New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1895-01-27
NOTES FROM LONDON.

PROFESSOR GRAHAM ON COLLENi Nv iSNA
MR. kerr HARDIE AND MR.. JOHN
BURNS AS RIvALS-A PERSONAL
NOTE ON MR. BURNS-MR. HAVE
-.OCK wILsON-MR. AND MRS.
rREE-THE NEW PLAY AT
THE GARRICK - MISS
ELEANOR CALHOUN.
London January 2.
As a sort of antidote to Mr. Kerr Hardie's
tirade on the Independent Labor Party Mr.
Knowles publishes Immediately after II in the
January Nineteenth Century" paper by Pro-
fcssor William Graham on THE Collectivst
Prospect in England" Professor Graham is
thinker Of repute who knows his subject. He is
not cast down by the too confident Vaccinations
OF the Collectivists. He points out that the IDEA
Is not new. nor the experience through whlch
England is passing unprecedented The woro IS
new not the thing. He admits that the new 80
cialism is spreading among the better class OF ar
tisans. though to what extent no man can YET
say None the less does he regard IL as I'M
practicable and impossible OF realization 20
long as human nature remains what IL Is IL
there were a serious attempt TO enforce CohNs-
cation it would be resisted and successfully re-
sisted; by force If need be- III IL were iiiPoSeu
for time it could not last
These comfortable conclusions, supported as
they are by many illustrations and much CO.
gent rea sonir &. NAV well reassure the more
tinld among Mr. Knowless readers. II such
there be- Professor Graham does not. however
deal with those partial and tentative applica-
tons of the principle Of Contiscation. OF which
Sir William Harcourts Budget offers the most
-,ple Probably more
immediate danger lies there and another year
or two should other Budgets be formed on SIM
liar principles may disclose some very striking
and unexpected effects from this new expert
ment of embodying in a statute the principle or
spoation.
II may be worth noting that in Mr.. keir Har-
dies elaborate dissertation on The newest
Socialism. the name of Mr.. John Burns does
not occur. This will seem surprising 10 those
Americans whom Mr. Burrs has left under the
impression that ne is at present the law and the
gospel. and the true chief Of the Labor Party IN
England. He may be all that, but he and Mr.
Kerr Hardie do not train IN the same
companv. They are rivals. Mr.. Hardie
;s the leader of the more advanced wing
of Labor He dragged Mr.. Burns after
him at Norwich. annexed him, forced MIN
to support his Confscation resolution anu
as he would probably say, wiped up the hoor
with him. It can hardly be expected mat
man who has thus been made to do the once
of mop should be grateful to the otner man
whose dirty work he was thus forced to per-
FORM Mr. Hardie has at any rate proved that
IL is quite possible TO discuss the LABOR pro-
rramme with the name of John Burns left out
Until the feat had been achieved it may well
have seemed impossible to Mr.. Burns himself
I fear we must conclude that If Mr.. keir mar
die succeeds in organizing his own private Inc
dependent Labor Party. he will leave Mr. burns
ont of that also Yet your recent visitor, with
al, his blatant manner is the better man OF the
two.
He would be better still il he were In a POSI-
ton of independence Unlucky, he is known 10
no denendent on casual contributions for his
support. Such a matter need not be referred
70 publicly were it not that the hat is contin-
uauy sent round and sometimes with brass
band accompanying Once Mr.. John Burns
earned an honest livelihood as an engineer
bammering rivets into boilers For many years
rast he has lived by agitation. He has no other
trade or occupation. Perhaps the Trade UNIONS
toss hi., something from their overf1owing cash
boxes do not know. What everybody KNOWS
IL that Mr. T. p. OConnor last year opened a
subscription for Mr.. Burns in the columns OF
"The Sun"-the pink halfpenny evening sun
which the redoubtable Tay Pay directs IN us
headlong course through infinite space "A
tanner for John Burns" was Mr.. T. P.'s appear
TO each Of his readers. II we are to Judge ov
results fear the number Of his readers is not
so great as we could wish. A tanner under-
stand to be- in the dialect Of the East End. a
sjxpence, and the valiant Irishman's demand
was for 10000 sixpences If he had got them II
Honest JOnn
Burns's pocket But he did not get them He
got as I remember, much less than haif the
10000 and the subscription list was closed IN
those circumstances. / suppose 1t Is toerapiy
clear that Labor Leader and Member OF FAR
lament compelled to look to charity for means
of continuing as Leader and Legislator. IS IN
much less Independent position than might DC
wished Mr.. Hardie, at any rate. clearly THINKS
Mr. Burns less fit than himself to be the ihoe'
pendent Labor Party Leader
In another respect also, Mr.. Burns's inde-
pendence is imperfect. We saw what somer
sault he was compelled to turn at Norwich.
friend took up his defence. Burns he SAID
'is In this position. The movement he once leo
IL continually getting ahead Of him. The mos'
extreme men come to the front, as they always
do in social movements They outbid Burns
The workingmen are ignorant. jealous sus
picious They expect ieduer W ~ ioi e''i'
proposal or programme in their interest IL ne
hesitates ne is a traitor-away with him. Sc
Burns is led on. as he was at Norwich. ano
forced TO go in for schemes which he knows &c
be mischievous or wicked. In short. the train
goes ahead: Burns has to jump on or get lett
And he jumps on" This. you WIN note was
intended as a defence of Mr.. Burns Each OF
his admirers will Judge for himself whether M
would like to be defended In that way. Il
amounts to this. that Mr. Burns Is forced te
choose between sacrificing his principles anc
sacrificing his position. He sacrifices MS prin
ciples.
Mr. Havelock Wilson's tardy and lame denia
OF that re issued disseminated the forged
circ,lar In tho mama Of the Shining Federation