1956-10-31 — Page 4

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THE CHINA MAIL, WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 31, 1956.

THE KEIR HARDIE STORY

TURNING POINT-NOW IT'S HARDIE, M.P.

I

By EMRYS HUGHES

De

From now on it was to war on the Liberals. "The wea- Wrote pon has been forged," Hardie.

"A

General Election will come, and it is for us to sco no Liberal gets returned Better a at who is not with u

If Hardie would only stand

N 1888 the Liberal MP and explained how unfortunate for Mid-Lanark rei was that Liberals and Labour

should fight each other. Hurdle had signed. lived and worked in the constituency, and it was not surprising that he

stand by urged to miners.

down in Mid-Lanark he would that

give him an assurance that

W the General Election he would thousand times an open foe than the be adopted a mewhere, the a secret enemy. The wolf in Liberal Party paying hie ex- sheep's clothing is always most penses and guaranteeing him a to be feared."

salary-300 was the yearly sum hinted aí.

The working class Labour MP's of those days were re- turned to Westminster through the support of the Liberal Party "Lib-Labs" they were known as. Hardie was on the Liberal Associa- tion's Het of candidates.

Mid-Lanark was EL sent

have that should

been fought by a Lib-Lab man. But, without consulting the electors, the local Executive Welsh chose n young lawyer, Mr J. W. Phillips, later to become ↓ dls tinguished financier, Lord St Davids.

Fight Was On

JARDIE immediately reinvent

The Mid-Lanark election, the It was a templing offer to a activities of the Scottish Labour young man like Hardie, living Party, the conflicts at the TUC had now hand to mouth on a with the old school, trum

Keir Hardle meagre salary. To his surprise, made the name of Trevelyan received an abrupt known south of the Border. and emplate NO. The fight was Miss A novelist, On going Florence Harkness, paid the election expenses of £270.

Beginning Of End

In South West Ham, near of London, there was a group working men Radicale who had captured the local Liberal As sociation. They wrote to Hardie asking him if they should nominate him as their candidate and he accepted.

for the This was a problem He hud

Headquarters and Liberal

their National Schnadhorst, Agent, was by no means pleased that the stubborn Scotsman who had caused all the trouble Mid-Lanark had now arrived in London.

HARDIE received 617 votes to

the Liberal's 3,847. been overwhelmingly defeated, but it had been a significant and historic election. It was the first me that Labour had slood, I dependent, deflaal, as a separate political party. with its own programme and policy

of the It was the beginning end for the Liberal Party. Keir Hardie had lost the by-election but had created

Hasure to the lateralist, and unterwards, the Part met his supportera and decided shared Hardle's views carne to- to fight both Turies and Liberals gether to form a Scottish Labour as a Labour candidate. Liberals, anxious to avoid a split in the vole, did their best to get bim to withdraw

The Party.

Three months later, on August 20, a conference was held at the Waterion Rooms, Clasgow, and was the Scottish Labour Party hard. Ker Handle was appointed

Bir George Trevelyan, a lead ing Liberal MP, asked Hardie to meet him. He was very polite secretary.

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CITILI. He argued to himself, use fellows at SW Hom were an awkward lot and it was not

10

persuade an easy matter Hardle to withdraw from a fight. The discreet line for the Liberals would be to leave Hardie to be delealed at SW Ham and not to Itz case the trouble interfere spread to ather London 2017- giftueneles.

Schnadhurst invited Bardie to meet him a fels office and met with a refusal. Later they met in the pre- on neutral ground

sence of a third party. Schnad- hurst, wishing to plachte Herdle, do to aid asked what he could him in SW Hum. "Nothing,' was the reply, "except to keep out of the way."

Hardle was convinced that the seat could be won, and oddress- ed a series of open air meetings at the dock gates, many of the at 5.30 in the morning when the dockers went to their work.

