The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1875-06-19 00:00:00

Xocalaupistrid gtivs.

MEETING OF FRIENDLY SOCIETIES AT

THE VINE HOTEL.

A. meeting of friendly societies, having for its
object an alteration of the law which would enable
them to have refreslmy.rat, j:l,,.;esar at public-
houses during prohibited hours when, funerals of
deceas,A lieinbers took place on Sundays.
It was 1.-)roposed that Mr. Mantle take the chair,
but he declined, and- Mr. Homer was prevailed
upon to preside. Mr. Rock was elected secretary
pro tem.

- The Chairman said they had placed him in an
awkward position, as he did not like to be always
chairman; still, if he could be of any service he
should be glad to act. Most of those present knew
what had taken place at previous meeting, and
they were also aware of the judgment that had
been given at Brierley Hill in the beginning of
the year, in a case where some members of a
friendly society at Quarry Bank were charged
with being on licensed premises during prohibited
hours. The landlord was fined .25 and the mem-
bers, 103 641 each. They thought it an encroach-
ment upon their rights, and a meeting was there-
fore called, and that meeting determined to do
something. Two or three meetings were held,
and they then went to Brierley Hill, and there it
was resolved to hold the next meeting at Stour-
bridge so as to give them an opportunity of induc-
ing; the friendly societies there to join in the
movement. He trusted the members present had
come prepared to let them know their intentions
in the matter. He wished to know whether they
intended to help them to get their just rights, so
that they might be enabled to hold their funerals
without police supervision. They did not wish to
break the law, or to be Sabbath breakers, and
they thought they had a right to go to their club
houses when they had funerals, and have their
regalia. And if any little refreshment was re-
quired, they thought they had a right to have it.
They knew there were plenty of gentlemen's club
houses about, where those who were subscribers
could have anything they liked because it was not
in licensed premises. Now, if they had anything
at a funeral it was paid for before, as the landlord
as treasurer, has the money, and they thought they
had a right to try whether they could not get
something inserted in the Act that would enable
them to az'do that. He thought the Stipendiary
could not understand the position of the working
men in the Black Country upon this subject, or
he would not have been so harsh. Whenever they
met together on occasions like that, he hoped they
did not so far forget themselves as to make them-
selves either beasts or gluttons. It was true that
after the affair was over some one might so far
forget himself as to have little too much, but he
did not think it was right that they should be all
condemned on account of a few, and that they
should not be all placed in the same rude category
as the one who had disgraced himself. He thought
if they took up the matter thoroughly and ear-
nestly they should get the influence of outsiders
exerted in their favour. All their cause wanted
was for it to be laid before the public in a plain
legitimate manner, and if this was done he thought
those gentlemen who were in Parliament would
say they were asking for nothing but what was
right. If the people of Stourbriege thought they
were right in their movement, they must give
them an expression of opinion that night upon the
subject; and if they got the influence of the
friendly societies in this town, their influence
would be felt far and wide. And that was what
was wanted; because then other friendly societies
would find themselves treated in the same way,
and then they would join them to resist such
tyranny. The law was at present that they had
no right to meet in a public-house whether they
had refreshments or not. That law was a very
obnoxious one, and they wanted to try to get it
altered so far as it concerned themselves in that
matter; and he should like to hear the opinion of
any delegate present who had not been at their
former meetings.
Delegates from the Vine Inn, Lye. and from the
Union Inn, Lye, announced that they had been
delegated to represent their respeccive Courts,
which coincided in the movement.

