New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1906-02-11
W0RKMEN In SADDLE.
Without Socialistic Spurs, but Likely
to Haze q Good Canter.
London, January 81.

! London, January 81.
| Trades unionism rather than socialism has
made its power felt in the general election. 1t
has been crippled and hanrpered by judge made
| law for the prevention of picketing and strikes
and has used the pennies and shillings of or
| ganzed labor in financing the election of walk
| ing delegates members of Parliament. It has
| massed its votes for the Prime Minister. who
promised a revision Of the law OF combination
| and when the pledge is redeemed the labor
| unions will be released from the risks of ac-
| lions brought by employers against them for
| damages from strikes. Trades unionism has not
sent its best organizers and most energetic rep
resentatives to Westminster as socialists pledged
TO bring about the naturalization of the land
and all other means of production distribution
and exchange. socialistic programme of this
sort was forced upon one trades union congress
at Norwich only 10 be repudiated by another at
Cardiff. Mr.. Keir Hardie. with his Independent
Labor party, and the socialists. with their three
newspap ers, made little Roadway IN industrial
crises like the London dock strike, the cotton
lockout the engineers revolt, the coal strikes
and similar movements 1t not until the
Taft Vale decision reduced organized labor to
heplessness that the trades unions decided to
send their men 10 Westminster to demand
vision Of the law of combination. and their VIC
tory was won in advance when the Prime Min
lister accepted their demand at Albert Hall. and
Liberal local associations, acting upon advice
from Mr.. Herbert Gladstone, adopted large
number of labor candidates. 1t a Liberal
coalition with trade unionism and untainted
with socialism.
When Parliament meets there will be ffty-one
workingmen on the government benches. if room
can be found for them there. All will be trades
unionists. but only Twenty-Five of them will
owe their seats TO the organized action Of the
7 aho
penny tribute of 100000 workingsen. This
group may be recruited from the miners candi-
dates whose election has also been financed:
but there will not be uncompromising social
list like Hyndman in it The Independent Labor
party may have helped in the election Of this
body of working members but the trades unions
supplied the money and the votes, and the So
ciaist agitators accomplished little, Now that
the elections are over the socialists are boastng
in The Clarion" and other newspapers con-
trolled by them that they will have a dozen Of
their own men in Parliament after four years of
systematic education. Leaving the Labor Rep
resentation Committee free to increase its dele
cation from twenty-nine to a hundred ti,ey
will carry their propaganda and teach the
masses sociasn-how every workman has an
inalienable right TO look TO the state for en-
ployment. how industries are TO be Mathematical
for the good of the greatest number. and how
private property of all kinds IS TO be converted
into a common stock for equallizing the condi-
tons Of classes. These forecasts Of future prop
agandism by a group which has failed TO secure
the election of a. single downright socialist are
signs Of weakness rather than strength. Henry
Georges books, which once had an enormous
circulation among working people. are no longer
read; the Independent Labor party has lost
troll of the Trades Union Congress and the
working masses have gone into politics to secure
legislation which they need. and not to proclaim
irrepressble warfare OF interests between those
living by labor and those living on labor. Tim
orous Tories, gasping for breath because fifty
one labor representatives have been elected to
Parliament. are too easily frightened. 1t Is not
an indication that working England has become
socialistic. 1t is. however. a proof that labor
organization is considered the only effective re-
source of the tong millions-that as comoina-
lions of capitalists opposed by declarations of
workers. so also million of trades unionists can
make their influence felix in politics by contrib
uting their pennies and electirg and supporting
their own members OF Parliament
What can the labor contingent accomplish in
Parliament, that 1t has been strongly re-
inforced by a trained band of trades unionist
organizers? Nothing revolutionary In the first
instance. So much. a. least. is certain. Even if
Mr.. Kerr Harde be one of the leading MEM
bers OF the Labor Representation group he cam
not hope for the fulflment of his earlier dream
OF IAN industrial commonwealth in which the
whole OF the wealth produced by labor shall be-
long TO the workers and in which it will not be
possible 10 have overabundance on the one hand
and death dealing poverty on the other,'' nor
the least responsible representatives of labor
venture to repeat at Westminster the maxims
of the demagogues of Hyde Park and Trafalgar
Square, that society owes every man a decent
living. that the first duty of a government is to
find work for the voorhees, and that with
money in the national treasury there should be
no such thing as poverty The labor members
body of representative workingmen are
not committed to any crude socialistic policy.
They stand for the liberation of labor by amend
ments TO the law Of combination. and not by
the abolition of private property and the ma
10 revert TO the earlier programme of the Inde-
pendent Labor party, or to become rapid
verts TO socialstic propaganda. they could not
carry out revolutionary policies. The Prime Min
lister is a cautious and wary Scotsman. supported
by large Liberal majority that is independent
of the Labor and Nationalist groups. Beyond
restoring the status OF the trades unions as II
was before the House OF Lords, as a final court
of appeal, reduced them to heplessness In every
labor revolt. he is not likely to go at present
ard among his strongest Cabinet associates are
/ Nr. John Morley Sir Edward Grey. Mr. Hal
dane and Dir. Asquith. who will offer strenuous
resistance TO extreme measures. With a hun
dred large employers Of labor on the govern
ment benches, and another hundred bankers
capitalists and landed proprietors sitting with
them. there ample safeguards against revo-
lutionary legislation. The magnitude of the Lib
measures for the benefit of the working classes
alone can be enacted