The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1910-09-11
TO PAY MEMBERS
OF PARLIAMENT
Irish and Labor Parties Cannot
Serve Free
FESTIVAL OF EMPIRE
VIII Be Made DoubIy Important As an
"At Home" Event for Returned
Visitors From the Domino
lon of Canada

London, September 10-(Special 1.-The
payment. of members of parliament will
be one. of the live questions of British
politics after the lords veto has been dis
posed of. The British parliament is one
of the very few national Legislative
1 cannot at the moment recall any other
This may have been all right in the
days of the restricted suffrage and pock-
ct boroughs when only the gentry were
supposed to be sent to the commons
But there is steadily increasing num-
Der of M. P.'s who must be secured an
income at least sufficient to live on. This
is particularly true of the Irish and labor
parties, most of whose members are
without means. Thanks to the Irish
Americans, largely the Irish party Is able
to take care of IT'S members, and up to
a short time ago the labor party, through
an assessment levied on trades union
members, met the expenses of its M. P.'s
The courts have, however, declared this
assertion illegal, and the labor party is
facing a crisis,.
1t will result in a determined effort to
adopt the payment of salaries to MEM
bers of parliament and there is little
doubt that it will be successful. The con-
servation of the British public will de-
lay the meritable for a time perhaps and
in the meantime the labor men are de-
vising means to meet the crisis. IL.
The proposal of the railway servants is
that central legal defence fund should
be formed for the purpose of carrying
to the highest legal court any test case
obviously necessary that 1t is surprising
that 1t has not yet been instituted For
example, practically the whole of the cost
of recent litigation on the political ap-
plication of the trades union funds has
been borne by the railway servants In
the Osborne case. But the decision Is
one which affects every trade union, and
affecting the fundamental principles of
organized labor" Such a fund is so
the railway servants were fighting the
battle of them ALL A small union could
not have faced the cost, but the estab-
lishment of a central defense fund would
make the motto of the trades unions in
really fundamental questions, Touch
one, touch ALL
| Reynolds weekly organ of the trades
union says: t.,. e-
| The old system of financing labor mem
bers was a necessary stage of develop
ment, but 1t had its defects and it's weak
nesses. In the future we must proceed
on new lines 1t is not labor members
altogether who must be paid In every
party 1t ought to be possible for the peo-
pie to put forward any candidate they
please The true solution Is to be found
in the proposal of the Furnishing Trades
F ederation, namely, universal payment
of members by the state.
The Festival of Empire, which has been
postponed owing to the death of King
Edward until the summer of 1911, prom
Uses to be of an even more elaborate
character than had been originally con-
templated, for 1t Is now felt that the
festival will be of increased use and
value as an "At Home" to the visitors
from the lover Seas Dominion" who will
be in England for the coronation of King
George
In its main details, the festival will be
as originally contemplated. but its scope
will be enlarged, especially as regards
its visual instruction in the various as
poets and industries of the lover Seas
Dominions" The courts of these domin-
ions will be made an important and more
prominent part of the festival. With the
assistance of Lord Strathoona a scheme
has been drawn up which has received
the hearty support of the high commits
sioners of the sef-governing dominons
and has been forwarded to them by their
respective governments.
This scheme provides for the erection
in the grounds of the Crystal Palace of
a series of buildings some two-thirds of
the actual size of the respective parlia-
ment buildings or seat of government of
each of the self-governing dominons
These buildings will be filled with ex-
hibits showing by means of working
models, pictures and lcinematograph lee