]AS. KEIR HARDIE'S LIFE STORY

From Pit Trapper to Parliament

BY J. McARTHUR CONNER

PRICE 10 CENTS

BANNER PRESS p ~ 103 TORONTO, ONT.

J as. Keir Hardie's Life Story

CHAP'l,ER I. whom he frequently spoke with tihe ten­ derest affection, taught him to read, and A m•an is thought a knave, a fool, at the age of sixteen he le•arned to A bigot plotting crime; write, his :first lesons being given to Who for the advancement of his kind him by a kindly collier who taught him Is wiser than his time. to · write on the coal face down the pit For him the gibbet shall be built, with a piece of chalk, · and in after life For him the stake prepared, he would recall the days when his stu­ For him .the hemlock shall distil, dies were pursrted with the aid of the For him the axe be bared. storekeepe-rs' placards and the open Him .shall the scorn and hate of men pages of books seen through the store· Pursue with deadly aim, keeper's window. He :first entered the And envy, malice, hatred, lies, pit at the early a!!"e of seven years, be­ Shall desecrate his name. ing employed first a""J a ''trapper, '' and -Robert Burns. afterwards at Forward on the New Ye1ar before he Life. The world knew him as a :fighter, die·d. an agitator, a Socialist, who having the ''The year 1866 was nearing · its courag~ _., o~ _,h!s. co.nvictions, was ready close. Owing to a lockout in the ship­ to follow his pnnc1ples to the furtherest building yards on the Clyde, my father legitimate trend, a member of parlia­ had been out of employment for nearly ment who never bowed his head before six months. The funds of the union the conventionalities of ·the House of were so exhausted that the benefits Commons, wl!u took risks without re­ were reduced to one and sixpence and gard to the immediate consequences two shillings a week. I was the only whatever and whenever he thought breadwinner, being employed by a the greater gain for the future lay high-class baker in Lancefield Street, with the permanent well-being of demo­ Glasgow, for three and sixpence a cracy, a class fighter admittedly with­ week. My hours were from 7 a.m. till out any reserve. 7.30 p.m., 12 1-2 hours each day. I Mr. Hardie was born at Laigh, Bran4 was the eldest of a family of three, and nock, Old Monkland, Lanarkshire, on the brother next to me was down with the 15th day of August, 1856. His fa­ fever, from which he never recovered, ther was a ship carpenter, but owing though his life dragged on two or to long spells of unemployment his mo­ three years thereafter. As most of the ther was also obliged to assist in add­ neightbors had children, they feared ing to the family income by farm work, coming into the house because of the and little Keir was in his early days danger of contagion, and my Il'\Other, entrusted to his grandmother. The home who was very near her confinement, consisted of a one-room dwelling with was in delicate health. ·a floor of baked mud, whitewashed ''It was the last week of the year, walls and thatched roof. He received Father had been away two or three no school education, but his :mother, of days in search of work. Towards the Pa.. Three end of the week, having been up most I therefore dismiss you, and to make of the night, I got to the shop fifteen you more careful in the future, I have minutes late, and was told by the young decided to fine you a week's wages. And lady in charge that if it occurred again now you may go! ' I would be punished. I made no reply, ''I wan ted to speak and explain I couldn't. I felt like crying. Next why I was late, but the servant took morning the same thing happened-1 me by the arm and led me downstairs. couldn't tell wp.y, but that is neither As I passed through the store the girl here nor there. It was a very wet morn­ in c barge gave me a roll and said a ing, and when I reached •the shop I was kjnd word. Out in the rain I wander drenched to the skin, barefoot and hun­ ed rouud the streets most of the day. gry. There had not even been a crust I knew my mother was waiting of bread in the house that morning. for my wages. As the afternoon was ''But that was pay day, and I was drawing to a close I ;ventured h_ome and filled with hope. ''You are wanted up­ told her what had happened. It seem­ stairs by the master,'' said the girl be- ed to be the last blow. The roll was

Cumnock, the scene of many of Keir Hardie's triumphs hind the counter, and my heart almost still under my vest, but soaked with stopped beating. Outside the dining· tb e rain. That night the baby was room door a servant bade me wait till born, and the sun rose on the 1st of 'master bad finished his prayers' he January, 1867 over a home in whieh was much noted for his piety). At there was neither fire nor food, though, length the girl opened the door, and fortunately, relief came before the day the sight of that room is fresh in my had reached its noon. But the memory memory even as I write, nearly fifty of these early days a;bides with me, and years after. Round a great mahogany makes me doubt the sincerity of those table sat the members of the family, who make a pretence in their prayers. with the father at the top. In front of For suc'h things still abound in our 'him was a very wonderful coffee boiler midst.'' "in tb:e great glass bowl of which the Can you wonder, then, that after -coffee was bubbling. The table was years found Kair Hardie such an advo­ -loaded wii. th dainties. My master look- cate of the feeding of school children, . ed at me -ev~r his glasses and said in a 4so that no c'hild might feel the pangs ·pleasant vo'iee: -'Boy, this is the second of hunger as he had experienced it in morning you ·hav.e been late, and my his ,childhood days . . -customers leave -me if they are kept For seventeen years he worked as a waiting for their hot breakfast rolls. miner, educt"atirig~ himself all the time. JPa"e Four And the first hook that he mastered is now in the hands of the Independent when he was nineteen years of age was Labor Party. All this time Hardie de­ -w'ha t do you suppose-' ' Sartor Re· voted himself most assiduously to his sartus ''-after which a course in Rus­ own self improvement. He read very ex­ kin, Burns, Henry George must have tensiYely, and wrote a good deal and been mere child's play. At a later date for a long period he rarely spent fou1· he published my ''Precursors of Henry or five hours out of the twenty-four in George'' in Glasgow, and no more con­ bed. He revelled in Carlyle and John siderate publisher could the esurient Stuart Mills. He d-abbled in philosophy, of authors have reasonably demanded. theology and science, he had a great He becaJine active as a trade union­ fondness for the Scottish national it and was appointned miners' agent. songs and ballads and had a remark­ Somewhere about the year 1880 he left able knowledge of general literature. Lanarkshire and came to Ayrshire, hav­ Locally he took a great interest in poli­ ing received an appoinbnent as miners' ties, relig·ion and temperance. He be­ organizer for Ayrshire, and he took came too advanced for the 1nembers of up his residence at Old Cumnick. He the local Liberal Association some of at once set to organize the miners of \vhom (1cclined to appear on the same that district, and his efforts laid the platform with him at a political meet­ foundation of the strong position on ing because t ~hey claimed he was scat­ which the Ayrshire Miners' Union tering the seeds of socialism broadcast. stands to-day. While 'he was acting as His first church connection was "With miners' organizer Mr. Hardie became the Congregationalistts. There he was district correspondent for the Cumnock leader of a secession. The little c011gre­ News, a localized edition of the Adros­ gation was almost rent in t\\rain oYer

san and Saltcoats Herald1 and thus some domestic trouble about the minis­ gained an early experience in journal­ ter. Mr. Hardie by the way whose sym ~ ism which afterwards stood him in good pathies lay with the minister, left with stean. He conducted the Cumno·ck a minority an'Cl formed a branch of the News with consinerable ability, giving Evangelical Union. Their pla1ce of wor­ bright, racy reports of all the loea1 ship was on the second storey of a tene­ events and contributing in addition a ment. The services for a time were special column of mining no•tes under conducted bv laymen and oftener by the pen name of ''Trapper,'' which Mr. Hardie {han ·anyone else. He mad'e proved extremely popular and greatly a good appearance as a preacher and increased the cireulation of the paper it was thought by some of his friends in all the mining district of Cumnock. tha1t he might blossom out into a full The only other paper in Cumnock at fledged minister. Mr. Hardie wa-s an that time was the CUmnock Express, a arden.t temperance worker and started localized edition of the Ayr Observer, a branch of the Good Templar Order wl:lieh was conduc-ted by the late Mr. which flourished for a number of years A. B. Todd, author of Covenanting and he was a powerful spe.aker on the Scenes. Mr. Hardie and Mr. Todd were questJion of tempe1·ance and it was quite cast in entirely different moulds and an open secret in those days that he on frequently fell foul of each other in more than olfle occasion had declined a their respe-ctive organs. The commun­ permanen1t appointment as a lectuTer of ity greatly enjoyed their controversies the Scottish Temperance League. After wh1ch were often times carried on in a taking to journalistic work Mr. Hardie very bitter and acrimonious fashion began to learn shorthand and he gath­ both of them descending to personal ered around him a number of you:P,g recriminations and invariably losing lads whose mind1s had a similar bent. sigh't of the original question at issue. They met together oncP. a week in a Mr. Todd has left it on record in his room in the schoo·lhouse and Mr. Hardie Autobiography that one might as well who was a little further advaneed than try to chastise a crocodile with a silk the rest in the ''winged art'' gave whip as to make the clever socialistic them lessons Qn the blackboard. It was Keir -Hardie wince by the most severe a mutually helpful class and most of things tha't cou!d be written about him. the members ult•imately were awarded While writing for the News Mr. Hardie Pitman's eerti:ficate for proficiency started a little magazine called the Min­ while several became expert stenograph­ er, and this was really the precurso:r ers and are to-day using this useful of the Labor Leader, which for many accomplishment both in professional years he owned and edited though it and commercial life. Page Five CHAPTER II. was efor the eight-hour bill had evel" any hope of being placed on the sta­ ne thing- which has signalized this tute-book. If he ;vas suddenly taken Congress is the beginning of the revolt ill, ... ay, at 9 a.In., he had to wait untll aO'ainst Broadhurst & Co., for Hardie 4 p.n1. before he c.ould get up the vit .;as the only speaker who spoke against to go hon1e. the tactics of the (Liberal) Labor Hardie fought this case with the aid 1\L P. 