The Sun.
London, England, 1852-01-13 00:00:00

You shall not got a job done by the piece instead of par-
celling it out, in day work, for though both you and the
men whom you select may be gainers by such a bar.
gain, those shut out from the job would lose.'"
Now he wanted to know how both master and workmen
could gain by the same transaction?—(Hear, hear.) If
it was not for the advantage of tho master it must injure
the men, and the reverse held equally well. He con-
tended that the workman had no right to put six d
workinto three days. Labour was not intended to
work a man to death; it was given to employ his frame.
not to deteriorate and dement it; and if they
gave him
piecework till his physical energies were exhautted and
he was driven to the gin-palace instead of to the stud;,
they did not give him the privilege to which ha was
justly entitled. He confessed they wore desirous of di•
Titling the wages given to 30 among 20, if it could be done
w:th justice. Tho great fault of these newspaper writers
was, that they carod for none but those who were in
employment. The society, on the contrary, eared for
those who were out of employment. Ile knew the
best workmen in the trade who had been compelled to
walk the streets in idleness for twelve months while
others were working seven or eight days a week.—
(Hear, hear.) Tho Times went on—
" Having explained why the masters must needs be
firm, we will now state why the men should yield. They
should yield because their objects are absolutely imprac-
ticable, and wholly inconsistent with the natural laws of
society. They wish to secure the engineering trade from
all the drawbacks to which every trade is liable as science
advances and population increases. Increasing popula-
tion brings more hands into the market; advancing
science makes the call for them less. ' Planing, slotting,
and shaping machines' are instruments for superseding
skilled labour in ' shaping, slotting, and planing.' "
If their agents were " absolutely impracticable," there
was no fear of their carrying them.—(Cheers and
laughter.) The masters need not be afraid. But what
a monstrous doctrine was it to teach that science and
population in their advance should increase the draw-
backs on the employment of skilled labour!—(Cheers.)
If that wore so, why insist on any sanitary regulations,
why erect barriers against famine, disease, and loss of
life? why regret the loss of the Amazon? If the in-
crease of population was to have the effects attributed to
it by the Times, better would it be to keep population
down, and Waterloos and bloody fields, where
.life was
lost, must be beneficial to mankind.—(Hear, hear.) ,The
Times said it was the duty of employers to produce as
cheaply as they could, but he said it was their duty to
do so, not by lowering the wages of workmen, but byin-
creasing the amount of the product. The Times further
said, in another part of the leader, which effectually re-
futed the commencement— _ _

"As regards the withdrawal of the notices, there is
no room for meeting half way. Mr. Newton's folly must
be at once and unconditionally repudiated. We see the
men are publishing resolutions' in defence of their in-
tentions. Let them simply, by withdrawing tho notices
in question, abandon their project of organizing labour
in other forms than that which it naturally takes. This
much is all that is needed to remove obstacles otherwise
insuperable. Then, having made this sensible disclaimer,
let them represent to their employers—what the em-
ployers are quite prepared to acknowledge—the good
effects of regular hours, and such an arrangement of
business as will leave the workman with a reasonable
leisure in the evening."
What did that mean? Why, that the employers would
give them all they wanted if they would give up all that
they asked.—(Cheers and laughter.) If they would
withdraw the notices they had served on the employers,
the latter would be in a position to remove " obstacles
otherwise insuperable." Well, let the employers give
them a guarantee that they would do as the Times said,
and the thing was done at once. The men had not made
the request for the sake of making it, but that the trade
might be in a better condition. They would at once
withdraw the requests on the guarantee that the em-
ployers should give them what they required. He did
not ibelieve, as the Times said, that instruments for
"slotting, planing," &c., were to supersede labour; they
were rather instruments to save labour—to enable
works which had been performed by excessive labour
to be executed by machinery, and not to take away the
labourers' means of existence.—(Cheers.) If the
Times succeeded in establishing its principles they could
not wonder if the working classes set their faces
against the increase of population, and the advance of
science. Ho did not believe that either had the tendency
described. • When the workmen became more intelligent
they would see the use of the principle of self-improve-
ment. The position taken by the employers towards the
workmen would force the labour classes to reconstruct
the regulations between them and the employers. The
steps already taken were not to be relaxed, but were rae
they to bo advanced, and they should follow the example
of their brethren over the water, and subscribe their
money and tools to concentrate them in some place
where they could carry out a proper sub-division of Is-
bell; and not for the bencat of others, but for the ad-
vant?,ge of themselves. They were willing to submit
their work to the principle of supply and de-nand, but
they were ti,,t to give seven days' work for six days'
wages.—(llear.) They had never demanded an in-
crease of wages, but a decrease of the number of
