firm for fifteen years and were paid the magnificent sum of ten shill- - ings and tenpence per week. Prow what has been said here, readers wlljl be. able to conclude that for whatever reason James Connolly was lndu'cjed to join the rebels, it was not because he. h^darijy 1 faith m Home Rule or * Rjb pubTf<ianism|j''' or from any' aym- . pathyj with German militarism, per no*. His actiqn, and, '[Truth" is convinced, that of many; others among the rebels, was but the 'boiU|hg over of the spirit of Industrial revolt against the damnablo conditions under whloh the great mass of the ;^ \ PEOPtR df v IKDtJSTRrAL, IRELAND labor and liye.J Some foolish people are of the opinion thut the whole upheaval has been caused by a few hot-headed, Ignorant Irishmen^ These people ore themselves ignorant. As "Truth" has shown already m the foregoing! articles, there are many learned men among the rebels. Mr. P. H| Pearse, who signed the proclamation of surrender as "Pearse, Commandant-General of the Forces," is an MiA., and famed as a teacher of languages. He is the headmaster and owner of & private school at Dalkey, tii the puburbß of Dublin, It is over, arid •ji'Truth" rejoices that tho. bloodshed, ba4 as it has been, lias not been inprewe^ by a foolish prolongation of an ijineVual fight, .^hjch, whatever the resbttrces and hopes of, its liiitiatora was f ' :; v\ v:i DOOMED TO li'AILURR from the Jump. The uprising, however, ; ehould 'teach" the Home authorities the liifiaon that unbridled industrial exploitation does not teiid to the building up of a happy, contented and loyal people. ■That changes m the systems of Governments are. of 'little or ho use for the consolidation of t|ie Empire, and the wiping put the memory of past wrongs. If the economic bonds which bind the mass of tho people to a state of somlstarvation mo not only unloosened, but Uubtened as the daya go by.