A PROPHECY.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 105, 27 January 1908, Page 7

A PROPHECY.

TWO PARTIES: SOCIALISTS AND i . : UNIONISTS!. : " > - : INDIVIDUAL V-COLLECTIVE ■' . : INITIATIVE. ' : London, January 24. <■ J 3lr. Bal/pur, Leader of the Opposition, spbaking before the City of London Conservative' Association, said that if tho Labour party, succeeded- in carrying out the principles of "The Red Flag," it would produce the: greatest : calamity that had ever, happened, nqt to tho rich, but to tho poor. The: greatness of n (Country was its industrial position. Its wealth and productive and inventive, power depended upon privato initiative, and neither a bureaucracy, : a government, a parliament, nor a trado union could oyer promote "productive enterprise like individual initiative. ' Mr. Balfour predicted a! rearrangement of ' political fore,es eliminating the old-fashioned ' Liberals', and leaving Unionists and Socialists, as tho two 'militant forces. : ' : ATTITUDE OF MINERS' MEMBERS. At the lust Labour Conference an unsuccessful attempt was made to have the Parliamentary Labour party's constitution altered to 5 include' Socialism. Mr.'Keir Hardie, ais a s Socialist, was ono. of . thoso who " protcstpd " ngainst it as a.tactical error for the/.Socialist wing to attempt to unduly-impose their, ' opinions npon the trade unionist scction. .' It '* was, he said, tho business of those who!wero. 1 Socialists to carry on their propacanda until the time'camo when tlio'trade unions would thbmsoives'fico'that Socialism: was as essential ;■ .to' them .-is trade unionism. - Their, trade union, allies had bceii as honourable, as loyal,, and an faithful as moil could lxi to an hpnourpble. , agreement. Many a Socialist who would h?vo' voted for a Socialist declaration' would 'be compelled to vote apainft a resolution placingSocialieni in tho party's constitution. The ' . motion was rejected by 835.000 votes'to 98(000. ' The reported proposal to form a non-Socialist Labour party, alid tho general, tone of recent i- cablegrams, implies that Mr. Stephenson's resolution. whatever .its full meaning, is very likely, to causo a split.' Only a month ago, Mr.- P. 0 Snowden, Labour member for Blackburn, was 1 f .declaring, that within two months ''tho wholo trade union movement will be affiliated with .- the national Labour party"; also' that "the 3 Labour party, whoso motive power is Social(t ism, is the greatest powor in Britain." Prior to that the' Conference of the Miners' Federation had passed a motion declaring that the , time is opportune for tho Miners' Federation to bccomo affiliated with the Labour Representation Committee, and that another ballot of members' of the Federation bo taken on the question. If tho miners'' members in tho House of Commons (14) threw in their lot with R tho Parliamentary Labour party, they would raise its numerical strength from 30 to U; anil a I Ami on cableßr'am of December IT stated that this'movement was expected. But now one of the fourteen. Mr. Haslam, declares that the Derbyshire miners', officials will not take r- tho ballot promised by the Miners' Federation of Conference till Mr. Stephenson's motion is 0 f- "fully explained." _So tlis hoped-for fusion- is ~t still far from a reality. \