Mr. Jay then addressed those present, and he
said there was one thing that dropped from him
with which he thoroughly coincided, and that was
with reference to Sabbath breaking. He respected
that. He thought it was the spirit of their move-
ment not to encourage Sabbath breaking. He
denominated Sabbath breaking Sabbath desecra-
tion. They were only -asking for leave to meet at
their own lodge house without being interfered
with in any way. He thought they were a body
of men whounderstood their movement better and
regarded their character too much to wish to do
anything that would savour of Sabbath breaking,
and they denied wishing to make themselves either
gluttons or drunkards. He thought if the case
was brought before their higher courts they should
have their sympathy. They were not ignoramuses,
and knew how te conduct themselves, and, there-
fore, ought to be better treated.
Mr. Mantle said he believed the object of that
meeting was to get an expression of opinion from
the Stourbridge people. Those present were
aware that the friendly societies at Brierley Hill
had given an expression of opinion upon this
matter, and he should very much like to hear some
of the delegates of friendly societies in this town
say something on the subject. Stourbridge was a
very importantplace, and there were many friendly
societies, and rich ones too, and he should very
much like to hear from them whether they were
willing to support them in that movement He
asked the question at Brierley Hill, and he should
now ask it again—why should they deal thus
harshly with them, a respectable body of men,
and was it right that they should be thus treated.
And they would find that no one who had been
convicted for being in public-houses during prohi-
bited hours, had been dealt with so harshly as
the members of the friendly society at Quarry
Bank had been. If it were not for friendly socie-
ties their poor rates would be much heavier than
they were, and a gentleman whom he knew said
that instead of having to pay is 4d in the pound
as they had now they would have had to pay 2s 4d
in the pound, and the workhouse would be full to
suffocation. Instead of that, there was not a
workhouse in England, which in proportion to the
population of the district, contained fewer paupers
than theirs did; and he thought that fact spoke
volumes for the economy and industry of ;the
working classes in that district. There was no
district in the world where they were more in dan-
ger of accidents from various causes than in that
district. As they knew, the decision refer'red to
was not the only occasion on which the judgment
of Mr. Spooner had been adverse to friendly socie-
ties. He (the speaker) had been shown an instance
of it that night. He thought the question ought
to be taken up at Stourbridge, as well as at Crad-
ley Heath and Brierley Hill. If it was right to
close public-houses on the Sabbath, close them
altogether, or let members of friendly societies
have permission to meet there for those purposes
which had been spoken of—(applause).
• The following proposition had been moved and
adopted at a meeting held at Brierley Hill during
the previous week :—" That this meeting is of
opinion that a petition should be drawn up and
sent to the different friendly societies for members
to sign, and then transmitted to members of the
House of Commons praying Parliament to allow
them to bury their dead on the Sabbath day with-
out police supervision."
Mr. Mantle said he thought one of their repre-
sentatives in Parliament ought to be furnished
with a statement of their case, and the remarks
of the counsel who defended them. They had two
objects in view. The first they had given expres-
sion to, viz., condemning the action of Mr.
Spooner, and then getting the law altered so as to
prevent a thing of that kind occurring in the
future. They must take action at once, because
the Friendly Societies' Bill was now passing
rapidly through the House of Commons. There
would be some alterations made in it in the House
of Lords, and then it would he returned to the
House of Commons, and if they could get up a
petition before then it might be presented. There
were plenty :of gentlemen known to members of
Parliament connected with friendly societies. A
letter was read from Mr. Sheridan, M.P., which
had b, en addressed by him to Mr. Mantle, and it-
was'as follows :—" Dear Sir,—l received your let-
ter and the Englishman referring to the case of
Mr. John Radford, of Quarry Bank, who was fined
£5 by Mr. Spooner; also the case of 14 members
who had to pay lOs 6d a head. lam sure I need
not say that the case seems to me an unusually
hard one. Although the law seems to be as the
Magistrate declared it to have been, I think Mr.
Spooner may have had discretionary power enough
to have ata arded 'nominal fines; but I cannot be
sure that the decision was right without reading
the Act of Parliament. What shall I do? Shall
I draw the attention of the Government to the
case by public question in the House of Commons.
This I should be very happy to do."
The following resolution was then proposed by
Mr. Rock, "That the time has now arrived for us
to extend our efforts and to try to change it from a
local to a national affair, and that we have hand-
bills explaining our views printed and forwarded
to the varixas socicti'.3s in Birnia kham, Kidder-
minster, Vudley, Droitwich, Bromsgrove, West
Bromwich, Worcester, and other places in the
midiaad districts, soliciting their active co-opera-
tion."

_
Ruth -Mr. Rock's resolution, and the one which
was adopted at Brierley Hill, were successively
put to the meeting, and their adoption carriod
unsairaously.

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