MR. BEN TILLETT.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXV, Issue 2228, 4 November 1907, Page 1

MR. BEN TILLETT.

THE CURSE OF THE CAPITALIST STRONG TALK. Mr Bon Tillett, English Sochdist and Labor louder, addressed a large audionco in tho Alhambra Theatre in D.unodiu on tho subject of Sncinlirin anil Capitalism. His lecturo was of a. strongly denunciatory character, and roused to enthusiasm tho greater nroporotion of liis lienrors. SOME STABS.

“You stole tlio land from the Maori, and brought him little knickknacks from Home, anil rum.” “Talk about the out-throa.tlament-ing that murder is a habit, why ho is a gentleman in comparison ■vjrli tlio capitalist, who would buy and sell and eat his own mother.”

“Your newspaper takes up this cant as well. Your editor mist to a flunkey of the capita.ist.—Clear, hoar.) Ho may say anything as long as it does not hurt tlio capitalist. If lie does —tlio big hoot.” “Then the parsons—God love them —they havo a hard time. The parson is another flunkey ef tho •'•ni>italist. —(Hear,hear.) f-lo will nut the crowd on ono side, but never tlio loaves and fishes. If ■ Christ were to perform again tho miracle of the loaves and fishes, the parson would ‘pindli’ ;tho loaves and fishes if ho could.”

“Wo have fed him (iho capitalist), clothed him, dressed his women, and given them all tlio orft jewellery; we have gathered every comfort and given him tho best of everything, and jiormitted him to go to Monto Carlo to gamble away our earnings —we do ■not car© so long as fie enjoys himself. How does he 'hank us? Sometimes he calls us ignorant, sometimes unwashed. (Sometimes lie says that we aro not intelligent. . . Why, hut for us lie would not be cl©in, he would not get food, lio could not dress himself, lie could not oat 1 is, own food. AVe rob our children for him —tho ungrateful, unmitigated cad, who would bo lousy if it were not for us. His women are unable to go and do their hack liair up Wo 'have got to wash them —I was going to say scrapie them.”—(Laughter ) “I suppose tho capitalists think they are doing a real service by filling up Heaven so soon in --he cemeteries.”

“Tho capitalist makes out that wo want to set class against class. AVe do not. AVe want only one class. If wo want to share anything at all .t is work. I believe tlie capital st would give us all his money if we did not ask him to work. 1 believe if wo brought a Bill in to m a ice every lit male work one hour a day .he Lords would disinter themselves from every hole of vice—why, they would rise from their very graves to vote against it.” , .. “AA’e do not want tho capitalists money. It does not represent :• farthing in the £ of tlio values of properties anil lands that exist. If they got all tlieir money and sat on it they could not lay an egg or.make a cup of coffee. And if they took the whole boiling lot of it where they ■are going it would not stand the climate. —(Laughter and applause.) AVe do not wish them to go to Hell. As I stand here, I wish to God they were all in Heaven They will call that sinister. Bless you, they •don’t want to go to Heaven. They would rather go to Monte Canlo.” “This is tho point of it. No man can become rich by working for another. He can only become rich by someone else working for him.” “AVe say to the temperance man, if every man in tho world was teetotal tliero would still bo poverty .under tho capitalistic system.”— (Hear, hear.) “If we hail the power we would prevent a single inch of land being given to any man ill the form of freehold. I can see on this visit to New Zealand a great movement rising'up, fed by tlio Press, by tho politicians, to rob you of your land, to rob your children of tlio right to own the land of New Zealand. It is in the guise of the right of the freeholder. I heard your Leader of tlio Opposition get. up and with crocodile tears in •liis eyes, bemoan the fate of the poor backhloclcer. Is ho representing the poor baokblocker P . . . The freeholder is a free hooter.”