WCP1459

Private

Old Orchard,

Broadstone,

Wimborne.

August 18th. 1911

To the Rt. Hon. David Lloyd George¹

Dear Mr. Lloyd George

I rejoice to see the news in the papers this morning² because it gives you and Mr. Asquith³ your great opportunity to do a great ^{and beneficial} work at once. Only strong and bold men could do it successfully: you two are both, strong and bold. It ^{The work} is, to take over the entire management of the whole of the national Railways, in the interest of [2] the entire community, whose guardians you (the Government) are.

Proclaim, at once in the name of the Sovereign, that the Railway-directors have proved themselves wholly incompetent to be trusted with the great monopoly of transport they have enjoyed for over 70 years: which they have used, not for the public good, but, primarily of ^as a money-making business; and in so doing have reduced ^{are weakening} our complex social organism to ^with anarchy; and ^{the nation with} to the [3] brink of famine, and perhaps civil war.

Proclaim, that, henceforth, all ^Railway directors are servants of the Government, and must strictly obey orders or be instantly dismissed.

Proclaim, that all the demands of the employer’s ^{(and they are not very} [ illeg.] ^{who are} [2 illeg words] ^reasonable) so far set forth are at once complied with ^henceforth for 12 months during which ^period the whole system will be thoroughly and impartially enquired into, in the interests of ^{(1) of} the public safety and convenience;— ⁽²⁾ of the well-being and contentment of all [4] the grades of workers, which is ^are essential for ^{factors of} the public safety;— and (3) for the security of the shareholders & others who are pecuniarily interested, and who will, from ^henceforth now, become creditors of the Government.

Proclaim a complete amnesty for all engaged in the strike, and trust to the gratitude of the British Electors of all parties ^{and of the House of Commons} to confirm your action. and we want the ^{There need be no} question of buying the Railways. The Government takes over their Management in the equal interest of all concerned.

Yours very sincerely and admiringly | Alfred R. Wallace [signature]