Frederic Harrison's Appeal to. Trade Unionists Mr. Frederic Harrison has issued, through the medium of the Liberal Anti-Nationalization Committee (of which he is the President), an appeal to the Trade Unionists of the United Kingdom, in which he strongly denounces the Labour ery for "nationalization." Mr. Harrison was one of the earliest supporters of Trade Unions, whose cause he championed over 30 years ago, He writes: "I am forced to utter a warning against the policy of Nationalization to be won by violent action—a course which would end in the rain of sound Trade Unionism and would throw back for a generation the future of Labour. 'As' a very old political observer, wholly free from party or class interests, I tell you that this nation will not' submit to any such sec tional dictation.
"What do you mean by Nationalization? It is to: day a shifty catchword, which means many different things, and is used in different senses' by various—groups—first meaning one thing, then something else.- Your official leaders declare that Nationalization Mines is only the first step.' They talk of the general transfer of all the great forces of industry to the 'Nation.' But that can mean nothing but a gigantic and tyrannical 'Bureaucracy.' And we are all sick of 'Bureaucracy,' and we know that it spells worry, loss, and failure. You are quite' right to reject. 'Bureaucracy' and all its works. But how can the 'Nation' manage mines, or anything else, without an enormous staff and hard-and-fast orders—red tape in fact? Oh! they don't want management by the 'Nation' (that is the old enemy—'red tape'): they want management of mines by the miners—of course, for the good of the Nation'! They go rather slack, naturally', for mine-owners but how furiously they would work for the 'Nation'! Why, swagger like this can hardly take in the smallest pit boy..._I tell you that you are being bamboozled by a juggling use of names and phrases. If you want bureaucracy, say so. If you want mines for the miners, speak out. That is plain Bolshevism.
Drrecr Action ox TeRRorisy.
"When we come to what is called 'Direct Action,' that is terrorism—to pass from rotten economics to a dastardly crime—you who are about one-tenth of the nation in voting power want to put more money in your pockets, and think an Act of Parliament of your own making will do it for you. So, if twenty millions of free electors do not accept your Bill, you intend to strangle mines, rails, docks: so that infants may die, business may be suspended, wages stopped alli
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.