People's voice. [volume] (Wellington, Sumner County, Kansas) 1890-1917, 1895-01-03
WHAT HE HAS DONE.
DEVOTION TO LABOR HAS WON
BURNS MANY FRIENDS.
The Career of One OF the Most Interest
ing Britishers Who Has Ever Visited
the United States London Dock
Strike.

Strike.
John Burns is one of the most inter-
esting personalities that England has
produced of late years, and his present
visit to this country and the assistance
ne rendered to the deliberations of
the convention of the Federation of
Labor, lately in session at Denver, will
not fail to have influence upon the af-
fairs of American wage workers. Mr..
Burns is pre-eminently a leader of
men, but his greatest achievement in
this direction was leading the great
London dock strike a few years ago.
There were 100000 of these men, whose
natural inclinatiOns, especially when
ont of work, were inimical to every
public interest, but Burns managed to
hold them in perfect control. He kept
them fed. washed, shaved, comforta-
BILE and law abiding for five weeks,
until the employer class had to give in
and the strike was won.
How did he do it? 1t was through
his magnetic personality. He passed
from dock to dock, along the water
front of London, making short
speeches of encouragement to the men.
He warned them not to break the
laws, but to win public sympathy for
the strike by their good behavior. Pub
lie sympathy was gained and money
rolled in abundantly.
Burns won the victory by general
ship and his knowledge of humanity.
OF course, Burns has made enemies.
No leader of men ever existed but he
had his haters. Thousands of English
men denOunce him as an agitator, a
socialist, and a demagogue. But most
of his denouncers do not personally
know Mr. Burns Now word about
Mr.. Burns personally. He is but Sc
years old, but he looks at least 50. In
stature he is below the average, being
about feet ) inches tall. He is broad
shouldered and stoutly built and
weighs about 100 pounds The one
feature of his personality is his deep
rich voice, which is very mellow and
pleasing.
He has very little in his speech or
dress to distinguish him from an
American well to do citizen, except
the use of his broad A, which he sounds
i'll pure English fashion. He is most
interesting in his conversation and
speaks with an enthusiasm that is
fascinating.
Mr. Burns has accomplished more
for the good of the laboring men since
he entered parliament than any other
dozen men in the same course of time.
In regard to his accomplishments it
may be said he is a man of true artistic
temperament. Patterson park was
originally dismal swamp until Burns
took it in hand and made it a pretty
pleasure ground for the use of the
working classes. Being on the London
park commission he has done much to
transfer sections of the city into beauty
spots. In this respect his work is I'M
finished, for it is his ambition to make
the English capital, in some respects
at least, resemble the beauty of
Florence and Venice. Burns is no
dreamer His accomplishments in the
past make it reasonably certain that
he will do a great deal in the future in
this respect.
Mr. Burns was instrumental:
/. In developing the labor depart
ment of the London board of trade and
in the establishment of the Monthly
Labor Gazette, the leading organ of
labor in the United Kingdom.
.. In settling the coal and cab dis
puteS,
3. In passing the eight hour law for
government workmen in the factories
and workshops of the war Office and in
the dock yards. This affects over go
600 worlImen.
(. In raising the minimum weekly
wages for admiralty laborers from II
shillings to 10 shillings, and of the
workers at Woolwich and Deptford
from Il shillings 20 20 shillngs.
5. In the extension of the principle
of trade union hours for government
workmen.
G. In abolishing the rules forbidding
government workmen to join trade
unions.
Z. In reinstating trade unionist post
men and telegraphists, dismissed under
the late tory government.
s. In the appointment of a royal
commission to inquire into the con-
dition OF the aged poor.
9. In bringing about sympathetic
administration of the factory acts, in
GLIDING the provision of lists OF out
workers in certain trades and special
government inquiries into dangerous