Miller again arose to his feet.

“I submit, Mr. Chairman,” he said arrogantly, “that when I had the privilege of being elected last April, no honorary member was present or allowed to speak.”

Mr. Weavel rose to his feet.

“Gentlemen,” he said, “you know what this meeting is.  It is a meeting of fifty-seven representatives of the various trades unions of the country, to elect a single representative to take the chair whenever meetings of this company shall be necessary.  This gathering does not exist as a society in any shape or form and we have therefore neither rules nor usages.  Mr. Dartrey and Mr. Tallente, although they are honorary members, are, I am sure, welcome guests, and whatever either of them wishes to say to us will, I am sure, be listened to.  There is no business.  All that we have to do is to vote, to choose our leader for the next twelve months.  There are two names put forward—­Saunderson and Miller.  It is my business only to count the votes you may record.  Presuming that no one else wishes to speak, I shall ask Mr. Dartrey to say those few words.”

Miller sat frowning and biting his nails.  Dartrey moved to the farther end of the room and looked down the long line of attentive faces.

“Weavel,” he said, “and you, my friends, I am not here to say a word in favour of either of the two candidates between whom you have to choose to-day.  I am here just because you are valued members of the great party which before very long will be carrying upon its shoulders the burden of this country’s government, to tell you of one measure which some of you know of already, which may help you to realise how important your to-day’s choice will be.  You know quite as much about politics as I do.  You know very well that the present Government is doomed.  But for an unfortunate difference of opinion between two of our supporters who are present to-day, there is not the slightest doubt that the Government would lose their vote of confidence to-morrow, and that in that case, if I still remained your chief, I should be asked to form a Democratic Government, a task which, when the time comes, it is my intention to pass on to one more skilled in Parliamentary routine.  I want to explain to you that we consider the representative you elect to-day to be one of the most important personages in that Government.  We have not issued our programme yet.  When we do, we are going to make the country a wonderful promise.  We are going to promise that there shall be no more strikes.  That sounds a large order, perhaps, but we shall keep our word and we are going to end for ever this bitter struggle between capital and labour by welding the two into one and by making the interests of one the interests of the other.  Our scheme is that the person whom you elect to-day will be chairman of an inner conference of twelve.  We shall ask you to elect a further three from amongst yourselves, which will give the trades unions four representatives upon this inner