The workingman's advocate. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1864-1877, 1867-10-19

ton, a. boitons is June laHk Won't soma
Of the daily papers which have been feedina
their readers Oh The = Shefis,d .Aorross u n
the past six months, please gre 1t . plas.
in their columns:
Il afords me very great pleasure ones
more TO meet 20 many with whom have Sc.
come acquainted during the last few years
IN discussing and devisirg those meas Ires
which We apprehend are Tor the welfare Of
TIE great class We represent. Time places
lss band heavily on such a community a.
ours, which 10 exposed 60 hafdships and dam
gers and accidents that are perhaps une-
quaied in nay other branch Of industry, and
therefore it must be matter of thankful.
nees Q al think, that great porsion Of
those who have attended the Conference on
former occasions are permitted once more q
meet In health and strength, and trust win
increased vigor OF mind, to discuss again
those questions that deeply affect the inter-
est Of he mining population. (Hear) 1t
was tho ight that our duty in opening this
Conference would have been very light in
deed; even when the programme had
bsen drawn up, | did not anticipate
Tor moment that We should have 70
recommended you to take up the very onset
a question that is at the present moment
deeply engrossing the attention Of the eoun-
Try; you will, therefore, pardon me, gentle
men, If import into my remarks q matter
which ia my opinicn, IS the representatives
OF one one o. the largest bRdies of trade
uaionists in the kingdom, think we ought
to take up. allu5s 70 the disclosures that
have been made the last few days before the
Trades Union Commission at Sheffield. /,
hold, Sir, that we should fail in our duty as
citizens and as men, did we not on the very
onset Of our proceedings to-day, express our
horror, our disgust, and cur de.estation at
the crimes which have been revealed at Shelf
field (hear, hear) Permit me, Vice Presi-
dent and gentlemen, to state few facts
bearing upon this question. ] believe-at
least am not aware OF the proposition hav-
ing been made by any other individual pre-
Vfously--that was the first, some years |
ago, 70 suggest an inquiry into the working |
Of the trades unions Of tins country. Ny |
object in doing SO was this. Knowing thar |
a considerable amount Of odium attached to |
trades unions in consequences of certs acts |
which had been committed, | was DESTROYS |
that the unions to which such acts belonged |
should alone bear the guilt (hear, hear), !
being convinced that no well regulated assc-
clstion would ever suffer from the most
searching investigation that could be made /
into its affairs (hear. hear). As one WHO
had for moro than 2 ars been connectea
with the movement ~ the working classes,
| felt that the time had come when If there
was anything wrong in the constitution Of
trades unions, such societies should be pu-
ried Of that wrong,-that If there was a
spot or cancer or leprosy connected with
them, that blemIsh shouldbc removed (hear,
hear). was of opinion that while there
was something which might be proven to be
wrong about trades unions, as is generally
the case IN the amalgsmation Of large bodies
Of men, | felt that the good which rgsu ted
from them would far outbalance that wrong
(hear, hear, and everything Of pernlcious
nature which might be disclosed by an in
quiry, however searching that Inquiry nigh.
De, and that by the weight Of public
opinion would destroy the evil disclo ed,
and trades unions, as the rsstlt Of surh in
would henceiorth be established
on purer AMI better grounds (hear, hear
that they wou,d become adapted to the spir
and intelligence Of the age, and consequently
be mace, as think they are destined to be
nadc, an institution of the State (hear,
hear) II W II be known to some that we
went further tnan merely to express an
opinion on this matter. We sent from our
Council a memorial we declared 10
the noble lord who takes so deep an
interest in trades unions, and who |
believe had much to 90 10 the appoint
nent Of the Royal Commission, our
TilliDgness to have the affairs Of our asso-
citation Investigated, and | feel proud that
We have taken the initiative in bringing to
ight such state ct things as has been dis
'iosed at Sheffield. But, gentlemen, waile
be Miners Association have cause for con-
graduation that they have been the first TO
raise the cry for this inquiry, still at tue
same time fee! Inundated that we shou&d
be 10 the category of men who would trade
With the ASSASSIN who would use the dag ger,
the knife, and the air-gun, in the discharge
Of those functions in whicb moral suasion
alone should prevail clear. hear Il is
your duty, gentlemen, to express your utter
adherence Of such atrocious proceedings.
Unhappy truly Is the country whose laws
lead 10 the assassin fading a resting place
within its boundaries. Doubly unhappy
must be the trade 10 that town in which the
hired assassin can be found at any moment
TO shoot down the victim that NAV not
please particular trade, or who may not
please particular body Of men. Hear i
W by, Sir, 1t seems to me that these men
have not only entered upon a career o. N
crime, but. that the very crime which they
have created, the very demon that they have
raised up, threatened 10 destroy themselves
Hear, hear.) Only to-day ! read that a
man was afraid "a Aiaalss~ L.a cvuncLIlOA
Win the villaiD0us atfairs,-whyS Because
he dreaded that the assassI1's knife or the
assassin's bullet might be used asainst him
self. he had been the mea as Of creating an I
evil that haunted him Cay and night, that
became terror IN the breast Of the assassin I
himself. | say then, Mr. Vice Presidens and |
gentlemen, it is our duty at he opening Of
this Conference to express our condemnation !
- our horror at the crimes which have been !
committed by the trades unions of Sheffield, |
49, TO declare that az a trades union Of coal |
miners we have neither part nor lot in such |
transactions. Were /, Slr, to consider that
the work OF trades unions was not work OF
mercy, that the object of our society was
not to clothe the naked, to feed the hungry.
to restrict the present hours of labor, and
preserve and protect the lives of all con-
cerned, -were ! to consider that the estab-
lishment Of trades unions was not work in
which manhood might be INDICATED, our
claims as working m,n honored, and placed
upon a truer and better basis, | would say,
Perish trades unions at once" Could 1
for moment--tor one single nomeot-con-
ceIve that within our ranks there we're men
who would avail themselves Of the assassin's
bullet or the msinight marauder's knife.
either to "ratten" or destroy, for one
would cease to have any thing to DO with
trades unions (applause). Believing, how
ever, that trades unions have higher and
nobler purpose 60 serve, and knowing that
we as an association baYe done great deal
Of good to the community, call upon you
all, gentlemen, to join With me in express
ing our condemnation Of the proceedings
disclosed by the Sheffield inquiry. Because
the Royal Commission has unmasked a band
Of assassins at Sheffield, are We all to be
condemnedf (.No, no-p) Then let US
raise plea why we should not be condemn