Pioneer

The Pilot or The Pirate: Which ? I THE CHOICE BEFORE THE WORKER. WILL YOU AID OR HINDER THE UPWARDI CLIMB OF MAN? BY DAN EVANS (Ex-Workers' Union Executive Member for South Wales). Man has travelled a long way si nce those far distant days, when he fashioned his implements of flint and lived on the spoils of hunting. Man during the lOllg ages that have elapsed since, has amassed untold treasures. The result of this progress means that to-day the child of the civilised man has at its birth, ready for use, an immense capital accumulated by those who have gone before. THE PRICE PAID. Time tells its story in many ways. To the geologist, the rock and the chalk speak as plainly as if human lips had told the tale of the happenings that filled time in those far off days when the world was vonng, even in its infancy, when there was nothing: to show that man had a place in the great plan of tTie universe. But the tale of our forefathers is not read in the chalk or the rock, hut written in blood and tears on the pages of history. When one looks backward over the ages and realizes what man had to bear throughout those times, one marvels that he could ever have reached the position hpl is in to-day. Man, though shackled in slavery and serfdom, must have had a belief within him, that mother earth held more than had yet been given unto him and possessing that belief, he fought like a Trojan and died like a hero. The dungeons silenced the greatest thought of those days, and. it is regrettable to say. are still I being used with the same end in view, by those who hold the reins of power. The rack was used to destroy noble specimens of manhood, and the stake calcined the bones of the best thinkers who were for even battling towards the light. x WHY ARE THE MANY POOR? the capital accumulated throughout those try- ing times, is to-dav, sufficient to enable men to acquire enough riches for all to live in decency and comfort, in return for a few hours of toil each flay. But why, then, are the many poor? Why this painful drudgery for the masses? Why this uncertainty for the morrow? It is because all the means of production—the land, mines, railways, factories, foorl, shelter and education have been seized hy the few to the detriment of the manv. They have been seized by the few to the detriment of the many. They have been seized by the few in the course of that long. | long storv of tyranny and oppression, which has (been, and is still the life of the toiling masseft. The masses having been reduced to a point at which they have not the means of subsistence for a week, nor even a day in advance, are only a llowed to work on the condition that a few re- ceive the lion's share of the spoils. MAN'S NOBLE TASK. Just think for a moment of the generations before us hIio have lived and died-'in mi.scry, ex- uloited and oppressed by their employers, but who have handed down to us an immense inheri- tance—the means and wherewithal of produc- tion. Millions of human beings have laboured to create this civilisation, and millions still labour to maintain it. To-day, mankind holds the key which can unlock every door behind which mother earth keeps her treasures. But even in the midst of all this plenty, the struggle for the masses^ to make both ends meet is sterner now than ever it was in the past. POVERTY AND WAGES. -1 For after all. poverty means n question of wages and what those wages can nnd cnnnot buy. Tt is a well-known fact that wages have been vfrv far from corresponding with the m creased cost of living, and especially so, during the past four years. Poverty has been a bnrn- social problem for many ges. Ma nv so- called reformers have and applied cures to no effect, but the only partv that hns suggested going to the very root of this probelm is the Labour Party. The presen,t commercial svstem must be completely altered. The means of ni-odnction must be ow ned hv the peonle. con- j" ml led bv the people and entirely used in the interests of the people. Labour, the creator of oil wealth, will not then hp exploited in thp in- terest of the few, hut that the collective inter- ests of men will reap from it the greatest good for the greatest number. THE FIRST VISION. Manv centuries agfo. two Greek philosophers, Aristotle and Plato, predicted that the time would snrelv come when the means of produc- tion would have reached such an advanced stage of development, that it would be unnecessary to enslave anybody, but that the perfection of methods would permit of the emancipation of an mankind. These great men were no visionaries. Their dreams are to-dav realities: hnt how differ- ent thp result. Tnstead of emancipation, we l.i.-p w elded m ound the necks of the masses the chains of industrial slavery. Put it cannot be for Ion" Peoples are already taking over the reins nf government from their oppressors. Dy- nast ies and their reactionary Governments are torn a«under as the drones in the hives when the bees turn and rend them. To-day, the narasitical classes stand indicted before the courts of civilization. and no middle course is possible. Great chances are taking place in our social and commercial structure, and it behoves t h^ loiline- masses to choose between the pilot ,1I1d th" ninle It is high time thA commercial element was ont of Tt is time force, hew, nnd thp adminM :on of the law was com- of the workers, their's to n* and "V nithev will I :A AND PFenNsTRIICTION. Mn.emero'cd fi-orn one of fli,, inoqt terrible that h. ever befallen the human r-ice. the neonle of this country have been land- ??!ntnt1"t?r?Qf,f i Parliamentary E!cftinn. •"ingeniously as'-n/J fn nut hack in power 3? to r)iit 1).?iel?- for pt)ii,pi- fli4- <.f ?fn-'?nx'tmn that necessarily (follows in the ft-?))'?f ?u<? :i disaster. Ttuhis(rinllv the workers would be iiiiite(I in telling these very same people that they could not trust them to do anything for them, then why should the workers trust them politically? (Continued at foot of next column).

