The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1868-02-01 00:00:00

MR. ROEBUCK ON CAPITAL AND
LABOUR.

- -
At Sheffield, on Monday evening, Mr. Roebuck
addressed an immense audience of working-men in the
Temperance-hall, on the subject of CAPIUL AND
LABOUR. The address was given on the invitation of
the enamber of Industry, a newly-established initi-
tution in the town. Some thousands Fould not gain
adrstetancs; and the hen, member was unable for about
half an hour to get through the crowd, though escorted
by the police. It was said there was a determination
to prevent him from entering the hall at aIL On
account of Mr. Roebuck's well-known opinions re-
specting trades' unions, popular feeling is rather strong
against him. On riedng tow :dress the audience he was,
however, received with applsuse, and very little mani-
festation of The Mayor presided. The fol-
lowing is a summary of the hon. member's apldress

It must be distinctly understood that I upon this occasion
speak for myself alone, and that nothing I may say is to
be supposed to emanate from or to be connected with the
Trades' Union Commission. I alone am answerable for the
statements I shall express, and for the nimie of expression.
I am exceedingly aoSIOIIB that this should bit distinctly no
derstood so that no mistake should be made, no meal-Pre-
hension exist on the matter therefore, you distinctly under-
stand that what I ant about to say I say as member for
Sheffield—an JODI, Arthur Raehuck—and not as a member of
the Trades' Vition Commission. hear, hear.' I do not
appear as a mere passionless expositor of certain doctrines
of politieal ecosionty, desirous only to lay before you a plain
statemetot if what I believe to ire certain proofs forming
part al an important science. Events have occurred in this
town which have rendered it inumaible focus to be calm
and unimpassioned inquirers uninfluenced by any other
motive than the love of deuce. The subject which is the
matter of our liovestlgffiton, deeply interests anti deeply
moves us all. It is intimately connected with the well-being
of many of us ; it nearly touches the honour of us all, yet,
though this be the cave, I would still beseech you to
keep your minds utider the dominion of reason. I shall
now proceed to iliecu-s the subjects you have submitted to
niy consideration. Those mbjects, as I uniterstaed them, are
these—i. Labsur—what are its rights, what are its duties f
2 Capital—what are its rights, what are its ditties? Labour
is that human exertion, mental hr bodily, which produces or
tends to produce or procure articles winch are destined to
human use. Both are needed ; the one without the other is
powerless. (Inc important observation here suggests itself.
There is a limit set by the nature of things to both sides of
this division. The limit to the downward course of wages is
this—the Waterer must have sufficient to maintain himself
and family after that fashion to which by his habits be is
accustomed. If he cannot obtain this he disappears ; jibe
! is able lie leaves the country if not, he starves, and with
hint disappears production 8180 80 that it at dn., appears
that the subject of his wages is of vital importance to
society. On the other hand, by the stature of things, a limit
is set to the downward course of profits. If the share winch
the capitalist obtains of the joint produce is itot aulficieut to
reward hint for the forbearance which has led him to save,
anti also to pay him for the risk he has can, he ceases to save
—there is no further provision for reproduction' and again
production ceases. The rate of wages depends upon the
umber of labourers to he employed and the quantity of
capital ready to employ them. Upon this natural law, as it ,
is sometimes edled, depends eventually the rate of wages.
Now adnes the all-importuit question—Can anything, ought '
anything, to be done, either by human prudence or by
human law to regulate the proportion of the reward be-
stowed tax labour and capital? Sten have in different
ages, mill in different countries, adopted different inodes.
The Chinese at the present day, the Greeks in olden time,
limited the number of their people by infanticide. Tins
horrible proceeding cannot be suffered, or even con-
templated by any Christian country. In France we are
told that the population is kept down, anti cetrainly it does
not there increase, by the prudence which suggests late
marriages. In Eegland the favour te plan for limiting
the number of labourers to be employed stems to be trades'
unions, which, in my opinicei, is not the least cruel of the
means employed. ("Oh, oh !" and "Hear.": Now, let us
see how and why it is that I book upon three cambinationa
In this light, The working man in the battle of life finds
, himself unprotected and exposed when alone Nut only is
1 he weak before the capitalist, but he is weak before Nature
, herself, and he discovers that by combination with his fel.
' lows he can guard against and ward off many of the evils by
Which his lot is beset. I now arrive at the point when I can
I make it appear what I meant when I said trades uniona were
the means employed in England to limit tlic number of
I labourers to be employed. The cruelty thus perpetrated has
' not, I think, beets sufficiently dwelt upon. One of the means
employed to this end is the limitation imposed by various
trades upon the number of apprentices to be taken by the
master. Let us learn the true character of this proceeding,
which I believe I shall be able to show to be cruel, selfish,
and grossly unjust And, first, as to its cruelty. Now,
if there is one privilege which you as working-men ought
to hold more sacred than another it is the privilege to
provide, without let or hindrance, for yourself and your
families by your own holiest industry. The limitation of
the field if employment falls at mice as an evil upon the
working-men. A beneficent Povidence has given the man
the wide werld upon which to employ himself, and industry
and talent to provide meats of subsistence and enjoyment.
Man has too Often in his cruelty stepped in arid for-
bidden his fellow-man using this great boon of God, let
us take an beheld.' instance tied thus illustrate the force
of this position. I will not take a fictitious instance, but I
will not mention names. The thing I ass about to describe
has happened in your midst, and, perhaps, the person who
narrated the facts to me is present. I will endeavour to lie
as accurate as I can, and I hope led to over-colour the trans-
action. The brother and brother's wife of John Thomas—
the name is &Mama hut I use it for convenience—both
died, leaving a boy of abont ten years of age. John
Thomas telt as a good man should feel, and took the
helpless orphan to his home and cherished him : but
Thomas was not rich, and the only means of providing for
the boy and etiabling Isim to get his Opet bread was to teach
him his own trade. Thomas had a 8011 of his owe and ap-
prenticed both toffs to himself he was shortly of terwards
waited OD by the authorities of the union. who sant they did
not object to him having his son as au apprentice, but that
his nephew was sot the sou of one wile was or had been a
- member of their trade, and that he must at once discharge
the lisp from his indentures. •' But the boy," said Thomas,
0i the son of my brother, who is lead. The imp's mother
is also dead, and it is my duty to protect him, and provide
for him the means of getting his breath. I can only do this
lip teaching hini my trade. I have not the means of pitting
lnru out elsewhere, and if I don't teach him he must grow
sip its ignorance and idleness, and be a lourdento himself and
all connected with hisn." "We caul help it," said the de-
putation ; "it is ageing our rules." "Ant answered
Thomas, "can't help that. I will not treat my dead
brother's child thns cruelly I will tiet &erre him." Well,
the answer was, "We ahal ltake all the hands out of Mr.
80.8181.80.8 shim nide you comply with tour demand and
obey our rules," it.ti they were as good as their word I have
slot heard what was the resnit. Now, consoler this case.
The first effect prop 'sod was to shut a poor boy out of an
honest livelihood. The sufferer was one of themselves, one
who had been visited by a terrible calamity, and who, there-
fore, should have been dealt with mercifully and tenderly
but the hearts of those who dealt with him were as hard as
the nether millstone, anti not only were they cruel but they
were also pre-eminently selfish. The poor boy was to miler,
but who was to gain? Why, the very men who laid down
this cruel rule to lessen their own labour, to increase their
own eujoyment, they raked without pity or shame the well-
being of the orphan child who had been a fellow working
man. I suppose that these men would have shruuk from
infanticide, 1011 would have called ore a libeller if I said
they were guilty of a crime very little, if at all, less black
than infant stonier. But what was this cold blooded
cruelty but something very like murder? Nature and
Nature'. God hail endowed the child with certain faculties,
and the earth was given as the theatre on which those
faculties were to be exercised. The scene 'n which the vile
tragedy was enacted was a great city in a Ctinatian land,
8:180:112 a people who call themselves civilised, by working
men e hio are ever appealing to great principles of liberty
and virtue. The whole combination shown that cruelty and
hi nocrisy are here closely allied. Every eafeguar. I which
. the law can devise should be thrown around belie& societies,
and every nseans be taken to protect trade,' unions against
. fraud and ignorance. The most important egal provision
, that is net.ded is to render clear an I to enforce the law of
cniispiracy. My belief is that the law as it exists is suffi-
ciently stringent, and that as it now stands there are few
strikes so cooducted as not to bring those who originate and
t conduct them within the meshes of the wide-prevailing law
of conspiracy. lau pect also that there ere few lock-outs
that are not within the sane danger. What the courts of
law may determine—what the Legislature will, 118 regards an
alteration of the law, decide—reniabia to be seen. But I
• can't hide from myself that recent disclosures have deeply
affected the put-the mind, and there is much of terror in
metes minds, and that common prudence would dictate to
all persons connected with tredve 111111.111/ • very gueriled
and cautions behaviour. Depend upon it he is not yntir
friend who would incite them to a renewal of violence. The
best thing you can do is in all [binge to obey the law, to be
gentle and forbearing—in short, to be honest , Loud cheers.
The meeting listened to the hon. member with, on
the whole, patient attention, . but the lecture eft ab-
ruptly concluding with tilt dwelling upon the eins of
capital, the audience abandoned theniselye* fur a time
to a sort of jury. The subsequent speakers were im-
patiently beard, and one of them was refueled a hear-
ing. A vote of thanks to Mr. 114 'chuck for his address
and undaunted advocacy tat the coniniercial interests
I of the country was defeated by a large majority.

