The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1874-06-27 00:00:00

IMPERIAL rARLIAMMT.

it would be to include these industries without notice,
and held out,s hope that next year Owl e shall be a
Select CommitteiFon the subject Ultimately the amend-
ment tins negatived. Alter this, there was a short coever-
sation on the propriety ,d excepting Ireland from the bill,
which was urged on the lioverunient by Mr. Shaw, Sir.
Mulholland, Mr. Benign°, Mr. Macartney, and others,
but Mr. Cross, who Wall supported by Mr. Muudella,
strongly opposed the suggestion. In committee on
the bill, on Clause 3, Mr. Fawcett renewed his objec-
tion to the proposed interference with the labour
of adult women. Ile went over again the arguments
which he had urged on the Second Reading, and having
replied to the charge then made against him, that he was a
mere crotchet-monger and knew nothing practically of the
subject, lie neived an amendment, excluding women from
the operation of the bill. Mr. Mundell& opposed it ; and,
on a division, it was negatived by .242 to Mi.
Mr. Mulholland next formally moved to take Ireland out I
!of the bill. Mr. Wollner Power, Mr. W. Johnston, and Dr.
Ball spoke against the proposal, and it was negatived, ou a
I division, by 155 to 48.
: The "hall-hour for cleaning" at the end of the week was
debated for some time, and Mr. Anderson, who moved its
omission, so as to reduce the actual hours of labour to 56
hours a week, was supported by Mr. Hermon and other
manufacturers. Mr. Cross, however, firmly resisted any
change, pointing out that this provision was part of the un-
derstanding arrived at between masters mid men, and Oa a
division Mr. Anderson wsa defeated by 105 to 57. Clause 10,
which allows horsepower mills to work extra hours for
the recovery of lost time, was struck out on the understand-
ing that it will be considered at a future stage, and with it
were postpone! the amendments relating to the employment
of women after childbirth. On Clause 14, relating to the
employment of children, Mr. Ripley took exception to the
provision that at the end ef 1875 the age at which children
may commence work in factories shall he raised from 9 to 10
Itjealrlen lie wan supported b?lr."rl'or(.irteTtelLeale".rol
soLulella, and Mr Fawcett opposed it .n.iainly on eutica-
Menai grounds, and the proposal to negative it was not
pressed.
in the next clause, which abolishes the exemptions
hitherto eujoyed by the silk trade as to the employment of
children, Mr. Si. Egerton, Mr. Brocklehurst, and Mr. S.
INTOXICATING LIGUOILY BILL. 11111 pleaded head for 12
.years its the age at which a child
should become a full timer, and urged that the peculiar
On the third rending of the Intoxicating Liquors Bill being I circumstances of the trade did not require so strict a law as
moved,

CkIUSCH BUILDING.

In the Of Lonna, June 22, Lord Hampton moved
for a retuni showing the number of churches (including
cathedrals) in eerry ds iii England which have been
built or-restored at a cost exceeding £5OO since the year 1840;
and showing also, as far as possible, the expenditure In each
case, and the sources from which, in each cane, the required
funds were obtained.
The Bishop of London sold there mild he no objection to
furnish such a return, but in many 1,045c5, and especially in
the diocese of London, there would be very groat dilliculty
in obtaining full information.
The nitition was agreed to.
BOARD OF TRADE ARBITRATIoNS, INQUIRIF.B, &C., BILL

This bill was read a second time.
SUPREME COURT OF J UDICATURE ACT (1873) AMENDMENT

BILL.
The report of amendments ou this bill was agreed to, after
some criticisms from Lord liedesdale, to which the Lord
Chancellor replied.
COURT OW JUDICATURE (IRELAND) BILL

The Court of Judioiture (Ireland) bill was read a thin*
time and paSSGa , after Lord bemoan lad repeated his objec-
tions to the abolition of the Appellate Jurisdiction of the
HOlUse of Lords.

- - -
the Powers Law Amendment bill and the County Courts
Hill were considered in ciminnttee, and the .t.her business
having been gone through, their lordships adjourned.

