*THE
WORKER*
Brisbane June
23, 1894
THE EDITORIAL
MILL.
Our Motto:
“Socialism in our time.”
Townsville!
Ipswich! Burke! Three bye-election wins for Labour in the space of
six months. This is good. And what a majority in the Burke contest!
313 to 81 – a majority of nearly four to one. Labour will surely be
getting “swelled-head.” But Labour must not become afflicted with
that enlarged self-esteem for which the Americans have found so
appropriate a name. There is much work yet to be done. A vast amount
of education is necessary before the country will grant that majority
of seats to enable the putting into law those proposals which
Socialist economists agree must be placed on the statute book before
every man, woman, boy and girl can get that equality of opportunity
which a sense of justice dictates should be given to all. Labour must
not forget its chief aim in Parliament: Education! Education!
Education! all the time. While a majority of the electorates return
Anti-Labour Politicians the Labour members in the House, even with
scanty support of the Opposition, can do little, if anything, to
force Labour legislation through both chambers. Their policy, it
would appear to the writer, is to obstruct the unjust measures of of
the M'Ilwraithians, to avail themselves of the forms of the House to
introduce their own Labour bills and by this means educate the people
through the pages of HANSARD and the daily press: and to use their
railway passes in stumping the country as freely as their ₤2.
17s. 8d. per week will allow. This is a stiff programme it is true,
but it will never do for Labour to sit down and gloat over past
victories. Labour must only rest when there are no more political
worlds to conquer.
* * *
The WORKER is
more than glad Mr. Glassey has been returned with such a splendid
majority. If he had been defeated this time, his defeat would have
been to the Burke what his defeat at the last general election is to
Bundamba, a lasting disgrace. Wage-earners are sometimes prone to
forget past services, and thoughtless ingratitude is then the reward
of the agitator who might have saved his health and many an hour's
bitterness and worry by choosing a more rosy path in life. Numbers of
those who work for wages and whose lot the agitator endeavours to
improve, sometimes silence their easy consciences by saying: “Ah,
well! he's doing it to gain his own ends, or to gratify a hobby.”
Of course, if the reformer has the grit and the health to stick to
his task. Recognition is sure to come in the long run. But he often
has neither the grit nor the health and “goes under” to join what
Justin M'Carthy calls the great army of the unappreciated.
* * *
Mr. Glassey
will probably be elected leader of the Labour Party. (We say
“probably,” because the Parliamentary Labour party is not a
one-man show like the M'Ilwraith Government, and each man has a voice
in the selection of the leader.) If elected leader, Mr. Glassey will
have a splendid opportunity of pursuing the stern and uncompromising
course of fidelity to Labour which characterised him in the last
Parliament . He is a Socialist, and will be ably and well supported
by the other Socialists and not-now-but-will-be Socialists in the
party. He has publicly stated that the only solution of the Labour
problem is the State ownership of the means of production and
distribution of wealth, and that augurs well for his career in the
future. He has spurned with contempt the suggestion of a coalition,
and Labour has therefore nothing to fear from that quarter. He is too
much of a man to follow the leader of the Opposition, Mr. Charles
Powers, who, with his little seven or eight supporters, must in
future give up their tail-wagging-the-dog-tactics, and take a back
seat.
* * *
One man should
not be forgotten in connection with the Burke victory, and that man
is John Plumper Hoolan. Mr. Hoolan is a man of marked ability as
speaker. His readiness to follow any anti-Labour politician and dress
him down is spoken of with amused admiration, and he is one who will
be sorrowly missed by more than the Labour Party. He has his
peculiarities, of course, like every other man; and was not well
accustomed to that discipline in Labour circles which requires
everything undertaken officially on behalf of Labour to be duly
agreed to by the majority; but all must clap their hands in grateful
appreciation of his action in resigning his seat for Mr. Glassey, and
in piloting that gentleman so successfully to the winning post. The
Labour Party must hold his name in reserve as one who must not be
forgotten.
