The Clydesiders by Margaret Thomson Davis

Author:Margaret Thomson Davis
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781845028022
Publisher: Black & White Publishing
Published: 2014-04-02T04:00:00+00:00

17

Since October 1917, when the first shattering news of the Russian Revolution reached the west, the British government had been acutely concerned about the worsening situation on the Clyde. The authorities began to refuse permission for any socialist or workers’ meetings to be held in any of their halls. Only the Pavilion Theatre continued to allow meetings and workers congregated there whenever possible. However, this did not affect the hastily-arranged protest meeting in connection with Cartwright’s factory, as it was to be held in the open outside the factory gates.

Despite Virginia’s pleadings and angry remonstrations, the meeting had hardly begun before James jumped on to the soap-box and tried to rouse the workers to march to Cartwright’s home. Fortunately, other speakers argued against this rash action. James, however, persevered, and there was a point when the crowd seemed to be swayed by his arguments. In desperation, Virginia got up on the soap box and told the crowd that she had lost a brother in one of the accidents in this factory, but she didn’t believe that any safety regulations or improvements would be won by attacking Cartwright’s home. Quite the reverse. ‘We have to make our situation and our protests known in calm and logical arguments by letter, and by organised, lawful representations to the police and to the government.’ Many nodded their approval of Virginia’s arguments, she received a round of applause and her recommendations were adopted. James was furious.

‘Why do you keep sticking up for the Cartwrights?’

Virginia rolled her eyes heavenwards.

‘I wasn’t “sticking up for the Cartwrights”, as you put it. You’ve missed the point of what I said. It would have done nothing but harm to the cause if they’d followed you. It wouldn’t have been a peaceful demonstration, James, and you know it. You’re no John Maclean. You can’t keep your temper. He can!’

However, once the meeting was over, James’ anger was soon diffused. He was hard put to it to keep up with his work—all his time was taken up with tutorial duties at the college and travelling around teaching classes of workers all over the country. Meanwhile, Maclean had gone down to England where he’d been invited to address a variety of meetings. As James told Virginia, after he’d arrived home utterly exhausted one night, ‘The work Maclean’s doing this winter has never been and never could be equalled by anyone. I just don’t know where he gets the energy.’

Apart from his educational work, Maclean was carrying on terrific propaganda and agitational campaigns, devoting every waking moment to the revolutionary struggle. Above all else, his message was that the workers should have faith only in themselves. They must, with boldness and confidence, take matters into their own hands and seize both the land and the means of production.

Virginia and James normally went together to Maclean’s meetings, but her mother took a dose of flu, and so Virginia was kept busy nursing her back to health.

No-one cheered on Maclean or supported him more eagerly and enthusiastically than James Mathieson.

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