Forest City press. (Forest City, Potter County, D.T. [S.D.]) 1883-19??, 1917-05-25

which this has been done. People some
times say that parliament. IN the munl-
lions act. abolished" the trade union
restrictions and the other trade union
..rules'' and practices which might In
terfere with the rapid manufacture OF
war supplies. No such statement OF TIE
case is really accurate. What parliament
did in the munitions act in this respect
was simply to put into formal law wnat
had been lone already by the trade unions
themselves through their representative
in the TREASURY agreement with Lloyd
George. The rad unions were not
coerced. They surrendered their re
strictions'' of their own free will. III any
American thinks that the "aristocracy'
which is supposed to govern this country
can issue offhand orders and ,edicts.
to the common people, ne should come
and live here for a while. Even after
the munitions act was passed, when the
government went on to apply 1T, we a
a whole series OF special agreements
in trade after trade signed by the govern
ment and the employers and the trace
unions, fixing the precise methods by
which the new rules ~ the new "prac-
tees increasing output and admitting
unskilled men and women into the trade.
were To be introduced. From beginning to
| end the Establishment of the trade union
restrictions was really done by labor
itself as a spontaneous sacrifice to Brit
aims cause.
Our national recognition of this sacri-
flee, our national recognition OF labor's
power either to make such a sacrifice or
to withhold it, is seen in the prominence
we have given to labor representatives IN
the present government. But we nave
recognized labor's power and labor'S spec
ial needs, really, for many years. We
had insurance against accidents to en-
| ployes long before YOU had 1t In any of
! your states. We then Installed insurance
.--.... ~. r~o x,sC%, n rlIf ~
| people and insurance against unemploy-
ment for large groups Of working people.
Neither OF these last two measures have
you yet adopted. You will doubtless
adopt them in time. and you can learn
much from the incidental mistakes we
| made in our frsts drafts of them. You
are already discussing them and prepar-
ing to import the idea OF them into the
United States. You have not led us in
such things. You are following US.
One reason for this is that with you,
in the United States. labor remains
| swamped under the flood of ~lawyer-poli-
ticians. With us. in Great Britain. labor
has emerged into public life with it's own
self-selected political representatives. Our
system. I repeat. gives representation,
real personal direct representation, to
every important social group.
The greatest illustration of this fact
was seen when Mr.. Asquith's government
fell M Mr.. Lloyd-G;eorge was striving
to assemble a new government to take it's
place. The labor parliamentary party met
to decide whether or not 1t should permit
its members to accept invitations to enter
OF labor itself, in parliament. through
trade union members of parliament, de-
claring labor's will. 1t was a critical
time. The decision finally was favorable.
Labor entered the new government and
shared in organizing it. Labor did not
merely consent tn tho now uOvorprark
1t helped to create It.
l submit these outstanding facts in the
candid hope that they may turn the
minds OF at least some few among my
readers toward a greater interest in Eng
land as 1t Is. I do not really quarrel with
| your APPARENTLY intense interest in Eng
land as 1t used to be. History Is a very
interesting subject. Still, II went to
America and visited some spot where a
witch was executed, and some spot where
= save was soid. and some spot where an
Indian was chased off his hunting ground
by a white settler, and then came home,
l might have q rather inadequate idea
of the America of Charles w. Eliot, of
Massachusetts, and Woodrow Wilson. of
Virginia. and William Allen White, of
Kansas. History Is not a perfect guide
to that mutual understanding which pro-
notes friendship and peace and trade and
prosperity between contemporary nations.
The important fact about the United
States today for us Britons is not that it
was first peopled by a certain number of
settlers from England. but that 1t is, most
seriously. a great progressive "democ-
racy." The important fact about Great
Britain today for you Americans is not
thai 1t was, to a certain extent, the first
mother country" of the United States,
but that it also is q great progressive
democracy" Our respective institutions
differ in method. We have q house Of
lords. You have not. We have a labor
party. You have not. You prefer to be
governed by a numerical majority of all
classes put together. We prefer to be
governed, in essence. b. groups. Yet
look at the results! Both nations move
In the same general direction of increased
popular welfare-not slavish welfare-but
welfare with liberty. 1 dare say you could
point out certain matters In which you
have outstripped US. 1 have entured to
point out certain matters-very important
Ones-in which, as it seems to me. we
have outstripped you.
II there should ever be q 'Sisterhood of
Dernocracies. both the United States and
Great Britain would be eligible to MEM
bership. In the most friendly spirit. I
challenge you to be sure today that you
would be the Big Sister and Model for
the rest. In many of your institutions
which ought to have been modernixed.
you are still just where you were In IT'S.
In the meantime We have struck out into
certain new modern paths and have got
we'll ahead Of you In certain directions
and I tell you his frankly:
think We will lead o a good stiff
chase before We let you catch up with us,
-
Reducing Passenger Traffic.
From the Springfield Republican.
Daniel Wizards forecast Of government
plans Tor reducing the number Of passen.
her trains in America gives one an inti-
nation Of f~ar-reaching changes in Amer