On this page

• Text (1)

  Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software. The text has not been manually corrected and should not be relied on to be an accurate representation of the item.

  • 

    Untitled Article

• Transcript

  • Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software. The text has not been manually corrected and should not be relied on to be an accurate representation of the item.

    Additionally, when viewing full transcripts, extracted text may not be in the same order as the original document.

    Untitled Article

    «« n hands , and over their own money ; for they said that STe money which they paid to their men . was applied nrnnerlV to the encouragement of associations which sSimes acted in opposition to thejr employers . But ™ E hands were meant ? The masters'bands or the 3 s hands ? { Great laughter . ) Was it meant that rt ^ masters' own hands took the masters' own money ? ( Continued laughter . ) Here was an enormous claim . The cabital was his , the plant was his , the government ^« Ws the wages were his , and the hands were his ; and ? e was enahledTo do what he liked with his own . ( Great rheeriW and laughter , ) Never before was so despotic a doctrine placed before working men . Here , the em-S lovers would not call their workpeople men ; they only ianified them as hands . ( Hear , hear . )"

    He ridiculed and refuted , the dictum so arrogantly laid down in the Representation signed Sidney Smith , that the masters had a right to do what they liked with their own . The men had never gone so far as jiat . He exposed the objects of the masters in jwsisting on overtime , by showing that systematic overtime j saved expenses of an extension of the plant ; * ' so that when the masters could not draw on their bankers , they drew on the life blood of the working

    man ; when they could not get money they got labour . " It was not for the men , but for the masters , to fear that the trade would leave the country * The men could follow it to Belgium or Piedmont , get more consideration , and higher wages . They had their own feelings of nationality ; but if the link which bound them to their native land was violently broken , they could not stop here . Referring to the absorbing question of money supplies to the men out of work , he said : —

    " The trade was supporting the society in the right way . By that morning ' s post they had received £ 750 , a contribution of one day ' s wages from those in employment , for the maintainance of those out of employment . ( Cheers . ) Their plans were still imperfectly organized ; but he had no doubt that after this Week the contributions would be at the rate of £ 2 ( 300 a-week . ( Cheers . ) The other trades were coming forward . The fine-spinners of Manchester had agreed to give them £ 10 a week for a month , at the end of the month to reconsider the matter in the event of the contest continuing . The joiners of Manchester would give £ 25 a week . This would go on ; and they would not only thus preserve the

    institution they valued , while supporting their members irrespective of the funds of the . society , but they would add tenfold to the moral power and position of the institution . ( Cheers . ) All the employers wanted was to destroy the society . But let them beware . Let them pause before they reduced the labourer into a discontented man . That would be good neither for the capitalist nor for the government of this country . ( Cheers . ) The men had been called Socialists . If Socialism meant anarchy , spoliation , disorder , they were no Socialists . But if Socialism meant the right of individuals to associate together to find legitimate employment for themselves , then that meeting was a meeting of Socialists , prepared to carry out Socialism . ( Much cheering . )"

    And again , on the advance of the cooperative schemes .: — " The Amalgamated Society , by a majority of ninetenths , had voted £ 10 , 000 for the purpose of establishing cooperative workshops ; and if the JG 10 , 000 was backed by £ 40 , 000 , it would be invested in an establishment in Lancashire , in which 1000 men would find employment , and do the work hitherto done by Messrs . Hibbert and Flatt . ( Cheers . ) That accomplished , a great example would be Bet to the working classes of this country ; and those classes , he knew , would * eoon set about their own emancipation . ( Cheering . ) The employers might give in to-morrow , but this great work would still be done .

    It was commenced , and it would not be lefC unfinished . ( Cheering . ) In the meantime they would support those out of employment ; and if the subscriptions came as the council expected , they would be applied also , as far as possible , and as far as they could be saved , to the further-Ing the plans of cooperative workshops . ( Cheers . ) Several of such shops were already in existence ; forty men had combined in one , twenty in another , and sixty in a third —all of these being in the vicinity of London . Progress was being made in the same direction in Lancashire . I he Oldham men had money enough saved by themselves to start a business that would employ them a « . ( Great cheering . ) In Rochdale they had commenced

    . Of course they could not do anything without capital ; but they could begin with a little , and go on . AH the existing great establishments had pegun as small shops—forge added to forge , lathe to Jatne , and wing to wing , by small degrees , and in the courBe of years . The men would get on quite as well ana qmte as fast . ( Cheers . ) The Greenwich men had 8 lV ? n ? rdera for the shops to be built , building them bo mat they could be increased with a slight additional expenditure ; and as the Greenwich men were attendants or lecture-rooms , discussion-classes , and news-rpomsmen self-taught and self-dependent—they were quite sure to auccecd . ( Cheers . ) Nothing could bo more

