Pioneer

UPTON'S for QUALITY The Largest Tea Distributors, Manufac- turers, and Retailers of food Prodofots in the World. r Tea Merchants by 'Sjwcial Appointment to H.M. Kfrg George V. -LIPTON,LTD., C14 Read, LONDON, E.C. I. BRANCHES & AGENCIES THROUGHOUT i— THE UNITED KINGDOM. ————

VOTE LABOUR AND SAVE THE PEOPLE."

BELFAST PRISON HORRORS. Coalition Governments Treatment of Political Prisoners. Dragged on Face Down Iron Stairs. Shall This Go On ? The following statement, sworn before a Commission for Oaths, is not the story of an Armenian recounting the horrors of Turkish rule; but the story of an Irish Nationalist respecting the bestial action of the Coalition Government in Ireland in 1918. The offence was a demand for the right of self-determination—for which we have been fighting a four-years' war. Comment is needless on such facts-they speak so loudly that once they are known the very word Coalition will stink in the nostrils of every (over of Freedom:- STATEMENT of Charles Kenry, of No. 1 Ulster J Terrace, North Strand, Dublin, taken at the Mansion House, Dublin, on July 19, 1918:— T am 25 yearn of age. I am a sanitary con- tractor. Having been sentenced to six months imprisonment for drilling, I was sent to Belfast Jail during the second week 0f April from Mount- joy Jail, where I had spent a fortnight. Therè were over 100 others in Belfast Jail serving sen- tences for drilling, etc. In Mountjoy and for a time in Belfast I, with other prisoners serving sentences for drilling, making speeches, and other similar charges, were allowed to wear our own clothes, meet daily in community, have our own food sent in from outside, were allowed to receive newspapers and tobacco from outside, to take the windows out of our cells to give more air, and if we did not avail ourselves of the facility of getting in our food we got a special prison diet superior to that given to prisoners serving sentences for ordinary criminal offences; this treatment being, I believe, that agreed to I be <nven to all prisoners serving sentences for political offences after intervention of the Lord Mayor of Dublin (Alderman Laurence O'Ne.ill) I towards the end of the year 1917 subsequent to l the death of Thomas Ashe in Mountjoy Jail- PETTY TYRANNISM. In May the prison diet to any of the men who were not getting food from outside was very poor, and gradually became worse until in the middle of June we were being given the diet of ordinary criminals as ameuded and reduced by the Food Controller. The question of diet having been discussed amongst us, we authorised our leader, Commandant Joseph McDonagh, to inter- view the Governor and demand what we were en- titled to. Subsequently Com. McDonagh re- ported that he had interviewed the Governor, who had stated that lie was powerless as he was acting under directions of the Food Controller. The conditions as to food continued, and on June 27th, UHtI, all the men met as usual after breakfast on that day. Some of the men occupy- ing cells on the top landing complained that the windows of their cells had been replaced and fixed so as not to allow any air to come in through them. This action was discussed, and whilst at exercise we saw the warders fixing the windows in the cells and we were informed that the windows in all the cells were to be similarly closed. We looked upon this action as a piece of petty tryanny on the part of the authorities, the men decided not to allow the windows to be re- placed, and in order to prevent it the men pro- ceeded to break the windows as a protest and as a means of preventing the cells from becoming unbearable to live in. A few of the windows had been broken when the Governor came on the scene and said that if the breaking was stopped he would not have the windows put in. This was agreed to and nothing further happened un- til that night when the men had been locked up each in his own cell. DRACCED ON FACE. I At 7.30 the Governor and warders came on the scene and proceeded to remove the men Irom their own cells to the basement cells, which are smaller than the ordinary cells and are for pri- ¡ soners under punishment. As this was a breach of the conditions the men resisted, find pro-I ceeded to barricade the doors of the cells. There-i upon a big force of police—I