Cuuninghame-Graham, Liberal MP for NW Lanarkshire and Arm friend of Hardle, went to a vivid help him, and wrote

of the district of description Canning Town: "A very miera- cosm of the nineteenth century Street upon street of world. half-cocked brick abominations, falsely called houses: here and there a Little Bethel' chapel, in its hideousness making sweet re- ligion a

rhapsody of bricks and stucco. An air of desolation over

HOTEL

TRAYALGAR

|Ingitä" Sellara walim

vive! mr nelson

BAR

TILES

MILITARY POLL

'Well,' I said, 'I'm fad up and want to go home,' and this sailor said, 'England expects every man to do his duty, chum,' and

I said, "Nelson wasn't always so hot at doing what he was told, chum,' then he flipped me one, then I flipped him one ;.;.“

He no

longer shouts and no longer struts on Formosa --but the "Gimo" is not yet to be

not_yet

T

endless ordinates.

no

written off-

THERE MAY STILL BE HOPE FOR CHIANG

the

By Les

a delicate and Sun's Kugintang took over.

furn

WIS

ruled

vacuum, and

All it.

Armour

nearly the whole of Chine

Then he turned on the Com, munista

Stulwell afterwards General wrote: "Fifty or a handed years ago, Chiang might have been an acceptable leader of China. Since Dr Sun's death in 1925, But his lack of education handi- Chiang had been as near to capped him under modern con- titular head of the government ditions. The picture wo Beog as any one, He removed the clearly is dark to him. He Communists from the govern- hurdles logic by using his intui-

dismisses proven

ment and ordered Borodin, the 100 by saying Chinese fogla

of

course,

wat The

Erk

fact,

from

were government

dictator

La different.

At the Cairo conference with Churchill and Roosevelt in 1943, of the Allied aides re- ported alarmed,

behaved like Hitler.

Chiang

Neither General Stillwell nor, the Allied

aldes--who, under-

standably, found Chiang dinleit taken as Impartial -can be observers.

Yet it is clear fromm

the records of the period that Chiong was running into serious trouble,

He was still out of touch with the modem world, still torn be- his instinctive feeling

O 11 the then and for long after that a north and succeeded in unifying other hand, moral revolution, a return to Formosa sacred principles, "would rescue government is their country from its decline,

The Marchus did fail and Dr artificial thing. The young Chiang proved him- 2 hoi-house plant; and the self an üble mallary leader in the uprising. He was made old man with

Chief of Start. bis curious

Within a short time, however, Russian adviser to the govern combina-

both he and Dr Sun began to ment, to leave the country. uon of Metho- realise the

mormity

their of

To all appearances he had de- dis principles undertaking. What they want cided long before to break with

at the earliest some and Confudan ed

a moral revolution, the Communists outlook is not Their conviction that the possible moment. really strong replacement of 龋 morally lax DICTATOR unough to

government by a morally alert it into

[UE' result, it T win would goverment

to have

merely another split. quickly proved very HE Generalissimo is anything else.

Communists Formosan home, been based on a taulty premise. From his 69 today and history must look queer indeed. In fact, in

the operating deposing he looks older than In 1887, when he was born, Manchus they left a political Hankow and were in no way politicians of subordinate to the Kuomintang he is. He is quiet the Mandhu dynasty still the whole place that only modern and reserved, now. He no

with some semblance

It was about that time that civilisation gives. On one skłe.

longer shouts it has the In Chelelang provine of why every hue and it rushed in to overnment in the Kuon

father was a poverty hla

Local ""warlord" ~ ex-officers the first signs of the incs of endless docks and on

He longer stricken peasant, life was still of the various armies-in parti- began to appear in Chiang. He tween the other lincs of

ruled by ancient custom, and cular had a field day, and large had learned that only a tough, that China must have a strong misery,"

struts.

as such was B

central "government"

country became, centralised government stood a

government and There is an air of benc-

constant hope thought in fact, feudal holdings run by chance. hardly anyone

that, somehow, thing The

But the business sickened the volence about him.

who

moral about.