NOTICE OF MOTION.

In the tiou,k OF COMMONS, Mr. R. Smyth gave notice that
I. e would move the following resolution as an amendment to
Mr. Butt's Rome Rule motion That it will be prejudicial
to the material prosperity and dangerous to the peace and
Independence of the Irish nation to make any change in the
Parliamentary Uoverument of these countries involving ti
the dissolution 4 the legislative talon oft:rest Britain and
Ireland "

Uhe7i:xtiie_manlactures.

Mr. Cross and Mr. Mu,ulolla

• ......,.
Sir W. Lawson moved its rejection, on the ground that it opposed the amendment, and it was not premed.
inn injurious, retri grade measure, that it will increase the .rhe other Clauses of the bill hiving been disposed of, Mr.
hums of drinking, and will be an unmitigated curse to the J Fielden moved a new clause imposing a penalty on any
a ives and children of the working i epulation. Ile was not . employer allowing a woman to return to work within four
very sanguine of success, because he admitted that the , weeks of her confinement. Dr Lush and Sir J. Lubbock
Liberal Party was few in number, incoherent in argument, spoke in favour of the (lame, but it was opposed by Mr.
and inconsistent in action, and that sorne of the ablest men Cross, Mr. Stansfeld, Mr NV. stanhope, and others, and nin-
on the front bench " the imaginary leaders of AB imaginary mately WAS withdrawn.
Putty' had voted with the publicans
Some verbal aniendments were made hi the schedules,
Air Gosclo•ii sarcastically reminded Sir Wilfred that the and on the Preamble Mr. Cross WOK the opportunity of
bill was not so bad as the time Secretary would have made thanking the House for the assistance lie had received in
it, and advised hhis net to throttle at its birth this weak settling the details ‘if the bill so expeditiously.
bantling of a strong WO victorious administration. With
The Intoxicating LilillATS (Ireland) Bill was considered in
much iteration, and in a tone of extreme bitterness, Mr.
Committee, and several other bills having been forwarded
m manner
Guschen commented on the numerous changes made inhad the tog
the House adjourned at tell Millutes paM one
eaaure, and on the ill WhiCh Ntr. Cross con- a ..a,
Aucted it through Committee, and while repudiating all a aa- r:
a
re nsibility for it on the part of the Opposition, though he
claimed for them that they had greatly amended it, he advised
the it should be treated with "contemptuous acquies-
cence."

THE MERCHANT SHIPPING SURVEY BILL
In the HOUSE ok CoMMONs, June 24, Mr. Plimsoll, in
moving the second reading of this bill, said there was a bad
state of things prevailing among a large portion of our
mercantile marine, and vessels were sent to sea in a very un-
fit condition to stand the weather and greatly overladen. The
draft reports of the Board of Trade proved his case, and in
a speech delivered in this House by the President of the
Board of Thule in May lust is was stated that 264 vessels had
been seized for presumed unworthiness, out of which 17
„ .

Mr. S. Hill maintained that the bill was necessary to
correct the blunders and defects of Mr. liruce's Act and
Lord O. Cavendish urged the withdrawal of the amendment,
admitting that an angel from Heaven if he were to bring in
a Licensing Bill would lind it too much for him.
Mr. Cross having dismissed Mr. tioschen's invective with
the brief remark that his shoulders were broad enough to
bear it, proceeded to point out the various defects in Mr.
Bruce's Act which called for fresh legislation, and enume-
rated the various useful amendments in the existing law
which the bill effected Vindicating his rnatkage.ent of
the measure, he pointed out that the great difficulty had
been how to define town and country, and maintained that
after all its labours the House had arrived at a wise and
sound conclusion, which would remove the Liquor Traffic
from the list of public questiona for some time to come.
On *division the Second Reading was carried by 3:18 to
19.
" -

