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these men wouldAPPEAL TO THE LEGISLATURE to help by vote of sympathy or otherwise to reduce the rates. In the United States this appeal had been made to Teddy Roosevelt, but before he could move a hand the railway employees had protested against any reduction lu rates as It would mean a corresponding reduction in wages. It was the same in British Columbia. He had no doubt If they got reduced rates that the business men of Vancouver would not charge the workingman more than $1.25 a pair for his overalls, but It seemed to him that no matter which way it went the w'orkmen would have to suffer anyhow and if he were approached by the business men of Vancouver he would simply have to tell them to “go away back and sit down.” Mr. Hawthornthwaite then gave a short sketch of the histories of the two great political parties, and coming down to British Columbia said that the McBride Government represented the capitalist class and the Liberal Opposition represented the middlemen of the Province. He held that the greatest enemy of the workingmen was this sameREFORM PARTYeverywhere, because they were in the lest stages of capitalism and If the Reform Party got In they would probably maintain it for a few decades more by their palliatives and retard the advent of the co-operative commonwealth. The only position for the Socialist members in the House to take meanwhile was to do what they could to relieve the burdens of the workingman by protecting life and limb and shortening the hours of labor. For the past two years whenever they had introduced a reform, the Liberal Party in the House had lined up to vote against It. When the Eight-Hour Bill for smelters came up Mr. McBride got up like a man and voted straight against it, but Mr. Macdonald, the Liberal Leader, professed the profoundest sympathy for the poor working men, but when It came to a division took up his hat and sneaked out and shirked the vote. With which would they prefer to deal, an open enemy or a foe of that kind?The speaker went on to say that you could not reform capital, and instanced Australia, where the effort* of o Labor Government had succeeded in driving capital out of the country, and com-TO MAKE ANNUAL RETURSshowing their expenditures and profits he said that when the Eight-Hour Bill for smelters was before the House at the last session deputations came there saying that if the Bill was passed they would be obliged to close down, and yet only lately the Granby Smelter had paid enormous dividends. He said he proposed to establish public slaughterhouses under Government inspection because the people of British Columbia were at present being poisoned by the meat they ate. Thousands of pigs and cattle were killed every year suffering from contagious diseases and they were compelled to eat them without knowing it. “Don't you think I want this changed altogether for your good.” added the speaker, “not a bit of it. I don’t want to be poisoned myself.” (Laughter).Mr. Hawthornthwaite added that still if all these measures were passed it would amount to nothing as compared with the grand object for which the Socialists were fighting. He pooh-poohed the attempt to form a great Industrial Party and organise a general strike. There were only two ways that he knew of obtaining industrial freedom and that wasBY THE BALLOT OR BY THE BULLET.If the call to arms should be necessary he would respond to It as readily as any man, but for the sake of humanity and as long as they had the ballot and could obtain emancipation by peaceful methods that alone was the weapon they should use.They had seen It hinted in the capitalist press that at the close of the coming session they were to have another election in the Province. He did not know whether it was true, but if it was they would welcome again the challenge to battle. He was satisfied that the result would be that the representation of the Labor classes in British Columbia had doubled, tripled and quadrupled Its present standing In the Local House.“Therefore, I say, Dick McBride, bring on your fight,” concluded the speaker, “for the sooner they learn how this movement is going forward the better it will be for us all.” At the end of his oration Mr., Hawthornthwaite sat down amid a storm of applause.
Newspaper Details
Vancouver Western Clarion
Vancouver, British Columbia, CA
Sat, Dec 16, 1905
Page 4
Full Page
Clipped by
Anonymous
CA 28 Nov 2023
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