The representative. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1893-1901, 1894-11-14

attraction he would ordinarily attract For
the first time in history American
workingmen will be called upon to vote
for or against the industrial demands of
British wage edrners.
No better man that John Burns could be
chosen to formulate these demands. He
is one of the most industrious men in Eng
lands parliament today.
Il expected said he, when an eStima tie
of his own career was asked of him, and
these are his exact words revised by him.
self Il expected when l was of the age
of 16 or II, that at some time of my life,
/ should be brought face to face with the
authorities for indicating the class to
which l belong. l have from my earliest
infancy been in contact with poverty of the
worst possible description. l may tell you
that 1 went to work in q factory at the
early age of 10 years and toiled until left
my workshop to stand as parliamentary
candidate for the western division of Not
tngham. l have done everything 1 could
in a peaceful manner to call the attention
of the authorities to the frightfub amount
of poverty and degradation existing among
the working classes. L have done my best
as an artisan to educate my unskilled fell
low workmen, to point out to them that
they should educate themselves and organ
iZe themselves in such q manner that by
peaceful demands a better state of things
should be brought about. Since l was 16
years of age 1 have done everything in my
i
forward way. l have deprived myself, as
many of my class have done, of hundreds
of meals on purpose to buy books and pa
perS to see if We could not possibly, by
peaceful consultation, by deliberate and
calm organization, do that which / am in
clined to think the middle and upper classes
by their neglect, apathy and Indifference,
will compel artisans to do otherwise than
peacefully"
Nor is this an inaccurate representation
-
gineerng-not scientific, but rough, work.
aday engineering. He travelled a little
while working at his calling and even went
out to the Congo. He saved money and
then began tour of the continent of E,u-
rope and has become really an educated
man. He lives in a flat on Lavender
Hill, in region known to Londoners as
Batter sea, and would be better off today
but for what he has spent in the support
of aged relatives. Nearly 4 decade ago he
became noted as a rough, eager orator at
Hyde Park mass meetings of the unem-
ployed. The Social Democratic Fedora ton
is the body he first affiliated with, and in
a very short time he was known as mob
here" Burns is So now, but looks nearer
80, and he is of Scotch birth, not a cockney,
though Londoper. With Tom Manu. Ben
Tillet, John Williams and Cunninghame
Graham he fell under the ban of the DO
lice, and for his agitation at Trafalgar
square and during the great dock strike
then to parliament. 1t was his open def
ance and Scorn of the propertied classes
that Won him an election to the London
county council, and he is member of that
body to this day, well as a member OF
parliament. To him is due the Clearly con-
dition of London'S poverty" streets today
He saved the city of London f2G 900 one
year by exposing the rascality of a con-
tractor. 1t was in 1859 that London work
ingmen first began to raise the annual sum
rf hat IN n I,,r,
in the labor propag anda ever since He is
now an ardent Socialist. There has been
some antagonism between John Burns and
Keir Halle because the latter clines to the
independent labor party, while the former
is what is termed a Fabian Socialist
But there will be no differences of opin-
Ion among American labor leaders in vel
coming this Industrial envoy from the old
world. 1t was Henry u. Lloyd of Chica go
who presented the formal invitation of the
American labor unions to John Burns to
take part in the coming Denver conven-
t,on. Mr.. Lloyd, accompanied by a party
OF lapor men, Will 80 down the BAY in n
tug to welcome Mr. Burns to this country
A committee headed by Samuel Gomners
Will preside at a mass meeting in Cooper
Union at which Burns will make his first
public speech to new world audenc.
This mass meeting will be held this month
or at any rate by the first week in Decen,
Der. from New York Burns goes to Phila.
delphia to confer with leaders of the
knights of Labor. Terence v. Powderly is
the one man among Americans admired by
Burns. He has often spoken of him ~
his audiences and always in terms of
praise. But Burns thinks our trades un.
ions are not advanced enough. In this
such men as James r. Sovereign and even
the conservative Gompers fully agree with
him. Hence it is that the Englishman will
particularly enter into the methods OF
labor agitation in Great Britain.
From Philadelphia he proceeds to Chica.
60. Already the laborirg men there are