New-York tribune., 1908-03-31
LABOR BATTING.
Reckless Recreation at Westminster
- Socialism and Chartism.

Westminster
smash the Liberal-Labor coalition by stirring
up strife Socialist proposals Moderate
Liberals are attempting frighten the mass
OF their supporters by violent assaults upon
Socialism. and labor agitators are equally pro
rocative IN their treatment of sow-going Wings
Social questions not dividing the Unionists'
because they hold in tariff policy
which they assume viii operate as panacea
for the grievances OF capitalists, unemployed.
income tax payers reformers and trade unions.
The Moderate Liberals. Radicals and labor men
are breaking line and forming two distinct fac
tions on the government side and their COM
mon adversaries doing everything in their
power To widen the breach between them
Everybody IN Parliament is playing with social
Questions for partisan purposes. It is mis-
ohievous labor balting-a highly dangerous form
OF political sport.
This recreation has become more reckless and
exciting with the appearance Of Mr.. AsQuttn
as the coming successor OF the Prime Minister.
The Conservatives have been predicting for
wears that he would break up the Liberal party
II he were TO lead il in the Commons, and now
that he is in command Of the government sup
porrers, with strong probabiI that he viii
be Prime Minister himself within few weeks,
they are striving to embroil him with extremists
end 20 create an irreparable breach They have
been in hot haste do this because Mr. Asquith
is bent upon Offering cumulative proof that he
IS q progressive Radical and prepared to go q
long way a temperance reformer, taxer
of the rich and an organizer of old age PEN
sions. So they have seized upon the unen-
ployed bill and are reproaching him for divid
ing his party that question whereas the
Prime Minister would have contrived 10 evade
the issue by q convenient compromise or by
personal influence over the government follow
ers They have their little labor batting tri-
u-rpt when the Liberal forces rent asunder,
seventy-four Radicals voting openly for per-
-icious scheme OF wages without work and q
large nuu1ber-136-a bsenting themselves from
the division in spite Of strenuous appeals from
Ide whips
Labor batting is fairly good sport in politics,
but not by any means conclusive in its results
The J-nionists. while egging II on. were careful
70 keep out Of mischief themselves Only TWO
OF them voted with Socialists, the remainder
joining the Moderate Liberals in making safe
majority against the bald proposition that a
man is entitled 10 wages whether there is or IS
not any work in sight The Unionists have. il
is true their argument that when there is tariff
reform there viii be an abundance OF work for
all. but they have placed themselves record
against this crude Socialistic measure ir-
revoCably Mr. Asquith Mr.. Morley, Mr.
Burns and their colleagues. If the unemployed
bill were 10 come up again and he sent To third
reading the Cniouists would be in opposition
and the lords would be under obligation TO
jec1 Il they are equally consistent in op-
posing the eight-hoUr bill for miners by which
the price Of coal will certainly he advanced for
consumers and the productive industries Of the
kingdom seriously embarrassed another veto by
the lords may be expected # they also make
determined stand against the licensing bill
as 4 scheme Of confscation. and against nom
contributory old age pensions. by which tax
payers VIII be crushed by burdens, the
lords x-iu be forced 20 array themselves against
the Labor party. That is about the last thing
that taCticans the Tnionist side desire for
81 Will mass the Liberal-Labor voters against
them IN another democratic election Labor
batting is not likely TO be carried too far by the
tariff reformers.
Moreover. the results OF a test vote on
thoroughly vicious Socialist measure are not
conclusive far Liberals are concerned.
What IS indicated IS spasm Of good sense on
the part Of the government and its more loyal
supporters. Many concessions had been made
10 the extremists and many questions had been
evaded or compromised. but the time had come
for e proclamation that Liberalism still
and not prepared TO accept Socialist vagaries
about living wages and actual employment at
the expense OF raJepayers as inalienable human
rights. Mr. Asquith with his budget and old
age pensions in reserve will not be at q loss to
prove that he is q progressive Radical. but he
has judicously frightened the driving rens and
shown courage and strength in forcing a halt
when the party has been on the verge Of preci-
pice- The coalition with labor is not to be
dragged into the bottomless abysses Of Social
ism. That IS an assurance which the main body
OF Liberals has urgently needed. and il has not
come too soon. The driving power Of z strong
viii was required Il has been felt that the risk
OF losing the support OF moderate and reason
able opinion within the party has been mate
rally reduced.
The Liberal absentees from this important di-
vision are not 10 fe accounted Socialists because
they did not heed the warning Of the whips
Many Of them are nalcontents. who have found
il difficult 10 forget the faction warfare OF the
pas- and have taken an irregular method OF
registering their dislike Of Mr.. As1uith a
T+he-zI Ir9periaIist and Lord Rosebery's trusted
friend and OF warning him that he must recon
s-r73cr The Ministry 50 as 10 make il broadly
democratic when he becomes Prime Minister.
Others again. are infatuated with the idea that
,,r,a7,rl,o~ized programme Of which Nj Lloyd
George and NJ. Winston Churchill have given
,pr,e hints with the naturalization Of railways
and canals. the establishment Of wage boards
and labor exchanges and other large policies as
-rrsrir5,ol.s features. can be formulated and the
-qa7f+f,n with labor be maintained for indef-
rite neriod They were not prepared to join the
miners. rerresentatives and Radical extremists
f. voting outright for Socialist unemployed
vgorBn1en bill. but they stayed away from Ihe
commons n order TO frghten he government
INTO doing something less conservative thah tfie
7es-.ce az Free Trade on the old lines, without
special safeguards for employment ana Ihe en-
f-gs,,,e.-- of commerce There are the germs Of
q re7 Liberalism IN the air, and MT -Asqu4th -
,.-sr,a5 m, a,sertees and ulalcontents that there
e 1Ttrfva .