Cardiff's Shame. I EXPERT WORKERS RECEIVE 14/- A WEEK HOW YOtl CAN .WIPE AWAY THE STAIN. I No one will accuse the "Western Mail" of being a "revolutionary rag "-whatever other adjective they may use—and even its corres- pondence columns may be treated with a respect that we, as a workers' paper would not even ex- pect—and so we call our readers' respectful at- tention to the following extracts from its Our Readers' Views" of Monday:— "'Rosa Dartle's' experience is no isolated one. Similar cases are constantly coming to my knowledge. The local Labour Exchange supplies labour to firms who sweat' their employees. Women (not young girls) who have given entire satisfaction as assistant dressmakers were' paid 14/- a week in one house in this City (Car- diff) as lately as September last. How these women feed and clothe themselves is a mystery. A woman whom I know has worked for the same employer for nineteen years. She is expert at her work, which is not dressmaking. After all these years her salary is priiieely-22f- for 44 hour week! Women who are paid as above can only exist by accepting charity—or worse." That is Cardiff in 191S. Think of it-14/- a week for expert workers. And think of the pos- sibilities that the economic position that arises, from such a wage gives rise to of moral ship- wreck. The Socialists have always taught the economic basis of the social evil. Is there any other way out for many of these workers? Un- fortunately, you may not kill the sweater," for that would be legal murder, though morally no blame should attach to Hw slayer. Stili, martyrs are not desirable. There is another way out. a way of minimum wages graduating into State ownership, a way that a lone promises pro- tection for the daughters and widows of the workers, a way that is advocated by only one party—the Labour Party. Workers of Cardiff, these foul spots that exist in your fair city, are repeated all over this land of ours, in the village and the small town as well as in the cities. J'oin with your fellows in the protection of your girls by voting to Parliament the three Labour candidates who to-day canvass your franchise.

I The Stockholm Challenge. I ARTHUR HENDERSON S THREAT TO I "TELL THE TRUTH." PREMIER ONLY CABINET ADVOCATE OF STOCKHOLM. Mr. Winston Churchill—the Mesopotamian gambler in human lives—has been exercising his political wit in talking about defeating the "Stockholm excursionists," hut it is to be feared that he will henceforth find other subjects for the exhibition of his wonderful vocabulary and humorous cast of mind, for Mr. Arthur Hen- derson has declared—at East Ham—" T hope Mr. Churchill will begin with the first advocates of Stockholm first, and if lie does that he will have to begin very high ill the Coalition Gov- ernment—but if there are going to be any more challenges on this Stockholm question, either by Mr. Churchill or by any member of the Govern- ment. I shall tell the whole truth and nothing but the truth in that matter." Amid repeated demands of Let us have it now." Mr. Henderson proceeded: "I am only going to say one thing. When I went to Russia T was opposed to Stockholm. There was one I member of the War Cabinet, and one only, in favour of the Stockholm Conference, and that member was the present Prime Minister. I will say no more. I was not going to make use of that in this election, but Mr. Churchill has thrown out the challenge, and if there are any more challenges T am going to publish to the world the documents I have in my possession." (Cheers.) We regard it as unfortunate that Mr. Hender- son should still be possessed of any scruples in dealing with the Coalition. Every piece of in- formation that will to educate the public in the methods of Coalitionist Cabinet pro- cedure should be at the disposal of the elector- ate.

