The Express.
London, England, 1861-10-18 00:00:00

THE EXPRESS, FRIDAY EVENING, OCTOBER 18 1861.

their men that no one would be allowed
to work less than a ten-hours' day. It is
certain that this intimation, which may have been
founded in the necessities of trade, changed the
whole character of the arrangement. If the
men did not get their shorter day, they got
nothing by the change. And they lost much.
Their old recognised day of ten hours, esta-
blished by agreement with the masters thirty
years ago, was broken down, and there was
no longer a recognised day. " Overtime," or the
right to be paid 50 per cent. extra for work done
after the tenth hour—a right of far less conse-
quence in its pocuniaiy advantages than as a
guarantee against the unnecessary extension of the
working day—of course disappeared. The custom of
overtime was fair on both sides : it did not exclude
the employer from the liberty to call on his men
for fut thee exertion after the expiration of the
customary day; but it gave him a reason for not
doing so, and it compensated the workman for the
strain put upon his energies. If ad the dispute
between the masters and men begun with the adop-
tion of this measure, the public, who must needs
desire the maintenance of such customs as, with-
out interfering with individual freedom, tend to
guard tho working classes against the lowering
influences of excessive labour, would undoubtedly
have taken part with the men. As it is, the men
are the victims of their own folly. Without
counting the cost they commenced systematic
hostilities with capital, which is their best friend,
and they suffer the fortune of war. A needless
attack has been answered with sharp reprisals.
And the end is not yet.

Marseilles, and Bordeaux have been influenced by
the committee at Paris. The law interdicting these
kinds of associations has been too long violated."
Count Persigny then requests the prefects to
authorise these societies, if there be any such in
their departments, without delay, according to the
legal forms, and to ascertain whether they wish to
have a central representation at Paris. The votes
of these societies, it is added, are to be forwarded
to the Ministry of the Interior, and the Emperor
will determine upon the basis and principles of
such central representation. " Until then," con-
cludes the circular, addressing the prefects, "you
will prohibit the sittings of any superior central
or provincial council, and will order their dissolu-
tion."

The Mouiteur also announces that the Revue des
Lake Monde' has received a first warning for its
last fortnightly summary of political events,
signed by E. Forcade.

Nismes, Montpellier, or Toulouse, during any given
time, the result would be au amount of causes of
complaint about equal to what the Paris journal
has attributed to Geneva.

On the note of the Monitenr, stating that lues.
sures are to be taken against anonymous pamph-
lets, the Prase says :
We will simply remark that the pamphlets which have
made the most noise in these latter times, such as "Napo-
leon 111. et Vitale," and "Le Pape et le Congrin," were not
signed, and yet their official origin bat never been con-
tested. it would be strange if the following of such an ex-
ample should lead to new restrictions upon the liberty of
writing.