The Express.
London, England, 1868-01-16 00:00:00

MR. GLADSTONE AND THE TRADER UNIONISTS.

-.
The Tone+ looks for useful consequences from the
interview which is to take place between Mr. Gladstone
l and some of the ablest advocates of trades unionism.

Although employers, non-union men, and the late com-
mission have made the public know a good deal of the
nature of trn,les unions, it will be interesting to hear some-
thing on the subject from real working men of the type
who most sway the councils of the unions. The question
will turn not on the legality or utility of an abstract
trades union, but whether such practices as Mr. Gladstone
rebuked at Oldham are justifiable—whether men, as Mr.
Potter contends, may justly combine to prevent anyone
working by the piece, or working for more hours than
the majority think fit, because they consider that he
will degenerate under his additional labour, and will
make an erroneous use of any surplus of money which
be may obtain above the average earnings of his fellows,
l'utting aside the saw-grinders of Sheffield and their doings,
will the deputation still maintain the doctrine that a
master may be justly compelled to turn away a boy whom
he has taken as an apprentice because those who belong
to a trade think that there are enough hands in it ? Will
it be argued that, in this period of international free-trade
no bricks ought to be taken into Manchester from beyond
the limits of the Manchester Brickmakers' Union, or that
workmen may justly avenge themselves on • master who
Wei a machine to make his bricks' It is against these
and other kindred tyrannies th►t the publics voice has pro-
tested, and the anxiety they create in the minds of think-
ing men is deeper even than that caused by the crimes of
"troadhead.

Earl Russell will publish in the course of next
month " A Letter to the Right Hon. Chicheate-
Fortescue, M.P., on the State of Ireland."
The report of a weekly contemporary that Dr.
Butler is about to resign the Head-Mastership of
Harrow is unfounded.
BRADFORD LIBERAL ELZCTORAL ASSOCIATION.--
A conference of representatives of the liberal party in
the •11.1i01,11 words of the borough of Bradford was bald
on Tuesday evening in the Temperance-hall, at Bradford,
to confer as to the organisation of a new association to
promote the extension of liberal principles under the new
Reform Act, when, as is estimated, the constituency will
be increased from 5,000 to 20,000. There were no fewer
than 200 delegates present, representing every known
political organis.ition in the borough. Sir. Robert Kell
occupied the chair, and stated that it had been the desire
of the promoters f the meeting, who had prepared reso-
lutions for the consideration of the meeting, to present
snob • programme as would conciliate every motion and
shade of liberal opinion, and promote parfait unity
amongst the liberal party. A resolution embodying the
principles of the proposed society was then proposed, and
its various clauses were afterwards discussed seriatim,
and ultimately, after some amendments and alterations,
was adopted, with • declaration of the principles and
objects of the society.
A RUPTURE BETwEEN ROYAL COMMIERIONIRS.—
The inquiry at present being conducted by • royal omit-
) mission relative to the pollution of the rivers Mersey and
I Ribble was brought to an unexpected termination yeetter-
, day, at St. George's Hall, Liverpool. At the first inquiry
on Tuesday Mr. Harrison, one of the Commissioners, ex-
amined Dr. Trench, end other Liverpool officials, relative
to the local system of sewage and its sanitary results in
connection with the public health. This subject is of ape-
I Mal interest in Liverpool where during the last few years
the waternlceet system has superseded salipita. At yester-
I day's session Dr. Trench complained that he bad been
at • disadvantage by the peculiar line of ease
mined= pursued by Mr. Harrison. On this Mr.
• Rawlieeon, the chairman said that Mr. Hani-
' son was not warranted in asking many of the
questions he bad done, and that the tendency of his line
of examination was to manifest ignorance. Kr. Harrison
I replied that the sewage question had an important
bearing uponthe itsalth of the popubition, and that the
I coMpos he had asked, were, in his opinion, colts within
swipe of the commissioners, inquiry. At the dose of
`the day's inquiry, )Ir. Rawlinson said that the nomads.
slam would sot sit at Birkeshead as anenged, on
EXTREMES are meeting in our 11101 L curious and , Thursday end prisisy, fee be was deteneined net :NOW
complicated civilization. Last Thursday an old another town with Mr. Harrison. He elesell **vetoer
worn-out gardener named PAGZ dropped down and 'eleWts,746 sr: I,tid"Pialareds, ,sairms6ll,26l. 6,13/64:::
died of starvation in the roadway near Kenning- . mission again. Mr. Hardee. wailed to the sear
ton Church. On Tuesday last Dr. Lalreaurrea held comm. Mr. Hawliassa's mesas* crested a mese palatal
an inquest on the body of an elderly widow named ~.sais"ltirmaiiinibibmiAeast sad the
eali bay, expinedgebsial dam all
CLEMENTS, who, according to the evidence of the bad done to Mr. Hankie is Latvia..
toxicologist and the verdict of the jury, died from CzYnsl PAIA°L., —Oats 811111.1" DAY.—
the JAN. 10.--Aareuesses ee lament, 3,838 •
the effects of eating a goose on Christmas-day. ditto by moon ticket.; 2,001 ; total daita„; 5.827.

There is one drop of comfort for those who
still feel some slight interest in the British stage.
We have, like our neighbours, a dramatic censor-
ship ; and there can be no doubt that our
" reader of plays " takes his function seriously. ,
We are far from pretending to understand how far
his discretion operates ; but we freely condole with
any functionary who has to regale himself with
the prose of our contemporary dramatists. But
we have, at least, the satisfaction of knowing that
our dramatic censor would not feel it his duty, in the
interest of the public morals and the natural in-
telligence, to permit Jack Sheppard and proscribe
Buy Bus, to barely tolerate the performance of
Emma and to license the high moral lessons of
the Voyages de Gullirer, as they are represented at
the ChLtelet. Another superiority of the English
theatre is to be found in the absence of hired ap-
plauders, and the right of hissing without being
strangled by a police agent.