The San Francisco call., 1904-12-25
TITLED YOUTH WILL
GO To PARLIAMENT
Lard Turnour, Oxford Student. Elected
Labor Leader Also Chosen

pass muster with such men as John
Burns, Henry Broadhurst, Thomas
Burt, VIII Crooks and the rest Of the
doughty little band who hold briefs for
labor in the House of Commons.
Lords figure liz every Cabinet, but
never labor representative. An un-
dersecretaryship is the highest official
honor ever bestowed on them. and only
two CT them have ever attained to that
dignity-Broadhurst and Burt Young
Lord TurnOur will stand an infinitely
better chance of receiving a Parlia-
mentary Office than Tom Richards.
Aristocratic influence counts for as
much inside the House as outside of it.
especially under the Cecil regime.
POSITION AS A LUXURY.
The fact that members of Parliament
are unpaid is alone sufficient to nlace
extremely narrow restrictions on labor
representation, or the election of moor
men, however able When labor or
sanizatons succeed in getting one Of
tnelr number elected TO Parliament
they nave 70. subscribe money enough
10 enable him to live while performing
ms legislative duties. OF course there
are methods by which a member may
recoup himself for the lack of salary
The most common and popular is the
acceptance Of directorsh;ps in various
joint stock companies in which the
magic letters M P" carry great
weight with the share-subscribing pub
lie and are literally paiG for
Many aristocratic names appear
among these guinea pig" directors. as
f-t7r~
despite the temptations of his poverty,
has ever besmirched his honor by such
associations. Nor has this been due to
any lack OF opportunity More than
once John Burns has been offered S25O0
year to allow his name TO be used as
a director of some company dealing n
commodities that sell largely among
the working classes.
Laws against corruption are very
stringent. but for ali that the sack
counts for quite as much in politics
here as in America, though in some
what different fashion.
MAINLY FOR THE RICH.
The finest club in the world" as
the House Of Commons has been
termed, is essentially a rich mans club.
There are far more wealthy men in it
than in Congress. and with many OF
them-One might say with most Of
them-it is TO their wealth they owe
their election. They MAKE themselves
solid" with their constituencies by
spending money freely in local char
tiles, social organizations End football
and cricket clubs.
Not long ago a member of Parliament
resigned because ne frankly acknowl-
edged he could no longer stand the ex-
pense it entaiIed- There are over a
hundred members of the House Of
Commons who figure in the Parliamen-
tary directory as country gentlemen" :"
which is an extremely large representa-
tion for very limited class. Most of
them have never earned their own liv-
ings; shave no knowledge of business.
and would probably cut sorry figures
if suddenly turned adrift in the world
and throw. on their own resources.
Radicals predict that before many
years elapse members of Parliament
will be paid. and that with freer oppor-
tunities given to ability brainier men
will be elected, and rank and social in
fuence viii not count for near as much
as they do now. 1t may be so, but the
signs of such a change are not ap-
parent. The fact is that there is a
great amount Of snob- worship among
the middle classes, and servility among
the lower. and while they exist the
way will be made easy for the lord and
the squire to get into Parliament with
or without brains.