Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1906-03-03
Special Correspondence.


I ONION, Feb. 22.-I.abor has
thrown down the gantlet to capt.
tai in England, Political leaders
who are anything but alarrnists
admit that a fierce struggle Is about tc
be inaugurated in the house of COM
mons--a fight Of vested interests and
private ownership of every description
against communlonism and public con-
troll
On the one side are the great landed
monopolles, holding between them liter
ally millions of acres Of English soil;
the great railway systems, controlling
millions of dollars, and ramifying
through every section OF the country;
the owners of the coal mines, the can
ais. water and gas companies--in fact,
every source OF wealth In the hands
OF private individuals. As England IS
one Of the richest countries In the
world. practically untold wealth will ex-
ert it's uttermost power TO preserve its
existence.
On the other side are the forces of
labor, lined up and generated as they
never have been before, perhaps, In the
history of the world Backed by mil
lions OF the working classes, represent
ing the trades unions throughout the
country, and led by skilled parliament
tarians, controlling, at the same time,
sufficient monetary power to enable
them to fight without feeling the ext
gencies of want-such as would be their
fate In strikes and "lookoute'--the
forces OF labor are not to be ignored.
The new Liberal government has al
ready committed itself to several of the
important planks of the labor parties
combined. Whether the house OF lords
will go down under the strain Of the
incessant b0mbardment to which 1t will
be subjected remains to be seen.
VIEWS OF LEADERS.
In order to give an authoritative fore
cast OF the labor program in the next
parliament the writer recently obtained
the views OF the most prominent lead
ers. Philip Snowden-the "Robespiere
of the Labor Revolution" as some have
called him. Ramsey Macdonald. or
ganizer of the forces of labor, and 9TH
ers.
The life stories Of most OF these men
read like pages from Il sensational ro-
nance. OF the SO representatives OF
labor who win sit in the new parlia-
ment, all but half q dozen were horny
handed and hard-flsted sons of toll.
Brlcklayer, stonemason. coal miner
stolSer, factory hand, printer, newsboy.
engine driver dock iaborer, these are
the various callings from which they
have risen by combination Of physi-
cal fitness, endurance and brain power.
The most outspoken among the lead
ers Is Kcir Hardie, who began life In
a coal mine. Millions In this country
he said, ARE stepped in poverty while
millions more are but one degree re-
moved from It. While the useful class
toll and suffer, the owners OF land and
capital are heaning up untold wealth.
Great accumulations of wealth menace
our liberties, control the great London
organs Of the press. lead MS into wars
abroad and poison the wells of public
life at home. Landlordism and capital
ism are the upper and neither millstones
between which the life OF the common
people Is being ground 10 dust For
these reasons ! have taken an active
interest for many years In building mp
an Independent Labor party separats
and distinct from any merely political
organization The immediate object Of
the Labor party Is to create a driving
force IN politics which will overcome
the inertia OF politicians in regard to
social reforms, and give The nation
strong, true lead on the path that
makes for national righteousness,
kerr HARDIE'S PLATFORM.
Such Is Kerr Hardie's PLATFORM and
that II Is not altogether chlmerlcal is
attested by the fact that his Indcpen-
dent Labor party has over 100 branch |
es and numbers among It's workers |
thousands of members. The declared T,
object OF this organization is to form
an industrial monwealth founded |
on the specialization OF land and cap
ital,
The great central organizing force
OF the whole mpvement--the labor |
representation committee created |
by Ramsey Mdcdonald-has ayow- |