were still under consideration, while out of the remaining
247 only 13 had been fit to go to sta. The bill before the
House sought to make the survey which was now special,
general. Things had been rapidly growing from bad to
worse, and although some good had been done by the
Act of last session, they must no longer losk to
a continuance of the same results as the measure
had done Ito work. Ile proposed that an absolute prohibi-
tion of deck-loading should be enforced between September
and the 31st of March in each year, and that a mark should be
I painted on the sides of vessels that should indicate the depth
I to which they were loaded. By another clause he would
FRIENDLY SOCIETIES BILL. enact that the Board of Trade should have power to make
The Chancellor of the Exchequer, in moving the Second I such regulations from time to time with reference so free-
Reading of the Friendly Societies Bill, mentioned several board as they might desire, hut he had no desire to press
changes which he was ready to make in it. On the point of this clause, though he could see that an able man
Infant Assurance he would give up the absolute prohibition at the Board of Trade could deal with this sub-
with regard to children under three years of age and Jed in a most useful manner. Proceeding to criticise the
replace it by a provision that the amount insured objections to the bill, he doubted it any danger existed of
should not exceed the cost of the funeral, and British merchants registering their ships under foreign
that the child should only be insured in one office flags, and if such a thing did take place, our Government
and by its parent lie was ready, also, to replace the could communicate with foreign Governments with a view to
Deputy Registrars by the Clerks of the Peace and to introduce the enforcement of general regulations similar to those
Into the bill some general definition of the regulations which existing with reference to light and lighthouses. Look-
these officers were to make ; and, further, list were desired, ing at the decrease in the number of ships lost in
he would confine the bill entirely to Friendly Societies, the latter half of last year as compared with the
Though he still hoped to pass the bill this Session, he was first six months there was great encouragement for
not anxious to press it forward unduly. But the communi- them to proceed and pass regulations which would
he ' . the - - • •

General Grant, Mr. Fish, and Colonel Forney sot when
Mr. Sumner was importuned to espouse the San Domingo
annexation scheme " " A worn-out fly brush' brought
4 dol9. 50, The hardest contest was, however, over, Mr.
sunicar's arm-chair, which soon an to an " alarming
figure," and was ultimately knocked down for 316 dots The
most valuable article In the hause—an old clock which
stood in the hall, and which sometimes beats a tune—was
not sold, The highest bid, reaching 3,000 dots,, for the
clock was declined, and it is understood that it will be sent to
a relative Altogether, the sale seems to have been a great
success, and affords another proof that the furniture of great
men is valued almost no much as their memory

THE FARM LABOURERS AT
MANCHESTER.
On Saturday a large deputation of agricultural labourers,
representing the men locked out fiti the Eastern Counties oq
account of their connection with the Labourers' Union, of
which Sir. Joseph Arch is the president, and the Federal
Union, visited Manchester with the object of obtaining help
in their agitation for increased wages. Their visit was made
the occasion of a friendly denionstration on the part of their
fellow trades unionists, not only in Manchester, but the neigh-
bouring Lancashire towns, which has rarely been witnessed in
Manchester, alike in r spect of numbers, display, or cotimiu-
oily of feeling. 'the farm labourers' movement has from the
first taken a deep hold upon the sympathies of the working-
men in the northern district A few weeks ago a Central Re-
lief Committee was formed in Manchester, which has
already been the medium of transmitting to the distressed
districts contributions from the neighbouring Lamashire,
Yorkshire, and Cheshire towns, amounting to X2,50(1. The
proposal that a grand trades demonstration in favour of the ;
men locked out ahould take place in Manchester obtained a
ready assent alike from the leaders and the members of the
principal miions, and the political differences, which at the
recent general election were somewhat fiercely aroused and
displayed with considerable bitterness, appear for the time
being to have Men sunk. An attempt was made to obtain
the direct sanction to the demonstration of the Bishop of
Manchester, whose letters on the subject of the labourer's
condition have coniinanded for him extraordinary favour
among the working classes. The Manchester Courier states
that Mr Wood, president of the Manchester and Salford
Trades Council, and Mr. Ciaskell. secretary of the Agricul-
tural Labourers' Relief Committee, waited last week
upon the bishop in order to obtain adhesion to the move.
inent, and his lordship expressed his entire concurrence
with it, stating that he did not wish to withdraw a single
phrase which lie had used Its his letter. He encased himself,
however, from attending the meeting, or taking part In the
proceedings, adding that he was already engaged to preach
on Sunday at St Paul's, and would not be hi Manchester
all !Saturday. 'the leading members of the Farm Labourers'
Unions. and several of their chief supporters were pre-
sent, and took an active part in the pron3edings. and
also the leading trades unionists from London, Liverpool,
Leeds, Bradt°, if, Sheffield, Nottingham, and Birmingham.
In order to bring the sympathisers with the movement
arrangements were made with the railway companies, to
whom a guarantee of E 1,200 was given by the proinoters
of the meeting, and special trains were nin front Leeds,
Halifax, Bradford, Dewsbury, Huddersfield, Cole, Burnley,
Accrington, Benin, Blackburn, Darwin, Bolton, Wigan,
Preston, Liverpool, St Helens, Sheffield, Rotherham,
Nottingham, Derby, Stoke, and Macclesfield, calling at in-
termediate stations. All the Manchester and Salford trade
societies, with representatives of their branches in the
surrounding districts joined the procession. which was de-
scribed in the advertisement, and as the event proved accu-
rately, as promising hobo "the most brilliant trade demon-
stration ever witnessed in the neighbourhood," and the
effect which it was intended to produce Wits stated in the
same advertisement to be to "show the farmers that the
trade societies will stand by the agricultural labourers and
defend the Union."
-

