KEIR HARDIE.

NZ Truth, Issue 127, 23 November 1907, Page 7

KEIR HARDIE.

THE BRITISH LABOR LEADER:

In Canada, m Japan, and m India.

WHY CANADIANS DETEST BOOTH'S IMMIGRANTS.

Why Hardie was Lionized m Bengal.

The latest issue of the "Labor Leader" received m this office contains some most interesting details of the travels of Keir Hardie (the leader of the British Labor Party m the House of Commons) m Canada, Japan and India. The account of his Canadian' experiences is the work of Mr- Hardie himself. He was the first editor of the "Labor Leader," and still contributes to it frequently. The account of his experiences m Japan, which is very interesting, is the work of a Japanese Socialist. Socialism, it may be mentioned, has already made some headway m Japan, and it bas its press and its organisations m that country. As a Socialist, Mr Keir Hardie was welcomed by the Socialists of Japan. The account of Keir Hardies Indian j experiences is not from a Labor or ""Socialist source, but it is evidently considered by the editor of the "Labor Leader" to be trustworthy, and oertainlv differs considerably from accounts published m tbe / Australasian daily press.

Let us read, first, Keir Harrtie's account of his impressions of Canada. Here it is :— In Canada: By J. Keir Hardie, M.P.Quebec, Montreal, Ottawa, Toronto, Port Arthur, Fort William, Winnipeg, Calgary, Banff, Vancouver, Nan aini p , . and- : Victor ia— the, se were the cifies at which' 'I "was able to break the journey across Canada. At all of them there was an embarrassing welcome from old friends - and from the officials of ttie Trade Union and Socialist movements. As. I had not made official notification of the date of my coming, there was' some confusion and a good deal of uncertainty about the arrangements, arid I had to explain over and over ae-ain that my desire had been to pass through Canada incog., merely storing to shake hands with a few friends,, and colleagues en route.

RUN TO EARTH. Bat it is not thus that Canadians allow visitors to enter and leave their domain. Quebec Trade Council appointed George Marois to go to Rimousto and hail every ship that passed, and this he did for a. whole week, misled by a false report conomiine: nvv departure from Liverpool. J\JcM tve.nl Trade Council deputed Adolpli V?rvpille M.P.. to proceed to Quebec and meet me there ; and so on and so nn. At Revelstoke, N. R. Trotter, t-he organiser of the Trades Co-ngro.ss, look me m charge, and from then until I boarded the Em:>rpßs of China at Victoria he was a 1 faithful and devoted travelling companion and friend. I fear I pave but a" "f ; o!- return for all this care for I mv well-bring, and succeeded m vex- J imr. if not not a few good ' friends; hut, under the .circumstances. I could do no other, and they vnll, I am sure, accept this apology and explanation.

GENERAL IMPRESSIONS : TOO HURRIED A VISIT FOR DOGMATISING. In what follows I don't desire to be held as setting myself' up as an r authority .on things Canadian. My stay m the Dominion was much too: short to do more than obtain scraps of information here, and there. I endeavored to put the time to the best possible use, and was at some pains to test the information suppjied me, particularly when it affected the working classes ; but, after making full allowance for this, what is here set clown is done so tentatively and hesitatingly, and not as, an ex cathedra deliverance from"; which there is no appeal. The statement of fact may be regarded as genuine, and the expressions of opinion taken for what they are worth.

THE EMIGRATION TOUTS. One specially learns that all the truth about Canada is not told m the advertisements of the emigration touts. If the Hudson Bay Company agents have libelled, it, as they appear to have done badly, for reas-

ons of their own, m regard to its climate and resources, the modern tout is equally guilty of suppressing the truth" m another direction. That wages are high compared with those at Home is true ; that a man has more chances of .getting on m life is also a fact. In newly-opened country these things are bound to be so. But there is another side to the picture, which should not be forgotten. For the .first few years the chances are that the emigrant will have to put up with conditions which he would not tolerate at Home. To me the wooden shack or the log cabin are attractive rather than otherwise, especially m the summer months ; but to. occupy one m the winter, when the thermometer is reg-.i storing 40 degrees below ro, and there is no work to be had, and fuel and food are both scarce and dear, cannot be a pleasant experience. .

