The Rutland daily globe. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1873-1877, 1873-08-29

JOSEPH ARCH, THE ENGLISH
A RESUME or HIS LIFE.
From the New York Tribune. 4

nected TO land at New York in few days.
His object In visiting this country is to as
certain personally the advantages 1t affords
TO emigrants of the farm-laborer class, and,
If satisfied, he will-according to his state
nents made of public meeting on the 3Oth
of July-make arrangements to send out
over 100000 men. Mr.. Arch will doubt
less endeavor to obtain American cooper
alton and assistance in locating these men
and their families. He will also visit the
dominion of Canada, the provinces of which
already offer pecuniary assistance and other
advantages to laboriny cmgrants from the
old country.
Joseph Arch was born at Barford, sleepy
little village some three miles from war
wick. England. He is now about 40 years
of age: he is short, Of sturdy build, with
the weather-beaten face and complexion
80 often seen among English laborers and |
nnyies The general expression OF his lace
in renose is not unlike Presidents Grants,
hut. when animated, his face is unlike any
thing appertainng to the president. lie |
Inns been all his life arm-laborer, is to-
tol abstinence man, and belongs to one of
thc Methodist sects, of which he has been
far many years local preacher-that is, n
loyman who breaches in the chapel or al
fresco within q certain district, and without
pay.
In such school was Joseph Arch brought
up. having, as he says, in his 20 years as
preacher walked over 1000 miles to ex-
pound the Gospel to his fellows. The com
monest rudiments of education he acquired
without tuition He is entirely and thor
oughly sclf-cducated man, educated
chiefly during his later life, and brought to
knowledge of the issues of the day by the
study of the newspapers. When Il young
man Mr. Arch felt that he and his kind
were badly treated, and he rebolled against
it. In speech at bennington, last year,
he said--and his words went home to his
hearers: "N1en. I'll tell you what had to
do; had a wife and two children, and one
and sixpencc (36 ccnts) day was all | was
getting, working hard, from morning to
night. asked my master for more; he
said one and sxpence day is all shall
rive YOU. had sworn at the altar to love
and cherish and preserve my wife, and
knew that would not keep her and the chill
drcn. 20 struck. | went away to work
where / could get higher wages. Some
fines could not get anything but straw to
lie on. and once I slept for nights and
nights on corded wood; but | thought If
any one was to suffer, it was not my wife
and children. but myself" And so, leaving
his wife and children in the Warwickshirc
village, Arcn rOuIltu oNcT TsIl.iUHNi. WOrh-
ing :. Job or piece work, sending home all
he earned to Ills wife, and preaching on
Sundays in chapel or OF village green. A
strong, able, intelligent workman, ;:::.an in
every way superior to his fellows, Arch in
time (but with what sacrifices and sef-de-
mails who shall say y saved money sufficient
to buy the freehold of his little cottage Mt
Barford. There he settled down, working
by the job for the ncighboring farmers du-
ring harvest time and cultivating little
land which he rented. When the Warwick
shire farm-laborers struck they appealed to
Joseph Area, and he became their leader.
The strike began in February, 1872, at
Wcllesbournc, II village seven miles from
Warwick. The laborcrs there and in the
surrounding hamlets turned out after de-
mandng an increased pay of four shillings
SD per week. Their leader was a GER
tain John Lewis, Il travelled man, who had
worked in Staflordshire, the next county,
and seen the operations of the trades
unions among the iron-workers. Lewis
proposed that they should form union, but
he was ignorant of the fine arts of reading
and writing. and so they sent for Joe Arch,
the local preacher. The lord of the manor
of Wellcsbournc is Sir Charles Mordaunt,
well known to the American public through
his attempts to obtain divorce. Sir Charles
called q meeting of the Warwickshirc
squircs and parsons, and, on the PROPOSE
ton of the Rev. Mr.. Holbecke, they pledged
themselves not to employ any laborcr be-
longing to or who might join the union, and
that by every means in their power they
would ''put it down." Sir Charles Nor
daunt did his share of Immediately giving
notice to all the cottages on his estate who
had joined the union that they must leave
their homes; this proceeding was initiated
by the Rev. ii. S. Millar, vicar and land
owner at Railway, village at the foot of
the historic Edge hills. This foolish pro-
ceeding however, attracted the sympathy
and opened the pockets of the neighboring
town of Birmingham, the most radical bor-
ough in the kingdom. The men on strike
were thus kept from starving. JOSEPH
Arch went bravcly to work, he addressed
the laborcrs at open-air meetings through
out the neighborhood, and the union in.
creased in numbers. Then the stormy
petrol of events, the London Especial cor
respondent made his appearance upon the
scene; philanthropic reformers followed
foremost among whom was the Hon Auberol
Herbert, who with his wife, Lady Florence
the daughter of an English pecr) mad,
bennington his headquarters for somt
weeks, and encouraged and assisted thu
laborers both by voice and deed. 1t was or
Good Friday, the Goth OF March, 1872, that
the first united meeting of the Warwick shire
laborers was held in the Public hall. Lea
mington. At this Joseph Arch presided
and was assisted by Mr. Auberon Herbert
Mr. Edward jenkins (thc author of ''Ginx's
Baby and many would-be social reform
crs. Here, too, also came DR. Langford
the editor of a Birmingham paper bringin.
with him goody sum of money collected
in that town, several radical birmingham
manufacturers, ard members of the sew
eral trades unions. These last assisted tn
laborcrs from the start. the amalgamatc
society of engineers, the most intclligen
and flourishing body of mechanics in Eng
land, sending donation Of f300. Fror
an early hour, parties of men and womel
marched into bennington, tightening thei
muddy tramp of many miles by singing tn
refrain Of the union hymn -
"The farm laborers OF Warwlckshlrr
Have had no rise for many Il year,
Although bread often has been dear:
But now they've formed union"
The associate of hgh-born and intelli
gent men and women, his name on ever
ones lips, praised by the radical press
looked up to AS II leader by his class-hoy
did Joseph Arch behave then? Was
not enough to turn the heads of men of Fl,
higher standing and education? lie wa
ever the same simple, modest manly, wit
marvellous, well balanced brain and glow
ing tongue; Il strong man, strong in the DOS
session of good cause and native integ
rity. His language was wonderfully mod
crate. Hear what this dangerous agtatoi
rs the tory squires called him, said at
meeting at Southam, advising moderation
'Do not, my friends said he, ''let on
single word that is unjust, base, bad, fou
or unchaste escape your lips toward an
one"
After the meeting at bennington the III
ion was fairly started Joseph Arch ira,
eled through all parts of England, organ
izing branches of the union wherever h
went. In two months the union was a nj
tonal one, and on the Goth and 30th
May, 1872, meeting of delegates from a
parts Of the country was held at Leamingto