I The German Colonies. I I- SIR SYDNEY OLIVIER'S SOLUTION OF I THE PROBLEM. Sir Svdnev Olivier, whose hook White. Capi- tal and Coloured La T>our," has hppn read hv thousands of subscribers to the T.L.P. Socialist Library." and whose essays in the Fabian issues are to be found on a lmost every Socialists book- shelf, dfalt with the German colonies question at the National Liberal Club last week. Sir Sydney strongly deprecated the suggestion of handing thp colonies over to Portugal, and. indeed, objected to their transference to any one European nation without very strict condi- tions and guarantees. What lie did suggest was a special congress or Committee, subsidiary to a League of Nations, which should settle the principle upon which the colonic* should be dealt with. He was emphatic in his declarations that the rights of the various African popula- tions should be recognised »nst as the popula- tions of other nations, hnt bv reason of their instability and industrial problems they should be represented at the Conference by trustees.

Vote Labour. I IF DEMOCRACY IS DUPED THEN DEMpCRACY WILL DESERVE ALL IT C ETS. BY T. E. NICHOLAS. I The day of Judgment is upon the Democracy. An election has been forced upon the country before the war-fever is over. The workers will soon find out that their real enemies are in this country. For a long time the Liberals and the Tories have fought each other; and both par- ties have posed as the friends of the working- man. The workers have been duped by Social Reforms. Every reform advocate d by the La- bour Party has been granted, partly, by either Tory or Liberal Party. It is up to the leaders of the Labour Party to put something drastic on their political programme, something the capitalists dare not adopt or promise. If the workers arc duped this time they fully deserve what they are sure to get from the Coalition Government. < FRIENDS! Llovd George is no friend of the working man. If the workers are under an illusion on the point, let them remember the Cambrian Com- bine strike. Sir Leonard Llywelyn was the enemy of the workers at the time. To-day Mr. Lloyd George backs him up against Mackenna. Herod and Caiaphas have become friends; their interests are identical. Ihev are out to crush Labour. They cannot do that without the aid of the workers. The friends of the people can- not be silenced without the aid of the people. Vote Labour—and burst np the Coalition. We are out for a new soci a l order. Reconstruction will not solve any problem. To reconstruct the old system is not enough. That system proved a failure. It led the nations to war. It de- stroyed the brotherhood of man. It plunged the world into the hell of war. Out of the tra- vail of the last four years a new social system must be evolved. Unless that is done. the na- tions will find themselves in the same predica- ment a few years hence. THE SOLDIERS ONLY HOPE. The Coalition Government, is going to use the soldiers to gain votes. Remember the boys in the trenches." will be the battle-cry. Who d rove them there ? Who drives them to Russia to crush the democracy and to secure raw material for the capitalists? The Coalition is not out for the soldier only in so far as the soldier is useful in tIwir gam. Tn the division which took place on August 6th. not one Liberal or Tory member voted in favour of improved allowances. The Labour Party will have to fight for the soldier, if he is to get his rights. I do not believe in war; but T believe in the soldiers. I did my best in pre-war days to make war im- possible; during the war T did my best to get the soldiers back from the trenches at the earli- est possible moment: and T want to make it im- possible for the ru lers to send men to the trenches ever more. f believe in the soldiers. Compensation should be paid to those who have been maimed, the dependents of the killed should be maintained in comfort; and the sol- diers and sailors should be paid pensions equiva- lent to the rate of wages paid in their districts until work is found for them in civil employ- mettf. The soldiers should vote Labour. Free Trade is gone. The great champion of Free Trade gave it the knock-out blow., The Coalition Government is going to tnx the for- eigner. Those foreigners are the men and women who have been driven off the land in their own country. The consumers will have to pay. The capitalists will see that their profits are not touched. Tariff Reform will create na- tional bitterness, and hence involve the nations in another war. WAR ON WAR. I The Labour Party is out to fight, Conscription. The suspension of Conscription till after the election is not enough. The Act must be re- pealed. The right of the workers to take indus- trial action to redress their grievances will not be secure so long as the rulers retain the wea- pon of Conscription. If the soldiers are sent back to civil employment, they will be spnt back as soldiers, liable to he recalled to the colours at. any moment, and to be called up in case of industrial disputes. The Coalition Government has not promised to discharge the soldiers; they have promised to demobilise them, that Is all. NTn. 1, page 14). (Sec Reconstruction Problems, No. 3, page 14). According to the "Wkly Dispatch," the Government means to use the soldiers against the workers in any disputes. Here is a gem from the Dispatch ;— So far as the mining industry Is concerned the war has ended just In time to transfer from the front enough colliers to enable the Covernment to adopt a firm attitude towards the still further demands of the men now at work, to relieve the situation as to our winter supplies of fuel and light, and to stir up the young slackers who are causing a little anxiety in South Yorkshire." So tjiat is the point for the workers to bear in mind. The soldiers are net to be discharged, only demobilised. Vote for the Labour Party and the total discharge of the soldiers. The sol- diers have done their hit: they look to us at home to commence the big push against the militarists. CONTRADICTION IN TERMS. I The workers must be very careful of the Tmr perial Socialism advocated by Mr. Lloyd George and supported by Bonar Law, Curzon, and Mil- tier. Let that come into operation and t,h e workers will be merely industrial slaves. State Control is not enough. We want State ownership, and that State controlled by the workers. Mr. Lloyd George has gone over to the Tory Party. "T in the Labour Movement have known for years that he was no friend of the working- class. Mr. Botiir Law has found him out. Mr. Bonar Law said: "The aims of the Prime Min- ister are very much the same as those of the Unionist Party. He is not the man I thought he was." Quite so: he is not the man the democracy thought he was either. We thought he was a great enemy to the Honse. of Lords: but he has been busy creating new lords, and has made (Continued at foot of next column).

