The Sun.
London, England, 1841-10-23 00:00:00

THE STILIKE AT THE NEW
HOUSES OF PARLIAMENT.

A meeting of the Delegates of the various Trades
and Callings of London, took place last night, at the
Craven Head, Drury-lane, " to take into consideration,"
as stated in the advertisement, " the present state of the
masons employed at the new Houses of Parliament,
and also to consider the conduct of a portion of the
public Press relative to the above-named strike."
At a quarter to nine o'clock the Chair was taken
by JOHN WORTHINGTON, a mason, and at this time the
room was crowded to suffocation.
The CHAIRMAN said he accepted the office of their
Chairman with great diffidence. lle was extremely gra-
tified to see so numerous an attendance, as it would de-
monstrate to all, and to their employers in particular,
that the working classes were entitled to the protection
that was due to them. The present meeting might be
designated the collective wisdom of the Trades of Lon-
don. He would now read for them the circular calling
the meeting, and would then introduce to them Arm-
strong Walton, a mason who would declare the cir-
cumstances connected with the late strike.
ARMSTRONG WALTON then came forward. He said many
of them must be aware of the circumstances connected
with the late strike ; but as there were some also who
were unacquainted with them, he would briefly state the
reasons for the course they adopted, and leave the meet-
ing to judge whether they were justified in so doing
or not. The conduct of the foreman, Mr. Allen,
was so harsh, intolerant, and tyrannical, that it Has
impossible to bear with him any longer. There were
four distinct specific charges against Mr. Allen, and
they had called on Messrs. Grisell and Peto, and
on V Mr. Alen, to rebut them, and prove them false
if they could, but they had refused to do so.
The first was that of a young man who was desirous of
going to Manchester to bury his mother. That was a
duty, they all would admit, which devolved upon every
man of paying the last tribute of respect to his deceased
parent.—(Heat, hear.) He made application to Mr.
Allen for a fortnight's leave, not three weeks, as
had been stated by Messrs. Grisell and Pete in
their letter in the Times.—(Hear, hear.) That was
refused him, and he then asked for a week, that was re-
fused, Mr. Allen stating at the same time, that he might
go down on one day and come up on the next. The
young man had some affairs to settle in Manchester, and
said it was impossible for him to be back in that time.
Mr. Allen then said, in the most haughty and indignant
manner, that he might take his chance of getting weak
when he came back, but he would not keep the job open
for him or any other man. The men sympathised with
him, and, after calling a meeting, advised him to go.
He went accordingly, and at a subsequent meeting, it
was agreed to represent to Mr. Allen that if the young
man was discharged they would consider themselves dis-
charged. The man who acted as chairman at that meet-
ing, with others, was positively discharged for daring to
call in question that arbitrary conduct.—(Loud climes.)
The young man came back, and through their interfer-
ence he was allowed to go to work, but he was taken out
of the shop and put to the worst sort of work, by way
of punishment. The next charge was that of a man who
had occasion to be absent two or three days. lie was
sent for to see his wife, who was dying, and got permis-
sion from the under-foreman to do so. He stopped to
bury his wife and returned in three days, but when he
did, Mr. Allen turned round on him in a manner which

no one could justify, and said " he might go and die
with her, and be d—d."—(Cries of " Shame.") the next
charge was that of a man who had his leg broken and
was taken to the hospital. On his return he was not of
course so nimble as before he met the accident, but he
naturally expected some sympathy, but instead of that
he was told in the most brutal manner that 6' he (lid not
want any such d—d hobbling fellows there."—(Cries of
66 Shame.") Now, they were possessed of faculties and
feelings perhaps as acute as Messrs. Grissell and Peto,
and they could not sit down tamely and submit to these
things.—(Hear, hear.) The next charge was that
of a man who had been some days away from his
work, and he could bear testimony to the cir-
cumstances himself as the man worked near him.
His wife had been sick for ten months, he had been him-
self six months out of work, and living in the east end
of the town, and having been for some time without the
necessaries of life, he was in bad health, and had been
obliged to sta=y away from illness. After the man had
given him a fair explanation of the cause of his absence
from illness, instead of being allowed to return to his
work, he was told that be might go away as soon as ho
liked, for they wanted nothing there but sound men. It
was just the way in which coachmen used coach-horses,
get as much as they could out of them and then send
them adrift.—(Hear.) 'Try were prepared -to prove
these charges against Mr. Allen, but, notwithstanding
this, when the strike took place at the Monument at
Charing-cross, and at the Woolwich Docks, Messrs.
Grissell and Peto stated that if any one could prove that
any of these acts had been committed by Allen he would
be immediately discharged ; and when a deputation ac-
cordingly waited upon these gentlemen, instead of acting
like gentlemen, and investigating their truth or false-
hood, they refused to entertain them at all, and told
the deputation that they considered they lowered their
dignity by giving them a hearing.—(Cheers and a laugh.)
There was another subject which had been misrepre-
sented by the Press, namely, that of a man having been
fined ss. fir what was called " chasing ;" but no such
fine had ever been imposed. Messrs. Grissell and Peto
had distinctly told the deputation of the masons that the
conduct of Allen would be better in future, showing
clearly that there had previously been tyranny and un-
fair play. Now he thought it most unfair to get a man
of great physical strength, and urge him to do a certain
quantity of work, and then to go round to all the men,
many of whom had worked for years for the firm, and to
tell them, " if you do not come up to this standard, you
must be discharged."—(Hear, hear.) He believed there
was not one man of common feeling who was acquainted
with all the circumstances of the case, who would vindi-
cate the conduct of Allen.—(Hear, hear.)
The Secretary, THOMAS CARTER, at the request of
the Chairman, then read the correspondence that had
taken place between the contractors and the masons. At
their first interview, it appeared that Messrs. Grissell
and Veto had consented to remedy some grievance of
which the men hart complained, with regard to their tools
and the supply of water ; and, on that occasion, the Se-
cretary stated that they had acknowledged that Allen
had acted unjustifiably, and that his conduct would be
better in future if the men would consent to return to

