The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1872-12-17 00:00:00

Dorchester, 12th Deo, 1872.
• OONNINTARY ON THE HON. A. HERBERT'S
SPEECH AT DORCHESTER.

To the RaWar.

Ile you hare reported at length the Hou. A. Herbert's
at Dore-Muter, In favour of Unionism,
perhaga you will
;Tr: bowing to one who thinks In an exactly oppoelte direc-
tion. I yield to no maa In my aympathy for the Labourer.
and probably to none In my dislike to any and erery form of
Trade LirdOn ; as the motive', which hare Influenced me In
my oppodtioa to the Labour,..' Union, have been name
thoroughly misunderstood, and wilfully isurepreeented.
dual be highly obliged If you will give this letter insertion,
W.. to. U.... A. I..rbert . I ge. inagt•
College, he was a moot Oonewvative ; be le now an mobil.
Radical, and a Umld Republican .• perhaps same day be will be
a Conservative again; but I am amoldent, whether he remain
combat to his present conviction, or not, that time end Re
teaching 14111 adjudge them to be a. thoroughly mistaken ee he
worst now °onside', hi. form.. Ooneve opinions to have
bee.
_

—The- litteeet of Sagiend ehould reign over a united people,
and not one vitt into antagonistic Union.; and If Her home
dominions are too small to afford all her home unpin •
tiring, let them bike bent of gram and seek it in her colonial
peoesmioas, be millions of Isunre hue dons before them;
and there, where the soil laughs a crop, find that sun'', for
their wenn, and mope for their energies, which the narrow
inundation of the Old Country deny Mem. Now patriobem
Ii the only motive which can weld • nation into unity and
etatength, and without which it can neither be great nor free;
awl Tredes Unions proclaim patriotient to be • Ile, and that
the 'Menne of the Trod, sod Claws of a nation should pre-
ctommans over the interim of the whole. They plsos their
own interstate in the front eank—their country's In the mond ;
they force the dames they ottack to band together for self.
defence ; they small every one, wh never his or her rank, who
dila' from them ; they split • compact notion
crirrrlog to fraction ; they create • feeling of uneasiness
which le both deep nd general, and the sure forerunner of
strife. The mint authority which run and wealth have but
hitherto examintsd, sod which hes been re-produced is the
magailkent discipline, and ooneequent useamtes of our Senn
and armies, is as hateful to nun as Popery to the old
Pontoon, sod they oppw to be madly bent on It.
Should they .uoeeed the country will. In its time of trial,
have. Ilk* unhappy France, thousead. of Jabbering and
Incompetent leaden powered of • Attracting variety of plane
anc Woes imposeible to harmonise, sad the men, who, se In
olden times would come naturally to the fore, to rally the
natio. for sdrupes, will be nramped In this crowd of talking
nonentities—all of them equally impotent to save their
country, sod all flying from danger when the fruits of their
folly become meelleel. In fact intim Unions are destructive
of that oeomnzy authority, and ready obedience, which in
o nation', hour of peril, Idlest the only hope of It, nivation.
I am glad to one that Mr. Herbert admit. UntTradee Unions
hen dose loon* ens, but I am hugely enmeshed at hb
credulity In believing that Onions of Agricultural Labourers
can he persuaded not to do the nolo Res be received •
Oonsmisnion from Henn to declare that • perpetual miracle
dull be wrought in labourers' Uses, to the destruction of
natural sellehems, Med the tendency to "follow • multitude
to do evil.* Individually an English labourer is • fine frank.
beetled fellow, but in a Onionin be will be neither better nos
eo,m then others, and will be sure to pate in ULNA
dieloyalty to established lent
andreligion,
=mare or lem the chant:tennis of every Trades Union
yet fouoded.
Of the Inunediate danger of Unionism, the revolt of the
London Police, and the Arne of the Om Stokers, suite warn-
ing sod suggenive proof. I en, only echoing tin Mons of
hundreds with whom I ken ettemened the matter, netting,
that a mon startlingproof act at no dietant dne be afforded
by widespread dimlecelon in the rank. of our arsine, •
dhsteotlon eves now heralded by dentition on • nab on
enormous se to be steolutely astounding. Were I able to Sad
soy oolutertakinclog advanteem for the mtny ills they produce.
I might hedtate to condemn Trades thtlone, but I fail to Ind
NV but the ws7 sligleten. Their members have certainly
inquired the power of many breaking their map open' beans
with worry, and have obtabbed Ismer mtge., but the influence
Ice good of the Inter hes been for, not luring
been gradually obtained by bosom Indian,, the increased
wags loas sot been rightly valued, sad hie been simply
equankeed. I have on doubt that an Insurance *ace would
cooing 100 mines Donniebr labourer. mon eligible lives
than the same number of avenge London Carpenters, Black
Country Ironworkers, or Nowcostio roginoors, ood despite Mr:
Herbert'. 100.1.1 r idooordo of Union gionnoe, then ban much
pulpiness. Cilia*, end misery among highly paid artiene,
take them when, you like, es among the herd working sod etill
bard, wing Doneteldre pemosntry, and ten Urn,,, much
wickedness. _ .

