The workingman's advocate. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1864-1877, 1869-10-23


LONDON, Sept. %, 1859.
To the Editor Of the WORknsMAH's ADvooATE;
Your readers who are natives OF Great
Britain, but who have been away for years.
cannot have The remotest idsa Of the sudden
growth of Difference paid to the thoughts
and wishes of the working classes by those
above them in the social scale. No great
public step is now taken without the ques-
ton being asked as 10 how the working
classes are likely to regard it. The "swinish
multitude" in a political sense, has abso-
lutely disappeared. Our mob have grown
tOI6ga people, before whom the highest in
the land stand, cap in hand, whenever any
great measure is to be settled by legislation.
| do not venture any opinion as to the genu-
ineness of this respect, and l simply mentio
the fact that on your side of the Atlantic
you may understand that the popular power
as new power in this old land, is establish
ing itself; and may add, leading almost
imperce2tibly. on to what may call the ma
tionalizing of that intellectual and moral
force which has hitherto been class force,
acting in support Of class interests. So that
for the future, when any great surge of OPT
Mon rises and sweeps across the surface Of
public life in England, it may be regarded
as a true expression Of national will, not as
the cry Of class, trying to pass itself of
AZ annh Thosa ryha ra1ard this nan oro-th
with jealousy leave no stone unturned to
discredit it, and the handle used for this pur-
pose is sought amongst the trades unions.
Any act of violence, any demand that can
be so exaggerated as to be made look IN
reasonable, any extravagant expression Of
opinion, is dragged up and down the col
umns of the weekly and daily press, in par
agraph and leading article, until readers Of
all classes have been made fully acquainted
with it 10 every form it can assume. The
Times, as a matter Of course, leads in this
work. Its comments on the Basel congress
left untouched whatever was interesting or
useful, but whatever was fsr-fetched, extrav-
agant, or by misinterpretaton alarming, was
brought out in strong relief. 10 fact al was
done that cauld be done to prove that trades
unionism means revolution, in the m ost dan
serous meaning of the term-and to show
that a0y federation given to it now should
only be looked On as fastening forward the
dark hour that unionism,n in its triumph,
would inevitably bring.
A curious instance Of the way in which
trades unionism is employed, to sanction
doubtful doctrines and to help lame argu-
ments, occurred within the last few days.
Robert Lowe, our present chancellor of the
exchequer, hates John Bright-and as the
controller Of the policy of the Times, loses
no opportunity Of giving his colleague an
unpleasant lift. Every body who knows any.
thing Of the matter wonders how these two
can meet together with any show Of friend
ship. as the hatred Of LoSeis fully repaid by
Bright, the sturdy old Lancashire man, with
the most thorough contempt. 1t must be
understood that as trade is ia q Dad state
here every effort is being made by tue old
tory party to attribute all the evils we are
now suffering to free trade. The Times does
not saw this, but il encourages the idea in
direclly-and IS q few workingmen belong.
ing to certain trades that have been suffer
ing more than others, have held few meet
Il1Rs-men unknown in the trades unions
the Times has embraced the opportunity this
offered, to tell John Bright that the whole
Of the policy by which he and Golden won
their reputation, was about being called into
question. That the battle of Protection u.s.
Free Trade must be fought over again, as
the working people and especially the Trade
Unionists, to a man were dead against it,
Putting aside altogether the value of the
principle Of fres trade as it affects the con-
dition Of the working class, and taking the
statement as made, nothing could be more
wildly extravagant, nothing further away
from the truth. But then, if the Times or
Robert Lowe could get the country to be-
heve this, it might not be a dlficult matter
to drop John Bright over the side Of the
ship.
When this appeared Mr.. Odger wrote q
letter to the editor, in which be gave q
point blank denial to the statement, in Ian
euage The meaning of which could not be
mistaken. This, alter some delay, was in
serted, accompanied by leading article,
quite laughable BY the feeble but Intellectual