The Sun.
London, England, 1854-01-12 00:00:00

THE PRESTON 'STRIKE.

The millowners at Preston maintain that unswerving
determination to vindicate the indispensable rights of
employers which they have exhibited from the com-
mencement of the contest in that town. They firmly de-
cline the applications for employment, at the advanced
rate, which have been made at their respective establish-
ments. They stand immovable upon their own conditions.
And, feelingprofonntlly convinced that, if the manage-
ment of their own property, and the regulation of
wages according to the natural law of supply and
demand, are not to be perpetually and ruinously inter-
fered with, by a knot of delegates, who are the ty-
rants of the operatives, as they would-fain, be, of the
capitalists also, the latter are coming forward in all Wale
of the district to join the subscription for defraying the
,
current expenses of those; who are hearing the brunt
'of ihe battle. • It is to be' hoped that :there will be no
hailging back at,this crisis.:. Even' the merchants and
hquid-trade dealero feel that they are deeply interwited
in this cause ; and, if necessary, will come forward with
pecuniary aid. The masters have been forced to 'Com-
bine in self-defence. They must, then, break the power
of that organised despotism which has driven thenitinto
a position as unnatural as it is distasteful to them; And,
having done that, they will of course dissolve their'own
league. At this moment great surprise and indignation
have been excited by the inexplicable 'conduct of a: firm
at Wigan, who, after being among the first toad host
resolute in urging the other millowners to close their
works rather than yield to an unjust dictation; have
now gratuitously, and in the face of unmistakeable signs
of weakness on the other side, thrown open their faetory
at an advance. It seems that some of those in authority
among the hands, seeing in the measure now adopted
against them the certain defeat of their usurpation, are
of opinion that the time is come for prudently securing
to themselves as large a share as possible of " the
mammon of unrighteonsness" yet at their command.
.We happen to know that a gentleman in the north of
the county, lately read to his people a circular inviting
him to join in the subscription to the Preston :Misters.
He said, however, that he did not like to enter into any.
thing of the kind, and proposed that if they would cease
supporting the workpeople s combination, he would not
begin to support that of the masters. Time was re-
quested by a delegate to take this proposal into con-
sideration. Meanwhile, though it was not his week
for collecting subscriptions, he induced the person
whose turn it was to give place to himself ; and,
having got together about 1601., he has absconded there-
with. Other malpractices are coming out. For in-
stance, it has been discovered that persons who had left
Preston, and got employment elsewhere, have gone over
regularly to that place for their weekly allowance.
These things betoken the end as near at hand. What
consolation will there be left for the honest and unwill-
ing victims of a tyranny from which they have suffered
and must suffer incalculable privations ? The committee
of the " Master Spinners' and Manufacturers' Defence
Fund" met this afternoon, and resolved, to request the
trade to continue their subscriptions on the scale fixed
at the la, t general meeting, as nothing has occurred to
render it advisable to slacken the effect, to render assist-
ance to the Prtston masters.—Manchester Guardian of
yesterday.

ROYAL ARTILLE BY. —WOOLWICH, Jan. 11.—Captain
Romer's company 7th battalion, when it joined head-
quarters here yesterday
.evening from Portsmouth, on
, being lauded
from the Sunoom steam troop ship, only
,multered`3s gunners, the remainder of the nen of the
borapany having volunteered to serve in the other com-
panies at the Cape, or purchased their discharges for the
purpose of settling in the colony.