The Wheeling intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1903-1961, 1919-02-10
Special Gable Dispatch

(Copyrisht. 1919. by Public Ledger Co..
LONDON. Feb. S-The capture OF the
position of official opposition OF inc"
House Of Commons Is the iIrst oil uie
many signs THAI the Labor party is
coming to it's own. and must be counted
with AS the greatest new force IN inc
politicn and parliamentary He o.
england This great position ps some
thing Of a study in CONTRAST 10 an
old parliamentarian liko myself VINO
has seen the day when LABOR tlan
| did not sit in the House; and Who
know personally and intimately IN" Two
frs, Labor members that ever sat
there. The necessity even tor such
a thing AS a Labor member was de-
MED for years before any such NOM
her came into existence. John BrlGht'
with all his great gifts and popular
leaninEs, remained 10 the cnd OIL MS
! DAYS q niddle-class Liberal: ana IT,
member well a letter in which he oe-
nounced the proposal as merely clhsS
Legislation and class prejudice IN an
other shape; contendnS that nc WAS
as much a Labor representative as any
man who had worked with his nanos
all through his life
But the prcjudices Of the old tribune
uere futile against the tide among the
vorkingman which rose with the r.
duction Of the suffrage. and IN inc
election Of 1874 two Labor members
were elected. Alexander Macdonald anu
Thomas Burt. There could not be TWO
mon of more opposite character Mac
Don,ld vas a brawny Scotsman. with
massivc features, n massive head.
rotu,st gure, q roaring voice ana an
| = erressivo manner. Hc was quite
eood fellow. but the social prc1uolc"
| q qainst him led to personal PfeJu-
dice, and the smart parliaHlent"'s
lrbroniclSrs were never tired or alluEins
~ tho raucous Ear. Ear" with whlcn
he was wont TO interrupt spcecnes ne
didn't like He was considered 70 oo
what has since his time come 10 oc
called o FOUNDER" and he maze 10
particular way. Ultimately inc pour
fellow was stricken with Illness anu
in his last days used to TIC on MS 80
With a look OF immediate death on H'S
80 riot WA. affrighting to sec.
Tommy Burt as everybody came 70
-, bino WAS. on the other hand. quite
I,ttlr man, small Of stature oci,-
cato. almost fragile in appearance WIZ.
soft voice, gentle manner S'e',
.vness and modcSty. and long wa"
,.btch lent a certain air OF olo-""I,u
| tenement to the pleasing ana S'n't
i face. He became Just as niuch vi
| universal favorite as the o'ict
was unpopular. until IN tn" emu "',tr
NJ became father OF the TVS
Commons, he was reGarneo wiz o,hor
ea.non and affection than any o'htt
e.. 10 House. I called him in an
ti.,a .the greatest gentleman IN far
haven't. the phrase was taken up .s
~. nrosa and has stuck to nun u! -
-ea-i,.cncss. He has been oeli''ttI
~, bia life; the weight OF years az.
r.,,, health made him 1cci tI,.'
ihe could no longer tnrry on the pnn
.t,ra and he Is now In retlr"rnen'' ''l
liz -cfused to take q seat IN '''e CIV
ltion tust over.
''0- Prom NINE to Commons.
rne reason for which l applied =" in',,
,ha enithet Of "the greatest Eehtlen''t' me-
IN Parliament were largely that MA ~
his beautiful life and charactc'. III
MS - ~ mines while nc was still!
nbild and under the hidcous c"ndltl"n9
~ tbo last century: but'in spite al 'hiS
h.,dican he began to educate h'mSr'p
I'LL In the end he became one Oh '"c
heet read mon in the House OF C''', :,
mons az he looked the scholars as "'l'
az tho gentleman. 1t was th'S ''ttS
fragile little man. with the Ill" WIZ
md the tranquil manner that star ~" al
agitation, often fierce in its manitcS'a,
tons. that helped TO create inc po'I".
minors organization OF today ana 'nt'
transformed in many respects inc l'1'
Of the miner. Children cannot 30 down
into mines now as they did in Tommy
Burt's childhood wages are hct'cr. inc
Ihours have been REDUCED I" clEhl uaH!
and the miners organization t"oA!
numbering hundreds Of thousands I'll
,ncrhers commands several seats IN
EScotland and England against all com
ers and is one Of tho great bodies ~hlCh
whatever thu representation may he IN
Parliament. has always behind ii th'
power OF holding up on" OF the most
essential industries Of III. country.
Hero / may tell Il little story al my
relations with Tommy Eurt. wlilrt
touched me greatly There has beef
published shurt biography Of the
great Labor leader and l had written Il
review in Il literary Journal Of which
was then the editor. mixing up som" OF