air meetings, and at length had taken upon himself to more than
hint that the movement was at a standstill owing to the lukewarmness (in
guise of practical moderation) of those to whom its guidance had been
entrusted. The reports of Comrade Roodhouse's lectures were of a nature
that made it difficult for Mr. Westlake to print them in the 'Fiery
Cross;' one such report arrived at length, that of a meeting held on
Clerkenwell Green on the first Sunday of the new year, to which the
editor refused admission. The comrade who made it his business to
pen notes of the new apostle's glowing words, had represented him as
referring to the recognised leader in such very uncompromising terms,
that to publish the report in the official columns would have been
stultifying. In the lecture in question Roodhouse declared his adherence
to the principles of assassination; he pronounced them the sole working
principles; to deny to Socialists the right of assassination was to rob
them of the very sinews of war. Men who affected to be revolutionists,
but were in reality nothing more than rose-water romancers, would of
course object to anything which looked like business; they liked to
sit in their comfortable studies and pen daintily worded articles, thus
earning for themselves a humanitarian reputation at a very cheap rate.
That would not do; _à bas_ all such penny-a-liner pretence! Blood
and iron! that must be the revolutionists' watchword. Was it not by
blood and iron that the present damnable system was maintained? To
arms, then secretly, of course. Let tyrants be made to tremble upon their
thrones in more countries than Russia. Let capitalists fear to walk in
the daylight. This only was the path of progress.

It was thought by the judicious that Comrade Roodhouse would, if
he repeated this oration, find himself the subject of a rather ugly
indictment. For the present, however, his words were ignored, save in
the Socialist body. To them, of course, he had addressed himself, and
doubtless he was willing to run a little risk for the sake of a most
practical end, that of splitting the party, and thus establishing a
sovereignty for himself; this done, he could in future be more guarded.
His reporter purposely sent 'copy' to Mr. Westlake which could not be
printed, and the rejection of the report was the signal for secession.
Comrade Roodhouse printed at his own expense a considerable number of
leaflets, and sowed them broadcast in the Soc