SNOWDEN TELLS HOW I. L. P. BUILT UP THE LABOR PARTY

P.", "Philip Snowden, M.

SNOWDEN TELLS HOW I. L. P. BUILT UP THE LABOR PARTY By PHILIP SNOWDEN, M. P.. (Socialist Chancellor of the Exchequer) London, April 27.—There would have been no Labor party in Great Britain if...

...Comrade Ramsey MacUonald relinquished his office on the Nstional Council t o assume the position of Prime Minister, For twenty years I s a t upon ths council of the p a r t y , and for six years waa the nstional chairman...
...This journal has now a weekly circulation of over 60,000 copies and is t h e only Labor or Socialist journal in England which ia paying i t s way...
...They removed the offices to larger premises and g r e a t l y increased ths staff...
...He had destroyed the Coslition, and was now indignant because he was not allowed to poke his nose in Labor affairs...
...Sees MacDonald as Britain's Biggest Man By J. R . Sssallwood...
...On t he whole t h e resolutions a r e more practical t h a n is sometimes the case, and t h e r e is quite an unusual absence of resolutions of a critical and censorious character...
...During t h e year Comrade Francis Johnson resigned his office as General Secretary of the p a r t y . Comr a d e Johnson had been an unostentatious but very useful official...
...In 1918 h e was Labor party candidate against Sir rjhic Gaddes in the district of Cambridge...
...The delegation were entertained by the Prime Minister at luncheon a t No...
...Such is the word brought here by Dr...
...Th* Russian Delegation Yesterday the Russian delegation which has come to t h i s country to discuss the economic and financial problems arising from the tie jure recognition of Russia was received a t the Foreign Office by t h e Prime Minister...
...Ramsay MacDonald is coming rapidly .-to occupy the position held in the minds and affections of British people by Lloyd George, and Lloyd George is rapidly being aeen a s a man of no integrity, no reliability, a man who h a s squandered his moral qualities...
...loasuidition to this income sent by t h e V a n c h es in affiliation fees, the branches contributed during the y e a r a sum of 11,866 to tha Special Effort Fund...
...Ha continues in t h s service of t h e p a r ty a s financial secretary and director of the l i t e r a t u r e department...
...The main debates of the convention were on the question of t h e r e lation of t h e Socialist P a r t y t o t he Labor party that is expected this year, several delegates expressing the fear that the P a r t y might be swallowed up and i t s i n t e g r i t y lost...
...P e r h a p s the Russian delegates were the most bourgeois looking of all the guests present...
...but they have so far succeeded beyond all expectations...
...And it all seemed so o r d i n a r y . An onlooker would never have suspected t h s t it was a n y t h i n g but an ordinary luncheon party...
...The control and management of the I. L. P. has ia recent - y e a rs passed into ths hands of new and younger men...
...And the Government organ ststes t h a t the King h a s agreed to allow the question Of h i s prerogative even in the m a t t e r of t i t l e s to be raised...
...George had so many years in office t h s t the country had so many social evils ,to deal with...
...The convention voted to send loving greetings to Comrades Eugene V. Debs and Benjamin Feigenbaum, the l a t t e r a pioneer of the Jewish Socialist movement and a founder of the Verband...
...The members of the I. L. P . a re evidently aealUing t h a t the movement is passing out of the phase of being a mere propagandist organization into t h s position of a p a r t y with Jsponsibilities f i r practical 'atatesanship...
...Lloyd George bemoaning his political fate," said Emanuel Shinwell, Minister of Mines, addressing his constituents at Whitburn, Scotland...
...He had betrayed Liberalism and was responsible for its decline...
...Notwithstanding the rise of local branches of the Labor party, which do in a large measure the work which formerly was the monopoly of the I. L. P., the activities of the latter have been in no way diminished...
...The Socialist Prime Minister is recognised by all, Liberals included, as the "biggest" statesman moving in Britain today...
...Yours very sincerely, "Ramsay MacDonald...
