New-York tribune., 1906-04-12
DEMOCRACY IN BRITAIN.

Mr.. Sydney Brooks's discussion in THE Out
look" of what he aptly terms England's stride
toward democracy is an exceptionally lllumna-
ting and suggestive consideration of that which
we have ourselves regarded as the most impor-
tant feature of the recent general election i'll
the United Kingdom. namely, the returning 10
Parliament of Il Labor party of fifty members
who are actually members of the class which
they represent and the majority of whom are
pledged to act with entire independence of the
two great and historic parties. 1t is obvious
that the advent of such party has much poiiti-
cal significance. new force has arisen which
in its present dimensions cannot he ignored ana
which will almost certainly increase and which
may increase to dominant proportions. 1t is
even within the range of possibilities, and is
perhaps not to ne numbered among improbable
ties. that the measurable future will Brit
ish cabinets no longer homogeneous, but habit
ually formed of coalitions representative OF
various parties. as is the case in more than one
Continental capital
Still more significant, however. in Mr.. Brooks's $
view. is the social phase of the situation. Hith-
erto Great Britain has been political. but by
no means social. democracy. 1t has been 4
democracy in political forms and institutions
but presided over by monarchy and ruled
bI an Oligarchy. The House of Peers is of
course patiently and avOwedly an Oligarchy
The House of Commons has been scarcely less
so, in view of the fact that most of its members
have been rich men. many of them allied with
the great families of the peerage Tommy
loves Lord" and similarly Hodge has loved
Gentleman. There has been among the work
ingmen of England hitherto strong predilec
ton for Parliamentary representatives who
were gentlemen in the conventional social sense
of the term-men of wealth of family connec
tons and of high social standing 1t is in its
indication OF a revolution in that respect that
Mr.. Brooks regards the election of these fifty
"IabOrites'' as most significant
For now hundreds of thousands of British
workingmen have deliberately and definitely
broken with the traditions of the past and have
sent TO st. Stephens as their Parliamentary rep
resentatives men of their own number and of
their own social rank. The House of Commons
Is no longer TO be in quite the sense that it was
THE best club in London" 1t has been invaded
by new element that cares for none of those
| which have hitherto been so character
lStlc of British public life-the elegance the
ease, the leisure the social distinction, the con
Ventlonal good fellowship. They have entered
the House to do things, TO make of the place Il
workshop. Upon legislation and politics in gen
eral that fact will have much influence. but
Mr.. Brooks sees in il promise of a widespread
influence upon the whole national life of the
nited Kingdom. 1t will, he thinks. restore
that life to more just proportions. and it will
take the lead in substantially remaking Eng
land into true democracy from the social as
well as from the political point of view
Nor should overlook the interesting dis
JUNCTION which he draws between the United
Kingdom and the United States The former
as we have already cited, he describes as more
OF a political than a social democracy This
country on the other hand, appears to him more
OF social than political democracy With
that distinction we shall not quarrel Indeed
1t seems TO us scarcely less just than it is in
genlous What is also interesting TO the Ameri-
can reader is that-while he does not attemnt
10 analyze or to describe the processes now at
work in this country. matter alien to his pres
eht esSay-he evidently regards America as
moving toward truer and greater degree of
democracy III politics. so that the two conn
trles are converging upon precisely the same
goal. from almost Numerically opposite start
ing points If that Judgment is sound. it will
be OF interest and profit TO observe bv which
of the two roads the more rapid and assured
progress is to be made.