`Grab - all Close - land!
Grab - all Close - land!
Grab - all Close - land!
Grab - all Close - land!'
The town was soon deluged with mendacious literature and smothered with huge posters:
`Vote for Adam Sweater!
The Working-man's Friend!'
`Vote for Sweater and Temperance Reform.'
`Vote for Sweater - Free Trade and Cheap Food.'
or `Vote for D'Encloseland: Tariff Reform and Plenty of Work!'
This beautiful idea - `Plenty of Work' - appealed strongly to the Tory workmen.They seemed to regard themselves and their children as a sort of machines or beasts of burden, created for the purpose of working for the benefit of other people.They did not think it right that they should Live, and enjoy the benefits of civilization.All they desired for themselves and their children was `Plenty of Work'.
They marched about the streets singing their Marseillaise, `Work, Boys, Work and be contented', to the tune of `Tramp, tramp, tramp the Boys are marching', and at intervals as they tramped along, they gave three cheers for Sir Graball, Tariff Reform, and - Plenty of Work.
Both sides imported gangs of hired orators who held forth every night at the corners of the principal streets, and on the open spaces from portable platforms, and from motor cars and lorries.The Tories said that the Liberal Party in the House of Commons was composed principally of scoundrels and fools, the Liberals said that the Tory Party were fools and scoundrels.A host of richly dressed canvassers descended upon Windley in carriages and motor cars, and begged for votes from the poverty-stricken working men who lived there.
One evening a Liberal demonstration was held at the Cross Roads on Windley Hill.Notwithstanding the cold weather, there was a great crowd of shabbily dressed people, many of whom had not had a really good meal for months.It was a clear night.The moon was at the full, and the scene was further illuminated by the fitful glare of several torches, stuck on the end of twelve-foot poles.The platform was a large lorry, and there were several speakers, including Adam Sweater himself and a real live Liberal Peer - Lord Ammenegg.This individual had made a considerable fortune in the grocery and provision line, and had been elevated to the Peerage by the last Liberal Government on account of his services to the Party, and in consideration of other considerations.
Both Sweater and Ammenegg were to speak at two other meetings that night and were not expected at Windley until about eight-thirty, so to keep the ball rolling till they arrived, several other gentlemen, including Rushton - who presided - and Didlum, and one of the five pounds a week orators, addressed the meeting.Mingled with the crowd were about twenty rough-looking men - strangers to the town - who wore huge green rosettes and loudly applauded the speakers.They also distributed Sweater literature and cards with lists of the different meetings that were to be held during the election.These men were bullies hired by Sweater's agent.They came from the neighbourhood of Seven Dials in London and were paid ten shillings a day.One of their duties was to incite the crowd to bash anyone who disturbed the meetings or tried to put awkward questions to the speakers.
The hired orator was a tall, slight man with dark hair, beard and moustache, he might have been called well-looking if it had not been for a ugly scar upon his forehead, which gave him a rather sinister appearance.He was an effective speaker; the audience punctuated his speech with cheers, and when he wound up with an earnest appeal to them - as working men - to vote for Adam Sweater, their enthusiasm knew no bounds.
`I've seen him somewhere before,' remarked Barrington, who was standing in the crowd with Harlow, Owen and Easton.
`So have I,' said Owen, with a puzzled expression.`But for the life of me, I can't remember where.'
Harlow and Easton also thought they had seen the man before, but their speculations were put an end to by the roar of cheering that heralded the arrival of the motor car, containing Adam Sweater and his friend, Lord Ammenegg.Unfortunately, those who had arranged the meeting had forgotten to provide a pair of steps, so Sweater found it a matter of considerable difficulty to mount the platform.However, while his friends were hoisting and pushing him up, the meeting beguiled the time by singing:
`Vote, vote, vote for Adam Sweater.'
After a terrible struggle they succeeded in getting him on to the cart, and while he was recovering his wind, Rushton made a few remarks to the crowd.Sweater then advanced to the front, but in consequence of the cheering and singing, he was unable to make himself heard for several minutes.
When at length he was able to proceed, ho made a very clever speech -it had been specially written for him and had cost ten guineas.Alarge part of it consisted of warnings against the dangers of Socialism.Sweater had carefully rehearsed this speech and he delivered it very effectively.Some of those Socialists, he said, were well-meaning but mistaken people, who did not realize the harm that would result if their extraordinary ideas were ever put into practice.He lowered his voice to a blood-curdling stage whisper as he asked:
`What is this Socialism that we hear so much about, but which so few understand? What is it, and what does it mean?'
Then, raising his voice till it rang through the air and fell upon the ears of the assembled multitude like the clanging of a funeral bell, he continued:
`It is madness! Chaos! Anarchy! It means Ruin! Black Ruin for the rich, and consequently, of course, Blacker Ruin still for the poor!'