...Bang, a r e members of t h a Landsting (Upper House...
...Count Carl Moltke, Foreign Minister...
...This g a t h e r i n g was a s t r i k i n g expression of the wonderful changes which have taken place in t h e political conditions of both countries in the last few years...
...It was not a condition of Labor accepting office that there should be cooperation with Liberals...
...The National Council has already endorsed twenty-four new candidatures, in addition of course, to the forty-iix members of the present Parliament for which the I. L. P. is financially responsible...
...C, V. Bramsnau, Mini s t e r of F i n a n c e ; K. K. Steincke, Minister of J u s t i c e ; K. Bording, Agricultural Minister...
...The Russians have brought about a dozen of their experts with them, at the head of whom is Christian Rakovsky, who h a s been the Trade Commissioner in London since Krassin l e f t Rakovsky has been in Moscow for the last few weeks consulting with the Soviet Government In reg a r d t o t h e problems t o be discussed...
...In preparation for t h a t conference the National Council has j u s t published the report of the past year's work of the party, and it is indeed a s t r i k i n g record of "something - attempted, something done...
...At present there are 772 branches, and since December of last year 111 new branches have been formed Tha beat index of t he progress of t h e p a r t y ia given by tha affiliation foes sent by the branches to head office, la tha previous year these fees amounted t o 11,991, and last year to ?2,687, The income from this source has only once before reached this figure...
...I am now 4oo fully occupied in dealing with t h e national finances of Great Britain to give a n y time t o t h e work of the I. I, P. The I. L. P. Is the Government...
...British Labor Does Not Like D. Lloyd George London.—"There can be no understanding: with ths Liberals, who have no r i g h t to keep Labor in power by supporting* things they do not believe in," said Robert Smillle, M. P., Chairman of the Executive of the P a r l i a m e n t a r y Labor p a r t y , opening his vacation campaign in t h a Morp e t h constituency...
...N i n a Bang, Minister of Education...
...A feature of the Convention was the appearance of t h e leaders of t he Jewish labor movement a s delegates, addresses being made by Morris Sigma*!, President of t h e International Ladies' Garment Workers' Union, Israel Feinberg, manager of the Cloak Makers' Union, Morris Kaufman, President of t h e International Fur Workers' Union, Osslp Walinsky of the Fancy Leather Workers' Union, and other leaders of the important sections of t h e Labor movement...
...Labor is out to deal with root causes, not palliatives," he added, "and if defeated it Would prefer it should be on some g r e a t social question...
...I t is a pathetic spectacle to wstch Mr...
...Socialist Chancellor of the Exchequer) London, April 27.—There would have been no Labor party in Great Britain if there had been no Independent Labor party...
...Never i n its history has the I. L. P. been more active, and never has its influence on the political life of the country been greater than it is today...
...It is affiliated to the Labor party, but it maintains its identity and carries on its own special work, emphasizing Socialism as the objective of the working-class movement...
...Williams la hare to lecture and preach...
...The Annual Conference of the I. L. P, assembled at York during the ? as t a r week-and...
...It will split right and left, the right gravitating to the Tories, the left to Labor...
...The other Cabinet Ministers, including Mrs...
...Williams, who is a man appare n t l y about sixty, on* of th*- most widely-known non-conf i m u s t clergy men in Britain, is in a peculiarly good position to know what he's talking about He has for many years been a member of the I. L. P., t h * Socialist propaganda group of the Labor party, and is intimately acquaints*, with every leader of the Labor party, a s well as tha leaders of the other partiea, Lloyd George included...
...That is the word brought to these shores from Britain by a man who has long been a member of the British Labor party, on* of its candidates, and who ia intimately acquainted with J. Ramsay MacDonald and the other leaders of the p a r t y - the Rev...
...When we older men relinquished the administration of the p a r t y t o their hands two years ago we were somewhat alarmed ' a t the audacity of their ambitions...
