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
had hitherto been looked uponiwith 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 had conversed with many lead-
ing trades' unionists during the last 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, an,l even there to a certain num-
ber 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 sympathy with or complicity in
these detestable proceedings of cerain of the Shef-
field trades.

A long and animated discussion then took place,
every speaker denouncing most strongly the out.

cages which had taken place, and the following reso-
lutions were ultimately unanimously adopted :
Mr. Broadhurst (mason) moved, and Mr. Smith
(bootmaker), 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 trades were such as could neither be approved
nor sanctioned by trades unionists' generally,
more especially the indefensible system called
rattening,' they were totally unprepared for the
terrible revelations 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
unions 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 REFORM. 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-
presentation 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. Aytoun, Mr. Kinnaird, Sir J. Ogilvy, Mr.
Carnegie, Colonel 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 accompani3l 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.