's. of a young lawyer natned ''Andrews,'' (Thomas Browning in William Mor­ who had just commenced practising law ris' ''Commonwealth,'' 1887.) in Old Cumnock, and was anxious to A.t 19 years of age Hardie was pl'lo­ Inake some showing, a it was his first nlinently known in Scotland as a pow­ ·ase. Keir Hardie sat beside him erful agitator in the workers' interest during' the trial and kept continually and often addre eel meetings with handing him notes of what to say, Alexander :::\IacDonalcl, M.P., who was which resulted in upsetting the judge a prominent Labor leader of the old that he did not know where he was Liberal school and JYiacDonald, after at and he gave judgment in favor of introducing Hardie at the miners' meet­ the men getting up at any time, though ings referred to him as one of the it wa · found out bvo years later that c.oming Labor leaders of the country. he had given a decision which the law In Lanark~hire he was victimized be­ of th land did not back up. cause of his opinions and went to AyT­ The coal company would not supply shire as a new paper reporter because the material to the men in order to no colliery in the country would em­ have proper ventilation in the mines, ploy him. In Old Cumnock he was pre­ which resulted in many n1en taking vailed upon to accept the position as chronic bronchitis as a Tesult of inhal­ secretary and organizer of the Ayr­ ing foul air. The men in desperation shire J\iiner ' Trade Union, and it was began to earry out to the mines heprogress'' Yocated independent political action he will adopt Labor reforms as part of fought his first parliamentary contest it policy, as it has adopteJ home rule 011 April, 1888, which was the first for Ireland. Our reply is that when parliamentary labor contest with the 1nen die of hunger, as they are doing declared object of forming a working­ to-day, no delay can be permitted, and dass party holding allegiance to nel­ that if the workers of cotland want ther of the two capitalist parties. The Labor legi lation they m.ust, as the itiea that the working class, socialist Irish liave done, form themselves into and non-socialist alike, form a separate a concrete political party and give the political section of the state first emerg­ other political parties no rest nor peace etl in Hardie's l\fid-Lanark ampaign. until their demands are conceded. His opponent, the official Liberal, Sir ''The first step to this end is the George Trevalyan (now Lord St. David) formation of an Independent Labor was eager to get into Parliament, and Party, which will rally at the polls the he offe.red Hardie four hundred ($2,000) forces of workers a.nd of those who a year and a safe seat somewhere else sympathize with our efforts. if Hardie would withdraw from the con­ ''It has been by acting in this way test. Needless to say, the offer was re­ that the Irish people haYe secured the jected and liar) ancl Birmingham, which merg·cd into the tionality or countrv 'in the BritiRh Independe nt Lnbor Party when it was Empire: with an Imperial Parlia­ foun r1e(l as a national or2·nuiz:ation at ment for lmperial affairs. Bradford in 189:1. , (n) Abolition of the House of T.1or,1s atHl all hereditary offices. (7) A seeond hallot. CITAPTER IV. (R ) ~ ationalization of land :tnct min­ Prals. In 1. 9~. Keir Hardie contested West (9) Labor legislatjon: (a) An Eight­ Ham as a Socialist eanoi.datc, when the Hour Bill; (b) Abolition of the flag of socialism was ra isecl in earnest; present poor law system and .sub­ and so Yigorously was t.he battle press­ stitution of State Insurance to eel that thP Liberal canitidate was beat­ provide for sickness, acident, Pn from the :field: anCJ. when the poll Labour Leader (16) State acquisition of railways, waterwaws, and tramways. Hardie first carried the Unemployed (17) National banking systen1 and the Problem to the House of issue of state money only. Commons (18) Cumulative income tax, beginning opened it was a clear-cut issue between1 at £300 per annum. the charnpions of the people and privi-­ leges. It wa a mon\en to us truggle;. R. B. Cunningham Graham became pre the result .of which c.arried c·onste•rna-­ sidPnt of the Scottish Labor Party, Dr. tion into the ranks of the twin enemy .. G. B. Clark vice-president, and KciY It sounded the clarion cry to labor to1 Harclie hon. secretary, and at the gen­ ''come out from among them,'' to, eral election in 189~ ran about a dozen choose their o.wn leaders, raise their· candidates, all of whom were badly own standard, and march to their politi- tlefeated. cal emancipation. Keir Hardie wa. The propaganda of an independent the Yictor; the returns showed a major­ party hacl spread from Scotland across ity of 1,232 in his favor, which the capi- Pal'e Nine htli;..;t pi·( s::-; 1Jatl tn gi' e to the public­ H c ,1irJ 110 rcahz.e that it was against that the first n1an to run, and be elect­ hin1 that th ~ ~peak 'l' ·~ call was directed ~'(t <)n a soca1ist ticket, was Sn1ne · IZei:· until I call 'd hi. attention to t1JP. fact H:-~rclie. _ that he was wearing· his hat) wJJi<·h he 1!-,ron1 that dav to the time of his at once removed.'' ·death the press ;eviled him, lied about 1-.11~. Frank Sn1ith, in hi:s booklet from him, and I heard him say one time in pit to Pa r1 ia meu t. throws further light m;;~ presenre. that "\Yhen the press began on the incident. ''On the morning of to . peak the truth about hi In he would the opening of Parliament, some of his ask hhnself, '' 0 Lord, what have I done . upporters, wage slaves every one-ali .a!!ainst mv country.'' honor to them-decided quite amongst .._Theda~/ I{:eir IIardie entt>l'e(t the Brit­ ,themselves to put down a bob (25c.) ish House of Connnons the pre · con­ all Tound and drive ou1· me1nber to the tained the tatement of his entry, and Hou e ju a <>an·jage and pair. This tonk that he had sat during the se sion with the form of a waggouette of the bean­ a cap on. In fact, son1c newspapers feast Yariety, cornet man on the bo:s vYent ;::;0 far as to sho·w pictures of Har­ 'C at to make it complete. To thosC:; die sittinu- be·sides an the other lllern­ who know the wavs of the workers, it ber jn parlian1ent with his cap •on. A \Yill be cJ e a.r that' tJ1is was a generous staten1ent which never had any truth t1Psire to show honor t.o the 1nan who in it. On April 1914, in the 1-.1:anchester re l1resen ted then1. The eon Yeyanc e Guardian_, Hardie replietl to an article h the sacred domains ial illust_!ations, including the big drum, of parliament, in SU"h unCOllYent]onal consisted of one s.olitary cornet. The fashion! And when after hj s arrival, ta ts are these: The dockers of West he brought_, and in al1dibon pressed, the Tiam had decided that I should go to <'1nims of the unemployed, no wonder Parlian1ent in a coach like other J\I.P. 's, the:'-- (the capitali ts) howled at him, :n111 had actually raised money for the until in just indignation he finally de­ purpose. When, however, I declined nounced the 'fat beasts' who sought to their offeT, they resolved on a beano of ~ilence by after-diner a bu~C' the voice their own, whereupon they hired a large that demanded the '1·i2,·ht to work' of size waggonette to drive me to West­ every citizen, ana the 'l:esponsibilit;v of luinster, from which to give me a cheer the state in regard to the provision of as I entered the gates and, good, hon­ the same.'' est souls, invited me to a seat therein. The entrance of Hardie into the Brit­ Onlv a churl could have saicl to them ish House of Comm.ons upset all conven­ nay~ The cornet player ''did himself' ·' tion ali tie.·, for it \'\ a .::; not until Keir proud on the way from Canning Town, Hardie entered parliament in 1899 that and the occupants o.f the brake c·heered the British House of Comn1ons was told lustily as I was crossing the palace that unemployment and poverty were yard. The cornet may also have been matters of great national concern, as used, though I cannot now for certain well as Church Disestablishment, or the 1·ecall. reduction of ineome tax. ''The statement that I perambulated J.:"·o.r did he fear any man if he be­ the floor of the House in my offensive lieved the measure he advocated to be cap untH recalled to orderline.ss by the. right e-ven if in its advocacy he had to awful tone of 1-.Ir. Speaker Pee.J. is with­ !"tand alone. out any foundation. In fact, I was For instance, shortly after Hardie ·walking up the fto.or to take the oath was elected a terrible mining explosion in conversation with Sir Charle.s Gamer­ occurred in Wales, in which the toll of on_, then one of the members of the City dPad amounted to · several hundred. At of Glasgow, who, with hands deep in his the same time a bill was introduced in trousers pockets was wearing his hat. parliH:,ment to give £10,000 ($50,000) a Pa~o Ten hack to Glasgow infirmary twic8 a week Bernard Shaw. The e,onfereuce adopt­ for many a weary month, until at last ed a socialistt platform, declaring for maternal affection •and medical skill tri­ the '' coll~ctive ownership and control nmphed. Is it, then, surprising that off­ of all mea.ns of production, d.Istribution, shoots from such stock exhibit a spirit al).d exchange,'' and the '' inclependen t that ''never sa)'JS die.'' representation of labor in Parliament and public bodies.'' Hardie presided at the conference, CH.AFTER V. and in his opening address used these words:- The election of Kier Hardj e to the '' The Labor m.ovemen t is not an or­ British House of Commons gave ihe ganization. It is neither a programme Socialist and Labor forces a centre, a . nor a constitution, but the expression personality around which the Independ­ of a great principle-the determination ent gr:oups which had been struggling of the work~rs to be the arbiters 6f alone and spread all ove-r the United their own destiny. We are here, such Kingdom could gather. And no one re­ as we are, such as circumstances have alized this more than Hardie himself, created us, the expression of an unborn and in order to make the advance of dying determination on the part of de­ the :working-class movement more ef­ mocracy to insert itself in its own spirit fective and rapid and bring the theory and through its own methods.'' in line with practiical political action In 1894 Hardie changed the monthly paper, which he owned, ''The J\finer, into a weekly paper, under the name of the Labor Leader, and in its first issue of March 31st of that year he wrote: ''We shall arrive-in fact we have