The Sun.
London, England, 1841-11-06 00:00:00

E VEN ING- SUN.

STRIKE OF THE MASONS.

A meeting of the working men was held lest evening, h
the htrge room at the Crown and Anchor, for the purpose
of laying before the public the particulars of the strike
of the masons lately employed at the New Houses of Par-
liament.. The meeting was advertised to take place at
eight o'clock precisely, but long before that hour not
only the great room and all the avenues lading to ii,
but'the grand staircase of the Tavern and the passages
leading into the street, were crowded to excess,
and upwards of 2,000 persons were obliged to go away
in consequence of the impossibility of obtaining admit-
tance. We should suppose there must have been' at..
least 5,000 persons present at the meeting. Upon the.
platform, on each side of the chair, were the delegates
from the different trades' unions of the 'United Kingdom:
Shortly after the commencement of the .proceediegs
Walcley, M.P., entered the room, and war received with
loud cheering. Captain Ackerley, who immediately
Aiwed him, speaks fir liiirse'fre (see Advertisement over
the Leader). Netwithstanding the advertieementS stated
that the chair would be taken at eight o'clock, proceed-
ings were commenced, in o3sequence, -we suppoee, of.
the crowded state of the room, at half after seven, at
which hour, Mr. BUTTER, a working man, was called to
the chair. _ _ .

The CHAIRMAN requested the meeting would pay im-
partial attention to all parties who might address them,
and that if any persons should wish to address theni on
behalf of Messrs. Grisell and Peto, or of Allen, he hoped
they would give them a fair hearing.
Mr. CANE, after justifying the conduct of the masons,
who had been driven to the strike by the cruolt3. and
tyranny of Allen, the foreman, proposed the first resu•
lution, which was to the effect that the strike of 00
masons lately employed at the Houses of Pat liatnent
was justified by the tyrannical conduct of Alien; the
foreman,
and by the conduct of Messrs. Grisell #tid
Peto in supporting Allen, and refusing the masons Kit
redress.

Mr. WALTON rose to second the resolution, and reca-
pitulated the various cases of complaint made by the
masons with respect to the foreman of Messrs. Grisell
and Peto, the particulars of which have appeared in
our former reports of these meetings. He said the mai
sons and the working men must take care of themselves;
or no one else► -(Cries of " We must ii to thd
Charter," and some nproar.) lie would lay hydra,
them the particulars of the late strike at the Houses of
Parliament, Woolwich, and Nelson's Monument. The
speaker then entered into various details, and called on-
the working men of London to stand by the masons, for
in doing so they were only upholding themselves ; and,
although almost all classes were combined against them,
from Messrs. Grisell and Peto up to the Prime Minis-
ter, yet still they were combined—they were mire to
succeed. .

Mr. CLARKE, a painter, proposed the next resoletion,
which was to the effect, that in the opinion of that meet-
ing the conduct of the masons at Woolwich and Nelson's
Monument was justifiable, and that they ought to be
supported by the trades of London and of the British
empire, and that support ought to be rendered to them
by every possible exertion. He thought that the resolu- -
don stated all that was necessary, and the subject had
been so ably discussed, that, he would not. trouble the
meeting with any further observation.
Mr. THOMAS, a painter, seconded the resolution.
Mr. FAIUtEN, Secretary to the Trades' Union, rust to
speak to the resolution. Ho hoped to see soon a Trade,/
Hall in London, where they could hold meetings
ever they chose. They had come forward on the'princie
ple of freedom against slavery. Let them get a Trades' •
Hall, and the masters would find their mistake, and re-
gret the step they had taken.
The resolution was put and carried unanimously.
Mr. HasoN proposed the next resolution—" That the
meeting condemned the .conduct of men who had
bten so unmanly as to accept employment from Messrs;
Grissel and Peto." He thought that the cr,nduct of Al'
len had not been exaggerated by the previous speakers.
Mr. BAKER 'sC'COrldeti the' nizAlltioll WitliCAlt comment.

Mr.Scorr, a mason from BirminghaM, spoke to the
resolution. • He hoped" they would not give shelter to
those men; and that they would deny their support to.
every lodging-house and public-house that took them in.
They deserVed the name of dogs, and ought to be treated
as such.—(Cheers.) They would brill+, ruin on them-
selves and families by the course they had taken.
The resolution was then put and carried amidst shouts
of applause.
Mr.WooD rose and said, it gave him great pleasure to
give to the meeting a short explanation of the proceed-
ings of the Committee and the course they had taken in
th present struggle. The Committee fat most grateful,
and returned their heartfelt thanks, for the liberal sup-
port they had received from their friends. The present
struggle was not a pecuniary one, but one against the
oppression, the cruelty, and tyranny of one man. To that
treatment, the masons were determined no longer to
submit.—(Cheers.)
Mr. DUNNING rose to propose a resolution condemna-
tory of a certain portion of the press. He urged upon
the meeting the necessity of having a press of their
own, whereby they could make their feelings -and senti-
ments known to the public. He then went on to state
the best means, in his opinion, to accomplish the end,
but was received by the meeting with marks of im-
patience and frequent interruption. He at length con-
cluded by proposing a resolution to the effect, that the
meeting deprecated the conduct of the daily Times, the
Sunday TimeS, the Mehl] Dispatch, and Morning Ad-
vertiser, and the meeting pledged itself to support that
portion of the press only which advocated their interests,
and to withhold Oita support from that part of the press
which did not. -

