The Labor enquirer., 1884-08-30
BRITISH REv0Ly7
1t is Coming, fastened by the
Attempts at Reform by the
Politicians.
The Social Democratic Federation 81
Work for the Emancipation Of
Humanity.

Special Correspondence OF The Enquirer.
| LONDON, August O. The agitation in
favor Of the extension Of the fran
chise to 2DO0, 900 af agricultural laborers,
which has been started by the caucus
under the distinguished patronage Of
Mr.. Gladstone's radical colleagues. isnow
in full swing. But the flood which has
been let loose threatens to sweep away
and obliterate other noxlous institutions
than the house of lords, in fact we are,
here in England, in the first stages of the
active work of Revolution. The percep-
ton of the fact that what has been
begun as political, may terminate in q
Social Revolution, has come home to the
more moderate among the radicals, and
the word has accordingly gone out
that the agitation must be directed to
the mending only or bending Of the
house of lords, and with this object in
view, it is proposed to swamp the con-
seryatiye majority in the peers by turn
ing a lot of the most notorious labor
thieves, such as Samuel Morley, M. F.,
and political hacks of various kinds into
peers. We Socialists ask for nothing
better, it will be a great lesson to the
workers and show them what kind of
men the friends Of the people" are.
But there is party who are going
further, they are for the total abolition of
the house OF lords. This is one of the
articles in the programme of the Demo
cratic Federation, with the additional
words, 4and all hereditary authority"
But at this some of our radical friends
draw rein. They are against the heredi-
tary transmission of royal aristocratic
titles, ETC., yet in their very midst a
family hierarchy is growing into exist
ence. Among others we have the grand
old man in the person of Mr.. Gladstone,
and my son Herbert" is being diligently
trained to step into the G. o. m. spolitical
shoes. We are in fact threatened with
family regime of the most bumptious
offensive kind, composed of Birmingham
screwmakers, Nottingham hosiers, Man
chester and other cotton spinners and
labor thieves of all descriptions. The
Socialist party see this, and are working
hard, and not unsuccessfully, to open the
eyes of the masses to it. We want no
transmitted authority or political caste,
and therefore demand the retention of
all political power in the hands of the
people, without which we can neither
obtain nor retain the social changes and
rights we call for. The mere transfer of
authority from royal princes and con-
seryative lords to radical merchant
princes and factory lords means, in En-
gland, greater tyranny and degradation
for the workers. While the liberal rad
icals here are settling among themselves
what form the coming change is to take,
whether mending or ending of the peers,
the peers themselves, stand by and
watch the fight. The Socialist party the
same, but with the certainty that what
ever the momentary result may be, the
popular cause must gain in the end.
There has probably hardly ever
been period when the position of the
wealth producersIof England has been so
bad as at present. There may have
been times when the Individual condi-
tion was worse, bat even that / doubt.
To-day, life is purely artificial. Our peo-
Pile, through the development of ma.
chinery, its application to the production
and maintenance of all things needed in
our daily individual and national life,
and the concentration of property and
capital in few hands, have lost all
knowledge of the domestic handicrafts,
or nearly SO. The consequence Is help
less, hopeless dependence, and a COM
plete absence of individuality. The
same causes put them at the mercy of
the political charlatan, who has exploited
them freely. The difficulties, therefore,
which the propagandists of Socialism
have to encounter in England are neither
few nor light. But all the same the
cause makes way. The people, in slita
of thems Ives, are beginning to see that
the mere giving of vote does not bene-
fit their social condition, and are asking
awkward questions of their leaders, who
try to put them off by telling them to
lock at Egypt or to pull down the house
of lords and then all will be well. But
this they are refusing to do, thanks in q
great measure to the work of the Demo-
cratic Federation, and are demanding
from their leaders some explanations as
to how they are to get bread, raiment
and shelter. These are the burning
questions of the day with English
workers, and they become more so as
misery increases, which it is doing to an
extent which appalls even that profess
sional philanthropist, Samuel Morley,
NJ. p. All this political agitation, then,
which is going on, am disposed to be-
lieye, is Fastening the Social Revolution.
The political charlatans thought they
could build a new Jail with the material
of the old without pulling it down ;
finding they cannot, they want to white
wash it. This swhat Sir Charles Dilke's
fex-republlcan baronet) royal commits