Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1922-12-01
BRITAIN'S LABOR LEADER
]. Ramsay Macdonald Next in Line
for Premiership.
HISTORY OF INDUSTRIAL MOVEMENT

HISTORY OF INDUSTRIAL MOVEMENT
Organized Effort Began Within the
Past Fifty Years--Now Funds are
Raised by Per Capita Assessments
on All Members.
The next Bogyman may be the next
Premier of Great Britain. Following
upon the election. Of J. Ramsay Mac
donald to the Sessional Chairmanship
of the British Labor Party, Bonar Law
walked by his side when the Commons
were summoned TO the Lords to hear
the royal assent TO the election of
Speaker Whitley. In accord with all
tradition, this constitutes recognition
of Macdonald as leader of the opposi-
ton to the British cabinet now in
power. If it should fall he would prob
ably be called upon to form a new one.
In 1874, less than fifty years ago,
British labor, through the Labor Repre-
sentative League, formed in 1863, re-
turned two members to parliament
frankly and openly committed to the
furtherance of labors interests, at that
time a vague term and embracing de-
mands ranging from the suppression
Of machinery to the distribution
equally of all wealth.
Occasionally a Liberal NJ. p, before
1874, had undertaken 10 achieve minor
reforms for his horny handed constitu-
ents, but the league openly proclaim
ing its intention of organizing working
class constituencies for benefit of
the working class represented, was the
first to proclaim its recognition of
special interests to be protected speci-
ally.
Agitation Long Unorganized.
For about twenty years labor agi-
tation in England continued, mostly
unorganized and with a great diver
gence of aims. For the most part there
was no general labor program, but only
a collection Of local goals and special
lied grievances. The organization Of
the Independent Labor Party on Jan.
13, 1893 however, changed all this.
The Independent Labor Party had
two aims: First, to propagate Social
ism; second. to form a labor political
alliance distinct from other parties,
based not upon class status but upon
ideas of social reconstruction and sup
ported by people in all ranks and
grades of life.
James Ramsay Macdonald, born in
1865, was twenty-seven when the IN
dependent Labor Party was formed
and has spent the rest of his life in it's
service. It's announced program, in
particular, indicates exactly the things
for which he had become known-the
propagation of Socialism and the for
nation of a separate labor party.
The Independent Labor Party is
of trade unions, cooper
ative and Socialist societies, profess
sional societies and local labor parties.
To this extent it-or the larger and
basically similar British Labor Party
is obviously the model for the Amerl-
can labor party which made its first
appearance at the November elections
The American labor party as it is
now is strictly speaking, not party at
all but a holding company. 1t is made
up of the Socialist and Farmer-Labor
Parties and a number of trade unions,
each operating in the elections under
its own standard and party emblem
and through it's own party machinery
and funds, if any exist. The arrange
ment amounts practically to an in
Of each others candidates
by the parties and groups composing
the larger organization and an ar
rangement for an agreement as to the
allotment of elective Offices
Tail Ways tire Dog.
The original idea of the Independent
Labor Party may have been this, but
it rapidly changed, in a large part
through Macdonald's efforts. The tail
began to move the dog. At all events
the component parts of the party
gradually went into decent obscurity
and the party itself dominated the
situation.
The party's funds are derived from
constitutionally fixed payments per
head of its membership nd from an
annual fee of affiliatio paid by local
labor parties.
Whether one sees progress as the
struggle between vested and invested
interests for power" said Macdonald,
cor the effort of the whole life of So
ciety for freedom is of fundamental
Importance, and the second view is
that of the Independent Labor Party
and Of predominant British Socialism,
The British Socialist societies which
took the other or Continental view
never fiourished in this country
This is distinctly not the socialism
familiar to America and explains in
some part the readiness of British lib