The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1886-02-20 00:00:00

THE DEMOCRATS AND MR. GLADSTONE.

A deputation of Social Democrats, consisting of
Messrs. Hyndman. Burns, Champion, Williams, and
Hunter Watts, called at Downing-street on Friday,
and requested an interview with Mr. Gladstone, for
the purpose, they said, of showing him letters re-
ceived by them from Leicester, Birmingham, and
other parts of the country, desiring them to go and
" organise " the working classes in the large provin-
cial towns. They also wished to ask the Prime
Minister what steps he proposed to take in relation
to the relief of the unemployed, and whether it WEIE
intended to start relief works for the employment
of starving workmen. Mr. Primrose (Mr. Glad-
stone's private secretary) informed tlfe deputation that
the Prime Minister was unable to see them, but that
he would be ready to attend to any representation in
writing which they might think good to send him
In the course of a brief conversation, Mr. Primrose
said that although the matter was undoubtedly ol
great interest to everybody, it was not of primary im-
portance to the Treasury Department. He thought
their better plan would be to go to the Home Office
or the Local Government Board, according to the
nature of the representations they wished to make.
The deputation thereupon handed in the following
communication :

Palace Chambers, 9, Bridge-street,
Westminster, S.W., Feb. 12.

,
We, the undersigned, having received this morning
several applications to address meetings of working
men in and out of employment in London and other
cities, wish to know whether the Government has
decided to commence useful relief works in the dif-
ferent districts at living rates of wages, and to take
other steps to meot the great and increasing distress
among the unemployed workers and families. We
need not point out the pressing necessity for an
immediate decision.—(Signed), JOHN BunNsL.H. H.
CHAMPION, H. M. HYNDHAM, J. E. WILLIAMS, J. hd.UNTEN
WATTS.

Receiving no reply to the foregoing, the following
was sent on Sunday, Feb. 14th: "Messrs. Burns,
Champion, Hyndman, Hunter Watts, and Williams
having receivea no answer to their memorial of Friday
to the Prime Minister, now enclose a series of pro-
posals for dealing with distress published by the Social.
Democratic Federation more than two years ago. That
the distress, even then great, is now still more seri-
ous can no longer be denied. Messrs. Burns,
Champion, Hyndman, Hunter Watts, and Williams
press the Prime Minister, therefore, on behalf of
the unemployed, for an immediate answer to their
letter. The Social - Democratic Federation have
summoned a public meeting in Hyde-park, on Sunday
next, Feb. 21, to demand in an orderly but deter-
mined manner that the Executive should no longer
refuse to organise the labour of those who are now
starving owing to no fault of their own. To this
meetiAg Messrs. Burns, Champion, Hyndman,
Hunter, Watts, and Williams would be glad to be
able to state that the Government have resolved to
follow the precedent set in other periods of distress
by at once commencing useful public works (not
criminal tasks), and paying to those engaged rates of
wages sufficient to insure a healthy subsistence."

SUMMONSES AGAINST THE RINGLEADERS,

On Saturday summonses, returnable the following
Wednesday, were issued by Sir James Ingham against
Messrs. llyndman, Champion, and Burns, in connec-
tion with the recent riots in the West-end, and
service was in each case effected on Saturday evening.
The following is a copy of the summons which hal
been served: "Metropolitan Police District to wit.—
Whereas information bath this day been laid before
the undersigned, one of the magistrates of the police.
courts of the metropolis, sitting at the Bow-street
Police-court, within the metropolitan police-court
district, for that you maliciously and seditiously
contriving and intending the peace of our Lady
the Queen of this realm, to disquiet and
disturb, and the liego subjects of our said
Lady the Queen, to incite and move to hatred
and dislike of the Government established by law
within this realm, and to incite and persuade great
numbers of the liege subjects of the Queen to insur-
rection, riots, tumults, and breaches of the peace, and
to prevent by force and arms the execution of the
laws of this realm, and the preservation of the public
peace on the Bth day of February, in the year of our
Lord, 1886, within the metropolitan police district, in
the presence and hearing of divers—to wit, 400 of the
liege subjects of our said Lady the Queen, then
assembled together, in certain speeches and discourses
by you then addressed to the said liege subjects so there
assembled together as aforesaid, maliciously and sedi-
tiously did publish, utter, pronounce, and declare with a
loud voice of and concerning the Government established
by law within this realm and of and concerning the liege
subjects of our said Lady the Queen committing and
being engaged in divers riots and breaches of the
peace certain seditious and inflammatory words and
matter against the peace of Our Lady the Queen, her
Crown, and Dignity. These are therefore to command
you in her Majesty's name to be and appear on the
17th day of February, in the year of our Lord 1880,
at 10 o'clock in the forenoon, at the Bow-street
Police-court, before me or such other justice as may
then be sitting there, to answer the said information
and to be further dealt with according to law. Given
under my hand and seal this 13th day of February,
in the year of our Lord 1880, at the Police conk
aforesaid. (Signed) "J. T. INGHAM."