The Labor enquirer., 1885-01-17
tzA0Ns xAN1oMvos1
Henry George Losing Popularity The Feds-
rafon Hspaedfsg rnthsi A Exp1Osirs
Compound DID H-frse Trade y. Fans
Trade chrstmas tie Season of Con-
science Money

Trade Christmas; the Season OF Con
science Money
LONDON. Dec. "a
Henry George is not SO successful as
on his former visit. cannot venture
an opinion as to the cause Of this but
of;two opinions one is nearly certain.
Either the people have Irelapsed into
their former apathy or they now are be-
ginning to understand that the mere
fiscal change proposed by George will
not cure the ills Of the modern indus
trial world.
If the first surmise be right it is much
to be regretted. although il is not an un-
mixed evil. The second surmise is more
probable and more cheering. The com
ditions are ripe for aSocialist agitation
in Glasgow, Dundee, Edinburgh, Leith
ana other centers in Scotland, and / fer
+ventlv hope it will take root and grow
apace.
The Social Democratic Federation in
Scotland is doing good work for the
cause. The Centerat Edinburgh, under
the name Of the Scottish Land and
Labor League, israpldly gaining strength
and is now one of the strongest and best
organized branches Of the Federation.
if M tsti
The recent explosion at London Bridge,
I is of little consequences, There is no
proof thatit was done by Fenians al
though. Of course, they get the blame.
1t was very clumsily arranged affair.
The absolute incapacityHof the police
authorities is shown very strongly. and
is blended with good deal of down
right idiocy. Accordingfto newspaper
reports, the government experts made a
long and careful scrutiny of the scene
of the explosion. and after anxious de-
| Iliberations came to the conclusion that
"the disaster was caused bv dynamite or
some o ther explosive compound This
discovery is apt to disconeert one with
the utterly overwhelming nature ofth e
abilities of the expert. Where else but
under capitalism could you find men
experts s-with enough sagacitv to see
that an explosion was caused by an ex-
plosive compound The cor some
other" in the afore-quoted sentence is a
triumph of what the literary skill of the
press can accomplish. H. II
T. .e'r ~ - 'N1@
| The public mind is agitating itself on
the subject of free trade versus fair
trade. I, Of course tits capitalistic anx-
| iety for the laborers' welfare that, causes
the commotion in publicIopinion. The
workman can easily judge whether fair
trade or free trade is the best. Advo-
Gates of both systems admit that ex-
lploitation of labor shall not be inter-
fered with. Both also admit that free
competition among laborers for chance
ttsf=rnsIayerHeft sissll coatinue.-
That it shall be international-i,e. the
cheap labor of Cinnamon, Frenchmen
and Germans shall be allowed to reduce
wages in America and Britain. Then
comes the far more important question -
shall freedom of competition between
capitalists of different countries be al
lowed? Or shall the capitalist of each
country protect their interests by taxing
imports sent by capitalists of other coun-
tries2 Here plain concise statement
of the question shows that protection or
freedom of trade is only dispute in the
capitalist camp. And workers are really
little interested in how the affair is set
tied. The workmen can easily see that
the one theory is as bad as the other,
"and a damn sight worse"-to use an
Americanism. The contending capital
lists are agreed that freedom to exploit
the labor class shall continue, whatever
other changes may be made. The labor
class had better resolve to end the capi-
talist robbery. whatever other questions
may be left untouched ~
5' ~" a'- ~ ~@.@
Christmas is at hand. The season has
come for the display of charity. The
poor exploited laborer Of London is to
get charitable dinners, etc., on Christ
mas day, for even the commercial heart
softens at this time. But the poor man
only needs charity because the fruits, Of
his toll haveb been stolen and by whom?