The Sun.
London, England, 1853-09-17 00:00:00

CONTEMPLATED CLOSING OF MILLS.

Great excitement was caused in Preston yesterday
(Friday) by the placarding of the following address to
the factory operatives of that town and the neighbour.
-hood, from the Manufacturers' Association, announcing
their intention to close their establishments :

" A month has now elapsed since the associated mas-
ters of Preston and the neighbourhood, yielding to the
request of the operatives employed in their respective
mills, and after a full consideration of the circumstances
of each particular case, agreed to give an advance upon
the then rate of wages. Notwithstanding this conces-
sion, and the wish thereby shown on their part to settle
the question in a liberal manner, the masters regret to
find that the operatives have put themselves under the
guidance of a designing and irresponsible body, who,
having no connection with this town, nor settled posi-
tion anywhere, but living upon the earnings of the in-
dustrious operative, interfere for their own purpose and
nterest with the relation between master and servant—
Create, where it does not exist, and foster and perpetuate
where unhappily it does, a feeling of dissatisfaction and
estrangement—and in a spirit of assumption, arrogate
to themselves the right to determine, and dictate to the
operatives the means of enforcing the conditions on
which they shall be permitted to labour. To this
spirit of tyranny and dictation the masters can no longer
submit, in justice either to the operatives or to them-
selves ; and, hence, they are reluctantly compelled to
accept the only alternative left—to close their mills, until
those now on strike are prepared to resume their work,
and a better understanding is established between the
employer and employed. In adopting this course, they
are fully sensible of the serious evils, moral and social,
which must attend it, and which the sad experience of
1836 must painfully recal to the recollection of many.
They feel, however, that the responsibility is not theirs
—it rests with those who have recklessly created the
difficulty, and forced this decision upon them."
To this address are appended the signatures of thirty-
five firms, headed by Messrs. Horrockses, Miller, &c.,
the largest concern in town, employing some five or six
thousand hands. Notices to quit work are already pre-
pared for serving upon the operatives, the intention cf
the manufacturers being to close their mills in a month
from this day (Saturday). For some weeks past the
operatives have periodically held out-door meetings, pre-
ceded by processions with music and flags. Some of
these assemblies have numbered full twenty thousand
people. Placards have appeared announcing another
meeting for Thursday, with the usual preliminaries (all
'urn-outs being requested to attend). The magistrates
issued a proclamation forbidding the projected proces-
sion, as having a direct tendency to a breach of the
peace, and the intimidation of the inhabitants. At,
the meeting the3speakers inveighed against the magis-
trates, and expressed a want of confidence in the bench
on account of its being " stuffed with cotton" (i.e.,
chiefly occupied by manufacturers). Several cases of
intimidation have occurred during the week, and some
of the convicted offenders have been sentenced to three
months and others to six weeks' imprisonment.