LABOR AND SOCIALISM

Gisborne Times, Volume XXIII, Issue 1876, 4 October 1906, Page 2

LABOR AND SOCIALISM

ME BELL'S DEFENCE.

PRESS ASSOCIATION—COPYRIGHT Received 10.23 p.m., Oct. 3. London, Oct. 3

The Amalgamated Society of Railway Servants’ Conference at Cardiff, after a heated debate, resolved by 37 to .22, that Parliamentary candidates should sign ihe Labor Party’s condition to follow the Whip. Mr Bell general Secretary of the Society, and member for Derby, defending hfs refusal to accept this position, threatened to appeal to his constituents for continued support. Possibly his opponents at Derby would be Lord Ribblesdale’s son, Dr. Stanton Cort, editor of Ethics, or a similar genuine type of Labor member. It would be hypocricy 10 nominate capitalists as labor men against men spending their whole life in the interest of labor. Mr Burns was attacked for accepting two thousand pounds on account of Mr Snowdon a socialist who was not much in the House, made fifteen hundred to two thousand pounds a year writing for newspapers. The Party’s representative* were unable to go to the colonies owing to the shortness of the recess, yet Mr Macdonald had gone because he represented two Liberal newspapers. Regarding the new rule he would challenge anyone to say that he (Mr Bell) had ever in his Parliamentary career committed any act against the interest of labor. If he had not done -sSO what more was required ? Mr Bell o'oncluded by protesting against Trade Union funds going to the maintenance of members of a political party. Trade Unionists were able to co-operate with any party willing to helf them, but to attempt to amalgamate a Socialist organisation with Trade Unionists was like mixing oil and water. The resolution to compel h'm to sign the Party’s constitution was defeated by forty-three to five. Mr Bell, interviewed, said: The Socialists have changed their tactics. They have adopted a new rule, which is not to have immediate effect, but contemplates handing myself to the Socialist section after the present Parliament, when I as a candidate must swallow their nostrums or lose the amalgamated Society’s financial support, but I will be faithful to duty. The Standard states that the Independedt Labor Party has drawn first blood and Labor Liberalism must acknowledge the scratch.