The Labor enquirer., 1884-07-26

'eRlalB. | !
The Opposition 70 Socialism in
Great Britain Shifting
rs Base. y

II Z, -. . = : ~
! Ia strme Letter fam Scotland Con
tanning Paints Applicable in
1 this Country.
Editor Labor Enquirer.
EDIsBuRaH, BRlrA1r, 49 ARrHuR ST.,
IS July s, 1884 j
The attitude Of the various paiitica
parties towards the Socialists is at pres
ent undergoing ! curious change Whel
It began to dswn upon the minds 0
the men who assume to think and speal
for the public that the sudden uprising
ofa Socialist organization was not mer.
freak Of some fanasic, but real effort b,
determined and capable men to slay q
great social wrong, on every side wa
heard bitter denunciation criticisms
which showed more furious spite than
forcible logic, and Misrepresentation d
the most vile description. We are nov
being assailed IN q more crafty and lea
passionate manner. It may be that the
new method will be more powerful thar
the old, but it is nevertheless cheerful
sign, for it betokens that the enc
mics Of the people have found it neces.
sary to adopt more effective method Of
warfare, and the adoption Of d more
effective method Of warfare betokent
That we are more powerful than we were
some little time ago. When the enemy
requires more powerful weapons it surely
shows that they are being met by more
powerful force.
The government has found it necessary
to make inquiries into our relations with
foreign Socialist organizations. They are
afraid that the workers may discover OF
have discovered that an international
alliance would strengthen their hands
Let us sincerely hope that the govern.
ment has good grounds for their fears,
/ am not quite SO sanguine myself, but
II hope that their investigations
may not be in vain.
The capitalist papers which are always
fighting among themselves upon nearly
every question under the sun are uniyer-
sally agreed that we are band Of thieves
|and murderers Of the most diabolical
kind. Our most prominent men are all
'1iars" and fools" they have no culture
are particularly ignorant upon the sub
|jects which they take in hand, their read
ing is narrow, and their reasoning
powers of very mean kind. / need
hardly interpret the meaning of these
words to my American comrades. OF
course they mean that our men are pow
erful enough to cause them considerable
annoyance, and thatin spite of all their
perfdy and ignorsnceIth are striking
out in a style which endangers this
civilization, which our enemies are 30
anxious to defend. IF our men were the
fools they are called the press would not
take SO much trouble to abuse them. 1t
is because they are raising the fears OF
the bourgeoisie that they are incurring
the hatred Of their minions the press.
But there has been slight and inter
esting change Of tactics. Weare not now
treated to SO much furious abuse. The
more conservative part of the press are
Sbetaking themselves to the same insane
denuneiation sure enough, but they do
not write for the popular reader, and are
of very, little account in great social or
even political questions. The class Of
men and papers who write to suit the
people and who enjoy the greatest
amount of public confidence, at present,
are the advanced liberals and radicals.
To these men and their tactics Turn be-
cause they are the most powerful, and
because they are the. first formings Of
the new class into which all other classes
who are against the Socialists will sink.
Let me make clear the attitude Of
these classes toward the Socialists.
The conservatives belong to the old
aristocratic class their ideas are gener-
ally ancient, their influence is small in
reality it is only when they go beyond
their own ideas for the purpose of win
ming space of popularity that they can
command many supporters among the
workers. AS men they are often much
better than the more advanced" poMi.
ticians, for the old aristocrat is generally
gentleman and would despise cheating
his ainferiors."
Between the radicals and liberals | do
not recognize any difference. They are
parties holding the same opinions. only
different in degree. This was lately
shown in curious way. Mr.. Goschen
may be cited as the representative of the
moderate liberals. Some months ago he
delivered some lectures in Edinburgh
for the purpose Of explaining his posi-
tion as moderate" man. His whole
ideas may be summed up thus: He
recognizes the tendency of the time to
be drifting towards democracy and So
cialism, and this tendency he wants to
restrain as far as possible by dealing out
reform in very small amounts, by a pro.
cess Of passive resistance to every popu.
lar measure, so that the time and state