The Sun.
London, England, 1867-02-08 00:00:00

THE SUN, LONDON, FRIDAY EVENING,

attributed to anything on their part. But there

ieems to be little doubt that the constantly recur-

ring strikes of the last few years have seriously inter-
fered with many. branchesof industry. They havepro-
duced the dangerous effect of alarming capitalists,
and making them excessively cautious about invest-
ing their money in business, which is liable to be
affected not only by the ordinary fluctuations and
-vicissitudes incident to trade, but by the caprice or
ambition of the workmen. It needs not only a
large business, but a solid sum in reserve to enable
an employer to refuse contracts, to suspend engage-
ments, to stop his business altogether for three or
six months, and a firm may have valuable property
in floating capital, and yet be brought within sight
of failure by the perversity or short-sightedness
of its employe's. Another very great evil, con-
sequent upon the abuse of the strike system,
is that the men voluntarily throw the business
of those particular kinds most liable to suffer
into the hands of a few large capitalists,
—in short, those who can afford to run the risk of
temporary suspension or to go to the expense of
importing hands. By this means the cause of the
masters is materially strengthened, because a
counter combination is rendered so much easier and
the class of employers is narrowed, and their views
and sympathies narrowed too. It is next to im-
possible for a poor man who has saved money, a
few working men who have gained experience, and
have won their way by their own abilities and
industry, to set up an independent business. The
strike which the rich man with money lying idle at
his banker's can resist with passive indifference, which
the man with large credit and influence can fight
down with imported aid, must be fatal to the
struggling firm or the man of restricted means and

limited resources. The working men in this, as in
many other points, are their own worst enemies.
They talk about the hardships of class exclusion,
and they do their best to keep down the enterpris-
ing and talented members of their own ranks who
might fight their way upwards. The uncertainty
and want of confidence thus imported into all busi-
ness relations are, of course, most damaging. In
every rank of life, and every department of busi-
ness, there must be some security that faith will be
kept, and that engagements once entered into will
be properly fulfilled. The two great requisites for
a flourishing trade are confidence and free compe-
tition, and both of these are seriously affected by
strikes. It was the confidence in the good faith
and exactitude of English merchants that laid the
foundation of our commercial prosperity. It
was the removal of all unpleasant restrictions
from our policy, which has made the trade ofjEng-

land what it is. But if there is to be a weakness
at the very foundation ; if, with every advantage
of raw material, skilled ability, inexhaustible capital,
and abundant industry, thu machinery of trade is
to come to a deadlock for want of mutual forbear-
ance and conciliation, all these advantages will be
thrown away. We cannot hope that England will
retain her place as a first-rate manufacturing and
exporting Power, because other countries are
already pressing fast behind us in the race,
and we have no longer that exclusive
superiority of mind and matter in industrial
arts which we once possessed. Already importa-
tions of manufactured goods from France and Bel-
gium are common, and it has even been said that
great part of the carpenters' work—such as doors
and window frames—are now imported from abroad.
There is certainly no apparent reason why English
workmen should not make doors and windows, and
it argues ill for the state of the trade that it
should be necessary to import them. This
gives another evidence of the suicidal policy fol-

lowed by the men in their ignorance of political
economy. It is actually cheaper for the Eng-
lish employer to import manufactured goods
than it is to have the same goods manufactured
for himself in England. The members of the
Trades Unions are, in fact, adopting that protective
c
principle which they so strongly denounced in the
of the agriculturists. They set up an immut-
able and uncompromising standard, and will allow
no departure from it. Whatever the state of trade,
whatever the condition of European politics, and the
consequent position of the financial world, the men
must workat acertain rate of wages or not work at all.
In theory, when the question is argued among them-
selves, or when their leaders are addressing them, it is
very easy to show that the strength is on the side of
the men, that " labour is capital," and that a re-
solute adherence to their own rules must compel
the masters to come to terms. But they forget that
to insure the successful termination of a siege it is
necessary that the besieged party should have n o
other means of egress, and that the masters have
the option of importing hands, of giving their orders
abroad, and of giving up business altogether and
carrying their capital elsewhere. If all trade and
manufactories were stopped it would be a bad thing
for the masters, no doubt, but it would be also a
bad thing for the men; and if they press mattersto an
fmeen themselves.tendieg
we are ultimatum they may damage others indeed, but they
likelyarenotfar re
to benefit
that in particular
cases the men are always in the wrong, or the masters
in the right ; on the contrary, if in former days the
masters had been animated by a less overbearing
and covetous spirit it is likely that many of these
complications would not have arisen. But are we
to believe that in all the strikes we have heard of
during the last two or three years—in the North,
in the South, in the Midland counties, among
miners, and puddlers, and bricklayers, and builders,
and carpenters—there has been a point of right
and wrong involved in which the masters were
to blame ? Has it not rather in almost every
case been a question of the rate of profit
and the state of trade which many of the men have
quite intelligence and education enough to ascertain
for themselves if they choose to do so.
We believe a large proportion of the working
men are already heartily tired of the system, and
would gladly subscribe to some fair and equitable
scheme for the adjustment of differences which
should represent the interests of both sides. Lord
ST. LEONARD'S, last night, introduced a bill of this
kind, and we have a similar promise from the Go-
vernment. We hope before the session is over
something definite will be accomplished for the
good of all parties and the relief of trade.

PRESENTATION TO CAPT. HANKEY, R.N., BY THE
SURREY UNION HUNT.—The members of the Surrey
Union Hunt on Monday presented a piece of plate to Capt.
Frederick Barnard Hankey, R.N., as a recognition of the
courtesy he had displayed during the eight years' tenure of
office of master of the hounds, and also of the services of
his family in the cause of fox-hunting of a century, Tho
object of the testimonial being to aff?rd to the greatest
number the opportunity of expressing their feelings towards
Capt. Hankey, it was arranged that subscriptions should
be limited in amount. In a brief time over 70 subscribers
were enrolled, and these included nearly all the gentry and
a largo proportion of the yeomen and tenant farmers of the
district. The prosentation was made by the Hon. F. Scott.
at the seat of Mr. H. Currie, West Horsley Place, and the
testimonial consisted of a tea and coffee service, with
salver, from Messrs. Garrard's, Haymarket, and was of a
most chaste and elegant pattern. The hon. gentleman made
a few appropriate remarks. He said he accepted the testi-
monial with the greatest pleasure, not only as an evidence
of friendship and goodwill towards himself, but also towards
his family. .These and some other remarks were cordially
greeted. The large and brilliant party of hunters then
proceeded to partake of Mr. Currie's hospitality, and after-
wards " looked up" a fox, which they ran to ground in
Oakham ,Park, in a spirited run of 28 minutes.

LATEST INTELLIGENCE.

AMERICA.

(BY ATLANTIC TELEGRAPH.)
NEW YORK, Fob. 7.

The Reconstruction Committee has reported a
bill for dividing the States which took part in the
rebellion into five military governments.

NEW YORK, Feb. 6 (Evening).
On the Ist of February the debt of the United
States was $251,300,000.