...These sums represent only a small p a r t of the money raised by tha local brancehs for the work of the p a r t y . The whole of the expenses of local propaganda a r e paid from t h e branch funds, as well as the cost of local elections...
...I have been intimately associated with Comrade Johnson during all the years he has been General Secretary of the I. L. P . , and I can bear testimony to t h s earnest and able and devoted service he h a s rendered to the movement...
...SNOWDEN TELLS HOW I. L. P. BUILT UP THE LABOR PARTY By PHILIP SNOWDEN, M. P...
...This fact is a l s o i l l u s t r a t ed by the presentation to the annual conference of two exhaustive rep o r t s , one on an a g r i c u l t u r a l policy and one on a general land policy, which have been prepared during the year by e x p e r t committees s e t u p by t h e National Council...
...Who could have believed ten yeart ago that a Labor Prime Minister would entertain the delegates of a Russian Socialist State in the official residence of the head of the British Government...
...There were 114 delegates from every ' p a rt of the United States, and every one of them reported excellent progress in Socialist propaganda and organisation...
...Rhondda Williams, pastor of Union Church, Brighton, England...
...JEWISH SOCIALISTS HOLD CONVENTION Philadelphia.—The Jewish Socialist Verband, the Jewish section of the Socialist Party of the United States, has just concluded its third national convention, here...
...Tha l e t t e r is as follows: "10 Downing Street, London...
...The litera t u r e department of the p a r t y has been reorganised and is likely to become a financial asset r a t h e r than a liability...
...Reports will be submitted to t h s conference for consideration and approval...
...The British people, millions of them hitherto kept in ignorance of t h e real character of t h e Labor p a r ty by means of a concerted press boycott, have in a trice awakened to a surprised realisation of the fact that in the Labor party and in its leaders they have a movement that is sounder and sincerer and more energetic, and Inestimably l e t t e r equipped to govern their country than any other party in existence...
...Anal the credit for thia undoubtedly belonge to tbo I. L. P. The young men who now control the I. L. P. are doing wonderfully well...
...L. Rasmussen, Mini s t e r of Defence...
...Excellent reports of progress in all parts of the country were made...
...Danish Socialist Ministers Won't Wear Short Pants Copenhagen.—Theodor Staunlng, heed of the new Danish Socialist Cabinet, in an interview, said that the Government would neither accept nor p a r t i c i p a t e in distributing honors, a question which would be left exclusively t o t h e King...
...Most of the resolutions fall into the category of h a r d y annuals...
...Ramssy MacDonald had weeks...
...The I. L. P. was formed thirty-one years ago, and ever since it has carried on an unceasing propaganda for Socialism...
...The principal matters which will have to be considered by the conference are the Russian debts to British nationals and the counterclaims put forward by the Soviet Government on account of the Allied support of t h a White campaigns against the Bolsheviks...
...The Liberal party, having been shouldered aside by the Labor party, whieh represents everything that was good in th* party of Gladstone and Russell, as well as a new and fresh idt alism and a new g r a s p on the problems of the people, is doomed to extinction...
...He h a s special aptitude for t h e l a t t e r work, and already has succeeded in thoroughly organising the department...
...of the Parliamentary Labor party aro mam bar* of the I. L. P. When lb* I. L. P. Conference but met in York twenty years ago the party bad only one member in Parliament Tbe history of tbo world Labor movement providea no other eaample of eucb won alerfnl prog rata...
...But that has not been the case...
...They t r a n a f e r r e d ths old Labor Leader from Manchester to London and r e modeled it altogether...
...Ha was a personal friend of the l a te b e l o v t : Keir Hardie, founder of the Labor party, and had tha honor of campaigning in behalf of Hardie ia an election Dr...
...The p a r t y owns its own p r i n t i n g works, and these a r e within sight of becoming a source of income to the p a r t y. 1 3 5 New Branches A year ago there were 637 branches of the I. L. P. in Great tain...
...Winston Churchill, in the Tory camp...
