The Labour Party Constitution The last business on Tuesday was
a consideration of the proposed new Constitution for the Party. The Con- ference was obviously hostile to the proposal that there should be a new class of Associate Members who would subscribe to the party funds, but would have no privileges. It was evidently feared that this new membership would open the doors wide to adventurers, and that the Executive would be demoralized by an independent source of revenue. The Executive in dismay pointed out that adventurers could already enter the Party and that even the local branches of the Party were .quite willing to take money from rich outsiders who did not regularly identify themselves with the Party. All was in vain. The Executive had to withdraw its proposal without a division. Thus failed an attempt to bring in members of the middle class who may be in search of a party and partictilarly dissatisfied Liberals. Success would have placed the Labour Party on a broader but necessarily vaguer basis. The Party might well have become the successor, in position- and character, to the old Radical Party, but for the time being the trade union spirit has triumphed.
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