The Northern Daily Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1853-11-18 00:00:00

)een called into

their fel

lave had nc

our demands were unreasonable ; theref
us to

•ow around our sufferir

brethren the shield of pl.(

tection, and act in union and concert against

future acts c

despotism
This is

the real cause of our organisation which at
.esent exists, not formed to dictate, but to assist, by peen-
jury aid, those who have been thrown out of employment
nr soliciting their just claims, and we now appeal to, and
fall back on, public opinion for protection.
But, my lord, we may be asked what grounds we had to

ippose that our masters were in a

i to redeem ti

So stro.

y did we feel

mjustly, -by being deceived by
ances, that a manifesto was agreed• to at a large public
meeting of our body on the 16th July, 1853, in which we
made the following proposals :
" If on the other hand we look around us at the present
time, and at the state of trade for the last five years, we

•ous were we not t

find the current prices for goods far superior to What the
were at the former period; we find hands scarce, and milli,
and workshops springing up mushroom-like on every hand ;
we see evidence of accumulated wealth in every form and
shape, testifying to the prosperity which exists. The Press
sings its praises, and your orators make it the theme of
every discourse. It has formed a paragraph in every "Royal
Speech," and both `• Houses of Parliament " by their divi-
sions have attested to its truth ; yet the great body of mas-
ters, with a few honorable. exceptions, declare that they

are unable to let u!
honorable adheren
have no desire to b

to their word."
parties to keep un t

nism and excitement without gootcau-so. Our labor is our
only wealth, and the miserable wages we receive for it our
only reward. But we here publicly and solemnly declare
that if we were not cop.vinced that our masters are able to
dive the required advance, we would be the last to request
it ; if we are laboring under a misconception, we wish to
have oar minds disabused; if we are in error, let it be proved
by plain facts. We wish to see peace and concord reign

throughout the empire amongst all classes of the community
c 'nsistently with our own rights and duties, and to accom-
plish this object, we propose for the consideration of the
masters of Preston :-Ist. That if they will prove that the

same necessity which.caused them to reduce our
exists,. and prevents them raising our wages at tl
time, and that it is incompatible with the state

jury of disinterested qentlemen of respectability and uuLoie
expe-
rience, that they are in as bad a position now as when the
reduction took place in 1847, we will abandon our claims
to a more favorable time."

My Lord, in these proposals you will perceive:that we had
placed ourselves entirely at the disposal of our employers, if
they were really unable to give an advance; but we were
treated with nothing but silence and contempt. In the
meantime two of the manufacturers had given the advance;
and about the middle of August, advances had been made of
full ten per cent, at Stockport, Blackburn, and other places
throughout the manufacturing' districts.

Preston has been
.proverbial for paying a low rate of
wages, much less than other. towns in Lancashire ; but it
appears our masters were stimulated by the example of
other places, and they simultaneously offered an
advance with a few exceptions, some less than ten per cent.,
-nd the con-

some more; but -four firms refitsed altogether

sequence was, that disputes and strikes arose between them
and their workpcople. Strikes took place at two firms
where the masters had offered an advance, but not equal to
what the hands anticipated, and as much stress is laid upon
these two disputes, as the cause of the masters closing their
mills, we beg to state, that if an inquiry was properly
made, would be found that it was not the fractional
dispute as it has been represented, but it was the way in
which that advance was given, which caused that irritation

and ill feeling, which induced the hands. to
considered to be a studied imposition. At

the advance w

given,

lamp: v

factorily and harmoniously; but it was an understood thing,
that if all the masters did not give an advance the others
would be obliged to take it off again, and we were naturally
led to appeal to the public to . support those on striko in
order to retain the general advance. But, on the

September, a bill appeared on the walls signed by 35 firms,
giving notice to close their mills in one month, "unless those
now on strike are prepared to resume their work, and a
better understanding is established between the employer
and employed." In order that no justifiable grounds for
inflicting such a calamity as now threatened should exist;

deputations of the operatives of three of those mills, wher
disputes existed, waited upon their respective employ

r--i
ers; and were prepared (if possible) to have brought
things to an arrangement. Now, mark you, at
Messrs. Birley Brothers, they were told that it could
only be settled by the committee. At Messrs. Taylvre'
they. were driven from the works ; and at Messrs
Swainsou..Brothers, they pretended not to know theth
and would not hear them speak. We presume, my lord
that it would tak(

people to -1
proceatings of these gentlemen ; but v
appeared cut oft
sume work, and prevent the inno
committee then -undertook on bet
weavers, to 'address a letter to Mr. I
Ainsworth, both justices of the peace, ____
and president of the associated millowners ; in which we pr
poSed the following Ist. That ddepittation of employ(
meet a deputation of their work people for the purpose of d:
cussing and arranging the differences : or if this be objectio
able, we propose, 2ndly. That the matter in dispute be refern
'to arbitration, each, party to appoint an equal number of exiA
rienced men, unconnected with the strike, and that R.
Parker, Esq., be the umpire. If this does not m
views, we revpectfully request you to make a
desire to come to an honourable arraneemen

)y the- operatiyes on

on equity, W

Le answer we r(

I _was,

' We beg, m

It them

tion could not receive those wino
lord, to inform you that though it has been
combination of work people had forced the mas,
bination for mutual protection—long before a rr
• "

0
place in this town, the employers had-an association, and tha
weekly meetings of their body had taken place, find appeare
in the public journals. But other parties ofgreat respecta
bility and influence, have endeavoured to approach our mas
ters for the purpose of arranging the dispute, and they re
ceived the following answer :—" At a meeting of the Corn
mittee of the Masters' Association, held on Wednesday, th
15th of October, at the Winchly Cluh, Preston, Mr. Thoma
Miller in the chair,j it was resolved that, acting on the p
ciple that has hitherto guided the a
committee, with a due appreciation of
by which the gentlemen n

is unanimously of
gested by the St. Paul's School Committee, is, in the pre
temper of the operatives, undesirable.—Thomas
Chairman William Ainsworth, Honorary Secretary."
My Lord, we appeal to you whether the

ntervic

that st

displ'ayed in' ti

became men and women desiring to effect a mi
inent. We have never been publicly informe
dur .employers havnto pursue the course they I
sideut of the masters' association has borne -t