LONDON "LORDS OF THE UNIVERSE" BARRED.. Then, again the newcomer must be prepared to turn his. hand to anything that offers. I was not long m the country before I ran up against a fact which surprised and startled me : "The English emigrant is not popular m Canada.". This remark applies m a special degree .to the Londoner. Professor Mayor has: an advertisement cut from a local paper asking for workmen, and which states that no English need apply, Scotsmen, ..Welshmen, .Irishmen, and Scandinavians are the favorites, pretty much m the order; given. The reason, so far as j.cojild make out, for this strange fact, is "the Englishman's inveterate habit of grumbling, and his unwillingness to adapt himself to- hew conditions' >. He reaches Canada with the notion that, being from the Mother Country, he knows all there is to be learned. •'■ He wants the sanie kind of house as he had m Seven Dials, and where • the method of work or the arrangement of the workshop differs from what he has- been, used to, he sets that down to the ignorance of the. colonist, whom he has come to instruct. For him there is only one standard of protection, to which he is always referring, .and the consequence is that by workmates and 'employers alike he is generally voted a nuisance. Needless to say, • there are many exceptions to this generalisation, and amongst farmers the York.shireman or the Cumbe'rlawd dalesman is as welcome as the Scotchman: .but of the existence ;of • the fact m a stron'clv-m firmed form there is no manner of doubt whatever. The Salvation Army. it is said, supplips by far the largest proportion of this tine of emigrant.

SKILLED WORKERS THANKFUL FOR UNSKILLED LAEOR.

Now, adaptability is the first essential to success m a new country. The man who will not turn his hand to anything that offers had better stay at home. This' is particularly so at present, where, m nearly every town m Canada there is an oversur>!\lv of labor. Emigration is pouring men into the country more rapidly than the market can absorb them, and, with, every passing year, the difficulty of at once stepping into a job and a bit of land is increasing. I met a- young Bradfordian at Calgary, an engineer, with certificates and credentials galore, who had been five months m the country, and who, when I saw him..

WAS CLEANING PRIVIES, and glad of the job. Mr- Wl R. Trotter, of the Typographical Society, met a young Aberdonian m the . same place,, a stonemason, one of a gang of 60 men engaged m drain cutting. An analysis of the 60 showed that 20 were stonemasons, six were . carpenters, r one was a baker, one a draper, four were bricklayers, " and two were plumbers. These were all men who had been' lured out by florid advertisements, but who had been unable up to then to find- work at their trade,

though many of them had been m the country for months. At Winnipeg things were even worse, that city being, a -sort of clearing house for the West, and there, as a consequence, a great many men got temporarily stranded.

The account of trie Japanese tour was written by a native of Japan, S. J. Kalayama. It appeared m

THE "SOCIALIST WEEKLY" for August 25, which is published at Tokio. This interesting and somewhat , quaint narrative is as follows :

"Through a miswritten type m Hardies letter, we expected him m Sept-ember. He arrived at Yokohama on the 18th ult. by the steamer Express. He came to, Tokio and stayed over a night at Comrade Sakai's. He preferred" a quiet country home to staying . at an hotel within the city. The writer, with a few comrades, met him at Shimbashi station, walked over to Hibiya Park, and there rested half an hour- , By jinriksha the writer accompanied him to the English Embassy. From the Embassy we went to the Educational Department' to meet the Minister. "Comrade" Hardie had a short

INTERVIEW WITH THE MINISTER

on the elementary education system m Japan. From there we came to the Agricultural Department, where we met the Minister, and discussed some aspects of the land tenure ,In Japan, and also on the possible effect of English protection on" the Japanese trade. . • "In the afternoon Comrade Hardie accompanied me to Kingsley Hall, where comrades from the city were waiting to meet him. Mr Hardie answered questions from several comrades on his experiences and the movem ent m Great Britain , who listened to bis talk with great interest. His presence at the Hall gave great cheer, , and many were encouraged : 'bv his earnest words. A few comrades took supper with him at a restaurant, after which he went with Comrade Sakai to' spend a nifht m a genuine Japanese 'home. On the 22nd, Mr Hardie (Jame;lb the Imperial Hotel, to nieet one Harry Pato, Japanese agent for Reuter 1 , m Tbkio. " ••' ';. .."