Documents of Hostile Character. D.O.R.A. PROSECUTION AT BARRY. 110 FOR POSSESTJNC ALLEGED LENIN AND TROTSKY APPEAL. CHAIRMAN'S SHAME AND CONCERN. Although the war is over D.O.R.A. is far from, being dead and done with," indeed she was as lively as ever at Barry on Friday when John Jones, residing at 71, High Street, Barry, was summoned for having on two different dates a seditious pamphlet in his possession. The De- fence of the Realm Regulations were the author- ity under which proceedings were taken. According to Mr. Hughes, who prosecuted, the pamphlet complained of was signed by Lenin and Trotsky, and was an appeal to the workers of France, Britain, Italy and Japan, It" con- tained a mass of falsehood, and suggested that the Allies were fighting for the sake of Capital- ism, and was an appeal to the workers to revolt to prevent the continuation of the war. It was made more serious because defendant was exempted from service as a railway worker." WOUNDED SOLDIER'S OPINION. Edward Thomas, who had been twice wound- ed, told the Court liow he was reading a news- paper at breakfast-time one day when Jones came up to him and said: "Here, Thomas, do not ro^d that, read this," giving him a pamph- let simfclar to the one produced in court. After a perusal of the pamphlet witness, in handing it back to defendant, said: Look here, Jones, this pamphlet could get you ten years." Wit- ness had constantly had "differences of opinion" with defendant, who was continually speaking about Bolshevism and that sort of thing. 'SEARCH AND ITS RESUITTS. Police-Inspector Thomas told how he and P.S. Lvans went to defendant's house to search for seditious literature. Defendant produced a pamphlet by Lenin and Trotsky similar to that produced, and said that he had given one to a discharged soldier at the Docks. Witness asked him where he got it from, and defendant replied: "I can't remem- '?r. An order had been received from the Home Office to se?e and destroy such pamphlets. In the house they found some literature from the Workers of the World Office," Glasgow. these were Socialistic documents of a hostile character, one book, The Bolshevist Revolu- tion (? Maxim Litvinoff), having been sup- pressed by order of the Government. Tn imposing a fine of 210 on one summons and adoring the costs to be paid on the other, Dr Howell Rees said he was ashamed to think that the defendant bore a Welsh name, especially after being guilty of deliberately trying to poison the minds of other people, and having regard to what was taking place in Russia, which was de., luged with blood.

