The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1913-05-27
kerr HARD|E
WORKED HARD.
Spent Most Of His Time In a Coal
Mine and There Educated Him
sell to i High
Degree.
HE NEVER GIVES UP
Opposition Does Not Discourage Him
But Only Makes Him Work
Harder to Win His
Point.
by Ed r Keen, London correspond

4 By Ed L. Keen, London correspond
ent of the United Press.
i LONDON. May 27. The susfragettes
lost one of their most valued advo-
toates in parliament when George I,ans.
bury resigned but they still have
Keir Hardie.
/ Lansbury quit because he couldn't
stand for the lulsewarmness OF his fell
low labor members on the woman suf-
frage question although the party In
Its annual conferences had regularly
placed strong votes for women planks
lin it's platform.
Hardie, however, tool different
view of the situation. He felt that the
women needed him on the lob. AS
matters have developed in the past
few months he wasn't far wrong. So
vigorous and constant have been his
activities in this direction that he has
now become known as protector OF
i the suffragettes. Folks have almost
forgotten his old title of member for
the unemployed. Anyhow. this is
4 the eff season for Industrial troubles
In England. and Hardie has found
PLENTY of time. as well as occasion, to
devote to the womens cause
True. he hasn't succeeded in getting
very far,--that is, SO far as parlia-
ment is concerned but he has stirred
up tremendous amount of public
sentiment against the governments
peculiar and thus far ineffective meth
lods OF handling the suffragette prob
Hem.
| The fact that he hasn't yet been
able to accomplish much doesn't deter
him Opposition never did worry him.
The forlorner the hope the better he
Gghts. This is partly because he is
Scotch. and partly because he al
ways has had to struggle against
seemingly Overwhelming odds.
Hardie never went to school, but for
seventeen years he was editor of the
Labor Leader. He worked in the coal
mines from the age OF seven to TWEEN
Ety-four, yet today he is one Of the
hest educated men in public life.
The same qualities OF initiative, self
reliance, and persistence that en-
abled him when lad of eight to learn
shorthand by writing with stick on
a tile smoked over his pit lamp in the
mime where he was employed as door.
keeper led him in later years to be-
come the founder of the great indie
pendent labor party
4 The suffragettes couldn't have cfos-
len more militant or more resource
.lful champion. Almost daily he man
lagos to find opportunity of prodding
1.-THE government leaders on the consti-
nationality or inconsistency of their at
ltitnde toward Mrs. Pankhurst and her
followers. His exposure Of the hor-
Irors of forcible feeding really did ac-
Icomplish something II caused a
suspension of the practice, and the
substitution of Home Secretary Nc
{Kennas ticket of leave plan
which, however, Hardie contends, Is
lust as demonstrations and futile as
iforcibIe feeding.
! OF late he has been training his
Ioratorical batteries against McISenna' s
7iorder fcrbidding the Women's Social
land Political Union to hold public
meetings in the parks This is per
lhaps the most revolutionary proceed
lure, in connection with the suffrage
movement, yet undertaken by the gov
Iernment The British citizen, cher
fishes the right of free speech even
more than the Americana he car
Tries it to further extremes. ANY Sun
day afternoon, for instance. one may
hear anarchy preached in Hyde Park.
and the police are on hand TO protect
the speaker If necessary. For quite a
while past the snffrsgettes had been
Holding Sunday meetings In this and
other parks of the city without inter
| ference. Then, suddenly, after the
crowds had become unruly and had
mobbed two or three of the meetings.
McKenna decided that they must
cease, instead of furnishing enough
policemen to protect the speakers.
Hardie lost no time in denouncing
this action as an unwarranted as well
as unprecedented invasion of the right
of public meetings, and he has kept
on denouncing it ever since. whenever
he has had a chance to get the floor.
Explaining his attitude on this point,
Hardie said today:
THE order gives two reasons for
prohibiting these meetings. The frat
lis the alleged difficulty of affording
police protection. But inasmuch as
the Overwhelming majority OF the
audiences have been peacefully dis
posed and willing to listen, and as
the disturbances have been caused
mainly by irresponsible youths. sure
lily the police force of this great city
ought to be able to cope with the stu
letton II the police force is not suf
fcient. why not call in the military