New-York tribune., 1922-12-10
British Labor
Awaits Debut
AS Opposition
Unusual Division Expected
to Make New Parliament
One of Most Interesting
Assembled in Many Years
"Motley Crew" on List
Bolsheyiks, Intellectuals,
ToiIers, Upper and Lower
Glass to Make Laws
By Harold E. Scarborough

LONDON, Dec. q.--When the procee.
sion Of newly elected members Of Par.
lament vas forming In preparation
for attendance IN the HouSe Of Lordl
Chamber a significant incident oe'
CURED. To the aide Of the Prime Min
lister there stepped the slight hgurc
Of J. r. Ciynes, chairman Of tho Par
lismen.sry Labor party. This aetion
meant that for the hrst time "a his
tory TIE Labor party in the Commons
had been recognized ofielsliy IS "Hii
Majestiy's opposl.Ion"-in other words
as the second largest party In The state
and as the one having right Of speech
immediately following ths government
deba.ers.
whie and Tory. Conssrva,ivs and
Liberal--sll have had their periods IN
power and In eclipse. Labor, which
frst appeared ss a separate party IN
1892, never before has hsen 20 the
dignity Of occupying even the front
benches OF the rovs In the Commons
opposits the government. Il has had
occasional representatives on the front
Opposition bench, bat that Is veiJ
different matter.
Within the few weeks that hHvc
elapsed since the election It ALREADY
has become a commonplace that tAe
new Parliament will be ono Of tie
most interesting that has assembled
at Westminster for many years. Much
Of this interest will sries from the
fact that Lloyd George, after having
been Prime Minister for ak years, 10
now found among the governments
critics. sill more. however, will be
due 20 the fact that out Of The 6i5
members OF the nov Parliament lss
or 1ls, II the "Co.operstors" and
Communists are eouated) bear .he tag
Labor" This Is almost exactly double
the number OF Labor members IN the
last Parliament; and the itS repre-
sent a total vote OF l,2S2,7oo IN a.
electorate OF it,iss.is5.
Who are they. these Labor II. P.'sl
Are they Bolsheviks or intelleetuals,
working men or sgita.ors; middle class
upper or loverf
"a motley crew." Is she expression
which comes naturally 20 ene's lips In
the attempt 70 classify the wAole
body Of Labor members In a single
phrsge. Tho allusioa ia perhaps juR-
.iasble. but It wss equally applicable
20 the Coalition Of iei5-'22.
The name which will fgure most
prominently for Labor Is that o. J.
Ramsay Macdonald, who has been
elected chairman Of the Parliamentary
Labor party. John Robert CT nes,
whom Macdonald succeeds as leader IA
tho Commons, has been continuously
IN Parliament sinee ieoe. Sidney Webb
10 no. an experienced parliamentsrisn,
but bis name 10 60 widely known IA
connection With socialism Of the
Fabian brand that be deserves mention
hiRh up in the list Of LaboriteS.
Next IN order comes Charles Philips
TrevslyAn, 4 recruit from the LIBERAL
party. Philip snowden, widely known
IS a writer, sat In Parliament e. .
Socialist from 1908 20 1918.
Edward George Kemmerdo, K. G.
who Is nearly as we'll known g q
bsrrister as Is Patrick Hastings and
who slso has written several plsys, (,
, a. Oxford man.
These Tner arc those generally called
the ~intslleetuals7 of the Labor more.
=ont.
From these ard from the great bod,
of y. P.'s who will vote and do little
else the list deSeends to what may be
termed the grotesque element OF the
party. There iaelude J. T. ". Newbold
Conaunist elected from notherweil
Scotland, who after his election sen;
an eSultsnt telegram 20 Lenine; z. D.
Morel, one of the two candidates. who
beat Winston Churchill az Dundee, vho
took a leading part In the moyemen,
against the Belgian administration n
the Congo, publishing voluninors vri..
ings on the subjeet, and vho vas O
pseiast during the wari Edward scryn.
georr, the only asa ever elected 70
Parliament as a. svowed Proh:bitior-
let, who alec beat Churchill, whoss
sympathies are with Labor, but who
says that he doesn't Inte=d "to stand
for the introduction into westninssei
Of the tvo-hsnded sword and the clay
more" "a reference % a bellIeot.
speech made b. a Scotch miners
leAderl, and S. Saklatssls, Parsss
who was elected for q Bat.erssa, Lon.
don. constituency. and the hrst Hindu
% sit In the British Parliament.
u for Sfa0a.