Sheffield Daily Telegraph – Tuesday 12 November 1907

Radical Hypocrisy Exposed.

Mr. C. W. Whitworth, the Conservative candidate for the Doncaster Division, was at Goldthorpe last night, taking preliminary look at this corner of the constituency, and found a good audience awaiting him at the Horse and Groom Hotel, where Mr. J. R. BaJfewell presided. Mr. Whitworth said during the last General Election, the country was placarded with great coloured posters, depicting Chinese labourers as slaves in chains. Through this misrepresentation the Liberals, could not blame anyone, who honestly thought the statements were true, for voting for the Liberals But, Yorkshiremen were lovers of fair play, and there were no’ men like Yorkshiremen for giving it back right from the shoulder when they found out they had been fooled and taken in. (Hear, bear.)

And they had now found that out what Radical called “Chinese slavery” under a Conservative Government was simply called “Chinese indentured labour” under a Liberal Government. (Applause.)

To illustrate this, Mr. Whitworth showed the glaring inconsistency of the Radicals by their administration during the British Guinea and New Hebrides Conventions, the terms which far harder for the workers than in the Transvaal. Alluding to the Aliens’ Act, Mr. Whitworth further demonstrated how much further the Conservative Party were prepared go in dealing with the alien menace to British working men’s rights than were the Radicals.

When the Conservative Government introduced a Bill in 1904, it was strongly opposed by the Liberals, then in opposition The Bill was withdrawn, and brought in a modified form in 1905, and passed into law. Two reasons the Radicals gave against the legislation were verv inconsistent. One was that the Act hindered political refugees from landing on these shores for protection, and that they were sent back to Russia or Poland to be shot. People took the trouble into this matter, and found that the statements were false. There was no shooting. (Hear, hear.) But it did for Radical election cry. Their second reason was that the Act did no good at all, because it did not keep the aliens out. Now that was inconsistent, and could not account for it. (Laughter and applause.)

Proceeding, Mr. Whitworth alluded to a recent report issued bv Dr. Bates, medical officer of one of the big eastern districts of London—Bethnal Green—in which he deplored that the sentimental rather than the practical attitude the present Government did not away with the alien troubles. One street and whole blocks of houses in Bethnal Green were filled with Russian and Polish Jews, thus excluding British people. These aliens were allowed to come into this land and oust the Britisher from what should be his own. ‘Voice : “Shame.”)

The Radical Government had a far greater sympathy for these foreigners than for their own countrymen. Concluding, Mr. Whitworth said what had told them was, he was convinced, correct. hoped that when the time came that those who loved fair play would return a.candidate for that constituency. (Applause.)