THE MINERS' LEADER.

Taranaki Daily News, 8 November 1919, Page 12

THE MINERS' LEADER.

A DUKE ON MR. SMILLIE. (This is the most powerful man in Britain to-day, as he appears to his Grace the Duke of Northumberland, according to the Daily Mail. ' It is a. curious side-light on social changes to find a Duke passionately urging his countrymen to be brave enough to stand up to a miner.) The Duke of Northumberland, who had a battle of words with Mr Smillic at the Coal Commission, in a speech at the Junior Constitutional Club recently, was sharply critical of the miners' leader. "Among other activities for which Mr. Smillie was responsible during the war," ho said, "was the foundation of a Labor, organisation to oppose compulsory ecrvice. At the notorious Leeds conference in June, 1917, which has been universally condemned as a bogus conference, he associated himself with Mr Ramsiy Mac Donald and Mr Snnwden and other pacifist leaders, and recommended tlie patching up of peace as 'the Allied Powers could not knock out the Central Powers.' 'At the same time he associated himself with what is known as the Russian revolution movement; he announced on May fith. 1917. at the Manchester and Silford Labor Party meeting, that he believed the time was not far distant When revolutions of a similar kind would tnke place in every country in Europe. He supported the formation of workers' and soldiers' councils, and as lately as November flth, 1018, was advocating open revolution, as witness the following message from him which was read at the Reunion of Rebels dinner, held at the Bell Inn, Holborn:— " 'Say to my comrades—that it is impossible for me to be present, as I am speaking to the men at Blackburn on Saturday for the purpose of urging them to refuse to recognise the Coalition Government and at opce form the Soviet Workers' Government, as the time is now arriving for the workers to control their own destiny.' "At a subsequent meeting at Glasgow on December 0, 1917, he said that he hoped the Labor Party would invite the Sinn Feiners to come over and help them. At this meeting the House of Commons was described as a 'cursed reactionary assembly,' and one gentleman said that they wore going to give the Prime Minister hell, to which delightful sentiments Mr Smillie replied with 'doesn't ho want it?'"

"fn face, of these demands at such a time, the Government did what it'has often done during the war; it ran away. The common sense, patriotism, and pul'i[lic spirit of the country, including the vast majority of Labor, would have sup- [ ported it had it frankdy appealed to them _ Instead of this, 'it. appointed a commission to inquire into the coal industry-" ' THE COAL COMMISSION. The Commission the Duke described as a "ludicrous and,- disgraceful farce." They "condemned the present ownership j and working of the country's greatest .industry after an injuiry 'lasting one short fortnight, Can anything more ridiculous be conceived? There is nobody | who does not know that the whole of ithis business is what is commonly known as a put-up job. the result of fear on the part of the Government as to what the Miners' Federation might do if that verdict were not recorded. Its verdict when given will not be worth the paper on which it is written." _ The first great advantage of the nationalisation scheme of the Miners' Federation "is the complete subservience of the Government and of Parliament to the Miners' Federation. The next great advantage is the multiplication of jobs which will become available for the executive of the Miners' Federation and their friends. Tmatine the carnival of corruption, bribery, jobbery, and tyranny which will exist under tha regime of the Mining Council. "The rela design of the Miners' Federation is to confiscate all land; it is obvious that there can be no other object in questioning the titles of owners to j the land, and Mr Smillie, when dial-! lenged by me, admitted he was for the 'taking over' of all land. Since landownership is in itself wrongful, it is absurd to suppose that Mr Smillie is willing to compensate the owners. This policy should prove of real interest to all those discharged soldiers who are to "be put back on the land."

, "The Miners' Federation appear to be u little nervous about this policy, so it is just as well to drive the point home * "HUMTLTATIXG." "Such is, the combination of jobbery, robbery, tyranny, and chicanery', placed before the country under the threat of paralysis of all industry if it is not granted without delay. "An*; it is to this form of tyranny that the Government are truckling. There is undoubted evidence that, whether through fear or some other cause, the Government lias been in collusion with those who are striking at the very root of British liberty and independence. There has ever been a time when Capital has been more ready to meet Labor demands, to sive the workers every concession possible and a fair share in the profits; it is these efforts which the Bolsheviks are determined to frustrate V.y rendering private enterprise impossible, by encouraging unemployment and State doles, and by preaching that falsest of all economic theories—the limital ion of production, "Mr Smiliie tells us that he does not want revolution 'if it can be helped.' Let us reassure him; it can be helped, and the way to do it is to stand up to Mr Smillic, who is only the usnaj type of aeitator who has run awnv before—notably from Mr Havelock Wilson"