The Express.
London, England, 1848-06-15 00:00:00

THE EXPRESS, THURSDAY EVENING, JUNE 15, 1818.

LETTERS TO WORKMEN AND THEIR

EqPLOYEßB.—Larrea
I endeavoured to show in my last letter that the
working closes were not likely to do themselves any service
by attempts to realise fur themselves the profits of capital ;
and I shall now try to point out the quarters in which the
elements of amelioration for their condition may be more
hopefully sought. To bring them or a portion of them a
step f leveed I would naturally look to those qualities which
have already placed them at the head of tne workmen of
the world—industry and effective energy. Hi re s.mo one
may, perhaps, indignantly ask, " What are our workmen
not sufficieutly enslaved—is more labour to be ground out of
them—are twelve hours a day not enough, awl must rut
have fourteen or sixteen ?" Mint assuredly not. Olomfaye
comfortlee, and hopeless, God knows, is the lot of too many
ot our humble workmen. it would be a sad guilt on the
mind to have increased their slavery or to re-
member that we had attempted it. But there is
a secret in this subject of work practically known
to multitudes, which it y, t so happen', is eel firm m-
bo ;led in written or spoken comae). The hardest work s
not the mat slavish or disheorte ing, and he who effects
most bas often the greatest s'.are of leisure. To illustrate
this from the extremes of the industrial reale, let us take the
leading counsel, or the accomplished railway engineer, both
of whom are working with their brains almost to the ut-
most point which the human intellect is capable of reaching.
Yet they both have their luxuries and their leisure hours.
You meet them In society chatting, laughing—looking as if
they had nothing to do ; in the touring season you eucountir
them in the higklands, on the Rhine, and yet ell the world
Is wouderiao how they get through their hard work. Look,
now, at the hand-loom weaver—pale, ernaci sled, half fed,
half-clad—as solemn and melancholy under the weight of
unvarying physical affl:ction as if lie had taken a monastic
vow, and given away all the jots oi this world for an ample
reimbursement in futurity. That man knows no rest but
the hours of ale p and the seventh day—every little period
he takes from the weary monotony of his work is a bit
01 bread less to hint and his coildren : the demon,
!longer, has poss. ssion of him, and drives him
on till he drops at the loom. Yet that man never knew
what it was to work.hard—and there is the secret of all his
miser. Ile found a monotonous easy trade to his hind,
and in an evil hour he yielded to its seductions. "It
weavers are wanted," said a wallets Ofi the hand-loom in-
quiry, "they may be struck into exist:nee in a month; some
branch.s may be done by b lye and girls, and what may be
done by a boy can never reach oh rye a boy's wage-s."
Now I do not mean to maintain that the eminent lawyer
and engineer work as many nines harder than the hand-
loom weaver as they arc better paid. It is the peculiarity
of work of every kind that a am ill addition to the expert-
ness makes a largo addition to the r muneration, and that
the higher the grade the more marked is this difference.
'lbis arises from the numbers gradually decreasing, the
further they have outstripped their brethren in excellence.
At the point of skill which only three or four men have
reached out of ao many hundreds, there will be little com-
petition, and high pay: when there are services which
only one man can do, he can name his own price.
Moreover, the general labour market in its widest sense,
including efforts both of mind and body, is alf.cted by
various accidents of education, training, and pi.silun, which
bring to some occupations a se de of remuneration much
higher than the members of others can hope by any energy
to obtain. Thus it doe. not follow that the scale nit income
correspouds with the hardness of the work ; but we m ,y
take it us a general rule that high pay is not given without
some service being done fur it; and tl.at the man who can.
by courageous energy in setting his mind, or his hands aid d
by his mind, to do some useful act requiring skill, will reap
a reward for his set vice.
In fart, the great dragon to be conquer. d by the Arugglers
through this world is indolence. It is h. cause he has yielded
to it, that yonder gray-hooded I,entleman in a cl. rk in a
eoverornent office at ViOl. a year, it.S!Clail of m Altai/ a for-
tune like his achooltellow the engineer. lie hound the
employment set before him—nothing to do but to espy
pages or add up columns—no exertion of thought—no ti-k.
of failure, but a secured income—and he yielded to the
temptation. In his case little harm is stone; he has food and
elothirg and ia content. But go several steps farther do No. A
still cosi r operation than writing and casting sccounta has
tempted tight hundred thousand men to follow • trade
which leas than ball the number would have supplied ; soil
no legislation, or parliamentary inquiry, uo privatralienevm
knee, no relief committee, nu poor-law, can obviate the de-
vastating result. It is as impossible to influence the haul
political economy of wages sod labour as to change the tea-
s ns. The workman's wages will be measured by the value
of his produce—their natural law is obdurate. lIVIICYUICRI
lately rowed public sympathy to th.i state of the
London shirt makers, working at 31. a day. The di•cloauva
were h.,: ride: create,' s trot living by th.ir work, but only
prutractieg inevitable death. The excitement probably did
them some temporary service, but has it raised their condi-
tion ? While thousands were elameuting for work at 3d.,
cr.) iug out that it was sentence of immediate d 'ath ts ex-
clude Nom, win it possible to keep up the remuneration
Nor is the small remuneration the only evil of the hum-
blest and most overstocked occupations Their tollnwers are
the most acutely sensitive to useillations in the money and
labour market, and ever the most liable to be deprived of
their little hit of br ad. Let us just cast a thought over the
mar...er in winch tire industrious, careful, and energetic
meinhera of society occupy theurselves when hard times
come. Some of them retrench their expenditure ; they must
of course have still as much as will in some troy support
