Veteran of the Irish, British, and U.S. Socialist movements, Con Lehane reports on the Irish working class’ opposition to participation in the Empire’s war.

‘Irish Workers Don’t Want War Says Lehane’ from Labor Advocate (Providence). Vol. 3 No. 22. January 23, 1915.

Opposition to War Due to Socialist and Labor Union Agitation, Declares Noted Irish Labor Leader.

Cornelius Lehane of Cork, delivered an address at the Gaiety Theatre last Sunday evening to an audience that filled every available space in the theatre. The agitation committee of the Socialist Party, under whose auspices the lecture was held, had originally engaged Carpenters’ Hall for the meeting, but so great was the interest shown in the coming lecture that it was realized that this hall would not be large enough to accommodate all who desired to hear the gifted Irish orator, and the theatre was engaged. But even this precaution did not suffice, and hundreds were turned away.

The lecture was scheduled for 8 o’clock, but at 7:45 the theatre was completely packed and the doors were closed. For some time the crowd surged around the door, clamoring for admittance, and Comrade Lehane finally consented to address an overflow meeting at Socialist Party headquarters. At this meeting also the seating capacity of the hall was taxed, a large crowd listening to Lehane’s interesting description of conditions in Ireland until nearly midnight.

Lehane also spoke in Pawtucket on Monday evening to a good-sized audience.

Thomas Dillon presided at the meeting and addressed the audience until the arrival of the speaker of the evening. Lehane’s topic was “Ireland, England and the European War,” and during his talk he branded as false the claim that the Irish were rallying to the support of Great Britain in the war and declared that owing to the efforts of the Socialists the flower of the Irish youth were being saved to work for the reconstruction of Ireland.

“In Ireland,” said Lehane, “there are no two labor movements. The labor union movement and the Socialist movement are inseparable. Practically every union man is a Socialist, and every Socialist is a union man. In this way we are enabled to present a united front to the capitalist class.

“Ireland is not concerned in this struggle and the war has not met with favor among the working classes, and they do not choose to become involved in a struggle which will bring nothing but misery to their land.

“In the world crisis which has overtaken civilization the democracy of Ireland has taken and will maintain very clear position.”

The present war, he asserted, was brought about to decide whether the markets of the world were to be dominated by German or English capitalists but another and more serious cause operating in Europe in recent years was directly responsible.

“The labor party in Europe,” he said, “was growing strong enough to reach out for power, and in five more years a peaceable conquest by labor would have placed the government of practically every country of Europe in the hands of labor, and so Europe’s rulers, emulating the Napoleonic group of 1870, when Napoleon plunged France into war with Germany to escape the revolution with which he was threatened at home, invoked the god of battles.”

PDF of full issue: https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn92063933/1915-02-27/ed-1/seq-1/