The Sun.
London, England, 1867-06-26 00:00:00

The Sheffield Trade Outrages.

A special meeting of the General Council of the
London Working Men's Association, including de-
legates from the various local branches, and from
the trades' societies affiliated to the association, was
held last evening at the offices in Bolt-court, Fleet-
street, to express an opinion on the late revolting
disclosures before the Sheffield Trades' Commission.
Mr. George Potter occupied the chair.
—. ...

The CHAIRMAN said he had a most painful duty
to perform—to denounce the conduct of men who
bad hitherto been looked upon with respect, but who
by the perpetration of the most atrocious crimes had
brought disgrace, not only on themselves, but on
the cause of trades' unionism, and placed a weapon
in the hands of the enemies of trades' unions which
they would not be slow to use to their purposes.
This Council, he believed, was the first organised
body of working men which had met together to
denounce these atrocities, but on Wednesday even-
ing the delegates of the London trades connected
with the late conference would assemble for the
same purpose. He bad conversed with many lead.
ing trades' unionists during thelast few days, and he
found but one feeling of shame and indignation at
the disgrace brought upon them by Broadhead and
his wretched associates in crime. The only consola-
tion in the matter was that these outrages were con.
fined to Sheffield, ant even there to a certain LIUM.
her of trades connected with the grinding and cut-
lery trades. On behalf of the trades' unions of the
kingdom, he repudiated with indignation the idea
that they had any simpathy with or complicity in
these detestable proceedings of certain of the Shef.
field trades.

A long and animated discussion then took place,
every speaker denouncing most strongly the Out•

rages' which had taken place, and the following reso-
lutionb' were-ultimately unanimously adopted :

Mr. Broadhurst (mason) moved, and Mr. Smith
(b-,,otmaker), seconded, a resolution :—" That,
while this 'committee have long been apprehensive
that the management of and conduct pursued by
certain of the Sheffield trades' unions in the grind-
ing trade s were such as could neither be approved
nor savctioned by trades unionists' generally,
more eFpecially the indefensible system called
ratteniy,' they were totally unprepared for the
terrible reryelations of outrages on life and property
perpetrated for so long a series of years with im-
punity by Broadhead, the secretary of the Saw
Grinders' Union, and the miserable men associated
with him in his crimes ; and they deeply regret that

the Commissioners felt it necessary, in the discharge
of their duty, to examine Broadhead as a witness,
whereby he has been enabled to escape the punish-
ment he worthily deserves for his manifold crimes."
Mr. Howe (polisher) moved, and Mr. Packer

(turner), seconded a resolution :•—" That this com-
mittee most emphatically protest against the attempts
now being made by the opponents of all trades
union; to connect for their own purposes trades'
unions generally with the atrocious crimes perpe-
trated at Sheffield, convinced as we are that every
intelligent trades' unionist throughout the empire
will cordially unite with all other classes of the
people in repudiating with horror and indignation
any the slightest sympathy with those atrocities or
their wretched and misguided authors and abettors."
Mr. Troup (printer) moved, and Mr. Edbrooke
(porter) seconded, a resolution :—" That this com-
mittee is of opinion that all trades' societies in Shef-
field whose executives or office-bearers have been
concerned in any of these outrages, or who are sus-
pected or tainted with participation in any even of
the minor crimes disclosed before the Commission in
that town should be immediately reconstructed ; and
that the United Kingdom Alliance of Organised
Trades should withdraw their executive and head-
quarters from Sheffield, to mark the indignation of

the trades in other towns at the laxity in tke busi-
ness transactions of many of the Sheffield trade so-
cieties by which alone such foul deeds as those de-
vised by Broadhead could be paid for from the funds
of those societies."

The above resolutions were at once telegraphed
to Sheffield, Manchester, Birmingham, Glasgow,
and other towns.

The meeting then concluded with a vote of thanks
:o the chairman,

THE SCOTCH REFOR3I BILL.

