WCP201

[1]

Old Orchard,

Broadstone,

Wimborne

August 20th 1911

My dear Will

I enclose you a notice of objection to your vote — no reason given, merely to give trouble I suppose. Awful drought still here: blazing sun and no rain. I have had bad attack[s] to acute rheumatism or rheumatic gout in r[igh]t. shoulder & both arms & hands partially, so that to undress & dress is a long and painful process, and certain sudden motions of har arms or hands intensely painful. I was too much run down in diet, & partly the intense heat. Am now slightly better. The Railway strike surpasses [2] the Parliament Bill in Excitement. On receipt of Friday’s paper, I sat down & composed and sent off to Lloyd George¹ a short but big letter, on large foolscap paper, urging him & Asquith² as the two strong men of the Gov^t, to take over at once the management of the Railway of the Entire country, by Royal Proclamation — on ground of mismanagement for 70 years, & having brought the country to the verge of starvation & civil war, — to grant an amnesty to all strikes (except for acts of violence.) also grant all the men’s demands for one year, & devote that ^time to a deliberate & impartial enquiry [3] and a complete scheme of re-organisation of the railways in the interest — first of the public, — then of the men of all grades — lastly of the states share & bond owners which will become guaranteed public creditors. This will settle every thing; every body except the Directors, who are really servants of the Shareholders, elected annually who have no legal status whatever except in as far as they themselves are shareholders.

Every body knows & it has been admitted & proved again & again that the men are badly treated, that their grievances are real, — their very unanimity & standing by each other proves it. Their [4] demands are most moderate; and the cost in extra wages will be saved over & over in safety, regularity, economy of working, and public convenience.

I have not had even an acknowledgement of receipt yet, but hope to in a day or two.

I hope you will make enquiries, on the spd[?], how the electrical & general engineering service is organised in your Sanatorium, & also how this is done in all the great public Institutions such as Lunatic Asylums, Hospitals, Reformatories &c. I expect the new "Sanatoria" will be managed locally. Get what information you can in advance, & I will try what can be done later. I cannot even begin my tract yet.

Your affect[ionate] Pa | A.R. Wallace [signature]