The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1868-03-28 00:00:00

Ct't 3tonlage (*trim.

SATURDAY, MARCH 28, 1888.

TRADES' UNIONISM.

Representative institutions, said the late
Prince Consort, aro on their trial. The same
remark may ho made with regard to trades'
unim:s. A royal commission has made elaborate
inquiries into the whole system, and arising out
of this inquiry we hod sows time since ta special
examination hits the system of trade-union ter,
rorisrn as it existed In Sheffield. The revela-
tions then mode lire too fresh in the memory of
our readers to require recapitnlation. But we
now have a sad supplement to this in the r..port
of the extuniners appointed last August to in-
quire into the whole subject of trades' union
outrages in the Manchester district.
We deeply regret to 0111 that we have here
the tale of Sheffield intimidation and outrage
repeated, Omagh with less atrocious episodes.
One of the most damaging facts connected with
the trades' unions of the distriet is the cireniu-
stance that just before the examiners were about
to eater upon the inquiry several members of
the unions destroyed their books: This speaks
Volumes. The members would never have
shirked enquiry, under Par1;11:11(111t:Iry sanction,
had tl.ey not known that there was much to
C t.ctl. The truth, however, could not thus be
hidden, inasmuch as several persons eonfessed,
I order to ehtaln the indemnity offered by the
tqal commission. From the evidence thus ob-
tained we learn that immediately in connection
with the trades' union system in the Manchester
district there have been sloth ontraged as tjlo
wilful destructiOn of property, savage assaults,
oven resuiting in death, attempts to the houses,
and the maiming of workmen. The examinees
—Mr. Pickering; Q.C., Mr. Bantu*, and Mr.
Chance, say that those outrages were " delibe•
rately planned and executed in furtherance of a
system which had for its object the subjection
of both masters and men to the rules of the
uniou and the destruction of freedom at labour:"
These gentlemen further aonnert these out-
rages, not with trades unionists only, but with
the societies specially formed to maintain the
trades' union system. They were, in fact, offi-
cial outrages, arranged and paid for; and it is
' mentioned that one man was constantly employed
in carrying out the korrid decrees of the officers
or committees of these associations; it seems
that he had no other employment, and that he
lived, in fact, upon this system of trades'
terrorism.
Without further reference to these outrages,
lot us glance at the narrow minded views of so-
cial economy that they were intended to sup-
port. Tho Manchester district is an area of 120

square niiles, so fur ag the Brickmakers' Socie-
ty's arrangements are
.concerned, and the so.

clety will permit no bricks to be made on this
area except by Manchester union men, nor must
any bricks be sold or used throughout this
district except those made by the orthodox
unionists.

The Belton tailors have two unions, No. 1
and No. 2, and the union men have been in the
habit of dictating to toasters whether No.l men
or No. 2 men should be employed; while the
Manchester Warpers Union would not permit
the wife or sister of a workman, or indeed any
women, to w up, for fear wages should be rc•
duced. We have called such regulations as these
narrow-minded, and they are as. They are op.
poaed to that free trade which has done so much
tor Groat lliltssin, and especially for its working
classes; they are worthy only of the days of
, the days of walled cities, tomptuary laws. trade.
guilds, prohibitory tariffs, and protection in its
' worst forms. 'these Manchester revelations,
added to time we have already had elsewhere,
and added to the cases of outrage that now and
thou occur throughout the country, cannot but
have an important effect on legislation. sooner
or later it will be the duty of Parliament to en.
ter on the study of the relations existing be-
tween employers and employed, and between
working men who insist on union regulations
and those who advocate and try to ractice the
principle of free labour. Combinati ins of work-
men have long existed and will continue to exist;
but the problem t) be determined will be to
reconcile their existence and action with the
perfect freedom of the workman to make his
own terms with his employee.

MR. GLADSTONE'S RESOLUTIONS.
The Irish Church, as most pasona foresaw,
has becoffio a serious difficulty with Govern-
ment. It is the battle-ground of the two great
political parties in the country. Mr. Gladstone
on Monday night gave noti .e of three resolu-
tions that he intends to Wove in c ,mmittee.
These resolutions are of the most incisive cha-
racter, cud are such that the Conservative party
generally eau certainly not agree with. Briefly
they may be stated as declaring that the Irish
Church mast be 4E13 3stAsliilted, and that public
patronage in Irish livings as well as the (been's
interest in the temperalitiea of the Church shall
cease. It is dear that these resolutions are
brought forward with the object we will uot say
of embarassing the Government, but of urging
the settlement of a great question which Minis-
ters would gladly postpone. Whatever may be
the result of the battle that has now commenced
we think Mr. Gladstone has done gait° right to
determine on that battle behig fought. The
lengthy Irish debate which we lately had ended,
as tao many debates do, in the withdrawal of a
motion, and in nothing been done. Now the
existence of the Irish church as an establish-
ment is a great and admitted grievance; it is
the church of a minority compulsorily supported
by an indignant majority, and this anomaly and
injustice gives rise to a great beart-berning, aud
is undoubtedly one cause of much of the disaf-
fection that unhappily exists in Ireland. Mr.
Giadstmne, who is a sound Protestant and a zeal-
ous Churchman, does not advocate or desire the
destruction of the Irish Church as a religious
institution, bet its discstablishinent. He con-
siders that the time has come AVIIOII it should
" cease to exist as an establishment." And this
is just what the great majority of the people of
this country desire. The view that appears to
no to be nest just and honourable, as well its
the moat politic, is that in a Homan Catholic
country, us iii a Protestant one, there should be
teloration lor mid the voluntary support of the
religion of the minority ; and that therefore the
Irish Church should he disestabliAlied," its
aklhorents being left free to support it 48 the
Catholies support theirs. If this be does
another thing must be done also. The Maynooth
grant must be withdrawn. It would be an ammo-
mushy to disestablish the Irish Cnuroh and con-
tinue to tax Protestant subjects for the supkilort
of a Roman Catholic ecclesiastical and collegiate
institution,