lmo.oe.d to Trade' Unions, and am not aware that thy
ono bat voluntarily diseolved Melt. although one, that of the
laados Oeilltokes. has mullet itself 'Minty out of eximenos,
and deprived di its members of employ, by its domineering
follY• Tithes flay an Atilt wooire thlth Unlom rtag
but jemmy s set sr object of their promotora The truth le
that the thousand@ of men—talkers mod not workers—who
eaten tbeemelves mum Unions, will never emelt there to die
—wow". thd thwtrigthe of *eery description will
me there me look, and union legislative Interferences, firmly
booed up, end their career, civil our will cut the knot, and
be succeeded by a °effective demotten. Or, failing them
reensdlea th• whole tenth of the Ede will came utterly to
ruin, and Trade' Unions thane the common deetruction.
It Is tair to ath agricultural labouren, wreathe they will he
content to tolgrale Union. which pinch them. What, if •
Union of Ethical °Econ. makes In& rale that no labourer
be attended as • per I or • Union of Schoolmasters mob..
• rule, that no • child shall pay • lee school fee than
than dd. or 44., and .ball not be allowed to move from one
school to another at pleasure I Wee scan, if thedowners and
other propertied men tone. Union, and make one rule to
the effect that each member shall buy a dozen Mend of arms
and cavalry accoutrename, to supplement thy national
annouryin Uwe of on,: and another that • thputdion of
tenuity thouesed mounted memben shall be mut to each
Democratic or Unionist public meeting to Meth their nth.
Whet eg.ln —thould ntortionate wages sod impatiens, of
control render rerruiting impoodble—lf ibm coneeription be
introduoed into England! and finally, what if Unlink= in-
troduce agrarian crime, and landlord ab. anthem battle
ental and trade—lower English credit at bone' and •broad—
substitute mob terreern and violence for th• mild and
bandicoot tyranny of rank and wealth—aud fl lolly prove
high civillratiou and malarial pewee national misfortunes,
and so-called proves the road to ruin. I cutout think
Unionism to be anything else but the expremion of the deem
I'm, End the growth of, the supremacy of the mamet—the
mod unfortunate and tyrannical ritte the world the ever teen
—although I will frankly admit that its probe:re ramie upon
no losalar, highthirited and gallant race Like the Entitle,
aced tair ground for diversity of opinion.
Mr. Herbert, with panful iteration, alluded to
=kola% hasty and unanarded worda about ducking Inn l3=
pond—let ne• Neely ten with • " Union° cry. You may be I
aware—Unioniste moot ontelnly an—that I bare written •
Fid heels to Unionism ban , and lectured on th mle e -
IP: Stick larot as whllone thadquarten Donet,
dint of sheer strength of lung thed audacity, I forced my
audience to listen, but one rant day waylaid and nob@ y in-
formed by Mr. Z. Snook, of Whltechurch, the chairman of Mr.
Herbert's mesting•(Mr. 8, hem. ran voice) that but for him,
I should have been ducked, and he grathitothly volunteered
the further infonnatioa that I "ought to be trounced.' The
lloloulets of Ithekletod parodied au election cry—them

" Union for ever
Throw Collins In the river."
end Sui cry Mr. Snook publicly uttered in Se square of
Puddles's, the Unionists of which piss made this happy
addition, newly killing se with laughter,
" With • knife In hie hest,
And • fork In his Ilse."
I bops the doggerel Sll not in,. the woe eitsot on you as
on myself , but, epeaktag eeelotssly, I hope, if it meet Mr.
Herbert's eyes, it Will (um thin very yids lodged, sad
Indus Ma to Ist Nagy Mott dor "for OM sod aye."