arrived. The La.bor Leader in the future will be what it has been in the past. All sorts of sham, all hy · poc..:risy, hun1bng, cant, self-seeking, and dangerous abuse of power will be ruth le.ssl~~ exposed and effectively dealt with. . . . . The Labour Leader will, I hope, be a vigorous defender of the . rights of the people. The duty of a __-=­ leader is to lead just a,s the business of government is to govern, and the Labour Leader will endeavour to give a. faithful lead to the democracy on all the ~n·eat issues of the hour. 1 'By working all together we shall -Labour Leader. a.rr1.ve.. '' In a later issue of April 14th he wrote he rallied a few trusted comrades at the ''The success of the Labour Leader is Trades Union Congress held in Glas­ now practically assured. In every part gow, in 1892, who hoisted the political of the country it has 'caught on,' to use stand•arcl around which Labor could a colloquialism.'' gather as an independent force. Durjng the periocl of his editorship he A call was sent forth by these men eoncltictef1, the Leader as a resolutely for a Ilational eonvention of Independ­ 1nilHant organ of Independent Labor ent Labor bodies, socialist and non­ a,nd Socialist principles. His spec]a] socialist, all over -the United King.dom, article, ''Between Ourselves,'' written to meet in Bradford, in 1893. One hun­ by himself every week, was read with (lred and fifteen delegates attended that interest and widely discussed. conference, amongst whom were Robert By 1904 t.he )Jational CouncH of thE' Smillie, president of Miners' Federa­ I.L.P. was able to arrange with Hardie tion of Great Britain; Mr. Ben Tillett, for the purchase of three-quarters of general secretary of the Dockers' the shares of the Labour Leader, Hardie Union; Mr. Tom Mann, Amalgamated giving the I.L.P. complete control over Society of EtD.gineers; Mr. J. R. Clynes, the m.anageme.nt and ed'itorship of the Gasworkers' Union, and n!r. George paper, and entered into an undertaking Page Twelve not to start a weekly journal again for of how HarJie took his defeat in West a period of five years. Ham. The success of the new N ati ona1 I. ''We're beaten, Keir, '' were the L. P. in its propaganda amongst the words a tru ted comrade gasped out at Traoe Unions resulted in the adoption the end of the exciting contest at West of a resolution by the Trades Union Ham, 1895 election. Congress in advocacy of an eight-hour ''Even his opponents turned to se·e day. This was a great advance when how he would take it.'' He just smok­ you take into consideration the fact ed on for a moment, unruffled and ap­ that the trade unions discussed a year parently unmoved. The dull roar of or so previous to that the advisability conflicting forces filtered through the of demanding that Hardie be asked to windows as the watching multitude out­ resign his membership in the Trade side heard on the one hand of defeat Union movement for having the au­ and on the other of victory-a victory, dacity to advocate eight hours a day by the way, brought about by the un­ for trade unionists. holy alliance of pharisees and publican, In 1894, at the Norwich Trade Union backed by prejudice and privilege and Congre.ss, on the motion of Mr. Green­ wealth from outside sources, contribut­ all (Lancaster Miners), a member of ed in order to stem the tide of social­ the I. L. P., seconded by ~Ir. Tom ism. Mann, and supported by Keir Hardie ''The reply came-quiet, calm, with­ out a quaver-' Never mind, lad·; don't lose heart; there's plenty of work to be clone in other ways to hasten on the good time. We shall live to fight an­ other day.' ''He walked out of the room with a determined tread, the look on his face showing a fixed purpose-the saving of the workers from themselves. Even in the hour of disaster, he would have no aenunciation of those who had been tricked into desertion to the enemy. 'They '11 :find out their mistake and won't be gulled so easily again. It only shows the need there is of more spade work. Let's get at it, laddies; the future is with us! ' ' ' Such is the spirit of the pioneer!

CHAPTER VI. ''A rebel does not eompromis·e, but che·erfully goes down to death if neces­ sary, :fighting for great prrinciples. Har­ -Labour Leader. die has done so, but his life ha.s DJOt been a failure. A righteous cause calll­ and the Right Hon. John Burns, a reso­ not fail. lution in favor of socialism, was car­ Hardie was a great se,e.r, a great ried, the success of this resolution chief, a king amongst m·en. He wa.s aroused a great deal of discussion in not on the market. He could not he political and trade union councn . bought or sold, and his influence has In the election of 1895 Hardie lost kept the movement to which he was his seat in West Ham in a campaign more closely related free from the wli.le;s conducted by the capitalist press of mis­ of the party polit'ician.-Robert Smil­ representation. This defeat liberated lie, president Miners' Fede·r.a.tion of him f:r:om parliamentary duties for ac­ Great Britain. tive propaganda work with a tour to The independe·nt stand taken by the United States at the invitation of Keir Hardie in regard to political ac­ the organized labor movement in that tion for the workers interested two country. Mr. Frank Smith, in a book­ eccentric old ladies bv the na.me of ~e~ on ~ardie, gives a fi~e description Kippen, who began ~1ak.i:ng enquirties :Pace Thirt\1tm about him. Thev bad heard that he finally on the invitation of the labor vvas not. good to ·his wife, and they de­ moven1e:nt in the United Stwtes, he tour­ cided that the best place to go f ·or i·n­ e.d that country, de.Uvering lectures on formation as to the truth of that state­ inde·pende'rut po11trieal ac.tion. ment ·would be Hardie's mother-in-law. At that time Mr. Eugene V. Debs Reass1J.red tha;t he "\vas a splendid hus­ was lying in Woodstock jail, Illin.Jois, band, they offe;red Hardie, when he was for participation in the railway strike returned a mm:nber of pa.rliame(ll.it f •o.r of 1894. When Hal'ldie landed in the "\Vest Ham £300 ($1,500) per annum Un·iterd States the eom.mirtt.ee that was so long as be remained in parliamem.t, conducting his tour wishe.d him to go and they were much upset when Hardie first to Niagara Falls and see one of Tefusecl the offer. the woiliders of the world wiJth its mag­ Hardie did not hear a.nything again rui:ficent see.ne of rushing water which of them for a number of ye:ars. But is now ha.rnes.sed to supply light to when he ""Ta.s elected to parliament foir m1amy towns an·d cities, but Hardie ex­ ~fe:rthyr Tydvil in Wales, amd had be­ pressed the de·sire to go immediat·ely to come t:he leader of an independetnt se'e Debs the ma,n ~rho while in jail ·working-class party in the BrLt1sh could issue from the prison the follow­ House of Comm•ons. a donation of ng manife.sto to the America-n people iJn £1,000 ($5,000)) was in.ad·e to the Inde·­ January, 1895: p enderrut Labor Party by the Misses ''In going to jail for par·tierl.prution in Kippen, who entrusted to John Red­ the la1te strike we have no apologies moDJd, le.a:dler of the Irish Party, the to make, nor regrets to express. No honor ·Of presenting to Kelr Hardie the ignominy attache·s to us on aeeount of £1,000 for the Independent Labor Paa.-ty .this sem..tem.ee I would not change plac­ to use. Later on a donation was made es with Judge Wood, and if ilt i"S ex­ by the•m of .£1,000 to the Irish. Party. pee.ted that six months or ev.en six The cheque "\vas given to Keir Hardie years in jail will purge me of coill!temptt, to presem.,t to Mr. John Redmond foil" the punrishment will fail in its purpo.se. the use of the Irish party. These two '' Oando.r eompetls me to characterize old ladies had the notion tha.t the So­ the whole proceeding as infamous. It cialist and Labor forces should be unit­ 1s not calculatetd to revive the r~apidly ed ·with the Irish party in its woll"k in failing confidence of the Ame~Tican peo­ the House of Commons, and they chose ple in the federal judiciary. The·re is this method to get Hardie a:nd Red­ not a serap of testimony to show tha1t mond together so as they would ge.t a.c­ one of us violated an'Y law whrutever. quairnted. If we are guilty of conspir.acy why are When the ladies die.d in 1914 they we puni..qhed for contempt' bequeathed a legacy of £4,500 to Keir ''I would a thousand times rather be Hardie, and the same amoll.DJt to J .ohn accountable f :or the strike than for the Redmond. Hardie handed his money decision. over to the Labor Party, which was "We are by cha.nee the me.re inSJtru­ used t.o he,lp the Daily Citizen, the daily mentaHtiets in the revoluti1oDtary pro­ paper of the Labor Party, which has eesses in operation through whieh in­ gone out of exi.stence since the war dustrial slavery is to be abolished and began. eeonomic freetdom established. Then It Ls not genell"oally known that An­ the starry banner will symbolize, a.s it dr·ew Ca:rneg1e, the ste·el magnate, sent was de-signed to symbolize, sound, poH­ to Keir Hardie £100 to help his elec­ tical} religious and ee..on.omic errnaneipa­ tion expense·s. At the same ttime the tion fr<>m the thraldom of tyrranny, op­ workers in his steel plants in Pitts­ press.if\n and degradation.'' burg were out on strike demanding a Hardie felt in an hontor to go and living wage. Hardie accepted the money visit a man who was willing to endure a:nd sent the $500 to the strikers to impri son.men t rather than cease fightci..ng help tJ1em in their :fight fo.r better con­ on behalf of the worke,rs. ditions. ThUJt was the first and lUJst Whern Hardie r•eached Sa.n Francis­ cloiDJa tion of Cannegies' to the election co he was invited to c1.inn.er one day by fund of any wo•r king class candidate. a gentleman whose name I withhold, The defeat of Hardie at West Ham blllt who was known as the Silver King libera.;ted him for spetcial propaganda in Frisc.o, who was one of the wealth­ work all over the counrtry. To strength­ iest men of tihat city. erring and building up the I. L. P. imto At that time William Jennings Bryan an efficient politieal organi~rution am.d was running for president of the Unit- PR.ge Fourteen eRobert Smillie addressed large meet­ he would receive a personal gift of $20,- ings of the miners of Merthyr Tydvil 000fl. Smith and Scott looked across regarding these meetings. .a.. ~lates, the table waiting to hear Hardie's re­ editor of the Merthyr Pioneer, wrote, ply. A smile spread over Hardie's face ''That Hardie stumped the whole dis­ as he kept his eyes fixed on the man trict advising the miners and putting who was making the proposition, but stamina into their backs that was so Pa~• Fifteen ,, rv ne(!. . ._ 1· to tl1c UCM. s£ul issw• .1:-;;h song tr.l... and of 1u.v Fathers.