* * *
Our friend the
enemy, the Daily Press, has suggested that there will be dissensions
in the Labour Party. Perhaps there won't. The members of every party
have civil growl sometimes. They would not be men if they didn't.
That Human Nature the Courier and Telegraph so often trot out as the
objection to Socialism (which by the way is no valid objection to
State ownership and control) will see that they don't nestle together
in caucus like a number of turtle doves; but the members of the
Parliamentary Labour Party are not above heeding the warnings of
experience. Having observed the ill effects of the want of unity in
other Labour Parties, they know that if they fall out the only
persons who will benefit by the split will be the capitalist
Individualists whom they were sent into Parliament to fight. The
present Queensland Labour members have passed through their most
trying time – the first session in Parliament. Having safely
preserved their unity, their friendship for one another, and having
received the commendation of grateful constituents for so doing, it
will take more than the cunning of the opposite side to break them up
for many years to come.
* * *
Sir Thomas
M'Ilwraith is “ but a subordinate member of the Ministry.” So the
gentleman himself stated. Yet the legislative business of this
immense territory must await consideration until he has recovered
from some complaint caused probably by high living. To the WORKER it
appears nearly time the province awakened to the fact that no one man
is indispensable to the country's welfare. Each individual of us
might cease to exist to-morrow and cause no more interference with
the current of progress than a needle falling into a river. New South
Wales once thought it couldn't get along without Sir Henry Parkes;
then it found that Parkes was superfluous and Dibbs a necessity. Now
our southern elderly sister proposes at an early date to do without
both of these political despots who consider a Parliament incomplete
without them. And Queensland must see that Sir Thomas M'Ilwraith ,
far from helping the colony out of the troubles into which he and
other individualist politicians have placed it, is only hindering it
from righting itself. Don't let us indulge in any sham crocodile's
tears over his indisposition. Not a man amongst us who had lived the
life he is said to have led would expect anything else. It is the
duty of the community to be kind and even generous; but it must be
even handed kindness and even handed generosity. Sir Thomas
M'Ilwraith is not the only Queenslander who is ill at the present
time. There are thousands of men, women, boys and girls on this end
of Australia who are ill – not from OVER – feeding, but from
UNDER – feeding brought about by the legislation which Sir Thomas
and his “strong personality” have forced through both Houses of
Parliament.
* * *
There are
hundreds of men and hundreds of women ill in body and in mind through
want of employment and through over employment, who require redress
and will not get it till the whole tribe of M'Ilwraithians are thrown
out of Parliament or compelled to legislate in the direction of
radical reform. The sensitive nerves of opponents of the WORKER will
be quite shocked at the vulgar brutishness of anyone who would say
anything against Sir Thomas M'Ilwraith at the present juncture. We
know all about that. As we write we can see their hands raised in
unspeakable horror at our want of common decency. And perhaps not a
few working man will join them in their surprise. But then are object
to cant and hypocrisy every time. If Sir Thomas is really ill, we are
prepared that he shall receive at State expense the very best medical
attention and advice; but we can't silently see the Parliament of the
country closed until M'Ilwraith is reconstructed, while men are
driven to beg, steal, or starve, women are driven to vice and
despair, and girls are driven to the streets for want of that work
which it is the duty of Parliament to provide for all who ask it.
Until the country is on its legs again and the people are prosperous
Parliament should be sitting for at least nine months out of the
twelve. This, of course, does not suit the politicians who would
“legislate” for three months in the year and holiday-make for the
remaining nine. The WORKER doesn't suppose it's much use calling
public meetings about the further prorogation. The anti-Labor press
will excuse the delay by bemoaning M'Ilwraith's illness.
Long-suffering Labour must only bear its burden a little longer. Old
Father Time heals many wounds. Perhaps he will soon heal M'Ilwraith.
W. G. H.
