The Cambria Daily Leader

THE BYE-ELECTION. Coalition Candidate's Complaint. 1 I  MEETINGS. ?i??&iU?&???*? im?i?ii??r???aj???. CWMBWRLA. I A note of earnestness, impelled by recognition of the tremendous problems that li-e before this country and the world, made the meeting in support of Aid. Dd. Matthews at Libami-, Cwmbwi la, on. Wed- nesday evening, a memorable one. Slight I ebullitions of the anarchic emotion l-ere and there were met and promptly sub- dued, often with laughter, by sound, nard- Iheaded common-sense and appeal to other emotions vastly their superior. Mr. J. R. Davies, who presided, agreed rwith General Smuts that reil peace besrari with peace in onr hearts. But Mr. Lloyd Coorge had done a great work, and a tribute to him they should send Mr. Dd. Matthews to assist in making peace our enemies without creating a state of warfare jn our own country* (Applause.) Mr. Davies having to leave early, the jehair was taken by Mr. E. M. I-ovell. MRS. WHAU.EY ON HOUSING. I Mrs. Whalley said she felt str:m"08 as nn Englishwoman coming to Wales to ask .Welsh people to be loyal to the .finest man h e tiiic the country had got. She believed that -31r. Lloyd "George was sent by the grace Of God to this country. (Applause.) She referred appreciatively to the new 'Ministry of Health, and to the new Edu- cation Act, and said there v-as a great future before us if we kept our Leads. The new Housing Bill was the finest that had ever been before any civilised coun- try. Were they going to help the Govern niient in the task of reconstruction, or ueie they going to hindci ? She dared to ask them to pray to God about it. (Applause.) MR. J. A. SEDDON, M.fJ. I Mr. J. A. Seddon's speech was a series of sle(ige hammer blows, a coniincn-senss demonstration of indubitable tacts. Air. iLloyd George, he said. was engaged on the greatest task that had ever fallen to any statesman in the long history of mankind. Old institutions were on their tiial; we -were facing a new world where all de- pended on statesmanship and the solid- arity of this country. Hy men of all parties it had been Iiil down as funda- mental that this war was waged for the I defence and the preservation of democ- raev. That was the rf-asou which c?mpel?d thou?nuds who, like lu?sdt, had always ben Pacifist. to recognise th?r? was so:ne- ¡thin:5 worse thttn war-the loss of national respect, and the trailing of our tradi- tions in the dust by a violent toe. HEIGHT OF MADNESS. i He who gpoke of "direct action H was Dot only a traitor to democracy, out- a fraud in a democratic country. It was the height 6f madness to project a revolu- tion in a democratic State. (Applaud.) He put his country betore his Trades Union, because if it, had not been for the liberty of his country, therp, would never cfave been anv Trade Lnson. I The" r were not coming there for an aca- demic debate, but i>ecause of the great (problems they had to solve, lie bad too much faith in the people to believe in a general strike for political ends, for not only would it he a hopeless failure, but those who initiated it would theiiiwives -be doomed in the catastrophe they hoped to bring on the rest of the world lhey Sivod in a JiisrVv complex civil];■•ation. WORLD STRUGGLE FOR COMMERCE. I When they had settled the peace of Europe there would be the world struggle for commerce, the possibilities, nay, the realities of national competition. And they wpre handicapped by n debt of 7.000 millions. Thev sakl, Conscript capital." [hese catch-phrases were only to tickle the groundlings. The only way to con- script capital was by taxation. No mat- ter what the form of government was, if vv-ork. was not done, they were a decaying Wople How could Snowden as Chnn- cellor of the Exchequer, with an ube .population, get anything with which to Irun the country. MAKING A BETTER ENGLAND. I c Tie appealed to them as one Britisher to I Mher BritishGrs. who were all ti"d !o the country to which they b?ens-xl. _When fighting for their'ccuDtrv. there was no party or class; it ?-? all over th? top?.