think there were two hundred—were brought in from Belfast and they proceeded to break in the doors with sledge hammers and crowbars, at the same time turning a water-hose on each man in his cell. When they entered the cells the police brutally assaulted the men with batons and sticks, and having man- acled the men with their hands behind 'their backs, they kicked and punched them when lyi IIg helpless on the floor. The police entered my cell and beat me to the ground, striking me on the head with their batons. When the men were handcuffed thev were dragged down the E- iron stairs to the underground cells, some of them head first. J saw Mr. McKenna, the chair- man of the Kerry Council, being dragged down the stairs head first while his hands were man- acled behind his back. J saw two policemen dragging Hugh McNeill, of Dublin, along the ground. They were holding his feet and drag- ging him along on his face while his hands were handcuffed behind his back. In the month of May I had been suffering from pneumonia, ne- cessitating my removal to the Mater' Hospital, Belfast, and from that time up to the 27th June I was under the care of the prison doctor. The police came to my cell, turned the hose on me, broke open the door, entered my cell, and at- tacked me with their batons, striking me on the head, and handcuffed me with my. hands behind my back. OFFICIAL CALLOUSNESS. The doctor and the Governor were outside my cell and were in a position to see the way in which I was treated, and when the other pri- soners were being removed from the cells the doctor and Governor were standing outside their cell doors and saw the manner in which they were dealt with and in the ease of any man badly wounded the doctor attended to him in his cell before he was removed to the punishment cells, amongst these being Hugh McNeill and a man named McMahon, of Mullingar; the former had his fingers badly torn and the latter had his head split with a blow of a. baton. Five of the men, including Brosnan, Taltv, Quinn, and Quealy, all of the County Clare, had to be re- moved immediately to hospital in consequence of the injuries they received. The other men were left handcuffed and wounded, lying on the bare lfoor in their wet clothes and some of them half naked, until Friday morning. As they could not open their clothes to relieve themselves, many of the men were in a filthy condition in the morn- ing, and as a result of this in particular I have not been able to walk properly since, my legs being frayed and scalded. When I was put in the basement cell I had not been before the Gov- ernor and was not under any order for punish- ment, and had not been charged with any offence against prison discipline, nor, as far as I am aware, had any of my comrades who were simi- larly treated. AT MASS IN HANDCUFFS. Un c rid ay the handcuffs were removed for a few minutes only while we were eating, but only after a refusal to eat with the handcuffs on. They were then fastened on again in front. On Friday also we were told by the Visiting Justices that on account of insubordination all our pri- vileges were withdrawn. On Saturday morning we went to Mass, as it was a holiday, but the handcuffs were not taken off. Subsequently some of the men smashed the handcuffs, and in consequence the police were brought in again and also a detachment of mili- tary with fixed bayonets, whereupon Command- ant MacDonagJi ordered us to submit to tilo handcuffs, which we did. We were brought one by one before the Visit- ing Justices and sentenced to terms of bread and water punishment, varying from three days in some cases to 28 days in others. AT CONFESSION IN STRAICHT-JACKETS. On Saturday we went to Confession hand- cuffed, and on Sunday every one of the 93 men went to Communion. Except the men from the hospital, all the men going to Communion were handcuffed, some of them were even in straight jackets, and most of them, besides being hand- cuffed, were "muffed," the "muffs consisting of trebly-locked straps from arm to arm so that it was impossible to move the elbows. Many of the men were unable to stand up to leave the altar rails without assistance. The ciothes of most of the men were in a filthy condition for the reasons I have already given. (Continued on page 6, col. 5).

