The Sun.
London, England, 1838-02-02 00:00:00

Yesterelsy evening a electing of the trades of London wag
hell at the Mechanics' Institution, to receive the statements of
three delegates from the Glasgow Trades' Association, in ex-
position of the principles of that body, and in refutation of the
foul calumnies propagated by the London Press in reference
to the late trials at Edinburgh. The meeting was so very
numerous that considerable interrustion was occasioned at the
commencement of the proceedings by the extreme pressure of
the people at the doors. Hundreds who could not effect ad-
inisaion were constrained to abandon all hope of witnessing
the proceedings. The respectable appearance of the vast
body of those present reflected great credit on the trades: the
intease interest which seemed to affect every individual mani-
fested a deep-seated sympathy w ith the victims of legal tyranny,
and the regularity and decorum which characterised the dis-
cussion, notwithstand:ng the excitement that preveiled, were
tonics of pleasurable comment on the platform.
Mr. Fergus O'Connor, on being recognised by the assem-
bly, was loudly cheered.
Mr. ROEERT HEARTWELL having been moved and seconded
as Chairman, was received with repeated cheer's, and uom-
menced by observing that the meeting was convened for
the purpose of giving their brother-tradesmen, Messrs.
Cuthbertsen, M'Nish, and Campbell, delegates from
the Glasgow Trades' Association, an opportunity of exposing
the revolting charges brought against the Cotton-spinners'
Association, and of thereby counterecting the gross calumnies
and flagrant mis-statements of the LOndon press in refers :e;
to.tllo recent trials. The trades of G 1 agow depetod these
members of their body to state to the tradesmen of this coun-
try and Ireland the principles and objects of the Glasgow As-
sociation, and to expose the gross partiality of the metropolitan
press, which gave with minute accuracy the evidence in behalf
of the prosecution at the late trial, and suppressed altogether
the testimony in support of the defence.—( Lovel cries of
'` Shame, shame.") In the outset, his conviction was that the
men were innocent; and he was now fully confirmed in his
opinion by the clear and lucid statements made by the dele-
gates to the Trades' Committee of London, of which he was a
member. When he took the chair there, some short time ago,
he expressed his opinion as to the character of the Association
in Glasgow, which he felt assured was instituted, and subse-
quently acted on the principles of its institution, to promote
the moral and physical advantages of the people. The ex-
penditure of the funds of the Association was sufficient evi-
dence of the foul slanders of the hireling press and heartless
profit-mongers, who branded them with being the patrons and
encouragers of assassination.—( Hear. ) The meeting would
presently hear from the authorised organs of the Association
a detailed account of the manner in which they had ex-
pended their funds—they would hear that 4,000!.had been given
to aid the emigration of indigent tradesmen, to other countries,
where they might find a better market for their labour than in
this boasted land of freedom.—( Cheers. ) Hundreds of
pounds were voted to assist the victims of oppression—that the
Association in question was not circumscribed in its sphere of
action by a mere locality, but extended protection to their
fellow-tradesmen in the country, on various emergencies.—
Repeated cheers.) Such conduct afforded awkward evidence
of a wish to encourage atrocities, or even crimes of a more
mitigated description. He felt assured that no Trades' Asso-
ciation encouraged murder. It was a crime at which their
feelings revolted ; but he knew that dastardly combinations
existed, which excited the indignation and called forth the
execrations of every honest man—he alluded to combinations
of cowardly because anonymous slanderers of the public press,
who imputed crimes to the Cotten-spinners, of which ho knew
they were innocent ; but, he trusted the day was not far dis-
tant, when his brother-tradesmen, by a determined advocacy
of their rights and combined moral action, would teach the
hirelings that, however they might dissent from tho views of
the operatives, they should not malign their motives.—( En-
thusiastic cheering.) He anticipated a favourable result from
a parliamentary enquiry, which he was assured, would acquit
Trades' Associations in general of the charges made by the
press, arid that great combinator, He would not
trespass further on their attention, as he knew they wished to
hear the delegates. He hoped, as these gentlemen would
have to address the meeting at length other speakers would he
Lief in their observations.
Mr. M'Nrsir (one of the delegates) was a cotton spinner,
and it' was with painful feelings he appeared before them, in
consequence of the calumnies of the press, which had been so
well described by the Chairman. The Cotton-spinner's' Also.
