THE REACTTOHARIES.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 1906, 14 November 1913, Page 6

THE REACTTOHARIES.

One of the most significant features of. the policy of the •Federation of Labour is its determined attack on the liberty, of freedom of speech and action. This applies not only to the general public, but to those within its ranks. Its leaders fear to permit J members to exercise an honest and independent judgment— they probably realise thai they would be thwarted in their efforts at promoting industrial strife Were they to allow the rank and file to enjoy the liberty of giving expression to their real thoughts and views. So we find them insisting on the policy of public voting on.qaes' tions affecting Federatkmists, knowing full well that by means of the militant and aggressive element in the ranks of the unions they can in most oases intimidate the more reasonable section, Their bitter hostility to tbo secret ballot is- due to ■their fear that if the members of the unions are allowed to exercise an independent judgment they will refuse' to follow the wild and reckless' plans for promoting industrial . strife. Far many years now it has been recognised in. public affairs that the individual should have the right to exercise a free and untrammelled vote without fsar of victimisation from anyone. The seerecy of the ballot is regarded as a sacred privilege conferring the fullest liberty to every citizen to vote as his judgment dictates. It is a bulwark of liberty. But the reactionary of the lied Federation type knows that it robs him of his to force men to vote as ho wills against their judgment and against their consciences. No stronger condemnation of the Fedoration, of Labour could be conceived than the fact that it fears to permit its members the right to a free exercise of their opinions. It of course may be said that members of unions should hot be deterred from voting as they think right because they arc compelled to do so openly. Those who argue in this fashion do not realise the methods of the strifemongers ; the ingenuity they, display in throwing odium on those who do not hold with them, and the often unfair and _ dishonest mariner in which. questions are put. In times of ' industrial turmoil _ a not uncommon method of stating a question to be voted on is: "All those in favour of the solidarity of Labour and of assisting the strike (or whatever it may be) go to this side of the room; all to the other." Is it surprising if in_ such eireumstanojs there are no dissentients 1 Or. is it surprising. that the moderate element prefer to stay away altogether and leave the running of the union's business to the extremists? The tyranny practised on the rank and file of some ol the unions is such as to make it practically a foregone conclusion that a fair and representative expression of opinion from members is impossible on any question on which the leaders have already made up their minds. Tho methods of the Federation are undemocratic and _ reactionary in almost every particular and can never succeed in an enlightened community. Yet there arc labour unions outside the ranks of the Federation who, simply because the reactionaries call to them in the name of Labour, are so stupendously foolish as to rank themselves on their side, ignoring the inevitable after-effects of such action on the minds of the general public. The Federation of Labour is a cancerous growth which has been eating into the vitais of legitimate labour unionism as well as threatening. the healthy develop' ment of the industries, and trade of the country. _ Those unions which arc assisting it in its present wan- . ton attack oft the public are merely assisting that evil growth which if not cheeked must eventually end in I their succumbing to its malign influence,