Ramsay MacDonald
James Ramsay MacDonald, the illegitimate son of Ann Ramsay, a maidservant, was born in Lossiemouth, Morayshire, on 12th October, 1866. He was brought up in his grandmother's cottage and was a student at the local school from 1875 until 1881. An intelligent boy he became a pupil-teacher and at nineteen found work in Bristol as an assistant to a clergyman. While living in the city he joined the Social Democratic Federation (SDF).
In 1886 MacDonald moved to London where he was employed as a clerk for the Cyclists' Touring Club. In his spare-time he studied for a science scholarship but as a result of a near-starvation diet his health declined and was forced to abandon his idea of an academic career.
After he recovered his health, MacDonald was employed as a clerk by Thomas Lough, a member of the House of Commons. MacDonald had a growing interest in politics and joined the Fabian Society where he met socialists such as George Bernard Shaw, Annie Besant, Walter Crane, Sidney Webb and Beatrice Webb.
In September 1918 he wrote to a friend: "Down here about the movement which I am more and more interested in moves on apace. The spirit of Socialism is abroad, not only stirring the lower ranks of labour to discontent, but moving those whose physical wants are all provided for and whose education and intellectual training are such as to preclude every idea of their being led away by any mere sciitinicntal fad or impracticable scheme."
In 1893 a group of socialist including James Keir Hardie, Robert Smillie, Tom Mann, John Bruce Glasier, Ben Tillett, and Philip Snowden formed a new national working class party called the Independent Labour Party. MacDonald joined in 1894 and the following year was selected as the ILP candidate for Southampton. At a meeting in May 1895, Margaret Gladstone attended one of his meetings. She noted that his red tie and curly hair made him look "horribly affected". However, she sent him a £1 contribution to his election fund. A few days later she became one of his campaign workers. At the 1895 General Election, MacDonald, along with the other twenty-seven Independent Labour Party candidates, was defeated and overall, the party won only 44,325 votes.
Primary Sources
(1) Ramsay MacDonald, letter to Justice (January 1886)
If practical Socialism means an autocracy or the Government of a Cabal I for one will have nothing to do with it. Did I take my ideas of the movement from the organ which you proudly yet falsely call the only vigorous weekly organ of the proletariat in the English language I would have that erroneous impression. To read that paper one would think the SDF's hand was against all other Socialist societies in England and that its duty was to heap slander of all sorts upon them... We have over and over again had to read arguments in favour of Socialism that never went deeper than calling an opponent an "outrageous old hypocrite", "a bloodsucker", "ignorant", and many other epithets as delicious as the fumes of a Billingsgate market. Indeed, I have often been amazed at the expressiveness of the English language as shown in Justice. Well, that could in a certain measure have been put up with, but when this last dishonour has fallen upon us tine are obliged to speak and to act. It has been plainly shown in the history of the Federation that the great virtues it recognises are unscrupulousness, unfairness and slander. Be it so! I hope there may be many who can now see to what they have been trusting, and how they have been used, many who love the grand principles of Socialism more than the distorted doctrines of the Federation and who have the courage and manliness to act accordingly.
(2) Ramsay MacDonald, The New Fellowship (April 1892)
Political change is not desirable for its own sake, but rather for its effect on human well-being. But human well-being is not a matter of machinery or condition merely. We know, indeed, that it cannot be served by a system of wage slavery any more than it can be served by a feudal system; but even where the economic hindrances are overcome the ideal humanity may be as far away as ever... The individual is truly complete only in a perfect society, but to make society perfect requires the sympathetic and conscious efforts of the individual... The Fellowship therefore aims at a reform of the ideals of individuals.
A party of turbulent spirits which had been got together... in a semi-intoxicated state took up a position in the front seats and throughout the proceedings were noisily demonstrative, shouting choruses, using coarse language and making themselves very objectionable... The chairman's rising was the signal for loud hooting and some cheering. He announced the object of the meeting, and after a short speech, he proceeded to read the address amidst an almost indescribable din rendering it almost impossible to hear his voice beyond a yard or two... Mr. MacDonald next rose to address the meeting and was received in the same manner as the other speakers, but with true Scotch sturdiness he stuck to his guns, and in a speech of over an hour's duration, during which he was subjected to continual interruptions, he explained the relationship of the Labour party to the Liberal party and the programme on which he should fight the next Parliamentary election... In conclusion, Mr. MacDonald said that he had kept them rather long but he had done so mainly for the purpose of teaching certain interests in Dover a lesson, and if the same policy were adopted at every meeting he should do exactly as he had done that night.