- He a.p?alcd in the peace for un.ty, co- operation, and solidarity of the same fashion to enable them to make a better England, because of the sorrow through rwllich-thev bnd nasfed. THE CANDIDATE. I The candidate, who during this speech bad arrived, and been given a great ova- tion, followed. Tie objected to being described as a parasite," submitting xhut the description IV,), not a just one, i ad went on to say it was clear that -Air. David Williams still held the extreme views of the J.L.P., with which he. has been connected for a number of vp.,it He rlid not think the working men tins district were going to accept that wew Several Questions were replied to, in the course of which Mr. Serbian said the dc- ?tr.-e trMtm?nt of di?b?d men ?s due, not to the Government but Vi a ?tw which, now that ?cn?-at R?? ? nad &nnkced it, would be <fc*troyed. The rote of confidence in the candidate was carried with two 01* three dissentients ipnly* BRYNHYFRYD. I There was an exceptionally lprgo at- tendance at the meeting held at New Siloh, Brynhyfryd, and the enthusiasm juras of a pronounced character. Mr. J, L. Gething pvesided, and lie was supported by ex-AM- (Wern), Mr. T. A. Lewis, MP., Jlrs. iWhalloy, Messrs. Jno. Meredith, Harry fWilliams, AH red Jones, J. J. Stmcr- fieki, 3. Roberts (Cwmfelin), Evan Jones, Tom Morgan, D. Thomas, Harry tW alters, John Richards, W. Clement, And others. DANGER 0,F OVER-CONFIDENCE. The Chairman, at the outset, while prophesying a victory for the Coabtiyn candidate, warned his hearers" against over-confidence. Confidence without hard work would not return Mr. Mat- thews-, and on this occasion, in view of the important isues involved, they de- sired not a Coalition majority but an in- creased Coalition majority. (Loud ap- plause.) At this juncture the candidate, who wns accompanied by Mrs. Matthews, entered the hall, and was received with enthusiastic acclamation. MR. T. A. LEWIS, M.P. Mr. T. A. Lewis. M.P., said that the elect or & in this ward were asked to vote on one of the greatest issues evey known. .and no ordinary majority would do this time. (Applause.) It meant in effect that by returning Aid. Matthews with a splendid majority they would demon- strate, their appreciation of, and their confidence in. the greatest man of our time—Mr. Lloyd George. (Loud eheers.)If they did not elect Mr. Mat- thfiwfi it wopf&, in off ect. be 3, vote of censure upon that wonderful man who had piloted this country through the turbulent seas of the last five years. A CALCULATED LI E. Going on to refer to the statement of the Labour supporters that the Govern- ment were in favour of conscription and that the last Military Service Act was in fact a Conscription Bill, the speaker said a more dishonest, superficial, catch- penny cry had not been heard.. It was in fact a deliberate, calculated, frigid lie. It would be interesting to ask Mr. David "W illiams whether, if his party were in power to-morrow, he would with- draw every British Tommy and every British officer from all the ends of the world and bring them home. If he wou ld then the suffering of the last four and a half years had gone for nothing, the last six months' work of ensuring peace all over the world had been wasted; Germany would defy us all along the line, and we would have the tragedy of having to begin it all over again. (Loud and continued applause.) The speaker also pointed out that the Prime Minister was out to abolish con- scription not only so far as Britain was concerned, but all over the world. (Re- newed applause.) AN AVOWED PACIFIST. I And then there followed a clear and emphatic statement on the Labour can- didate's war activities which aroused the audience to a fervent pitch of en- thusiasm. Mi. Lewis, who by the way, served with distinction in the Army, pointed out that the Labour candidate was an avowed pacifist. Why," he aid with righteous indignation, the other side are only able to hold their meetings all over the country in free- dom to-day because others went out to tight to mkü it possible. Now that the blood has flown and three-quarters of a million of our own countrymen are lying under the sod fructifying the soil of liberty all the world over, now that all that has been done, they come again before you at the first opportunity and wish to share the fruits of the unparal- leled victory which they never helped to win. In many ways they have no right to come forward when they have done nothing in the past." (Loud applause.) ROUSING RECEPTION FOR ALD. I MATTHEWS. The Candidate, who had a rousing re- Tli..z-7 (.,iijdi<iite. lit(l a i-olsiiig ile- and at once got