A POLITICAL STRIKE.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXVI, Issue 44, 27 June 1913, Page 4

A POLITICAL STRIKE.

It is something novel to learn thai the' strike may he used as a weapon ■for some other purposes than to merely coerce employers cq better conditions of work. Belgium, a busy little country, recently witnessed a strike over the Parliamentary plural franchise, which gives to heads ol families over thirty-five years of age and'to holders of a certain amount of property, two votes, and to men of certain educational qualifications, three votes. Other males over twentyfive have only one vote. The Socialists objected to the system, and urg-ed-the adoption of universal suffrage for men and women over twenty-one. The Socialists threatened a general strike if their demands were not granted, and at length, after Parliament had definitely declared against change, the strike was launched. The intending strikers, learning that the Premier had promised a commission of enquiry, postponed action, indicating their perfect accord with the principle of arbitration, but promptly went on with the fight when the Prime Minister said that he had been misunderstood. The methods adopted by the strikers on a point ip politics, enabled the authorities to make provision for public order, and the carrying on of public utilities, and the strike does not seem to have caused so much injury and inconvenience as was anticipated. The London Times describes the strike as a “ten days’ holiday devoted to peaceful pursuits, and not, as usual on such occasions, to violent conflicts with iellow workmen and the forces of order.” The proposals for inquiry came from the Government, and the strike was called off. The eagerness with which the! leaders took advantage of the opportunity is considered to have shown that they were uneasy about the immediate future. “So long as funds

were available, a week’s idleness had its attractions” (wrote the Brussels correspondent of The Times), “but, irom personal it seemed that strikers were beginning to tire ol the holiday and, moment money failed, it was certain that boredom would lead to sabotage and to that application of the Government’s force which the leaders were so anxious to avoid. For all that, the art of playing with fireworks is to produce as much effect as possible without an explosion, and the leaders of the strike have succeeded in effecting this in an admirably disciplined movement.” As the matter stood when affairs ! again became normal, no advantage, seems to have been gained by either, side, and if anything was learned from the experiment it was that striking under any circumstances is an expensive blunder for which the striker usually pays in full. I