The Express.
London, England, 1859-08-15 00:00:00

THE STRIKE IN THE BUILDING TRADE.

The following is the reply of the United Building
Trades Conference to the address of the misters lama • few
days slats :
A perusal of the address of the "Central Association of
Mader Builders" would induce no to amends that the
esenieste of that associstion had determined b innovate •
nor ads of morality la which the old ardireas to love and
beak bath sad justice should And no piece, bat that in
*a Ord sbsdd be substituted as virtues cunning, deceit,
ealunity, end ; that the laws of nature and bye-
shy, and the commandateets of the Christian religion, Mali
be sat adds, and in their pieces saketituted oppreedell, tspse
eity, and slavery. We am terry le sins Mw tombs, bet
their production now before no warrants is is doing se,
and our duty to our fellow-workmen demands of us fetidne-
ss.. and firmness in meeting, expoeing, and refuting the
employer** calumnies and untruths. The question of our
demsed for the nine hours they nave not attempted Is an
cum, and we may resionably suppose that they on gewhie
argue that our demands are not jut, but, with a leek ei
dignity which is painful to behold in English
they whine and fawn upon, and, in a breath mdu=enll
ante, our body and the institutions which kr }when
has emnded as a guard against the accidents of adonis and
death. The twaidle concerning the corning make end the
extension of the franchise with which they losoreesire their
address le properly appreciated by the building operatives.
The flitting of this .Will a' the wisp" before Weir eyes had
loot its power of deceiving. The men of the building trades
are too scuts not to know that if their inellestual flumes for
the exercise of this right Is to he judged by the employers
they will never have resoled the neemary stasdaro—inat
enfranohieemeet depends en their own elate, mid will saver
be samtupluthed until they are poke's' ensagh te enfren•
chin themselves. Om madam has been ehieseledeed by
temperance, order, and • Mkt raped for the laws nutter
whose shadow we live end always will be, ter we hays
ea great abhorrence of lawlessness and disorder ea " Timid
Capital," and we are too int/Blast not to Endintend that
the prenervatum of property la as edvaidegeons to our interests
as to the welfare of those whet posse. it. The
the literary mercenary who framed their
that the document hue been withdraw., sad that they
only require a verbal want to • trade agreement. But
why did they not inform the public of the nature of that
agreineet ? Were they ashamed to tell the public that the
wards of that agreement are identically those of the dom.
mon ? That in each employer's utiles is to be kept a register
and • stump check-book t That each man, on applying for •
job, and " verbell pinnace to the egreecant," wid be rear
tendand sambaed ? That • certificate of his having done
so, with a number corresponding to the number in the
register, will be given him out of the check-book, leaving its
stump counter behind That his conduct, during the time
of his simploymeet,will be reentered ; and tha reasons of his
dismissal ? That he will have to produce his" ticket " when
seeking employ at mania shop; and that at the "Central
Amaciatiou's " ofAces will be kept • complete register of the
whole Arm. in onus, to enable the employers te track end
brand any journeyman whose mealy spirit shall make him
unpalatabte to his teakeeners? Why did they net tell the
public this, that it might have thoroughly emiernood how
these Christian gentlemen intend to be " creel oalyeelveldnii,"
by establishing a system °leakage sad slavery more dished-
eel than any which nisi, in the southern at ef Ameba?
The employers claim the privilege of 1121111111 for themselves,
ani'deay it to us. They unite to violate the laws by seeking
to force us from anjoyies that right of piesedel and moral
combination which Ike Mack of the leglikteie kis accorded
us. We have milted under the beteekg shadow which the
law has abided a, for it b by sales abate that the working
man ens hips te emisteln Ye social poultlea, sad preeerve •
fair sontisersiles for the labour which he Wes to his en-
ployee. It Is only by amedation that we ma hope te present
a herder spina the aggressive eelfishems of capital. Under
rennin skonnsetences, to talk of bowleg the artisan **cell-
vtdually, end diecosseeted from the sympathies and sup-
port of his fellow-toilets, to wake his arrangements with
the capitalism, would be to advocate the speedy end
effectual reduction of the working clears to s6•rythe
trampling out of their spirit of manhood, and the ex tlnctloa
of that intellect which makes the English artisan the sup-
port of his country's greatness, and the admiration of the
industrial world. The man alio employs the lahoor of a
thousand men, and gathers the profits produced by their
labour, has, through the influence of his capital, as much
power concentrated in himself as is In the poessesion of all
the men in his employ. Any individual man among them,
than, has only the thousandth part of the power which is
centred in the master foe competition or resistance. What
chance has he, then, without the moral co-operation of the
remedeing nine hundred and nietety-nine of waking at equal
contract with his employer? Won power of logic is there
that csawqr that the employed would not be helplessly
at the of the selfish employer were it net far the
notarise alert by union? That our societies should
be governed by laws, mid that their members should be
requeeted to conform to those laws, is but natural; end
we believe such is the cam in all experatkess, and awry
club smog the upper dosses le Pal-soil sad
Saint James's. These laws are not frased, se the " ere-
dation " arena, for the purpose of reentering theliberdes of
oar fellow workmen, and impaling difikeities es oar em-
ployers. Their object is to provide ruin for rearthig end
distributing the funds accumulated by our theft—to peo,Me
for accidents, sickness, old age, and death. Them laws
govern &Atha proceedings of our societies, and we invite say
person of any clam to oomo and inspect Lain. We hove as
secrete to keep. Our proceedings are morel, legal, sod
just; end we feel confident, that after a strict lavieggs-
tios of out ones end proceedings, any impartial
paws will mooed us the same testimony given
by Mr. Mises k his letters publithed in the I
dally papers. There is not one complaint or '
ameden ha that letter but we can substandateaUes
peened lesinermy of a host of vitamin, and we
the. Central Association" of Muter Bers to do the more
in support of their charges against no. If, se they say, we loth
been guilty of conspiracy, why do they sot put the points
of the law in motif* to punish us? Persons* threats sad
inimidations are legal breaches; and if we here committed
theta, how comes it that we go scathe ims ? How is it, if we
bane Is.. guilty of this wholesale intiesidadonand coercion,
liteybwee net produced the intimidated teenbeteatiete their
nenentene? Surely, this must be very may; end the proper
elms They state, " That if a totems& dlsebsys the
aike el the inks in carrying out the instructions of his
smpiernr, be is fined the next club night'"—"" That every
amber I. bound by a document to enforce this in every
alai!'—" T bat • restriction is made as to the num-
ber el bricks which *hall be put into • bod"—" That
• bricklayer is sever to put down his trowel to lift
eayddeg requiring both hands' or to work by the side of
kb meseer"—" That we restrict the powers of the skilful
warkinen, sad bind him down to the level of the learn-
peons werlowan." Alt this is untrue ; but, that the public
Wen the teilleany of as impartial person, we have
en runs in the hands of Mr. T. M. Nelson, and we
Leresolidi es an Independent party, to favour
ihag the peens whether there be anything in the
he.. 1161111 etereveste the meek in making each neer-
nelr eimetka g the " nightly pkqueta"
*the nese emeas," and their proceedings, is the foulest
minsieny thee nee 'masted from the brain of untruth.
But "out of their own mouths will we convict than."
They say that we " annoy, threaten, islimidate. sad coerce"
our fellow-workmen " into becomieg members al ow
union ;" that we " declare a en of &nem, and threaten
to surprise, overwhelm, and destroy all who are neutral, or
nand on their independence," and in the following sentence
ths y say, " It is,, adowd, not conceivable that a fourth of
your number mold seems the regulation of our establish-
Yen end your reigegewnts, without the secret
Mity, and support sr passive consent of the majority of
' By Whet syMam of logic will they reconcile
tbineltwo asserticest Ia the first they soma 11l of a motel
.sine—in the last they disprove their own insertion, clearly
showing that ear strength Ws in the syruyathy and support
ef them wheels they mesa us of coercing. Is It possible
Mat they em kips to demise au intelligent public by inch
twidenkithane end smatiene t They woke se of wielded
"Te the wale of machinery nehlwr to society,
ter sr the souse." We with nothing of the
ilea • lairs that the imam shell pater the /MOS
et hi rain
_—thst the MINN slag be sasseentedi fie his
make ineentek that asetsty bask by the 11101• Mild
pig= firIdINNSO, lad dew tha latesew se yart Wet
addl. In the Walla fridskasq tootowa
Bat low aluae the awe P By the eid of eta-
ehissey SI peeks of production In ear titles
have seedy ambled • but have the public "moiety"
modal; any benefit from this multiplied perm of
produtica le the therm of cheaper residences? lass hers
rent eirpened ? Rae it sot increased salty pee Mt.; sad
is it sot still ineverkg ? Tim workman seethed so
benefit—the cabin have not pained • reductios of mad.
Where, thee, is the wealth of increased mechsaleal Freebie-
Ilea Is the building trades gone but into the pockets of the
men leaden °
We will refer to one more fanny In the " Address," and
lbw have the owayand seatottion to the Whetiosete

