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Show . CRISIS IN ENGLAND. Premier Lloyd George, having definitely defi-nitely declined to negotiate for the settlement of tho .British, railway strike until the men return to their employment, employ-ment, the situation in the United Kingdom King-dom hurries to a crisis, which is expected ex-pected early this week, with consequences conse-quences of ominous character. The rail union flatly rejected the proposal to go to work pending further parloys, whereupon where-upon the last of the seven-day efforts at peaceful adjustment collapsed. Obviously, with tho government having hav-ing given notice that it has exhausted its stock of counter-proposals and now is prepared to deal with drastic effect, the next move is for the railway union leaders to take. There is a glimmer of hopo that the danger of Britain being be-ing laid low by the greatest industrial upheaval in its history may be averted. Tho trados unions have called a conference con-ference for next Tuesday to discuss a lino of action. This conference may or may not determino to call a general strike of all British labor in sympathy with tho railway workers. If the strike is called thoB United Kingdom i is in for a season of trouble, in comparison com-parison with which tho hardships produced pro-duced by the European -war will appear of small consequence. The government's proclamation appealing, ap-pealing, for the first time in recent history, if not in all British history, for a citizeus' army to meet an industrial indus-trial crisis, illustrates the gravity of the situation fronting the United Kingdom. King-dom. By order of Field Marshal Haig one division of troops has been located in London and other military bodies are being stationed at various points throughout Britain, ready for an emergency. emer-gency. Strong armed forces are, therefore, there-fore, in position to back up the citizens' citi-zens' army, but this civilian army ia the government's first line of defense in the great social and industrial struggle which seems rushing to a dramatic, dra-matic, if not appalling, climax. The government's proclamation "invited "in-vited all lord lieutenants, mayors, chairmen of county councils, chairmen of standing joint and watch committees, chief constables, town clerks and other local officers" to take steps for the formation in. all counties and cities and boroughs of " citizens' guards to undertake under-take to act in cooperation with the police po-lice in the duty of protection and maintenance main-tenance of order." The government requests that the officials designated "forthwith form a committee for the organization and recruitment of such citizen guard." If, the proclamation continues, "food and the ezistenee of the nation are to be safeguarded in the faco of the menace they are confronted vrith today, it is essential that all citizens citi-zens who are willing to labor should be allowed to do so without interference interfer-ence or apprehension." Knally, the proclamation says that "tho government appeals to all well-affected well-affected men to come forward in order that they may assist to preserve and guarantee security to those without whose continued aaid unmolested exertions exer-tions the life of the nation cannot be maintained." Manifestly, Great Britain is at the threshold of momentous events. Unless Un-less one or tho other of the parties to the dispute yields at the eleventh hour the immediate future of the nation is pregnant with possibilities of a social and industrial cataclysm. |