The Henson Journals

[120]

Wednesday, July 25th, 1917.

1087th day

Holt sent me to read a letter from "a very able master stevedore in Glasgow, a man of thorough knowledge and experience as well as large experience". This man describes as "opportunity" what he calls "the chief cause of the present so–called Industrial unrest". "The opportunity of labour to increase wages is at the present moment unique & labour can only make its desire to take advantage of its opportunity known by unrest. There is no other method of expression open to it. Labour is essential, it is scarce & is in great demand, it need fear no competition. Employers have not been slow to take advantage of their opportunities, and why shd labour hesitate?" He adds that in existing circumstances the workmen enjoy complete immunity from legal punishment for breach of contract etc etc.

"The remedy – politically an impossible one, I suppose, but nevertheless worth stating – wd appear to be to make the Unions responsible for agreements, & to provide proper legal machinery whereby claims for wages & grievances of all kinds wd receive sympathetic & immediate consideration".

This implies the total suppression of the individual workman's right to do business with his employer, who wd be bound to approach the labourer only through the legally responsible Union. I doubt whether we have not moved beyond the "Trade–Union" stage into that of legally established Socialism. The workmen know their vast superiority in numbers, & perceive that as an organized class they wd be politically irresistible. They begin to take account of the unlimited range of legislative action, & to regard the State, that is, their own class organized & reigning, as morally unlimited. Economic ruin probably waits on their potential action, but this consequence is as yet remote, & therefore unheeded. The Labour leaders appear to be mere sycophants, eager only to flatter, and by flattery to maintain themselves in their "leadership". Only experience remains to teach & correct the workmen, & her fee for teaching is a high one.

[121]

I wrote to Holt much in the terms of the preceeding note. After lunch I was taken to a meeting of the Bible Society. The Vicar presided, & the meeting which consisted of about 25 persons, mostly old women, represented a combined effort of Church & Nonconformity (!). I spoke for 35 minutes. Mrs Johnson bicycled from Westgate, & had tea in the garden.

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