To The Miners Of the Faff and Cynon, Merthyr and Dowlais Districts. MEN, On Saturday, December nth you are called on to choose a Member of parliament for the Merthyr Borough. You—yourselves—chose MR. JAMES WIN- STONE as YOUR NOMINEE. Other Trades Unionists accepted and endorsed him. You have secured the support of the other workers-the non-miners. What are YOU YOURSELVES going to do? Read carefully the manifesto issued by the M.F.G.B., and remember the future welfare of all the workers—their wives and Children-de-I pends upon you. If the MINERS OF THE MERTHYR BOR- OUCH AND THEIR WIVES VOTE TRUE on Saturday—THE FIGHT IS WON. A SOLID MINERS' VOTE FOR WINSTONE next Saturday is the desire of your Agents. Fraternally yours, ENOCH MORRELL, Taff and Cynon. NOAH ABLETT, Merthyr. S. 0. DA VIES, Dowlais. "■1 ——■ LEST YE FORGET! I 'IV.. HOW SIR EDGAR JONES VOTED. All Parliamentary facts taken from Hansard," the Official Report of the House of Commons: 27th February, 1917.-Mr. John Dillon moved: that the Ministry of National Service Bill should not apply to Ireland. "—Edgar Jones voted against Dillon. IRISHMEN-VOTE FOR WINSTONE. 5th July, 1917.-Mr. Lief Jones, M.P., moved a condemnation of the Government for increasing the output of beer by one-third, and depriving the rest of the,community of sugar and barley. Edgar Jones, W. E. Guinness and others voted against Lief Jones' motion. MERCHED Y DE (S.W. Women's Temperance Association), you are working for Sir Edgar—do you know this? MOTHERS that have failed to get jam or sweets for the kiddies-VOTE FOR WIN- STONE. 10th July, 1917.-Corn Production Bill.-He voted for giving a guarantee of 45/- a quarter for wheat for seven years to farmers (which results in higher tithes to the clergy). This is a first step to Preferential Tariffs. FREE TRADERS A DISESTABLISHERS- VOTE FOR WINSTONE. Now notice this:— 23rd July, 1917.—Same Bill.-Covemment pro- posed minimum of 25/- a week (equal to 15/- pre-war) to farm labourers. Labour Members wanted to raise it to 30/ Edgar Jones voted for the 25/ and his supporters claim he can represent Labour as well as anybody! Oh, ye gods! 18th July, 1917.—Edgar Jones voted against bringing the men who bungled the Mesopo- tamia Expedition to book. 2nd August, 1917.-He voted in favour of put- ting Sir Edward Carson in the War Cabinet at 94,500 per annum salary. Irishmen, note that again. 11th April, 1918.-Military service Bill Edgar Jones, who never realised his hope of facing the dust of the charge and the glory of the dug-out," voted to conscript men of 51. SOLDIERS AND EX-SERVICE MEN- VOTE FOR WINSTONE. 12th April, 1918.Same Biti. -He went one bet- ¡ ter! He voted to give the Government power I to conscript men of 56-men nearly old enough to be his father. OLD MEN-VOTE FOR WINSTONE. 8 th May, 191 g.-E ducat ion Bill.-Sir Edgar voted against a clause for safeguarding chil- dren in school from being given "military in- struction." P Aft EI&TS—VOTE FOR WIN- STONE. 3rd July, 1918.—Education BiU.—A clause to ensure to women the sams pay as men if they were doing equal work was defeated by the aid of Sir Edgar. WOMEN-VOTE FOR WINSTONE. Injunctions From The Tombs The Voices of the Masters Trumpetting to You. Lassalle's Fine Message to the 1918 Voters. The emancipation of the working-class must be accomplished by the workers themselves." —Karl Marx. Once in control of the political power it will be able, by proceeding to the socialisation of the means of production through the expropriation of the usurpers of others' toil, to suppress the present contradiction between collective production and private capitalist oppropriation, and to realise the universalization of Labour and the abolition of classes. "-Cabrielle Deville.. I Nothing is more calculated to impr" class a worthy Mid moral character than the consciousness that it is destined to beet g class, that it W called upon to raise the principle of its class to thf-, principle of the enti. e age, to convert itsL Was into the leading idea of the whole of society and thus to form the society by impressing upon it its own character. "The high and world-wide honour of this destiny must occupy lilt your thoughts. Neither the load of the oppressed nor the idle dissipation of the thoughtless, nor even the harmless fri- volity of the obscure, are henceforth becoming to you. You are the olock on which the Churoh of the present is to be built. H It is the lofty moral earnestness of this thoftght which must, with devouring exclusive ness, possess your spirits, fill your minds, and shape your whole lilies, so as to make them worthy of it, conformable to it and always related, to it. It is the morat earnestness of this thought which must never leave you, but must be present to your fiearts Injpiur workshops during the hours of labour, in your !eisure hours, during your walkst your meetings, and even when you stretch your limbs to rest upon your hard couches it is this thought which must fill and occupy your minds till they lost themselves in dreams. The more excusiv you immerse yourselves In the moral earnestness of this thought, the more undividedly ^piu give yourselves up to its glow- ing fervour, by so much the more, be assured, will you lisitsn' the time within which our present period of history will hate to fulfill its task, so mulih • *> soner will you bring about the accomplishment of this Ferdinand Lassalie. s T V,.i

