ABSTRACT
By 1914, John Wheatley had emerged from obscurity as the chairman of a provincial and narrowly-based Catholic Socialist Society to prominence in the West of Scotland as a considerable proponent of working-class interests. Wheatley not only had a vision of the future, therefore, but he also believed that Socialists should work in the present to improve working class life. The “Catholic Socialist Notes” during the summer had hardly indicated the increasing tension in Europe, reporting instead the progress of Wheatley’s “L8 Cottage” campaign and the C. S. S. rambles which continued into September. Several nights after the hearing, Wheatley spoke to a crowd, reported to have numbered over 3000 workers and their wives, whom he urged to unite behind their neighbor. In retrospect, Wheatley’s showing was quite respectable, though the Forward and his supporters had predicted an easy victory before the election.
