The Express.
London, England, 1852-01-17 00:00:00

OL1)11ANI

In accordance with a revolution paned at a Meet-
ing of operative mechanic., &e., held at Oldham on Miai-
day, a public meeting was held in the NVorkiug Men's
Hall, Ol•iham, on Thursday CVCIIIII4, which was attended
by upwaida of 2,000 persons, Mr. ROL later in the chair.
Mr. JOHN lIEAP said the position in which the work-
men were placed wra an estremely delicate one, inasmuch
as statements would probehly he• brought forward that
would impugn the characters of employers who had been
always considered the most honourable and the most gen-
tlemanly in their conduct. Ilad the employers acted ho-
nourably, as they ought to have done, in compliance with
their own written agreem, tits, that meeting would nut
have taken place at the present time. After giving
a statement of the origin of the dispute between Memos,.
Ilitsbett, Platt, and Cu., and their workmen—the employ-
ment of unskilled labourers, whom the skilled me-
chanics weru compelled to instruct, in order that
they might eventually rephice the higher paid work-
men at considerably lower wages-the speaker gave
a history of the progress of th it dispute, the agree-
ments entered into by Messrs. Platt and Co., and the way
in which their fulfilment was ponponed, on one pretext
or another,, until the employers hol succeeded in esta-
blishin.; a combination ut mashis to resist the demands
of the workmen. Ou Dec. 16th a me, ting was held at the
Clarence Hutch at which it was resolve 1 that, inasmuch sa
it was the intention of the wurkpeople of Metairs. Ilibbert,
Platt, and SUIII., to turn out at Christmas, 18al, if the tools
were not coneeeded, the masters should combine, in order
that if such strike took place there should be a total cessa-
tion in all the works of the associated masters. Ile main-
tained that there had never been any intention, never any
noticeor intimation, that if Mr. John Platt did nut keep to
his agreement they should turn out. (Dear, hear.) To
show the falsity ut such a statement, he pointed to the fact
that the men never held a meeting trout July to Monday
morning last, because, they considered it dishonourable to
show a lack of confidence in the word of their employers by
taking any further proceedings. Ile repeated that that
dispute had arisen in consequence of the skilled workmen
being compelled to instruct others will would have less
wages than themselves, and would ultimately fill their
situations. (Great applause.)
Mr. EDWARD DYE moved the first resolution: "That
this meeting having heard the Matt mints and explanations
respecting the conceding of the machines to mechanic", is
of opinion that the men of Oldham were justified
in Raking for them ; and consider that Mr. John
Platt is morally bound, as a gentleman, to comply with
his own written agreement."
Mr. V. OWES seconded the resolution, which was car-
ried unanimously, amidst loud applause.

. . -
Mr. T. BLACKSTOCK moved the second resolution:—
" That having read in the different paper* that the mem-
bers of the Amalgamated Society are the dupes of a
number of paid demagogues, communists, *O6 ilists,
idlers, Ac., we at once, without hesitation, repudiate
such statements as being totally unfounded, inas-
much a. we have only two paid officers, who devote
the whole of their time to the business of the above society."
Mr. W. FOWLER. seconded the resolution.
Mr. W. NEWTON was received with loud and continued
cheep. lie commenced his address with recapitulating
the iireunntances connected with the formation of the
association of employers; and said that as soon as he saw
the circular issued by the meeting held in Manchester,
it struck bim forcibly that Mr. John Platt was shout to play
false with regard to the agreement he entered into in May.
Without conseltieg anybody, he wrote a letter to Mr. Platt,
dated from London, the Itith December, in which he said
he could not think Mr. Platt intended to break the engage-
ment which he had signed, after concessions on each side,
and assured him " your men will not turn out if you do
' what you stand pledged to do." In his last letter to the
Times, Mr. John Platt said, " I must now leave William
Newton in your hands, with the expreesion of my sincere
contempt and indignation at his base attempts to deceive
the misguided workmen and the public generally ;" but did
Mr. Platt's reply to his (Mr. Newton's) letter, show that he
then thought that he was writing to such a man as was de-
scribed in this extract from the /Imes. Ile would not have
made this letter public if he had not seen th it there was
a determination on the part of Mr. Platt to brand him with
falsehoods which he bad never uttered, and with prevari-
cation which he had never intended. Mr. Newton read
the letter, which was a long one, contaiuing the following
:—" You must have laCen grossly deceived when
reasalEtherately stated that the agreement entered into
between us last May had been held sacred by the work-
people. If such had been the ease, you would never have
seen oar name attached to the circular you allude to ; but
it was not only broken by them, but in the worst possible
spirit, and with a knowledge of what the ulterior conse-
quences would be. • • We had another deputation when
I told them that we had decided for the present to grant
their request, but that we did it under compulsion, and
with a distinct understanding that we considered the agree-
ment at an end. • • If after reading the same (the
statement of circumstances) you can still say that the men
held sacred their engagement, then you are not the person I
took you for; but I will not insult you by supposing it."
llow could Mr. Platt reconcile the statement that he yielded
upon compulsion, and on the understanding that the a.ree-
meat wallet an end, with the statement in on. of the letters
read by Mr. Heap, in which, referring to the same term.
Mr. Platt said, .We have no objection to comply ?" It
was Mr. Platt who was the prevaricator; and his conduct
had satisfied him (Mr. Newton) that the doubts and suspi-
eions expressed by his workpeople, in the course of the nego-
tiations, were well founded, and had nn doubt' arisen from
previous breaches of confidence. But Mr. Platt had not
oaly deceived his workmen—he had deceived the whole of
the employers of the country. The employers would, he
was mare, yet see that their combination had arisen out of
threatened evils, which never existed but in Mr. John
Platt's assertions. Ile (Mr. Newton) would not say •
word against the combination of the muter.; he was glad
to see them following an example which they had stigma-
tised, and legalising and justifying all the proceedings
which the men had taken. The fact that Mr. Platt attached
another neolution to those agreed upon by a majority of
the moo of Oldham—which resolutions were so agreed to
in eetion to his (Mr. Newton's) wishes—showed that
he wished to force the society into a struggle by insisting
that they should make the same demands upon the other
employers. The misfortune was that, from the way
in which the matter had been put before the public, they
had never been able to separate the two demands made by
the Amalgamated Society, from the third made by the Old-
ham men alone, and for which they alone were responsible,
and were prepared to answer. When they had succeeded
in enabling the public to make this separation, they could
appeal to them with regard to overtime and piece-
work, with the greatest confidence of success. Mr. Newton
proceeded to point out the evils, mental as well as physical,
which resulted from the system of overtime; and contended
that if the masters succeeded in crushing the society, all
the men would be left helpless and without protection or
any provision for those times when they were in a state of
enforced idleness. The men would rely upon their own
energies, which they were satisfied would be sufficient to get
them out of the present struggle. They were discharged,
snit they looked upon themselves as being in the position of
their masters not hiving any further necessity for them; '
that being the cam., they would not fp, to the doors of the '
workshop morning, noon, and night, to ask for em-
ployment; nor would they do anything to prevent any
other person getting employment in those shops. The
individual suffering of each of the 10,000 men thrown out
of work in Lancashire, was no greater to any one particular
man than it would be if he were thrown out of work under
ordinary eircurnstanne, from • depression of trade, or setae
other cause. If they relied upon themselves, and turned
their attention towards providing for themselves, there was
no doubt that, like every body of Englishmen who had
ever directed their energies in • particular course, they
would be auccesaful. Mr. Newton next argued for the es-
tablishment of co-operative labour; and contended that
labour was superior to capital, and bad greater claim upon