Pioneer

Conscience and Disenfran- 11 chisement. UNPERTURBED C.O.s. THEIR INFLUENCE IN THE VOTE. I People with any semblance of sense of social justice have now come to see that the problem of the conscientious objector cannot be solved by heavy sentences of harsh imprisonment and other such mediaeval methods of summarily disposing of the small minority insisting on abiding by peace principles. There are two moods which HOW seem to be dominating public opinion. In the first place there are the people whom per- secution makes uneasy, who have acquired habite of social toleration, who feel that after all, the conscientious objector must not be treated in the same way as the swindler and the burglar and that although he's stupid, dogmatic, morbid, ohstinate and unreasonable, he at least should be leniently dealt with or benevolently ignored. They expostulate with the Government, point out most emphatically that they utterly disagree with the C.G., but ask for humane treatment and greater consideration; they are :Ia.the,r like the dear old ladies who remonstrate with the thoughtless urchins baiting the village idiot. To rae this sympathy with the personali- ties and the repudiation of the principles they stand for tends to become oppressive. I have the greatest objection to being considered a scat- ter-brained mystic, simple-minded, whose ideal- ism would bring the country to ruin, whose im- practical theories ould lead to national suicide and annihilation. What I insist on and what I maintain has been amply and abundantly demonstrated these last three and a half years, is that the ideas of the conscientious objector, the social generalisations of Jesus Christ, the broad principles ef the In- ternational Socialist are the only sane, rational commonsense rules that a modern nation that wishes to survive can possibly adept; that na- tional honesty, humility and straightforwardness are less likely to lead to disaster than national bluster, suspicion and shrieking lying; that to be conscientious and forbearing and courteous and reasonable in our relations with other coun- tries pays. Britain has tried the other way, the yelling truculent bullying, melodramatic defiant policy, the soldier, the Dreadnought, the smash the enemy policy, the" men of push and go," the "won't sheathe the sword," the "last drop of blood principles, with the rasrult that the country has been brought to ruin and famine, and is now beginning to see that bragging and howling and murdering don't protect communi- ties b1!!it kill them. These are the ideas we're been opposing since, 1914. We believed that for- eign hostility could be best thwarted by an atti- tude of national good-will, by an intelligent de- sire to find out what the: German people want, by a determination to avoid panic and fear and perorating, o-y setting an example of absolute refusal to go to war about the schemes of financiers and diplomatists. LANSDOWNE'S LETTER. And now three years of massacre having s hown that Interna tionalism is not romantic drivel but absolutely logical commonsense, Lord Lansdowne sits down, writes a letter to the press embody- ing the principles of the C.O. of the I.L.P., of the Friends, and is hailed by a great-section of public opinion as a shrewd, courageous and long headed statesman. Isn't it about time that this attitude of lofty and superior sympathy towards the 0.0. was dropped and the sanity of his theories and policy generally appreciated ? Then there are the people who want to disenfranchise us. They say, You have refused to"deftmd the State, you shall have no, share in controlling it." To which I reply: During the last three and a half years I have refused to agree that the State' oan be defended by going to war, and ask, Is the present condition of England the result of these methods of defence,P Look at the misery and the despair of the great part of our population as a result of spirited foreign policy and big navies and armies. The people who have been really defending the interests of the com- munity are those who have kept- on criticising the administration of the Government, who have not lost their heads, who,, all along, have been insisting on the necessity of stating peace terms, clearly defining the national needs, emphasising the fact that the less aggressive we become the less power will the German militarists have over the German national mind. Citizenship consists in intelligently thinking out the problems of social and national relationships—in striving to attain the real needs of the people in the best way. That is what the 0.0: is after. The vote, after all, i" a mere detail, all the votes of the 10.°;8, th'h'li?elves would hardly represent a single const1tJueney what we do know is this, that by our going to prison and resolutely opposing Con- sGnpftion we have helped to create a state of mind; we have been discussed in many a guard- room, barrack-room and trench; men have been set thinking about it all; we have influenced ten times as many votes as we possess ourselves, and that is what matters, and that is why we are not perturbed about being disenfranchised. I EMRYS HXTGHBS.