•' of ·tho strike:'' The impression that CJouncillor .L~ ·il pr .l::;ided, John Milliga u he created then may best be gauged by on behalf of the Cu1nnockians congratu­ the fact that when he fought his first Ia ted their esteem end townsman on his parliamentary contest in 1-.:'I:erthyr he was success at the polls, and Sandy Barrow­ fighting for a seat in Preston coincident­ lllan sang a song which he had composed ly. These elections were fought during for the occasion, to the tune of ''When the heights of the jingo excitement of the King Comes Awr~ the Water.'' the Boer war. Hardie as also did Lloyd George, opposed the South African We may suffer and 'thole their abuse, \Var and had conducted a stop-the-war And hear the auld, auld leein' story; eampaign. In the midst of the war an They may bluster an' blaw fu' crouse-­ e:ection was sprung in the year l900 IInperialist, and Jingo Tory. and Hardie found himself nominated to Ah, I ne'er could brook, I ne'er could ( contest two constituencies one in Pres­ brook, ton, the other Merthy1· Tydvil. Hardie The cheek o' Chamberlain an' Arthur. (lid most of his campaig-ing in the Pres­ But things hae taen a brichter look, ton division: and he was only able to For Hardie he's got in for Merthyr. speak twice in ~ierthyr during the cam paign, though ~(rs. Pankhnl'St, who by Since Gladstone was laid to rest the way. -vvith her family, gained their Our rule1·s hae been weak an' shallow, political education in the socialist n1ovo­ They put oor patience to the test, n1ent, addresRed a nu1nber of meetings And preach a creed I canna swallow. on his b<='half. To the Rurprise of every­ Noo, able men are far between, body he won in Merthyr over his op­ An' honest anes a hantle scarcer, pon~n t by a majority of 1741 though he An' they will gl-ower wi' a' their een '-Yas badlv defeated in Preston. When Hardie tak 's his seat for Mer­ ..A...s sool'l as it was known that Hardie thyr. had won in J\fert.hyr he macle his way back to his home in Cumnock, where he We've kent him lang in Cumnock here, had first been elected to public office An' prized him as a kindly neighbor, While he's been travellin' far and near, The trusted advocate o' labor. · An' Welshmen quick to see an' ken, DCM~ SH{, 0~ fi\/IDA~· And judge a V\rorthy individual, Rae chosen him o' a' their men 1\. pOC!JIL. GAT II Cl:\lt.J(~ wdl be ~e;ld on ft)e To re1>resent th ~ir Methyr Tydvil. Lq;pcq TewN IJtl!.. b of) tl)e even•'l9 of Tucso!ly' 23rd l.:VI'i t0 COnenatulate evr tow'f)Sf'nQil. The news frae Lancashire was fair­ 1"\R J KEIR HARDIE. We ne'er had muckle hope o' Preston,

Of) ftog elertt0" te thE' l1ouse of 8on•mons as ~ember They're aff the Tory creed down thet·e, for ,fl\erthur Tudftl An' dinna unnerstan' the question. But taffy telegram next day TEA WoLl BE SERVED AT 8 PM Made 1\1illigan to dance and widdle. A'11td~l n(!!tfp, f'N rclu~n. ;tffter tif tht under•t.<'-'" if 1 vu tlt/t•rJ1t bd•tg f'rrsnll · Says he, wi' mony a hooch hurray, .foHr- Couto. If •lfrrf,df lttm· I'm facing up to Martha Tiddle. I"'~'" H0\\',\T /lar,./,tf, Rcmd The victory of Hardie brought the and the good true-hearted comrades held Socialist moveme~t again into promin­ a reception to do honor to Hardie, who ence, and the British Trade Union Con­ had again been elected to par1iarnent. gress was a b 1e to take action following It was then that the writer heard him up the resolution passed at the Congress declare that if success had come it was at Plymouth in 189~) which was plac~d his wife who should get the credit, for on the Agenda by the Amalgamated So­ when he first entered parliament in 1892 cj ety of Railway Servants, and carried his wife had kept the house and family by a vote of 540.0.00 for as 434,000 on the meagre sum of twenty-five shil­ against. Here is the resolution. lings per week. I can remember that ''That this congress having regard to gathering just as it was yesterday. One its decisions in former years, and with comrade got up and sung Hardie's fa­ a view to securing a better rep res en ta­ vorite song, ''Mary o' Argyle,'' so that tion of the interests of labor in the when it came Hardie's turn to sing he House of Commons, hereby instructs was not to be bea~ so he sang the the Parliamentary Committee to invite Page Sixteen the eo-operation of all <:o -operati ve so­ orial tells how the I.L.P. met together eieti~, socialistic and other ·working to diseuss tho advisability of contest­ clasl3 organi~ations, to jointy co-operate ing the bye-election and how Snow­ on lines mutually agreed upon on ~on­ den said, ' ' Yes, I stand. ' ' A stream vening a special congress of Tepresenta­ of spring sunshine suddenly flooded the tives from such of the above named or­ room. ' 'See,'' cried Hardie, ''a pro­ ganizations as may be willing to take mise from the skv. That means vie- part to devise ways and means for se­ tory." ~ curing the return of an increased nunl­ The contest was a -straight fight be­ ber of labor membe1·s to the next Hous~~ tween an I.L.P. and a Tory candidate, of Commons. ' ' and aroused considerable interest antl The conference of these organizations brought for the first time the official met in 1900, and was held in Farring­ support of trade union leaders amongst ton Memorial Hall, London. It was whom were Richard Bell, M.P., of t.ht~ attended by 130 delegates 1·epresenting· Rai1waymen 's lJnion, who appeared ou ~ membership of 568,177. 'The proce-ed-­ the. I.L.P. piatform. Snowden was d-e­ Ings were on the whole harmonious and feated, though he polled 1,979 votes n basis for a constitution was d~awn against 2,960 votes for the Tory. up. Bruce Glasier reminded Hardie on the Amongst those present were Mr. W. failure of the promise of the sky, but C. Steadman, M.P.; the Right Hon. John Hardie maintained the promise was ful­ Burns, M.P . .; Mr. J. Keir Hardie, M.P.; filled. ''A victory over the Tory with Mr. J. R. McDonald, M.P.; Mr. A. Wil­ no Liberal in the field would have been kie, M.P., and Mr. Richard Bell, M.P., neither an I.L.P. nor a labor victory. and other leaders of the various wot·k­ The real victory is that we have com­ ing class movements. The principle re­ pelled the liberal trade unionists to solutions carried were two. The first take their stand for labor on an I .L.P. resolution moved was: ''That this con­ platform against a Tory. When next ference is in favor of working-class we fight a Liberal they will have to opininon being represented in the House stand with us then or explain why they of Commons by men sympathetic with won't, and then you will see what will the aims and demands of the laboe happen. This contest is the making of movement.'' To this Mr. George Barnes a Labor Party. Do you not call that a moved, seconded by Mr. J ·o·hn Burns, M. victory, my boy!-'' P ., an amendment which added to the The union of trade union and soci­ resolution the following words at the alist leaders at Wakefield paved the end, ''and whose candidatures are pro- way for the election of Mr. David. . moted by one or other of the organiza­ Shackleton, a trade unionist and a no­ tions represented at this conference.'' minee of the labor representation com.­ This was agreed to by 102 votes to 3. mittee, which '\vas followed by the elec­ Mr. Keir Hardie then moved ''That tion of Mr. Arthur Henderson (a trade this conference is in favor of establish­ union nominee ) at Barnard Castle in a ing a distinct labor group in Parlia­ three-cornered contest. Then came the ment, which shall have its own whips bye-election at Norwich, when an LL. and agree upon a policy which must P. candidate was put up. Here was the embrace a readiness to co-operate with test for the trade unionists. Would th~y any party which for the time being stand together when the candidate was may be engaged in promoting legisla­ a socialist and support the mandate of tion in the direct interest of labor and the British Trade Union Congress? Mr. be equally ready to associate themselves C. H. Roberts (now Minister of Pen­ with any party in opposing measures sions in the British Cabinet) ·was the having an opposite tendency, and fur­ candidate. M:r. Arthur Henderson and ther, members of the labor group shall Mr. David Shackelton rallied to the not oppose any candidate whose candi­ support of C. H. Roberts, but Mr. Rich­ dature is being promoted in terms of ard Bell would not, and urged the elec­ resolution 1; ''This resolution was tors to support the Liberal. His ac­ agreed to unanimously. The conference tion created a ferment and at the an­ then proceeded to elect a committee and nual conference of the labor representa­ secretary and to establi&h some rules tion committee they adopted its famous to guide it. ''independence pledge' ' which all la­ In 1902 the I.L.P. nominated Mr. bor M.Ps. and candidates were bound to Phillip Snowden in the bye-election at sign and which pledged them to abstain Wakefield. Bruce Glasier in his mem- strictly from identifying themselves Page l!eTenteen with or promoting the interests of nny l;ioncer· nncl founder of the labor party parliamentary party not affiliated or it~ he was l" hosen as its -leader in 1906, but candidates. the chairman'>hip of the labor party proYE'd a seat of misery to him, iliHl though be prized the honor of being th~ CHAPTER Vlli. fir~t titular leader of the neV\r party he On August, -uwu, the strike of th•.3 vacated the chair after t\.vo years with Taff Vale Raiiway occurred, when an a feeling of one liberate(l from bond . . In 1907. owing to the state of his injunction aga~nst the Amalgamated Societ:v of Rni.lway Servants was ap · health, J:(eir Hardie made a tour of the plied for and obtained. world, roming first to .anada, then to An appeal to the House of Lords re ­ Japan, thence to China, India, Austra ­ sulted in the decision that tratles lia and New Zealand, returning· to Bri­ unions "\Vere liable for the aetiens of tain bv the way of South Africa. ln the latter connh-y the labor party iu their agen~s. This was followed by the cit;vr of J9hannesburg invited him to address a public meeting, and the in­ terests organized a demonstration to break up the meeting. . In the riot that occurred tll.e laborites ·rescued the B~itish flag· which . w _~s be­ ing trample hy ~n ._excited mob. Har­ die brought the flag back to London with him, and anyone visiting his roon1 at Neville's Colut could see that flag haPging on the wall beside the table where l:Iardie did 1nost of his writing. This flag be kept as a memento of his visit to South Africa. · His visit to Canada led him to oppose what he termed as ''organized immigl'a­ tion,'' protesting_ that there were hun­ dreds of acres of good land i~ Britain on which the people could be placed. Some of his speeches on India advocat­ ing a systen1 of ·self government caused the capitalistic press of both Britain and India to snarl. Speeches were pub­ lished and accredited ·to him which he never delivered all iD; an at~empt b)-r the capitalistic journalists to assass~­ ate him politically while he was investi­ gating the facts regarding the people in India. Returning to the House of Com­ mons after his tour he delivered a pow­ Mrs. Keir Hardie erful plea in the house on behalf of the Indian people, qf which Charles Dun- I •' the Taff Vale Railway Company taking . can, M.P., says: · action to recover damages fr01n the · ' ' ' I rem emher once listening to a Amalgamated Society. of Railway Ser- . speech he delivered in the house . shortl-y vants when the court decided- against after his return from his world tour. the latter, and damages aild costs to the ' He was speaking on . the Indian ques­ extent of $115,000 had to b'e paid. tion. I was m}lch impre~sed with the On the top of that came the revela­ quiet dignity; :;tnd ~orce, .coupled with tjons r"egarding the Chinese labor ques­ the detailed knowledge he displ~yed of tion in South Africa. Public opinion his subject. Shorqy afterwards I was was aroused and resulted in the labor stopped in the lobby by a Liberal me~­ representation committee returning to ber, who asked ·me if I had heard . Har­ Parlian1ent at the general election in die's speech. I said 'Yes.' 