28 JUNE 1919, Page 3

It is noteworthy that Mr. MoGurk, the Chairman of the

Labour Party Conference at Southport, devoted his opening address on Wednesday to a severe condemnation of what is known as "direct action." lie is a miner, but he does not agree with Mr. Smffiie that, whenever the miners' leaders cannot get the country to accept their political views, they • should deprive the com- munity of coal by means of a strike. Mr. McGurk said very wisely that, if the Labour Party did not believe in political action of the ordinary democratic kind, it had no reason for existence. Mr. Sznillie and Mr. Williams, the two firebrands of the "Triple Alliance," attacked the moderate Trade Union leaders who recently taught them a lesson, but Mr. Sexton and Mr. Brace, and even Mr. Henderson, rebuked the extremists who would shatter the party.