The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1873-07-03

The very interesting letter from one of the
HERALDs special commissioners which we
print to-day is valuable. not 80 much because
it details Queen Victoria's difficulties with her
laborers at Osborne as for the insight it gives
into the general condition Of the Queen sub
jects. The difficulty was petty one at best
and no one appears to less advantage in it
than the Queen herself Royalty, and es-
pecially English royalty, can no longer afford
to be offended because the common people
forget the divinity that was once supposed to
hedge king. The Queen. as Queen, is
bound to hear the petitions of the humblest
Of her subjects; az the private owner of Os-
borne House she was even more bound to hear
the requests of her laborers Unfortunately,
she felt herself too high to be troubled with the
complaints Of these abject slaves, and she
turned the whole matter over to her steward,
who, she knew, would punish them for
daring to approach her. Such was
the result and she seems content with
it. She will not forget that she
is Queen even with her workpeople. If she
could condescend to understand their wants
she would probably do them justice but as
it is impossible to hold direct relations with
them, to hear their complaints, to inquire into
their grievances, Mr.. Macpherson is allowed
to punish them for their "impertinence.
The Queens want of personal interest in her
workpeople and the petty tyranny Of her
steward will do much toward weakening the
Col of xha hx, Oh vi,
ening the cause of "that Radical Arch Of Shelf
field" The fact that contrary course was
not adopted is to be regretted all the more be-
cause the Queen would thus have set noble
example to other big people who fail to care
for their laborers and permit their tenantry
to suffer from the expressions Of middle
men," Herein is the greatest wrong to labor.
Even in New York workshop the foreman or
forewoman Yields tremendous power and
would be likely to discharge batch Of work.
their demands for increased wages direct to
the "boss." But fortunately with us the
evil is only in its incipient stage,
and we can repress the small tyrannies
of middlemen without much difficulty.
In England, however, great landed estates
and immense combinations of capital seem to
make them necessity. A great lord sees his
tenantry but seldom and knows nothing of
the condition Of the peasantry on his estates.
And even among the ''high aristocracy'' there
are Titmouses as proprietors and Bloodsucks
as stewards. Some of the great people are too
big to manage their own affairs, and many of
them abet and profit by the expressions of
their managers. Mr.. Macpherson, for instance
has probably saved the Queen guinea week
by bringing eighteen Of her workpeople to
want, unless they find means to emigrate to
this country, and at the expense of no little
ignominy to royalty itself. The deplorable
part of the business is that the loss of the
situation involves the loss of all honest labor
and leaves no way to gain livelihood except
by beggary or crime. It is not so on the
Queens estates only, but on nearly every
estate in England. In view of this fact our
correspondent will give us like pictures as
they occur from time to time and thus help
us to understand if not entirely to solve, the
labor question.