I Harry Thomas—C.O. I RE-HEARING OF THE fcASE ORDERED. The King's Bench Divisional Court on Wod-i nesday allowed an appeal in the case of Wilson v. Thomas, which came up in the form of a special case stated by the Merthyr stipendiary (Mr. R. A. Griffith) who had dismissed informa- tion against Henry Thomas, ex-university stu- dent and conscientious objector, Mount-street' Merthyr, under the Militarv Service Act. Mr. Thomas was convicted in May last year of being an absentee and subsequently f or disobey- ing military orders. During his sentence he was treated as a conscientious objector and trans- ferred to civil work. Told to go home by the agent at Dartmoor Settlement, he was subse- quently sTirrunoned for failing to comply with a calling-up notice. The stipendiary magistrate diffinisood the case. The court now held that the magistrate was wrong in excluding certain evidence, and ordered the case to be remitted for re-hearing. Captain Stanley Evans and Mr. Branson (in- structed by the Treasury solicitors) appeared for the appellant; Mr. W. Llewelyn Williams, K. C., M.P., and Mr. D. Rowlan-d Thomas (instructed by Messrs. Warren and Warren, agents for Messrs. E. Roberts and Lewis, Dowlais) were for the respondent.

PRINTING SENT TO PRIVATE COMPANIES means Profit for Individual Owners. When WE do your work, the Profit comes in the PROPAGATION OF SOCIALISM AND TRADES UNIONISM.

A Meeting of Quiet Friendship VISIT OF MISS THEODORA WILSON- II WilSON TO MERTHYR. THE REV. J. M. JONES' IRREGULAR FLOCK. The visit of Misg Theodora Wilson-Wilson to the Merthyr Rink on Sunday afternoon, was one of those enjoyable little interludes, the charm of which is not transmittable to paper. Hers is the style of oratory that is not trans- mittalbleto print, but which, in a quite personal way attaches itself to all in the audience, and 1 whether by chance or design, the Rev. J. M. Jones' speech from the clia-ir fell into the same category. Put briefly, the meeting was one of communion betwixt the converted in the great faith of practical religion—Pacifism; and was not in any sense a popular propaganda, gather- ing. AN IRREGULAR PARSON. For instnee, one hears the friendly tone per., fectly developed in the Rev. J. M. Jones' intro- duction of Miss Wilson- Wilson: Surely it is a compensation of these sorrowful times that it has given us such friends as Miss Theodora Wil- son-Wilson, and other noble-minded men and women, whose names you will cheer to the echo I am sure," but it is not the kind of remark that you can use in serious argument; any more than his other personal touch: "I have equal pleasure and pride in introducing the audience to the speaker. Miss Wilson-Wilson does not need to be told what I think of you. I have got into the habit of talking about you as my people,' and I cannot help looking upon myself as the very irregular parson, of this very irre- gular church which meets in the Rink on Sun- day afternoons. I can assure you that no regu- lar parson ever felt prouder of his flock than I feel of yew." We cheered that not from egotism, but because we knew it was the true sentiments of a. true man, whom we are glad to call friend and guide. That was the spirit of the whole meeting. MISS WilSON-WILSON. I Miss Theodora AVilson-W'Isoii',s address was a plea for a practical reading of religion. She has the faith that will move mountains, a faith that shines from her face, and that seeks never to hide itself from the ridicule of the worldly. How many speakers would have the courage in this materialistic age to stand on a public plat- form and declare in quiet simplicity that al- though she was ill and had been advised not to travel and speak this week-end, she had replied that she had a message and the Master who told her to deliver that message would see that she did not fall by the way ? There was no harsh note in her speech, quiet love and friend- liness was its equitable tone, and not even the story of the raid on the office of the Christian Peace Crusade Office could call forth that de- precation and condemnation that a platform oiraftory would have felt justified in bringing in here. But if Miss Theodora Wilson-Wilson's re- ligion is not the sort that makes oopy for the journalist, it is the sort that makes friends for the speaker and w henever she calls to visit Merthyr again we know that she will be, right heartily welcomed by those who were fortunate- enough to be present in the Rink last Sunday.

