Montana labor news., 1936-06-25
SOCIAL DEMOCRACY
In BRITAIN
Reviewed by
GEORGE N. BARNES

This is a book full Of interest to
everyone concerned in the building up
OF a new social order. And il will be
specially interesting and useful to those
who may want to know the facts Of
the past for guidance in the work OF
the future. 1t is prefaced by a lumin-
GUS foreword by Herberdt Tracey, in
which the divergent lines OF Socialist
thought and policy, mostly on the econ
omic side, are traced and appraised.
But, with all due Difference to my old
friend Herbert, | think the book will
be read in the main for its history of
the struggles for and by Labour for
Labour's upliftment.
And the first word to be said for ii
is one OF pleasure in its fine tone OF
humanity and comradeship. The old
5. D. F. was regarded in my young
days as strait laced in economic doc
trine and severely critical Of the
f~aint-hearted or those Of "other
mindedness." But here there is only
now and again a bit OF ginger put in
as a sort Of reminder. 1t will be gen
orally acknowledged now that in all
the struggles OF the last 50 years for
the poor and those who had no helper
and especially for the unemployed
the S. D. F. was in the front.
H. w. Lee was its secretary almost
from its start till his death in 1882
and it is fitting, therefore, that his
should be the pen to tell most Of the
story. The book, as regards two
thirds Of it, is a record of events
which happened under his eye and in
which he had a hand. He had la
boured necessarily for nearly half a
century on a salary, for most of the
time, about equal to that Of a junior
clerk. And that half century, up to
1882, saw the making Of modern
Britain.
1t is now a better Britain. There is
a higher standard Of life, shorter hours
OF labour and, best OF all, a growing
sense of social consciousness among all
classes. Labor is coming into its own
with the help Of many from other
classes. And the early builders OF this
better order, or some of them, figure
in this book. They are seer taking
their parts, sometimes stormy parts.
William Morris, the poet Kerr Hardie,
the prophet, and H. M. Hyndman are
all here, along with John Burns and
Tom Mann, Jim Macdonald and J. r.
Macdonald, sometimes one of these
being taken for the other in their far
off days. There is Joe Burgess, to
whom justice is done for his service ;
Dan Irving, of Burnley, afterwards
Member of Parliament, and Jack vii
liams, the stormy petrol with croaky
voice. There are also some minor fig
ures such as Grayson, who, meteor
like, fit across the scene and of whom
there are thumbnail sketches. They
are all there in the book, many of them
having done their bit and gone their
way.
1t was a great time of awakening il
all phases of life, some of which, al
though related to it, lie outside the
scope OF the book. The younger gen
Grafton should be grateful to the Older
pioneers whose work lives after them
Lee and Archbold have told of a great
movement OF self-sacrifcing work and
they have told it well, there is not a
dull page.
I appeal to my fellow members oil
the A, E. U. to buy the book, and ]
know I shall not appeal in vain when
| add that by SO doing they may be
aiding Mrs. Lee and her family
Published by the Social Democratic
Federation.