The Sun.
London, England, 1834-05-27 00:00:00

(No. 13,014.)

MASTER TAILOR S.

GREAT MEETING-(THIS I)AY.)

A very numerous meeting of master tailors was held this
day at 11 o'clock, at Willis's Rooms, King-street, St.
James's, for the purpose of laying before the meeting the
report and proceedings of the committee, since their last
general meeting; Mr. LESLIE in the Chair.
The minutes of the proceedings since the last general
meeting were then read by the Secretary.
The CHAIRMAN then read the following Report of the
Sub- Committee :
" REPORT OF THE COMMITTEE OF MASTER TAILORS.

"Your committee report, that since they have had the
honour to be appointed to carry into effect the resolution
unanimously agreed to by the public meeting of the trade
on the 29th April, they have, with the best of their ability,
endeavoured faithfully and diligently to perform the
arduous and onerous duties entrusted to them, and they
hope their exertions will be approved of by the trade which
they represent.
" Having already reported from time to time, by public
advertisement and by circular letters, they will confine
themselves at present to the declaration issued by the
committee, and show,—

" First—That the declaration is in strict conformity with
the resolutions which were unanimously approved of by
700 master tailors, and which they were represented to
carry into effect.
To do so they need Only call•thO'iltretition of the trade
to the following extract from the resolutions of the 29th of
April
" That in order to encourage those men who are dis-
satisfied with the imperious mandate of the Trades' Union,
the committee be empowered to open houses of call for
the reception of all workmen willing to secede from the
unionists, and to be employed at theovages hitherto paid,
and that this meeting pledge themselves to give exclusive
support and encouragement to such men. And that the
committee be requested to carry into effect the intent and
object of the foregoing resolution."
By this resolution the committee feel that their duty
was clearly prescribed to them by the unanimous opinion
thereby expressed. And they will now show—
Secondly, that the declaration they have issued was ab-
solutely called for by the circumstances which have come
to the knowledge of the committee since their appointment.
And they call the attention of the trade to a document
emanating from the trades' union, being the abstract of the
proceedings of a special meeting of the trades' union dele-
gates held in London on the 13th, 14th, 15th, 17th, 18th,
and 19th of February, 1834. It commences in these
words :

" The Committee of Management of the Grand Lodge
of United Operative Tailors of London, having convened
this special meeting of the delegates from various trades,
unions throughout the kingdom, 6.c. 6.c.
But this long document being so important the Com-
mittee will immediately cause it to be reprinted, and a copy
delivered to each Master Tailor. It contains eight propo-
sitions, a series of resolutions, and the ten preliminary arti-
cles for establishing the consolidated union. It then de-
clares that the Executive Council should act as trustees for
all funds provided by the consolidated union for the adjustment
of strikes. It then levies a shilling from each member of all
the lodges in the consolidated union for raising a fund to
employ the men of Derby, and other places. It then
orders a new universal sign, and the document concludes
in these words :

" Thanks were severally voted to brother J. M'Donald,
the chairman of the meeting, and to other members of the
council of the grand lodge of operative tailors, for their
zealous services during the meeting-.
" By order of the executive council,

(Signed) " J. BROWNE."
The subject for the deep and serious attention of every
master tailor is, that the journeymen tailors in London are,
by their owu document, proved to be the great moving
power of the trades' unions, they having summoned dele-
gates from various trades' unions throughout the kingdom
to meet them.

This same authority, signed " John Browne," ordered
the strike on the part of the journeymen tailors.
This committee most deeply-lament the sufferings and
privations the journeymen have undergone during the
strike, as much so as any persons can do ; but, as they
have lent their aid to paralize commerce, to throw out of
employment thousands who are connected with them, in
the privations they are undergoing they only reap the fruits
of their own conduct.