t'osir families, or they could not do so. Others Mclean their
exertions. " It is but mounting a thousand additional
stairs," said Dr. Arbuthnot, when his savings were swept
away by the South-Sea scheme. Here and there., active
minded pi ople are excited to new enterprises and conquests
over difficulties—they lay open new Nelda of exertion, sir
work old ones with renewed energy. The additional services
so called out are marvellous', and the beneficent effect sif the
whole operation is, that by these exertions trade revives and
pio Lily is restored. It is a mistake to suppine that these
pr, ',tires and us...illations arise from too much industry.
There may be too much production relatively—too many
railways, toe much corn, too many ginghams, or satin
slippers ; but if every person is working where his services
arc required, there cannot be too much industry, and
it is the tendency of the exertions made by active men
in times of trial, to hind out the quarters in which their
labours arc moo: useful, and thus restore the equilibrium of
the market. A man can seldom turn from a lasing to a
gaining occupation without doing a benefit, instead of an
injury, to the community.
But what can that poor creature do who has been accus-
tomed only to give his time and some rotatory bodily motion
when the service so produced has ceased to be worth the
morsel it used to bring him ? Ile cannot reduce his ex,ien.
diture and live. He cannot increase his exertions, for they
are measured by time, not work, and the whole is already
taken. He is nearest the edge, and when the blast coal' s
aeroas the great platform of industry he is biown over the
si le into the slough of mendicancy, whence he ri es no more.
It may be answered that all this is inevitable—that thee:
is a la sit indolent barbarLm among mankind, prompting
them to follow the routine occupations of their lathers, or
those which accident may hare first introduced to them—
that in this country there is lees of such indolent acquies
cence, and more enlightened indust,y, than in any other
en the globe—but that there always will and must be a
residuum. I reply that it is just from Vat rational
energy, just from the amount of enlightened industry
in this country, that I have the hope of the residuom—
if a residuum there must be—being lessened ; and that
if those to whose lot it falls to have opportunities of instruct-
ing and advising their fellow creatures, would unite to teach
the benefit of exec tion, and the hopelessness of adhering to
overstocked trades, a visible improvement might be ant*.
I know how tough a took it is to infuse life, h me, and
vigour into a man whose spirit is bowed by mixt:Table drud-
gery; but not resigning even the hope tnat something
taixlit he done to serve the existing generation, act us at all
events endeavour to save their progeny. It may be difficult—
in many instances it will he impossible—to find work to which
the superabundant handloom weavers could turn their hands;
but it may be safely said, that had some ene been by to warn
them of the consequences, the last generation would not hive
doomed their children to the same hopeless trade. There
are lust now many benevolent and enlightened men who
take on hand the settlement of a considerable part of the
operative destination of the rising generation, by establishing
industrial echooln. In the name of human,ty, I entreat these
men in bringing up their pupil., to avoid, if possible, the
overstocked trades, no that they may not make their benevo-
lent exertions an additional pressure on the victims of
penury.
There is a striking instance of the advantage of circulating
a knowledge of the economics of labour in the prejudices re-
garding machinery. It is remarkable that even Bentham's
clear judgment yielded to the fallacy of the day, that the in-
vention of machinery not only threw the holds it immedi-
ately superseded out of employment at the moment, but
had a general tendency to reduce the amount of hand-work
in the community. We have now little or no machine-
breaking Experience has taught the workman that hemay
just so well try to extinguish one of the elem.into as to stop
the use of a machine which eaves cost in production—that
he will just as easily get windmill* set up to be worked by
the human breath, as get steam superseded wherever it is
found to be a material saving. Thus, having found that the
breaking of machines in one place only served to transfer
the trade to another, they have ceased from violence.'
It is to be feared, however, that they still look on the ma-
chine as a robber of the working classes—as an exterminator
of hand-work and the general means of subsistence, It is
to their entertaining this belief that I account for the too
Prominent fact, that the manufacturer indolently relies on
his being able to follow a particular mechanical detail all his
days, and seldom contemplate, the possibility of its being
taken out of his band by some mechanical invention. Hence,
when the change occurs, he considers himself the victim, not
of accident, but of injustice, and ha appears before the public
as an ill-used man, and an object of compassion. He has been
deprived of a vested right, and instead of feeling his fate in-
evitable, and endeavouring to find some means of making his
bread, he clamours for the restoration or compensation he
never can achieve. Nor can I help thinking that he is pre-
vented in a great measure fi om endeavounng to find new
work, by the mistake that by the cutting away of him and
his class the whole field of the labour market is so far nar-
rowed, and that he cannot get a share in that narrowed field
without injoring others.
Now there can be no doubt that the invention of machinery
increases, instead of decreases, the aggregate amount of
hand-work in an industrious country. Each capitalist has
the same amount to invest, and upon what can he invest it
but raw material, and labour in some shape ? If it is not in
the shape of spinning and weaving, it is in those of minlog,
smelting, and machine making. Notwithstanding the cheap-
nets of the manufactured commodity, the people will spend
as much money, and it must go in the same manner—to
pay for things made by human hands. It may be
said that by the invention of machinery a larger proportion
Of the money spent on manufactures falls on the raw mate-

