LABOR'S NEED—MEN!

NZ Truth, Issue 770, 7 August 1920, Page 3

LABOR'S NEED— MEN!

Some Socialist Reminiscences. Leaders Past and Present Compared. Charles Lawrin writes: — Although our alleged Socialist and Labor journals of New Zealand, either through ignorance, apathy; or self-conceit, failed to honor our glorious dead, those of us who belong: to the British vanguard of the Socialist movement must feel deeply indebted to "Truth," though a capitalist-owned paper, for its sympathetic thoughtfulness m giving a special space to the memory of dear old Davie Nicoll, one of the most valiant fighters m the cause of Liberty and Freedom. The writer was intimately acquainted with poor eld Dave and many's the time when funds have been low have we, m company with our late comrade, made a rattling good meal off a slice of bread and a two-eyed steak! The thoughts of those days and those men load us into a mood of analytical reflections.. To our mind at least our foremost men of to-day look too small to even compare with the dear old fellows of the eighties and early nineties. What a glorious band of men were those of the past, comprising such names as H. M. Hyndman, the sweet singer of Hammersmith — William Morris, Hun-ter-Watts, Herbert Burrows, Harry Quelch, A, P. Hazel, Edward Carpenter, Walter Crane, Keir Hardie, Bruce Glasier, Belfort Bax, A. S. Headingly, Sidney Olivier, ' Davie Nicoll and many others too numerous to mention. A few — too few — of them are still m the way. All these were men of an exceptionally high standard of intellect. All were m our movement TO GIVE, NOT TO TAKE, to give their wealth, their intellects, and their very lives. Those were the days when our first and last thought was of the ' cause. None were too great and none were too small. The ' democratic spirit of those flays was most truly described by Morris when he wrote: Some had name and fame and honor, Some were poor, unnamed, unlettered; Weak m all but grief and wrong. But named and nameless, all live m us, One and all they lead us yet. Every comrade m those old days waa the obedient servant of the cause, and the greatest and the smallest; did his share of the gutter work; none desired ALL the limelight — like too many of our men of to-day. In those days we had no "fat" salaries to hand out to our workers. Those of us who were called to spread the light truly followed the Christian precept, "Take no heed of the morrow, of what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink." Our lecturers then spoke from their hearts because the spirit of comradeship and fellowship controlled their lives and actions and they were accustomed to travel on

shanks's pony from town to town and billet ourselves on one or other of our comrades or spend a night m the open if funds were lev.'. What of the men of to-day? The great bulk of our alleged leaders of to-day are parasites; yes, we say it emphatically, parasites dp the backs of the toilers; anxious only as to how much £ s. d. there is m it for them! Why, it was the so-called leader of the Labor Party m the House who was one of the first to moot taxingthe toilers by supporting increasing the salaries of the idle GOOD FOR NOTHING SEAT WARMERS m our common House of Parliament. Such men are ever after the big' salary. If the spirit of comradeship dwelt within them they would be quite content to take the same average pay as the poor plug, has to live on. Have We m Noo Zee got any altruistic leaders whose salary is on a level with our members? I doubt it. It is this spirit of grab the hoot, grab the publicity, that disgusts the thinkers of our time and puts a, damper on the enthusiasm of the honest propagandist amongst the horny-handed sons of toil. If we are to step forward towards the light our leaders must emulate the spirit of D. J. Nicoll, whose life .and happiness were sacrificed on the altar of Socialism and progress. The position of the Labor movement to-day is due to the hard toil and sufferings of those men who constituted the fighting vanguard of the eighties and nineties, and not to the little men who seek to be little Popes m tha N.Z.L.P. "INDUSTRIAL INSURANCE AND THE PUBLIC." Dear "Truth," — Tour able series of articles upon the methods and results of industrial insurance, a3 applied to working policy-holders, are both timely and a credit to '"Eruth." The People's Paper can always be relied upon to give authentic information appertaining to all matters of public interest and to give warning of the Eocial pitfalls confronting us. Insurance companies, like .all other commercial undertakings m our capitalist mode of production and society, are engaged m it, for profits and dividends, and however it may be camouflaged, and covered over by fine phrases and unctuous wording, cleverly drawn up (by literary hacks), to appeal to the paternal and filial affections and sentiment, .and the thrifty provision for future old age and sickness, there remain the unpleasant and sordid features, so ably disclosed by your statistics and remarks; that Industrial Insurance is a form of robbery and exploitation of the poor and ignorant workers. The toilers' flight to industrial insurance as a refuge from industrial embarrassment and poverty, is a sorrowful delusion, but apparently it is only sad experience that teaches the bulls of the people, and we can be assured that there will be a sufficiency of this experience to teach even the most obtuse, before this present system of society has run its course. Tour good offices, m this direction, will largely assist to this desired end. The toilers are at once the sports and tools of a knavish commercial system, and m this year of grace, when we view a social world apparently tottering to its end, a very possible social chaos, I sound a solemn note of warning to my fellow- slaves of industry. Be ye up and doing, educate and organise 3'ourselves or. your last condition will be worse than your first, and civilisation will go under m a srerm of flame and violence and the wrath of hitherto deluded and then awakened and incensed multitudes. Let us take heed m time, this • system of society — capitalism and all its institutions, including the "rookery" industrial insurance — is doomed to pass away. None , but the toilers can erect a substitute In its stead, and to do that, needs education and organisation. — Tours, etc., PETER SWINTON. Wairoa, H.B.