A numerous and influential deputation from
Scotland waited upon the Chancellor of the Ex-
chequer in Downing-street on Monday, for the pur-
pose of laying before him their views in reference
to the propositions contained in the Scotch Reform
Bill, and urging the necessity of increasing the re-
preientation allotted to Scotland. The deputation
was introduced by Mr. Dalglish, the senior member
for Glasgow, and was accompanied by Mr. Mon-
crieff, Mr.M.Laren, Sir J. Matheson, Mr. M‘Lagan,
Mr. Kinnaird, Sir J. Ogilvy, Mr.
IClartinAegYiet°Lin
Carnegie, Co'lonel Sykes, Mr. Merry, Mr. Robert-
son, Mr. Ellice, Sir A. Agnew, and several other
Scotch representatives.
The Lord Provost of EDINBURGH stated that he
was accompanied there by the Lord Provosts of
Glasgow, Perth, and Aberdeen, and by many pro-
vosts, magistrates, and town councillors of the
Scotch royal burghs, as well as by representatives of
the convention of royal burghs. They wished, in
the first place, to call attention to the fact that the
Scotland of the present day was something very dif-
ferent from the Scotland of the period of the Union.
At that time the population was under a million,
and the amount of the public revenue was not more
than £150,000. Now, in 1867, the population
amounted to 3,200,000, and the public revenue
amounted to £8,141,000 per annum. In all mat-
ters of social concern Scotland had made a very
great advance. He did not deny that a correspond-
ing advance, had been made in many parts of Eng-
land. It appeared, however, from statistics recently
laid before Parliament, that since 1832, when 53
members were allotted to Scotland, the public re-
venue of the country had increased at the rate of 67
per cent. per annum, while that of England had
only increased at the rate of 17 per cent. Under
these eircumstancesthe people of Scotland considered
that they were fairly entitled to be heard on the
question of representation before anything was de-
finitely done as to the distribution of se its in Eng-
land. They regarded it as an exceedingly hard case
that while small towns in England, with a popula-
tion ranging from 2,000 to 7,000, and possessing a
very small number of electors, were to be still al
lowed to return one member each, in Scotland towns
ranging in population as high as 17,000 were to be
grouped as they had hitherto been, in half dozens,
for the purpose of electing a single member. Feel-
ing that circumstance very acutely, and observing
that the town of Berwick-on-Tweed, which was geo-
graphically Scotch but politically English, was, with
its 13,000 inhabitants and 731. electors, still to re-
turn two members, and knowing that it was a town
notorious for its corruption, they were of opinion
that the manner in which it was proposed to deal
with the Scotch boroughs was most unjust. As the
redistribution of seats generally was now engaging
the attention of Parliament, the time had come when
the question of the proper representation of Scot-
land should be fully considered. They therefore
hoped that before the English bill passed through
committee the Government would endeavour if pos-
sible to introduce a resolution affirming the prin-
ciple that something more than was now proposed
should be done for giving additional representation
to Scotland. It appeared from the returns to which
he had already referred that as regarded population
Scotland ought to have 69 members, while as re-
garded revenue it should have 86 ; but they were
not inclined to press too hardly upon the Govern-
ment in favour of equal electoral districts, remem-
bering that the Constitution was full of inconsis-
tencies. There was a general feeling in Scotland
, that the country was entitled to at least 15 addi-
tional titembA.s.

The LORD PROVOST of GLASGOW said there was
an unanimous feeling in the city he represented,
which contained one-sixth of the entire population
of Scotland, that the proposed addition to the re-
presentation of Scotland was most inadequate, the
country now forming part and parcel of England.

The LORD TROYO;T of ABERDEEN said that
unless some adequate representation were now
allotted to Scotland there would be a deep feeling
of disappointment engendered in the minds of the
people in the district he represented. They had
been told since they came to Loudon that unless
something in the shape of a compromise were come
to there was little chance of Scotland meeting with
its due share of representation. They thought that
it was for her Majesty's Government to propose
some such concession to the house, and that too be-
fore the English bill was passed.
Mr. ROBERTSON, M.P., did not agree with one
remark which had fallen from the Lord Provost of
Edinburgh, namely, that the increase in the repre-
sentation for Scotland should be taken from Eng-
land. That was a matter which the Scotch mem-
bers thought might safely be left with her Majesty's
Government.

The Provost of DUNDEE having quoted statistics

to show the inadequacy of the representation of
Scotland as compared with that of England and
Ireland, thanked the Chancellor of the Exchequer for
the very large measure he had introduced for ex-
tending the franchise. That measure gave to Scot-
land the very largest extension it was ever proposed
they should have, and the people of that country
were deeply grateful fOr the generosity with which,
in that respect, they had been dealt with.
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER—I have
received this deputation with much satisfaction, and
I have listened to the statements which have been
made by the eminent municipal magistrates who
have addressed me with the attention which they
deserve. You must all of you acknowledge that
Her Majesty's Government have introduced a Par-
liamentary Reform Bill for Scotland which is
marked by its liberal character. The franchises, as
has just been admitted, are extended by it in a
manner which has never before been proposed, and
there has been a ',proposition made for increasing