rial, which comes from abroad, and thus pays on no industry
in this country. But here we. are r, minded of the Iran
soendant power of machinery in increasing the industry of
that country where it is used, by milting it the labour-market
of the globe. Ten thousand milts off, the Indian grows his
cotton ; it comes here to be spun ami w .ve ; and, afier it has
travelled twenty thousand mili s for the benefit of the
machine-industry of Britain, the tarns Indian is clothed with
it as he hoes a subsequent crop. Such is the bounty of fertile
minds and skilful hands which nature has given us, enabling
us not only to match, but rise far above, those who are
blessed with the fertilising sun of the south. It was the rapid
progress of machinery that enabled us what& Napoleon's
Milan and B rlin decrees. We manufactured so tepidly, and
consequently so cheaply, that no barrier could resist the rush
of our commodities. The monopoly that has been given to
the workmen of this country by machinery is represented by
the fact that the d clared value of the export of eotbin manu-
facture was 1,500,0001. in 1790-18.560.0001. in 1836.

THE REFORM MOVEMENT.

MEETING AT HEREFORD.

On Tuesday morning, in accordance with a requi-
sition, signed by 112 voters and rate-payers, a meeting was
convened by the mayor for " the purpose of petitioning
the House of Commons in favour of Mr. Ilume's mot'on
for a revision of taxation end a reduction in the expenditure
of the public money." We yesterday alluded to this meet-
ing. the proveilit.ge of which arc now given more in detail.
J. JAY, Foul, the map,., presided, end having briefly ex-
plained the objects of the meeting. letters were read by the
own Berk from the two city m tubers, Sir Robert
l'rice, Bart., and L'eut-.Col. Clifford, apologising for their
ab.ence. The bon baronet, in a letter extending to seven
quarto pages, argued against the propositions submitted, and
said c mabteetly with his views he could not attend the
mectine. He regretted to d.lI with so many of he, c in,
stitue•ds, but on the ballot his opinion remained unchanged
against it. He was for moderato progressive reform, but
objected to the elt ti oral districts. He mention el
that a committee of inquiry h-id already been appointed
to iequire into the army and navy estimates.
Entertaining his views he could not support the prayer of
the petition, but would undertake its presentation to the
house if is should he the wish of the meeting. Col. Clifford
could not, be said hi his letter, approve of " so sweeping a
change" u that coutemplated iii the requisition to the
mayor, hut the arguenente which were adduced by the
speakers should command his ',tendon, and he only m-
ended that the Wilms of his daughter detained him tom
being at the meeting to hear them.
Mr. Alderman DAVIES proposed the first resolution. He
coolemed his opinion of the government was much shakeo,
and that they must be totally ignorant of the condition of
the country or they would not proceed in such a reckless
career of extravagance. (Cheers ) A revision of the taxa-
tion was much weeded, as the burdens peeved unduly on the
middle and lower classes. The local burdens were also ex.
ceedinely heavy. Ile felt sure that their demands might
be granted with perfect safety, as they were the most con-ti-
tutlinal means to arrest the growing evils now suffered, and
without any den ier to the monarchy. Ile concluded by
reeling the resolution :
That this meeting Is of opinion th.e the present sys!eni of taxation
lt Mont partial and uruu.t, and teat it I 4 Iletnrilry that a mere equit-
able distribution of the burdens of the country be effected.