In seconding • vote of thanks to the Mayor for pre-
siding Mr. Roebuck said :
~. .

You have come to hear a disonsion which deeply interests
working men. Yon have come to hear one express his
opinions sheet It who has no interest in the matter but the
goott of his country. lan, not a master manufacturer; lam
not an artisan; but I have been for many years before my
countrymen. I have studied deeply all that concerns the
good government of my country .hear, hear', and when
asked to state my opinions I boldly stated them, careless
of the result. Cheers./ It has been my fate, air, uteri to be
opposed to what is called nubile oputimt, buthi the long poli-
tical lift that 1 have led! have foutil my countrymen coming
round to my opinions, and never rtioetime from them.
("Oh, oh!' and interruption.) Aye, aye ! 'Further inter-
ruption. 1 Now, don't interrupt. lam not g log to trouble
you long. It is not my habit to make long-winded speeches.
but I say to you that I, deeply Considering this matter, and
having solely the interests of my couotty at heart, have told
you to-night what I 'wileve to be the truth; and I ask you
an, yea, one and all, when you go home, and to-morrow
read what I have said, to prove your own minds, to ask
yourselves thin question,—•' Is he right, or in lie wrong?
,Hear, hear.) Can lan be wrong? Can he he eight? And
might not I have been wrong in hooting hint the night
before?' (Cheers.;
"

On leaving the hall Mr. Roebuck was followed by a
large crowd, who hooted him.