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

STRIKE IN THE IRON TRADES.
An aggregate meeting to (use the terms of the notice,
which was headed " Employers' Strike,") of the work-
in St. Martin's-hall,
men in the various branches of the iron trades was held
Long-acre, yesterday ' to consider
their present position, and to devise means for the future."
The platform and body of the hall were filled, but not to
over-crowding or excess, by, a body of men who had
mostly the appearance of respectable mechanics and arti-
sans, and the general aspect of the meeting was very
grave and serious, there being a complete absence of any-
thing like
" enthusiaern " among the auditors of the
speeches. Some police were in attendance, but there
was, not the smallest occasion for their services. Some
Chartiets of minor note were prowling about, and one
of them was taking notes of the points made by the prin-
cipal speakers; but the meeting did not recogn'ze them
in any way, nor did they attempt to address .it. Lord
Goderich was among the persons on the platform, and
remained till nearly the close of the proceedings; and
Mr. A. Vansittart, Mr. A. Lewis, Mr. T. Hughes, and
Ur, Le Chevalier were also present.
Mr. J. CROMACK was called to the chair, and apolo-
eised for his inadequacy to fill so high a post. Ho
was only a hard-fisted Briti mechanic who got his
ti
i
living by his labour, and ha very little opportunity of
improving himself, so as to a
rest them; but they would
take his earnestness as proof of his sincerity in the souse
of his brother-workers. lie hoped they would enter
most earnestly into the cause, and in that great struggle
which was purely for the elevation of their own industry
eyment in cons
and of those unfortunate brethren who were at all times
unable to obtain em 1 N equence ofevances
griwhich they all knew, and were determined to redress.
Ho felt sure they would be ultimately successful.
Mr. USHER moved the first, resolution:—
" That many of the employers of London and Lanca-
shire having closed their wor shops, this meeting is of
opinion that their conduct is .njust, and particularly op-
pressive to nonmembers antl abourers, and pledges it-
behalf of all who are thro • .. tof employment."
r.
hying subscriptions in
svvelhf
etno uthseeyevmereyt
three weeks
ie ake
ag0,...
they little expected to
come again before the public in connexion with an un-
fortunate event which affected the commercial interests
of the whole of the British dominions. Having met
such opposition from their employers, the men were now
determined to go through with their work peaceably;
but at the same time with that energy which had ever
characterized the aofs of the trade.—(Cheers.) A fort-
night ago they regretted they bad not among them a
number of employers to discuss the question, that the
public might come to a correct judgment as to whose
acts were just, and now, he was proud to say, they had
many employers there—men who had accumulated a
little out of their earnings, and who wore now deter-
mined
they htaod lworkaboufroerd themselves,
so long n
a seeing that those for whom
beneficially had taken up
so hostile a position against them. Their employers
had " waxed fat and kicked," and it was now for the
public to come forward, and support those who had so
long laboured for others. The work must be done, and
who where to do it but those who had done it for
years, and who were yet willing to perform it? The
workmen were now the only medium between
the purchasers and the producers.—(Hear, hear.)
They could do the work better, because the men would
be working for themselves, end they would be now sti-
mulated to use their ingenuity, which a few had bene-
fited by hitherto. His belief was that many useful in-
ventions would now be brought forward, which would
have been given to the world long ago but that a few
when thousands were wandering over the
only would have reaped the benefit.—(Hear, L.4ar.) If
any employer disputed that their demands were just,
let him come forward, and they were willing to argue
the question with him. The workmen did not wish to
be compelled to labour from six in the morning till ten
atnight,
country in search of employment. When the masters
strove to compel them to undergo this labour they ap-
pealed to the public, which always sanctioned that which
was just and right. He was confident their cause would
meet with success. There were thousands who would con-
tribute one day's wages to those thrown out of employ-
ment, and be said to those who were placed in that posi-
tion, " Fear not, we are young—we feel we owe you a
duty, and we will work bone and sinews in your ser-
vice. You have secured for us a position in society, and
(Cheers.) That they were
you shall not be crushed."—
not mere serfs the masters showed by the importance
they had attached to their acts, and they would now
compel the employers to use thorn as they ought to be
used. Thank God, all the masters were not so desirous
of throwing the men on the charity of the world, and
for them they must work industriously and earnestly,
but, at the same time, the society would protect those
who lied been sacrificed by a few. They who expected
to crush them would have more to meet with than they
bargained for. Tho men occupied a position equally
strong as theirs, and they were determined to exercise it
to the last. Let thorn bo of good cheer. They would
cling to each other and " the least o't, the warat o't, wad
atirey ho to beg." It was delightful to think, however,
that there were ram with thousands who would assist
the workmen. They were now wwking for those who
should come after them, and they wero determined to
leave the world better than they found it. In conclusion,
ho culled on them (in the words of a recent song) to
" have faith in one another."—(Cheers.)
Mr. POTTS seconded the resolution at some length.