I People's Peace Mandate. I LABOUR CRITICISES MR. CEORCE'S METHODS. FOOD CONTROL TO CONTINUE. I Some of the biggest crowds on reoord have been attracted to the Merthyr Rink during the past few days by meetings in support of the Labour candidate, Mr. James Winstone. Last Wednesday's audience was addressed by Dr. Marion Phillips, the Rev. Herbert Morgan (La- bour candidate for Neath), Mr. Morgan Jones I (Bargoed) and Mr. Noah Ablett (agent to the Merthyr miners). Mr. John Barv presided. CEORCES PRECIPITANCY. I Mr. Morgan Jones said that Mr. Lloyd George claimed adherence to the Coalition for two rea- sons: he wanted whole-hearted support for (1) dealing with the problems of peace and for (2) enabling him to adequately deal with the prob- lem of reconstruction. According to offioial and unofficial newspaper reports of the recent Down- ing-street conferences agreement (so we were told) had already been arrived at between the representatives of the Allies in regard to their judgment as to an adequate solution of the in- ternational difficulties. If, therefore, the Allies had already arrived at what they considered to be their joint solution, then Mr. Lloyd George had presumed to act and decided this before the election had decided the amount of support he could command. He had not waited for the judgment of the people. He had gone on—the person now appealing to the country for a man- date in accordance with its judgment in regard to the peace situation had presumed already to deal with it before the country had a chance to express itself at all. Then reconstruction; re- construction was building anew: building anew required plans for building. Would anyone sug- gest that the plans of the working classes for rebuilding England could be, or even ought to he, the same plans as would Be conceived by Lords Milner, Curzon and the like ?—men whom Lloyd George himself denounced some few years ago. Impossible. (Applause.") THE MANDATE. I Dr. Marion Phillips, in an address directed towards the women voters, expressed regret that the suffrage had not been accorded all women over 21 years of age as aimed for by the labour Party. Mr. Lloyd George in justifica- t ion of springing the election upon an unready people claimed it as necessary for him to obtain a mandate for the peace conference. But he had his mandate already. The whole world was hehind President Wilson's peace terms. The Labour party of this country and Labour in the Allied countries had given their sanction to La- bour's peace aims which in a great sense were an enlargement off Wilson's fourteen points, which they preceded. Our Government had agreed to Mr. Wilson's terms, and the armis- tice was based upon them. There was no man- date that the country could give that could alter these facts. (Applause.) FOOD. Dealing with the food problem, she said that the Labour Party, so far as it lay in their power, were determined to prevent the food supply of the nation ever going uncontrolled into the hands of the food speculators again. Food prices were lower in this country than any other and this was due entirely to the fact that the Labour policy of control was eventually put into force during the war period. Labour wanted to make control by the consumers paramount and see to it that never again did we allow untram- melled power to fall into the hands of the food traders. We could not go back; only onward until we owned and controlled the whole of the important food supplies of the community and where those supplies were produced in other countries we must see that the League of Na- tions so operated that there be international control of the world's supplies.

CLOSING MEETINGS OF THE LABOUR CAMPAIGN. THURSDAY, DECEMBER 12th: DOWLAIS- Outside Dowlais Works' Gates, 1.30 p.m. Carnegie Hall, Dowlais, 7.30 p.m. Central Hall, Dowlais (with Irish people) 7 p.m. PENYDARREN-Open-air Meetings (weather permitting), 7 p.m. TOWN-Bryn Schoolroom, Twynyrodyn, 11 a.m. Rhydycar Square-Open-air Meeting (wea- ther permitting), 6.30 p.m. PENTREBACH-New Hall, 10.30 a.m. Pentrebach Hall, 7 p.m. Infants' School, Troedyrhiw, 7 p.m. TREHARRIS-Central Beys' School, 6.30 p.m. FRIDAY, DECEMBER 13th: DOWLAIS—Oddfellow's Hall, 10 a.m. Outside Dowlais Works' Gates, 1.30 p.m. Penywern Chapel, 7 p.m. Odfellows* Hall, 7 p.m. MERTHYR RINK—10 a.m. and 7 p.m. Abercanaid Mixed Schools, 7 p.m. St. John's Hall, Troeydrhiw, 7 p.m. Abervan Hall, Merthyr Vale, 6.30 p.m. Treharris Public Hall, 5.30 p.m. Central Boys' School, 7 p.m. THE CANDIDATE- MR. JAMES WINSTONE will speak at all meetings, supported by leading LABOUR men and women.