■\ 'After a. short interview with him, Mt Hardie went

TO SEE COUNT ; OKUMA. A long interview was heid with the Count on Socialism and social questions m Japan. The Count expressed himself, m quite a dogmatic fashion, and did it freely on the matter. To the question why the Japanese Government persecutes Socialists so severely the . Count answered that the fault is on both sides ; some Socialists are hot-headed, and attempt to realise things m Japan at once what they read m Western .hooks. They swallow these ideas, and; try to feed the< workers directlf with them. This matter our " Government took too seriously, and was afraid of the spread, of ideas that might corrupt the people, which is a false impression, of course. . . ''The Count., said,: among other things., that the ideals of our Soy- : ereign m the past have been Socialistic, The-JCount, moreover, corroborated his^ argument by quoting historical data, saving that at . a single message of his Majesty the Emperor,, all the feudal lords returned their estates to him without a word of complaint, and WITHOUT COMPENSATION! . "The Count explained with enthusiasm that he had been advocating extension of the franchise m Japan. His idea is to limit it- by educational qualifications only. As to the means of accomplishing this reform, the Count sounded a high note of compelling the Government by means of organising the masses. "It was an interesting interview. Hardie explained and corrected some mistaken notions of Socialism, and expounded the aims and nriricinles •">? Socialism. At the meeting, presided over by Comrade Tazoye, the writer, speaking on behalf of his Japanese comrades, expressed a hearty and sincere welcome to hinv

THANKED HIM FOR COMING to Japan and addressing us, and introduced him to the audience. Mr Hardie spoke about an hour and a half. The writer translated it into Japanese. Every one m the house enjoyed and were interested versr much m his speech. The speech, no. doubt, encouraged our comrades very much; and it will help pur future agitation. Mr Hardie left the city m the afternoon for Kyoto. We accompanied him to "the Sbimbashi Station and shook hands and said good-bye to him. As he slowly

moved out, we gave Hardy omr hearty Banzai.

Now, comes the Indian tour. No, information from exclusively '

LLABOR OR SOCIAL DEMOCRATIC.

SOURCES •'■ . f is published ; but what does appear,' is no doubt considered by the, "Labor Leatler" editor to be sufficiently trustworthy. The editor of the "Labor Leader" thus comments on the Indian tour :-—

"In his speech -at .Liverpool before embarking; on his voyage round the world, Mr Keir Hardie declared with an' emphasis, which was marked by all present, that' wherever 'he went, he would know no color, race or creed. This was with him no idle phrase;it was one of *is prophetic utterances. It had been, strikingly •■■••fulfilled m what is termed the 'remarkable ....

AND' EXCEEDINGLY UN-.

' . PLEASANT . incident which 'took, place on Thursday week m connection with his visit, to the prison at Serajsaiij, m India, thjs brief story , , of ■ which ...has been cabled by the "Central Newf?:"

"It is just such incidents as this that touch the .popular imagination, and' we- are not' at all surprised to learn that Mr Hardie is being received everywhere .m India with remarkable enthusiasm by the, ji'eople, Hi's visit, -indeed,' .'seems. Iftqfe .'"-'to 1)10:% up' /the, vatioie •pbiM.'ical , ;situiition in' India. . ••. ( x

"The animus of • the. Anglorliidian is such - that we warn our ., readers affaihst .accepting the reports of ,Mr Hardies spceclics of the excited ,aoc'ounts of tlje c]vn.racter -of his campaign. Mr Hardie is not the [man to feed the . . .. ; .'.,'.'

