The Norfolk Virginian. [volume] (Norfolk, Va.) 186?-189?, 1895-09-03
He IS A THINKER, NO RANTER
,ier Rardie, the English Labor
Leader, Is Somewhat Surprised,
Must Not Smoke His Pipe in Delmon-
ico's. Our Treatment of Colored
People Also Surpris d Him.
He Meets Some Rich and
Idle New Workers.
Mr. Koir hardie, who represents Tic

America to see our country and make
few speeches.
Since his arrival no has been de- |
nounced by patriotic reporters because
he does not think the elevated railroads
an ornament to great city and because
he has said that he thought there were
some men in America who wore not
very rich.
Mr.. Hardie spoke the other night ut
the Social Reform club III New York.
He made short speech. After his
speech was done 1 asked him to SEQ
some of the other sides Of New York,
and he was good <aough to go about
with me and SEQ what l wanted to show
him.
We went to Delmonico's, where plu-
tocrats and workin9men have spent
their beautiful gold for many years,
and ws went to the Stewart palace,
now the Manhattan club, where old A.
T. Stewart lived and felt uncomforta-
BILE. and where his widow slowly died.
Now about Mr.. Hardio himself. AS
a representative of = great class no is
individually more interesting than any
thing he may say. He is strong man
1Iis face is strong, aud his jaw is
square. His head is big and we'll
shaped. He is intensely earnest He hns
no nonsense about him and no cant He
uses words to express what ho thinks,
not to sound we'll He dresses simply,
perhaps too simply, for there is as much
affectation i'll simplicity as in show
His nose is straight and long. He hos
y good eye. which looks squnrely ut and
into you. His chest is big. He is tenn
perate- He has read more than the or
binary ignoramus who will try to teach
him about American institutions. He
knows what few men who try original
thought ever learn-he knows that he
can never hope to learn much or to do
much. He realizes that he is like
small insect working at the foundation
OF II coral island. He does not expect to
raise society 90 fcot into the air in his
lifetime. Ho says:
This is mechanical age, and until
society emerges from the era of mechan-
ical progress not much can be hoped for
in the way of social Improvement All
that can be done now is TO keep 1.-Two
interest and belief i'll principles of jus
tice and equality, rs the monks in tho
middle ages kept alive literature They
could not hope to persuade the powerful
to learn even to write their names, but
they preserved for an agc that would APP
preciate it The priceless knowledge in
trusted to Them
That Is enough for first look at Mr..
Kerr Hardie when time presses. With
me there listened to him Judge of tho
circuit court in Kansas City, G. l.. Dob
SON. His opinion may be taken us sound,
II had thought he said, from
what have read, that this man was II
-;lnter, but he is thinker +"
The homo of the late A. r. Stewart,
now the Manhattan club, interested Mr..
Hardie. There he met various men of
wisdom and learning. Ee drank ginger
ale, while the men OF wisdom drank
Scotch whisky and soda.
One man, who is young and thought
ful, asked Mr.. Hardic what he could
suggest as a social Improvement that
would be practical. He quoted famous
American, comfortably rich, who once
said that no socialist had II feasible
plan to suggest Mr.. Hardie said that
he would, IL he had autacratic power,
organize system by which the unem-
ployed would be able to make living
by cooperative labor. He believed thu;
1t would be possible FOR the unemployed
TO have lands setapart for them to work
On cooperative basis. With such All
arrangement no man need want for
food, and the labor ma, ket would not
be overstocked. he would apply this
seciahstio cooperative system only to
me superfuous and unemployed mem
oers Of society.
AS regards the progress Of the social
.Etio ideas which he entertains, he said
hey could be furthered only in one way
by the sending Of socialists to legis-
.atiye bodies to make laws. That is
done now in France and Germany. Ii
will soon be done on bigger scale il
England, MIR. Hardie believes. He said
the defeat Of labor candidates bv the
labor vote was simply Intended to pun
fish the liberal party for its failure to
make good its promises.
Those who argue with Mr.. Hardic
will always find one difficulty about
him. He knows pretty well what h @ is
talking about.
After Mr.. Hardie had admired the
marble staircase which is SO beautiful
and which must have been so hard for
poor old Mrs. Stewart to climb. we
went to Delmonicos. Mr.. Hardie had
some ginger ale in tLe Deluoniro cote