Seven Books on the Labour Movement
| DOI | 10.1111/j.1467-9248.1961.tb00829.x |
| Date | 01 June 1961 |
| Author | Frank Bealey |
| Published date | 01 June 1961 |
| Subject Matter | Article |
NOTES AND REVIEW ARTICLES
189
wmmittees,
a
general
&
select
Committee is chosen, to whom all important matters are
re.
fed. When the time comes to
see
about the payment of
rates,
the Secretary
goes
to
the
Overseers’ Books, (as
a
ratepayer he can do this,
&
in the Townships
in
which he is not he gets
some one else to do it
if
the Overseer be
a
Tory
&
refuse, but which is not our case) and copies
the names of such of our friends
as
have not paid-he then calls upon the defaulters, persuades
them to pay
up-if
too
poor, he lends them money, but
always
is
repaid by
them-he
also
sees
that the Registration Shilling is paid, and examines the rate Book to discover if any of our
friends can be placed upon the register who have heretofore been omitted. When the time wmes
for watching the Lists,
the
district Committees are
called
together to go thro’ the Lists, &to
see
to whom objections
can
properly
be
made-again before the Barrister comes round-they meet
to give
&
to obtain information,
in
order that the Secretary may have matter for the Briefs for
the Solicitor’s defence of our friends,
&
for
his
attacks upon
our
antagonists. At an election we
have
a
small committee, say of two or three, without whose order no expense whatsoever is
to
be incurred-and also another small Committee, on whom devolves the superintendence of all
printing for which the Election Committee will pay. After all, these arrangements will do little
for you
unless
you have
a
very active and zealous Secretary,
who knows the town well
&
almost
every body in it-for Committees are not often very well attended,
&
one
good
secretary
is
worth
a
host of lounging, idle enquirers
for
news,
&
for the state of the Borough. Get
a
Secre-
tary as good as
ours,
&
you will find every year that your List of Voters stands better for you-
We do this,
&
have now nearly disabled the Tories from doing
us
any mischief-and don’t
forget to choose a good honest Candidate-”
mere
Whig will able you to fight
a
Tory-You
must have a man who can
really
offer something
in his opinions, rather than be content to be the
supporter of either of the two great parties.
I
fear
1
have sent but
a
meagre sketch of such arrangements
as
are
needed, but your own
commonsense will point out what your Boro’ particularly
requires.
Hoping you wi:I succeed in your attempts to liberate your Borough from a state which
is
disgraceful to the good sense of its inhabitants as it
is
injurious to
the
best
interests of a plun-
dered country. Iam
very sincerely
Thy friend
JOHN
BRIGHT.
SEVEN
BOOKS
ON
THE
LABOUR
MOVEMENT
FRANK
BEALEY
University Collese
of
North
Staflordshire
THESE
seven
books1
deal with
various
aspects
of what is fwuently described
as
the Labour
Movement.
This
rather vague term characterizes something much wider
than
the
Labour
1
ESSAYS IN LABOUR HISTORY.
Ed.
by
ASA
BRIOOS
Md
JOHN
SAWLLE.
(Macmillan.
Pp.
A
HISTORY
OF
THE ASSOCIATION
OF
ENGINEERING AND SHIPBUILDING
THE
STATE AND
THE
TRADE UNIONS.
By
D.
F.
MAcDoNALD.
(MacmiIIm.
Pp. vii+
199,
THE
TRADE UNIONS, THE EMPLOYERS
AND
THE STATE.
By
H.
-TON.
(Pall
vii+364,42s.)
DRAUGHTSMEN.
By
J.
E.
MORTIMER.
(A.E.S.D.
Pp.
ixS489.37~.
6d.)
2
1
s.)
Mall Press.
~.
178,
17s.
6d.)
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