Content note: Anti-conscription article that calls employers, pastoralists, Tory parties and named politicians 'ruthless enemies of Labor' and uses 'Shylock' for war-loan lenders. This object is shown as it was published. Why
The Labor Call (Melbourne), 'The Same Old Enemies', page 6, 14 September 1916
A Labor newspaper page headed 'The Same Old Enemies', arguing against conscription ahead of the 28 October 1916 referendum. Tells: one list of employers, pastoralists, 'Tory' parties and press, named politicians and 'the military' is labelled 'ruthless enemies of Labor', 'robber' and 'nefarious gang', and wartime price rises are placed on 'Big Business'.
- Date
- September 14, 1916
- Period
- First World War
- Made by
- The Labor Call, Melbourne (organ of the Political Labor Council of Victoria)
- Region
- Oceania
- Country
- Australia
- Medium
- Newspaper pages
- Issuer type
- Party
- Regime
- Hughes Government
- Leader
- William Morris Hughes
- Audience
- Domestic public
- Purpose
- Persuade or win support
- Techniques
- Name-callingScapegoating
- Source
- Identified Openly sourced: the speaker is who they say they are
- Source
- Trove, National Library of Australia (digitised newspaper page), retrieved October 2, 2026
- Rights
- Public domain (published Australia 1916, pre-1931); NLA: Trove newspapers to 1955 freely available
Trove, National Library of Australia; The Labor Call, Melbourne (organ of the Political Labor Council of Victoria), September 14, 1916
Text on the object
The Labor Call Sept. 14, 1916 [page number] 6 The Same Old Enemies. HOW THE CONSCRIPTIONISTS HAVE REVEALED THEMSELVES. For a time in some unperceptive quarters the conscription issue was slightly confused; but it is confused no longer. Now the Australian workers know what conscription means by simply reviewing the personnel of its advocates. THEY HAD THEIR CHANCE. [...] "They had the opportunity of voluntarily giving their money as the workers were giving their lives. They had the opportunity of keeping down prices" WHAT THEY DID-AND ARE DOING. "[...] had the brazen callousness to demand a high rate of interest from the nation for the temporary use of their wealth" [...] "read Federal Treasurer Higgs' Budget speech, or, rather, that part of it relating to the war loans, and figure out what Shylock's interest bill comes to a year" [...] "if Big Business was a robber before the war-and it was-it is from 35 to 40 per cent. a more greedy robber now." THE ADVOCATES OF CONSCRIPTION. For advocating conscription to-day are all the factors and forces that in the past have been the ruthless enemies of Labor. The Employers' Federation is advocating it. The Pastoralists' Union is advocating it. The Chamber of Commerce are advocating it. The Tory political parties are advocating it. Iceberg Irvine, Joe Cook and Willie Watt are advocating it. The Tory press is advocating it. The fatted fossils of the Legislative Councils are advocating it. [...] The military are advocating it. In short, all the inherent enemies of Labor, and all that Labor stands for and aspires to, are vociferous in their advocacy of the continental curse. ENEMIES ALWAYS. "[...] has been remorselessly opposed by this nefarious gang." THE WORKERS KNOW THEM. "They know Iceberg Irvine, the arch-leader of the conscription plot" [...] AND KNOWING, THE WORKERS ACT. "Thus we find the workers organising on working-class lines to register their hatred of conscription. Thus we find the unions speaking as with one voice. Thus we find the political organisations of Labor uncompromising in their hostility." [Carlton Ale advertisement and Melbourne Technical School advertisement at left; not transcribed]
Read from the committed image; passages in [...] are elided where the transcription gives selected lines, not the whole article. Spelling and punctuation as printed.