revolution would unashamed titie "Generalissimo"

him and, three years later, after He grew up in the period robber barong,"

tho Јарелеве marcited Into It was becoming daily

Even then the importance of once either grand or im- when

FACTIONS

Manchuria he resigned to start economics and sociology eluded "It wrote:

a more clear to the outside world out posing a little like

or

move him. China that

governed

The Communists, the Yuan Shib-bat, who con- ment based on the Methodist Japanese, and the warlords were the comic opera, depending on tradition, ignorant of techno. Sun resignce in favour of a "moral regeneration" the how you looked at it-now logy and looking only inward, trolled much of North China and principles he had absorbed from to him simply bad and

In various could never survive in competi- showed some promise of being his wife, Mayling Boong.

evidence scems pitiful.

Chiang 1934, ho started a full-scale the

ale the spread of moral rot, 19 He Is like the South Ameri- tion with the West. Occidental able to restore order.

*NEW

Life

Movumen!"

It did who must wear commerce spread fast and in and many of the revolutionary can admiral

pot occur to him that curious combination lauders installed themselves in

of the

the lack of an

economie bass Methodism and Confucianism, ment ot much China

the country and Its Both these attracted immense mediaeval social systems would any other admiral beccause he

however, proved little The young Chiang, meanwhile, has no ships.

place in Won And yet Chiang is not yet to

queror or civil disobedient. in 1916, went down to defeat in have cul very deep. Не be written off.

By 1880, Chiang was back in an abortive, attempt to hav

the tray. One

or inte

generals... himself proclaimed Emperor.

From there the battle was on Chang Hsuch-lang-kidnapped THE war ended with another Dr Sun and Chiang him in zo effort to persuade him split with" the Communists, in carnest. wont to Canton and con- to come to terms with the who had all along continued to centrated in consolidating South Communists and issue a joint govern sizable areas of the

declaration China

against north. In 1921, Dr Sun tried again Japan, which was on the verge The old struggle

full-scale war again. realise that the hard veneer of THEN, in 1008, he found him-

self in Japan for special to form a provisional govern of launching efficiency imposed by the Con-

The effect ment in Canton,

The but warring against Calna proper.

Co

promferd munist regime on the mainland military training.

In the end, Chiang did come bread and eflcient government. must have been rather like factions drove him out, and be can only, yet, be skin deep.

A New Party

Hardle he

0 is difficult to mike

10

exactly whether j is Socialistic programune or clear grit of the man that has

1 incline impressed them. think the latter, as programmes LCES are many, men are few. elequent than Burns, less dog- matic than Mana, less preacher then Tillett. Keli Hardle tras, nevertheless, somo

none qualities which

of them

written He alone of Labour posacsses. leaders

of

#

0

areas of the

men

by

R

were

come.

for

Succeses

nis

their

more stripes on his sleeve than fact, became the real govern estive than Dr Sun and, attention, but. neither seems to niways leave it prey to any, con

known to me, at any little island

rate, has something poetle about

times.

al

Thero Wes

American

THOW

military

is not acudemy-a shrine of tradition, insulated from all off in Formosa, the carefully

overflowing that was going on in the world. with refugees, hangers-on, and His educaliom only widened the his personallly and his speeches."

military

advisers, gulf between his view of the written off in the world and the real world. The toples that Hardie talked He is not

back streets

of Hongkong, VISIONARY about were not those which the

where the teeming thousands electors usually heard about riection nothing of the political checp- jacle about him. He appealed to their manhood and their self- respect; he wanted to make un- employment, low wages and bad housing the real issue of politics. He wanted a new party, a party that would fight In Parliament for the working class-a Labour

Party!

Ite

PARADISE

no c

490

of

(war

CORRUPTION"

was

on

social engineers, "land Their 05

armies moved. Chiang was, as of old

but weaker now-and-corruption.

Д cliff. Already. and Chiang were forced to to terms with the Communists. Chi

Chiang promised morality is not even written off falling of

Japan was competing with the sex refuge in Shanghal, where But the Japanese moved befoto and desperately compromised in Washington.