...The total income of the head office from all sources during the last year has amounted to 121,600, The I. L. P. is looking ahead and making preparations 3 f o r the next general election...
...N. Hauge, Home Minister...
...Probably Mr...
...Neither was able to attend the convention because of the s t a t e of their health...
...D. Dahl, Minister for Ecclesiastical Affairs...
...No Minister would wear any uniform, except the Foreign Minister, nor sccept t h e t i t l e of "Excellency...
...Many of the Labor M. P.'s who a r e members of tha I. L. P. a r e r u n by t r a d e union organisations...
...No last than twenty-seven m t m b m of the present Government ara m.mb.M of ths I. L. P. All of these hava boon active propagandists of t h e party...
...F. J. Borgbjerg, Minister for Social Affairs...
...I hope you a r e to have a good time, and t h a t a s the result of your interpretation of us America will both understand and like us better...
...Kalr Bardie and Bruce Glaaier.the two men who beyond all others helped to make ths I. L. P., a re dead, but their w o r k s follow them...
...Williams is the b a a r t r of s special message of greetings to t h* American people from MacDonald, which he will road t o every audience which he addresses whil* here...
...Th* Labor party will be swept back info power at th* next •lections with a majority over all others combined...
...They embarked on schemes of expenditure which we doubted they would be able to finance and carry through...
...The Cabinet i s constituted as follows:.• Theodor Stauning, Premier and Minister of Commerce...
...As the Labor party grew in numbers arj'd influence it waa thought that the necessity for the continued separate existence of the I. L. P. would disappear...
...The resolutions propose to l ay down a policy for t h e p a r t y on such questions as unemployment, disarmament, foreign policy, housing, education, agriculture, land, tha liquor traffic, and nationalization...
...10 Downing street...
...The Government, stated the Premier, would act in accordance with t h e declared principles of the Social Democratic p a r t y . The summer session of Parliament would be a ahort one, and, a p a r t from certain routine questions, It would only take up currency measures, and these would probably involve import regulation in some form or other...
...It was precisely because Mr...
...In addition, t h e r e was a r e markable address by Abraham Cahan, Editor of the Jewish Daily Forward...
...Stauning, Borgbjerg, Hauge, Rasmussen, Skotte, a n d Bording a r e all members of the Folket i n g (Lower H o u s e ) ; Count iffoltke is a professional diplomat, and w a s Danish Minister in Washington from 1908 to 1912, and since then waa Danish Minister in Berlin...
...My dear Rhondda Williams: " I sm very glad to t a k e t h e opportunity of your visit to America to commission you to assure your audiences that nothing would pleas* the Labor party more than that, when it leaves office, i t haa drawn t h e American people closer to t he British people, not for the purpose of sharing in the wealth of the world, but a s p a r t n e r s in establishing peace and good will upon earth, and of teaching men by experience t h a t moral categories are more powerful in government than their more pushful mundane rivals...
...George would find his t r u e spiritual home, along with Mr...
...The Russians are bound to raise the question of credits to Russia, and it ia on that matter that the chief difficulty may arise...
...Lloyd George, who wanted Labor to take him into consultation...
...The convention as a whole, however, took the position t h a t tha Socialist P a r t y ' s place is in t h e political labor movement and in the coming Labor party...
...This wss the formal opening of the conference...
...Lloyd George had aatid that himself and Mr.-Asqulth had more years In office than Mr...
...J . F r u s Skotte, Minister of Public Works...
...Labor welcomed helpful criticisin, but did not lie down under the venomous and carping criticism of Mr...
...The pioneers of the I. L. P . have paased sway by death or hsva become absorbed in Parliamentary work...
...Labor had done good work, but if only it had been a hundred stronger much more could have been accomplished...
...Tha Conference Agenda There are few original features in the agenda of the a n n u a l conference...
...New branches are being organized in every part of t h e country and propaganda is carried on incessantly...
...No lass t h a n 128 of t h . 1*2 member...
...Messrs...

Vol. 1 • May 1924 • No. 17


 
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