The Express.
London, England, 1867-04-18 00:00:00

THE DISPUTE WITH SPATS.

Accepting the decision at Cadiz as putting our
difference with Spain in • fair way to • satisfactory ad-
justment, and congratulating the country on its release
from an unpleasant difficulty, the Tines adds that it
would be hardly just at the same time to deny that in-
cessant provocation is offered to the Spaniards by the
facilities afforded to the contraband trade on their coasts
by the position we occupy at Gibraltar. Notwithstanding
the most friendly behaviour on the part of our officials, the
brisk intercourse with the opposite shores of Africa, arising
from the necessity of victualling our garrison, cannot fail to
put the patience of the Spanish coastguards to the severest
test. Not a little good will and forbearance on either side
is required under such circumstances to avoid a collision.
We shall have no reason to find fault with the Spanish
government fur putting down smuggling by any measures
their own law, or the law of nations, may justify. Neither
shall we complain of any legal penalty their courts may
decree against those zealous persons whose importation of
books and tracts is • source of such sore annoyance to the
bigoted dery and peasantry in many parts of the Penin•
sus With regard to the Tornado it will not be difficult
with a little goodwill on both sides to bring that part of
the dispute to an equally equitable arrangement.
Though the decision, observes the Daily Neu:, of the
Prize Court—that the capture of the Queen Victoria was
illegal, does not settle the questions with regard to that
vessel, it removes the greatest of the obstacles. It will be
remembered that Lord Stanley has required the Spanish
government not only to restore the ship and cargo, or their
value, but to give • proper indemnity to the captain and crew,
accompanied by an expression of regret, addressed to her
Majesty's government, for the outrage committed on the
British flag. And, considering the facts of the seizure as
they are presented in the blue-book, it is plain that this
is the least that we are entitled to ask. No other country
would have remained quiet for • year after so unwarrant-
able an aggression. It is to be trusted, however, that,
inasmuch as neither the people nor the government of this
country have any hostile feelings towards Spain, the
Spanish government will find no difficulty in making •
complete reparation.
The Post hopes that the Spanish government will on
future occasions be good enough to call to mind that their
judges can be expeditious if expedition be an object, and
th►t we shall never again hear of a simple case dragging
its slow length along during many months in a Spanish
Admiralty Court.

The storm is not over yet, the Telegraph thinks, and
behind the Queen Victoria lies the Tornado. While in
both instances the British flag was insulted, in the former
case no cruelties were inflicted on the crew. Surely it is
high time, if oar flag is to be respected, that we should
treat outrages like these with more severity.

TRADES' UNIONS AND STRIKES.

The Times returns to the evidence taken before the
Trades' Unions Commission, for the purpose of making
clearer than ever its argument that these sacieties have
transformed their former benefit institutions into unions
for the express purpose of restricting trade. Their direct
and professed object now is to prevent an employer of
labour in any trade from getting as much work and am
good work for his money as he would get except for their
intervention. Anything like excellence or skill or dili-
genee beyond a certain point is not only discouraged, but
is absolutely made penal. A witness who volunteered his
evidence upon the stonemasons' union, appeared to
think it a commendable proceeding if a workman
could succeed, without detection, in putting a faulty
stone in a building, and, though he owned that "some
highly moral men might object" to such an act, he asserted
that it would not be regarded as censurable by the trade,
and that he himself " did not look upon it as a question of
honesty." A proverb says that "good work is bad for
trade," but it would not be pleasant to suppose that anions
in their anxiety for trade actually countenanced bad work.
It is clear, however, that all their rules are framed with
the very object of suppressing competition, bringing all
work to a dead level of mediocrity, and placing the entire
control of trade in the hands of the operative class. Such
purposeshave hitherto, in the interests of the public, been
regarded as not entitled to the sanction of the law ; it
must be for the public to consider, after the report of the
commission, whether greater countenance should be
extended to their.

The Herald also quotes the isolated portions of the evi-
dence which have been published, as forcing sensible men
to the conclusion that both the system and the principles
upon which it is based, partake of the nature of an organ-
ised tyranny and a violent usurpation of the rights of
individual,.

Mr. W. H. Smith will take the chair at the
annual dinner of the Newsvenders' Benevolent and Provi-
dent Institution, which is to be held early in June.
A list of the vritnessee to be examined on the
part of the Crown in the approaching Fenian trials is
published In the Dublin papers. It contains the names of
about 50 persons, several of whom are from England.
Prominent among them stand that of " General " Godfrey
Massey, who, with seven or eight other approvers, is
lodged in one of the government depots for crown wit-
nesses. In addition to the persons mentioned in !hid list,
there are 109 witnesses belonging to the police and mili-
tary forces to be examined.