A CRITICAL BIOGRAPHY OF EDWIN JAMES BRADY - Mallacoota ...

This is why he did not regard himself as a Christian Socialist. This why, too, he
attacked the tendency of the established church to decry Labor Party principles. He
vehemently attacked this tendency in a front-page article in 1931. He saw this anti-
Labor campaign as “abhorrent” and as “inconsistent and unseemly” 1 Reminding his
readers that Jesus saw the multitude and had compassion on them, he charges the
churches with lack of compassion. His vision includes the red flag being carried in
the van by a working-man, following in the spirit of the Carpenter of Nazareth. But
this was not always acceptable to Brady’s readers, and he often wrote further articles
explaining points brought out by correspondents in the columns of the Labor Call.
Occasionally he did this by writing a letter to the editor himself, 2
Two Brady characteristics which manifest themselves in more of these articles are a
tendency to tell much of the story by headings and the use of an extravagance of
language which makes the charge of propagandist easier to sustain. Writing of the
war and its aftermath of economic depression for instance, an article blazons forth
under the headings: “Blood Bath and Aftermath: The Curse of Cain: Can Hoover
Cure the World?” and within this the language of the slogan:
Civilisation emerged from the dreadful blood-bath of 1914018 mutilated and
groaning beneath a burden which the militarists, Monarchists, Capitalists,
Moneylenders and Armament Kings laid upon its shoulders. That burden is
the fruit of parricide, a crushing War Debt – Cain’s Curse – which the nations
find at last they cannot bear. 3
Such extravagance did little to aid the cool-headed analysis of conditions which Brady
urged his readers to make. And in spite of the exuberance there is sometimes a coldbloodedness,
an irrationality about the articles he wrote. This was apparent in several
calls for unity within the ranks of the Labor Party. Calling for re-emphasis of socialist
principles within the party – the party which was seen as “the hope of the world”,
Brady wrote:
The time has come for the promotion of a straight-out Socialist Labor Party,
and the sooner we get to that job the better. The Labor Press and probably a
majority of the people are of a Socialist thought. The politicians must be
forced into line or forced out altogether. It is of no consequence if a few
heads fall into the basket in the process. 4
On another occasion, writing of this need for unity, he offered to throw his hat high
in the air if he could see “Jack Lang and Jim Scullin and Ted Theodore on a public
platform, shaking hands”, 5
1
“Priestly Politicians Who Attack the Workers : Wolves in Sheep’s Clothing”, Labor Call 5.3.1931.
Earlier, Brady had approved a speech by Cardinal Moran because it “indicated to thinking laymen that
the future attitude of the Church of Rome towards Labor and democratic progress will be conciliatory
and progressive., The Grip, 21.5.1903
2
“Scrutator Explains”, 23.7.1931
3
Labor Call, 16.7.1931
4
“The Doctrines of Force”, Labor Call, 3.9.1931
5
“Captains Courageous: Lang and the Conference: Unity Now”, Labor Call, 25.6.1931
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