The Sun.
London, England, 1867-04-25 00:00:00

LONDON, THURSDAY, AP.R.IL 25, 1867.

The Conservatives evidently think, with great
justice, that it is high time for them to make some
stir, and not leave all the work to their opponents.
The Conservative Working 2./e9's I.;4ociation had.
a grand banquet at the Corn Ezchange, Wakefield,

and the proceedings were conducted in the most
satisfactory manner. Sir H. EDWARDS made some
very sensible remarks on the subject of Reform ; in
the course of which he stated that it bad been
bandied about from one Government to an-
other, but that the present Government had
determined to pass the bill now before the HoUse.
He characterised the measure in question as the
most liberal one that had ever been placed upon the
table of the House of Commons. He wisely re-

marked, however, that they must not halloa until
they were out of the wood, but be ready to meet
any new attacks made upon them, and above all to
be united in their action. Adverting to the mem-
bers of the League Sir HENRY showed very plainly
that they were not what they professed to be, the
friends of the people of England, but, on the con-
trary, did a great deal of harm by their violent
demeanour in attempting to further their mis-
chievous plans. "Their intention had been to plant
a Republic upon the ruins of a Monarchy which
had stood a thousand years." Referring to the
course pursued by the Liberal party in general
affairs he said that they had been against much
that was proposed for the good of the people--they
had fought the Conservative party tooth and nail
when they brought in the Ten Hours Bill. He
wound up with the amusing, but not very flattering
declaration that of all " humbugs on the face of
the earth the Liberal-Whig was the greatest." Mr.
POWELL proposed the " Health of Her Majesty's
Ministers," and said that they had indeed
an anxious task before them, adding truly
enough that they had been strengthened by the
unanimous confidence of their own party, and the
general approbation of their fellow-countrymen.
We entirely concur in Mr. POWELL'S observations to
the effect that all present relations with Spain would
be on a very different footing if we bad had the
petulant Earl RUSSELL writing those letters for
which be has made his name historic," instead of
Lord STANLEY sending his intimations in a decided
manner, and, without giving offence, showing that
he would not be trifled with.

Sir JOHN HAv's speech was very interesting,
and he entered into some of the particulars attend-
ing the career of the present Administration with
spirit and energy. Ile said that a year ago, when
Lord DERBY undertook to form his Ministry, it was
thought he would meet with failure. He judged
more rightly, however, than others, and " the
honesty of purpose and the firm determination with
which he, and his most able lieutenant, the Chan-
cellor of the Exchequer, bad determined to settle
the question of Reform on a firm anti sure basis,
had gained for him the support of all thinking men
in this great country." This is strictly true, and
it is this public approval which has carried the
Ministers triumphantly through the perils of the
session as yet, and will, we feel convinced, support
them until they have passed their bill through all
its siccessive stages, and it becomes the law of the
land. Sir J. HAY said, very correctly, that the
Government had not been treated with fair play by
their opponents, who had been too much actuated
by " greed for office" to meet the question, as it
should have been met, on national grounds, and
not oct party ones. The good sense .of
the majority of the House of Commons has,
however, fortunately prevented their tactics from
succeeding, and so it will doubtless be to the end.
Major WATERHOUSE, in a few telling remarks,
showed bow the cause of reform had been impeded
by the Liberals themselves in 1859, and it was very
satisfactory to find that a little knot of Liberals had
convinced Mr. GLADSTONE that they were not
going to be dictated to, and that they would not
endorse the sentiments that fell from his lips. Mr.
STAN HOPE made some noteworthy observations on the
subject of the workingman,whichwere eagerlylistened
to, and were indeed appropriate. He called attention to
the great injustice that was inflicted on the working
men themselves by the restrictive tendencies of the
Trade Societies, and declared most justly that a
blow would be struck at the foundation of England's
greatness if the plan was carried on of not allowing
one man to do more than another. " Many of the
most noted men in the Riding had formerly been
working men. What would have become of this
country if such men as STEPHENSON and JOSEPH
LOCKE still worked in a coal-pit."
A Conservative demonstration also took place
at Ashton, which was very satisfactory in its results,
and a resolution was passed, to the effect that the
thanks of the meeting be conveyed to the Earl of
DERBY and Mr. DISRAELI, and the other members
of the Government, " for the prompt and effectual
manner in which they have undertaken the settle-
ment of the Reform question, and hereby record
their disapprobation of the factious and inconsistent
opposition to the measure by Mr. GLADSTONE and
the party he represents." All this must be en-
couraging to the Government, and it also shows
very plainly what is the feeling throughout the
country ; not that there was any excuse to doubt
it, but after some of the absurd declarations of the
Reform League it is as well to have a contradiction
put upon them by those well able to represent
opinion.

The principles which regulate the Trades' Unions
have recently formed the subject of a good deal of
discussion. Various circumstances have brought
them into prominence. The frequent recurrence
and long duration of strikes, the effect which they
have produced upo❑ trade, their pressure upon the
workmen themselves, the rapid advance of foreign
nations in the path of industrial improvement, and
their consequent rivalry with English manufactures,
as well as the agitation fur the political enfranchise-
ment of the working classes, all have combined to
excite a good deal of interest in these large and
powerful associations. The Royal Commission now
sitting on Trades' Unions is likely to give us some
valuable information, not so much because the
statements which they put before us are new, but
because they are authenticated by representatives
of the unions themselves, and we are able to under-
stand in what light the laws of the unions appear
to the men. Political economists will read with
interest the arguments and statements put forward
by the several secretaries and managers of these
societies before the Commission, and we must do
them the justice to say that, for the most part, they
stated their case very fairly and very ably. They
did not shrink from cross-examination re-
specting their rules and regulations, evidently
thinking them based upon sound principles
of reason and justice. The report is very
interesting ; but there is one point which strikes an
impartial observer—the societies exercise a rule over
their members which no master dare attempt. There
can be no doubt whatever, in spite of the ingenuity
and plausibility of the arguments put forward by
their managers, that these associations, carried to
the extent they now are, are opposed to the indivi-
dual interests of the men themselves. They talk
loudly enough about the advantages of Free Trade,
the public services of Mr. COBDEN, and the injustice
of those who kept on the Corn-laws, but they do
not see that they are themselves acting on
that very principle of Protection which they
condemn. The leading doctrine of all Free-
traders is that the less an industry of any kind is
fettered the better, and it is to this principle we
01513 the maryelloue expansion of British commerce,