FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   36   37   38   39   40   41   42   43   44   45   46   47   48   49   50   51   52   >>  
I am not prepared to see them made to pay exclusively. Let all pay according to their means. It is a thoroughly vicious idea that money should be taken out of the pocket of one man, however rich, in order to be put into the pocket of another, however poor. That is a bad, anti-national principle, and I hope the Unionist Party will take a firm stand against it. And this is an additional reason why we should raise whatever money may be necessary by duties upon foreign imports, because in that way all will contribute. No doubt the rich will contribute the bulk of the money through the duties on imported luxuries, but there will be some contribution, as there ought to be some contribution, from every class of the people. And now, in conclusion, one word about purely practical considerations. We Unionists, if you will allow me to call myself a Unionist--at any rate I have explained quite frankly what I mean by the term--are not a class party, but a national party. That being so, it is surely of the utmost importance that men of all classes should participate in every branch and every grade of the work of the Unionist Party. Why should we not have Unionist Labour members as well as Radical Labour members? I think that the working classes of this country are misrepresented in the eyes of the public of this country and of the world, as long as they appear to have no leaders in Parliament except the men who concoct and pass those machine-made resolutions with which we are so familiar in the reports of Trade Union Congresses. I am not speaking now about their resolutions on trade questions, which they thoroughly understand, but about resolutions on such subjects as foreign politics, the Army and Navy, and Colonial and Imperial questions, resolutions which are always upon the same monotonous lines. I do not believe that the working classes are the unpatriotic, anti-national, down-with-the-army, up-with-the-foreigner, take-it-lying-down class of Little Englanders that they are constantly represented to be. I do not believe it for a moment. I have heard Imperial questions discussed by working men in excellent speeches, not only eloquent speeches, but speeches showing a broad grasp and a truly Imperial spirit, and I should like speeches of that kind to be heard in the House of Commons as an antidote to the sort of preaching which we get from the present Labour members. And what I say about the higher posts in the Unionist Army appli
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   36   37   38   39   40   41   42   43   44   45   46   47   48   49   50   51   52   >>  



Top keywords:

Unionist

 

speeches

 

resolutions

 

members

 

Labour

 

national

 
classes
 

questions

 

working

 
Imperial

foreign

 

contribute

 

country

 

contribution

 
duties
 

pocket

 
Congresses
 

machine

 

preaching

 

familiar


Commons
 

reports

 

antidote

 

higher

 

public

 
leaders
 

concoct

 

present

 

speaking

 

Parliament


politics

 

foreigner

 

unpatriotic

 

eloquent

 

excellent

 
discussed
 

constantly

 
represented
 

Englanders

 

Little


monotonous

 
showing
 

moment

 

subjects

 

understand

 

Colonial

 
spirit
 

additional

 
reason
 
principle