CLEARING THE GROUND 51
Liberals lay Hardie's perception that no indepen-
dent Labour Party could be formed so long as
these men had the confidence of trade unionists.
He therefore attacked them whenever he could.
He indicted Henry Broadhurst before the Trades
Union Congress for assisting capitalist candidates
at elections and for voting against the Miners*
Eight Hours' Day Bill. Another miners3 member,
Charles Fenwick, voiced the general sentiment of
the Congress when he scornfully called Hardie a
Jonah's gourd that sprang up in a night and in
a night would wither. It was an unfortunate
taunt in the mouth of one who was soon forgotten
against a man destined to win enduring fame,
Benjamin Pickard and Thomas Burt were
fiercely denounced for neglecting the interests
of the miners who sent them to Parliament.
When Welsh mine-owners begged Burt to dissuade
a Liberal Government from giving time for the
discussion of the Eight Hours3 Bill, Hardie
declared there was cc something sublimely ridi-
culous about a system of Labour representation
which enabled a mine-owner to appeal to a
miners3 member for protection for mine-owners.35
Pickard was trounced for supporting a Liberal
against Tom Mann, put forward by trade union-
ists as I.L.P. candidate at a by-election. What
is the proper term, asked Hardie, by which to
describe the action of such men ?
" When a Trade Unionist does not abide
by the decision of his Union and goes to work