    unjuhi man wjiat the employers had succeeded in doing at Jwverpool . At Liverpool the men avowed themselves !! li ™ t 111110 working under the old regulations , as diRtL . i ^ i 8 t 0 d for y " m the foundries there , stating - Xovr «! , V ^ they desired no change . But the em-Lamnf } ° d - them that they were members of the Amalrrw « o * ? % ?**» and thftt » therefore , they must turn out . the J . ?? iame ' This wa 8 deapotism-despotism of vj \ lhl klM < V- despotiam which drove men mud \ vhJni ? « ° > aud ur 8 ed llMJm t 0 destroy the whole ( system wu > ° h sanctioned such a deBpotiBm . ( Cheers . )" thofnii ° " king movGd » and Mr . Braddon seconded , « , } , lomn 8 resolution : — ' XJm employow of operative engineora having closed

    their establishments , and refused all mediation in the settlement of the dispute between them and their workmen , and haying further asserted their determination to treat with the men individually only , and not as a society , this meeting is of opinion that all trades are interested in the issue of the contest , and that all should support it to the best of their ability . " Both , resolutions were unanimously carried , and the meeting separated . ' ' An aggregate meeting of labourers was held at the National-hall , Holborn , on Wednesday . They complained of the small amount allowed them by the Amalgamated Society , and agreed to the following resolutions :-

    —i' That this meeting views with extreme regret the unfortunate dispute between the ' Amalgamated Society of Engineers' and their employers , and it will , therefore , exert its utmost energies to impress upon the mind of a benevolent public the immediate necessity of contributing towards the support of that large and unorganized body of men , the labourers , who have hitherto been , and still intend to continue , neutral upon the subject of the strike , but who have , nevertheless , by it been entirely deprived of the means of support ; and it would further recommend all persons favourably disposed to the proposed philanthropic project particularly to state that their subscriptions are for the Labourers' List , ' so that the labourers may derive the immediate and unconditional benefit .

    " That this meeting cannot but express its firm conviction that the ' Employers * Association' have no desire to see any of their labourers reduced to destitution , but that the masters , both in their collective and individual capacity , would most willingly assist the labourers whom the pending dispute has thrown out of employment , and it would , therefore , suggest that a petition be presented to the ' Employers' Association , ' for the purpose of laying before it the position and prospects of the labourers ; and also to receive any sum the association may think fit to advance ; while , at the same time , it would recommend that one labourerer from each firm should wait upon their respective employers for a like purpose .

    " That a central committee be chosen from this meeting for the purpose of collecting contributions , and equally distributing the same . " That subscription lists be forwarded as early as possible to different parts of London for the purpose of receiving subscriptions for -the labourers , such lists to be headed , ' Labourers' Subscription Lists . '" It is but fair to state that the Amalgamated Society had guaranteed the expenses of the meeting . A special sitting of the Executive of the Amalgamated Society was held on Thursday ,- to consider what steps were to be taken in consequence of a document , developing the intentions of the employers , having come into their possession . This document is marked , "In strict confidence ; for members only" :

    it was accompanied by a circular from " Sidney Smith , Secretary , " stating that said document had been the work of two days' elaborate discussion in the conference of the members of the Employers ' Association , held at their offices in the City ; and being agreed to and recommended by them as a " plan of operations . " " 1 . That no member of this association shall engage , admit into ( or after he shall have become cognizant of the same ) , continue in his service or employment , in any capacity whatever , any member of any trades' union or trades' society , which takes cognizance of , professes to control , or practises interference with , the regulations of any establishment , the hours or terms of labour , the contracts or agreements of employers or employed , or the qualification or terms of service .

    " 2 . That no deputations of workmen , of trades ' unions , committees , or other bodies , with reference to any objects referred to in article 1 , be received by any member of the association on any account whatever ; but that any person forming part of , instigating , or causing such deputation , shall be dismissed forthwith ; it being still perfectly open to any workman , individually , to apply on such subject to his employer , who is recommended to be at all times open and accessible to any personal representation of his individual operatives . "

    The third is of minor importance ; the fourth furnishes a declaration to be administered to all workmen about to be engaged , declaring that said workman does not belong or contribute to any union ; the fifth insists that no man shall be employed until it is known where he came from , and why he left his last employment ; the sixth determines that no member of tho Employers' Association shall , on any pretext whatever , submit to dictation ; the seventh provides for common defence ; and the eighth hypocritically holds out to the " meritorious workmen the establishment of a " new , sound , and legitimate benefit society . " Such is the idea theBO employers have of doing what they like with what is not their own—labour and tho fruits of labour . '

    The Executive Council have answered this by a burst of manly indignation , a clear conception , of the consequences its adoption would entail , and a menace which wo cannot condemn . " We believe that the resolutions of tho Employers Association express the spirit of tho most utter despotism ; that , in' fact , they violate the law which wisely allows of peaceable combinations among all olasses ; that they contravene the recognized principles of commercial liberty ; that they breathe tho determination , to impose an abhorrent slavery upon all those whoso only property is their labour ; that they havo a tendency to crush that liberty of action which la essential to the welfare of a people : that they aro opposed to the interests of tho general public ; and . that they dogrado and disgraco humanity ,