It is well known to your committee, that the funds to
support the strike have signally failed ; that no one induce-
ment held out to the men to strike has been realiz 'd; and
that the funds were doled out to them in the merest pit-
tance, and under circumstances of the most signal failure of
a great combination, founded on injustice to all parties.
The masters are in a position to demand if not indemnity
for the past at least a security for the future, and in the
opinion of your committee they seek this security by the
declaration they have issued, and which they have required
all those in their employment to sign.
On the 17th of May, last Saturday week, an official
notice from the Grand National Consolidated Union was
agreed upon by " the executive council," which states,
" That the best probable mode for the operatives in towns
to adopt to improve their immediate condition until the
full and perfect plans of united labour can be carried into
execution, is—

First—" To continue to subscribe a fixed sum weekly,
to form a fund to become the foundation of a general bank
for the working classes, which fund should be sacred, and
not applied to any other purpose whatever."
" Sixth—All the operatives should keep in constant
employment, upon the best terms they can obtain, until
such terms can be made by the consolidated union with
the non-producers of wealth and knowledge as shall libe-
rate all the producing classes from the slavery and degra-
dation in which they have hitherto been and now are,

------ --- - ------ ----; ,
" On behalf of the Executive
(Signed) " E. C. DOUGLAS."
A brief recapitulation of the facts will make the subject
more familiar.

First—The journeymen tailors are the moving power of
the trades' union.

Secondly—The executive council of the union ordered
the tailors to strike.
Thirdly—When the funds fail the executive of the trades'
union order the operatives into employment upon the best
terms they can obtain, and require them to subscribe a
fixed sum weekly to form a fund for future purposes.
The committee of the master tailors put forth the fol-
lowing declaration as a test to try the person who applies
for work, whether he has belonged or has seceded from the
trades' union or not

" We, the undersigned foremen, journeymen tailors,
and others, in the employment of —, do declare that
we are not members of the Trades' Union—that it is not
our intention to become members of any such association,
nor do we now, or will we in any way, directly or indi-
rectly, contribute towards the support of any such associa-
tions ; in attestation of which, we hereunto subscribe our
names this --- day of —, 1834."
And in reply to this declaration, the executive of the
Trades' Union publish a manifesto in the Weekly True
Sun, in which it is said—

"Brothers, you must immediately arouse yourselves to
understand what you have to do. Reflect well before you
resolve ; be calm, but be firm and determined in carrying
your resolutions into execution. Let no man or woman,
from one end of the kingdom to the other, sign this docu-
ment. It would be far better to resolve to die, rather than
thus be compelled to be the lowest of such slaves to igno-
rance and presumption."
Here, then, your committee have traced and clearly
proved from official documents of the trades' union, that
the present is not a contest between the master tailors and
the Journeymen, but the first contest between the master
tradesmen and the " The Grand National Consolidated
Trades' Union."
The committee, therefore, call upon every master tailor,
every well wisher to the best interests of the country, to
1 eo-op!rate with them in an earnest and resolute deter-
mination to put an enasdseteoietthiiosnuniswifsrta.,ugimhpot impolitic,
dan-
gerous combination ; convinced,..
.as they are, tha't the t ahned
most
st
con-
tinuance of such an
dangerous consequences to the men, their employers, and
to o
termination of which associations, so
thet c
i vey
1 far as mastertailors are concerned, they are individually
and 1
pledged in the face of the whole country.
I s
collectively
JOHN LESLIE, Chairman. that .
• society:
l : and to the
much as possiblethe
whole of the
The CHAIRMAN then statedthe report was in-
le
information that had been obtained by the committee, inresen. These were the
order to save the time of those p
facts that had come to their knowledge, and any gentleman
meetingaddressed the
He hoped they would give every one who
present might make what observations upon it he pleased.
not
be said that any person who came to the meeting could
an impartial hearing, in order that it might not
deliver his opinions on an important question of this kind
freely, fairly, and without any interruption.
Mr. FLExcua it, of Conduit-street, then moved, which
was seconded by Mr. Thompson, that the report of the
committee be received and adopted.
Mr. SHOOLBRIDGE begged to express his high approval
of what the committee had done. They sometimes saw
that the path of duty was the way of safety, and he thought
that the master tailors wt re never more truly doing their
duty than by assembling there this morning; for it had
now become a great question whether the masters were to
be ruled by their men, or whether they were still to main-