: FLAME OF R A CE HATRED -.- or merely sectional sttife. His' demand for constitutional; Govcrnnicut and the social emancipation of ' M\4 down-trodden . masses of India is one that will.! receive ;', the assent of- the entire Labor and Socialist 'forces- of the country." . *' !

Here is the account of the "remarkable and 'Exceedingly unpleasant""" incident ;—' •■" :■ *"■

"Judging by the incident which has .been reported m the, ; "Central News" telegram from ' Calcutta, dated September .27. Mr Keir Hardie, who is at present m India, making what a press correspondent lias described as a triumphal " tour of Eastern Bengal,, should have some highly interesting criticism U\ make on the attitude of the British ofTicnxl towards the Bengali. The incident refcrrpd to is reported as follows:—

"Mr Keir Hardie, M.PVv yesterday paid a visit -of inspection : 1o the prison at Serajganj, v and during *lvis stay there figured m ' - ' : %

A REMARKABLE INCIDENT.; He 'was accompanied by a :prqminent Bengali named Ohowdhry, a;.memiber of the late Legislative Council, and it is stated that soon after their arrival Mr Ainslie, the -.resident Magistrate, anpeared on the scene and'ordered Chowdhrv , to,,. leave, -the ..prison at once, saying to him. m an insulting manner, 'Your place is m the road.' ■■■.-.

"Mr Keir Hardie: was thunderstruck, and declaring that Mr Ainslie's conduct was a disgrace to the nation he was supposed to represent, and that he .would refuse to associate with anyone behaving m such a manner townrds a gentleman. He thereupon ' left the prison with Chowd'hrv. ; ' :

"On the Monday following:, Mr Keir Hardie addressed a public meeting at Barisal, m the course of which he said he would; do his best to assist m making Iridia ' '<■

A SELF-GOVERNING COLONY, like Canada.

','The full programme of' Mr Keir, Hardje's India tour is published by the Bengal papers, and crowds and; decorations await him at every station. The Bengali newspapers contain long narratives of the Labor leader's journey, and he ' is interviewed every day.' The deepest gratitude is expressed to him for his chivalrous espousal of the Hindu people's cause," r

London ''Justice" thus comments on Keir Hardies championships, of the oppressed and half-starved ryots of India :-? "We are very -glad, indeed, to observe that Mr Keir Hardie was taken advantage of his trip ./to, India to express his opinion of the disgraceful system of despotism and bleeding to death' which Mr John Mprley, as a Radical Secretary of State; so earnes_tlv supports and. expends. In so. doing he speaks on. behalf of. the mass of the', workers of Great Brit-., aih and Ireland, and W.e hope, that on his return there will be- no .further exchange, of fulsome compli-t ments between himself and Mr Moi>: ley. . but that he will, with o,'Grady: and Thorne and Grayson, lead, a vigorous attack • upon th.c Government m theOHbuse of Commons, and ex-., pose. ........ , . .

ITS MUSCOVITE INFAMIES m India. They may rely upon our hearty co-operation outside. By doing what he has done, Hardie has rendered good service to India, „ .to England, 'and to humanity at large. India is entitled to the control of her own destinies, and the sooner our bloodsucking misgovernment is •put to an end the better. The working classes of the United Kingdom are not m the least benefited, as; we have continually decfared, ■ by the shameful tyranny which Hardie so properly denounoes on the spot. Humanity is outraged, by the desrpotic methods that find favor with Liberals Indians themselves, arehopelessly ruined and crushed by our rule. Nobody gains by it but the dominant class here and

THE MONEY-LENDING CLASS ' .there. The Tory press is publishing a list of Mr Morley's' Indian victims to high-souled patriotism,. and, challenging him to treat 'Keir Hardie m like fashion/ The Radical press, including the "Daily News,' is showing m like manner how much its' sham profit-monger sympathy with India amounts to by 'calling upon the Labor Party to repudiate Hafdie's utterances. Meanwhile, however, the Indians themselves, encouraged by Hardies plnin speaking, ' are carrying on their patriotic and ■justifiable agitation with 1 more zeal than ever below the surface. It is. for us to give them all the help we can." ■ ■