Mr. ANDERSON briefly seconded the resolution. .It
had been said that they could not touch the Times; he
knew better i for it was well known that that paper was
chiefly supported by its advertisements, and if that source
failed the paper would fall. Now, they ought all to
agree never to support those tradesmen that advertised
in the Times, then they would see what erect that would
have.—(Cheers.) They must oppose even public-houses
and coffee-shops that took that paper in.
Mr. MnonALL said- he thought it was his duty to an-
nounce to them that Mr. B. O'Brien would be in that
room on Monday night to address them.--(Cheers.)
The conduct of Messrs. Grisell and Peto was a system •
of tyranny. Ile was ever ready to denounce the press
when used to oppress the working man, but he was al-
ways anxious to denounce the damnable system of class
legislation.—(Cheers, and cries of " Question.")
Captain ACKERLEY—Do stick to the matter, Sir.
Mr. MacuaLL continued.—lic said the working men'
of London had determined upon presenting Mr.Brott--
tierre O'Brien with a press—(Cheers)—in order to give,
his master mind scope.—(Cheers.) They would present
him with a press, and his capacious mind would have
room. There would be no Tory toad nor Whig toad in.
it. It would only be applied to the people's interest. -
He hoped they would support no man or house that took
in the papers which had been mentioned. There was a
daily Times, but they would soon have a Daily Star to
~...
curb it.—(Chen —rs.) - -
The CHAIRMAN then read the resolution, which was
carried unanimously, amidst the most tumultuous cheers.
Mr. WeittEv, who was received with loud cheering,.
said that, on entering' the room, be had rot bad the
slighteA intention of addre6sing them, but had come
there for the solo purpo3e of making hiteself.acquaintA
with the true state of the ease, as between the masons
and their employers, with which he had been previously
aequainted ; but, as u Member- of .P.exliameni, no.
thought it was his hoendon duty to make himself ac;
(painted with' the ~•.t!.--(lTear, hear, 14::13-.) Tho
of • Patlianient to the
iir: t motion he bad Cver niA,, in . -r„rli,,,ut
MINI the Glasre: •''
had been in the ear cat' tb' I):n•cltest,.: labe-elrers; and •
ag,in he had drovn tie atten!i,.n
en,:o of- the Glagow eoturli SilintieN:'' The I),,,che,c,er
lih'n
nbeL:(:c‘"4:o:ll:lltel:l:l:tcritithrnss:o4r ta t Ito' :1, . never been
sow. out of the country.—(l,oud edlieer.:.)
;l!loi,ou,,trl.eisL,l:::htioll
. a tell conspiracy
yrts,sstihi
cause of the working classes'. A great dile:
feeling had been expressed,
these things to show that he I.
Should be felt, at the abuse which 1 the press itnteifntial77d
and it was natural that I t
n
:t ttl
lavishedtiie
On the working men. II begged'.
much attention to that. I them not to pay. too
that abuse too, but h lc himself got a portion of
the falsehoods of the e could assure the meeting that
been called a To ie press wore not believed. He had
be a tool for tl l'7
because he would not lend himself to
thine so, ahhoulehmfamous purposes of faction. Had ho
he should have proved false to every
principle he hde
Hever professed the press would not have
attacked' him. retaineded the same place in the He
he had ever occui for the purpose of showings thein
wOrking-classes how '
reality between the two little difference theren
f loss
;
but these falsehoods diod parties who disputed
ttoedinvestPigation
—and the truth was ultimgately elicitede whoa the false-
hood recoiled on the heads of its originators.—(C°"ti'
nutd. cheers.) llc had not until that evening known the
true cause of the mason's strike. He ha.. d
previously
supposed that it related to wages ; but it now appeared
that they took their stand upon high mural grounds, and
that they turned out because they would not submit to a
tyranny to which no honest or honourable man? could
submit. • Now how could they obtain redress
_. Not
from the Legislature, as at present constituted That
~ created the
was with the capitalists. The workingnien
capital, which was the. monster that devouredtisource them.---
,0 (Loud cheers.) The spot which was
had struck—
(Loud k l
their evils, was the spot where the masons ue ..._.
(Loud Cheere—and he felt convinced that the working
man 'could hope for no redress until be should be received
within' the pale of the British Constitution.—(Lond
, cheers.) In this strike the masons occupied high moral
and intellectual ground; in fact they had placed them..
selves on the highest ground ever occupied iv the work-
men of London.—(Cheers.) It was not a question 01
pepecuniary•ary , advantage, whether they were well fed and
clothed, as mere beasts of burden, but they required to
Le treated as moral and intellectual beings. They were
clearly deserving of' sympathy and support, and no honest
or honourable man could refuse to put his hand
his pocket to aid thcni.—(Lond cheers.) He h .. into
ad heard
one charge against Allen, that'of locking up the imp.
Any man who could be .guilty of such cond
conduct—who
could thus prevent, in the wantonness of t
miow men from satiating their thirst., was tyranny, his
:u: inmate of a felon's cell than to have authoritylr?re tit to be
0.7.--(1-mud cheers.) lie said that over his
thosis that the allegations were true. That on the hypo-
told, conduct to the man who had left en with regard
ni,thcr's f:ileral : 'Was it possible,work to attend his
th:'•:f eitentrtane't. Lad beer. ..... 'he would ask, that
'all iild ru,: ? I iepresentra to Messrs. Gr. 1-
t \lr. WA1T..,14 said that G • rtsell and p
i waited on by a deputation,- who
had
• etc had been
facts„And Grissell and Poo had °lre" to prove the
ing ; but when they came the nettPoldnised there a heave
listen to them, and said ayi Grisell and Peto
lei .1 already lowered their dignity _they considered they
tcrview in the first itistance. by giving them an in-
Mr. WAKLEY considered that • a hirmosi
any man who entertained a pr. ll' was
--1-ble that
'greet-, could remain In their eltri).-cir sentiment of self re-
as that. This case had never
.. ... , er loy after such treatment
yet been brought fairly be.