Page:History of Adelaide and vicinity.djvu/287

 ADELAIDE AND VICINITY 261 Hon Egerton Lee Batchelor, M.P., Minister of Education and Aoricn/tnre THE most important feature in the political development of South Australia durino the last ten or twelve years has been the growing Parliamentary influence which, by persistence in organisation, the Labor Party, as it is termed, has obtained. As regards the House of Assembly, this influence may now be said to be strongly and firmly established. Without the support of the proletariat, no Ministry could hope to continue long in office ; and no measure has a chance of being passed into law which is unfortunate enough to incur the disfavor of any large class of manual workers. In no other self-governing province of the British Empire has the Demo- cratic principle of rule " for the people, by the people," been carried so determinedly to the logical conclusion that from the masses rather than from any artificially - created classes shall come those to whose hands are to be entrusted the reins of political power. The South Australian statesman who should ignore the Labor Party in his plan of campaign, would speedily find that he had reckoned sadly without his host. With so pre- Hammer i^ Co. Photo pouderatiug an influence in the chief electorates of the Pn.vince, and so strong a representation in Parliament, this party is certainly to be reckoned with in South Australian politics ; and, having this influence, it is no wonder that its prominent members are found very much to the fore in the Legislative business of the Province. Time was when the Labor leader was despised as a mere agitator, a mob orator. Now he is not only to be found among prominent members of Parliament, but even in the Ministry itself-and accounted not the least important of the Ministers. The subject of this notice is a case in point. Egerton Lee Batchelor is a native of South Australia. He was born in Adelaide