Workmen's advocate. (New Haven, Conn.) 1883-1891, 1889-01-19

from one of the wards of that town,
polling l,O55 against 9S6 for the
Liberal candidate. At Birmingham
the socialist vote showed a slight de-
crease on that of the previous muni-
cipal election. This was due to the
fact that the Liberals combined with
their political enemies, the Conser-
vatlves, IN order to be certain of de-
featlng the Social-Democrats.
| may remark that at every one of
these elections the Social Demo
cratic candidates stood boldly to
Il cir colors as Social Democrats,
and did not for a moment trim in
any degree whatsoever in order to
get few extra votes. What votes
we obtained, therefore, were given
for Social Democrats, pure and
simple.
There will be four or five Social
Democratic candidates put forward
in London for the County Council
elections which will take place next
month. These County Councils are
practically the first instalment of
municipal life for the greatest city
of the world. All the large provin-
clal towns have been incorporated
as munici palities, having control
over thei. own local affairs; but
Londoners have never had the
shadow Of control over their own
affairs. These have hitherto been
managed by that body whose name
has become bye-word for corrup-
ton, the Metropolitan Board of
Works, and the local vestries, who
have borne a similar character on a
smaller scale. Now, however, there
will be slight opportunity for Lon
doners to take a little interest in
their affairs, for the County Coun-
ell for London will confer on the
metropolis a certain amount of mu-
nicipal power. This measure of re-
form has been introduced by the
Conservatives because, being more.
clear sighted in this respect than
the Liberals, who have always called
loudly for municipal reform, they
saw that something would have to
be done in that direction. But the
Conservatives have taken particular
care that their County Cou Gil Bill
shall be merely a sembiance of mu-
nicipal reform. Before a man can
stand as or vote for Il candidate for
the County Council, he must have a
residential qualification; that is to
say, he must lave owned or oCcu-
pied a house for over twelve months.
This etfectually shuts out the vast
majority Of the workers from any
representation on the County Coun-
Gil. In fact, there are very few in
the Social democratic Federation
Who are eligible to stand as candi-
dates, or we should have put for
ward many more. As 1t is, we'll
known Social Democrats like Hynd-
man, Herbert Burrows, John Will
liams, and many others cannot stand
as candidates. Our candidates at
present are John Burns, H. W. Ho-
bart, H. Quelch (editor Of Justjcc),
W. Bartlett and II. Richmond, and
we shall probably add one or two
more. TIL" will support our pro-
gramme fols5 he County Councils,
which jnclu/s the construction of
healthy artis, IS dwellings; the tax
ing over and the working by the
County Council of such mCnOpol-
les as gas, electric lighting, water,
tramways and omnibuses; the direct
employment of labor by the Coun-
Gil without the intervention Of con-
tractors and middlemen, such labor
to be paid at trade union rates; the
establishment Of a working day Of
eight hours in all County Council
employment, and the organization
of the labor of the unemployed on
useful public works, We do not
suppose for a moment, in face Of the
exceedingly restricted suffrage, that
We shall succeed in getting a Social
Democrat on the London County
Council, but the campaign will af
ford an opportunity for excellent
propaganda.
We held a very successful meeting
of the unemployed at midnight on
Christmas Eve on the Thames en-
bankment. The speakers spoke from