'Well,: re­ i906 tllil'ty 1nembcrs and following this plied he, 'that speec!l alone was worth success at the polls the L. R. C. changed all the money his _Io:p.g journey had _cqst its name to that of the Labor Party~ him.' - .The compliment_ was kind,. ~ bnt In recognitio:.;t of Hardie's work as well merited.'' Pa~e Ei~hteen Katharine Bruce Glasier tells the come and join us and fight ·with us jn sto.ry of.hoyv._when.Hardie :W:;;ts in India the_ fight w _herei.n ..n9ne . ~b.al~ fall.' :-.1. he visited ap._ Indian village and "' drew In his book, 1 ' _ Prophet~; : Priests and fr m a little da,.rkJskinned schoolboy Kings,'' Mr. A. G. Gardiner tells a the tragic finding that all his food that good stoTy of Hardie. One day when da was a _ tiny poke of dried millet Mr. Hardie. was , ~ntering the Hou e of seed scarce. two spoonfuls of that which Commons a polieeJAan stopped hin1. India's wealthy rulers feed their Gan­ ''Are .you at work here, matef'' he aries, and 'Ila:r"die 's tears fell on' the asked . .. ' :'Yes," was .the laco.nic reply. little fellovy''su'upturned face so that tcon the. 1·ooflf'' ''-L:ro, on the. floor.'' the rumor ra~ ~ound" the Indian village And Hardie . passed .in happy i~ - the,. 1 th~t a Goa-·J li}i«' COJ,lle . on earth ·again. pride that would not re::veal itself~ An. . In 1910 ·· tb~e . miner's organization· Englishman adds Mr.. Gardiner, woul(l _i'-~ came into t):l'e· labor ,party, which in­ have wanted the pohceman 's 1J.:umb~r• .,: creased th.e : ~arlian1~ntary members to and would have had his qay embit~er ­ for'ty. The following table will show ed by wounded vanity. , J -· • r~ all the organisa tidns wliic·h comprise. c. In the closing passages o~ a , .. ske_~;:n 3 the labor party: ·· : ~ ·• ,;:;:r · · · of Mr. Hardie in the same volume Mr. .' ' . r ."' Gardiner says: ''It goes without. saying Socialist ~.Orga~zations. that· there was a strain .of poetry in ~ . ' him,- for no poetry no idealism. · ~p.~ . Independent 'Labor J;>arty. prophet n1u ... t not only see the nak~d British Sociali ·t Party. fact, be must have the visionary een .a clo.se.r . God will not, for God is on our side. •' . Ir..ixture of religion and politjcs in any Then see him vd.th arms outstret c lu~ d one :individual. He represented the ex­ and in clear warm voice would couie act ~antithesis to the German Atheist the :familiar ap-peal: . Socialist. It was- only gross ·blindness ' ,'Come now, Inenn ~nd women, I ple ad·., of, many of his political opponents with · ~ou for yo-q.r . ~WJ;l make and that of· : which prevented them· from seeipg. your children, for the sake of the do·wn -: , this and caused them to attribute infi-.. trodden poor, the weary soTe-hearted del motives which they did. They wer~ mothers, the outcast, the unemployed the real ..infidels who would not . believe. fathers, for their sakeH and for the sake that God could work His will through of o,ur beloved socialism, the hepe of the unorthodox: May God give us a p~ace and .humanity ~ throughout · the few more' atheists' like Keir Hardie.'' world .~ ~-e~ ~ncfl '\V~Qrpen I appeal to you; . -Canon · J. G. Adderl_ey. ·.::... · ":2- "'··· Pa e Ninete.en ''He had a great f.und Qf tenderness ''We P.roc.laim the Fatherhood of God in himself and when one touched it .one and the brotherhood of man.'' had revelations of a character possess­ ''Our basis is the teachings of Jesus ing a grave beauty and sweetness of Christ.'' its own.' '-Christian Commonwealth. ''We invite you to the meeting at La In all that has been said and writ­ Bourse to make our a cquaintance.'' ten about :Uardie, one strange thing is This den1onstration was headed by evident; the persistency with which his name is linked with that of Christ, and Mr. William Ward and Keir Hardie. Ar­ riving at the hall an official welcome the necessity his biographers feel of using Biblical terms in describing him. was given by M. Delroy, member of the As a patriarch or apostle out of the Chamber of Deputies for Lille to which heroic days of Christianity he towered Mr. Ward responded and conveyed the among men. His witness to the com­ greetings of the British brothers to the pelling power of Christ's religion will French audience. Pasteur Nick one of never lose its strength.' '-Christion So­ the leading clergymen in Lille spoke. cialist. The most significant pronouncement of After the return of the labor party the day was made by Hardie when he with a larger representation in parlia­ declared that the impetus which direct­ ment in 1910, Hardie gave more of his ed him in his life's work had been de­ time to preaching the Gospel. In the rived more from the teachings of Jesus same year Mr. William Ward, presi­ Christ than all other sources combined dent of the National Council of Plea­ and he finished up with the remarkable sant Sund9.y Afternoon Brotherhood, statement that ''we have sown on the appealed to Keir Hardie to visit Franeu continent the seed of the Gospel of in order to proclaim · the Gospel of Jesus Christ. It may have to be wat­ Jesus Christ from the Social viewpoint, ered with tears and even made wet so at Whitsuntide over two hundred with blood but a bountiful harvest is and fifty members of the brotherhoods sure to be reaped. ' ' and sisterhoods banded themselves to­ At the conclusion of the address Mr. gether and at their own expense accom­ Ghesqmere rose and sang ''L 'Interna­ panied Keir Hardie to proclaim the tionale,'' and as he finished the last Gospel of the Nazarine to the working verse the audience joined in the chorus: class in the manufacturing districts of ''Toilers from shop and fields united, Lille and Leige . So early on Whitsun­ The party we of all who work; day 1norning this band of workers bead­ The earth belongs to us the people ed by the Upper Norwood Temperance No room here for the shirk. Band, foregathered in t 11e great square Row many on our flesh have fattened! outside the railway station at Lille But if the noisome birds of prey when the band then played a few selec­ Shall vanish from the sky some morning tion of sacred music and were eager­ The blessed sunlight will stay. ly listened to by a vast concourse of people. The party then made their waJ Chorus. not to the palaces and mansions of the 'Tis the final conflict, let each stand rich but following the example of the in his plac-e. . Master, to the headquarters of the The international party shall save the workers where the poor dwell. They human race.'' were to meet at Bourse du Travail where the working class organizations The British delegates responded by of the district were waiting to receive singing ''All Hail the Power of Jesus' 1 them. So dense was the crowd in the Name. ' streets that it was with difficulty that Regarding this meeting Professor they were able to reach the spot. Ar­ Paul Passy :vvrote an article entitled riving at the place they had a remarK­ ''The Dawn,'' in the monthly issue of able reception. Large banners had been the L 'Espoir du Monde, a translation of prepared which were carried in the por one of the passages will give you the cession. They were as follows, the view of Professor Passy concerning words being in French: this gathering. ''The most important feature was 1 'We represent five hundred thou­ the fine speech by Mr. Keir Hardie, em­ sand English workers.'' bodying in magnificent language both "All for each and each for all." the social and spiritual aspirations of ''Jesus Christ leads and inspires us.' ' the working· classes anq inqicating wha~ - - Pa¥e Twentr their attitude should be with reg~rd to without beiu_g a hypocdte or im be­ Christ. In spite of its beauty, how­ rule.''' ever, it was not the speech which in­ Returning from France we find Har­ terested me most. It was the attitude dje at a later period addressing the of the crowd of these some two thou­ ProgTessive League at Manchester at sand socialist workingmen who listened which he said: to this teaching so new to them; it ''When I want to demonE-:trate what was this that I observed with such a religion C<.ln do for a people in estab­ keen emotion. It was easy to follow lishing- the kingdom of God I point to the feelings with which they were ani­ the flowers of the fields. to the birds mated. At first they listened with won­ of the air, and I asJ{ ~vh·y it is if God der. then they were perplexed, then be­ made the flowers so beautiful and the gan to mistrust. These men spoke of bhds so full of joy that mankind is so God, of Jesus Christ, of the Gospel; hu1"dener with sorroV\-·s and suffering'f were they '"gammoning'f Was it not rrbe reply I give is th8,t if men want to some ruse, some dodge to wheedle these rclea,"e God's life in themselves they poor men in order t.o put them in bond­ ffi1_tst lay themselves jn God's hands as age of some- other form of ecclesiastic do the flowe1·s of fthe field and the ism if blrds of the air. The man who is en­ ''They were soon reassured, however. grossed in business equally with the ':rhis man with the strenuous and yet man who is engrossed in toil, is closing kindly aspect was it not their Keir Har­ the aYenues through wh:ich God is seek­ die, thP. old collier wb ose devotion to ing expression. When I hPar good peo­ the working classes had been affirmed ple talking of reform from within I pic­ a thousand times'F \Vere not those who tl:.rc to myself the ebildren born in were gatheTed round him Delory and districts where the song of the bird is Ghesqn1ere their own socialist 1nembers never