Mr. BENBOW, a member of the town couucilaeconded the
motion. He review. tl the 1 xpenditure and income since
17112, detailing some of the more prominent features of t 1 e I
oppresdre character of the taxes levied upon industry
during the period, while the hutted interests were almost
left untouched, and this too at a limo when the rents of
the landlords were greatly in' reseed in amount.
NATHAN tEL Molinari, Hag. (bank,r), proposed the
second resolution. He pronounced a warm eulogy on the
public services of Mr. Hume, as a firm, faithful, and will eg-
ging friend of the people. They were, in holding this meet-
ing, doing honour to themselves in coming forward to sup
port his motion. Mr. Hume WWI ever the same great man
in enforcing his principles as he had been in 1821, when the
city of Ihrefoid did Sign homage for his public service,.
He looktd upon the domination over the voters to be per
nick)... It was treating them like so many sheep driven ti
slaughter, or to b bought and a (Hear.) By car
tying the resolution he proposed, they would sane the
country, and he hoped tiiero would be a noble response. The
resolution was as follows :
That the inuring bong new:ions thyt the present limit of the
fram.lll,o shuts out a rat number of persons from the possession of
tliat right who ores. well goalie:l for Its exercise as these who are !
included, and feeling t tat Use press= system Ir essentially deftetive
in il:01111(11., power of expati,on to meat the growing wants of the
country, is of opinion that a great enlargement of the constituency is
absolutely neciveary; that the law by winch the representatives of
the people hold their seat. for seven yawns hi highly injurious, and
th st the previous low by whch parliaments becanse triennial ought
to be re-enacted; that to order to protect the industrious chives from
intimidation and loos it is neausary that rives should be tales by bal-
lot ; sett that, perceiving the gross tnequalitiess in smother of the
Carleton constimenelas of the Yingdom, It is desirable that there
ehould be an asiaituble rt-arritogvnient of the eketural Metric% of the
country. _

Mr. W. Jissicie. a member of the corporation, second. d
this resolution. He advocated the ballot a' the ocly safe-
guard for honest elector in discharge of their duty to th it
country. He alluded to the letters from their representa-
tives, and regretted Sir Retail Price did not give his support
to the ballot, and thus follow the example of the late Mr.
Clive, one of the wor.liest men ever sent to parliament by
c et ituency.
Mr. T. T. Das 1118, 1060 of the council, moved the adoption
of a petition, in which the purpose of the previous resolutions
were embodied. Ho telt that such measures as were pray.;
for in that petition would Le bound the best safeguard and Fe.
eurity for the attachment of the people to our glorious
constitution and Lir confuting the union of church acd
state. (Cheers.)
Mr. C. PatveitAitn, town councillor, seconded the resolu-
tion. He recommended that their represents ives should be
called upon to resign. For himself, he would vote for no
one again who dad not support the principles which were
contained in the petition. He called upon the meeting to do
the same. He said ever• man was taxed 4s. 51d. in every
7.. 7.1. This was very serious to every man who had, like
himself, to support a family by bis industry ; and those who
had not families, ought to show their sympathy to their
neighbours by putting on their "considering csps " and as-
sist to tarry their principles speedily into a law.
The r. solutions passed with wily one dissentient, and
I.e (Mr. ltsisbeck) addressed the meeting at some length
on national and local topics. A vote of thanks was carried
to the chairman, and acknowledged by his worship, after
which the meeting dissolved. A large number of names was
added to the petition to the room.