The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1873-01-25 00:00:00

THE NATIONAL CONGRESS OF TRADE
SOCIETIES.

A public meeting, such as is usually held during the
Congress week, was held the other evening, in the Ma,
chamcs' Institute, Leeds. There was a good atten-
dance.

Mr. Alderman Carter, M.P., occupied the chair, and
rah' he regarded that meeting as the aggregate meeting
of the Trades' Parliament now met in Leeds. On that
platform they had men who hat done more for the 1
social welfare of the labouring classes than any other
body of men who could be got togetlys r. (Cheers)
He claimed to be the rep: esentative of a large numbsr
of men in Parliament ; but his constituency WAS email
indeed compared with the constituency which several
of those around him represented. None of theise men
had got rich out of theme whom they served ; but he
was sure that those who fully and faithfully
worked for the people would not be deserted
by the people in the day of their need.
(Cheers.) Havirg compared this with the Social
Science, the Church, and other Congresses, he said,
t'iough this Trade Congress might be alighted and not
thomdit worthy of entrance into the Town-hall of
Lee is, 38 sure as they were there the day would come
when more attention world be paid to the Working
Men'e Parliament than Was paid to it at present. Per-
haps they would be eurprimed when he told them that
he was a member of a Trades Union—the oldent, the
richest, the most powerful Trades Union which ever
existed in this country, and it was the House of Com•
moos. (Cheers.) If a Trade Union was a union if men
belonging to any special interest Lauded together for
promoting their own interests, they were as much a
Trade Union as any union the gentlemen present re-
presented. There was a time, and not long ago,
when no iotereete were repressnted in the uni la to
which he belonged but the landed interest. 'refines
were now to sorue extent altered, but a great mass
of the men belonging to that Union were still of the
landed interest, and though some other interests had
in a small proportion been introduced there, only the
moneyed and counnerei +I interests were represented
there. If he were to profess in the House of Commons
to be a special representative of labour, he would be
told by hundreds of others that they were as much the
representatives of labour arm he was. The labour in.
tereet of the United Kingdom comprised twenty-four
mallows of people, while there were but eight millions
depending on the higher and middle classes. The
Union to which he belonged had never celled itself a
Trades Union. If they hot they would have been
found out. They had never let that be known, because
if l'eol le got to know that they wanted to serve their
own interests they would tarn them out. (Laughter.)
In their Union they had always tried to make it appear
that they were necessary to the salvation and pros-
perity of the counlry. It had never been the active
principle of their Union to give the greatest amount
of bleseing to the greatest number. It had always
been their active principle to look after theruselvem.
Cheers.) Now, speaking to Trades' Unionists, might
he give them a word of advice? His Trade Union had
been the most successful that ever existed. Until
the year 100 they bore nearly all the taxer', but the men
out of Parliament fought all the battles and paid all
the coste, but iii 1000, not being satisfied that they
were getting well paid, they put taxes on beer, spirits,
cider, and eve rytring of that kind—that was to say,
that people might bear the burden instead of the Parlia-
ment, end having shifted the burden the Parliament
called the land of this country their owe. That was
one of the first things they did in their own interest,
but putting on other Excise duties they exempted them-
selves. (Hear, hear.) Any liquors, cider, or perry
hrewe tin their own establishments was to be free of
Excise, and that was all done in the interest of the
per pie. (Laughter.) And then from time to time,
though they had got to be better off than ever, they
raised the cry of agricultural dietreee, and they went
up to London and pl. ced more taxes upon the people,
but less imam themselves. Having traced the origin
and existence of the corn duties, and the duties
levied upon the importation of cattle, he said it
was such things which the Trade Union had
done to which he belonged; and he proceeded to des-
cribe the influence vetikh the moneyed and commer-
cial class hail not gained io the House of Commons.
But household suffrage had come at last, though the
Ohl Whigs especially very much regretted it. The
character of Parliament oruld be gathered from what
had lately occurred in the way of a refusal to repeal
the criminal laws, and to con•igning to prison the gas-
stokers ,• hut Trades Unionists were not disheartened.
They had power, and the:r opponents knew that at
the le..t election they could have swept such injustice
from the statute hook; but they siaid they knew they
would not have done it because they had not thought
sufficiently on the subject. Those men were sorry for
it, hut the Prate Unions were not curry for it. They
lied time to prepare, and when they of this Parliament-
ar Union ha i gone on as long AS thee could they would
ampere's a kind of arbitration. (Laughter.) Wheu that
Jay came, working men would get a large share of their
rights. These Trade Union Parliaments were grow-
hog. He hoped it was not treasonable to say so ; but,
if the labour interests were not attended to, these
Labour Parliaments might at some time or other get it
into thtir heads that they were the representatives of
the people, and that the other was a sham. (Isom'
cheers.) If the suffrage was denied to Mr. Arch and
the agricultural labourers, if it was denied to the wadi.
leg men in the c iintry and in the mining dietricts,
this Congress might come to be the People's Parlia-
ment, and things might be rather awkward for those
alio had goy-treed this country. (Cheers.) He said
this as a wornieg to those who thought it their interest
to Opp,oe the onward progress of the great manses of
the people. ((dheers.)
' -.

. . .
Resolutions eppropiate to the ocessi m were moved
and spoken to by Mr. Odger, Mr. .Joseph Arch, and
others.

The Trades Union Conpress concluded its sittingsat
Leeds on id itnrday, under the presidency of Mr. Lia-
man (Leeds). Mr. Plimsoll, M.P., who was present,
presented etch member of the CongroEs with a copy of
bin appeal ( behalf of seamen.
. . . - •• - • -

Mr. Leatherland askrd Mr. Howell for come infor-
nrition with teftrence to the Arbitret;on Act; and

Mr. Howell, sscretary of the Parliamentary Com-
mittee, in reply, stated that an abstract of the measure
bad already been drawn and it was arranged between
Mr. Mundella, MP., and Mr. Rupert Kettle thst a
text book and analy-is of the Act, snd an analysis of all
the forms ni cessary for car ying it out, should be pub-
lished, and a copy would be sent to every member of
the Congress an soon as it was published.

Mr Ifickes (Leeds) reed a paper on the subject of
the limitation of apprentices, havi g special reference
to the lettir.press printers of Leed.i. The writer con.
t. tiled that a journeyman had a right to protect him-
self, and decline it work with any number of boys a
master may think fit to employ. In a vast number of
csi-es—he believed in much the larer proporth m—the
ni.deers did not t tim, instruct, and fit the bla to
become competent journevulem. This was gist %Ivan
the j tut neymen, and the latter had a fair r:ght to say
with how many toys as Apprentices they would work.
No re.oluti..n was pa-I'M uj on the subject.
Mr. Mistkin (London) moved :