heard, where there are no green of parliament; V. Renard, the well fidds and bright Llowers, where poverty known authority on labo1· question if No! reigns supreme, where the only play­ There was no need to fear a trap, they grounds of the children are the hard might 1·est assured tbat their own im­ stone streets. What chance is there pressions would guide them correct]~· . for these children to dE:velop big soul­ ''And then, n1arvelous thing! The I'e­ ed lives worthy of_ their creator 1 '' ligious instinct a wakened in these poor In the preface in the book on labor men, all the stronger perhaps, because week at Browning Hall Mr. Herbert it had bee11 lying dormant for so long Stead has this to say regarding the · a time; and they heard with increasing speech Hardie delivered during \ ,te la ­ interest the Chirstian statement of the bor week: orators. Then the interest turned to ''But the most overpowering whness approval which gradually became more borne to the supreme value of the gos­ and more ardent. and towards the end pel came from the lips of the founder of Keir Hardie's speech it was with of the labor party. As he spoke one stampings of enthusiasm that these seemed to see the hammer of Thor in men who both call themselves and be­ the hands of the Chnst. He was the lieve themselves to be materialists CovPnanter, the evangelist. . . When cheered the words of the old Scotch he spoke of the comradeship of Christ tribune on the fatherhood and the work as the rock that never vielded in the of Jesus Christ. J:t"'~or a moment it seem­ darkest and most ~tormy "times, one felt ed as if the people had rediscovered the exuerience and conviction of a. lifE their Savior.'' time ;,ere bursting :into speech. . . . ''However I feel that I am perfectly Here was the leader of labor, the cre­ right in saying that a breach has been ator of the Independent Labor Party, made in the thick ramparts of ·preju­ who had . fought his way to the House dice ·which separates our people from of Commons, and after years of obloquy the· true gospel. All those who applaud­ and abuse had succeeded in gathering ed the orator at Lille can now say in around him a party powerful far be­ aH sincerity: it is not true that a man .\ ond numbers which had left a deep ,_vho believes in God, who loves Jesus impress on the course of legislation.'' Christ, is necessarily a participator in He announc ed himself as readv to sac­ e;~ploitation and tyranny. A TI.Lan can rifice everything in order to ·proclain1 say as Keir Hardie said, 'that it ·was afresh the Gospel of Jesus Christ. the spirit of Christ v\.:hich leads men This is th~ Jnan whom his opponent to take up the cause of the oppressed circularized his constituency declaring Pa'e Twentr-On• eh was an atheist one time and when he oht:Jiner1 for their v\orh: Ilanliu':-; en­ visited fiis constituency accompanied r thusiasm for. tbenl began to . cool, by hts daughter to address some meet­ thcrn.fr.b h·e did not leave them. ing a man got up and· accused ~-fanlie of · Tl~ I. L. P. has been th cradle for being an atheist is it any wonder that. \Yomcn of the ·united Kingdom starting before he could reply his daught:.r wn· out on their political career. It was in on her feet saying, ''shame on you! the I. L. P. that Carlyn ... :fartiu began shame on you, to say that ahont the he.r g-reat work and likewise Isabella man who taught me to lisp the Lord's FOYt1. ~frs. Parkhurst and her daugh­ Prayer!'' · ter. :fh·~ t ... tarted their C'areer in the 1. Since the day of Christ till IIn rdie L -. r. Then who has not heard of Mar­ came upon the scene there has 'llot been garet J\1c1fillan, wbo bas done such anyone who 'from both the religion. and 'iden<1ic1 wprk for the medical care of Pconomic standpoint fonght the batt}e children, and Iary 1IacArthur (Mrs. of the opposed and dm,vntrodden as he \V. C. Ancler ~ ou), one of the leaders of (lid. Truly he was the v.oice. in the tlH' trade union movement an1ong wo­ wilderness preparing the way and mak­ In€IL l\irs. Pearce (who wrote in the ing the paths straight for geneTal eco- La1' 0ln Leader as Lily Bell), Enid Sta­ nomic justice.· · ~ ce;v. 1\Irs. Philip Snowden, Mrs. Ramsey l.\Ia C' Dnnald and Margaret Bonds:field, :·ll gTeat adYocate& of women's enfran­ CHAPTER X. chi ement. commenced their ('areers on the platfonn of the I. L. P. '' H c. was a bra \'e and true 1~~ who On the public platform Jiardie. never led the ,people iu the. w.ay ·he thought fnil~cl to ~a~T a word on ul'11alf of wo­ right, uncaring foT the person ':ll .ccJnse­ Iuen 's rights to full citizen hip. Here quenees. ''-Right Ron. Andrew Fi h~r;· iS' a quotatoin from one of his speeches: High Commissioner of Australia. 1, '' The admission of women to citizP-n­ . ''Take him for all in all, he was a f-; hip on term"- of poli.tiea I eqnahtv w1th MA.N; we may not look up.on hi · like men is ·with J11€ a saererl principle, and again.' '-R. U. Wallhead. r would not wish to be in as ociation '! !le was Scots-Scots to the Yer. r with an;v n1oYement or part~~ which :ua1·row of him. Introspect.ive, logicai, eould be guilt. r of the unfairne s and minded, but e:ffusi vely kind, generously injustice of denying to women those sympathetic and magnaninlously -chari­ rights whiC'h men claim themselves.'' table. 'l'hat was why he is great; this In 1905 IIardie issuer1 a pamphlet en­ is why he loomed big .in the heq,rts of titled "The Citizensll ip of Women," his fellows.' '-Forward, Glasgow. w·bich wa~ a pJea for women suff1·age ancl Few people realize that Hardie pion- · in. 1906 Ha.rdie introducefl a motion in eered the :first political party in · ·:th<:> the Hou ~c of Commons to enfranchise United Kingdom to promote :the candi­ women. In .Jan uarv of 1907 the Labor datnre of vtomen for election on public Party conference met i~ Belfast and re­ bodie'3, : and is at present ~;he only poli­ jected a motion in favor. of the Parlia­ tical body in ~be United King~om to Inentary Labor Party taking up Women elect women on its national ex-ecutive. Suffrage. But that clid not bind·er Ha!'c1ie '.rhe second conference of the T. L. P. fi·on) advocati-ng for the right of women in 1894 adopted women's enfranchise-, to vote. For, after all, the working­ rnent as one of the first measures on its C'lass are a pPculiar people and a most programme, and elected Mrs. Katherine t1i:ffi.cult people to Socialist Party, and Fab­ weariness, and it was no small share of ian Society. Here we come to Hardie's weariness and longings, almost literally, work as an internationalist, for no story for a lodge in some vast wilderness as of Hardie can be complete without de­ he one e phrased it, ' 'ten miles from scribing some of his activitjes in the everywhere.'' But these longings were great working-class mo,~ement all over only visions, for the spirit that was in the world. the man constrained him to go forward, In 1888 the eyes of the world began fighting all the road, till he wore him­ to turn toward Paris, for the following self out and till he had to accept the year would be the centenary of the longer rest, the permanent rest, the only French Revolution. The ·uggestion was rest he ever could have accented oi· put forward almost simultaneously by that could have compelled him -into the the various working-class and Socialist mediative retreat apart from man, the groups in Britain, Franc-e, Germany, antithesis of the life that he lived for Holland, Norway, Sweden. and Denmark between thirty and forty years in the to hold a great working-class Congress ver·y storm centre of political events. to proclaim the new hopes of economic He looked a weary man too. ''I don't emancipation and demonstrating the live,'' he would say, ''I exist.'' These world-wide unity of the working class. interludes of sheer physical reaction, No sooner, however, did the project be­ these wearinesses of the spil-it, are the gin to take shape than a feud sprang adjuncts that are inseparable from the up between the rival Marixsts and Pos­ exhaustions of strenuous life and are by siblists section in France as to which no means uncommon to men of high­ section should invite and control the strung natures. Sitting one day in a proposed gathering. In consequence of little village inn, the remark was made this split, two rival Soeialist and work­ to a prominent Irish agitator, "You ing-class congresses were held in Paris look tired.'' ''Tired! '' he replied, in July, 1889. The 1\Iarxist congress was ''I'm just so tired I declare to God I attenderl. by the majorHy of the Conti­ could lie down and die at this very nental Socialist parties, and amongst moment if it weren't for the cause that those present were Guesde, Lafargue, Page Twen~Pour Liebknecht, Bebel, Vollmar, Dr. A:uler, 190{)-Paris, 500 d~legates. Anseele, and other famous leader~. Brit­ 19()4.--:-Amsterdam, 500 deltgates. ain was represented by William Morris, Right Ron. John Burns; Cunninghame­ 1907--8tuttgart, 500 delegates. Graham, and :h1rs. Annie Besant. Keir 1910~Copenhagen, 587; 33 nations. Hardie sympathies did not eon:fine them­ In 1912 a special meeting of the con- selves to any one seetion, as he attend­ gress was held to discuss on November ed both conferences. The Possiblist Con­ 28, 29, and 30 the war situation in the gress was the larger gathering of the Balkans. two, though both congresses urged the Kier Hardie during his chairmanship workers to agitate for an eight-hour of the I. L. P. was the means of bring­ day, a minimum wage, prohibition of ing unity with the British Socialist c·hild lab<;>r and unhealthy occupations, Pa.rty, who came into the Labor Party, the abolition of standing armies. May thus bringing in the extreme wing in Day was instituted by a resolution the the Labor movement, which resulted in workers to celebrate the first day of the Labor Party having every section of ~lay as a universal holiday, in order to wo·rking-class thought represented in umnonstrate the internationalism of the the political movement of the workers. working-clas.s. Tow,ards the end of .July of 1914, At the Amsteruam Congress (1904) when Europe was overshadowed with --which was held during the Russo-Jap­ war, in response to a hurried summons anese War)-the opening of the con­ by the International Socialist Bureau, gress made a great impression on Har­ Keir Hardie, accompanied by J. Bruce die, for no sooner had the chairman de­ Glasier and Dan Irving, attended a clared the Congress open than Kata­ special meeting of the International So­ yama of J apana and the Russian dele­ cialist BUieau at Brussels (Belgium). gate marched to the platform and em­ '1 he ~11eetil1 gs were also attended by braced each other as a token of f .riend­ .!ean, .:-annes, Adler, Haase, and Mar­ ::-;hip between the Socialists of the two· gall. Four