THE INDUSTRIAL ISHMAEL
OFFENSIVE UNIONISM
“Industrialism” was Mr Judkins’s topic at a
“pleasant Sunday afternoon” in the Wesley Church yesterday. He
acknowledged that
industrially there was such a thing as a healthy discontent, but the
thing most to be
regretted nowadays was that in the present and recent industrial
disputes there was
one section of the community which sought to make an Ishmael of
itself, putting its
hand against every man, and insisting that every mans hand was
necessarily against
it. That was the spirit that would by-and-by spell ruin to
offensive unionism.
“We are not out against unionism” declared Mr
Judkins.
“We are out against offensive unionism. We are against this section of
the community
to which I have referred, not because they will not work with
non-unionist, and because
they show traits of character that are not human. Surely everybody here
will deprecate
deeds of violence and feelings of hatred and unbrotherliness. I tremble
to think of the
hard work we are going to give the next generation if we lay
foundations of hatred and
unbrotherliness. Take the children of men who have done deeds of
violence in the
past few weeks. There is the foundation-stone being laid for them.
There have been visits
to homes of non-unionists, and the taking of photographs of men who are
bold enough to
work for their daily bread. Men have been chased down the
streets with vile
epithets. This kind of thing must be rooted up, so we may lay the
foundation-stones of
love and generosity and Christlikeness.” (Applause)
In conclusion Mr Judkins described the industrial
committee of the
Social Reform Bureau, which sought the cultivation of friendly
relations between employer
and employee and opposed coercion.
From THE ARGUS 8th May 1911 Page 7
