ALLIANCE OF LABOUR

Evening Post, Volume CXXIII, Issue 60, 12 March 1937, Page 8

ALLIANCE OF LABOUR

DISPUTE

(To the Editor.)

Sir, —The average subscriber to your paper must be surprised at the methods displayed by Messrs. Roberts, Walsh, and Cook in their present dispute. Two of these men—Messrs. Roberts and Walsh —are Labour theoreticians, control their own newspapers, and have a record of service in the Labour movement which should have taught them not to act without thinking. As the present split came to a head at the Alliance of Labour conference held eleven months ago it must be assumed that the combatants have had plenty of time for thinking. The result .of eleven months' thinking is the present choice assortment of criticism forwarded to "The Post" for publication (note: both declare that daily newspapers are the main organs of capitalism, etc.). , Having got tired of accusing each other of exactly the same things, we now. have Mr. Roberts referring to Mr. Walsh as "a shepherd," to which Mr. Walsh replies by alleging that Mr. Roberts was no hero at the end of the 1913 strike. Yet these two men are hailed by thousands as the ""saviours who will lead them out of the present economic wilderness into the Socialist paradise." Faith will need to move more than mountains before that comes to pass. It is said that in the forefront of every struggle marches a theory. The only theory discernible here seems to be the primal theory of self preservation. Possibly the worst aspect of the dispute is that both Mr. Roberts and Mr. Walsh are apparently speaking with the consent of their respective Alliances of Labour. This means that all the industrial union leaders are ranged on one side or the other in the present, clash of personalities. In short, the parochial viewpoint expressed by the main contestants seems to be reflected by the rest of the trade union leaders in their following. If that is so is not the only way out for the workers to select new men? Unfortunately this will not be done, and presently another Hitler will arise.—l am, etc.', McK.