The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1906-03-24
BRITISH LABOR MEN
GIVEN FRONT SEATS
House of Commons Gives Rep
resentatives of Union La
Dor Seats of Honor.
Strong Speeches Made BY New
Members in Behalf of Wants
of Workingmen.

laborists have already established
their position in the House. They
have secured the two front benches
below the gang way, and as prescrip-
tion is easily obtained in the House
their right to these benches is not
likely to be disputed, though on
special occasions they will surren.
der them to the Irish members.
They have however, done better
than obtain a local habitation in
the House. They have proved that
they can speak with clearness, force
and moderation. Though Mr. Keir
Hardie is their leader he is by no
means their best speaker. His
voice is little hard and monoton-
Gus, and though sometimes he speaks
with certain emotional fervour,
his style, is on the whole, rather
dry. His speech on Monday suffered
from contrast with the powerful
speech of Mr.. Redmond, which pre-
ceeded it, and the very brilliant one
of Mr.. Herbert Paul which followed
it, but it was on the whole, very
clear statement of the views of his
party. They are to give the Gov
ernment a fair trial, but at the same
time, he said they were to hold aloot
from the ordinary struggles of party.
He made false step when he said
that the pocket interests of all the
three parties in the House we're op-
posed to those of the working clas-
ses. For this he was rebuked the
next night by Mr.. Madison, the Lib
eral-Labor member for Burnley, who
no monopoly in the interests of the
poor.
Mr.. Welsh, the Labor member for
Ince, in his speech on Chinese labor
| showed command of style which
greatly charmed the House. He ar
gued that 1000 licenses mysterious
ly issued in November should be
cancelled. 1t might be breach OF
contract, but he thought that the
should do little wrong, and curb
these cruel devils of their will. Mr..
Barnes also made an excellent i'm
81 6 fis fnauner
was easy, dfgnIfied and forcible, and
the plea which he put in for old age
pensions was heard with the keenest
| interest. Mr.. Madison, one of the
Liberal-Labor members, also made an
! excellent speech, and had the good
sense to tell his fellow workmen,
that, after all, 1t was little that Par
! liaments and Governments could do
| for the people.
| Labor Leaders Expectations.
Mr.. Keir Hardie has been inter-
viewed on the subject of the Labor
| measures foreshadowed in the Kings
Speech. But the chairman of the new
Labor party is a cautious Scot.
II hesitate~to express an opinion
until l have seen the promised bills
! in print was Mr.. Hardie's reply.
| But may say that if the rumors
we hear about them are true they are
| likely to be exceedingly satisfactory
| to us. This is especially true of the
! Workmen's Compensation Bill. But
! the Trades Dispute Bill will also,
! hear, be good one. I am afraid I
| cannot say the same about the pros
| poets of the Unemployed Act Amend
ment Bill. If what I hear is true,
we shall be disappointed, in which
case we shall use our most strenu-
Gus efforts to amend it.
Mr.. Hardie, speaking for the Labor
party, stated on Monday, in the dis
cussion on the Address, that the pro-
gramme of the Government on Labor
questions was fairly gratifying. They
would not prejudice the legislation
of the Government, but he hoped
that the measures they would bring
| in would be thorough in their char
acter. With regard to the Trades
Disputes Bill, he insisted that Trades
Unions should be absolutely free from
damages from any mistake commit
ted by their officials.
John In Gold Lace.
The Royal command is imperative
Mr.. Burnes objected to appearing in
in the picturesque garb affected by
courtiers, but the King would not
sanction any departure from the ac-
customed rule, and at the levee al
Buckingham Palace on Teusday the
President of the local Government
Board attended in gold lace uniform
The crowd who watched the arrival
and departure of the distinguished
personages awaited with special at
tention for a sight of Mr.. Burns
The President charmed his admirers
with the ease and distinction with
which he bore himself. "There's
John Burns!" was the shout witt
which his emergence from the Pal.
ace was hailed. Mr.. Burns smiled
slightly when he heard the shout, anG
walked to wards the gate, glancins
this way and that in search of han.
som cab. Unfortunately there wa.
no cab handy at the moment, and the
crowd, seeing the delay, surged ex
citedly across from one gate. to the
other to get nearer Mr.. Burns. Il
was an awkward moment for thu
member for Battersea, but a police
Inspector came to his rescue, and pill
oted him to his cab. He was driver
off amid the loud cheers of the
crowd. IL. : .Ez ssas. ssff' +. &
i Democratic League.
Several members Of the Nationa
sf