The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1870-12-03 00:00:00

TIIN MINT.

."Wahon,_Lear Ipswich, Nov. 21, Is7o.

Sir—We re.pectfully addrees you as Master of the
Mint, and ask you to moulder our case and relieve us from
pauperism.

...We are strong men, willing to work, and many of us
have for a long time been employed by Colonel Tomlin° in
reclaiming land from the sea. This is a national as well as •
local advantage.
" ' Colonel Towline la ansbant to °oaths to pay us our
wages, and has sent to you standard silver sufficient for
2 000 shillings, which, without giving • reason, you have re-
used to nolo.

" The remind your refusal Is that we can earn no wage
the national as well ra local benefit of our work has cease.],
we are Proud to he Idle, and pauperism Increases. The
increased ratan to relieve this pauperism are paid exclusively
by our neighbours, who, therefore, bind their means of
employing us reduced.

'lf, ILI we are told, you stand to the way of our earning
15e. a week by Claiming a more than doubtful, and certainly
a dormant prerogative of the Queen, we respectfully submit
that, without her knowledge, and, as we Whey% contrary to
her wishes, you make a benevolent lady responelble for the
misery of many of her subjects.

• We pray for a favourable and Immediate answer, that
you will coin 2,000 shillings which we may earn.
". You cannot imagine tbo feelings under which strong
men pass their idle time, idle because the queen's preroga•
live Is claimed t, prevent their gaining a livelihood; we
cannot describe them,'''
[llere follow the signatures.]

"11, nJwnlng-atreet, Whitehall, Nov. 24, 1870.

"My dear Mr. fornllne,—l beg to acknowledge the receipt
of a petition, from some working men lately in your employ.
and to enclose an au.swer which I shall be nna,h obliged to
you to communicate to the. I propoae to publish the
correspondence.—" Very truly yet"
"MART
"George Tomilne. Eaq • M.P."
" THE.WoREINO MEN WHO NAVE SIGNED A PETITION

FoRWARIOEI,_ To ME UT MR- TOMLIN.E.-

11, Downlng-atrest, Whitehall, Nov. 24, 1870.
" My Friends,—lt Is my duty, as Master of the Mint, to
buy silver when I want It to coin Into ahillings and other
silver coins ; but not to buy It 1111iOSS I want it for that pur-
pose, because I have no other use for it.

"'When Mt Tomblin sent me his silver [did not want any
to make Into shillings, Co I MI not buy It.

.4 lint there are a great many people who want silver for
different purposes, and other people who buy silver to make
a profit by selling it again, and Mr. Tomline might have sold
his silver to soy of them and they would have given htm in
exchange shillings, or perhaps gold, which he would have
hot no difficalty IC changing into shillings.
4" If a man ha.. pig to sell, and take. it to a town where
there are several bid:hers, the first butcher may perhaps
not want to buy a pig. lint the man does not take his Mg
home again and say that the butcher has prevented him
from selling his pig. lie goes to the other butchers mita he
finds one that wants a pie, and sells the pig to him. lam
very sorry that Mr. Toinline has ceased to give y.di employ-
ment, but as he eoct easily, if he chose, obtain 2,000
Mullions Ia exchange for his silver, and, indeed, in many
Other Irma, yon must not think that my refusal to buy his
silver has anything to do with your distress. I donut claim
for the Qsoen in this case any right except that which Is
possessed by you, and me, and Mr. Tomllue, and all Iler
kisfeety's su jecia—the right to refuse to hue the thins 11 we
do not want. 44 'RuBERT LOWE:"