I returned to South Africa the same year and went up to pretoria, and there, with the brothers Robert and William Blake and Miss Hyatt (niece of the English poet, the late Edward Carpenter, whom I visited at her suggestion when I was again in Europe in 1922), formed the Pretoria Socialist Society. We did much propaganda work by outside meetings, sometimes in conjunction with the Pretoria Labour Party, and also debated with them at their inside meetings. It is the only time I have known the two bodies work together without any differences regarding our tactics, yet there was no pact or authorized association. Mr. M. G. Nicholson, a member of the Labour Party-afterwards for many years the Town Clerk of Pretoria-and I used to do most of the outdoor propaganda off one platform, with sometimes the assistance of J. Riley, a Town Councillor and Labour man, who "Ministers" when we became the Socialist "Government' Pretoria Parliamentary Debating Society, with Miss Hyatt as prime Minister." We were allowed the Town Council Chamber for our "House," and our "Speaker" occupied the mayoral chair refused to rise when the "Speaker" entered because we contended that was only a formality of Capitalist governments. In fact, in that year, 1912-when we were constructing the Union Building, where J. Riley and I both worked, and Duncan Livingstone, another well known comrade who to-day with myself writes articles for the Cape Town Trade Union Bulletin, was clerk of works on the same building and there were numerous other comrades in different capacities- we made Pretoria at that time a centre of revolutionary activity. Many responsible people used to fraternise with us, even the mayor of the town, at that time Mr. A. Johnson. But there was one antagonist whom we often clashed with-Vere Stent, editor of the Pretoria News. He belonged to the old school and was somewhat of a notorious character. He travelled in the haunts of Lobengula in the days of Cecil Rhodes.

Noting the increasing activity of the Labour and Socialist Parties he, of course, thought it his duty to show the Pretoria people what a ridiculous doctrine Socialism was. Mrs. Dora Montefiore, a relation through marriage of Sir Moses Montefiore, who was a very active Socialist in England, had been to Australia and called at South Africa on her return journey. We made good use of her visit and organised a few meetings. She often chose as her subject "A Labour Party in Power," meaning the Australian Labour Party, which was in power during her visit to Australia. She was very sarcastic about their moderation, which she contended was similar to the Capitalist governments in power in other parts of the world.

The Pretoria News was equally sarcastic about Mrs. Montefiore's alternative. If that was Socialism, Mr. Vere Stent, the editor, said, he could easily show that a Socialist administration would be worse still. The Pretoria Socialist Society therefore threw out a challenge to Mr. Stent to meet Mrs. Montefiore in debate and prove it. Stent lacked nothing in courage and confidence of his own point of view and he accepted the challenge. We therefore prepared the Town Hall for the proceedings and the jovial Mayor, Mr. A. Johnson, agreed to take the chair. I will summarise a Press report of the proceedings, so that my own partiality may not magnify the situation from the Socialist point of view.

The Transvaal Chronicle reported thus:

"The Town Hall was crammed to suffocation last evening, many standing, when Mrs. Dora B. Montefiore, International Socialist, met Mr. Vere Stent in a friendly bout and affirmed that the establishment of Socialism would be beneficial to Society.

"On the platform were the leading members of the Labour Party and Pretoria Socialists, Mr. H. Miller (L.P.) taking a seat by Miss Hyatt, many sporting the red tie, also Mr. Reilly (L.P.), Mr. Harrison and others well known and keenly interested in the cause.

"The Mayor, Mr. A. Johnson, occupied the chair and gave the speakers each twenty-five minutes to open and fifteen minutes each to reply. A census of the meeting would be taken after, to discover who would win the fight.

"Mrs. Montefiore was received with loud applause. She said the most good and needy things were in the hands of the Capitalists, ten per cent. Of the people of the world owned the land and the remaining ninety per cent. were living on the sweat of wage slaves; under the present system the latter appeared to have no legal right to live. Ten million people were on the verge of starvation, on the authority of Sir Henry Campbell-Bannerman, England's Prime Minister. What remedy had their opponents to suggest? Socialists said they should take over all industry for the benefit of the whole community.

