Richmond daily Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1842-1861, 1853-08-18
"Strike" OF London Cabmen.

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There are certain questions which the gravest peope
VIII sometimes put in their childish moods for the
mere pleasure OF imagining Loudon for a moment some.
tmng that II Is not What il the Thames to leave
ITS bed dry What the waerworks or the gas works
were to striker Whatn the morning papers should NOT
make their appearance the letercarres not go their
roundsE There have been changes quite great but
they nave been gradual IL does take a very old
man to remember when there neither gaslamp nor
cab, nor am omnibus nor a mvessel nor n plsta
gass window m city Of which these things are now es-
sen ingredients One Of the above questions need no
more be asked. Yesterday there not a cab in Lon.
DON The long stands in the great thoroughfres and
the railway stations had disappeared The sharp fussy
mpertinent rattle Of cab wheels was nowhere hoard :.
tou were not coaNed with "Kebl Keb!" as YOU passed
81 Clement Danes bored with cab xalkin,, nv vor
side down Fleet street The vast space of Trafalgar
square was cabcss The thousands who were r,d t
be of by the early trains waited and waited for the
return OF the messenger they had despatched for
CABS and only learnt the fact too late Just in time to
save 'hcir trains by running mile two, with a CARPET
az perhaps, at the rate Of six miles an hour We leave
others to describe the destitute condition of men of busi
neS arriving 10y the trains lawyers and doctors keeping
an appointment or responding TO Every form
oi substitute reSored to, not without success
Porters, omuibuSes and hack Carriages got harvest;
Meanwhile the cabmcn reioiced the ginshop were crowd
cd ana luoant; everybody who seemed be walking
he did not often walk chaed on his su,l-iprs =
Many without percevng the cause thought the street.
quiet or dull or more respectable than usual some no
uced the crowded huSSc; others the full pavemcnts: ,
were fcreihy reminded of their early days. when the
cause was known, the cAbnen were di<cusSc som. GaI
their spirit and thought them III used; all saw that IL wcul
never do Tor London to be at the mercy of capricio
class
We shall be told that it S only bit of free trade and
That We are bound to approve it, But the ctbman ono,
cahman, Is no more Freetrader but a public servant
is stand IN the street is given him by the public and il
privilege not accorded to the caLinan of Psrs who
PAYS largely Tor ms private standing ground, including
'Hhcicncy OF stree; frontage. All the regulations of the
AZ form the terms # which the ctbmin :
hound . obey when he takes on. his license his mower
Of Temporary Withdrawal being ouly permission which lie
not expected 20 abuse Persons ogy permitted to
~! Tor ire' ~ the metropolis certain conditions which
may be- partly restrictive, bus are also pary protective
'oT example nobody IL permitted to take common h, k
'cy carag' and invite the foot passengers 10 enter m
10 the capacity ut the venice, 6l ahead from che
strand 90 review in HYDE Park or whichever way .ba
current OF population may be going Thus both ia, ON
nous and the cab are protected from unf,, competitions
'Ae present the case .; a gentleman household who
d" the height Of the season. when hrlEa.ioz,D
neS are 10 prospect, suddenly leave: and no notice j.
required from cH5mcu j, because such freak was an
tGpaiei No class whose occupation re, e.y 70 h,
metropolis has right TO esist without dle notice Rail.
say employees have struck before ti and inflicted i'm.
mems" Inconvenience end loss but the Jaw requires Them
io give at least fIrtui.h> notice and II tbav s,r.ct
very often, they would -nor fi that Parliament would
reach them no one point another Iclbmcn h5ourcf
under sense oi Justice why I'D they not .!opt .,p,
'-iivHa. way OF pleading tue.r They can tall,
"en teY please they are never at loss Tor words with
isrc they always keen up ,ion al the stand
aud c1rBu few rc'uarks with brother whfn. th,,
San meet and discuss thcr grievances: then Ly bsy.
'Hr' n'i demonstrated in some regular constitutional fash
l"F NO. Cdbly j. true 60 bis old character H.. treats
The public o. he does the unprotected female" This +.
IMPLY an attempt 70 bully the Legislature Il will not
Affect The nal settlement OF the Cab question because
must ever Ice The interest OF the public that the sb,,
should be considered wellas his fare and nobody wou
esire future cs5man to bc punished for the vaglrie of
tie existing genera ION But it will certainly be fpuni
that Tie present step superlnous well as vcxlous
\ II X the cab interest ht, already thrown away moo
,h1u = G1oR, by it. one days strike.
Ii!- grievance. appears from Mr. EitZr,y's rer', N
question in the House. j. not the reduction to J. a mil,
hu the absence OF any ~, under the agau;
long fare TO some country spot, whence no back fare
can uc expected cahman whose stables are a Knights
'rite may be required 10 take fare to the Bank and b.
mnril'rly summoned % tax. secpn! fare seven milo.
into Essex o. Kent Towards the close of the dlv the
c4nm1n IL is said, may ind himself ten miles fr,fn III.
stables and obliged - retrlca the di..,r, ,ybol
fire. Instead OF his getting los for his twenty miles hc
may get only FIVE and his horse ipabe orh,rd wot
the next day. Except for this contingency the cab mo-
pueor the TeA! ma'eou'ns, they quite content
with SSp"Ucc mile tor short islnces backwards and
forwards in the busy part or The metropolis when single
yard mile raises ,hc calrg. by another sSporc,-
II Is tie long Journey, right end with half "a dozen
whole miles and only fraction with 10 chance oil
boa fare, tat does up horse and man. say the prag.
tots Then, Why has no. this been stated aud urged fca
s'HanY and in good humor: Tie only answer that can
Dec given is tblt tr Projectors think themselves masters
ui the field. Whatever the merits nf their Quarrel tb
tactics are bal They invite nqgry into i.ir,ra!c and
when I public learn the fabulous sums which th, cab
men hose ip give for the daily u-e Of their cab aud hore
tAe VEoprcprs 90 dlI ,te conpe ,tion Of their t
grow considerably sharper Already W. hear Of various
s-oc.Iupus stlrng up for providing better description
Of can ru accepting Di r from the drivers So Gar
thr public s concerned tina j. the mos, oi.c;uaI wav
ip fight the battle. ~ the case however Of new act
AMI the cab proprietor ask ,r tive shall certainly ex-
"crt to find some security p-.yi.I a-,ias, sudden in.
corruption OF the 'raua,ytHer ly hug ON every dav q
eused cab does not ply ior rirr by the requirement
'' Fortnight notice before the withdrawal Of a cab
Laws are made hy offence, and yr-,erl LAYS offence
Which &. 20 hos repeated D.. said today and 10 NOR.
p" ~" result m law Hu. viii certainly tic up the
liberty either Of the cabmaU Of is troublesome EN-.
mover