The Sun.
London, England, 1859-09-30 00:00:00

THE 87'RIKE.

Yesterday evening the negotiations at the Free-
masons' Tavern between 4.;the committee of the
master builderrs and the deputation from the ope-
rative masons, which had lasted two days, was
brought to a termination, unfortunately without
any satisfactory result in the way of a re-
conciliation; and the deplorable breach between
the employers and the employed, from circum-
stances which transpired late last night after the
masters had arrived at a decision, it is feared be-
comes from this moment wider and deeper than
before.

Judging from the temper shown by the men at a
crowded meeting held yesterday evening, it would
seem that the very failure of the attempt at media-
tion, emanating, as the effort did, from the side of
the operatives is calculated the more to embitter
the existing alienation ; and certain it is, from reso-
lutions passed at that meeting with no ordinary de-
gree of enthusiasm and acclamation, that hencefor-
ward the masters will have to maintain the strug-
gle, not, as until now, with the Paviors' Arms
Conference alone, whose authority they have re-
cently repudiated, but with a formidable trade con-
federacy, numbering at least 10,000 men spread all
over the country, who will probably bring into play
all the elaborate machinery and the esprit de corps
of a secret society which has been silently and gra-
dually organized during a quarter of a eentury
and more, partly for waging a conflict of this kind
in the last resource in the interest of labour against
capital. Up to this point in the struggle the Lon-
don operative masons on strike have never been
supported out of the funds of their generol society
extending all over the country, for the reason, prin-
cipally, that the society considered the nine hours'
movement hopeless and untenable from the first,
and refused to countenance it. But the effort at
reconciliation having failed, and the cause of quar-
rel being, not now the nine hours' question, but
that of the declaration, with a new element of
strife imported intdit----stantely, the demand on the
part of the masters thatthey will revise obnoxious'
portions of their trade customs and regulations, the
probability is that the masons' society will now re-
cognize the strike as what they call a " legal " one
—that is, a strike which they will countenance—
and apply their funds in aid of the members of
their craft engaged in it. In that event, they will
be bound by their laws to pay 10s. a-week at
least to every man on strike, and by making a
voluntary levy upon themselves of only 6d.
a-day throughout the whole society, which
they occasionally do in an emergency, they can at
any time raise £1,500 a week. It follows, there-:
fore, with these facilities at their command for pro-
viding the sinews of war, that they will be in a
position to prolong the strike for an indefinite
period of time so far as they are concerned. To
this melancholy pass have things at last been
brought.
The circumstances attending the conference yes-
terday and Wednesday at the Freemasons' Tavern
may be briefly related. It took place by appoint-
ment between a sub-committee of masters, consist-
ing of Messrs. Plucknett, Myers, Jay, Piper, Kelk,
G. Smith, Lawrence, and Rigby, on the one hand,
and a deputation from the operative masons, com-
posed of Messrs. Harnott, Northam, Perham, and
Salter on the other. The deputation explained the
opinion of the masons towards the Conference ;
that they had formally directed their delegate, Mr.
Grey, to withdraw from that body ; and that they
were thoroughly prepared to renounce the nine
hours' question at the present time, and to.resume
work as heretofore previous to the lock-out. The
whole subject of the nine hours' movement and the
declaration was discussed at length ; each member
of the deputation frankly stated his objections ; the
masters explained their views, and the deputation
withdrew to consider the matter. They then handed
in a paper very similar to their letter of the 23d
inst., published in our impression of Wednesday,
and which letter stated in effect that they would
resume work of ten hours a-day provided the mas-
ters withdrew the declaration, and that they would
discuss with the masters auy grievance of which
they complained. The committee expressed their
unanimous dissatisfaction with the proposition of
the deputation and urged the necessity for a revi-
sion of the masons' laws and bylaws. The deputa-
tion suggested that the committee should offer an
alternative to the declaration. The committee ex- ,
plained that they had no power to make any defi-
nite proposition, being simply a subcommittee "to
inquire and report," but, as the deputation desired
it, the committee would confer on the subject. On
this explanation the deputation again withdrew,
and the committee agreed upon the following sug-
gestion as a basis for negotiation :
"To revise such rules and bylaws to discontinue such
practices in so far as they affect the employers and opera-
tives within the metropolitan postal diStrict as shall be de-
clared by the President of the Board of Trade, or any re-
tired Judge of her Majesty's Courts of Westminster, to, be
contrary to the spirit of the law of the land."

