New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1906-01-28
SOCIAL REVOLUTION.
r,a1s UniOriSm Creates a Nezc
Order in British Politics.

=. way: London. Bradford Leeds New
=. and other industrial centres have followed
,verpool and Sheffield have divided their
.o-+ between parties. and Birmingham alone
=. GOOD firmly for tariff reform. The United
,,.,5orn has refused 70 reverse the fiscal sys-
n which all its industries have been ad-
80 for half a century There can be no
'..,,,c revolutions until the shattered Union
:. ,srtv reoovers from disaster and regains the
a-rbolds Of power Yet unomentous social
,lurior has come when thoughtful men were
: ,ooking FOR IT. Preoccupied with MI Bal
IS tactics. Mr.. Chamberlain's imperial po-
,.-,cs and Liberal dissensions. they had not per
..ras tha. working England was bent upon
-r4-cing the governing classes that they were
s,snsent upon Il and must be controlled by It.
~r.n-v years ago & redistribution act following
..vtension Of household franchise 10 the coun-
L. armed the masses with power by equaliz-
,.r CONSERVATION; but they did not know how
- q Liberalism and Tory Democracy
t,.5 for them and they danced in a duh
,-,o5snIv way; and not until the present cleo
-, have they thought OF setting the tune for
themselves
The silaaI for a combined movement came
.-.-, o-ranized labor when strikes were impos-
.r,,s under judicial decisions. The amendment
- tbs law Of combination became the supreme
creation OF a strong party in the Commons was
=. orIv- Elective method Of accomplishing that
,,- Consequently when the general elections
- ordered there was an independent labor or
ssrizstion sufficiently representative 10 direct
NTH practicaI intelligence the most formidable
r,-isirg Of v-orkinEmen ever witnessed in the
rated kingdom. Starting out with eighty-six
,sr6idstes labor has been strong enough TO
s,-cs ore-hals % them upon the Liberal party
sBs Al the risk Of dividing the Free Trade vote
IN +tree-cornered contests il has kept the others
IN the field AS soon as the polling began, the
,re- n me working masses was felt with de
rsve effect in the great industrial communities
,r5 now thai the borough elections have been
virtually completed the conservative classes are
startled rv The magnitude Of this labor revolt
against the existing order in politics. Con
5B,ted in constitutional way, II is nothing less
Than social revolution
The election of worHngmen 20 Parliament is
M NOVELTY There were three labor members
during the decade preceding the Redistribution
&C, Of 1854. and eleven Immediately after the
great Industrial centres were armed with power;
and this number was subsequently, increased 10
fifteen and then reduced 10 thirteen. Their
headgea- and blue serge suits were accepted as
harmless eccentricities. and their presence en-
able5 members 10 say that the House Of Com
mons was the most democratic body on earth.
They made themselves useful IN promoting the
massage II the Factory and Cancellation acts.
some 81 them we're appointed magistrates. and
NJ Broadhurst became Minister. While the
representatives II labor were always treated
with respect. the party was not considered
formidable political force; nor could 4 become
ore without organization on a large scale So
long as the country was preoccupied with Mt.
L1r-ra ha
african way and Mr.. Cham5erlain's fiscal pro-
poszls The activities Of the Labor group passed
without observation. especially as politics were
expensive and apparently beyond the reach Of
vorktngrnen Meanwhile trades unionism had
beer paralyzed by the decisions Of the highest
court and emancipation could not be effected
by deoates IN annual labor congresses. but only
BY organized political action for changes in the
law Of combination. Money had 10 be raised for
election expenses and for the support OF Labor
members II Parliament; and this done by
he payment Of q shilling by every member Of
ne Miners Federation, the Railway Servants
o-ganization and other bodies. and the tribute
O. penny Z head from societies affiliated with
me General Federation Of Trades Unions and
the labor Representation Committee The dues
were small bur with Two millions Of working
men as contributors there was working fund Of
over s25ooo0 for securing candidates. support
ing Members q Parliament and carrying cleo
tons Labor. confronted with the crisis Of
trades Urio1lsr, had found the ways and means
to1 making It's power felt with tremendous
effect The penny or the shilling contribution
vas the stone IN the sling with which either the
Conservative or the Liberal Goliath could be
dsfantly faced
When the general elections opened there were
1ty candidates Of the Labor Representation
Committee. with over e million workers behind
them IN the affiliated societies. The Miners
FsdssEcon had fourteen candidates. other trades
council. seven and the Social Democratic Fed
grafton six and there were nine other Labor
candidates more closely allied with the Liberal
Organization with these eighty six working
representatives in the field. the Liberal Prime
Minister was forced 70 take Mr. John Burns into
Ms Cabinet. and IN his opening address to com
MI the government 70 changes IN the Law OF
cononstio-- Without a close alliance with
Aeor the government canvass would have been
hopeless and between forty and fifty working
Candidates were accepted by the Liberal as
socations- Yet even with these great conces-
Aons the Labor Representation Committee de-
eined n withdraw candidates against Liberals
and pledged It's own members TO independence
a. tbs Indispensable condition for the receipt Of
trades union grants AS the canvass advanced
y was useless for UniOnist candidates 70 kiss
re babies IN working districts or 10 send hand
t1nsly dressed ladies' about IN motor cars TO
ak politics with smiles and air OF conde-
tsnsion- The trades union voters. who had In
vested their pennies or shiIlinss IN the canvass
we're bent upon having their moneys worth, and
When The returns from the boroughs came IN II
vas plain that they had not listened TO false
Section cries nor been Influenced by the news
AperE. but had cast their ballots with cuTnula-
i've effect Not only were workingTnen re-
teCted M Mnrnefh. Battereea. WooIwich. md