"Mr. Vere Stent, in reply, said that he had been pleased by the very lucid exposition of Socialism by the last speaker; unfortunately they have never been able to put their theory into practice. One instinctively felt for the plight of the workers, but Socialism was the worst possible remedy. He quoted the French Revolution and the National Workshops as being a complete failure. Socialism not only meant the communal tying up of the means of production, but the total destruction of home life (uproar). Socialism would relieve the worker of his responsibility, of his children and likewise of the home.

"They would have to include the Bantus, who would not work and were truly Socialistic, which was one reason why they never progressed. The native never irrigated or fertilised, he owned no private property under the tribal government, showed no incentive to work and eventually the 'Socialist King' came and smelt him out (loud laughter). Mrs. Montefiore retorted that we need not bother about the native, his wives did all the work (loud laughter). The Mayor, having called upon those present to vote, gave the verdict to Mrs. Montefiore. Amidst applause the proceedings terminated."

I have given a brief report, but I cannot describe in words half the animation that characterised the proceedings. Stent, unlike opponents running the Capitalist Press, welcomed opposition. I have known him give me a few columns on the front page of his paper to elaborate Socialism. I have given his version a little more space here than that of Mrs. Montefiore to suit my own convenience, and to show that "what he said about the Socialist trying to establish a system that would break up home life has been so completely and brutally done by the Capitalist system since that debate over thirty years ago. Also that Russia, which has established a Socialist system of administration for nearly that period of years since, has built up a more progressive home life and social system in that backward country than was ever thought to be possible before.

Gandhi, of Indian tame, with the late Mr. Gokhale, also an Indian, were in Mr. Stem's office one day. J. T. Bain, whom I have referred to in other pages, was also there.

The question of Socialism in such a party of Radicals, of course, 'cropped up. Stent's opinion I need not relate. Gokhale was a Socialist to some extent", but Gandhi declared himself to be an out and out Socialists".

About this time, 1912, Archie Crawford was attempting to form the United Party in Johannesburg and running a paper called The United of Labour for which the press of the Pretoria News supplied us with type; my wife and I edited the proofs and we also contributed articles to it, my wife Crawford said, "had a very able pen," but she does not often use it. Not that she is lazy. On the contrary, she is the most industrious and capable woman I know-and I suppose I ought know-but pen and ink is not her hobby, the garden and keeping the house in order is. Another bit of evidence to show Socialists' axioms are right: "Each to their task according to their temperament and ability."

The United Socialist Party Conference

A Conference was held in 1912 in Johannesburg for the purpose of assembling delegates for the United Socialist Party of South Africa. Harry Norrie, Knowler and another represented the Socialist Party from Durban: Archie Crawford. Mrs. Mary Fitzgerald and others from Johannesburg: Mrs. Montefiore from Pretoria and myself a represen­tative by proxy of the Social Democratic Federation of Cape Town.

Discussion at the Conference and the crowded meeting in the evening, at which Mrs. Montefiore presided and which was addressed by most of us delegates, was quite a success, but the United Socialist Party was never a success. Each local group in the coastal towns and Pretoria continued to function as before. Crawford was an able man and worked hard in those days to establish a movement in Johannes­burg, and also established a press which, besides private work, did some pamphleteering for the cause, but the mining community are a conservative lot and the then budding Labour Party would entertain nothing of a revolutionary character though avowed Socialists themselves.

