WILY WILSON WILSON.

NZ Truth, Issue 57, 21 July 1906, Page 6

WILY WILSON WILSON.

A SOCIALISTIC SAVIOUR Op SOCIETY.

His Financial Fakes, Commercial Capets, and Philanthropic Frauds.

"The Brotherhood of Humanity" Revolts.

(From Our Sydney Correspondent.)

Wilson Wilson, the smart Yankee orator, founder of the Brotherhood of Humanity, life assurance canvasser, advertised manager (pro tern) of the Athenaeum Hall . Company, Limited, is a fairly familiar figure. Wilson de- ; scended upon. this beautiful city some 15 months ago, and was first heard of m the Domain, where he delivered diversified diatribes, which delighted > the democratic denizens of that delectable rendezvous. He was a soulful, speaker, and the Socialist's heart ';' yearned to clasp this brother to his !• bosom. The Australian, Socialist ■5: 'League went out, , to hear Wilson's " t' words of wisdom, and were astound--1 cd. .:- ■ . ' ; \ WHO WAS 'HE? . :•' •, '-iVneKr-dtd— he come: from ? And whyr \ liad -hfii not been to see i?hem? C^- inquiries Wore made, and it was- • ascertained that this glib-tongued gen- • tleman" was. the. person 'concerning r whom their New Zealand correspondent had written to them some; months '. previously. That correspondent said that Wilson had arrived m windy '* Wellington, presumably from San Francisco, with a man named <Fis- '■ cher, and without going "to the Socia- '< list League', started speaking on the I' street corners of the city. Then, growing m popularity,, he delivered lectures m both the 1 , theatres; ■' The , C press took him up, and a biographi- £ car sketch of the Social reformer ap-' '*?; peared m the columns of* the Welling- ' U{' ton "Evening Post. V To the Welj' B-* lingtonian Socialist , it was told that ■ £ Wilson had been senV by the Pacific .\ , Labor Bureau on a. tour of propa- > ganda ''work throughout the world, I and they could not . understand why i Wilson was willing to stop m Wel- ; __ lington. The upshot of the whole business was that there was a split m the ranks of the Wellington brpv thorhood, and .Wilson found himself appointed as organiser 'm New Zealand to a new league, at a salary, of £5 per week, besides ,the- 'balance of .''■ collections and the profits.; oft all lite- ;-; rature.sold. Some of -the party: then - f thought they [> SMELT A "MOUSE," \\ and that Wilson had oniy ; come to r Maoriland to make money^ However, f .for a twnehe boomed , as- loudly as ■ -the Post Office clod?, and started a •. . ,v newspaper called "The Paper." True, , '-, it wa,s said to contain no Socialism, • r " and it had only one issue, tout-it canie w'- out. Then for some reason or other, ■Jr m the height of his, glory, Wilson, '" whose' \initials, by the 'way, are-said- •/; to be \'J.M.," left tlie> Land of ; the, |, Moa, and came to Sydney. With these particulars pasted in-s >"■ ttheii. hap, some of th&vSyiney mem- |. \bers of Jhe- Australian Socia';st^LeaI gusv^yent to /the Domain to listen to* VHme man ? \fr(Mpi -the J&nd of the-wooden^ __nufe^y^ma tfcey- intjuisitivety. asked** '- iiim if iha had not , been receiving, a 'v "fiver""!. \week, with concessions, /for ~* ■ -t(is'work<in New Zealand. %. ' s 'i'IT. IS A LIE^ was the terse; if unsatisfying- reply. ', the A.S.L. were not to- be* put? k , , off so easily, and? at one^of tnelr > 4own« ; ■ open-air meetings, at which- -it ■is=^said :, Wilson was among the '-crowd, theileti .ter of their I£ew Zealand b'rofiher'^ras 1 read out. Wilson made oo'aitempGi to • - refute the statements, if he was-, prev sent, but he evidently wrote to- New.-; t Zealand about the Domain Hiei&enlj,.< I for early, .m May of 1905, .tne A.S.L. [ received a letter from a Mrs* Bctoo,. % m which; she said Wilson* d-idufnot^de-s' mand," "but was "offered," £5 per &\ week m. Wellington, and 1 - did*'not lal— j ways -get that. In her coanixsinicatflon \ .the lady .?' BUTTERED ? UP WIKSON as a generous man, who went to -much i' personal expense; and loss/ of time!! to I further lHe~UajfSe;- and that wnenuthc •>( knew 'him intijnately, ttiey ■A would^ side with him *m his notole^ •-•" work. :; ■ ■ ] This com/munication? was a stagger-« \ 2r, but tlr.e Sydney men, after., roach t, \ confabula/uion, decided to again writer 1 |f to the T Wellington .League. In reply i- .they received a vejry lengthy letterj signed by three officers of the socie-'---1 ty. it is dated from the Socialist? A, Hall, SS a Cuba-nstreet, Wellington, on; •k\ 'June a, 1905, a»d the following is a> .[\ precis, of it. A'f-ter acknowledging re- •^* r -. ceipt of the, Sy^^ney letter, and plac- ' ing it beio^e tto^ir own business meet-;*?;-ing, the. si^ttai/ories say a committee r tnrf»^c£an«xd'es was appointed, to Effsaw up a^re^Jfty-v^ They desired to an>pr sw&^bfi^e^ions.putWthem cleaff^rllh and withc^itT'any ariimosity, andT\ "ys'sert^ -that whatever- else tie was, ft* Wilson was mi organiser.' Whbn he 11,I 1 , and Fischer arrived m Wellington, they. received^, letter from them stat- [ ing that they ; were on ; A WORLD'S TOUR, • asking for literature, which was supplied. Then- some of /the party asked the two evangelists of Socialism to .\their rooms. Wilson went, and also joined the party. He -again gave them to understand he was touring the world lecturing on Socialism, and wanted no pay for itj, but on the other hand will raise . £100 for the Branch, and that he could do this as he was m the pay of the American papers. Meetings were thereupon organised, the largest haills available \ rented, and Wilson lectured under the f Branch's auspices. For some weeks \ great success attended *he meetings, f s 'and then to quote the letter : "Some I short-sighted, hare-brained individuals { put their heads together and tried to >pet the branch to take Wilson on as f organiser at a SALARY 6F £S»<PER WEEK,. - toother with all profits from lectikes. This, of course, the branch re6ent?d, ar/d then the aiore-mentioned -/'ndividuals formed themselves into a •■ t ii-ttty, with Wilson, at their head, and \ , £& styled/ themselves Socialist Edu- j % *M CviiQtia.l Leo.gue." They invitett sub'*^£cribers to take £lV shares m a paper, 1'

