Besant were the only
representative open-air speakers in the Society, whereas the
Federation speakers, Burns, Hyndman, Andrew Hall, Tom Mann, Champion,
Burrows, with the Socialist Leaguers, were at it constantly. On the
whole, the Church Parades and the rest were not in our line; and we
were not wanted by the men who were organizing them. Our only
contribution to the agitation was a report which we printed in 1886,
which recommended experiments in tobacco culture, and even hinted at
compulsory military service, as means of absorbing some of the
unskilled unemployed, but which went carefully into the practical
conditions of relief works. Indeed, we are at present trying to
produce a new tract on the subject without finding ourselves able to
improve very materially on the old one in this respect. It was drawn
up by Bland, Hughes, Podmore, Stapleton, and Webb, and was the first
of our publications that contained any solid information. Its tone,
however, was moderate and its style somewhat conventional; and the
Society was still in so hot a temper on the social question that we
refused to adopt it as a regular Fabian tract, and only issued it as
a report printed for the information of members. Nevertheless we were
coming to our senses rapidly by this time. We signalized our
repudiation of political sectarianism in June, 1886, by inviting the
Radicals, the Secularists, and anyone else who would come, to a great
conference, modelled upon the Industrial Remuneration Conference, and
dealing with the Nationalization of Land and Capital.
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