The Dominion. MONDAY, MAY 10, 1909. LABOUR'S EVIL COUNSELLORS.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 503, 10 May 1909, Page 4

The Dominion. MONDAY, MAY 10, 1909. LABOUR'S EVIL COUNSELLORS.

•We _are'_ not yet told what tho Labour organisations think of the heavy punishment fchathas fallen on sonie of the misguided men who/led the riots at Broken Hill ih January last. Ono thing only is certain,'.that;Tom Mann,■ whose nervous anxiety as ho .sat in tho Courtroom at Albury gaye_way to.furipusbombastwhen the jury acquitted him, will endeavour to use the sharp sentences imposed upon his less fortunate companions to infiamo tho workers against "the capitalist crowd.'' But it is highly probable that the workers, when thoy think upon the fact that Mann is at largo whilo tho victims'of his violent rhetoric are languishing inrprison,: will bo less likely to regard the; noisy . mischief rmaker as-, the Messiah'of 'their hopes than to ' reflect soberly upon tho grave words of Judge Piung.in passing sentence on the rioters. The men at Broken Hill, said tho Judge, had been misled by. Tom Mane. "Soino.

day," he added, "you will find out that he was your worst enemy. He lives on keeping up strife. The sooner you awako to the fact that the agitator who lives upon your hard earnings is your enemy the better for you." If it were not that, in spite;of his bold exhortations to tho workers to "let their eyes flash and their courage be there", in prosecuting their 'holy and magnificent cause," "the economic emancipation of the workers of tho world," Tom: Mann was shrewd enough to escape; the penalty which in his present safety ho is able .to say he would have endured without a' whimper, he would still be able to lead the poor fellows to whom he has brought only misfortune to believe that Jotge PErNQ is only a "minion of brutal Capital." The feeling of the workors in Australia towards him, however, must be very similar to such memories as are entertained of-him by the bakers' operatives here who last winter followed him in silly procession, and who, when the law at last moved against them, found that their leader had departed, arid that Australian ignorance was cheering .the man who had declared that he would stand by them through thick and thin.

It,is not necessary, however, to write jof Tom Mann. His repute is fixed for all sensible, people. But he is only an extrem'e a class ■ that is doing grave injury to,the workers who trust it. In our opinion, it will be a bad day for industrial civilisation , when the i workers lack- spokesmen and leaders; Sound Labour leadership is to be cnI couraged, since nobody who looks at social problems with an'cye concerned with the national future, as distinct from'the convenience of-tho passing day, can fail :to realise: that silence and .submission in ;the ranks of Labour must in the; end be little less evil than the complete submission to Labour, which modern tradesunionism is fighting for. But the counsellors of Labour must . bo Bincere, and their ■ methods must bo: honourable. ■, Labour, and also civilisation in the mass, requires that fhe Labour, leader, shall .present, his. .case : liko."a. reputable bar-' rister., v The .worker cannot profit from an i advocacy that amounts. to nothing moro than, an insincere and unscrupulous appeal to the ignorance of unthinking people. Eyen.in Nbw : : Zealarici the cause, of ,Labour .has.fallen 'into bad hands. Amongst the.leaders'of. the.New Zealand ■Labour movement there are. men who are sincere; in their n utterances.and most honourable in their intentions. It is- unfortunate.'that these, men; are in tho minority. .The places of profit.and influence in the Labour organisations are largely in the .hands,of men- to whom Jurfc* ..Prints' ;-words' ca/i' "be, safely applied. Labour: should certainly ' fight, for its , rights, ; but, it should bewaro of entrust-, ing, the conduct of .'the'.'battle to heartless demagogues who promise impossibilities and who counsel a .course''that leads" to widespread distress' and ruin. But '.for the, inflammatory speeches of Ton Mann, as'a Melbourne contemporary, points out, the miners of Broken Hill would have : to-day had over £200,000 more in their .pockets,; and .wouldhavebeen in as good .a position 'in respect .to; their claims as they -were-before, "Many of them are'j now scattered, the 'majority are 'workless',and. the,.responsibility ■'for their -plight .rests I 'mainly'.with lcadors 'who' will not share their suff6nne.''' ; - -.'-. "' " '.V. -'~:<-.\ : ■:'.;■ i--.- -'.'J •>'-. >' '.'■.'• .'■".'.' :'. , '-, : ; '