West at its own game and some sembisase of order sull the new unity could become with the warlords who often as Most important, perhaps, he winning steadily on points.

effcetive. Neniding fell on not, betrayed him to

him to the Com- remained. has not written himself off.

There, 100, he met the

years later, they wera. Dezember 18, 1037 and the munists, scholarly visionary, Sun Yat- back with a little more success, Chinese troope fled pell melk. The Communists were highly Was sent to Russia to RETREATS their organisation grow as fast

skilled Chiang Dr. Sun was fired with the act as liaison with Russian The result was a victory with really is doing some of the

I things he used to talk about: vision of a New China, a liberal leaders who were prepared to HIANG once more threw up

of freed

his political offices but this the a majority of 1,232 over the Tory. His island goverment does democracy

back Suit in his attempt to

time merzity in order to assume At 30, Keir Hardle had won his boar

Manchus, but dedicated to an restore order. some resemblance to a way into Parliament, the first democratic regime,

Corrup- cent moral principles. It is was during that visit that direct command of the army despread fast in his ranks,

that Chiang hay Chiang developed his almost In effect, he established a In the end there was nothing tion is certainly the exception probable

those fanatical

hatred cf. Cam- milltary government, respon for it but exile, to Formosa, rather than the rule among his never recovered from

carly meetings

munism. He saw in Russia the sible, in theory, to a president Even

then, officera.

Li Tsung-Jen, D problems andthesis China's

but in fact, answerable, pinced Chlane ki one of his, Nta Dr. Sun saw He

prezident who had re- puppet has given some new.

TOTAL: The revolution order,

one but himself P thought to the question of how as predominantly

of resignation, contoo China might be governed Maschus were decadent dense, and above all, utter ruthious The rout became an humanely and efficiently.

and morally, blind"," They Had ness. The visit scene to have retreat, and Chiang eventually right to rule Formosa -

independent Labour MP..

V (AR_Rights Reserved) .

TOMORROW :. Member For The

Unemployed

$5.

1956 GILES ANNUAL

stock will be limited.

Bookings accepted a

SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST LTD. HONG KONG

and must pay the penalty,

of

the

quite simply In the face lacted their responsibilities (convinced him that his original established". hlav Movernment 2d was the. President:

interior love Formosa, «Das Te infoTTER his return, however," government took shape and his ") "The day could actually come loss educated China, were 4% he arranged a deal with the defences proved; adequate," Witr? really appl

His importance may Fultimate-

bellef was right what was securely in Chungking sur and Chiang Just while the Communist re-

of the citizen when It never seems to have oc- gime suts worse, the Formbea curred to De: Sun, and still lessed was a moral revolution, rounded by the

·WARLORDS did it occur to regime may get better,

his word was absolute, But Chiang's that

argued th

E', that--the cor made no pro the ・ mainland," "

of China's

when

xom Formosa will look liko To provent that, the ecotiomle, anid - sociological, The Communists, They and the World War II came Allied help, the resignation of

the Com trouble was that China had no Kuomintang would collaborate but Chiang, stil, nourishing hb, and Chiang had thecel

which, to with= minists

and rout the warlords for may be more careful weapons with

old hatred of the foreigner; not, President all, along. a good of stunth. They won, of in what they do.

stand the economie penetration and all

the West Chiname

that

social At

2. Comph i was a sorry, spectac that time, the Kuomintang America's General may organisation with 10 depen still only controlled the souths Vinegar Joe Bulwell, who Since then crumble in exactly the same totally united, for an Industrial Including Polding and bur

denco on var family units, was the whole of the north eventually! way that Chiang's did-and-by

It may even be that the munist government

the time there could even bed oxstence mainly in warlord and JUTA government la Formosa gab 300% De Bun, and..

Derty In Communist funds 431 cursed, the fareLEDGY who

to” be recalled,