The Sun.
London, England, 1830-12-15 00:00:00

ASSOCIATION FOR THE PROTECTION

OF LABOUR.

Ornot OUR. SiIIFFIELD CORIMPONDZIIT
SHEFFIELD. nitc. 13.

It had been announced by hand bills that delegates from
the As*uciarion called the Trades' Union, at Manchester,
would attend a public meeting, to be held at the Riding
Estill-)bailment, in Eyre-street, this evening, at seven
o'clock, for the purpose of explaining the principles on
which the said Union was formed, and to form a Branch
Association in connection with it in this town. It was
nearly half past seven before the business commenced.
There might be about three hundred, chiefly workmen,
present. One of the deputation proposed a mechanic as
chairman, which being seconded, was carried. He read
the bill calling the meeting, and stated that Messrs. Oates
and Hudgins, from Manchester, would address the meeting.
Mr. Oates stated that the As-ociation had originated in
Manchester ; that it had branches in many of the provin-
cial manufacturing towns of the kingdom, embracing one
hundred thOusand members, and that he and his friend
were deputed to extend the connection still further. For
that purpose they bad come to this town, and they did
not know whether wages were so touch depressed in Shef-
field as in other places, but it must either be the great
depot for beggars, or the wages must be low indeed, to
they had seen more mendicants here than anywhere else.
He assured them that ti,e only way to protect themselves
was to unite together and joint the National Association,
If they did not, they might depend upon it they would
soon be as low and as miserable as the weavers in Lan-
cashire. What was the cause of the burnings in Kent,
Sussex, &c. which was now extended over three-f urths
of the kingdom, but the grinding down of the working
classes to the lowest rate of subsistence? He here en-
tered into some calculations on the probable extent of the
union and amount of eubscriptions, which we consider
quite erroneous, and therefore pass by. He then introduced
Mr. Hodgins, whom, he said, would go more into detail
nn the ohjects of the union.
Mr. Hudgins, after repeating the same strain of argu-
ment, stated, that his principal object was, to bring before
their notice a new newspaper which the Association in-
tended to publish, entitled The Voice of the People, to
be especially devoted to the people's interests. He here
read the prospectus. He then attempted to show, but
with neither reason nor argument, that all the newspaper
press of Great Britain were against the working closes.
and that it was absolutely necessary they had a voice of
their own. Ile then concluded by proposing that some
of the most prominent rules of the Association should be
read, which was accordingly done by Mr. Oates.
A series of resolutions were then read by the chairman,
and afterwards by Mr. Oates, to the following effect:—
" That the reduction of wages was the cause of all the dis-
tress ; that a newspaper belonging to themselves was ne-
cessary ; and that a Branch Association be formed in
Sheffield." _ . . .

--.••••••••
A• voice in the crowd cried out, " What are the gaieties
of the different individuals connected with the intended
Newspaper?" as he had seen a paragraph in one of the
Sheffield Newspapers respecting the same, which he would
ba glad to have explained.
artes here entered into a series of attacks on the
Editor of the Iris, which that gentleman most triumphantly
refuted. In fact, be pinned him to the point with as
much tact as the Lord Chancellor did Earl Stanhope in
the House of Lords on Friday laat. The paragraphs were
then nail, and liodgine himself admitted the correctness
of the Editor's statement. Hodeins here entered into a
long rigmarole statement about the salaries the different
officers received, what he had, what he allowed to his wife,
and other matters quite irrelative to the object of the
meeting. The resolutions were then put and passed, and
a meeting of deputies from the Sheffield trades, to be
held on Tuesday night, agreed to. Thanks were voted to
Messrs. Hudgins and Oates, and also to the Chairman.
The meeting then separated.
One of the speakers asserted that Sheffield must either
be a depot for beggars, or overwhelmed in distress. The
tint part is correct; but the latter is not. Ilallsmshire
is distinguished for its benevolence, humanity, and kindness
to all who are in distres., consequently the influx of beggars.
Thu mechanics, however, are in general in tolerable em-
ployment, and we are sure wililbe directed by the powerful
influence of The Sun, together with the hie, which have
done so much to uolighten the minds and character of the
people of our smoky town, in preference to any other
1 luminary got up under such suspicious circumstances.