New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1895-05-23
SOCIALIST MARPLOTS IN ENGLAND

Mr. lanes Kcr Hardie appears 10 TAKE hiiii-
so,f ruite seriously The Gladstonian Liberal
Marty having some time ago put forth ut New
c,stIc q PROSPECTUS Of its plans since KNOWN rs
the Newcastle Programme, he proposes 20 snow
,h,t ho is inst as big a man as the III. -. VI.
His independent Labor party shall have-ahh
now hasa Newcastle Programme too. 1t met
ot Newcastle q month ago. cighty-four strong.
am, discusscd the WAYS and means Of all the uni
worse The result Of that discussion is now De-
eoro IN. world II takes the form Of an address
70 the Socialists OF all lands including the Mill
list assassins Of Russia and the murd'ronS ooihp-
throwers Of SPAIN with whose methods OF work
hearty svmpothy is expressed. The name indie
pendcnt Labor party Is still retained. apparently
At Newcastle many favored dropping II ana SUP
stituting Socialist The name however, does
not matter. Mr.. Hardlc, Mr.. rom Manu. anu
thcir comrades have definitely declared them
selves to be Socialists Of the most advanced
and violent type. 1t Is as such 'hat 'hcy anu
their party must be considered
1t is interesting to observe that these men,
clamorous for "lioerty." begin by absolutely Tor
bidding individual liberty Of speech and action
Their Newcastle Programme BINDS every mcih-
Der Of the party By solemn oath, TO vote 1or
none but the Independent Labor party cand-
dates. and TO vote for such blindly ana unques
tionincly. Every voter, that Is to say. Is TO be
the mere tool OF the party caucus. No matter
how unfit candidate may be, the voter Is sworn
e. sunnort him. 4 more deDasinS political
tyranny than that II would not be easy 70 devise
And the next plank OF the platform Is like unto
Il All real property IS to be seized by the
State" without compensation to the present
o,vnors and all .uncarned incomes" from in
,os,,nonts ctc are 10 be taxed to extinction"
Thus property as well as liberty Is to be aboi-
ished and prohibited Universal slavery Is 10 90
hand in hand with universal robbery. And after
them the millennium.
Such schemes as these would scarcely be worth
n moments attention were it not that many
others take them seriously beside Mr. keir Har-
die That gentleman Is Member OF Parna-
mcnt. and was made such because Of, ana not
In spite Of these notions. The next House or
Commons will almost certainly contain several
more Of the same stripe. And in many close
constituencies the followers Of these men are
numerous enough to hold the balance OF power
between the two great parties. 1t Is probable
that ninc-tcnths OF them have been drawn from
the GladstonianLiberal party. Their detection
has thus directly weakened that party, and has
Indirectly done 50 even more seriously by driving
into the Conservative ranks n great number or
voters who are alarmed ut the Socialist tenden
cips of the times 1t seems entirely reasonable
therefore, to reckon as does The London Spec
tator'' in n recent issue. that Mr. Keir Hardie
/ Is Il more dangerous foe to the Gladstonian-Lb-
cral. or Radical party than is Mr.. Balfour or any
other leader Of the Opposition. There Is no con-
ccivnbln rosSibilitv Of tho InlcDpndeut Labor
party coming into power rs the governing party
Of the United Kingdom: but the possibilities OF
its marplotry are great and omnous.