MR. DAVITT ON THE LIVERPOOL STRIKE.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XVIII, Issue 5, 30 May 1890, Page 13

MR. DAVITT ON THE LIVERPOOL STRIKE.

On Tuesday, March 25, Mr. Davitt addressed a monster meeting of dock labourers of Liverpool, held at the Pier Head, there b.iag about 30,000 people present. In the course of his speech Mr. Davitt siid — Let me sny at once that while I am with the workers in this or any other country in their demands fo- full justice, I am somswhat conservative in the matter of strikes. A strike is a most serious fight to engage in. A strike is a weapon which should be handled witu the preatest possible care, but when it is once entered upon, and the workers find firm ground under thtir feet, and waen they issue an appeal to the public conscience for a judgment upon their righteous demands, then what they have got to do is to stand together in a spirit of loyalty such as has characterised your action from the beginning to Ihe present moment (cheeid). Now, I have listened to your case, so ably at ted by Mr. M'Hugh, anl 1 confess I waa somewhat surprised to find that the issues in this contest were not what 1 believed from the public Press (enters). 1 imagined that your demand, in the first place, was for some increase in wages ; and, secondly, that the one main difficulty now in the way of a settlement was that you refused to go back to work with non-union men, or tb.3 p3ople who had been called by very uncomplimentary name? — names which I am not going to use. And 1 will tell you why. In coming down from London I was told that a number of these men were in a waitingroom, that they were coming down from London to take 6ome of your places. I went in and spoke to them. 1 appealed to them as men not to come here and stand in your way , not to be induced to come here and do a wroDg to their brother workmen of Liverpool (cheers.)

I could not feel anything like hatred or ill- will in my heart towt»rdß these poor men. They have wives and children like the men I see before me ; and undoubtedly false statements were made, falsa representations were put before them, to come here and to prolong this fight to the detriment of you and of the whole city of Liverpool. Now, I am satisfied, from what I have heard here to-day, that you are willing to make this concession to public feeling and to public interests, that you are willing, if your very reasonable demands are conceded, to go back and work alongside these misguided men ; and I am satisfied if you promise to do it you will keep your promise. Do you imagine for oae m iment that, assuming your other demands are conceded, and that you go back, that these shipowners will continue to employ men, four of whom could not do the work of one dock labourer (laughter) ? Do you imagine that they will continue to pay extravagant prices in the hope that by this rujana you will be sLarved out ? No. My advice to you is thi3 — Make this concession fully, honestly, and heartily to public feeling in Liverpool. Go back tj your work, and '.believe me, in a very few weeks' time these importel men will be wiße, or rather their employers will be wise, and the latter will dischaige them, and send them back to where they came from (cheers). Now, I confess that I have learn id with pr;de, with unbounded pleasure, of ihe magnificent demeanour that has characterised you, the workm^men of Liverpool, throughout this trying ordeal. You have borne it in a manner which reflects credit not only upon yourselves but upon the great c.iU'-e of labour in which you are enlisted. You have shown a pa'ience, a forbe trance, anl a good temper which makes me pioud to think that a gri.at maoy of you belong to the same coun'ry which 1 b -ill from (cneers). Continue, then, to show these admnable qualities, and believe mo puohc opinion in Liverpool and throughout England will rush to your side with overwhelming force, as was the c ise in London, and that in a very short time victoiy will be written upon your banner (ehee r s.) 1 am not going to say one haish word either against the capitalists engaged iv this strife, or against any individual among th m who may have mftde himself more or less obnoxious lo you. I am not heie to take Bide« — if I may say so — in this strife. Doubtless, strong wordß have been eaid on your side, and probably — nay, I am sure of it, insulting observations have been made on the other. Therelore, I am not going to indulge in any observations one way or the other. 1 am simply heie to ask you, in the first place, to continue showing the admirable discipline and ordor that has characterised you so far, dnd to make this coucession to public feeling. For if your demands are conceded you will go back to work, and advise these poor men to ]oin their union in their own locality, and become like you their own best irienda aod the best possible soldiers in the cause ot labour. Mr. Cunningham Grahame has refened to what might possibly be done on the other side of the Atlantic in connection with the struggle in Liverpool. I need nut tell you that Liveipool and fcew York arc very closely commercially united. Well, 1 hope and trust there will De no necessity, ttiat you will not be driven to implore the working men of New York — the trades organisa'ion of that gieat city — to take any action there with reference to Bhips belonging to your opponents here in Liveipool, I would be very sorry both for the city of New York and the city of Liverpool that this struggle should be prolonged, and that any angry feeling should be mipoited into it. But if, after you have made this concession to public feeling, your opponents will continue <o act unreasonably and unjubtly, then 1 can say, as a member of the Knights of Labour ot America and of other labour organisations, that our fnends will be ready to respond to any reasonable appeal that you will make to them (cheers). Unless you stand loyally together in your oiganisatiou you will be beaten in the uid, and you may expect no meicy from your opponents. Stmid together aa faithfully in the future as jou have done up to the present; show, if nece-sary, mcieased moderation, because in a battle ot this kind it ia everything to have public feeling and sentiment on ycur side. Having these as allies, and having justice and reason aa your demands, be prepared to conciliate public opinion to eveiy possible extent, and, believe me, in a few days' time, and I hope to God 1 am Bpeaking ihe tiuth, lam prophesying what will come to pa^u, in a few da}a' time this great struggle will be terminated, for your peace ot mind, for the advantage of the commercial interests and the public peace tf this great city (loud and prolonged cheering).