, 1891-11-26
LIE BALANCE oE POWER.
John Burns Sees in Sir Harry Parkes' De
feat a Way for Labor to Win.

John Burns Sees In Sir Harry Parkes' De-
feat a Way for Labor to Win.
British workingmen are naturallyjubi-
liant over the downfall of Sir Harry
Parkes, prime minister of New South
Wales. His defeat was brought about
by the opposition of the Workingmen's
party in parliament, and he was opposed
because of his antagonism to the eight
hour provision in the government bill
regulating the mining laws. The eight
hour day is a live issue with the organ
lied workers Of England, and the victory
Of the party in New South Wales may
bring matters to a head in a very short
time. A recent cablegram from London
has the following on the subject:
The leaders of organized labor in Eng
land are watching with keenest interest
the crisis which has been brought about
in the New South Wales government by
the defeat of the Parkes ministry on the
eight hour question. The event forms
the subject matter of discussion in all the
meetings of workingmen, and its effect
is plainly perceptible in the strengthen
ing of the movement for Independent
political action on the part of the labor
ing classes. The project of having a labor
party in the house of commons, composed
of genuine workingmen and acting out
side of regular political organizations, is
rapidly gaining favor. 1t is proposed to
have the labor members isolate them
selves and act absolutely as a unit in
the way that the Irish party learned to
do under Parnell, winning a concession
for every vote that they may give for a
measure of either of the regular parties.
1t is believed by several of the leaders of
the unions that the labor party could in
a few years gain many valuable points
in this way, as there are frequent COCA
sions in almost every session of parlia-
ment when the division on certain meas
ures Is 30 close hat a ministry will be
glad to purchase the support of a small,
compact, independent party at the price
Of considerable concessions.
John Burns is one of the most en.husi-
astic of the independent party advocates,
and it is largely due to his untiring and
intelligent efforts in its exposition that
the idea has become SO well understood
and accepted among the w~orkingmen.
In an interview with Burns he declared
with evident delight that the vote in the
New South Wales parliament was one of
the greatest victories of labor in the his
tory of the world. 1t would not only do
wonders for the cause in Australia, but
its effect would be strongly felt in Eng
land and America. Workers would now
be enabled to see the mighty power they
possessed If they would but unite and
use it intelligently. They would perceive
that by pursuing the tactics used in Aus
tralia they could practically control any
government. A new era in the history
of legislation was now at hand.
Speaking of the veteran statesman who
had just received his Waterloo at the
hands of labor, Burns said that he had
long been satisfied that Sir Harry Parkes
had no sympathy with the aspirations of
labor, though he pretended to be the
special friend of the working classes. The
laborers Of Australia had apparent,
found him out at last and had summarily
rejected his false promises. His SYM
pathy for labor was purely selfish; he
wished to use the working1nen for his
own advancement, but not for then
The lesson administered to him was badly
needed by some of his fellow statesmen
in England, where politicians without y
particle of genuine sympathy with the
masses were ~clinging to the labor cause
for the purpose of gaining popularity and
winning places for themselves.
Burns believes that the eight hour day
is now obtainable without the aid of
place hunters, who give a theoretical as
sem to its necessity, but do little to bring
it into operation. Labor should make
itself a direct, not an indirect, political
factor and power.