New-York tribune., 1867-09-05

IN another inerease, somewhat greater, | believe
than the last The masters replied that they wele
having all they could afford, and that tney cOuu hoS
vteld To an arbitrary interference in the method OF
conducting their business; Whether the ioilner iU
ply is true may admit ef doubt. 1here came 9ut III
different newspapers good deal OF coIIesI'phucito,
which seemed to show that over and ABOVE the
amounts paid by the masters for rent, materals aua
labor, margin of receipts equal 10 lVO per ctt
on the total capital which represented prOIts ohI
and went into the pockets of the masters NO suln
cient explanation of these figures was ever offered
STILL they did not change the OPINION ol lne Pu@oI1 @
that the proceedings OF the men were tFTallica anu
that their claim, if ever just should not be en-
forced by violence. The picketing system, upon
which the strikers relied. has proved their ruin
Pnblic opinion resisted it in a very effectual way
most of the customers at the principal shops easing
the masters along, and submitting to delay OF
weeks in the execution of an order. WOrklnglnen
came up from the country women were employee;
sewing-machines were used Society wore lts oio
clothes. Now comes the law, and pronounces de'
cisvely against the men. - 90.
There have been three trials at the Central Criminal
Court, before Mr.. Baron Bramwell. 1hs Executive
Committee of the strikers were arragned upon an III
dietment for misdemeanor in consplTlng 10 I'M
pOyerish Henry Poole and Others, by lestlinht upon
their trade That the technical accusation thclr
real ofiense was not much against the masters as
against their feOwworkmen, whom the Union
sought to deter from accepting the WORK Whch they
anxious TO perform. This is not an attempt 10
put an end to strikes by legal process. NoDoay ue
nies here any than i'll America that II Is per-
fectly competent for ten or Thousand men 10 agree
among themselves that they will not work for less
a.
body if the wages they demand be not conceded
They may go further They may endeaVor; IN
peaceable way and without threat or intimidation;
TO dissuade others from working Baron BrmnWeli
declares that to be the common law of the land, and
there is a statute of 1859 which retnacts 1t. The
charge against the strikers IS that they re. re-
that they didi On the evidence, see none.
Apart from the evidence. the fact has
been notorious for mcPh d IaS SsG as II ban
the case as ii lies in the minds of people gener,
ally But it was stated i'll evidence that watch had
been established about the shops that was KEPT up
COnduit-st., there were 10 or 20 nckets during the
day. and the number increased toward night TIL 1t
sometimes reached 200. III a man came out 0f snOp
with bundle, he was Missed. insulted and followed.
Forty or fifty picllets watched Mr.. Pooe's shop III
Savile-row. They sat on his door-steps, smoking
pipes Obstructing and annoying customers. " In tnc
evening" saws one witness pensoned sergeant OF
police, the pickets mustered all hands opposite the
shops and would say as each man le1t woTS
him. The men had been afraid To 90 away by theln-
selves, and he accompanied them Tor about lhIee,,
Quarters Of mile The PsketS d were posted % e ana s
men were followed, and obliged TO take refuge III
publc-houses and pocestations. AT the tTlal there
was no attempt to deny the facts. The witnesses
were allowed TO 20 without cross-examlnatlon, or
were crOss-eXamined on lmmateHal points.
When Mr COleridge the very eminent counsel who
defended the prisoners came TO ADDRESS tie Jury ne
matter for their consideration was what was the true
bearing of those facts, and what was the true ana
right inference to be drawn from them AS 10 that,
Mr. Coleridge could not succeed IN persnadng the
jury that such conduct as has been described was IN
offensive and justifiabe. Sergeant Ballantne, VINO
conducted the prosecution, characterized IT, and per
haps not too strongly, as system OF terrorism Inc
Judge spoke very plainly: man was emitted sald
Baron Bramwe, not only to the liberty OF his 90dy'
but to the liberty of his mind. IL the defendants
had conspired against liberty of mind and freedom
IF will if only 10 cOerce II by some means tht was
unpleasant and annoying TO the mind operated upon.
a.. bad VII tied he Probably
could hardly be stated more strongly than that ii
two or more persons copsplred 10y threats, mtlmda-
tiOn or m0lestatiOn TO deter or influence man III
the way in which he should employ his industry, his
talents or his capital they would he guilty OF a
criminal offense. If the pcketing went no
further than to ascertain the names and
addresses of the workinemen, and if there were
no such abusive language and gestures as had been
described in the evidence. STILL II that was calcn-
lated TO have deterring effect the minds of ordi-
nary persons by exposing them to have their motions
watched and TO encounter black looks, that would be
a thing not permitted by the law of the land; And
still more generally IT was lald down: III the jury
were satisfied that that system though not earned
beyond watching and observation, was still so serious
a moesaon and obstruction as that would nave an
effect upon the minds of the workpeople then they
ought TO find these three men guilty. Under these IN
structions there could be but verdict The three
defendants who had composed the Executive Com
mittee were convicted. Seven others, who were not
very strongly implicated by the evidence. were ac-
Quilted. 1t was plain the jury did not desire TO give
harsh verdict. The defendants had not been prog
ecuted vindictively. The counsel for the masters
stated very fairly in his opening that there was no
wish TO proceed any further than was necessary to
break up the picketing system that the Executive
COMMITTEE of the WOrkngmen had probably sup
posed they had the law Oh their side, and that
it was hoped verdict wouid settle the
matter one way the other The jury fol-
lowed this lead, and brought III "A strong recon-
mendaton to mercy for the men whom they
found guilty. On the following day, ffteen others
who had been most prominently concerned IN the
pcketing were tried III the same court anu all Dut
two were convicted. On Friday, one or two eXcep-
tiOnal cases were disposed Of and the proceedings
closed in most remarkable way. They closed IN
way which is the best evidence OF the correctness OF
the opinion have expressed abOve-that the men
were not prosecuted vindictvely by the masters,
but with purpose to get the rights Of the parties
settled legally and finally. The sixteen men who
had been convicted were brought in for sentence;
Those who composed the Executive Committee, and
one other who acted with them have rested under q
damaging imputation At the last term OF the court,
they had asked for posponement OF her trial and
this had been granted, and they had been released
on bail on the pledge that the Wcketng
should be stopped The picketing had new
ertheless gone on IL was shown by thcir
counse that these men had done their best 10 stop IT,
but had been overruled by majority Now, not only
they hut the Union itself undertook TO that they
had become convinced of the illegallty of picket
ing and that the system should no longer be pnr-
sued Both statements were accepted as true by the
counsel for the prosecution. Mr. Baron BIalnweii,
before delivering Judgment retired 10 cohieI WIN
the Recorder Returning, he addressed the men IN
a speech filled with expressions OF interest ana goo9
villa speech far more creditable to his head ana
heart, and having more knowledge OF the worhi.g lo
mans character than is always heard from the
Judges bench in England or America, one may not
agree with its doctrines. but with the tone Of it,
which is in the circumstances more important mat
ter IL is impossible 10 find fault Ii all honest
effort to promote good feeling between classes which
maintain at present hostile attitude toward each
other but whose interests identical and not an
tagonistic. He said finally in substance: You
have broken the law; you have done that
which / think, as fair men, you ought not to
have done. believe yop did it tin IN Ignorance
II ;s reason why punishment should De light, and
49, IL nt wav of dealing with Won is 70 pass no