It was estimated upon a rough enumeration of the files as
they passed various points, that between 12,000 and 16,000
trades unionists joined the procession. Between GO and 70
trades and friendly societies were represented, accompanied
by 60 brass and reed bands, and displaying their distinctive
banners and regalia. The component parts of the procession
having itsinunbled in Albert-square, in front of the new town-
hall and the streets adjoining between three and four
o'clock, in the presence of an immense concourse of spec-
tators, were speedily marshalled, and began their 'much
through the prmcipal streets about halbpast four o'clock. in
the square the agricultural labourers were the centre of at-
traction, and some of their number, who wore white slops,
did a considerable business in selling copies of the Labourea
rhronicie. containing reports of the recent conference at
Leamington, and sheets of songs used by the locked-out men,
in praise of the Union, and setting forth the demands of the
men and the hardships of their lot, and the privations of
their wives anti children in consequence of the inadequate
payment made for labour, the insufficiency of their cottages,
and their powerlessness in the elector's' representation,
local and imperial Fancy prices were frequently paid for
this literature by the good-natured buyers, as an expression
of sympathy with the men, and charity in this form was
further promoted by the display of two huge contribution
boxes mounted on lorries, into which all the monies re-
ceived were cast. The procession when it left the square
was headed by a standard bearing a lithographed portrait
" of Manchester, the -md printed on the
_

