3. One Hundred Years of Progress
"Last year our movement celebrated the 100th year of our Industrial Charter. In the year 1824 the great Act of Liberation took place, and during the succeeding 100 years the best men and women that any movement has known have contributed to the building up of our movement as we know it to-day. Not only in Britain but in every country where the Trade Union Movement is now established the memory of the men and women who struggled to establish the Industrial Movement should be held in honour. They handed on to us a goodly heritage.
"When we last met, our colleagues of the political side of our movement were administering the machinery of government. As was truthfully predicted as being within the bounds of possibility by last year's President of Congress, 'the full and complete ratification of the Treaty with Russia' decided the fate of the Labour Government. Within two months of our dispersal from the last Congress, the Labour Government fell. After a vigorous campaign, in which Mr. Baldwin's friends produced 'red' bogies, 'red' in tooth and claw, brandishing a forged 'red' letter from Moscow, our Party lost some seats, but returned 161 Members to continue the fight at Westminster.