Mr. NEWTON, who was greatly cheered, spoke to the
resolution. They had hops the promises they had made
of discretion and moderation in all their transactions.
The papers which at first had opposed them by mere
words, had now condescended to argue with them, and
ho could not find it in his heart to rail against them; but
there was one to which he must allude—the ifeehly Dis-
patch—(lloar)—or, rather, to the article in that paper,
written by Sidney Smith.--(0h, oh!) Lie had in that
article called them " a band of paid agitators, who lived
on the earnings of working men." That room full
of working mechanics, who knew what their pay was,
could answer the charge better than the council.—
(Hear.) For himself, he could say he never had re-
ceived ono farthing in his life for advocating any cause,
that ho never was the paid lecturer of anybody, that ho
never had sold an opinion for gold in all his life, and he
challenged Sidney Smith to come forward and say the
same—that Sidney Smith who was a paid lecturer of
the Anti-Corn-law League—who was a paid secretary
of the Electioneering Committee of London, a report
et whose bribery and corruption was contained in
the work ho held in his hand, who had assisted Baron
Rothschild in spending between 30,0001. and 40,0001,,
who had amassed a private fortune, and had retired to a
private residence—(Loud cheers) -who was paid as se-
cretary to another body to put on the registry those
who agreed with him in opinion, and to put off those
who differed from him. Sidney Smith was a paid secre-
tary to the Customs' Committee, he was a paid writer in
the Dispatch, and, as a
professional paid secretary,
generally, he had been in the market for many years
past, and now the employers had purchased him.—
(Loud cheers.) If the workmen bad wanted such a
outbid
s of
their a
e masters till
man they could have had him too, but they relied on
trmadigehftrohmave 14
oeytbe
men like George Usher and himself, wile had worked
in
fewand
haveyears
ago,
or
ob-
tained the services of Sidney Smith, After some fur-
ther remarks, the publication of which would be libel-
lous, the speaker proceeded to say they had been
enabled to take a stronger hold on public
they the
feeling in consequence of the arguments that had been
adduced in this case. TT
eete denied that the three de-
mends set forth by " A
--alieus" had ever appeared in any
docomcnt or programme leaned by the society, and he
defied any one to say they had ever made a request or
sanctioned a request that the labourers working ma-
chines should be discharged.—(aver, hoar.) It was a
fraud practised on the Londot employers to say so, and
they had boon led by statements of this kind, and by the
assertions in the letters of oamions,,,
into a combination
against their workmen.—(Cheere.) The Times had from
the beginning taken up the question with great zeal, and
had favoured them with more leaders than any body of
workingmen had ever been able to extract before, and,
though it had lately railed a ;
ga.nat them, it had now be-
gun to attempt reasoning the question, in what fashion
Time would show them. The Tim said' they would give
the reason why tho masters should not give way to the
society's demands in a very few words. It was this :
" They cannot do so, because h
—y such L.
en an act they
would forfeit the indispensable ril;hts of employers to
make their own terms for labour in aret."
Why, the masters were complaining because heyy could
not get men to accept their terms! The society did not
deny the employers to get what men they liked, on what
terms they liked; and if the masters only claimed the
right to employ their capitol in ernployie—
it men on such
terms as the men would accept, h
why not employ them
on the terms the society and tne men rosed ?
(Hear.) That was all the society claimed. p
Boput there
were some doctrines put forward in that article in the
Times which he could not understand, though that might
either be the writer's fault or his own. It said—
g
"The known and natural value cf labour regulates the
value of the manufactured commodity in
the markets of
the world."

) The
value
—(Cheers and ]
Who know what was " the known and
aughter.) The
ne had been
told over and over again that it of labour?"--(Cheers and laughter.
was regulated by
supply and demand, and that there
was :no natural
Times had established the
value for labour at all.
principle, that the
working man's labour was to ho sold, just
like pigs and sheep at Smithfield, by the salesman. But,
if a salesman went through the country and bought up
all the pigs:and sheep there, and h
Lea, in order to en-
hance the value, as many commercial men did in trade,
kept baok a portion of his stock, wonid it not b© a ridi-
culous thing for the butchers who were purchasers to say,
" Those are not all the pigs and sheen in the country,
and we will not buy them from Y0u?"._...( Rear, hear.)
Would not the public in such a case Say, ~ We will go
to Smithfield ourselves, and, as you refuse to purchase for
us, we will buy for ourselvs, as we have a right to do?"
But here were men who said, " If you attempt to mako
any provision for the future—if you do not give all, wo
will not deal with you at all. Then the public must
servo the employers as they would serve the butchers in
the case ho bad supposed • Instead of there Laing " a
known and natural value" of labour, i,„ contended the
value of labour was regulated by the conventional usages
established by society. The Times said—
" The Amalgamated Society say to their employers,
' You shall not execute your orders with 20 men if the
work cm by fp arranged 03 10 Provido wages for 30,