ABSTRACT
Glasgow was an appropriate location for Wheatley to establish the Catholic Socialist Society, for Britain’s Second City had a large Catholic working-class population and, in spite of a dominantly Liberal Establishment, a vigorous body of Socialist tradition and opinion. The Forward proved to be a friendly medium for the propagation of Wheatley’s thesis that it was possible, indeed necessary, for working-class Catholics and Irish to be Socialists. The Forward’s attitude toward Christian Socialism and the coverage it gave to the Catholic-Socialist controversy reflected a peculiar characteristic of British Socialist and Labour history. In a business session after Hardie’s address, Wheatley led the assembled Catholics in organizing more formally the Catholic Socialist Society. The Catholic Socialist Society used the newspapers consistently to publicize their activities and to comment on the growth of the Society. The Catholic Socialist articles were frequently more than mere reports of the Sunday afternoon meetings.