their work, which they accordingly did. Every thing
went on comfortably for about six weeks, when the same
system of annoyance was renewed ; and another corres-
pondence took place on the subject. Having read all the
letters, the Secretary added that a deputation having
waited on Messrs. Grissell and Peto since the strike,
they had distinctly stated that if any body could prove
the charge against Allen, they would dismiss not only
him. but the best foreman they ever had ; but when they
went to substantiate these charges the contractors denied
that they had over stated anything of the kind. In
short, they denied every thing that wculd tell against
themselves.—(Cheers.)
Mr. M'DONALD said it was a new feature in their
meetings to see reporters there, and he hoped that, as
the report of that meeting would go forth to the public,
the gentlemen of the Press would use him mildly,
as he was one that could not boast of a very good educa-
tion.—(Laughter.) They had heard the correspondence
mad with respect to the conduct of Allen, and it only
remained for him (Mr. Meleonald) to again reiterate the
justice of their strike, and to show the amount of oppo-
sition that was arrayed against them. They were all
well aware that the strike then pending amongst the
workmen lately employed on the Houses of Parliament
had lasted six weeks, and during that time Messrs. Grissel
and Peto had used every exertion to procure other men to
fill their places. The man they had been trader had
harshly abused his power. The men who had been
under him were a must industrious portion of the com-
munity, and had always conducted themselves well, and
never tailed to do their duty.—(Hear, hear.) That
struggle was still pending, and would continue to be so,
until that scourge of a man was removed. He (Mr.
M‘Donald) would turn their attention to the opposition
thrown against them to prevent the attainment of their
abject, for which they were all so anxious. In the first
place they were aware that the Press was against them.
Mr. ANDERSON, of the British Queen—Not all.
Mr. M'lloteeen said they could obtain inser-
tion in none of the papers of their statements. Further,
a most powerful opposition had been made to them by
the Government. It might not appear to them directly
(aim the Government, but from various parties paid by
the Government. The Commission of Woods end Fo-
rests were against them, and also the Admiralty Board.
They had heard a letter read from Messrs. Grissel and
Pete, stating that they would do anything to maintain
Allen in his situation, and also to enforce a proper dis-
eipline amongst the men.—(Shame.) There had been a
letter, signed " Sidney Herbert," purporting to come
from the Lords of the Admiralty, to Messrs. Grissel and
Peto, and allowing them further time to accomplish the
buildings. They were aware that the path they had
taken was dangerous and was beset with numerous
policemen and many difficulties, but he believed that the
men working upon the new Houses of Parliament had
steered clear of those difficulties.—(Cheers.) His (Mr.
M‘Donald's) opinion was that if the trades of London lent
them their sympathy, and if they themselves would act
together and united, they would ultimately obtain the
point
sought in spite of the opposition arrayed against
them.—(Cheers.)
Mr. R. ANDERSON hoped that the meeting would
make the cause their own and unite with their oppressed
tellow men, and that a fellow feeling would run through-
out the length and breadth of the land, which would
enable them to carry the object of their struggle, and if
they were only combined they would be able to carry
had had but live dissentient voces, thereforehe trusted
that object. Out of the whole masons of Scotland theyi
.
that the delegates then assembled would warmly enter
into their cause. They must accomplish their object.
The strike had then continued six weeks, and amongst
the workmen were men with families, and therefore
woulii(ei
hoped that as the expense was great, liberalitye
would
be shown on the part of the other unions;
and b
say again, that this cause was the cause of them all.
' of the statements
to him respecting the insertion
'rite CHAInMAN then read a letter that had been ad-
dressedof the workmen in several of the papers.
A WORKMAN asked the Chairman to state what
papers were applied to.
The CHAIRMAN—That will come in order.
Mr. ANDERSON, of the British Queen and StatesnhiiTill;
then rose, and suid, that perhaps they would excuse
fur saying a few words with respect to the statements
relative to the Press. The whole of the Press bad been
blamed, whereas only apart had refused to give inser-
tion to the documents of the workmen, necessary to ex-
plain the strike that had taken place. He was ono of the
proprietors • of the British Queen. and he and his
partner_ had come there, and had brought a gentlemate
to report their proceedings, and insert everything that.
they could wish fur, in order that the public might
judge for themselves whether the workuseu were right
nr wrong. He would say that he 4ad beer. 09 ;aged
in their tratlei unions fora umber of. years, 20 11'