The Sun.
London, England, 1867-08-23 00:00:00

a powerful and not too scrupulous association was
of itself sufficiently alarming to deter timorous men
or women from prosecuting their work. The direct
object of the strike was to injure the masters, and
by making them lose money by their business being
at a stand-still to induce them to concede the
demands of the men. The unionists talk about
the legislative changes to be made for their
benefit, but what possible changes can help
them in extorting higher wages than an employer
chooses to give it is not easy to see. Unless an
Act of Parliament enacts that when men are on
strike their employer shall be obliged to suspend
business until they choose to work for him again,
or unless it be provided that all infractions of the
law are to be permissible to the members of Trades'
Unions, they will not gain much by legislation.
Arbitration would be no advantage to men who
cannot endure any rival in authority or power. It
cannot be too widely understood that it is the in-
terest of the men rather than the masters which
is concerned in these trials. No doubt employers
in all trades have been much to blame in many in-
stances. In fact, before the men had found out
their strength by combination they were often
oppressed and not fairly remunerated. But the
danger is now altered. The masters are very un-
likely at the present day to attempt to grind down
their men ; they are far more likely, as has been
proved in Sheffield, to make weak concessions
for the sake of keeping peace. There is no longer
so strong a union among employers as formerly.
Competition in all trades has grown so strong,
foreign rivals are so formidable, and their goods
so easily attainable, that they cannot, as they
think, afford to risk a strike, and thus,
unless there be a large question at issue involving
the risk of heavy pecuniary loss, the men are likely
to get their own way without much trouble. It is
so in all the minor cases affecting themselves, such
as the employment of a given number of appren-
tices, the purchase of tools, the subscription to the
unions, &c. The masters, when the question is
raised, are more anxious to see that their own en-
gagements are not interrupted than to take care of
the individual rights of workmen. This was abun-
dantly shown in the evidence before the Royal Com-
mission, which proved that men of superior abilities
could not hope to retain employment, however use-
ful to their employers, if the unionists set their
faces against it. The employment of non-unionists
is just one of those cases in which the interests of
the workmen suffer. With very few exceptions the
masters employ the union men, and the few who
try to break the spell often get weary of 'the struggle
and give up. Thus the unions, so far from protect-
ing the rights of the workmen, really base their
strength upon fear. The masters employ Union
men for fear of hindrance and disturbance to their
business, and consequent loss. The men join the
Union, because, if they do not, they have great
difficulty in finding employment, and are every-
where at a disadvantage. When the spokesmen of
the Unions talk about their immense numerical
strength, we should like to know how many have
joined voluntarily, and how many because they
could not help it, or feared the consequences of
standing aloof. As Mr. Serjeant BALLAN-
TINE yesterday observed, it is as much for
the interest of the workmen as of the
masters that the present system of terrorism
should cease. The principle of combination has
been carried to an excess which threatens, now that
the public attention is aroused, to break up the
unions altogether. From a protective association
they have become an absolute and irresponsible
power, enunciating, in the name of the workmen,
theories which no master would dare to maintain.
The leaders are anxious to maintain their as-
cendancy, and Mr. PorrEn, in his recent letter,
urges upon all the new constituencies to return
men who will support the Unions; so that we
are to have the Unions obtruding them-
selves into Parliament, and all our legislation,
national, foreign, and domestic, is to be measured
by their standard. We have too much reliance on
the good sense and right feeling of the classes newly
admitted to the franchise to believe they would
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Mr. BROADHEAD yesterday received a lesson
which appears to have been much needed. It
seems quite impossible to convince that gentleman
that there is any flaw in his conduct, or that
his followers are justified in looking upon
him with aversion and horror. Perhaps
according to the old adage of judging others by our-
selves, he thinks that what he has done all men would
do if they thought it to their interest, and had the
opportunity and the courage. He applied for a
renewal of his licence, and when it was very na-
turally refused by the bench, his solicitor was quite
ready with law and argument, and reproach and
appeal to dispute their decision. Mr. BROADIIEAD
has been, said his representative, a licensed victual-
ler for about 20 years, during which time no com-
plaint has been made against him. Further, under-
standing that the proceedings before the Commission
of Inquiry had something to do with the matter,
the solicitor produced the certificate of indemnity,
which he contended guarded his client against all
cousequences—civil, criminal, or social, which
might otherwise result from the disclosures. With
all due respect to the commission and the commis-
sioners, we may safely affirm that it is simply im-
possible to guarantee a man from the consequences
of his acts ! The social relations are beyond law ;
and if we take the matter iu is legal aspect quite
enough was proved against BROADIIEAD - by
other parties to condemn him. Had it
been otherwise we should not have had much
of his evidence. If a man proved guilty of
such enormous crimes is to be admitted as a fit and
proper person for a license our standard of public
morality must be low indeed ! Moral reprobation,
says Mr. SuGG, has nothing to do with the case, and
no doubt his client is somewhat at a loss to under-
stand the meaning of the phrase. Nevertheless,
there is such a thing as a moral sense left in
England, and we trust that the honest indignation
of his fellow-townsmen will awaken Mr. BROAD-
HEAD from his comfortable security that right and
and
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The Queen has been pleased to confer upon
Major Greig, Chief Constable of Liverpool, the civil
honour of Companion of the Bath. This is understood to
to a recognition of his able services in connection with
the suppression of the Fenian outbreak.
POST-OFFICE ROBBERIES.--For some time past
complaints have been received by the Postmaster-General
of letters containing money and other valuable property
being missed from the Dorchester branch office, and a short
time ago Mr. W. E. Hows.m, travelling inspector of the
missing letter branch, proceeded there for the purpose of
making inquiries respecting the matter. Having obtained
a clue, he made up several " test letters," addressed to
Bridgwater, Bristol, and other places, for which the letters
would have to pass through and be sorted at the Dorchester
office, and the result has been that a young man named
James Burgess, whose parents are respectably connected in
Reading, has been arrested on a charge of stealing two re-
gistered letters, the money, which hail. been marked by the
inspector, having been found in his possession. He was
brought before the bbrough magistrates on Wednesday,
and the evidence having been taken, he was committed for
trial on both charges at the next Dorchester Assizes in
March ant,