The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1906-03-24
lighted will rise the phoenix of our lib

lighted will rise the phoenix Of our lib
critics.
Nobody knew what he meant. 1t is
doubtful whether he knew himself, but
it sounded large and fine, and some-
thing with that sort Of sound was just
what those depressed people wanted
that night.
But one year later John Hancock
took his seat in parliament-the arsr
labor member sent In by the first
political party in Australia.
Vanquished in the Industrial war,
the members of the battered trades
unions had recognized their forces on
political basis and sought to win by
the ballot the privileges capital had
denied them. Someone discovered that
where all men have votes and the
bulk of men are wage earners they
only have to decide among themselves
what they want from the state to get
it.
That was only ten years ago. And
now they have gotten nearly all they
wanted. Think of it. Eleven years
ago the unions We're battered. dead,
done for Today their direct lineal sue
cessor owns the whole blessed COM
monWealth of Australia.
They attacked municipal councils first
and enforced the minimum wage and
eight hour days on all of them. They
attacked the state parliaments next
and gained factory legislation and old
age pensions and compulsory arbitra-
ton. No factory in the country can
now employ child labor. or work Its
people more than eight hours per day.
or pay less than the minimum wage
fixed by the wages board. In two of
the six states the labor party are the
government in office, in two others they
hold the balance of power: and in
two others they are the direct op-
position.
But it is their success in the COM
monwealth parliament-the national
assembly that marks out Australia as
Socialistic nation.
In the senate half the members are
pledged Socialists-defnite servants Of
the labor party. In the representatives
the direct opposition are pledged So
cialists also-members of the same
party. Compulsory arbitration in la
Dor disputes that extends from one
state to another.
McEacharn, the lord mayor of Mel
bourne, the man who smashed union
ism was defeated last year by a la
Dor candidate in the contest for cleo
tion of member of the house of rep
resentatives.
Twelve years ago in Australia there
we're two parties, the freetraders and
the protectionists. Today there is but
one party-the labor party-and the
draggled remnant Of another that oc-
casionally totters helplessly before a
tired public and tries to get itself TAX
en- seriously as the anti-Socialist party.
But It has now power. 1t never had q
policy, and its friends are ashamed to
recognize it in the daylight. Some day
man may arise, in Australia who will
evolve policy big enough to cover the
1rsssst sas g "a
aa h tie writer Knows, he isn't sent
word Of his coming. And the gentle
man who precipitated all this On the
country has sought his country seat
and the tiresome seclusion Of friend
less man.
The writer paints no moral. But he
has heard the suggestion that Social
ism was the coming force in American
| politics treated with derision. and he
thinks that perhaps this story may be
worth thinking over because manhood
suffrage prevails in America, and the
great big bulk of Americans are wage
earners. too.