The Sun.
London, England, 1860-06-04 00:00:00

THE COMBINATION OF WORKMEN.

The adjourned charge against George Bellamy,
a foreman, and James Long, a plasterer, under
the employment of Mr. Myers, contractor for
the erection of the Westminster Palace Hotel,
for conspiring to procure the discharge of an-
other plasterer, named Munday, the particu-
lars of which have been previously detailed, was on
Saturday resumed at Westminster Police-court,
before Mr. Paynter.
Mr. Beaumont, for the prosecution, said that
when last at that court he had had to deal with
witnesses unwilling to give testimony for the pro-
secution, the one he had most relied on refusing to
say a single word ; but the magistrate would now
see by the testimony he should adduce that a very
different complexion was put upon the case, that
there was an unlawful combination of the union
men to procure the discharge of the non-unionists
in the employment of Mr. Myers, and that a placard
in furtherance of their designs had been printed
which he should put in evidence to show the cha-
racter of the proceedings.
The following was then put in, and the printer
whose name it bore, "John Dyer, 21, Young-street,
Kensington," sworn, but he refused to give evidence
on the ground that he was not bound to answer any
questions that might criminate himself:—
" Important Notice to the Operative Plasterers of
London and its Vicinity.
" May, 1,1860.
" FELLOW-WORKMEN,--It is, perhaps, needless
to inform you that there are a few of our trade who,
during the builders' late 'lock-out,' accepted the
odious document then offered to us. As long as
these men employed with us at the Westminster
Palace Hotel conducted themselves with civility to.
wards us, we treated them in as friendly a manner
as their colour could expect. While we and our
families were starving rather than transform our-
selves into a state of serfdom, their inhuman be-
haviour towards us was most insulting and unmanly.
Even those insults we have endeavoured to forget ;
but now they have, through tattling to their fore-
men, succeeded in getting many honourable men
discharged, therefore such conduct has become so
intolerable that we (the plasterers) one hundred
and fifty in number, have resolved to leave Myers's
works, at the Westminster Palace Hotel, not to
return again until the document men are re-
moved. Rally round us, then, fellow-workmen, and
render us all the necessary moral and pecuniary
support in your power, and we shall yet accomplish
our object in spite of the starvation to which the
builders subjected us by their cruel and heartless
lock-out.

" YOUR FELLOW-WORKMEN."

Mr. Paynter decided that the printer was not
bound to answer questions, and said that the
placard itself was most illegal and disgraceful, as
trammelling freedom of action and free employment
of labour and capital.
W. Coleman, general foreman to Mr. Myers, said
that on the 30th of April, three men waited upon
him, defendant Long being one of the number.
They stated that they came as a deputation from
the body of workmen, and were sent to request him
to discharge 20 men. They did not mention their
names. Witness asked them what for, when they
replied, for insults. Witness told them he could not
enter into the broad discharge of 20 men, but if
there was any one whose conduct had been insult-
ing, he would investigate the matter, and discharge
if the misconduct deserved it. They then charged
Munday with having insulted them ; they said he
had boasted about having power to get society men
discharged, and would not himself belong to a set
of operatives. Witness sent for Munday before the
three delegates, and asked him if he was guilty of
the conduct imputed him, when he denied that part
of the accusation respecting his power to get so-
ciety men discharged, but admitted he had said he
would not belong to any set of operatives. Wit-
ness told him that he had acted with indiscretion
in using words calculated to excite a body of men,
and having taken time to consider the matter, wit-
ness sent Munday his ticket of discharge that after-
noon. On the following day Long and two other
men employed by Mr. Myers came to him when
witness was present, and had a conversation with
him. As the society men had that day left the
works, witness told Munday to come back, and he
did two days afterwards.
In cross-examination by Mr. Lewis, jun., witness
said there were 700 men employed at the West-
minster Palace Hotel; some belonged to trade so-
cieties, some did not. Witness never belonged to a

trade society. Witness thought Munday's language
to the other men likely to cause dissensions among
them. When he was discharged work was offered
him close by, and witness did not know that he had
not gone to it till afterwards. It was Munday's
own admission of the language be had used in the
first instance that made witness discharge him. No
control or intimidation was used to witness by the
three men to induce him to discharge Munday, and
if he had not admitted the fact of using the intem-
perate language he would not have been discharged.
Witness was re-examined, and said that on the
8d of May three strange men, unconnected with
the works, representing themselves as delegates
from the society, came and spoke to Mr. Myers,
when he pointed out that he made no distinction
between society and non-society men, he only knew
either as workmen ; they asked him to discharge
twenty men, and told him they meant the first
twenty on the list. The only reason given was
that they had insulted the other men.
Mr. Joseph Myers was then called, and stated
that on May 1, three men came to him as described,
and asked for twenty men to be discharged ; at
that time he had already been told that Munday
had been properly discharged. Witness asked
why they required the twenty men discharged,
when the three men replied, because the others
had accepted the declaration. He did not see why
these men should be sacrificed, and gave orders
that the other men who resisted them should be
discharged, and most of the unionists left. The
three men said that the men were on strike, and
would not return unless the first twenty men whose
names were on the list were discharged. On the
following day three other men came and repre-
sented themselves as a deputation from the men on
strike, and said they would not return unless the
twenty men were discharged. They subsequently