Montana news., 1905-11-22

who are the special friends, and guides,
and champions, and deliverers of the
people-what have they to say to this
wondrous movement Of the people; this
new birth Of public life; this man
Hesitation of independence on the part
of the workersf
NOTHING.
DO they know of its existencef
cannot say. Their newspapers do their
best to keep them in ignorance; it may
be that they succeed. II is just possible
that Rosebery, Asquith, Morley, Lloyd
George, Grey, and others of their front
rank colleagues, are as ignorant as
they appear to be about the political
revolution which is manifesting itself
all over England, Scotland, and Wales.
II may be that they are really ignorant,
in which case worse fate will befall
them than befell three blind mice of
whom the nursery rhyme tells. But
cannot believe them to be ignorant
They are not moles; they more re-
semble the ostrich, who, it is said. ap-
pears to think that so long as it can
not see danger, no danger is near, and
so, when pursued by an enemy, buries
its head in the sand, have been read
ing the speeches, the great speeches,
which these men have recently been
making, reading them to try and CLEAN
same inkling of what is in their mind
on social and industrial topics, Of what
the starving poor have to expect from
them when they succeed to office.
BUT NOTHING CAN / FIND.
Mr. Asquith keeps stamping upon the
decaying carcass of the still-born
monstrosity of Protection. When
gravelled for other matters, he prates
of reforming the procedure Of the
House Of Commons, n ten days. task
at most. Mr.. Morley hints at Home
Rule for Ireland, and, following in tho
wake of Mr.. Chesterton, sneers at Lord
Rosebery for making fetish of the
meaningless term deficiency" Lord
hhofptiN htltnuN MS
fetish, and declares that on no account
will he be party to Mr.. Morley IS
Home Rule proposals. Mr.. Lloyd George
pats Lord Rosebery's shoulder in good
comradeship fashion, initiates Mr.
Winston Churchill in coming political
Billngsgate to sling at Mr.. Balfour, and
winds up with great blast against
the Established Church. Sir Edward
Grey talks authoritatively about the
woes of the Chinese serfs in South
Africa, and then looks on blandly
whilst two English girls are being
violently hustled out from his meeting,
and subsequently sent to gaol for hav.
ing the daring to ask him a question
about the political entranehisement of
the women of Great Britain. Occasion
ally there is a vague reference, com
pressed into half a dozen lines, to the
need of social reform, and that is all;
nothing definite or tangible; mere
platitudinous generalities.
And the Churches, especially the Free
Churches' The Free Church Council
and Mr.. Thomas Law passed resolu-
tion about the unemployed, whilst in
Bradford every Free Church minister
is opposing, actively, the candidature
of the nine Labor nominees, who are
making the care of the unemployed and
the provision of meals for school chill.
dren the special topic of their cam.
paign, and supporting the Liberal nom
inees, who have opposed the provision
of public meals for starving children,
and who are bent on making the new
Unemployment Act n dead letter. Gen.
eral Booth is spending his declining
years in trying to get rid of our
"surplus" population by banishing
some fifteen thousand families TO the
wilds Of Western Australia, whilst the
Bishop of London is laundering forth
semi-apostolic maledictions against
those who are guilty of the national
crime of limiting the size of their fam
lilies and keeping down the growth of
population.
And these are the self-constituted
friends and leaders of the people, pol.
itieal and religious. When the blind
lead the blind both shall tumble into
the ditch.
So far as the Organized Labor move.
ment is concerned, the days of such
stumbling guidance are over. The
workers are tired of the ditch. Who.
ever will may tumble into and wallow
in the mire Of bitches, but they have
had enough of that. Socialism has
come to tighten their path. The dawn.
ing consciousness of political manhood
is awakening self-respect. The blind
may go on leading the blind, but never.
more shall priest, parson, or politician
lead Organized Labor. The awakening