THE PEACE CRUSADE IN OLDHAM - NEWSPAPER REPORTS

SATURDAY 11th AUGUST
1917 OLDHAM STANDARD
DISAPPOINTED CROWD AT PARK GATE

The peacemongers of Oldham, who so ostentatiously advertised a week's mission in the borough, had such a tremendous drubbing on the first night that the remainder of the programme was unceremoniously cancelled, the speakers announced being warned by telegram not to come near the town. So ignominiously ends a most impudent attempt on the part of a handful of cranks to push their pernicious nostrums on a patriotic people.

The first meeting of the alleged mission was to be held on the market ground on Monday night and the second at the Park Gates on Tuesday. It was known early on in the afternoon of the latter day, however, that the Park Gate and other subsequent gatherings had been cancelled. In fact some of the pacifists are stated to have been confined to bed consequent on the mauling they received on Monday night and not a few people are wondering how it is such lamb-like persons could have been so militant and aggressive as they showed themselves to be in the course of their forced and rather ludicrous migration from the market ground to the Town Hall.

It is quite certain had the pacifists put in an appearance at the Park Gates, on Tuesday night, the threat frequently expressed, to give them a ducking in the park lake would have had a vigorous execution. There was a welcome absence of New Zealand soldiers from the crowd assembled, only about a dozen of the antipodean heroes being in attendance, and these had all the appearance of being more casual passers by. It would have been more satisfactory to Oldhamers if the soldiers had refrained from such active participation on the previous night.

The crowd at the park Gates would have numbered about two thousand people, a large proportion of whom were youths and young girls. The police were present in force, plain clothes and uniformed men under superintendant Pigott, but there was not the slightest need for their intervention, as everything passed off in a most orderly fashion. The crowd began to assemble shortly after seven o'clock, and from that on till nine some were coming while others on learning that the peaceites were not present nor were they likely to be quickly but quietly disappeared. The Navy League representatives took advantage of the gathering, and two vigorous speeches - one by a uniformed Jack Tar - were delivered, which were listened to as far as was possible, considering the hum of juvenile voices and the shiftiness of youthful feet. The speeches delivered the crowd quietly dipersed in an orderly fashion. Had the pacifist turned up it is quite certain things would have been otherwise. There were in the crowds all the elements for a disturbance if the pacifists had the effrontery to attempt to speak or even to put in an appearance, but all present being patriotic and of one mind all ended well.