The Sun.
London, England, 1864-12-05 00:00:00

Mr. Justice Byles on Strikes.

in-his charge to the Grand Jury at the Staffordshire
winter assizes en Friday, Mr Justice Byles said a great
many persons whose names were in the calendar stood
charged with offences against the Combinations Act. The
law on combinations he conceived to be this com-
bine if you please, and as many as you please, persuade
but you must not use intimidation or threats.
li
say, you must not intimidate either by word or
iaTfch3:tu
is k
to
ts.fye ;
you do, you break the law. He gathered from the
depositions that the persons indicted had marched in mili-
tary array to the sound of military music. He very much
doubted whether that was not in itself an offeince against
the law of the land, because it presupposes, if it does not
actually include, drilling and training, against which there
was a direct and explicit statute. The law of the land was
that the army, including in the expression every person in
the military profession, occasionally or permanently armed,
was under the control of the Crown, and of nobody else.
This was a principle which could not be infringed without
theer
er moat
butobvious
was as the grand jury themselves had
nay., Not only h
prisoners marched in military
a
evidence that they had intimidated
Been.
there
er danger,
adtile
some of their fellow-workmen, and there had likewise been
cases of actual violence. His lordship recommended the
grand jury to exani
ine tho cases (19 in all) separately, with
a view to the selection, if possible, of the most serious. A
similar course would be pursued when the cases came into
the open court. The learned Judge then said—l am a
stranger to both the masters and the men of this district,
and I trust I am actuated by no other desire than the ad-
ministration of the law of the land, with justice. The
hand of the law must fall heavily on those who are disco-
vered to be active instigators in the matter. Those who
are mere dupes will of course be mare leniently dealt with.
I cannot help saying
that cases of this kind suggest an
observation to me which I venture to make in the presence
of those who have the means of making their voices heard,
or the voices of those who represent them heard in the
great council of the nation. Is not the mode of
adjusting disputes between men and masters by means
of strikes very barbarous in a free country like this ? I
say this because in a neighbouring country there are
courts regularly formed, consisting of masters and work-
men in small numbers, for the adjustment of their dis-
putes. They have found means of obtaining a satisfactory
reference of those points on which they disagree. I can-
not help thinking that if some such courts were established
here great good might result. Generally speaking, the re-
spective representatives of such bodies on both sides might
agree ; but, where they did not, I think it would not be im-
possible to find a referee of practical knowledge who would
command the attention and secure the respect of both sides.
The arbitration should have the force of law. 1 believe
there are very few subjects more deserving of public atten-
tion than this, especially in this county and at this time.

A BUST Cr TRACK ERAY (from the hand of Baron
Marochetti) is to be placed in Westminster Abbey between
those of Addison. and Macaulay.
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