The Sun.
London, England, 1854-04-18 00:00:00

THE PRESTON STRIKE.

(From the Preston Chronicle.)
Whenever Mr. Mackay issues another edition of his
"History of Popular Delusions," we cannot doubt but
h twill give a chapter on Strikes. The Preston strike,
turn-out, lock-out, or whatever name its advocates and
authors choose to call it, it is one of the grandest mix-
tares of fraud and folly which the present generation
has witnessed. The bubbles of the Mississippi scheme,
the belief in witchcraft and ghosts, the performances of
spirit rapping, are scarcely stronger instances of igno-
rant credulity than we have seen in this town for the
last few months, in young men and women spending
their time in idleness, eating the ill-spared and extorted
fruits of other people's industry, and swallowing
every idle tale and barefaced falsehood which a lot of
men, fattening on the spoils of this charlatanry,
weekly retail to them. Here we have bad nearly
twenty thousand people, not merely passing their
time in idleness, but risking their own future com-
fort and happiness, and the very means of their exist-
ence, and for what ? Having secured a large increase
in their earnings, a few of them raised a squabble about
something less than three farthings a head weekly in an
extensive mill, and to fight for this shadow they under-
took a contest in which_ they were all but certain to
miss not only what they -were aiming at, but to lose
what they had so recently acquired, and, in addition,
they have now lost at least 300,000/. As to the merits
of this ♦ery dispute, there is scarcely a delegate who has
not privately admitted that the step taken was absolute
folly ; and that the demand preferred was, under all
the circumstances, unfair, unreasonable, and unjustifi-
able. Yet those who caused the dispute have been the
weekly recipients of a share of, the sums raised for the
support of injured operatives.
The leaders of the -strike know that the game is up ;
they know that the agitation is nearly at an end, that
the time of their profiting by the unholy warfare in
which they are engaged is limited. In private they ad-
mit that their cause is hopeless, but to their listening
dupes on Ribbleton Moor, or in the Cock-pit, it serves
their purpose to proclaim it on the eve pf victory ;—they
may tell them that "short time" at Stockport is merely
a false alarm of the Chronicle, and reduced wages at
Blackburn another ruse of the manufacturers, but such
attempts to explain away disagreeablefacts can only con-
vict them of further tampering with the truth. They
know that in several mills at Stockport the notice to
reduce wages has expired, and that any further work
will be at the reduced rates.

