The New York herald., 1869-04-14
= U n o r 3.
The Strike Of the Lancashire Cotton Opera
t;ve@.

The Strike Of the Lancashire Cotton Opera
tives.
LONDON. March 81, 1889.
Unless most thinking men IN England are very
greatly mistaken a very serious calamity Is hanging
over the country and is almost at our very doors As
you VIII no doubt have seen in our newspapers the
operatives at Preston are on the STRIKE, rs 1t is
called, and already some 5000 sslnill handsn are
without employment. This OF itself would be bad
enough but the evil is Increasing and before another
fortnight at least 20 900 men, women and chill
dIen and about the great centres Of cotton spin
ming Will be idle, subsistng upon the contributions
OF their fellow laborers in other districts where the
mill owners have not tried 10 reduce the wages of
their workmcn.
As it at present stands the dispute between the
mlowners and the operatives In and about Pres
ton-and the diiculty is extending all over Lanca-
shire-may be briefly stated as foows:-The masters
say and say truly, that at the present nigh price
they pay for cotton, and the low price OF the'mar-
kets for cotton cloths twist, prints and the ike 1t
does not pay them to work their mills, and that they
must reduce all wages by ten per cent The opera
tlyes ON the other iaIid say no. Ihey declare,
perfect truth, that when trade was Dr.Sk the staple
low priced, the manufactured goods high ana de-
mand for the latter IN every market, the mill
owners tall Of them tnen made lInmense profits,
and turned over their capital again and asalnl did
not raise tleir wages penny apiece, anu tnat now
they ought not TO lower them because the market Is
for the moment depressed. Moreover, they say, and
with perfect reason on their side, that II
ther wages are now lowered ten per cent
but that 'iamine pay'' VIII be the rule henceioril
aud forever AMONG item. Tney are quite wiling 10
submit The question 10 arbitration, tne arptratOrs
to consist OF an equal number OF artisans and mil-
owners, who viii among them select well
known public man as referee. But the masters
viii not hear OF this. it'll that doggedness and
pnl-healed 0bstinacy which, am sorry 10 sag, 80
often distinguishes The Englshnlan wnen lie mas
made his fortune and has a comfortable balance at
his bankers, they VIII hsten 10 notnipg. Take
wnat we offer or leave It," Is Ineir one slereOtyped
reply, and thousands OF artisans have takea them at
ther word ana struck work. Mills are shut up,
helpless women and caildren are half starved, and
the whole State OF society dlsUrxanIzed III wnat gen
orally are the most nourishing districts OF England
ior The working class. Fortunately. there are cer-
tam mi tlowners in the north OF Lancashire and in
Yorkshire who not so short-sglted--not so
grsplDg. Their mils are not shut because they have
not sought 10 reduce wages In the e favored DIS
tricts the operatives who are IN work suDscrib-
Ing TO maintain those who are not. The
irlendiy societies and trades union also help
actually want for bread and meat, or rather for
bread and teaor it Is very little meat they ever see
except on sunday. But still 1t is an evil. a great
wrong Is beng done these people. The funds ON
wncn They ought To rely IN time OF sickness are now
beng eaten up to AFFORD them everyday food. And
ALL lear, Tor no use. Unfortunately ior US, capital
always starves labor into Submission in England.
say "uniortunateiy,n Tor lear we shall all suffer
some dag from the greed Of those VINO own cantil
III rhis country. Men cannOt-and, what is more,
they VIII not--submt and give 10 forever wnen they
thins-when they kuow-tBey have right on their
SIDE. The Gay VIII come when labor in England VIII
help himseli 10 a hundred-IOd more taan capital
might now content MIN with Capital in ali civilized
communities has Its duties weil ats rights and
Ii II negects those duties IL VIII day nave 10
lee-bc made ~ ieel--that It las done wrong.
All those operatives that are on strike the very
pick OF artisans. They steady, hard working
men, anxious only 10 gee lair days wages for fair
days Work, TO maintain their wives ana little ones
In comfort, to keep couple OF decent rooms over
thelr heads and to put by smait nest egg wnica
viii keep those dependent upon them from tne poor
house when the mead Of Lne family Is dead. They
In every sense Of the word decent. respectable
men, with no small amount oil seif-respect as wit
ness the privatlons they endured at the commence.
ment OF the CIVIL war III America before the wealthy
OF England came 10 their help. They would make
good citizens anywhere; but most OIL AL are they
calculated to flourish In the United States, where,
matter how humble q man may be born, Or how
short his purse may be- he eels that IL he has trade
Or handicrafs ahd is honest, sober and well-con-
Quoted, he must rise an tile world.
Crime in hondon--The Cruelty to Criminals
BILL