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New Age, Vol.12, No.13, Jan.1913

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New Age, Vol.12, No.13, Jan.1913 CONTENTS, PAGE PAGE NOTES of llIL WEEK .................. 281) REVIEWS ........................ 302 CURRENT CANT ..................... 292 DRAMA Hy John Francis Hope ............... 304 FOREIGN AFFAIRS By S. Verdad ............ 292 ART. Iiy Anthony hl. Ludovici ............... 305 Guild_Socialism BRAINSAXIJ ‘IIIK Guild ...... 293 MUSIC AND MUSICIANS. ByJohn Playford ......... 306 :1 POLITICIAN’S MANUAL By 1:. N. Sumner ......... 295 PASTICHE. By Albert Allen ............... 307 THE BALLOT Box A FARCE By \V. li. Hall ...... 296 LETTERS To THE EDITORmow- Note ON POWERS. By S. Verdad ............ 297 Margaret Douglas, Prizeman i,n PoliticalEconomy, 11. NOTES ox TIW PRESENT KALPA By J. 11. Kennedy ...... 298 MacColl J. H. Hallard, H. 51. Hyndman, W. Dunstan Sheffield, Arthur G. Depoulain, Harold EACHFOR HIMSELF. By J. T. Fife ............ 299 Hood, Newton, William Sidney Butt, Herman Ould, Oliver TIXIIOUCHALIEN EYES-111. By Ezra Pound ......... 300 Cosway ........................ ?OS VIEWSAND ‘REVIEWS. By A. E. R. ............ 301 ... A11 communications relative to THENEW AGE should cision(though, in truth, the two principles involved be addressed to THE NEW AGE, 38, CursitorStreet, oouldnot be compared-the one affectingthe Unions E.C. and the other only affecting the ambitious politicians of __._ .__..__ ..... .~__~~.... .___ ....... ..~. theUnions). Nevertheless, it has not been reversed, noris it likely to be. As theGovernment Bill stands, trade unions are simply permitted to make a voluntary NOTES OF THE WEEK. collection among their members for political purposes-- ‘I‘HE end of thepresent Session in Parliament is suffi- aright that any crowd in Trafalgar Square already cienily near to make a fosecast of next Session’s legis- possesses.Does this magnificent permission satisfy. lationpossible. Contrary to thegreat expectations of the Labour Members that their services to the Govern- those responsible for the “Campaign against Poverty,” mentha\-e been amply paid.? \Ye arc: not contending., itis already obvious that of sociallegislation in theis of course, that the Bill, as drafted by the Party, ought sense of the word there will be no more, not only dur- io havebeen passed. In our opinion the Osborne ingthe coming Session, but during the remainder oi judgment itself was ablessing in disguise to Trade thelife of thisParliament. The Minimum Wage, the Unionismand its reversal would be acalamity. Hut Eight Hours Day, the Reform of the Poor Law and all rememberingthe heat with which the Hill was de- the rest of .the fatuous programme of the Fabian job- manded,and the sacrifices it was thoughtgood to makersand takers may theref’orc be regarded as still make For it,we cannot refrain from remindingthc forthe present impracticable; and all the bluff about Labour Party that, after all, they have not yet got theii- demanding them at once is exposed for what it is. The Bill! TheIrish, it will benoted, have been well paid. most elementary sense for politics, indeed, would ha~e arid paid on the nail, for their supportoE the Coa 1‘ Itlot1 ’ : demonstrated t’o itsauthors th;lt underthe circum- they have HomeRule with our blessing. The Welsh stancestheir campaign was ill-Limed. Itis perfectly camarilla has also got its wages in the form of the Dis- truethat social reform is no longer popular and that establishment of the Church in Wales. But the Labour my Government would be foolish to risk its office and Party, equally necessary to the Coalition and as strong case to satisfy a demandthat does notexist. But it in numbers as the Welsh party, has got nothing-; and is also true that, even if social reform were as popular seemsto be grateful for it. Nay, in the opinion of to-day as it was a few years :~g-o,the present Govern- everygood judge, they have got considerablyless mentin the .remnant of itstime codd and would do thannothing. ,4s if he ratedtheir services at a posi- nothing.The Parliament Act no doubt necessitated ti\-e discount, RIr. Asquith has appeared almost to take two crowdedyears of glorious lifein the first part of painsto see that the Labour Party should be soundly any Government’s period ; but it also invited two empty kickedfor their humiliating subservience. Nsot only years of talkduring the latter part of theperiod of have they,been refused their Osborne Bill, but they five years. And the fullest use ‘of the second privilege, were maliciouslyemployed as catspawsduring threc atany rate, will assuredlybe made. Itdoes not re- greatstrikes; commerce has been so loadedagainst quire the “Nation” to plead for a “legislative sabbatical them that prices in relation to wages have risen three year for apoor overworked Ministry. ’I’hc Ministry shillings in the pound, and finally their whole class has hasevery intention of taking il. .