The Sun.
London, England, 1864-11-05 00:00:00

SPORTING INTELLIGENCE—This Day.

CITY BETTING.—Tiers DAY.
LIVERPOOL CUP.
5 to 2 agst Donnybrook (taken freely)
Bto 1 agst Stockinger (taken)
12 to 1 agst High Flyer colt (taken)
12 to 1 agst Gaily (taken)
DERI3Y.
14 to 1 agst Chattanooga (taken)

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 Darttnouth,
The Recorder of Wolverhampton (J. J. Poe Esq
Q.C., M.P.) concluded hie address to the meeting with
these observations—l know that there aro even now [onto
persons to 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 is this and a neigh-
bouring county have withdrawn their subscriptions from
some educational institutions upon the ground that it makes
the working mon discontented with their lot in life and
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, in-
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 mon were properly educated these disturbance.; of
the labour market as those this district and other districts
aro 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 tho ago, (Applause.) There never was a
strike and there never will be a strike that was not or will
not bo 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 thee()
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 called " Consents des Prud'hommes”
—the duties of which councils are to inquire into and
adjudicate on disputes between masters and worknien on
the subject of wages, and the plan pursued is as simple att
possible. In every district, and witL reference to every class
of trade and manufacture in that district, a council is ap-
pointed, the masters electing throe members and the men
three. A president is chosen to preside over their discus-
sions. If the decision of the council bo not acquiesced in,
an appeal lies to the Chamber of Commerce; but, as I as-
certained, when in Faris a few weeks ago, although on an
average 4,000 or 5,000 cases are annually brought bolero the
council in that city alone, appeals aro almost if not quite
unknown. Thus that largo number of oases 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 bo the judgment of a court of
competent jurisdiction between litigant parties in this
country, yet so admirably is the system managed that out of
these 4,000 or 5000 cases, of which thrce-fourths relate to
wages alone, the great majority 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 fair,and I presume
the master only wants what is fair; and if so, why not re-
sort to some such system as exists in France to settle their
differences, instead of going on in the absurd way in *Lich
they have been going on lately to their own detriment and
the injury of everybody else. (Applause) DJ not sappok
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 wo can
alone look for the enlightenment that will adopt such a
course as I have suggested—and as it would be equally for
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 resent you may feel and enjoy with
the rest of the people of this country—
" The softening arts of peace,
Whato'er the hum tnieing muses teach;
The godlike wisdom of the temper'd breast;
Progressive truth, the patient force of thought;
Investigation c,rlm whose silent powers
Command the world; the light that leads to Heaven;
Kind equal rule, the government of laws
And 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 ono
of the best means of promoting order, good-fellowship, and
progress." (Prolonged cheering.)

ANCIENT LONDON.—The marvellous transforma.
tions that have been effected by railways in Lon-
don during the past few years, render it no small import-
ance to gather up every scrap of topographical lore while a
few sites remain that are dearer to history and the Marc..
It is but the other day that wo heard of the dean notion of
Milton's residence in Barbican. Now we hear that Gold-
smith's residence in Green Arbour-court must share the
same fate. With such changes going on around us, it is
gratifying to learn that Aleph, the gifted author of " Lon-
don Sciences and London Peoples," has a companion
volume in the press, the title of which is "The Old City,
and its Ilighways and Byways." We hear that the forth-
coming work will ba rich in personal reminiscences of his•
torical sites and sketches of remarkable places and person-
ages, which more or less refl:et upon uo the light of other
days from the great Old City.
THE LATE MURDER NEAR NEWTON ABBOT.—
It wilt be in the recollection of our readers that
sometime in August last year, about a week after the
Newton Abbot Races had taken place, the body of a young
man, named John Mears, was found in a stream of want*
at Teignbridge, in close proximity to the raceteauree, and
the marks of violence en various parts of his body led to
the supposition that there had been foul play. Two men,
named James Stevens, a man of colour, and John Burke,
were charged with being concerned in the alleged murder,
the accusation being founded on the statement of a by
named ' Pike, about 13 years of age, who distinctly
swore that ho had seen Burke tied Stevens assault
dberindegee
bwotahll nr i
sothe
er
sw,cavteerre byeo
mElnt
tvt,end tie
Mears, ending in the latter being thrown over the
p
Upon
theirthin
et the Devon assizes, held at Exeter in December last before
Baron Pigott, Stevens being charged with the capital offence
and Burke as an accomplice. Tho boy Pike was then sul
jetted to a severe cross-examination, which considerably
chunk his statement, and his former career not being of the
most pleasant nature his evidence was disbelieved, and both
prisoners were acquitted. Within the past few days a rumour
has been extensively circulated in the neighbourhood of
Newton that Burke has died, and made a confession of the
circumstances, implicating Stevens as the actual murderer.
It was currently reported that these depositions were taken
before a magistrate, and that a warrant had been granted
for the apprehension of Stevens. On inquiry at the Newton
police station last night, we wore informed that no official
information had been received, although the rumour had
reached the cars of the police. Whether it be a rumour only
we aro not in a position to state either ono way or the other,
but we shall possibly learn something more &finite in a few
days.— Weston Daily Mercury.

A STRANGE SUICIDE,—Oa Wednesday night last
a middle-aged man; unknown, but who from a ticket found
upon him appeared to have recently arrived from London,
deliberately tied his head to the rails at the Smdhill-station,
near Liverpool, on the Southport line. When the body was
found the head was quite separatolfom the trunk.