to the straight issue. Was Mr. David Williams for direct action" or not? That was the ques- tion, and ho (the speaker) submitted that the Labour.candidate was in favour of the extreme policy. Mr. Matthew*, m clear, concise terms, explained the effect direct action would have on thi", country, and pointed out the present pitiable predicament of Russia. If the extremists were once given the reins in this country they, would ride to destruc- tion, and destruction for this mighty Empire of ours would mean irreparable destruction. (Loud ^applause.) The candidate went on to say that he believed not so much in what a man said but what he did, and lie claimed that duiing his twenty-three years on the Council his record of work was one of which he could justly feel proud. The workmen of Morriston believed in him, and trusted him. What better testi- monial could he produce than that— than that he had th, confidence of that section of labour that he had personally served. (Loud applause.) He appealed for the wholehearted support of the electorate. It would not so much be a personal triumph as a triumph for Mr. Lloyd George and his pobev. (JJ<md applaw;c.) ro Mrs. Whalley and Mr. John Meredith followed. A vote of confidence in the candidate was carried, there being about a dozen dissentients. HAFOD. I Progress was made by the Coalition cause at the meeting at Philadelphia, I-lafod—largely on account of the lucid statement of policy givefi by the candi- date and the spirited speech on funda- mental principles by Mr. W. C. Jenkins. Capt. George Madel, Viio presided, said that in Aid. Matthews they had a a can- didate acceptable to the Liberals, the Conservatives, and the true Labour party. (Applause.) His work on the Council had proved he was the friend of all parties. It had fallen to the lot of few town councillors to havo so much work in Parliamentary matters, and if elected (as the chairman had no doubt he would be) he would not be a novice at public work. He was the type of man Mr. Lloyd George wanted, and wanted badly, to assist him in his great con- structive programme* (Applause.) ALDERMAN MATTHEWS.. I The candidate, who had a very hMrty reception, told his audience that he came hefore them as a strong supporter of the Coalition Government, at the head 01 which was their distinguished fellow. countryman. They would agree, he be- lieved, that no one could ses us through better than t hI) present Premier. He had somewhat of a grievance against a statement made on the other ;i!e. IT r.J.P., had, in a speech the previous night, referred to the greedy crowd of capitalists and parasites in the House of Commons, and had urged the electors not to add to the number. All he (Ald. Slatthem-s) ould -,a i, was that he, who was now classed as a parasite, had been before the public tor the last '2.' or 30 yearft, and could safely leave his reputation in the hands of the working men of the district. (Applause.) POLICY OF I.L.P. DENOUNCED. I Alluding to direct action, lie thought the question was one that should not be evaded. It was a. most eei-ious question, and should be thoroughly threshed out. He did not want to do Mr. David Wil- liams an injustice, but at the moment the campaign opened Mr. Williams had asked Mr. Smillie and. Mr. Frank Hodgee to speak on his behalf, which was a clear indication that he attached himself to the views of those gentlemen and the party to which they belonged. 1 do not think I am wrong in saying that Mr. Williams holds the extreme views of the I.L.P. added Ald. Matthews, and T do not think he will deny it for a moment. I believe I am dght in saying that the policy of the I.L.P. is a policy that it would be fatal for the workmen of this diigtriet-to adopt, because in the end it must mean the ruination of the whole trade of the dis- trict." Ilrooe-oding, the candidate eaid that Mr. Williams had criticised in his address the Government policy. He did not point out that, in the few brief months of its life.. during which they had been handi- capped by the Premier's absence, three such great measures as the Housing Bill, the Health Bill, and the Fisher Educa- tion Act had been pressed forward, and that these were of extreme importance to the country. The Eduya^on Act liad been bailed with the praise of men of the r,r.hour party. Aid. Niattbt-s having outlined his