The Wide World Magazine, Vol. 22, No. 128, November, 1908Various
History
The Wide World Magazine, Vol. 22, No. 128, November, 1908
Various
Adventure stories -- Periodicals; English periodicals; History, Modern -- 20th century -- Periodicals; Voyages and travels -- Periodicals
The literature was inviolable at the printers' and inviolable when
it was up at college and being distributed, but it was liable to be
seized at any point in transit. The respective printers are, of course,
pledged to secrecy, and, to do them justice, for staid commercial men
they enter into the spirit of the thing with uncommon zest. So much
so, that on one occasion two genuine young Liberals, who had been sent
for some printed matter with insufficient credentials, were suspected
by our wily printers of being Tory spies, and were accordingly decoyed
into a room, locked up for an hour or so, and finally unceremoniously
bundled downstairs.
But, though the firm may be thus zealous, there are always employés in
a large works who are approachable, and, having unstinted money for
bribing, the enemy often get secret information as to when a magazine
may be expected to come out.
During this campaign, however, though there were many exciting cab
chases and encounters, the prize always escaped with its rightful
owners. There was no single delivery of magazines or bills captured
from either side. Once our magazine was only saved by a ruse. Just at
the time of dispatch a party of Tories was observed in waiting. The
convoy was not strong enough to run any risks, and had to use their
wits to save the precious publications. A large number of cabs was
promptly summoned by telephone from the nearest cab office. They all
gathered round the printers' door. Into one of the cabs the magazine
was carried and hidden. All the vehicles then drove off simultaneously
in different directions. Of course, the right cab escaped.
The literature of the campaign, I may mention here, is delightful when
one is "in the know." Unrestrained personalities are bandied backwards
and forwards in elegant Billingsgate with quite remarkable freedom, but
for the most part with perfect good-humour.
[Illustration: GLASGOW UNIVERSITY--IT IS ON THE TERRACE IN FRONT THAT
THE FINAL BATTLE RAGES ON ELECTION DAY.
_From a Photograph._]
The Liberals, being in funds, published eight full magazines during the
campaign, the Conservatives not so many. Only professional journalists
will appreciate the strain on amateurs of putting forth a series of
eight or twelve-paged magazines at intervals of a couple of days.
I have all the magazines before me now. They are full of cleverness
both in writing and caricature, but they are so essentially topical and
personal that it is difficult to make extracts that would be understood
by the non-University reader.
At length the final day of the struggle came round. The election took
place on the first Saturday in November. At an unearthly hour of the
morning parties of Reds and Blues were out pasting their bills all
over the town, on whatever flat surface they could find. These parties
met sometimes, and bills were captured or lost and paste used as an
offensive and defensive weapon.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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