According to the admission of these men themselves,
what sort of trustees have they been of the large sums
of money with which they have been entrusted ? Let the
poor girls of Blackburn and Darwen—the mothers of
Stockport and Ashton, from whom weekly pence have
been wrung in aid of this movement, know that this very
week the public have been told by two of the leaders of
the movement, that upwaids,of a thousand persons have
all along been receiving money weekly from the weavers'
committee, who had no right or claim to it whatever. It
had long been known that a large number of favourites
were in receipt of pensions from the delegates, out of
the operatives' fund—women who never were within the
walls of a factory in their lives, and who never intend to
enter one for the purpose of working there ; but it was
never suspected that the malappropriation of funds had
been of so gross a character, or to so large an extent, as
s now admitted by the misappropriators themselves.
One-eighth of the persons relieved by the weavers' com-
mittee are admitted to have received it wrongfully—
half-a-crown out of every pound contributed to the Pres-
ton weavers' committee, by the factory hands of Lanca-
shire, has been paid to persons who had no right to it !
We are well aware that any remarks of ours, or in-
deed of any persons questionipg the wisdom of the course
pursued by the leaders of the strike, are at once set
down as penned in the interest of the millowners. This
is one of the falsehoods which these men knowingly
utter to those who are so simple an to submit to their
guidance. The question at issue is not merely between
the millowners and the operatives ; it is rather be-
tween the operatives and the delegates, who, like the
Old Man of the Sea upon Sinbad, have fixed themselves
so firmly as to be an incubus upon their every movement.
Could the working classes see their interests in their true
light, all their efforts would be unceasingly directed to
remove this incubus ; until this be done, farewell to
the independence of working men, farewell to the pros-
perity of the working classes. As respects any identity,
either of feeling or interest, between ourselves and
the Preston millowners upon this question, the dele-
gates know that their insinuations and assertions
have been alike utterly groundless. We have ques-
tioned the wisdom of much that the masters have done ;
we have censured steps they have taken ; we have never
sought for or desired their confidence ; our efforts
have been directed to the furtherance of the real
interests of the working classes, which can only be
advanced by their emancipation from the thraldom under
which they now labour. It is the independent position
we have taken, and the unfettered expression of our
opinion that has rendered our advice so unpalatable, and
this journal so obnoxious to these men—which has caused
these bellowers for freedom and liberty to consider, as
an essential portion of their mission, the prevention, by
all the means in their power, and no matter at what cost
or sacrifice, of working men reading the Chronicle.
Such efforts, whatever else may be their effect, shall, we
promise them, fail entirely in inducing us to express
opinions we do not entertain, or to withhold censures
we consider called for, We should ill discharge the duties
of a journalist were we to pander to a junta, powerful
as at present it unfortunately may be, that has been so
long cursing this town with its obnoxious presence.
While noticing the strike and its incidents we would
not overook the offer of a compromise made by one
section of the turn-outs. 'Whatever may be the merits
of the proposal made in the circular issued on behalf of
the operative spinners, which appears in another
column, we cannot but commend the spirit in which it
is made. Although in many respects the various com-
mittees of operatives have been identified, yet the spin-
ners were unconnected with the unreasonable demands
which caused the lock-out, and they have shown great
wisdom and judgment in now abandoning an undiscri
minating and arbitrary rate of advance. It is to be
regretted that men who now see the futility of the de-
mand which they have so long upheld, will not avail
themselves of the present adverse state of affairs to close
the struggle they are engaged in, for they must know
that against the powerful combination which they are
fighting they are powerless, the more particularly in the
present state of trade. If work were resumed, and
masters and men again free agents, wages must as cer-
tainly rise with the brightening prospects of trade as
light follows darkness, or spring succeeds to winter.

ROYAL NAVAL BENEVOLENT SOCIETY.—The quarterly
meeting of this institution was held yesterday at the
Thatched House Tavern ; Admiral Lord Radstock in the
chair. Mr. Skead, the secretary, read the report. The
receipts of the institution from the beginning of the pre-
sent year had amounted to 1,231/. 10s. 10d., including
a balance at the commencement of the quarter of 155/.
18s. 10d. Of this sum 5481. 18s. Bd. was derived from
interest on stock, and 4901. 16s. 6d. from annual sub-
scription. The expenditure had fallen considerably short
of this sum, leaving a balance of 5631. 3s. 7d. ; 4401.
had been distributed in grants, and 1271. ls. 6d. invested
in the Three-and-a-Quarter per Cents. The total amount
of stock now belonging to the institution was 36,3341.
9s. 9d. This statement of accounts having been agreed
to, Captain Marshall wished to know why the stock
was continually augmented, while no proportionate in-
crease was made in the grants ? The chairman said that
by their rules they were bound to invest all legacies
and life subscriptions. If the life subscriptions were
distributed, what had the society to fall back upon
Captain Marshall said that under the present system the
association offered as great advantages to those who had
only joined it a short time as to those who had sub-
ecribed 40 or 45 years. That was a matter which
ouglit be inquired into. The subject then dropped, it
being understood that a motion should be founded upon
it on a future occasion, and the court adjourned.
NEW ACT TO COMPEL THE ATTENDANCE OF WITNESSES.
—On Saturday a bill in the Commons was printed, by
which it is propOsed to compel the attendance of wit-
nesses residing out of the jurisdiction of the superior
of
a hacto at
urtp orers
judge
courts, if they are within the United .Kingdom. It is
alleged
nt inconvenience
is
necessary.
arises.
Nothing A
is specialsaid
order
in the act about the col:upon:lmi= or upstate to be
gin to the partite,