Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1918-01-19
H MIND OF THE
.BRITISH WORKER
It - the most radical and tbs least scholastic labor move
nsnt In the world-In fact 10 distinctly anti-soctaAstic.
BY A1THU1 GLEASON.

Paris. Jan. 19.-The British labor
movement is more interesting than
the war. because greater issues are
involved. 1t is the most radical and
the least socialistic labor movement in
the world. At the present moment, 1t
is distinctly anti-socialistic. 1t is neces-
sary to define terms. or else my friend
Joseph Wanhope. will be jumping on
me for talking loosely.
Socialism, as understood by Eng
lish workers, 10 the state control of
ton. State control means government
control. Government control is con-
troll by a cabinet directorate (Mi!ner,
Carson, Curzon and company by par
Lament professional politicians mod
flied by big business men and a few
gentlemen Of leisure), and by a set
of permanent officials (civil servants
in government departments). The
English worker distrusts all three of
these agencies Of government func-
tiorfns. He Is unable to see that the
tendency toward state control of pub
lie utilities has brought him any COM
fort In wages or hours (as a matter
Of fact, it has bettered his status). He
believes that state control means con-
troll by politicians, and he distrusts
politicians. Mr.. Lloyd George who for
a time charmed him has lost influence
with him. because of Mr.. Georges
new alliance with the Tories.
II state control is under suspicion
the direction Of his radicalism? 1t is
in the direction of workers control"
Of syndicalism. The British worker
wishes to share the management Of
the factory with the capitalist. He
wishes%to+have 4 say on wages, hours.
discipline, employment and discharge
of workers. AS soon as the war is ov-
er. the great trade unions will be in
control of Britain. The Triple Alliance
(the miners, railwaymen. the trans
port workers., the Amalgamated So
oiety Of Engineers, and the cotton
trades will be masters of Great Bril-
tain. They represent an organized
power which power is Irresistible.
They will not attempt to own h fac
tory, nor to organize the market. nor
sell the produce. Their exercise of
function lin the immediate ~future)
will stop with what Eel their
own status (ptece rates, hours Of la
Dor, discipline, etc.,
like the American mind, to push I'M
pleasant facts into. the background.
Let the future deal with omen with
unskilled labor. Meanwhile the organ
ized trades push on to mastery.
And in this syndicalist advance of
the trade unions, what becomes of So
cialism? Actually, the tendency to-
ward state control OF industry in
creAses. The radical movement in
management of the factory Tin hours.
ownership of the industry by the
state. The only question now of living
interest are which industries shall by
stAAs-owned ana what shall be the
percentage Of control in the factory
assigned. respectively, to the owner
and the workers.
One Of the places today to study the
to cay. in the Y. NJ. c. A. huts. There
the British Tommy speaks his mind,
and it is a new mind, direrent by fAl
from the stolid stubborn middle-of.
the-way mind of the traditional for.
mula. The most popular lectures In
the British Red Triangle huts have
been those on 1.-THE social and industrial
reconstruction after the war. Thu
Tommy is eager to listen. and ther
speaker who haS . set speech and NJ
elasticity Of margin for ready respons.
to rapid-hre crtticism. So keen has tn,
Interest been in discussing the remAk'
ing Of Endland that the authorize,
have shut down on reconstruction
talks. R~Adtcalis,n fs perilous- yeas
these days. Ones the people rose 1,
sia- Perhaps = third time nearel
home, It is safer 70 tAlke history, AM
reel OF films and sing Of the HON,
hres.
Let no \ think that the br4ae1
workers are carrying through thos4