Anarchism in Pretoria

The Pretoria Socialist Society continued to function as an indepen­dent body, in which were the mixed elements associated with revolutionary propaganda at that period. The Anarchist movement was of some strength in Europe and America. The latter had the two groups, the Philosophical Anarchists, who ran a paper called Liberty, edited by that scholar Ben Tucker, and the Communist Anarchists, with their periodical, Mother Earth, edited by Emma Goldman, whom I met in Berlin after her return from Russia, disappointed with their form of administration. The "Freedom" Group existed in London, with whom I linked up while in England in 1911. Prince Kropotkin was then a member. Many groups were also existing in Russia and on the Continent. The Philosophical Anarchists believe in propaganda by educational process and deprecate any form of force or dictatorial administration. The Communist Anarchists are not opposed to force, as the existing system is maintained by force. One Davidoff, of Russian origin, of the violent "by deed" type, was found amongst the Pretoria Society of Socialists-the only one I have ever seen who would condone the assassination of ruling despots, as has been done in Russia and elsewhere.

The above group was photographed by Zadikfor the International Socialist Review

As I, a convinced pacifist and a strong believer in propaganda by thought instead of by deed, gave quite a different version of Anarchism as understood by Davidoff, we were soon on dissenting grounds of one another's opinion, and, as we both had rather loud voices in the movement, it was decided we would ventilate these differences before the public to get their opinion of it also. Therefore a debate was decided. J. T. Bain, who had then joined us in the Pretoria Socialist Society, took the chair at one of the public halls. I forget the exact terms of the resolution, but it implied: "Propaganda by Thought and Verbal Discussion or Propaganda by Deed." A vote-was taken at the conclusion of the debate, which totally disagreed with the propaganda by deed. As Bain and I concluded discussing the question afterwards, we agreed that I had everything in my favour, because however people may condone, as they do, mass murder in international warfare, they shriek with horror at any thought of individual assassination. To complete the story of Davidoff's life, it may be supposed that a man holding such opinions was not at all conventional in his everyday life. Some time afterwards, when I returned to Cape Town and became secretary of the S.D.F. there, I found Davidoff was applying for a passport to return to Russia with another man's wife. He also wanted credentials from the party. As secretary I wrote them out in language good enough for myself, but they didn't suit Davidoff. He tore them up before my face. The Government gave them both passports conditional that they did not return. Such a condition was unnecessary. I have heard since they both died there, by what means I do not know. The movement has had its share of romances in every country, on which I will give a chapter later.

J. T. BAIN

J. T. Bain's activities with us were rather short-lived. He had finished with the Premier Mine about that time, where he was working, and he called in my shop daily. He was a daring and fearless fighter for the cause. Even back in the nineties he used to import literature from the Blatchford Clarion Group in England, and distributed such to the miners in Johannesburg and preached to them in the Market Square-the rostrum of the demagogues in that city.

Bain shortly afterwards became associated with the 1913 miners' general strike in Johannesburg and signed the "peace treaty" in company with Andrew Watson and James Hindman, with Louis Botha and Jan Christian Smuts.

Bain was also associated with the more stirring sequel of 1914, when the Amalgamated Society of Railway and Harbour Workers came out on strike in every industrial centre of the Union, and he, as the leader, and eight others were kidnapped from the cells in which they were imprisoned, taken secretly by train to Durban and put on board the Umgeni and deported to England. There is a lovely history about this supposed illegal action which Smuts, as Prime Minister, got his party to indemnify, though long and bitter speeches by the six Labour members against his action does credit to them, and the public thought so, too, as they increased Labour seats to twenty at the General Election soon afterwards. As their deportation was considered illegal, an effort was made, in which Colonel Creswell took a prominent part, who, with others, went on a voyage in a tug I nun Cape Town to intercept the passage of the ship and demand that the captain of the Umgeni release the passengers being taken out of the country against their will. A Press reporter, I believe, went with them.

Presently, after some distance out, they sighted a ship. "That," said the captain of the tug, "is the Umgeni." "After her!" shouted Creswell jubilantly. But, alas, the Umgeni was in front of them doubling the knots the tug could make in speed. Not content here- and that job was some expense-they made a further effort to put their case before the Bar of the House, but again to no avail. He, it was Advocate Percival Smith, was given "sympathetic attention," and it was reported that he "clearly articulated every word" he wanted to say. Big business, big finance and conservative farmers are not prone to discuss any grievances of the workmen in South Africa. So that faded out, too.