The Express.
London, England, 1858-12-27 00:00:00

THE SHOZMAXERS
_AND
_221.1 114021111111

adEV4NOI.
o

The Northampton Mercury of Saturday Let con-
tains the following on the dispute which is inflicting so much
inj my on the trade of that town

"This Christmas sermon of ours is one of peace and good-
will to men. Of all times in the year it is that most fitting
to forget grievances and make up disputes. It is in this
Christmas spirit that we would refer to the recent unhappy
dissensions between the operatives of this town and the
master shoemakers. The question has the merit of being
singularly clear and simple. About the facts of the case
there is no opening tor dispute. Some of our mantas"-
Myers have attempted to introduce machinery into their
shops, wader the belief that by so doing they should
improve the quality and cheapen the oust of product-
tion of their articles. The shoemakers, or, rather, a
large moan of than, am snider the impression—whether
erroneous or not—that the proposed improves:mats will
diminish the number of hands employed and the amount
of their wages. They hate, therelors, resolved not only
not to work themselves at any factory where the machinery
is employed, but also to deter all other members of the craft
from working for such manufacturers. It is the old story of
a strike, and the old episodes of the may have not been want •
lug. There have bean riots and mobbing•--charges and con-
victions—km to everybody, both masters and men—want and
misery, and 111-blood on every side.
Into the pmeenal details of the question we have no
wish to eater. We have no bias either way. For that
mats, oar sympathies are rather with the working men,
as Wing the wean, of the two putts. Yet at the same
time we ere Wend to tall them that in this dispute they
an is the mew If they think the machines Sr. calcu-
lated to Wore their Interests, they have a perfect right to
term, to work for those who use them; but they have no
right whatever to dictate to others the conditions upon
whkh they shall be at liberty to work, still less have they
a right to employ violence and intimidation. Apart, how-
eve, from any sots of oppression, we hold that even from
their own poiat of view the opponents of machinery are
acting mainet their true interests. Other the new machines
will answer or not. If the latter, the meaufacturers y9l

coos oteestee;Ploythem. if the former, the struggle
against them is a losing one. By • law, as iilriMlMik MS
that which regulides the ewe and flow of the tides, trade
flows to the cheapest market. If shoes can be made cheaper
and better for the money elsewhere than at North-
ampton, they will be made there without lont of time; sad
If Northampton manufacturers are iset at liberty to em-
ploy the wane machinery as in more favwrd localities,
they cannot compete with their more fortunate Heels. No
man, or body of men, can go on working at a lose for any
length of time ; and as soon aa Northampton becomes less
advantageoue as a mat for the •hoe-trade, owing to what-
ever MOWN abase will muse to be manufactured hers. A
fair day'a wages fora fair day's work is • very taking cry,
bat w her a very false one. There ts no such thing as an
abetraot biomes in pint or waren We all have to boy la
the cheapen market, and the shoe-trade is se szoeptiosi
the naivetes' rule. Our mechanics
11—and thoeskt,
too, with jestios—that it was as
peer
flat
they should have to peer Liam kr Waal eivmi
to ilaarens
the wages of the BM* 10101111/f ; sari seedy the rills holds
equally goed that ths Meow Is cot to pay • higher peke
for his shwa to order te beep lip the awes of the shacmaker.
The greet truth of **Arad, rests upon the aleapie fact
that what yak gin to one you must take tram smother ;
that if yen speed sere on shoes you snot Brad km
ca clothes. Is eglia of traces of ladividuel hard-
ship, the law of elimpetition eats on the whole
beneficially for all. There is, indeed, no law of nature for
ilia delleaos of whkh the punishment comes so surely and
so =eddy as that of competition. We see already the efficis
Illill.loll to keep up artificial prime ainciegen Gor-
mley& Karla; were capital is free, is rising fah kept-
Mass r pasharain to Northampton and Stafford, when the
ate sf amidaary is Interdicted. Large shops hays lean
eased hem or removed eleiwhere, and toe demand for lebeer
eillisamlaglaimageeneul&tingewmahaairiFthotn:bvllits
vicaeratthioa:t.arestamho2t
woraptbdayull:wlglldmulacalrerm:
balm, mad illetllmat will at (Mae abandon a tangelo which
sea caily magravala the evils of their present coadities, sad
whit they sea inevitably be defeated.

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•• al the ishearid. eadere eiremseedee_ •—A
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Meehleeded Um as =kW was pas so sera bet ii•
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maim Prca• dad mow lur woke mu sigarst—Ar-
lta/W.
z&I. or •rint PAM DI7I7O—AITIMMIMII

are, es isismousi, la fee • brio
depeladirk le welt co C lar el ilbe lathequer, for
dm wpm ti obsidatag die mail al do pipe eft
atarmpit session of parliament. It will be esm-
cleiegetee from the ' utooletkee twined hi
Ildlatargb, :4 Dublain7-7Sootestew.: