The Sun.
London, England, 1825-10-01 00:00:00

TILE LONDON JOURNALS.

DAILY

Extracts from the Morning Papers, ocl.l, 1815.

[MORNING CHRONICLE.]
The combinations of mechanics throughout the
country are fast approaching to their dissolution.
The one which assumed the most formidable ap-
pearance, that of the wool-combers of Bradford,
and which many persons at one time thought
would he ultimately successful, is now in its last
stage, from the deficiency of means to supply the
wants of the rrumerous families of the men who
for months have been unemployed. The fire
must have a fresh supply of fuel, the lamp a fresh
supply of oil, otherwise they go out—and the hu-
man will is in like manner dependent upon mat-
ter. It is not enough for mechanics to say we
will not do this, or we will not do that ; the
soul that wills in this brave manner so long as it
chooses to be clogged by the body, must be
guided by the latter, and though, when the colon
is well supplied, it may be as fierce as a lion, it
becomes tame and docile enough when vacuity
succeeds. Masters cannot raise their prices as
they please, except in a few trades, and it is not
very likely that they will ever be induced to pay
their workmen more than what. is consistent with
the ordinary profit to themselves. If the profits in
any particular trade were higher than usual,themas-
ers would naturally be desirous of extending their
operations, and consequently would compete with
each other for workmen, whose wages would rise
as a matter of course. The attempt to raise wages
under other circumstances is sure to fail, however
cleverly the combination sets about the business.
If the masters made more than the ordinary pro-
fits, they would as assuredly be tempted to ex-
tend their operations, as a heavy body is sure to
descend. If they do not make more than the
ordinary profits, they will •not allow themselves
to be compelled to make less by combination.--
The masters have longer purses than the work-
men, otherwise they would not be able to em-
ploy them, and the battle between long purses
and long credits, and short purses and short cre-
dits, is too unequal to leave the result doubtful.
The workmen may extend their union ; this only
induces the masters to extend theirs ; the dispro-
portion between the forces remains unaltered.—
The labourer lives from hand to mouth, as it
were ; the capitalist merely takes a little from
his heap ; the one is ruined before the
other can be more than slightly weakened.—
A great deal of nonsense has been said and
written on the mischievous effects produced by
the repeal of the Combination Laws. The Com-
bination Laws were just as inoperative to enable
the masters to lower wages, when profits rose, as
the present state of the law is to enable the
workmen to raise their wages beyond what is
compatible with the ordinary profits of the mas-
ters, or to prevent the masters from lowering
wages, when the profits fall below the ordinary
rate. The Combination Laws were mischievous,
in so far as they put it into the heads of the
workmen, that they were the cause of their not
receiving higher wages. They did not prevent
combinations. All trades were in a perpetual
combination, from the delusion alluded to. If a
law were made against seeking for the philo-
sopher's stone, under a penalty, it would create
a belief that the philosopher's stone might be
found, and tempt people to make the search.—
Combinations might therefore be said to be en-
couraged by the very laws directed against them.l
They were the cause of constant ill-will between
masters and men. The present struggle will
teach the workmen the extent of their power,
and will therefore be productive ultimately of a
good which will more than compensate for the
passing inconvenience.—When a boy at school
has measured his strength with his antagonist,
and gets a sound drubbing, he gives up all idea
of further fighting. But if he be interrupted be-
fore he receives the degree of satisfaction which
induces him to cry enough, he is never easy
till he have another bout. The workmen
thought formerly that but for the law the
ball would be at their feet. Now that the
law is silent, and they are allowed to starve
themselves as much as they please, by way of
exhausting their masters, to swell their bellies,
as it were, by attempting to drink the river dry,
they will receive that practical demonstration
which will extinguish all desire of recommencing
the struggle. The grumbling and even scolding
of the wives (for women are not easily reconciled
to a falling off in the receipts), the squalling of
the children, are all very pretty in a novel, but
repeated for months, make a poor workman
almost bless the man who first invented halters.
After this battle, then, we look forward to much
greater concord between masters and, men than
ever before prevailed. Even the elephant, when
he has twisted his trunk round the gun sticking
in a morass, and finds he cannot move it, cannot
be brought to renew the attempt. We have
hitherto left the parties to themselves, because
when people are in a mood for fighting, it is of
little use to reason with them. In the pride of
power, when man persuades himself he can at-
tain his object by force, he generally treats reason
very cavalierly. It is the same with all bodies
of men. When we thought we could beat the
Americans late terms, we shut our ears to reason;
but after being worsted we were as reasonable
ae could possibly have been wished. As
to our foreign trade being endangered by
combinations, this we treat very lightly.—
Masters cannot raise their prices arbitrarily ;
on the contrary, the prices they receive
determine the wages they give to their work-
men. If they could have raised their prices
at will, they would not have stood out against
their workmen, because no man likes to be nig-
gardly when the liberality is at the cost of an-
other. Neither do we entertain any apprehension
of servile wars. The English workmen are the
least likely of all workmen in the world to con-
ceive such a design as the one in question. The
very means by which they have been enabled to
combine are derived from employment. A com-
bination which should even include any very
large proportion of the working people of the
country, is a contradiction in terms, for that
which is supported by labour, on the cessation of