The Sun.
London, England, 1841-11-18 00:00:00

THE COAL-WHIPPERS.

The distressed condition of this unfortunate body of
men and their wretched families, appears to increase
in proportion to their endeavours to extricate them-
selves from the worse than Egyptian bondage under
which they have long suffered, and for aught that ap-
pears to the contrary, are likely to suffer, unless the
sympathies of some powerfully influential advocates can
be awakened in their behalf. They have already ap-
pealed to the Legisleture and the Corporation of Lon-
don. By both their grievances have been inquired into
and understood, and, as far as words went, were com-
miserated ; but beyond words years have rolled on,
and for any practical good to the sufferer?, both the
Legislature and the Corporation might as well have ,
been merged in their original chaos. Ineffectual pity
from those who have the power to relieve, is mere
wanton mockery, and those to whom it is offered may
well be excused, if, now and then, an ebullition of im-
patience and dissatisfaction should manifest itself.
Much to the credit of the coal-whippers, as a body,
their conduct, in this respect, has been irreproachable—
they have quietly received the wretched pittance doled
out to them as the balance of a week's wages, for the
next weeks' support of themselves and families—they
have gone to their miserable homes and destitute chil-
dren, and mingled with their scanty meals the sighs of
the oppressed and the tears of the helpless ; but they
have comforted themselves as peaceable men—they
have violated no law—they have trampled upon no in-
terests which the law, and more than the law, justice,
would recognise. And yet these men and their fami-
lies, after years of such patient endurance, seem to be
as far from substantial redress as they were when first
they complained of the Juggernaut, whose wheels are
daily crushing them. How long thie state .of things
may last—hoW exquisitely tight the cord may be
stretched before it snaps asunder, is a pioblem that
it should seem is now in course of elucidation.
We trust, for the sake of all ;relies, the Dives as well
as the Lazarus of the tale, that the last turn may not
be given to the screw without some reflection as to the
probable consequences. To the present time, the cca'-
whippers have been an nnoffending but deeply injured
and shamefully neglected class of labourers—that they
will preserve their reputation for peaceable demeanour,
there is little doubt, as regards themselves ; but winter
is approaching, and the privations of summer sink into
child's play when the rigours of the climate are super-
added to the empty stomachs and unclothed backs,
which unremitting industry is neither allowed to fill nor
cover, because the just earnings of that industry must
be melted down to swell the dishonest gains of the mo-
nopolizing collier-publican. This is a part of the sub-
ject connected with the present condition of the coal.
whippers, which the City authorities may do well to
take into immediate consideration. The new Mayoralty
would commence with a claim to respect from every
friend to humanity if one of its earliest measures should
be a recommendation to the proper quarter for imme-
diate and effective interference to save these men and
their families from destruction. In this matter the
Chief Magistrate of the City might, like another
Aaron, stand between the liiag and the dead, and with
the aid of Providence and the zealous co-operation of
the sufferers, the plague might again be stayed. At
all events, something must be done for these men, and
to be done well, it should be done quickly.—Sunday
Paper.

The efforts of the Coal-whippers are directed, we un-
derstand, towards the obtaining of a public office, from
which they ray be employed, and enjoy the advantage
of appropriating their hard earnings to the purposes of
educating and clothing their children, au advantage
which, under their present system of employment, they
do not possess.