. .
cations which he had reeeived from persons connected wit- diminish the loss a if caused by the wrecking of us - ql-the Bishop ~.. ...tanchesces, -__.: Rpm, ,- -
these Societies were in favour of legislating this Session and seaworthy ships. He entreated the President of the Board obverse side, "A True Bishop," and underneath "The friend
on the general lines of the bill. of Trade to entertain his proposal favourably. The working of the people." To avoid all difficulties as to precedence
Sir e. Dilke approved the changes proposed, and though chases, from Aberdeen to ralmouth were eagerly looking which rise among Unionists as among all other bodies eon
he still continued of ()Pinion that the bill could not be ad- forward to some legislation being passed on the subject, and petite on the score of age, standing, and numbers, the trades
vantageously Peened this Year, he relinquished his intention wore the Government to take the matter in hand they would walked in alphabetical order, beginning with the bakers,
of making a motion to this effect I save hundreds of lives, and relieve the minds of numbers of but an exception was made in favour of the farm labourers,
Mr. Lowe was of opinion that the bill offered no adequate poor women from the apprehension they must perpetually who, in order to lend character to the proceedings, were
suffer while things remained in their present state. cheers.) placed prominently in the advance. They were proceeded
remedy for the deplorable condition of too many of these Mr. Forsyth seconded the motion, and thanked the hon. by a magnificent green silk banner, mid as they marched
Societies. It failed altogether to realize the hopes which it gentleman for the exertions he had made in the matter- he along sang from time to time snatches of their trade songs
excited, and, unless the Government determined to go much had been the first to bring the matter forward, and was to popular and inspiriting airs. This formed appareutly the
further, and to make the registration, valuation, Sc.. corn- zealous in a good cause. most popular part of the procession with the crowds who
pulsory instead of optional, it would be better to leave these
Societies to go on in their own way. Me Peel thought the whole country owed a debt of grail' lined the principal thoroughfares through which it passed,
tilde tolfir Plimsollfor bringing thesubject before the country and showers of copper and silver coins were cast into the
In the long conversation which followed, Mr. Salt, Mr. and the House, but the time was inexpedient for the Paseafte two money boxes mounted on lorries, which the labourers
Roebuck, Mr. Henley, Mr. W. Hohns, Mr. Macdonald, Sir of a bill of this kind, as the House now expected a report escorted. These friendly demonstrations on the part of
S. Waterlow, Mr. E. Hubbard, Mr. Whitwell, Mr. Bass, Mr. from a Royal Commission upon the subject. They had had the crowds indeed caused great delays in the progress of the
Holt, and Mr. Colman. Joined in urging the Government to a preliminary report, which should warn them to be careful procession. Many of the trades -. notably the house
delay legislation until next Session, in order that the Report in dealing with this subject. The bill proposed pest-ti- painters, the carpenters and joiners, the engineers, the
of the commissioners might be more thoroughly studied. catty that all ships should be surveyed, a strong power to each and waggon builders, and the cotton spinners-made
Mr. Forster was alas 011 the side of delay, though he did not suggest the grant of to a body who should report to the a good display of banners and regalia, but the mottoes they
take so gloomy a view of the possibilities of legislation as Board of Trade, but over whom the latter should have bore simply expressed the commonplaces of Unionism-
Mr. Lowe. Mr. Wheelhouse deprecated interference with no control. The provision as to the deck loads would "Uniossismi is strength." . United we stand, divided we
the domestic management of these Societies, and Mr interfere with foreign as well as British ships as the bill fall."- with a persistent iteration which ultimately became
W. Holms disputed the inference drawn from the statisthe was framed. Ile agreed in the necessity of action in almost wearisome. The letter-press printers caused an agree-
by the Commissioners as to the connection between the prac- I