Six Hour Day. M.F.C.B. AND DEMOBILISATION OF SOL- DIER MINERS. Addressing a meeting of East Glamorgan minf'rs Mr. HUrt Jenkins, the agent, id that the M.F.G.B. were committed to the ques- tion of a six-hours' day immediately after the treaty of peace would be signed. In his opinion, liaving regard to the urgent demand for coal and the number of men who had entered the collieries since the outbreak of war, together I with the number of men who would be return- ling from the forces under the demobilisation scheme, the men could only be absorbed by the, iiitroductioin of a six-hour shift, and, by apply, mg the double shift system, two shifts of six hours each on the coal would absorb the men. A third shift would be a repairing shift, and there would be sufficient interval between some of t]w shifts to carry out shot-firing operations. ? tyt? his scheme output would be increased, and this would enable the coalowners or the and whichever would control the collieries, to give a sufficient advance in wages to enable those engaged on piece work to earn wages equal to hours they now refWed for a shift of eight

I International Bureau to Meet. CAMILLE HUYSMAN'8 REPLY TO FRENCH PARTY. According to "L'Humanité" Mr. Camille Huysman telegraphed from Le Havre on Satur- day informing Marcel Cochin that invitations for the meeting of the International Socialist Bureau will be sent otit immediately. This was a reply from the Bureau Secretary to the French Society Party telegram calling for an immediate summoning of the International. It is probable that the meeting will be held at Brussels.

[DR. WILLIAMS MUST REPRESENT LLANELLY. E DRo Wl IAMS MUS  AN Y.

I NO SURRENDER. -I Let these people be told quite frankly, now, arid for all time, that the workers who always fight intelligently, are now to vote intelligently, and rptnt-n mfn from their own ranks to make and nmalce laws, for the r>roat work of recon- struction and so forth, and to say, as Lincoln ouce said. "No men living are more worthy to be trusted than those who toil np from poverty none less inclined to take or touch what they have not honestly earned. Let the workers beware of surrendering a politic-at power which they possess, and which, if surrendered, will surely be used to close the door of advancement ao-ainst such as thev. and to fix new disabilities and hurdeito upon them, till all of liberty shall be 10t," t

the Honours List a scandal and a shame. In the 1910 election he pleaded for the reduction of armaments; in 19lo he supported conscrip- tion. In 1910 he believed in Free Trade; m 1918 lie is out for Tariff Reform. He refused to grant a minimum wage of thirty shillings a week to the farm labourer, and he is not afraid of the vested interests. We thought, he was a man who valued conscience; but he has impri- soned the C.O.'s by the thousands, and thereby oi oken the law of the land. We thought he would give ninepence for fourpence; he picked the ninepence from the pocket of the worker, and gave fourpence back; the rest he gave to his official supporters for doing Roft jobs. He is not the man the workers thought he was; and Honar Law has had a pleasant surprise in his Coalition chief. Labour is out to fight this Coalition of Militarists, Capitalists, landlords, exploiters, profiteers and slum owners. So, in the immortal words of Charles Stanton, "Get oil with the war:" your class war against pov- erty, drink war, bad housing, and Mammon in all its forms. Workers, remember the Cambrian Combine, and vote for the Labour Party. liloyd George and Leonard Llvwelyn must go. VOTE LABOUR.