The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1909-01-15


New York, Jan III Krir llar
die, chairman OF the Labor party
in the British house of commons. ad.
dressed the second meeting Of the
Civic Forum in Carnegie hall to.
night His subject was "A Revolution
in British Politics and It's Lessons
for America" He said in part
"A revolutionary change has come
over the spirit of British politics
Not only Is "laisso fare" dead and
forgotten. but out OF It's ashes
has arisen an entirely new creation.
The old theory that the state was
an unclean thing to be kept as far
away as possible from the lives OF
the people has given place to a new
concept in which the aid of the
state is being invoked for purposes
which would have made the blood
run cold of the men who were at
the helm fifty years ago
The hteory of free trade was
held to involve freedom of the in.
dividual To do what he pleased with
his own. including his leisure and
his labor Apart from the protec
ton of life and property the free
trade theory as applied in Great
Britain bordered dangerously upon
anarchy.
"The Labor party was formed in
1899 Prior to that the relations be
tween the Socialist and trade union
movements We're for the most part
those OF mutual antagonism. The
trade union movement which obtain
ed full legal recognition so late as
1873 was thoroughly imbued with
the doctrinare spirit of middle class
radicalism. Occasionally 1t made hes
itating incursions into the realms OF
legislation. but then only for reforms
aimed at securing better sanitary
conditions or more safety to life and
limb in mines, factory or workship.
The strike was the only weapon
upon. which it placed any reliance.
In the fat years which followed the
introduction of free trade in the mid
die OF the last century substantial
gains were won for labor by trade
union effort. Hours were shortened
and rates OF pay increased. In 1860
rhe parliamentary franchise was con
ferred upon working class household
ers living in large towns and cities,
and in 1854 the same franchise vas
extended TO colliers, agricultural la.
borers and other workers outside the
populous centers.
Now all this has changed ana
the change has been so sudden that
there is still a sense of bewilder
ment in the minds of those who dc
not yet realize what it all portends
AT the last general election
-twentygnine members of the
Labor party were returned to tht
House of Commons. They represent
cd combination of the forces OF
trade unionism with the SocialistiC
movement as represented by its
leading organizations. Prior TO this
parliament workingmen had been re
/ turned mainly from mining constit
uencies and always under Libera
auspices, so that the presence o.
1 the workingmen in Parliament was
/ nothing of a novelty in 1906.
The labor movement has come tC
stay ami will so on from triumph Il
triumph until the reins Of govern
ment pass from the hands Of th'
rich, idle class to those Of the toll
ing millions.
Il have crossed the Atlantic Il
set forth these facts in the hops
that they may in some degree b.
found useful to the working classe
of the United States. If the result
achieved in Great Britain, not onl,
legislative but also in the way o
creating a genuine working class paI
ty making for socialism, be com
pared with what has been done thi
side of the Atlantic, there can, !
seems TO me, be no doubt as Z
which is the wiser course to follow
So long as labor remains divide
II is at the mercy OF the capitals
class"