The Wheeling intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1903-1961, 1919-02-17

! LONDON, Feb. 14.-When the Labor
marty was able to substitute nifty men
| instead of the two with whom IL start
! cd it's its moment seemed to have some
The tremendous liberal majority of tho
election of 1905 made all reformcrs
dream dreams; and Of course, many
thought that VIC were within slght OF
| the millcnniunl--that mirage that reap
pears so easily and SO frequently among
| the humanitarian risionartes OF thls
~ rouhlcd worlr Among the new men
were many figures that might we'll IN
spirc hopes OF very radical change.
The most out standing figure In some
respects was Philip Snowden. He had
n picturesque appcaran as we'll as his
| tory. Hc was In some small place IN
the postofficc when one day. riding his
| hiclclc. nc had bad spill: and he has
hccn more Of less or q cripple since, Tor
| his spine Was injured and his legs are
weak and he walks-it might be sh;d
almost crawls-hy the aid OF n SUCK.
The face bears tho evidence of suffer
ing and ill-hculth: IL is small-almosl
tiny: sometimes you might iccl mat
YOU were looking at 4 baby VINO hao
been prematurcly wrinklcd by wicked.
The eyes are bright and the features
regular and the complexion good-eN-
ccpt for this suggestion OF premature
wrinkles and aged youth.
Suggests Preach Type.
There is no man in English life who
suggests more the rigid and relentless
type Of the Frcnchman that was thrown
up by the Revolution. Fearless. rigid,
uncompromIsinE, unyicldinE. with the
spare frame. the baby-old man race. inc
rasping voice. he makes one trcmolc
|
would fare If he had omnpotcncc. He
belongs to the straitcst sect Of the So
cialists. There Is a deep dividing line
between even Labor mon an this ques-
ton Of socialism. for mnny-if not the
most of thcm-arc trades unionists pure
and simple. with no great hope or over
turning society and Of doing much moro
than get better wages and oettcr hours
for the working people.
But the Sociali:t, of course, LOOKS Tor
much moro: and indeed will not be sat-
isfed until he has got all the means OF
production into the hands Of the state.
nationalizcd mines, nationalized snip
ping. nationalized railways. of course;
in short. the Socialist Commonwealth.
The Socialist Of the Snowdcn type Is
also international rather than national.
hence the violent hostility to the war
WnlCn nnO"ueH COIlliioCu w p'SoNit
sven during the hottest and most peril
Gus moments of the late war. Snowden
has great powers as q speaker: his Ian
guagc, though we'll chosen and refined,
Is simple; he makes up his facts with
care: he does not vituperate with elo-
uucnt invcctivc: he is almost business
like after the manner Of even eHtrcm-
lists among Englishmen; but there is
always suggestion of rancor In the
voice in the look and in the ideas.
Women Kissed Els Hands.
I remember a scene which took place
Immediately after his first election for
blackburn q great Lancashire constitu-
ency. Women gathered around him.
and with tears in their eyes asked him
if he really thought he could do some
thing for the poor. He did his best for
the poor; but the passions Of the war
still ragged during the recent election
md Snowdcn was defeated by q huge
!. hajortty.
Ramsay Mcdonald. another striking
figure. was OF quito different type
as different as the typical Scotchman
is from the typical EnGlishmnn. Nc
Donald is the child OF poor Usher folk
in Scotland, hut like so many Scotch
men he got n good education and his
first occupation was a school teacher.
Then hc went into politics: he had the
happiness to marry n daughter of Doc
tor Gladstone member Of the old
School Board Of London n woman OF ex-
traordnary nncness Of character;
Thin fragile fair-harcd almost shrink
ing figure Of woman with q flaming