The Northwest worker. [volume] (Everett, Wash.) 1915-1917, 1916-03-16
AUTHOR OF "MERRIE ENGLAND"
TALKS OF DEMOCRACY

! lAIhO VI DE MoChNSt
Some of us were grievously disap-
pointed in seeing Robert Batchford,
veteran worker in the cause of So
cialism, author and editor take sides
with the Natonalists in England, and
whoop Il up for the defense of the
British Empire However, we cannot
all see history-n-the making and view
! its problems in the same light. Even
Prof. Geo. d. Heron thinks that no
place nor progress in the world can
| be made until the Prussian state and
! it's involved ideals are forever crush
ed, BE this as it may, every Social
| list will be interested in the series of
articles now running in The Clarion
Uondon), In which the author of
"Merrie England" God and My
Neighbour" etc, tells what he sees
and thinks now, Looking Backward
and Looking Forward" We have
space to quote few passages only
from the first two installments of
BlatchGord's memoirs, combining our
selves to some remarks of mis- on
democracy:
81 could not assimilate all the in
gradients thrown into the Socialist
stew. Free Trade, Home Rule, peace
at any price, teetotalism Monochrome
list religion, Puritanlsm free love,
iron.democracy made in Germany, ad.
miration of all countries but ones
own, political eXpediency, personal
leadership, rule by committees, and
many other shibboleths seemed to me
to have no business in a Socialist
party. My idea was to convert the
working classes to the colIectivist
idea by means of great Socialist
party, independent of all other parties
and ,sects. The first trouble arose on
the question of leadership. The
Clarion objected to personal control
of the party by pushful few Our
idea of democracy was government of
the people by the people-not govern.
ment of the people by few of the
people elected by a few more of the
people. We found that the people
were not democratic. The inherent
dsinclination to take any trouble
worked for a false democracy. The
party went astray and adopted the
delegate system. The delegate sys
tenn means that the democracy elects
or delegates few men, generally gas
bags, to do their business for them in
stead of attending to their business
themselves. The Clarion fought
against the delegate system; but il
was an older system, and the only
system the masses knew. Then the
Clarion made a mistake: it decided
that rather than run the risk of split
ting the party it would cease to op
pose the leaders and the delegate
system. We decided to devote our
energies to the making of recruits
We made a great many recruits. And
the leaders enrolled them, drilled
them under the delegate system, and
marched them steadily in the drec
ton of defeat.
"TEAcHiNG SOCIALISM," is OUR
MAIN BUSINESS
AS time went on the whole Social
list movement became more and more
obsessed with the idea of parliamen
tary action. If we could get a strong
Labor party into the house of com
mons we thought we could accom-
plish wonders. The Clarion was as
keen on Labor representation in the
house as any of the others. But the
Clarion still kept on trying to make
Socialists At last we got Labor
party into the house. And they fail
ed. We of the Clarion thought they
failed because they were not the right
. men, or because they were badly led