1 the matter, but they must be careful not to take a false able diversion by bringing with them a printing machine
tice of Infant Assurances and Infant Mortality. Mr E. , step.
There were many remedies besides the minute In. mounted upon a lorry, from which they printed Bishop
Stanhope held that Parliament could not leave these Socie- I spection proposed in the bill, and among them were, he sue- Fraser's letter, beginning "Ace the farmers of England
ties to themselves after the evidence which had been given gested the amendment of the Masters and Servants Act, the ?Mai'. which is believed to have given a strong impetus to
Uso their condition, and regretted that the bill did not go publication of the condition of vessels when they left port, the labourers' movement This broadsheet obtained a ready
further. There were some parts of it which might be amendment in courts of inquiry and the procedure in them, sale, and the multitude of pennies which the busy printers'
pressed this year, and to give the Government the oppor- and the establishment of a public prosecutor. devils collected must have added considerably to the day's
tunity of consideration he moved the adjournment of the
A kof,dliesied dis• mission followed, in which several hon. drawings. The railway servants, who appeared in greater
Debate.force than at any previous trades' demonstration, and many of
members took part, and when the •
Hou divided there ap-
'the Chancellor of the Exchequer remarked that after thewhom woreuniform, were everywhere well received The pro-
peered : FOl. the second reading, Sara, gainst, 173 : ma-
general unanimity in favour of delay, he would not press the wity. , mission was finally wound up by a very interesting display
form! in
bill. but would be content with its committal pro , made by the wire-drawers, who showed fac similies of all
order that it might be reprinted and circulated with the I'he bill was therefore rejected, hut the result was re- the great ocean telegraph cables hitherto laid, lightning
amendments. He was more anxious for safe than speedy ceived with loud cheers by Mr. Plimsoll's supporters. conductors, and other products of their trade. The pageant
leglislation, and one of the chief objects of the Government The other orders were disposed of. and the House ad- I occupied fully an hour in passing a given point shortly after
In introducing the bill was to draw public attention to 'owned. its starting, when a comparatively brisk pace and compact
the subject, and to induce discussion. Replying to Mr. order were maintained. Before its destination was reached
Lowe's criticisms Sir Stafford maintained that the middle 1 the order of march had become somewhat broken, and It
COlll.llO between compalsion and doing nothing was the safest. I was half-past seven o'clock before the tail of the proceasion
and that the utmort the Government could do with advantage struggled throng') the gates of the Pomona Gardens. Here
was to assist the Societies by trustworthy tables, valuations, most excellent arrangements had been made for the meet.
Ac , and to give the public the means of knowing what the ings, six in number, which brought the demonstration to a
Societies are doing. close. Though the grounds were crowded with visitors, so
The bill was then read a second time, and orders!!o be many gates of entrance
reed bad been ssp.sied that no block or
comruitted pro furoiki next Monday. inconvenience occu
The Valuation (Ireland) Act Amendoveut 11111 was read a The principal meeting was hold in a large hall which has
second time ; Re
the Second soling of the Wenlock I recently been erected, sad was addressed by Mr. J. D. Prior,
Elementary Edanducation Bill-moved by General Forester, President of the Society of Carpenters and Joiners, who took
and opposed by the other member for Wettlock, 3lr. Brown- , the chair. 31r. Joseph Arch, Mr. f
the Amalgamated Associati Thomas If II (Chairman
was carried ens division by 141 to 57 oon of Miners), Mr. Harforci
(Sheffield), and Mr. Sweeny (Bradford). Mr. Halliday at.
Several other bills were forwarded a stage, and the House tributed the improved position of the miners mainly to their
adjourned at live minutes to twelve o'clock, combination in a trades union, and denounces! the attempt
to crush the combination which had recently been organised
. _ .
The following resolu-

