The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1869-11-13 00:00:00

THE L!BOtTR REPRESENTATION

LEAGUE.

This body has the advantage of a eapltal name
which tersely deseribes in three words its scone
and design. We need not therefore point out
what these are, further than to say that the
working men who hove banded themselves te-
m.,' rin 4tls erganiention strive to bring their
- bear upon constituencies so that
game genuine representatives of labour may be
returned to Parliament. In Southwark, for ex-
ample, Ott new League has brought ferwaril its
nominee in the person of Mr. Odger, who is
asking for the suffrages of the eleetors as the
workine:inne's eandidate. Up to the present
time the lifforrptg to get labour directly repro-
gented in Pr liarnent have certainly not met with
eufficient encouragement to canoe the least flut-
ter of excitement among those wit* may be hor-
rified at having a genuine working man in the
House of Comninna. Several working men
candidates came forward at the last election,
but not one was returned. In this fact the La-
bour Representation Leagne finds a justification
for its existence, and an incentive to its efforts.
They assert that it is for want of organisntion
that working men are nowhere successful as
candidates, and this organisation the League
will supply. How far the object aimed at may
be accomplished by the means employed. re-
mains to be seen, but meanwhile the general
question is of interest to the country. In the
main we entirely agree with the theory of the
direct representation of labour. Questions of
capital and labour, of emigration, of education,
Sce., will be continually arising in the House of
Commons, and it in desirable that some repre-
sentatives able to look at these matters from the
working men's point of view, should be enabled

to state what he believes to he the opinion of the
the elites to which they belong. Our House of
Commons, reformed though it he, is a very aria,.
tocratic and wealthy house, and the landed lute.
rest and the interests of the capitalist and the
employer are very largely represented. But the
largest 01886 of the community, the class which
lives by mental and manual labour, as distinct
from the higher departments of professional
employment, are not directly represented at all.
Of course it may be replied that the working
men has a large number of advocates in the
House of Commons. This we admit; nay.
more, almoat every member of tlia: Honse
claiina to desire that legislation should be fair
and just to the working classes ; hut still the
I most ardent friend of the working man can but
speak in that assembly at secon,l-lnind ; he can
but found Ids remarks on information derived
fro n floe siiet:no iif uimu wor'cing el ; where's:
a genuine workintt I 1131), returned as a workin2:-
class reprisen'ati.-e, would in that e'lartetcr
speak with authority, because he would speak
from direct knowled.ze on cot in triestions iou
mediatelv eonnected with labour. A feiv such
representetives could scarcely do mile' harm and
they might do much good. We confess we
should not like to see so large a number of site!,
representatives, that they would be likely to be-

tn. demonstrative in favour of" the rights
of labour," but th, re is no danger of anything
of the kind. There need be no fear of the
rights of labour being overlooked in this coun-
try, with our p,werful press, our public meet-
in go, our trade organisations, our leagues. and
our unions. But there is some danger of these
rights being occasionally misunderstood in a
House so largely composed of hind lord. and
etoployer4, without one single working man being
present to say what his class May think of the
subject under discu,sion. It is di this way that
we thiNk a few genuine working men would be
of service to the country ; but of course they
in net lie men who not only possess the eontitkiwe
of the tnajort., of their eanstititents, lent whose
character wiil COMmand the esteem of the House
of Commons, an assembly that will watch very
narrowly and very jeabmoly the first winking
man candidate that may achieve a perilous
I succe4s.