    These may be thought strong terms , but they are fully , justified by the tyranny which provokes them , for never yet in the history of a free people was such a yoke of serfdom attempted to be imposed upon its commercial and industrial masses . " They point out how , by the above resolutions , both workmen and capitalists Would be shackled in the long run , and they wind up thus : — « f For ourselves our own minds are made up . So long as we have hearts to feel , brains to think , tongues to speak , we will cry aloud against this threatened infraction of all duty alike to God and man . So long as any legal means of resistance are' left to us , we will struggle

    against the treachery , the falsehood , the despotism of the Employers' Association ; and if those means at last should fail us —although that is a result beyond probability , scarcely within the bounds of possibility—we , and thousands at our back , rather than yield an unconditional submission , will be prepared to carry with us to other lands that skill and industry Which we are not allowed freely to exercise upon our native soil , and thus take from the arrogant , heartless tyrants who now seek to lord it over us—to make their arbitrary wills the rule of our lives—the means of employing that wealth which they value more than the lives or wellbeing of their fellow-men . "

    A meeting of the engineers" in the employ of the Eastern Counties Railway was held on Thursday . Mr . Grooch has actually menaced men with expulsion who support the engineers turned out by the employers ! A company of engineers , styled Chapman and Co ., 6 , Hampton-street , Walworth-road , have opened a shop upon cooperative principles , and profess their readiness to do work and execute repairs at a fair remuneration . "We heartily welcome this praiseworthy effort at self-employment .

    Among the contributions to the literature of the subject is a pamphlet by Mr . Vansittart Neale , entitled May I not Do what I Witt with My Own ? Considerations on the Present Contest between the Operative Engineers and their Employers , of which Mr . Bezer , of Meet-street , is the publisher . Mr . Neale analyzes the statements of the case on both sides ; and this is done with so much ingenuousness and lucidity , that , although he writes in avowed sympathy with the men , the reader may feel perfect confidence in the statement of the facts . The moral question involved in the title is excellently laid bare ; but the most formidable portion will be that part which shows the

    practical success of working associations , not only in Paris , but in England . Mr . Neale exhorts the working engineers to forego the dictation of terms to their employers based on class interests , and to rely on cooperative association as the true means for the enfranchisement of labour ; and he shows how capitalists may also find safety from contention and uncertitude in . uniting with the labouring class for the same purpose . The pamphlet was announced from the platform of the public meeting in St . Martin ' s-nall , on Monday ; and , circulating extensively among the working engineers , it will enlighten their minds most valuably on the subject of association .

    COOPERATION IN IH . ELA . ND . The consultation at the Rotunda , Dublin , was held on Monday , the Lord Mayor presiding , for the purpose of considering the following propositions : — " 1 . To adopt measures for converting the workhouses into self-sustaining establishments . ' * 2 . For extending the means of education , and directing its chief force to industrial instruction in all places , whether colleges , schools , prisons , or poorhouses . " 3 . For organizing an extensive and available system of banking and currency to represent the labour of the people . " 4 . For taking steps to remove the duty off the manufacture of paper , off newspapers , and off all agencies for disseminating knowledge . " 5 . For considering and proclaiming what branches of manufacture will best suit each locality of Ireland .

    " 6 . For considering how best the pressure of taxation on land and labour may be diminished . " 7 . And how the physical and mental energies of the people may best be developed to success , without allowing sectarian discussion or party politics to interfere . " The attendance was numerous and respectable , Lord Cloncurry , tho Earl of Aldborough , and several members of Parliament , being present , and taking an active part in tho proceedings . The following are the loading resolutions adopted by the meeting : —

    " That industrial exertion is the duty of every individual in the State ; and the neglect of this duty , under any circumstances , is an evil , the effects of which the whole community feel . That tho cost of supporting the idler , in any situation of life , is a tax upon tho industrious ; and that that community is happiest and most prosperous in which fewest of the people are idle , ' " That no species of sophistry can obscure or set aside those truths ; and , therefore , we must look ^ jupon tho general idleness of the people , particularly the paupers and criminals , as a great national loss and calamity . " That , in tho opinion of this meeting , it cannot bo made apparent , by any mode of reasoning , that to clothe and feed the poor and tho criminals , in . idleness , can possibl y add to the wealth of the country , or serve any class of the people , whether merchants , artizans , manufacturers , or farmers ; and that the converse is indisputably true , for we hold that every idle person who shall by instruction bo put to remunerative labour of any kind , becomes , from the moment ho attajbaer that position , a

    Untitled Article

    V , Jajk . 31 , 1852 . ] $ > % * &t * 3 ttt + 97

• Citation
  • Leader (1850-1860), Jan. 31, 1852, page 97, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse-os.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/vm2-ncseproduct1920/page/5/