With that the conference adjourned on Wednes-
day evening, and the deputation promised to bring
the masters' suggestion before a meeting of London
Masons convened yesterday morning for the pur-
pose, and to communicate the result forthwith.
Yesterday a letter was received from the deputa-
tion informing the Central Association of Master
Builders that at a general meeting of the operative
masons of London, held that morning, the following
resolution had been passed :
" That, after hearing the report of the deputation, this
meeting is of opinion that the suggestion for the adjust-
ment-of differences has no reference to the dispute in clues=
tion, and that the operative masons wish to convey to the
Central Association of Master Builders that they intend
to adhere to the decision contained in their letter of the 23d
inst."

The executive committee of the Central Associa-
tion met yesterday at the Freemasons Tavern ; the
whole subject was discussed at length with a full
attendance, an'd the following resolution was
passed, and transmitted immediately to the masons,
for another meeting of their body, to be held that
evening :

" That the masons' deputation be informed that the Cen-
tral Association consider that the most practicable method
of arriving at an adjustment of differences would be the re-
vision of such rules and•bylaws in so far as they affect the
employers and employed within the metropolitan postal
district as shall be considered by some eminent impartial
authority to be contrary to the spirit of the law of the land ;
and that, in particular, all rules and practices should be re •
moved which interfere with the freedom of workmen, or
prevent members of Trades' Unions from working with
other workmen."

Last night, accordingly, the operative masons
met 'in great force at -Wilcocke's-room, in the West-
minster-road, to hear the result of the interview
with the masters. The members of the deputation
were present and all the leading men of the body
—" Brother" Joseph Turner acting as chairman.
Mr. Harnott, the head of the deputation, related in
detail the circumstances connected with the inter-
view, of which a summary has been given above.
Having done that, he said he should leave the
matter in the hands of the body at large. He be-
lies ed that the declaration, once established in Lon-
don, would soon be extended over the whole coun-
try. He was prepared' to return to the Central
Committee of Masons, and to lay the whole of the
circumstances before the society at large. He knew
well that the declaration would not be confined, as
at present, within the metropolitan postal district,
but would be introduced gradually over the whole
country, and the working men at la -ge would have
to share alike in the degradation. It behoved them,
therefore, well to consider what they ought to do.
It was by the masons that this great question was
to be decided. The nine hours question had never
taken well with the working classes in the coun-
try ; it had been confined to London ; but the de-
claration had aroused the indignation of working
men throughout the kingdom. Let the metropo-
litan masons oontinue to resist that document, and
their society at large would support them. There
was a time for all things, and the moment selected
for the nine hours agitation was inopportune. His

P iucE 41)

SIAMPED, SP.

advice to his brother working men was to resist
that document to the last, and never to barter away
their liberty.

Mr. NORTHAM, Chairman of the Central Com-
mittee of the Masons' Society, in a short speech,
claimed credit for the deputation not having in the
least departed from their instructions, nor entered
into a contract.with the masters, compromising the
freedom of the men.

WILLIAM PERHAM moved a resolution, stating
that the proposition of the master builders, that the
rules and bye-laws of the Operative.Stonemasons'
Society should be revised and altered, was one
which the London masons, as a body, could not
entertain, inasmuch as the laws referred to had
been established for the reguratiun of the entire
body of stonemasons in the United Kingdom, and
could not be altered by any section of that body.
Be contended that this became now asociety ques-
•tion, for the masters' resolution struck at the very
root of the Masons' Trade AssoCiation, and if they
Succeeded the whole of the Trade's' Societies through-
out the country would be jeopardised, They (the
,masons) must be up and doing; like the employerS,
who were now bringing men from the country.
The deputation had told the masters that day that
the masons would never alter their laws. Sidney
Smith asked them, in the course of the interview,
if, providhig the declaration was withdrawn, they
would consent t') work with men who had adopted-
it. They told him, in reply, that was a question
for them (the society men) to. decide after the mas-
ters had given up the document. Palaver was not
now what the masons wanted ; they must be up and
doing ; their position must be laid before the coun-
try before. 24 hoUrs passed, for, having cut connec-
tion with the Conference, they would have now to.
fight this battle single-haided.
The resolution was seconded by " Brother" GAR-
RETT.

Mr. PACEY moved an amendment pledging the
meeting to continue the present agitation in con-
nection with the other trades until " the odious
document" was withdrawn, and the nine hours'
agitation was brought to a successful issue.
The original resolution, after some discussion, in,
which Messrs. Ward, Pope, Salter, and Grey, ope-
rative masons, took part, was put and carried with
acclamation.

A resolution, moved by G. ltoßsoN was also
carried unanimously, pledging the London masons
who were now in work to make a levy on them-
selves of 6d. a day each during the strike, and until
the declaration was withdrawn, such levy to be
binding upon all masons, whether society or non-
society men.
The meeting then separated.