policy. which included a stand for sym- pathy, and justice for soldier sufferers. THE GREAT WELSH PREMIER. Mis. Whalley addressed the meeting in an abie speech, in which she urged that they as Welsh people should show their gratitude to the great Welsh Premier by returning Aid. Matthews with a trium- phant majority. Mr. Win. Williams then put a series of questions to the candidate. Would he, if ret urned, do all in his power to reduce the price of food, cloth- ing, and the necessities of life to the pre- war-basis ? Aid. Mai thews replied that he would do everything in his power to reduce the price of food and necessaries. Other questions Vere with regard to railway fares, and Aid. Matthew related the decision of the Parliamentary Com- mittee, adding that he would do all in his power to get fares back to the normal basis. Another question related to pensions to ex-servit-e men and their dependents, and Mr. Matthews said he would do all in his power to get any hardships re- medied. If returned, he would deal with any case within 21,hours of hearing of it. (Applause.) THE GREAT DECISION. Mr. W. C. Jenkins said the first vital question was whether they woe Id con- tjiiu,3 t.:o aeceii ? T,lo- tinue to accep t Lloyd George as pilot until the whole of the work which was a corollary to peace was accomplished. Swansea. East had to make that decision. Lloyd George tanked in eminence as a ^talesman with the younger Pitt. The I two cases were to a great extent parallel. They had to decide whether tht were satisfied with their Parliamentary in- stitutions or whether they wanted to strap them. They had fctcod t.he stress of time and produced great statesmen who had never let Britain down. They had to decide whether to Tetain these or substitute them with the Russian example of Sorictp. Was the leader of j civilisation to imitate Pmesia? That was what direct action meant. He called it direct madnese. As a trade unionist, he knew the struggle to get the strike weapon. It was a legitimate weapon if used honestly. But they were now asked to use that weapon to secure measures they failed to get through Parliament. It was a case of Heads J win., tails you lose." They could always get. out of Parliamentary action what they desired—after they had convinced the majority of the people of the country of the justice of their demands. They had had enough of bloodshed. Bob Williams, a local man, had said their canse WM good enough for the shedding of a little, blood. He had failed to get St, Thomas to accept him municipally, or Aberavon to adopt him for Parliament. -ITr. David Williams would this week have on his platform people who were not in favour of direct adion; this week it was I Codling, not Short: next week Codling would come into his own, impersonated by Smillie and Hodges. Mr. David Williams had said last night I There were occasiofis, however, when they had to seriously consider the weapon* they possessed. lie denied rf* the fh-?t -part of his speech that he believed in direct action, but in that "however" he gave the whole show away. He was a democrat himself; too much of a demo- crat to allow the majority of the four million trade unionists to dictate the method of government to forty-five mil- lions of people. THEIR OPPONENTS' POLICY. I Because the people did not return Mr. David Williams at the last election they were blinded by dust thrown in their eyes. The legitimate, «ane, level-headed" trade unionists had been ruined by the firebrands, who wanted the Millenium in five minutes. Reform was a slow, patient process. At the last, election the I.L.P., to which our opponent is attached, went holus-bolus for diroc-t action. The policy of the I.L.P. was to despise trado unionism; it was. too slow for them. They wanted to repress people from reading; anything but tl)e Leader" and the Daily Herald." Mr. Rhys Edwards moved the resolu- tion of support. He said we were run- ning wildly on many matters. There was no need to reiterate thf Coalition programme; it had been amply set forth at the recent general election. Every vote for Mr. David Williams was a vote against Mr. Lloyd George. jUr. J. D. Thomas seconded the reso- lution, which was carried unanimously. The Chairman, in conclusion, said it would be a standing disgrace to Swan- sea East if a Coalitionist was not re- turned for the division.