of contradiction, and he wanted it to go to the world,
that the land of England to-day was capable, if pro-
perly cultivated, of bringing its produce to the table of
every consumer 40 per cent. cheaper. (Cheers.) Let
them read the balance-sheet of such men 1104 Mr.
Mechi or theistatements of. Lord Derby. Let them
inquire of ahy practical agriculturist, and he would
tell them that to-day the produce of England was
decreasing. And why was that the case? Not be-
cause the sun had ceased his fertilizing power, not
because the rains had been withheld, not because the
providence of God had failed, not because the labourer
was unwilling to work, but because the land was
I monopolized. (Cheers.) That was the secret of the
mischief, anti while the land continued to be mono-
polized, and not cultivated to produce to its fullest ex-
tent, people in the towns must continue to pay dear
for their food. It had been said to bins, 'lf you

"2--
agricultural labourers combine, you will raise the price
of everything; "and a man had had the impudence to
tell him in a railway carnage the other day. that they
. . .

would even raise the price of ginger-pop a.' halfpenn}t
a bottle. (Laughter.) It was a pet theory of many
men that Unions raised the price of everything and
drove trade out of the country. lie maintained that
the trade of this country had not been driven from it
because of combination, but it had been driven from it
because the artisan had had to pay more for his food
and, as a consequence, his employer had had to pay
more for his labour. (Hear, hear.) Whatever the
present Government might think, or whatever
others might think, they might depend upon
it that the passing hour was a very serious one in
the history of this country. Week by week hun-
dreds and thousands of the best of our labourers were
leaving our shores to seek work in other fields than
our own. He would not say to a good labourer, "Do
not go," but looking at the question in a national light
and as a patriot, he said, we are approaching a crisis,
and if the labourers of this country are not made more
contented, if they are not better fed, if the lands are
not better tilled and made more productive, you will have
your provisions dearer, and your artisans in the towns
will not be sopped down with bread and onions, as the
farm labourers have been. (hlean) If, onthe other Land,
the provisions of this country could be served up from 30
to 40 per cent, cheaper than they now were the artisan
could work at lewd 30 per cent cheaper, and the manu-
facturers could bring his commodities into the market
25 per cent. cheaper. Farm labourers in the rural dis-
tricts had been told by their fathers and grand-fathers
14 the beautiful cumulous which they once enjoyed, ,d
the pigs they used to turn out upon them, of the cow
they 11.011 to keep, and so on. Where were these commons
now? Why the landlord had put up fences round them.
(Cries of" Shamni. !") Ile was familiar with a tract of land
which some years ago was a common belonging to the
people; now it was fenced off-- the people dared not set a
foot upon it - it was a great game preserve. He remem-
bered that ten or 12 years ago 30 labourers were walk-
ing about with their hands in their pockets in dreary
winter with nothing to do, and they said to them-
.