\nd to the excuses been coercedinto the Insurance pigeon-holes where of overwork andthe Parliament Act they can add, lor everyman-jack has his number like a ticket-of-leave the privateinformation ‘of their friends tllc more con- convict.But for the existence of theLabour Party in \-inringargument that the coming General Election Parliament these thingscould not possibly ha\e occurred. will need to lbe ground-baited \\-ill1 promises. Vague *-x.* promises. therefore, we mayexpect in plenty. during Somenotion of thefinal futility of Labourpolitics the nest twelve monihs, but no Bills will bc introduced to the Labour movement appears ;~tlast to have entered s::\-c thos!: of :I non-controversial that is, anti-social, the heads of at lc;~stonc of thc constituent Unions. It character. * 6 \vas announcedlast week that the Boilermakers h:ctl REviewing the results of thc Session nonr cIosing :I:. withdrawnfrom the Labour Party. Explanations were they affect the Labour- Party in partictular, 1q.e ha\-<- at once issued by lhr latterdesigned to minimise. thv :ig:bin lo ask what fortyMembers h;nc obtained b!- significance of the event ; but there is reaIly no .eon- their loyalty tothe Liberal Party. ‘I‘hc ollc measure cealingor under-rating its importance. We donot specifcallyannounced by them :IS the price of their hesitate to say that thrj resignation of the Boilermakers coalition has hen notoriously clipped an(! debased in its is 111uch the most important fact in recent Labour poli- passage ti1rocq.h Committee ’I‘hc reversal of il1f. tics : for,whatever its immediate causes, there can l),~ Osbourne j11tl<n1c.n1 \!:IS supposed 10 I):, :I$ essential 10 110 doubt that its root cause isdissatisfaction \yitl> 111,. TRade Unionism ;IS t11c reversal of 111c: Taff \’;:I~*de= results of Labourpolitics; ant1 iI 1I:i., I1;ls operated i:i 2 90 thecase of theBoilermakers we may expect it to We havereferred to theresignation of theBoiler- operate before very long in the case of the rest of the makersfrom the Labour Party as a significant event Unions. And thesooner the better, in our opinion; in politics;but amore significant event in Labour forthe experiment of Labour politics hasnow been economics is theproposed alliance between the Co- triedlong enough to establishthe propositions that operative Union, theTrade Union Congress, and the economic power precedespolitical power and that to LabourParty. 11s ourreaders may remember, we graspatpolitical power before economicpower is urged some m'ontils ago that the commissariat of strikes obtained is to pursue the shadow and to miss' the sub- required attention ; and we suggested this very alliance stance.The relation between economics andpolitics, of theCo-operative movement with the Trade Union indeed,has not been properly understood until within movement as thenatural means to thisend. Xothinc? the last few years. And on these grounds we may fairly indeed, could appear more 'obvious as a piece of tactics absolvethe Labour Party in itsinception from the than for the Trade Unions to ally themselves lvith the charge of deliberatelyor even culpably side-tracking Co-operativeproducing and distributing societies. It themovement for labour emancipati,on. At the outset is very well known that one of the capitalist means of it appeared the most natural thing in the world that the defeatingstrikes is tohamper the supplies of the great trade unions should carry their battle wi.th Capital strikers ; and sin<,c capitalcommands most of the intopolitics and continue in Parliament the campaign sources of supply,its task nas easy. But with th'e of the workshsops. Two facts,however, have provecl development of Co-operativc Production as well as Dis- to militateagainst this strategy, 'one of whichis the tribution,an alternative source of supplyis now open nature of politics tlnd the other of which is the nature to Labourwhen on strike, ;I source thr individualist of economics. It iscontrary to the nature of politics capitalism mill fiml it difficult to intercept. The thatMembers of Parliamentshould openly and exclu- strengthening of the position of Trade Unionism n.ould sively represent specific class interests. However much thus beconsiderable from the proposed alliance; and they may desire and intend to do so, the atmosphere and xvhat it canbring to th'e Co-operative movement is conditions of politicsare against them. Thus we find scarcely less in value. The sums now invested by Trade thatthe Labour Members, even those paid by Trade Unions, mainly, it is ironical to observe, in profiteering Unions, act, speak and think in political matters rathler businesses, now amount to eight millions sterling. There as citizensthan as delegates of theproletariat. Blame is notthe least reason why the capital should llot be him or not, as we may, there is no doubt that a man transferred to the Co-operative movement,where its ceases to be a trade unionist before eveqthing as soon immediateutility would certainlybe not less, and its as he is returned to Parliament.And we should not remoteruses infinitely greater. The consideration in wonder if the most rabid of his critics, now seeking to thealliance is, therefore, about equal :IS betweenthe supplanthim in Parliament, were the first to follow two parties.
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