re·solutions were passed. The <·ountries. At the Copenhagen (1910) first was that the I. S. Congress :fixed t.nemployment ancl militarism formed to meet in Vienna should in consequence the {!hie£ topic. A resolution was pre­ of a state of war in Austria be held in sented condemning militarism and war Paris, and that the date should be Au­ and insisting that Socialists should op­ gust 9, 1914. The second resolution was pose all increa e of armaments and do that the subject of "The War and the all they could to prevent war. Keir Working Cla-ss'' should have precedence Hardi·e, on behalf of the British and ove.r the other subjects on the agenda. · part of the French section, moved an In the evening a great anti-war demon, addition, recommending that in the stration was held in the Crique, when event of an outbreak of war a general Emile Vandervelde presided, and the strike, especially in industries which speakers included Jaures, Haase, and upply war 1nate.rial. This was opposed Hardie. After the meeting a great pro­ by George Ledebour, on behalf of the cession was formed. Thousands of men Germans, and was eventually rejected and women with banners and songs by the congress on the understanding marched through the streets, almost :-.hat the proposition should be circulated every man and woman displaying a Ly the International Bureau for discus­ card with the words, ''Guerra a la sion jn the various countries The re­ Guerre'' (war against war). Forty­ sults of this discussion were to be pre­ eight hours later on, !eturning to Paris, sented at the congress to be held at Jaures was assassinated. Yienna on September, 1914, which was In Great Britain large demonstrations lJl even ted by the outbreak of war A were held all over the country in order re olutjon in favor of Socialist and to protest against Europe being plunged Trade Union unity an-d co-operation was into war, and a manifesto was issued unanimously adopted. by the British sections of the Interna­ tional Socialist Bureau. The f'Ollowing table will give con- ''The long-threatened European war gre-sses held since 1889:- is now upon us. For more than a hun­ 1889-P.a.ris, 350 delegates. dred years no such dange·r has confront­ 1891-Brussel, 350 delegate. ed civilization. It is fo,r you to take full account of the desperate situation 1893-Zurich, 400 delegates. and to act p;omptly and vigorously in 189'6----LPJJ'don~ SOO; British, 472. the int-erest ()f peace. Page. Twenty..;Five ''You have never been consulted ''To U"' who are socialists the workers about the war. of Germany and A.ustria, n0 less the ''Whatever may be the rights and work.ers of Francb and Russia, are com­ w.rongs of the sudden, crushing attack rades and brothers; in ·this hour of car­ made by the militarist empire of Aus­ nage and eclipse we have friendship ria upon Serbia, it is certain that the and compa sion to all victims of milit­ workers of all countries likely to bP aric;m. Our nationality and indepe.nd­ drawn into the conflict must strain ence, which are dear to us, we are ready every nerve to prevent their govern­ to defend; but we cannot rejoice in the ments from committing them to war. organized murder of tens of thousands Everywhere Socialists and the organ­ of workers of other lands, who go to ized forces of labor are taking this kill a.nd be killed at the command of course . . Everywhere vehement protests rulers to whom the people are as pawns. are made against the greed and in­ ''The war conflagration envelopes trigues of militarists and armament Europe; up to the last moment we lab­ monge.rs. ored to prevent the blaze. The nation "We call upon you to do the same must now watch for the first opportun­ thing here in Great Britain upon an ity for effP~tive intervention. even more exp.ressive scale. Hold vast ''As to the future we must begi.n to demonstrations against war in London prepare our minds for the difficult and and in every industrial centre. Compel .JangeTous co1nplications that will arise those of the governing class and their at the conclusion of the war. press who are eager to commit you to ''The people must everywhere pre­ co-operate with Russian despotism, to vent such territorial aggression and na­ keep silence and respect the decision of tional abasement as will pave the way the overwhelming majority of the peo­ for fresh wars; and throughout Europe ple, who will have neither part nor lot the workers must press for frank and in such infamy. The success of Russia honest dipl01natic policies controlled by at the present day would be a curse to themselves, for the suppression of mi}j­ the world. tarism and the establishment of the ''There is no time to lose. Already United States of Europe, thereby ad­ by secret agTeenle·nts and understand­ vancing towards the world's peace. Un­ ings, of which the democracies of the less these steps are taken Europe, after civilized world know only by rumor, the present e.alamity, will he still 1nore steps are being taken which may fling subject to the increasing clon1ination of us all into the fray. Workers, stand militarism and liable to be drenched together, therefore, for peace. Combine with blood. and conque.r the militarist enemy and "We are tolcl that International So­ the self-seeking Imperialists to-day, cialism is dead, that all our hopes and once for all. i<1ea1s are wrecked by the fire and pesti­ '' l\{en and women of BTitannia, you. lence of European war. It is not true. have now an unexampled opportunity ''Out of the darkness and the depth of showing your power and rendering a '"e hail our working-class comracl.es of magnificent service to humanity and e,-prv land. Across the road of gun to the world. Proclaim that, for you, we ~end s~rn1pathy and greeting toe the the day·s of plunder and butchery have Gennan Socialists. Thev have labored gone by. Send messages of peace and unceasingly to promote v good relations fraternity to your fellows who have lesf\ with Britain, as we with Germany. Th-ey liberty than you. :ue no enemies of ours, but faithful '-'D.own with class rule Down with friends. the rule of brute force Down with war! ''In forcing this appalling crime Up with the peaceful rule of tne peopler upon the nations, it is the rulers, the Signed on behalf of British Section, diplomatists, the militarjsts, who have International Socialist Bureau: sealed their doom. In tears :=~nd blood and bitterness the greater democracy J-. KEIR HARIDE, M.P.) Chairman. · wi:I be born. With steadfast faith we ARTHUR HENDERSON, M.P. (Secy.). greet the future; our cause is holy and imperishable, and the labor of our lands A few days later war between Great has not been in vain. Britain and Germany was declared, and ''Long live Freedom and Fraternity! the I. L. P. National Council, ~hich in­ Long live International Socialism.'' cluded Keir Hardie, issued a manifesto­ When this manifesto was issued, concerning the -yv.ar, part of -which. sai-d: whjch denounced- tbe rulers, but show- Pa:ge Twenty-Six ed ·mpathy '"ith the working 1 eople 1Ie sighe(l as he walkf:d a way ·with the in this dark hour of tragedy. the capi­ weig·bt of eighty gathering years bend­ ta.Iist press immediately howled against ~11g his shouldE>rs. I stood awl watched Hardie. calling him pro-Gern1an and the retiring llgnre, and thougl1t to my­ e Tery other name to prejucli<.'e him in self: there goes tb e last of England's the eyes of the public. But what was great statesmen. To-day it is not states­ the effect of this 1nanifesto in Germany '1 manship or principle which actuates It encourag-ed Liebknecht to stand out those who hold office. They are as com­ in defiance of t!1e armed autocrats, mak­ pletely under the power of the capital­ ing them shrink and pale, and which jst as any ordina1·y member of the finally brought Haase and Ledebour on Stock Exchange. his ide, protesting again t the v· ala­ At the Norwich conference of the tion of Belgium, and calling on the I. L. P. Hardie spoke for the last. people to clown the military ca 't in time to the National Conference though Germany. few realized it at that time, . and To his intimate. friends Hardie said, protested against the imprisonment of· ''Through lack of physical strength, I 53 seamen in Russia for no other of­ am unable to :fight f.or a just peac·e as fence than belonging to a trade union I did during the South African War, (shame). Their suretary was illegally but stick to it, lads; we '11 win through arrested in Egypt ,he was se11t to Rus­ yet. When the peoples ~orne to their "'ia, and there sentenced to Siberia. own senses again there will be. a tidal Some of us tried in the House. of Com­ waYe for humanity. The .entrench­ mons to get Sir Edward Grey to inter­ ments against waT, capitalism, and op­ vene or at least to have him tried in pression will be built h~gher up. Egypt. M-r. Hardie continued: ''Grey then said .that this country could not interfere with the political affairs of CHAPTE1t XII. another country. One of the biggest risks we run is being allied to a nation The war ·weighed heavily· upon Har­ whose past and present record is a dis­ die. The fact that his lifeJong dream, grace to civilization and progress. The his fondest hopes were sh;:tttered in an alliance with Russia (under Czarism) hour, broke his heart. ''It. is hard t0 is not to help Belgium. It is to open lj(>gin all over aga:i.n, '' he would say. up fresh :fields for exploitation for capi­ Rest was ordered, bu!; one ~ight as well talists. We register our protest against a.~k the Niagara Falls to remain still. all the infamies of the bloody cruelty For him activity was"' l~fe.:· He made of Russia.'' (Applause). every effort to rest, but:-of no avail. The In the evening in the Labor Institute great crisis 'vas ever present in his a large gathering was addressed by Mr. mind, but the fact that the working F. Jowett. Mr. J. Ramsay McDonald people that he loved so much and had and Keir Hardie and as they spoke given his life for were at one another's through the open window came the throats hung over him like a cloud strains of the national anthem. A lo­ which would not go away. In the Mer­ cal clergyman fully berobed was lead­ thyr Pioneer, February 28, 1915, Har­ ing his choir in loyal protest against f1ie wrote of• a chance meet-!ng with these men who was giving uterance to Lord Morley: the eternal verities of love and peace Passing along the lobby the other and internationalism, and protesting day I met a familiar :figure, the out­ too in the na1ne of the Prince of Peace. standing figure of the trio who resigned When Hard,.ie spoke it was noticed frmn the l\1inlstry · rather than soil that he spoke quietly and W1thout his their consciences by the blood shedding accustomed fervor. ''Twenty millio:ns in which we are now eng-aged. He of men,'' he said, had been engaged in stopped and shook hands with n1e. slaughtering each other. That in sane ''You have been ill,'.' he SGtid. ''What simple terms is what war meant. was the matter; was it the war which (Hear, hear). Who were these men f so weighed upon your soul and spirit The upper and middle classes were tak-­ that it .made your body sick?