and a good number did so, but the pap_er was short-lived, there being only one issue, and, the name was "The Paper." Wilson also started mental soience classes, and a number of dupes paid m advance a quarter's fees. But these classes were also sho<rt-lived,as Wilson disappeared, and inquiries have been made at the Socialist Hall about him by one of the authorities. But, alas, he was gone. Ke still owes for work done for him by individual members of the -party, He had about £50 from the MENTAL SCIENCE CLASS, which he. formed- and delivered half the promised lectures. Several have Written Wilson for their money back. He never replies. We can get signed proof of this from prominent persons here. . . The Hon.'T. W. Hislop, ex-M.L.A., and ex-Minister for Education, and now Mayor of Wellington, amongst other things, has signed a statement re Wilson, which contains the followitfg ■■:— ; ' Mr Hislop was a shareholder, a,nd very interested m the League and "The Paper." ■■->.... "Wilson said he would not take less than £5 per week, and this he got with concessions." • "Wilson was co-editor with me of 'The Paper.' " A w '-Became dissatisfied with me, cal--1 led a meeting with . a cut-and-dried programme, aad. voted himself m respect to shares upon which he paid no.th.ing." .(I only discovered this 0 afterwards, although he objected to others who had paid.) "I think him very greedy and intoleran.t;" ■ "He made claims upon us I refused to entertain, and thought them unjust." ' ■ "I do not thiiilc his methods open It would be impossible for me to trust him again m any. front' movement." This letter . was signed by .J. 8., Hnlbert, P. Josephs,, and , Wm. Wostenholme. . . , With this information before them, it is not at all surprising that the Sydney Socialist ceased to "yearn" for the heaven-born -speaker's leadership', but that resourceful - gentleman soon settled matters 'by starting a party of h|s own, whioh he dirbfoed the BROTHERHOOD OF HUMANITYThe objects of 'this brotherhood were superb, splendid, 'noble, and grand . Any effort for the uplifting and amelioration of the masses deserves the warmest support of any, true demo•crat or Socialist, > and it was not long before the wonderful Wilson enlisted, a . goodly number of persons under his banner. 1 - : " r ' ■..'". '.. The .-nistory of this short-lived Bro.therhood was tdld to a "Truth" representative last week by a very prot minent ex-member, and if all he had ■to say about Wilson and his methods are true, then it is high time the public of . Sydney? were put into possession of the . FACTSvOF THE C"ASE. ; In March last Wilson persuaded a Brotheir to; buy a piano, to be used at the .Brotherhood's . rooms m George-street. The' money was to be paid; m cash by ; ,the memiber, who was to be repaid in^two years, m instalments of not, less than '£1 per month, ■ and some interest was also -to be added. The Brother having the cash, and thoroughly believing m the tenets of the Brotherhood, acquiesced, and he paid for a £73 new Lipp piano, which was duly placed m the Brotherhood's roams. The same man also loaned £5 towards, the purchase of a £7 typewriter. So far as the piano was concerned, the money was paid ion the day of the purchase, but with regard to the typewriter subsequent events show that Wilson HAD TO BE CHASED -around for the money. We are told he received the £5 on March 28, yet the payments made were :— April 12, £2 ; April 19, £2 ; and May 24, £l, leaving £2 still owing. Even when this founder of the Brotherhood of Humanity had netted a generous man who really did have the welfare of his fellow-man aft heart, he could not apparently act straight, for we are told that while he had the "fiver" to part pay for a typewriter, he was trying to buy a second-hand one from another man for £2, cash down. The deal, however, did not come off. It is stated also that he had previously induced three or four other people to place pianos m the Brotherhood's rooms, but that m each case the owners had taken them away at the end of a few days. It should be mentioned that the member was induced to advance this £70 odd on the representation that Wilson's debates with the REV/MR COWLING had netted a profit of between £*40 and £50,. and that if they could get a theatre to lecture m, the paying off of the money could be accomplished m a very short time. The man who advanced the money, however, has his head screwed on the right way, and he v very sensibly got his solicitors to draw up an agreement with regard to the piano and typewriter, which we opine did not exactly suit the wily Wilson. Perhaps m the light of subsequent events it was well he did, for when the member went to the brotherhood rooms recently he found the doors had been burst open, and the place deserted. He became suspicious, and certain little happenjngs ;in his relations with Wilson flashed through his brain. He decided to act, and at once secured the typewriter, which he took home. Next morning he removed the * piano to the same place, while someone else removed the 100 odd chairs and tables. . About May 28 the executive of the Brotherhood had also LOST CONFIDENCE m their leader, for it seems that they had decided to reorganise, and