selves," The farmet7says he cannot employ us; let us
go to the landlord and ask him to let us stick our
spades into that waste land ; we will pay a good rent
for it, and what we do in the dreary month of Novem-
ber we shall be amply remunerated for in the smiling
months of June, July, and August." "No," the
landlord replied, "landless you are, and landless you
shall be." (Cries of " Shame.") Thousands in our
land were treated like this. Much as landlords and
farmers might censure him now, he was confident that
the day was not far distant when they would be led to
see that the stepa he had taken in organizing legiti-
metely into a conibidation the class of men to whom
he belonged would be to their advantage, for if they
nad not met Arch and the Union in 1872, before
1878 they would have met with something worse.
(" Hear, hear," and cheers.) They might smother
discontent for awhile, they might mop down the
smartings of injustice, but the soul of man
when injustice was brought to bear upon him
in a merciless manner, would swell like a volcano till it
burst. (Hear, hear.) He did not want to confiscate
property. ("No, no.") Some people told him that
he was a Communist (Laughter.) The Marquis of
Bristol had said at Bury St. Edmunds that the
doctrine he was preaching was Communism. (A Voice:
" He had been talking about 7,000,000 acres
of common land which had been takenfreni the
people, and the Marquis of Bristol replied that that
land had been taken by Act of Parliament, and was as
sacred to those who now held it as any of the rest of
their property. Why, when the farm labourers got
the franchise—(cheers)--and they meant to have it
(renewed cheers)—they would in all probality turn
upon the Marquis of Bristol, and say, " If by an Act
of Parliament, which was sacred, he put a fence
round common land, by another Act of Parlianient,
equally sacred, they would tell him to pull it down
again. (Laughter and cheers.) Mr. Arch proceeded to
Bay that the worn-out labourer had no prospect before
him but the Union workhouse, while others fed
themselves fat and made themselves rich, and made
the sweat of the labourer the ointment to supple their
joints of pride. They did not mean to have that state
of things much longer, and he thanked the artisans of
England and the sympathising people of England for
what they had done to help them, and to prevent
them from withering away. Here Mr. Arch had
apparently brought his speech to an end, but there
were loud cries from the meeting that he should
"Go on." Ile accordingly proceeded to speak of the
question of cottage accommodation in the rural districts.
He said that in days gone by reports such as those which
had been recently made by Mr. Davenport, on the
labourers' cottages in Cheshire, had been sent up to
Parliament, and very little notice was taken of
them. He was glad that so much attention was now
being given to this subject, because the labourers, as
much as any class in the community, desired to bring
up their daughters virtuously, and their sons chaste,,
but so long as human nature was human naturethe task
was almost impossible where husband and wife and
children were all huddled together in one mem (Hear,
hear.) At the same time, he maintained that if the
truth were stated there was leas immorality among the
labouring classes than among those who lived above
them. ("Hear," and cheers.) He had made allusions
in some of his speeches to the preaching of the clergy
upon these subjects, and these allusions had not been
much relished. He had a very high respect for a
clergyman if he were a man of the right stamp.
(Cheers, anti a voice, "Like the Bishop of Man-
chester.") Aye, like the Bishop of Manchester.
(Renewed cheer's.) The Bishop of Manchester, when
! he was a member if the Royal Commission, went
into the homes of the poor, and wrote down the facts
he saw —all honour to him for it. (Cheers, and a cry,
"Three cheers for the Bishop!" which were given.)
He felt a high respect for every earnest Christian
minister, and he believed there was no earnest
Christian minister of the Church of England, or
any other denomination, who would not go fully
with them when he said he should like to see
the clergy of this country rid of their anoinaloue
positions -as sitting on the bench of magistrates,
and the false position in which they were often
placed on Boards of Guardians. (Cheers.) Was it
anomalous that the minister who joined man and
woman at the altar with the solemn words, "Whom
God bath joined together let not man put asunder,"
should afterwards meet them at the workhouse door
and cut the tie between them? (Cheers.) The agri-
cultural labourers were told that they must not attempt
to raise themselves because the landlord did not get
24 per cent. on his capital, and because tenant farming
was not profitable; but he said if the landlord bought
up land at any price for the purpose of making poli-
tical serfs of all who lived upon it, qr if the tenant
farmer had half his crop eaten by game, the labourers
were not to blame. They were trying to release the
farmers from the burdens which were resting, upon
them, and the farmers would not allow them. Well,
there they were, the stupid party. (Cheers and
laughter.) He simply said this, that if the landlord
was being robbed of a proper percentage on his capital,
and if the farmer had grievances, the labourer had
grievances too ; and if to keep up the present system
of landlordism and tenantfarmeriem meant to plunge
into pauperism and misery, next door to starvation,
thousands of honest men and hardworking women, !
and millions of helpless children, then that system !
was a disgrace to any Christian country. (Cheers.)
The agricultural labourers had resolved that they
would not suffer any longer for other men's mistakes.
If they were asked how they were to alter the present
condition if things, he simply replied that if it were
not altered the labourers would alter their own condition
by emigration to the United States, to Canada, or to
New Zealand, where English labourers had already, by
their energy and their skill, and without capital, con-
verted stretches of pine forest into fertile fields,
smiling with golden grain. But he desired Englishmen
to remember that what the English labourer could do
upon the pine forests of Canada he could do at home
if he had the chance. He meant to try, by the help
of God, to effect a great reformation in his class, and
if it was not to be effected in Englami it should be
effected somewhere else. England had paid £20,000,000
for the Emancipation of slaves in the West Indies. She
had now before her the case of herown slaves at home:
and what had Government done for them? (A Voice
"Nothing.") Then they would make the Government
do something before long. They wanted to work, but
they wanted to live by their work, and not to be made
paupers. They wanted to be treated and recognized
as men, and if this could only be conceded to them
upon fair, honourable, and just grounds, they asked
for nothing more, and they would take nothing less.
(Loud cheers).
Several other speakers front a distance, including a few
agricultural labourers, addressed the meetings, but the
majority of the speakers were local trades unionists. Much
interest anti enthusiasm was caused by th singing of ruion
and labour songs by the Suffolk labourers

The sum realized by Saturday's demonstration at
Manchester, in aid of locked-out agricultural labourers,
amounted to £197 138. 3d. Of the sum .ollected there
were 28,086 pennies, 8,8.66 half-pennies, 36 farthings,
252 three-penny pieces, 69 four-penny pieces, 757 six-
pences, 362 shillings, 70 'florins, '53 half-crowns, 1
sovereign, making a total of 38,562 coins. In addition,
there were thrown into the boxes a bag containing 45.,
labelled "for the benefit of the Agricultural Labourers
of Old England;" five French ten-centime pieces, two
five-centime pieces, one cent, one Hong-Kong cent,
five beerhouse cheques, one bowling-green cheque, and
four buttons.