~' I had ing their share, but the great bulk of· to smile a vague a sent to the question. them were the sons, brothers, and fath­ ''The war.~' he said, ''when will it ali ers of working men. Workmen we-r& C'nd. What sbaJ ~ we gain 1 lf we lose, engaged in the war, workingmen were ·we shall pay an awful penalty; if we supplying the munitions of war. J;f: win, the penalty will be greater still.'' they had said, ''we have n~ q~z_-~e~, Page Twenty-se·ven and will neither go to war nor make bullies. ' Would you kindly let 1ne the n1unitioas of war'' there would know where and when I am supposed have been no war. (Applause). There­ to have uttered any such word or any­ in lay the solution of the problem, to thing that would justify so 1nonstrous get the workers to say that and to act a deduction' Lloyd George.'' upon it.. (Heal'. hear). To this telegram Hardie immediately ' 'In times of war one would have replied: thought the rich classes would grovel 1 'I pointed out that the employers, (lll thei1· knees before the working class­ when before you, concerning output of es who are doing so much to pile up armaments, etc., had put the whole their wealth,'' continued Mr. Hardie. blame on the drinking habits of th~ '' Jnstead, the n1en who were working "V\'Orkers, and that you, by accepting 8 .rJ: hours a week were being libeled, this statement without challenge ,ha(L wa1igned and insulted and on t.he au­ given :world currency to the fiction that thority of the en1ployers, the 1) ing the workmen were drunken wasters. J ,.-ord, accepted ·witb.ont inquiry by Mr. never said 'bullies' nor have I seen the LJoyd George went round the world 1·eport from which you quote. Keir Ha r­ that- the working clas~es wu (• a set of die.'' drunken V\~asters (shame). That was Mr. Lloyd George, after asking Har­ the reward they got. The truth was die for an explanation and after re­ the shifts could be arranged so as to ceiving a plain denial of the charge overtake all the work on hand. Mr. from Hardie, used the same plainly de­ John Hill, the secretary of the boiler­ nied statement as a text for a long let· makers, had Rhown that if the ship­ ter in which be accused the I. L. P. builders would reduce their c:ontracts leader of ''reckless association. wild ten per cent. the government would get accusation, mischievous statement, ex­ all their work done, but the shipbuild­ cited prejudice'' and took pains to ers would not do that because ships point out he had only referred to :1 were being sold at two and three times small section of the working class. their value before the war. (Hear, In a spirited reply Hardie pointed hear). out that Mr. Lloyd George had been ''The one force left in Britain, the strangely silent concerning the strong one streak of light in the dark gloont protests which had been made by the of national life was the message and other cl'itics. For instance, Mr. John the mission of the I. L. P. Here and Hill, the secretary of the Boilermakerl'i · there a minister of the Gospel was Society, said: standing by the teachings of Jesus, and • 'Language is quite inadequate to the number was growing. The invasion express our reply to the libel, particu­ of Belgitun b;y Germany was a horrible larly on riviters, which was the prinC!i­ atrocity, but we did not enter war for pal headlines in all our newspapers. the sake of Belgiull).. The Times had. Worse than the libe1 is the stateme11t frankly stated we were in the war fol' of the chancellor: HI am aop.vinced our own selfish interests. The duty that what you have told me simply repre­ lily bef.o:re the I.:}J.:P. was tQ sq ch~EJ.IJ.g~ sents the truth.' 'fhe tales told by the the conditions o:f: industry and of so­ Shipbuilding Employers' Feqeratipn ar:e €tiety as to make it impossible :for t}le tpe samfl misreprese:q.tati()IlS, e~agge:r­ €tUrse of war ag~in to desce~rl upon the ~tions, an4 c.ontradictioii-S that we have world.'' (A.pplalll:~e). ~his speec}1 was :P.eard from theJll 1p.any Hmes. ~hey delivered on the Saturday evening, anQ. are t~e tales tpey usuaHy g~ve us t~­ pn ~ond.ay a:f:ternoon he reeei v~d the stead of mopey when we meet them. tn following telegram frorp Mr. LloyQ. conference o:p. wage questio:p.s. On the George, who w~s the:n. OJtan~el!qr of few o~casions whell iJ.ri:p.kip.g a:p.q tpe t}le Exchequer; Jpss of time pas peen r~pprteq to us in­ ~ ~In your speech at N orwieh on the vestigations h~v~ bee11 made, so:rnetiiJles 4th inst., you ar~ reported to have 1.u~eQ. with a joi:p.f; cqmmit~ee of empJoye~·t~ 1 the following words, f Instea(l of those . a:p.iJ. wqr~me:p. 's rep!~senta~jves. EiglltY JDen whv weFe working 84 bouFs a wee~ per (1-ent. of the charges have bee:q. up­ being praised and ba~k.~d up ap.d sup­ warrap.teQ. an(l ~true. We are, there­ ported, they had been libeled, maligned fore, grieved that the chancellor on an and insulted, and the lying word on ex parte statement, should have come the authority of Mr. Lloyd George went to the conclusion and commited him­ all round the world that the British self to the grave statements whieh he working elasses were a set of drunken made.'' Pag-e. Twenty-Elgnt Sir Benjamine Browne, supported the led the people in the singing o£ that boilermakers 'secretary in a letter to beautiful hymn: the Times. Sir Benjamin wrote: ''I can fancy few things more pain­ Calmly, calmly lay him down, ful and disheartening to the workmen He has fought the noble fight, than to find themselves, as a class, He hath battled for the right, condemned as a drunken, thriftless peo­ He hath won the unfading crown. ple, and I quite agree with Mr. J. J. Kind and gentle was his soul, llill, of the Boilermakers' Society, that Yet it glowed with glorious might it is very wrong to malign the major­ Filling clouded minds with light, ity ·who are doing their best. I think Making wounded spirits whole. myself that where work is really se­ vere, as in rivetting, we ought to be Dying, he can never die, careful in pressing men to work too To th0 dust his dust we give; long hours. For example, I think con­ In .our hearts his heart shall live, tinuous Sunday work is a mistake. This :Nfoving, guiding, working, aye. is the opinion of most of my brother employers. To get the best work over Mr. J. Ramsay MacDonald, Bob Smel a long period out of a man (or a hot·se) ley, and Miss Mary MacArthur we1·e they should never be ovet·timed. ' ' the speakers. Sm,illie declared ''that This was the last controversy Hardie the war killed Hardie as surely as if ever took part in, and his contention he had fallen in the trenches. He died that exhaustion and overstrain were at fifty-nine~ but he lived more in fifty­ more responsible for slackening in the nine years than another man might live output than drink, and very often were in five hundred years.'' themselves the causes of the latter evil was borne out in a government investi­ The same evening, at Old Cumnock~ gation shortly after Hardie died. where for over thirty years Hardie made his home. the Rev. J. Spence Ro­ bertson, the minister of the Establish­ ed Church, which is the State church, CHAPTER XIII. tnade reference to the late Mr. Hardie: ''Believing it to be the duty of every Keir Hardie's whole life was devoted Christian church, and especially of the to the uncompromising defence of the national church, to rise above all pre· interests of the working classes to the junice, narrow·nesft and partisan ship in battle against war, and to the unflag­ the presence of death, and to recognize ging effort for the freedom of the peo­ worth and greatness ·wherever they are ple and the reconciliation of nations.­ found, r desire to make reference to· Emile Vandervelde, Chairman Interna· day to the removal by death from this tional Socialist Bureau. district of one who is generally ac­ After the ~orwich conference of the knowledged to have been a 'great per­ I.L.P. Hardie's medical attendantst ad­ sonality', the late Mr. Keir Hardie. vised him to rest. He journeyed to The press references I have seen were his home in Cummock( where it was all highly appreciative and very sym­ thought that the change might revital­ pathetic. One could not read them, ize him, but as the weeks passed it be­ however, without wishing that these came clear that his work was done. Lat­ kipd things had been said to the living er on he went to Glen Lennox, on the Keir Hardie, and not to the dead. They Isle of Arran, and returned shortly af­ might have helped and cheered him. ter that to his brother's house at Clark­ But the world has always been inclined ston, Glasgow, where pneumonia de­ to stone its prophets while they werq veloped and on Sunday afternoon, Sept. alive, and after their death, build sep 1915, he passed a way. A few days later ulchures in their memory as a salve to his last remains were borne to the Glas­ its troubled and guilty conscience. .[u gow Crematorium, where his father and a letter I received the other day from mother were cremated eight years be­ an old friend, who is now in other fore; both father and mother died on parts, the writer alludes to Mr. Har­ the same day. die's death and says: 'He was a much­ The following Sunday, in the St. An­ abused man, and infinitely superior t.o drew's Hall, Glasgow, thousands were many of his detractors.' Such abuse, 1t unable to get inside to the memorial must be remembered, is simply the pen· service. The Glasgow Socialist Choir, alty which greatness has to pay. .No Page Twenty·NJae man anima ten with hig-h ·ideals ·and --de­ ·his life whieh began · so sadly and ended termined to carry them out, can hope so suddenly. Our ·hearts: go out to the to escape. The case of our Savior is tender child of seven, called upon to the highest illustration in point. That bear burdens which would not now be Mr. Hardie con1mitted. many indiscre­ permitted to be laid on such young tion& of speech, his b"est friends are shoulders. Even as a boy and· youth ready to admit; but that only means he seems to have been robbed of those that he was human. Many of the wrongs joys that ought to be their common hel:­ against which he fulminated had been itage. Pro"'">ably Keir Hardie was mis­ burned into . his .. soul..by the red hot understood by many because he wus iron of bitter experience, and under known to few. Besides, "\Ve can never .such conditions men are apt to speak know a man we hate. Love alone C

.~·· .~

. f:' , •• t

Page Thirty I,\ The Banner Press iS! Temperanee St