From Crow-Scaring to Westminster: An AutobiographyEdwards, George, Sir
History
From Crow-Scaring to Westminster: An Autobiography
Edwards, George, Sir
George Edwards, 1850-1933
No sooner was the General Election over (which brought about the
greatest Tory defeat that that Party had ever experienced) than
victimization became rife. Scores of men were victimized on mere
suspicion, especially in Norfolk. The labourers appealed to me from all
parts of the country to help them to form another Union for the
agricultural labourers. The correspondence revealed most glaring cases
of victimization. I will give a sample of what was happening. One
correspondent told me that during the election a lady canvassed a man
who had had not been to any meetings of either Party. He was a very
quiet fellow and used rather quaint and witty sayings. When asked if he
would promise to vote for the Tory candidate he quietly asked her if she
could keep a secret? She replied that she could. He then said, "So can
I," and gave no promise. Within a month this man received notice to
leave his work on the plea that his employer was going to reduce hands,
and a week later he received a week's notice to leave his house. This
latter notice was put into effect. The man had a wife and five children,
and a friendly publican let him have the use of his clubroom in which to
live until he could find another house.
This was only one case out of many, and I might say that although these
cases were well known, the Liberal Party took no steps to protect these
men.
These matters were brought to my notice in February and March 1906, and
letters kept coming to me containing most pathetic appeals to form
another Union. Why I was the one to be written to I attribute to the
fact that I was the only one of the former leaders of the men taking any
part in public life. The others were either dead or had retired into
private life. Arch had retired, Z. Walker was dead and many of the
others had gone. I had continued in public life, retaining my membership
of the District and Parish Councils. Having again settled down to work,
however, I did not feel disposed again to accept the turmoil of leading
the men and shouldering the responsibility of forming another Union. I
did not feel equal to the task, and, so far as I knew, there were no
means of raising funds for such a gigantic undertaking. For some months
I took no action and told my correspondents that, if anyone would come
forward to accept the responsibility, I would place the benefit of my
past experiences at his service, that I would not only join the Union,
but would help him in every way I could, but that I could not at my age
accept the responsibility. I had then reached the age of fifty-six.
Further than that, I could not bring myself to believe that the
labourers would ever again have the courage to assert their rights and
demand by organization justice for themselves, their wives and children.
Still letters kept coming to me from all parts of the country, but more
especially from Norfolk.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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