Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1908-07-25
Fcathing Attack on House Of Commons
By British Member Of Parliament
Victor Cyson Famous NJ p Who Will Soon Visit America Err
rand of Economic Study Tells How Reform Should be BouehAbout


has ah all-night sitting to discuss and
pass the deceased wifes sisters bill.
AS n cynical Liberal friend observed To
me in the small hours of the morning,
the ony good suggestion of the bill is
that there is a deceased wife.
This painful absence of right per-
spective on the part of any govern
ment, alleging itself to have serious
human purpose. is depressing to the
point of pessimsm.
THE first impression of an earnest
member is one of hopelessness and flu
tility. There seems to be no imagln-
able relation between this convention
al and formal assembly of phlegmatic
and ceremonious Britishers, sleek and
well fed, and the great drab mass of
humanity who srope in the mean
streets of the great cities. These
good humored and complacent persons
are not to blame for their apathy
They have never lived near enough to
the heart OF humanity to feel it's beat.
To them the words hunger. poverty
restitution, are abstract and academic
phrases with no real meaning. They
nave never stared against the blank
black wall of hopelessness. What do
they know, what can they know of the
haunting specter that dogs every step
of the luckless worker?
with consummate irony we call our
n referendum We're taken tomorrow on
the question of substantial old age
pension for all over sixty, on the com
puisory state feeding OF starving school
children, 1t must be patent to the most
rcactionary mind that AN overwhelm-
ing majority would vote in favor. And
yet the house toys with irritating fin
esse with these crying social evils.
They save their national reputation by
placing the burdens of finance on mort
huHd local authorities. Their meas
ures reflect the worst vices of the mid
die class, and their horizon is limited
TO the law OF inviolability of rent, in
terest and profit. This is the triple
headed god 10 whose workship the
complex machinery of the house is but
a ritual.
II have no hope for the house Of
commons with its present personnel
II Is worn out and antiquated ma
chine that must be scraped and re-
placed by something more in conson-
ance with the new desires of q now
era. The age Is too advanced to toll
crate this dialectical humbug The
old parties have exhausted their pur-
pose and lost their meaning The
heart is dead, and they have fatty de-
generation of the brain The needs
OF the age are shorter hours, cleaner
and more dignified labor better
houses, better workshops, juster re-
Enumeration. The people are ceasing
TO let out their thinking as they let out
their washing, and when the process
is complete. there will be a destruction
OF baubles and parliament win have
to deal with human life"
These remarks of MIR. Grayson are
especially interesting, from the fact
that he has sprung into prominence
from the bottom rung of the ladder,
nd an aA (.
sonality, entirely aside from all Dolit-
zeal organizations, as such. 1t is gem
orally supposed that getting into the
STARTED IN THE sLUMs.
Graysons entrance into the house
of commons has been through the
back door OF the slum. He first began
his career as worker among the
fallen women of Manchester. When
only l9 years old he entered a semin-
AIRY for theological studies and, on
completing his course of three wears
study took up his residence in one of
the worst slums of Manchester. in the
famous-or rather, Infamous -Ancoats
district. Here the mill hands of
Manchester We're wont to foregathor
ana hold weekly orgies. Young Gray
son succeeded In making some impress
sion on this life, but at length came
to realize that one man, or 100 men,
working AT such reforms could nc
complish little unless radical changes
We're made i'm the whole social status
of the people, II was Just AT this
period that he camc across the works
of the great American thinkers. Em-
erson, Thoreau and Whitman: and
from reading those authors he was
converted" from his purely seCtarian
on theological attitude 20 look az the
problems of life from q large aspect
When GraYson iirst made up his
mind To enter the political arena, he
was told that the only way 10 get In
was To Join some of the parties who
practically control the machinery Of
the house. He refused. however. 20 be
hound down by any party, even the
labor element. and Insisted upon
standing out and lighting his way 'on
his own While n close student OF
social problems. he does not agree
With many OF the leaders Of the So
eialistc type aud takes a somew hat
wider view Of economics than the deli
egatos who 20 into parllament--not ns
representatives OF the people, but un-
der = pledge bound agreement ia
vote IN whatever way their party die
lates, Grayson refused to enter par
Lament on these conditions and dee
ternined to get himself sent into the
house by definite section of the COM
munity, entirely Independent of any
party When he agreed Ia stand foI
q mining constituency, even the La
Dor party did not come 10 his support
ana he really Won his election ON the
strength Of his solid following win
the miners.
w H. NORTH ROp