ciotie n had been for eight months held up to odium—the mem-
bers of it had been branded as midnight murderers—calumnies
the most foul had been circulated, for purposes which were
best known to the authors of them.—( Hear.) lie did not wish
to say a word against tile authors of them, for his poor friends
were now in an awful position, and conciliation would holikely
to be more serviceable to them.—(Hear.) Despite, however,
the calumnies to which he had alluded, ho was proud to be a
member of the Cotton spinners' Association, for it wss con-
sistent with right principles, and with rectitude of conduct, and
he would challenge inquiry into the system under which it
was managed—he cared not whether it took place in or out
of Parliament—he did not fear the result.—( Cheers.) He
would now give a brief account of the principles on whiede the
Association had been formed. In 1809 the cotton-spinners
of the West of Scotland formed themselves into an Union s
their regulations were printed, anti sanctioned by is e, jus-
tices of the peace. The Union opposed the reductions of the
prices by the employers successfully. This alarmed them,
and they applied to the civil authorities. The combination
laws w, re then brought to bear on the Union, the members of
which did not know of the existence of those laws, Some of
them were, however, arrested and imprisoned, and the Union
was broken up—but the members of it had tasted the sweets
of Union, and they did not diasolve themselves—(Cheers)—
they united secretly.—( Hear, hear.) But who were the
causes of this secrecy ?—(Hear.) Violence was not, how-
ever, the object of this secrecy, but self-defence.—( Hear. )
The number of apprentices was great; the number of pincers
also pressed hard on the operatives; and the masters, when
they were opposed, were enabled, from them, to make a choice
of workmen ; but when a man was known to take a part
against the employers who desired to oppress, he wee im-
mediately marked, he was turned out of his employment,
and a circular was sent to the other masters, who refused
to receive him, and he was thus left to starve,--( Hear,
hear.) He (Mr. M`Nish) had been a victim to this mode
of treatment ; he had been for three years compelled to
walk the streets of Glasgow, having a wife and children
dependent on him for support; and on his return there;
he expected only to meet the same fate. But when men
of character, and good workmen, were proscribed and
driven to desperation, and when men of bad character were
employed in their places, could the Association be blamed for
retaliation ?_( Hear, hear, hear,) The Asiociation had thus
managed its affairs secretly until 1818—he could not say pre-
cisely how they managed it before that time, but he had no
doubt that it had been conducted in the same way as it was
before he joined it in 1819, at which time the articles were
read to him, in which he had seen nothing which was illegal,
and he had, therefore, in accordance with them, pledged him-
self to stand by the majority in endeavouring legally to do the
utmost to obtain a just remuneration for their labour, to pay all
demands which might be made on bins for the assistance of
other bodies in their difficulties, and the members of his own
body, when they wished to go elsewhere to lock for employ-
ment.—( Hear.) These were the principles of the ,Associa-
tion, and the mode in which it was managed was, that a dele-
gate was chosen from each factory, betsinning with the first
person employed there, and going over tbem all. These dole,
gates met weekly, and their names were selected faem
those which were put into a hat, who formed the
Central Committee, and thus were tiaually chosen the
President, the Treasurer, and the Secretary. At any
period, however, when disputes arose with employers,
nine Directors were selected, three from each district, who
were termed the Finance Committee. The formation of this
Committee was the foundation of the charge of having a
Secret Select Committee,—(}sear.) It was secret to the
public as for as the numbars could keep it so, for it was certain
that if the names of the Committee becasno known, that they
would lose their employment.— ( Hear.) But it was rot
otherwise a Secret or R Select Committee.—( blear.) So
the Association had gone on till 1824 ; but he would here ad-
vert to some transactions which had been given in evidence
against the Association, but whirls had occurred before any of
the parties except one had been mesnbers of it.—(}tear.)
Many struggles had taken place with employers, as indi-
viduals, and with respect to this he would refer the meeting
to the accusation as to the shooting at M'Quarry--..-Sbis oc-
curred in 1818, when Mr. Bowes proposed it reduction of
wages, to whiel the Association woold not consent. At
this time there were not one litmdred and fifty members of
the Union. They had no funds and no conteoul. The
strike, however, took place, and the places of the parties
striking were occupied by new hatls, and the old hands
were left destitute; but they received no support from the
Association, which had no funds at the time. The per-
sons who supplanted them, however, we-re characters whioh
would not get employment in ordinary times. In all trades
there were dissipated characters and bad workmen, and
amongst the cotton spinners there were as many as in any
other; but when a strike took place, these persons were lauded
as the best possible men—they were armed and privileged—
they were considered as the advocates of free labour, and
when thus supported, into what mischief could they not and
did they not bring the regular operatives ? It wag well
known what the regular and old hands suffered in eaonsequenee
of their resistance to the taunts and the insults of these new
hands.—( Hear.) But in this ease to which he referred two or
three of the old hands had private quarrels witi.;, tile new, who
w, re engaged at Mr. Bowes, and it was accordingly deter-
men met
mined to
in taketh a frightd ottt of them. Accordiugly 4 nki,rula.q of
p y ;.
even one of tlp
e oen a
IN4ll.oses at the
trill had said that'lie went, amongst otkera, to see the fun.—
( Hear.) The transactiolSi took place on Glaso-ow-green.
One of the parties fired at 111‘Quarry, another fired. ;at and wounded him ; but the joke was apeacilt, for it was
with the wadding—the pist.2ls bavin- been loaded with ,
powder only—he wounded; acid a third party, in
order to thit this. was the case immediately