Frederick
John
Dixon, labour leader and politician: Socialist or pragmatist reformer?
He was born in Englefield England in 1881. He left school at 13,
despite a high intelligence and urging by his village minister to
support him in higher education. Dixon became a gardener. He found life
a struggle and decided to come to Canada joining his brother George in
1903.
Dixon,
a large
muscular man, found work as a labourer working with a pick and shovel
on the brand new Winnipeg Eaton store. He discovered the Mobious
bookstore a circle of reform minded thought including people like
Ivens, Stubbs and Farmer. He took up Henry George's notion of the
single tax, the hot topic at Mobius's bookstore. In 1906 they began the
Single Tax league. Taxes would be placed on land whether tit was
productive or not.
WHAT
SHAPED HIS POLITICAL THINKING?
Dixon
read Karl
Marx and did not believe a single line. He was not a communist. He
probably was not a socialist. He believed in personal freedom, coming
from a sense of social security and economic well being. He distrusted
bureaucracy and its resulting loss of freedom. Public ownership was a
second principle of the single tax movement.
Fred
Tipping
described Dixon as more of a small "l" liberal and a reformer rather
than a labour man or socialist. He wanted immediate and direct
solutions not the distant promise of social reorganisation. Dixon
became a proponent of the Direct Legislation League and worked as a
publicist for this organisation. The league also counted on men like
James Ashdown and other non-socialists who wanted action.
A
consensual man
he offered his support to Tobias Norris who agreed not to run a Liberal
in his s eat and Dixon was elected to the legislature. Dixon married
one of his co-workers Winnona Flett and enjoyed a celebration at the
Fort Garry hotel and later vacationed at Banff. The year was 1914 and
Dixon went after the conservative govt legislative building scandal.
The conservatives were thrown out of power and in came Norris with
Dixon's pragmatic support on issues like the Minimum Wage Act and
Workmen's Compensation.
DIXON
THE PACIFIST
WW1
became a
difficult time for a man of conscience like Dixon. Opposed not only to
war but also opposed to conscription Dixon was called a traitor and
assailed both verbally and physically for his position. A Free press
reporter who went over to congratulate him for one of his speeches in
the legislature, was promptly fired by the paper. His brother George
did not return from Flanders' Fields.
HOW
DID HE BECOME INVOLVED IN THE STRIKE?
Dixon
was a
speaker during days preceding 1919 strike and became a reporter with
Woodsworth for the strike newspaper. Dixon wrote those famous words,
which describe the moment of the strike and the famous "Bloody
Saturday." Later edited the "Enlightener" while in jail. He was
released till his trial and Dixon took his seat in the Manitoba
legislature. He spoke on behalf of the strike leaders and many other
"illegal aliens" who had been arrested.
DIXON
DEFENDS HIMSELF
Dixon
had gone
to visit an old lawyer buddy Stubbs in Birtle, where he picked up legal
expertise which coupled with his oratorical skills he used to defend
himself from charges of seditious conspiracy. He argued he was not part
of the strike. Came along outside it. He was persuasive and was later
found not guilty. He argued for British justice, presented himself as a
reformer, and claimed religious teaching and not political action as
his motivation. Waxing quite poetic he asked that he be extend the
privilege of free speech. Judge Galt warned Dixon against any more
future transgressions and he was released.
Dixon
became
leader of the Independent Labour party distinct from the Socialists and
the supporters of the One Big Union. In the 1922 election the United
Farmers of Manitoba came to power and asked Fred Dixon to be their
leader. He refused and John Bracken head of the Agricultural College
reluctantly took over.
A
SHORT POLITICAL LIFE?
And
then quite
suddenly in 1923 he resigned from politics. He had been pursued by all
parties including the Liberal, or to be mayor or run in a federal seat.
To support himself he sold life insurance for Confederation Life.
Why
leave
politics so suddenly? Dixon's personal life had become quite tragic.
His young son died and then so did hid wife. He was discovered
suffering from cancer. Then in 1924 another child died, followed by his
mother in law who had helped with care of the children. He died March
18, 1931 just past his 50th birthday. James Woodsworth returned to
conduct the funeral.