Watford Branch Report

The year 1912 has been quite an eventful year for Socialists in Watford. We have had several bouts with the Anti-Socialist Union representatives, and in spite of the boasted training of these hirelings of the mentally bankrupt capitalist class, they cut a very poor figure when confronted by a Socialist.

These Antis like to get their assistants, the B.S.P., and the I.L.P., and so on, to oppose them, and between the two sets of confusionists some sort of hotch-potch is attacked and defended, and the audience is led to believe that the case for Socialism has been demolished.

We have given these frauds a warm time here this year, especially those of the A.S.U., who have had to earn their dirty gold, and were glad to shake the dust of Watford from off their feet.

We have tried to get the A.S.U., the B.S.P., and the Tariff Reform Union to justify their claim that they out for the benefit of the working class, but all are afraid to face the onslaught of a Socialist in debate.

The B.S.P. have been proved the greatest cowards or frauds of the whole lot, for at the meeting held under their auspices in Boxmoor Hall, Oct 16th last the local secretary, in order to assist the speaker (Mr. Kehrhahn) and the chairman (Mr. Gorle), announced that his branch had passed a resolution that no question should be taken from a Socialist!

What have they to hide? We know, and they know we know. Mr. Kehrhahn, after the meeting, said: "We are not afraid of your opposition," so he was promptly challenged to defend the B.S.P. in debate. But the Boxmoor branch refused to back him, and when we told him that we could not debate with a person who had no organisation behind him, and asked him to get the sanction of his E.C., he wrote back: "To hell with the Executive in matters of this sort."

After this the only thing left us was to hold a meeting and expose them. This we did, and the meeting was a great success.

Watford Branch