I Mr. Scott-Duckers I BACK IN PRISON AGAIN. I Court-martialled at the Rifle Brigade Camp, Minster, Sheerness, Mr. J. Scott Duckers, the well-known Chancery Lane solicitor, was found guilty of wilful defiance of military authority in refusing to obey an order to attend parade. Mr..Scott Duckers has already served three previous sentences, amounting to over 19 months' imprisonment, on account of his con- scientious objection to military service. Men the Question of these repeated sentences was being discussed in the House of Lords on November 14th last, Lord Prurmoor said:- I want your Lordship to consider what is really meant by successive terms of imprison- ment which our law recognises is two years— this is the maximum amount, the reason being that it is the maximum term which you can possibly impose without permanently en- feebling either the mind or body of the person punished. 1 c The result of successive terms of imprison- ment is that you are constantly putting the man back to what I may call the worst condi- tions—poorest food, and solitary confine- ment. In answering the points brought forward in this debate by Lord Parmoor and others 'Lord Derby said: — "There will not be successive imprison- ments, but the punishment that is given in the first instance by Court-Martial." As Mr. Soott Duckers. pointed out in his state- ment to the court: —- "The utmost penalty which can be imposed by DistrÏetOocurt Martial is two years' hard labour; which if the prisoner conducts him- self in prison as well as I have done means that he earns a remission of one-sixth and is a free man in 20 months. I have been in cus- tody for over 19 months and if you wish to put me in the position in which I should have been if given the maximum sentence- at the outset the next and final. penalty should be somewhere about one month." In spite of these facts the maximum sentence of two years' hard labour was promulgated on December 12th, and Mr. Scott Duokers is now back in prison.

I C.O. Dies in Prison. Arthur Butler, a S'tookport conscientious ob- jector, died last week in Preston prison of con- sumption aggravated by pneumonia. He was rurrested in July, 1916, and was serving: his third sentence of imprisonment with hard labour for refusal to obey military orders. Although it was known that Butler had developed consumption in prison and had been in a very serious state since November 10th, the Home Office, as recently as the day of his death, assured a member, of Par- liament that he was only suffering from a slight cold. Butler was educated at Stockport Gram- mar School, where he won a scholarship and gained the reputation of a brilliant scholar.. It is urgent that the Home Office should im- mediately put into effect, its promise, given in the House of Lords on the 4th inst., that con- scientious objectors whose health has broken down owing to prison treatment, should be re- leased from prison. Thomas Gilbert, of Sheffierd, and Douglas Bishop, a. fruit-grower, of Tunbridge Wells, are both in a most critical state of health in Win- chester City Prison, and there are a large num- ber of other urgent cases.

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Rhymney Valley Notes. j Bedwellty Food Problems. I Bedwellty Food Oorrimittee have wired Lord Rhondda to do away with the question of food queues by compulsory rationing. Meanwhile Blackwood tradesmen, to meet difficulties and supplies to the public, are pooling their butter stocks. Milk Depot. n I A milk depot is to be arranged tor by local  members of the Bedwellty .Food Committee at I Pengam Garden Village. The Oommittee are also in favour of a municipal milk supply. I Caerphilly and Coal Prices. Oaerphilly District Council on Tuesday (Mr. T. James presiding) decided that a oommittee should meet the coal merchants following the merchants' plea that they could not sell coal at the price fixed by the council. A resolution from the food control committee was adopted, urging that the expenses of food control should be de- frayed entirely from the national Exchequer.

