The Sun.
London, England, 1864-11-04 00:00:00

The Strike in South Staffordshire,

At a recent meeting of the council and friends of the
Working Man's College at Wolverhampton, under the pre-
, sidency of Lord Dartmouth,
The Recorder of Wolverhampton (J. J. Powell, Req.,
Q.C., M.P.) concluded his address to the meeting with
these observations—l know that there aro even now tome
persons so mistaken as to suppose that it does not conduce
to the public benefit that working men should be educated,
and I regret to learn from a statement of Lord Lyttelton
that many great employers of labour in this and a neigh-
bouring ceu-ity have withdrawn their subscriptions from
some educational institutions upon the ground that it makes
the working men discontented with their lot in We end
more exacting in their demands for the wages of labour. I
entirely concur in the admirable remarks of Mr Lloyd in
reference to the ignorance of the working classes, and, ir.-
deed, I am afraid we may say the ignorance of the public
generally, as to the plain and simple elements of political
economy. It would well become anybody, especially work-
ing men, to study that subject, and I would most emphati-
cally recommend those who withdrew their subscriptions
from educational institutions from the fear that education
makes working men discontented—l say I would emphati-
cally recommend those gentlemen to turn their attention to
the study of political economy. If only masters and work-
ing men were properly educated these disturbance 2 of
the labour market as those this district end other districts
are at present suffering from would never occur again.
(Cheers.) Without in the slightest degree entering into the
merits of the question between the workmen and their em-
ployers in the neighbourhood—a question, indeed, which I
do not understand, and on which I am not competent to
express an opinion—l will say that the barbarous custom
of resorting to what are called strikes to settle disputes be-
tween masters and men as to the rate at which the ono
shall buy and the other shall sell labour is a disgrace to the
civilisation of the age. (Applause.) There never was a
strike and there never will be a strike that was not or will
not be disastrous both to masters and to men—and the me-
lancholy feature of the matter is this—that there is not the
least necessity for the great evils which arise from these
strikes—evils which extend far beyond the parties imme•
diately concerned, evils injuriously affecting the workmen's
innocent wives and families, and indeed all the members of
the community. (Applause.) I will show why there is
no necessity for such evils, In this country we are not
much accustomed to think the French superior to our
selves; we are very loth to admit that such is the case,
But there is no question that in this particular matter the
French are far in advance of us. Strange to say, from the
earliest ages—it is not the result of modern political eco-
nomy, but from the earliest ages in France there have
existed institutions celled " Conseuls des Prud'hommes”
—the duties of which councils are to inquire into and
adjudicate on disputes between masters and workmen on
the subject of wages, and the plan pursued is as simple as
possible. In every district, and with refer ence to every class
of trade and manufacture in that district, a council is ap-
pointed, the masters electing three members and the men
three. A president is chosen to preside over their discus-
sions. If the decision of the council be not acquiesced in,
an appeal lies to the Chamber of Commerce; but, as I as-
certained, when in Paris a few weeks ago, although on an
average 4,000 or 5,000 cases are annually brought before the
council in that city alone, appeals are almost if not quite
unknown. Thus that large number of cases is settled be-
tween the masters and men without any disturbance or dif-
ficulty whatever—(applause)•—and what is stranger still is
that although those councils have power to adjudicate, and
although by law the adjudication may be made as binding
upon the parties as would be the judgment of a court of
competent jurisdiction between litigant parties iu this
country, yet so admirably is the system managed that out of
these 4,000 or 5000 eases, of which three-fourths relate to
wages alone, the great msjority are not adjudicated upon at
all, but settled by the conciliatory manner of the council. I
trust some of the working men will hear what I say, not
because I say it, but because I think they must see at once
that the way I have described is a much more rational way
of settling their disputes with their masters than by resort •
ing to the barbarous and expensive practice of a strike. I
presume the workman wants onlywhat is fairond I presume
the master only wants what is fair; end if so, why not re-
sort to some such system as exists in Franco to settle the'r
differences, instead of going on in the absurd way in whieh
they have been going on lately to their lean det►iment and
the injury of everybody else. (Applause) Do not suppose
that what I have said is foreign to the subject before the
meeting, or of the resolution I have to propose, because it
strikes me they are intimately connected. I believe it is by
the agency of such institutions as this college that we can
clone look for the enlightenment that will adopt such a
course as I have suggested—and as it would be equally fur
the benefit of masters and men, all ought to combine to
maintain this and similar colleges. I trust that they will
do so, and that in the result you may feel and enjoy with
the rest of the people of this country—
" T o softening arts of peace,
Whate'er the humanising maces teach;

The godlike wisdom of the temper'd breast ;
Progressive trutb, the patient wreo of thought;
Investigation calm, whose silent powers
Command the world; the light that leads to Heaven;
Kind equal rule, the government of laws

Aud all-protecting freedom, which alone
Sustains the name and dignity of man."
(Applause.) I have great pleasure in proposing " That
this meeting warmly recognises the benefits arising from
sound education among all classes of the community as one
of the best means of pi emoting order, good-fellowship, and
progress." (Prolonged cheering.)