ease sr he new. They say that " die aim hours'
weitemet is • were Make be empening 'other trader to
sell nose that the Wan may Mew liter4he Wens We
rent of the poor m's *Mega, snub his wore'
Whist en informed* Wag it Is and
holo W•o ldttely opposed le *A* irhaseir the
boors of labour is use peg kook of hideagy here bete re-
*mks eentsponding redeatien lee dollowed in others; and
"I" tht wages of the bending trades will to sow* be
k'Nowid Be beerasei Tan self isatessel warm he osier
!glides es • rise in the peke of breed Lade to • oorwtpoad-
-14 ht the pries of the other nresesarlee of life.
Tint des manse seine •of all things would become
leareesed. end the with of she nation most;
▪ • war follow workmen allow ns to say
Md. H•T we
be,. no other worse to
wt=
Myids 'thels ealsosier, sad nontha be saluted
their teen is &sperm& Thu. boosted revisal is sunk in
and spereheiren ea seeisse and Ylost to than as to yea.
Owl dna, be detonated. usiatain • leder* respect for the
lowa • be sober and orderly, vespared to sedate • little seer-
*, lied the victory is cartels.
ore behalf of tinged Bending Trades' Conference,
It. W. Gm, ltpon.
Hinny NOBLY, Bricklayer.
T. li‘Nanniss. Ploterer.
THOMAS GIANT FACET, Painter.
Puna CRISIAX, Lallarer.
• Qwviarsa Perrin, &watery.
Parkes Arse, Baterday Night, Aug.