The Electric Theatre. I A cosy cinema with a splendid picture pro- gramme is a pleasant rendezvous during a cold snap. The Merthyr Electric Theatre possessing both th ese attractions has been comfortably filled during the week. Picture fans are quickly appreciating the beauty and cleverness contained in the Harma releases and the popularity with the audience of "Ambrosia," sent out by that firm was pre-supposed. The film was a thing of delight were it only for the nature touches in it. "Pearl of the, Army/' the American mililtary life-serial, has reached, all too soon, its tenth episode, and the eleventh instalment to be fea- tured next week brings us., after a series of par- ticularly exciting episodes, to a gripping climax. Gaumont comedies are always crammed with hilarious situations, and Up Ball," shown for the earlier part of the week, and "Beach Nuts," it's suc?or on the Thursday cJh.an, were no exceptions. From Thursday onwards, too, there was Ultus in the "Three Button Mystery," perhaps the best of the famous Ultus series. The first, of the Xmas week programmes will be headed by "The Majesty of the Law," a Jury drama with a punch in each of its five reels. In addition there will be a Gkvumont scream, A Good Little Bad Boy," as paradoxical in title as it is funny in conception, and more of Louis RaemakeTS great cartoons. Raemakers has just returned from a triumphant tour in U.S.A., where his cartoons have created an unprece- dented furore. At mid-week a picture adlaptation of Monck- ton Hoffe's famous play, "The Little Damozel," will top the bill. The lead ig being taken by that charming Clarendon actress, Barbara Con- rad, and with a fine supporting caste she gives a delightful interpretation of the pretty love story of a little harpist in a smart London cafe. Each programme also contains an exception- ally good array of educational, drama, news and travel films—in all, shows not to be missed.

SOCIALISTS WANTED. SOCIALISTS desirous of joining the Aber- k3 bgeed Branch I.L.P. are asked to com- mumc&t? with T. J. JENKINS, Secretary, 10 Chapel Street, Aberbargoed, Monmouth. SITUATIONS VACANT. WANTED, a Smart Errand Boy.—Apply, Pioneer" Oiioo, Glebeland, Merthyr. LITERARY. UNITARIAN PAMPHLETS on The Bible, Heaven," and Hell," given post free. —Miss BARMBY, Mount Pleasant, Sidmouth. MEDICAL. 64-PAGEBOOK ABOUT HERBS AND SPentd for HOW TO USE THEM, Post Free. Send for One. TRIMNELL, THE HERBALIST, 144, RICHMOND ROAD, CARDIFF. Established 1879. MISCELLANEOUS. /I STROLOGY.—Life Events, Changes, For- tunate Days, Business Success, Matrimony; Two Years'. Future added.-Send Birth-date. Ild P.0 PROF. GOULD, "The Nook," Heatbfie Road, Cardiff LOST. T OST—Presumably in High Street, a Our- '"?? painted i in colours. Reward ?to ? Rnd? ar.—?N. PIONEER O&c?.

Christmas Sport. FINE ENTRIES FOR YNYS MEADOW. A continuance of the present seasonable weather conditions should give a fillip to the races announced for Ynys Meadow, Aberdare, on Monday and Wednesday next. But with anv kind of weather obtaining the sport is assured, for the big prize money that is being offered has brought entrie8 from the best trotting owners in South Wales, with some noted winners from out- side our area and the whippet kennels are to be lepiesented by dogs that have headed keen competitions at most of the big meetings of the past. Indeed, the whippet section promises a turn out of unusual excitement, and there will here be offered an opportunity of comparing the merits of some blue-ribbanders of the fancy that many of us have wanted a long time. The trot- ters, too, promise a keen couple of afternoons' sport from the many dark horses that will be thrown into' competition with some of the horses whose records and performances we are all acquainted with. The first race is fixed for 1.30 p.m. both afternoons.

PLEASE MENTION THE PIONEER, WHEN ANSWERING ADVERTS.