The Sun.
London, England, 1868-10-13 00:00:00

MR. ROEBUCK ON TRADES UNIONS.

Mr. Roebuck, on Monday, addressing his supporters at
Sheffield, took up the subject of trades unions. The hon.
and learned gentleman commenced his speech by referring
to his early connection with the town, remarking that
from the first he told them that he was not a party man.
He then went on to say that there were two great ques-
tions which would come before the next Parliament, the
Irish Church and trades unions. He had told them before
that he was opposed to all church establishments, and he
adhered to that opinion. He was, however, not so weak or
blind as to believe that the disestablishment of the Irish
church would satisfy the discontented people of Ireland. It
might remove some cause of discontent, indeed he believed
it would ; but to suppose that those who cried out for
a repeal of the Union and were Fenians at heart would
be satisfied with the disendowment of the Irish Church
was to him an idle forethought. Then upon the subject
of trades unions, Mr. Roebuck said : " If you re-elect me,
what I intend to do is this. If a man with his eyes
open enters into a society and undertakes certain obli-
gations in that society—legal obligations I mean, not ille-
gal ones—if he does it with his eyes open, Ido not see
why the law should not enforce those obligations. And
therefore, if A. 13. enters into a trades union—(a Voice :
" Voluntarily ?")—yes, voluntarily, not coerced, mind you
—if he voluntarily goes into a union and undertakes to
make certain payments weekly, the non-payment of them
ought to be considered a debt to be enforced by the ordi-
nary provisions of law. But the moment illegality
steps in, the moment there is an attempt either to
coerce by fear or fright, or to do any illegal thing, or to
ask the member to do any illegal thing, then that legal
bond is gone, and the moment that any band of unionists
does an illegal thing, their rights are gone. That's what
I intend to do ; so that if a man be encouraged to ratten,
if a man be encouraged to shoot at another—and such
things have happened—if a man be encouraged to beat
another, away shall go all the rights of the union. I think
there can be no mistake about that. But there is one
other thing I want to speak about—for I have been
asked, and the question has been put to another
Candidate—would I limit the number of apprentices
by law? I say no—and I tell you why I won't do
it. It is giving a monopoly to a certain number of
men, and consigning all beyond that narrow circle
to indigence, and preventing them from exercising the
powers that God has given them in the field of labour. I
have heard it said that I myself belong to a trades union.
Well, I am a lawyer, and every step of my progress in my
profession has been to throw the gates of that profession
open. Only last year there was a law in the statute-book
that no clergyman of the Church of England could be
elected a member of Parliament. The same law was
adopted by the benchers of the various inns, and they con-
sequently would not allow any ecclesiastical member of
the Church of. England to become a barrister. Well, what
did I do? I opposed my brother benchers on that very
point ; we called together the four Inns of Court, and
we carried my proposition against them. And now
the bar is open to the clergy as well as anybody
else; But mark again—the trades union to which I
belong does not say that no man shall enter it but the son
of a lawyer. Who was Lord Tenterden ? Why, Lord
Tenterden was the son of a barber, and I could go through
a long list of luminaries of the law who have sprung from
quite as low an origin as that. Well, then, I say, if we
are a trades union, we are an open trades union. Any-
body can be called to the bar ; anybody can be a lawyer ;
and I say that exactly in the same way anybody ought to
be able to become a grinder. Don't you think that
it is very cruel to shut out a poor man who may
have half a dozen children, and say to him, ' You are not
a grinder, and none of your sons shall be here.' I say that
is cruel, and if you don't elect me for it I can't help it. I
tell you I won't support it. Now, in the next place, I
would put the penalties of the law upon a defaulting
trades union officer. I think the decision which was come
to respecting this kind of offence a very unwise one. I
dare say, though, it was a legal decision, for it was
given by men in whom I have every faith that they
were honourable, holiest, and upright. But I would
challenge the law, if that be the law, and I would say
that the paid secretary of a trades union, if he runs
away with the cash-box, ought to be sent to gaol.
That at present is not the law, and I will, if you elect me,
support such a law ; and if it is not proposed by anybody
else, I will myself propose a law to that effect. These,
gentlemen, are the two crucial instances that are now put
in the face of every politician. You have heard what I
intend to do if you re-elect me. I pledge myself to that;
nd that to which I pledge myself I do not go from."

TENACIOUS MEMORY.—Tsvo respectably-dressed
men have been charged before the Lord Mayor with
" loitering " in Lombard-street. It was shewn by the
evidence of detectives in plain clothes that they were
dogging persons who went into the banks, with, there
could be little doubt, an intent to rob. The case afforded
a remarkable example of tenacity of memory, inasmuch
as a police-officer stated that seven years ago he had
one of the prisoners in custody on a similar charge.
The prisoners were sentencea to three months' hard
. -
labour,