Exciting scenes were witnessed in Liverpool on Saturday outside the Cunard offices, when a party of young Irishmen were emigrating to America. About 650 of these emigrants arrived in Liverpool from Holyhead, and proceeded it the Cunard offices for their passes of a ship which sailed that afternoon. The men had to book their passages in relays, and queues of emigrants entered the office.
A tremendous crowd assembled and taunted the emigrants with un-patriotism. The crowed surged round them, calling them cowards and asking them to show a bit of pluck. The police had to keep the crowd back.
One woman was so indignant that she shook her fist in an emigrant’s face and disarranged his collar and tie. They had to run the gauntlet of most bitter comment, but they proceeded to the landing stage to embark, not a single man being recruited by the recruiting officers present.
When the Saxonia came alongside, the sailors and firemen declared they would not sail with the eligible passengers.
The Cunard Company decided not to allow the emigrants to sail, and issued a statement to all their agents, pointing out that until further notice no passages are to be booked to British subjects eligible for military service.
Feeling is so intense in Liverpool that the opinion is expressed that the Government should at once take steps to stop further emigration of men of military age who are fit for service.