those out of employment. Bat the employers
had refused to come in contact with them, and they
had discharged the men of deputa'ions who had
gone up to them. Individual remonstrance was indivi-
dual suicide, and the worst thing in the conduct of the
employers was their tracking a man from one situation to
another till they had driven him from the trade or out
of the country. Ho could give them instances of what
ho alluded to—there was a kind of conspiracy which
pursued a man from town to town, and employer to em-
ployer. The men had not sought a strike, nor had they
struck even now, but they would resist tyranny where-
ever it appeared, and, when they had no other redress,
they had determined to right themselves. The moral
aspect of their position was just; they had now no more
to do with their employers, but every one would rely
on his own honest exertions. They were prepared to
appeal to the public for those who did not belong to the
society, and to support them, not for two or three,
but for twelve months and longer, if necessary—
(Cheers)—till such time as theyhad established
their own means of employment. Among the 12,000
workmen on the society were the best and most
skilled and industrious men in the trade. How solid
their places be filled up by unskilled labour rs? The
masters must have them—the labour of the co .ntry could
not proceed without them. If only one workshop was
successful it would show the practical character of the
scheme, and there would be a sufficient inducement for
them to raise a largo amount of capital by their united
contributions. Working men would no longer make
overteres and concessions unless they felt them to be
right, for they had self-respect and dignity as well as
their mestere. The society had 25,0001, a part of
which should be at once devoted to their objects; and
they had been offered a large establishment, with ma-
chinery complete, for a part of the purchase-money
down and the rest to be left as a charge on the building.
The number out of employment was much less than the
society had expected. In Manchester they were only
650—(Cheers)—in Preston bat 20—(Hear, hear)—and
in London there was not only a number of men still in
employment, but several employers had conceded the
demands of the men, and he believed there was great
regret among many of those who had joined the body of
employer:, for they knew they would be compelled to
withdraw from this combination and to settle the dispute
by concession.—(;dear.) The Bristol men hal just
done what the council of the society wished—they said
they would go on. Mr. Slaughter was a good employer,
and they would have no piecework or overtime till the
contest was settled. The council wanted every district
but London and Manchester to do the same. Let them
leave the matter in their bands. Not more than 2,000
men of the society were out of work, and there must bo
10,000 in work; and less than one day's wages would be
able to provide for those out of work. The utmost mo-
deration must characterisu all their proceedings; the
employers did not want to immolate them all, but they
would dearly like to lay held on some few, and make
them responsible for the rest. There must be no " picket-
tiag." Let the masters picket their clubs if they liked;
they bad commenced already, and the clubs had been
pickotted with nolicemen; bat tbey wore quite welcome
to enter, and listen to what they pleased, while the
masters held their meetings with closed doors; no police-
men were there, and even the press was not admitted—
so that they could not hear one word of the bickerings,
disputes, and dissensions that prevailed there. The
speaker concluded, amid loud cheers, by reiterating his
advice to the men to be peaceable and moderate.
Mr. BRADDON proposed the second resolution, which
was as follows:
" As a means of removing the evils which beset the
conditions of working men in relation to the unjous.t con-
duct of employers, we recommend the princ.ipLeieet.__
self-
employment on a co-operative basis; and thts.3.o,_tifg
of opinion that workshops should be ineneedeirt
d that the
com-
menced by the workmen themselves,
business of the country may be proceeded
in owrith.
Ho stated that the principle had alreadybeen carried out
successfully at Greenwich, and the men
there were de-
termined to extend and an association had been
formed in Southwark, which would commence work .
for
to-
morrow. The men at Greenwich bad orders to tc)
f,
ex-
tent of 2501., and were negotiating orders to the
oj.otuhl
de
mention that fifty years
amount of 2,0001 niore.—(Cheers.
L'slsabaouprrochfn
profits made out of the working
niand
ago Maudsl ay Co. s was not
d their capital, wor
in existence, and now they ve uek•
shops, tools, &e., at 1,500,0001.......(ttear, hear.)
Mr. J. Hew, in seconding the resolution, said he did
not thoroughly enderstrnd " the. p,r.nciole of celf-ern-
ployment on a co-eperative basts, which had he?n
forced noon their notice. Some seemed very sanguine
and he hoped they might •
in catqing it out, not be (I)
appointed, but they
shoe c wellconsider how it we'd
work in detail. There was, however, no alternative left
if the employers thought fit to atend out and say they
would not receive the workmen into their employment.
The programme issued by the society was in itself ex-
tremely dimple and inoffensive, but, as an honest mete
ho was bound to say that, from what he knew of the
rules of some establishments, he thought at the time
some opposition would be offered by the em-
ployers, but no one ever contemplated that
they would have arrived at the present crisis. It
became the' working man now to consider how they
should extricate themselves with honour and credit
fkon their present position without compelling the