The Connecticut labor press., 1919-05-17
EDITOR OF MOLDERS JOURNAL
DOUBTS WISDOM OF LABOR MEN
FORMING POLITICAL ORGANIZATION
Frey Experiences This and Other
CouneSystem Followed by American Federation of Labor
Best According This Authority.

Il find that the belief exists quite
generally in America that the British
workrnen politically have but one policy
and but one purpose in their Labor
party; that it is thoroughly united
organization The fact is that the Brit
ish Labor party is a federation of politi-
cal parties instead of a single unit. The
bulk of this party consists of some
100000 dues-paying trade-t1ionists !;
the Independent Labor party, a socialist
organization composed of approximate
1y 10000 members the British Socialist
party composed of approximately 5000
members, of the National Socialist party
with some 5000 members, and the
Fabian society with some 5000 members.
In addition to these four Socialist par
ties there are a number of co-operators
and the Wonar's Labor League.
'In this connection it is interesting
to note that while the British Trade
Union congress reports over 4,50O,000
dues-paying members, the total vote of
the Labor party in the December cleo
ton was but 2,374,385,
'As the Labor party had opened its
doors to all manual and brain work
ers, and women were given the ballot
we are unable to tell how many citi-
zens in addition to trade-unionists were
included in this number.
Even the Labor party did not re-
tain control over number of trade
union candidates. Seventy-one labor
members were elected to the new par
lament, and but 90 of these were can
ing II. which included such men as
George n. Barnes; having been candi
dates upon other tickets.
f. "The leaders of each of these So
cia1ist parties play a more or less in
dependent part within the Labor party
itself, the apparent object of some be-
ing to build up the political standing
of their own party rather than that of
the Labor party itself. Some of the
trade-unionists in the Labor party de-
vote practically all of their time to the
political exigencies and program of the
Labor party, and a number of these
men, on more than one occasion, have
forced the trade union movement to
fall in line with policies intended to
strengthen the Labor party rather than
to build up and assist the industrial
activities of the trade union movement
itself
ssThe leaders of British trade union
ism are not unanimous in their APP
prova1 of the influence which the Labor
party has exerted upon the trade union
movement. A number of the best
known British trade union officials
have been strongly and openly opposed
to the influence which the Labor party
has exerted upon trade union affairs
They believe that this activity has re
suited iniuriously, to the trade union
movement, and, IN addition, has placed
men in political power within the Labor
party who are not even trade unionists
and whose principal object has seem
ingly been to use the strength of the
Labor party for the. purpose of carry
ing out either their personal ambitions
or their personal and group political
aspirations. s.
"For sometime. there has been move
ment on the part of a group of the
most widely known leaders of the Brit
ish trade union movement to purge the
Labor party of a1l.of those within its
ranks who are not trade-unionists. This
movement came to a focus at the last
convention of the British Trade Union
Congress held in Darby, last September
But here, common sense and devotion
to the workers welfare indicated the
inadvisability of weakening either the
industrial or political arm of the wage
earners' movement through division in
its ranks *~