also to have nothing to do with the silver-tongued. Wilson Wilson. And so. the great Brotherhood of Humanity,, which was to emancipate the downtrodden masses of Sydney, from thethraldom of voracious .capitalists,, went bung. * Wilson Wilson, however, is not at. man who has only one string to his bow. He has always some scheme or other with which to tempt any fish he may succeed m netting. During the time he was acting as President of the Brotherhood, he was also making a very good thing as a life assurance canvasser, and having got his typewriter and piano through the '.'bother," his next move was to get him to assure his life. He suggested a policy, for £20,000. (What kind of a" nice fat commission would the friend of Humanity have received?),, and suggested that at his death (the man is already well over middle age) the money should go to BUILD A LIBERTY HALL or a hall named after the donor. But the fish didn't bite at this, the water was too clear. Then the starting of and establishment of a Gasoline Wool- Scour with "millions m it" was tried. The man said he didn't want millions. Wilson also wanted to float a new Electric Body Belt, which would also bring m a similar amount, but was one© again unsuccessful. He then appears to have turned his attention to other members, and we believe succeeded m .assuring the life of the then treasurer of the Brotherhood, a Mr F. F. Morton; for a very considerable amount. At the end of last May he started' a company called the "Athenaeum Hall Company, Limited," for the purpose of sub-leasing, from the lessees, for five years, the Lawler BuiMings, GeorKe T street. According to a prospectus, which we have before us, the capital of the concern is £2000 m £1 shares, and [the manager (pro tern) is Wilson Wilson, and the. registered offices GlO George-street: Application for shares is to be made to Wilsop Wilson, m fact, Wilson Wilson is the | ONLY RESPONSIBLE NAME mentioned m the prospectus. There are no names of a provisional Board of Directors published, nor of a sec. retary, neither are any, bankers given. With reference to this latter matter, the prospectus reads :— "The I moneys thus received to be placed to the credit of the company less; flotation expenses." It is proposed to nay the present lessees £1000 for their interests, and £600 oi: this is to be paid m hardvcash. . According to the prospectus the estimated profits for the year would be over £700, and as. it is only intended to call up 10s per share, those lucky enough to obtain them ought to be m for a thumping big dividend. We notice, however, that this profit is based entirely upon the rents, so that to earn it the hall', shops, and offices 'must never be empty. The hall venture has proved fairly successful, shares having been freely taken up by hard working men and women, with •their hard-earned sayings, and it is to be hoped that they will not regret the investment of their' hardgained cash. "Truth" having m mind, however, the non.success ,of *The Paper" and the "busting-up" of the Brotherhood. IS DUBIOUS. ' This notoriety-loving gentleman was also behind the man who- prosecuted the Zoo officials for charging admission on Sundays, and last April issued a hand-bill announcing a "startling" lecture. The leaflet was headed, "Great Exposure, JN.S.W. Government Aids and Abets Law-breakers, a Cabinet Minister to be Impeached," etc., etc., and invites the public to hear Wilson Wilson, "the fdarless champion of trueh and justice." This leaflet seems to have stirred up the Crown Solicitor's Office, for we know that. on April 7 Wilson was notified that the leaflet was an emphatic comment upon a pending Supreme Court action, and that he rendered himself liable to be attached for . CONTEMPT OF COURT. It also warned him against a continuance of the- offence, and intimated that a neglect of the caution' lead to an application to the ' Court without further notice. So far as "Truth" can see and hear, Wilson, instead of being the friend of Humanity, with a life dedicated to its uplifting, is nothing more than a cute Yankee hustler, always on the lookput for boodle, and one who, gifted with a 'glib tongue, strong personality, and presentable appearance, is able to play whatever tune he pleases upon the weak and easily-gulled who come under his notice. He doesn't care a continental about Socialism. His doings m Wellington and Sydney are proof positive of this. So many sovereigns per week for lecturing seems to be his only object. If he was sent out by the , Pacific Labor Bureau on a world's tour of propaganda work, why is he always lookr ing for snug billets, and founding new societies ? Perhaps Mr Wilson Wilson will let the public know.