The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1874-05-16 00:00:00

THE DUKE OF RUTLAND ON THE

LOCK-OUT.

The D Ike of Rutland has issued the following eir
cular to the labourers on his Cheveley estates :
" Bute-house, Campden-hill, Kensiagton, M.., May 8.

-
"My Friends, —I have but little hope of being able to
settle the unfortunate differences between you and your em-
ployers, but I ehould be truly glad if I could In any way assist
in hastening an agreement between you and them, and, there-
fore, feel anxious to address a few words to you, especially as,
Miring a very trying time your conduct has been exemplary.
Ti prolong the contest must be injurious both to you and
the farmers, but more so, in my opinion, to you than to
them, as they have greater means at their command, and
by Various expedients, such as the importation or labour
and the greater use of machinery, will be able to tide over
the difficulty. I think you should also remember that
wages have lately been raised, and I am sure there is a
general feeling among the farmers that ivery man should
have a fair day's WSge for a fair ifay's work. Now
with respect to the Union, the question is, not whether
It is lawful to belong to it, of which I think there
can be no doubt, but whether it is a good thing, in the
interests of the employed and employer, that you should
do so. I ani strongly of opinion that ills not a good thing,
as those who advocate it are generally entire strangers who
do not live among you, anti who know little of your position
or wants or necessities. The relation of the farmer to the
labourer must rest on one of two principles—either on that
of the mercantile or this confidential. Hitherto it has been
on the latter. and I hope you will allow it to remain so
The bine treats the labourer as a man whose family and
children are to be cared for and protected the other treats
him as a machine out of whom the greatest amount of work
is to be obtained at the lowest cost. It may be that the
mercantile would be the best principle for the farmer'e
pocket. though I doubt it: but I am sure no paltry saving
of money could compensate for the loss of kindly feelings
and friendly relations existing between the different classes
here. This is what miry of those who interfere wish to
destroy. I. have been accused of siding with the farmers in
this stru.gle, and of having signed stone paper of which I
know nothing. It is tree that when I heard that my
tenants had decided to luck-out the Union men I thought it
right to support them, and I did so as I thought this was the
best ceurse, not in the interest of my tenants only, but in
that or the labourers also The farmers never locked out the
men simply because they belonged to the Union. On the
contrary, they employed Union men throughout the winter
when they often had not remunerative work for them ;
and it WRB not until the author Lies of the Union
issued °Mersa° the men to strike in detail, parish by parish,
that the farmers felt compelled to defend tie inselves
Another fact should not he overlooked by the labourers—
that many who bad gone to other parts of the country to
seek for labour are now returning. I will only add my con-
viction that the sooner this sad misunderstanding can be
settled by mutual concession and agreement the better for
both parties, and the better I shall lu pleased.
•' I remain, yours faithfully,

RUTLAND.

The Special Reporter of The Times, in noticing the
above, says The Duke of Rutland owns between
9,000 and 10,000 acres of land in the parishes of Wood-
Ditton and Cheveley. Ile therefore speaks here as one
having authority ; but I have no hope whatever of
tie success of any attempt by him or any other land-
lord to persuade the labourers by such arguments that
they hail better leave the Union. They may be
I forced by necessity to give up their tickets, and
:oil-interest may lead them to keep aloof from the
Union, but my conversations with labourers in
' many parts of Suffolk and Camnridgeshire force me
b, believe that even non-Unionists sympathize with
their locked-out brethren, and that the antagonism
of farmers and landowners simply strengthens the
convic ion of the whole labouring class that their
interests are served by the Union. I have reason to
believe that in many villages the non-Union As sub-
scribe for the benefit of the locked-out labourers.
I am sure, moreover, a very large majority of the
small tradesmen in the villages and country towns
sympathise with the men. The reason is the same
in both cases; it is felt that, whether the Union is
what it professes to be or not, whether it is a
good or a had thing for agricultural labourers, they
have a right to join it and try the experiment. At
the usual weekly meeting of the men on the
Severals to day, one of the delegates, Mr. Ball,
severely el-Weir-id the Duke of Rutland's circular,
several copies of which were handed up to the waggon
by the Duke's labourers. The meeting WAS one of the
largest ever held at Newmarket, for Mr. Arch wil.s ex-
pected to address the people, but they were again
disappointed. It was clear from the applause which
followed Mr. Ball's criticisms that the Duke's letter
hail producedlittle impression on the labourers present,
and that they did not appreciate the paternal or con-
fidential relations which the Duke solicits them to
preserve."