New-York tribune., 1873-01-18
STRIKES IN GREAT BRITAIN.
THE MOVEMENT AMONG THE COLLIERS
OF SOUTH WALES.

THE CASE.
IFRos THE REGULAR CORRESPONDENT oP TBB TRIBUNE
LONDON, Jan. 4-The faint hope expressed
in my last letter that the South Wales strike might be
aVerted has vanished. The strike Is accomplished
fact On the day after the breaking OF the confer
ence between the employers and the delegates OF the
workingmen public meeting was held In the great
hall at Merthyr hear the delegates report Four or
hve thousand men present. The delegates spoke
WIN moderation, far tone went but without any
other suggestion for solution Of the difficulty than
that same arbitration which the employers had already
rejected The meeting listened in silence. But the
Welsh much less sluggish people than the English,
and they TO have been easily reused by
harangue from o Mr.. Matthias worthy describ-
ing himself as o workman's preacher whatever
that may be. Mr.. Matthias regards strike
IRON the picturesque point OF view, and thinks
that 6ooO0 Of work Nheir families mean time
starvingl would DO grand opportunity to show how
noby the coiers Of South Wales could conduct them
serves In adyersity Mr. Halliday, the agent OF the
Miners Association, took much practical view.
and pledged the powerful body he represented to give
all sorts OF help during the strike organizing an emgra-
uoh INTO the North and making weekly allowance 10
those obliged stay at home. Under the double iniu-
ence OF Mr. Matthiass appeals to their passions and Mr.
Haidays promises OF support, the wiser Judgment or
the men collapsed, and the sentiment Of the meeting
was all the side OF hostilties The real decision,
however, was taken by the delegates in a private meet
ing. After hafian hours consultation they adopted
resolution not to work till the masters had with
drawn their for the 10 per cent reduction OF wages
IL the is fairly stated In the long dispatches which
Ill the London papers, the men have put themselves in
the wrong They based their protest against the pro-
posed reduction In wages alleged rise In the price
OF rou The replied that iron had not risen, but
fallen and that they had increased the mems
when the price went up, they were obliged to diminish
the mems wages when the price went down. On the
justice Of this principle there dispute, but the
men iptmated that they would like some proof OF the
alleged fan in price wbereupon the employers offered
TO submit their books and accounts to inspection. This
offer the men neither accepted declined, but came
forward with proposition to submit not the question
of fact the rise price, the whole question Of
what terms should be settled as between employers and
employed, TO Arbitration To this the employers de-
murred unreasonaby think and t1e men, without
seeking 10 protract negotiations or to find point or
compromise, the rash resolve which is TO bring
destitution and wrechedness for weeks months to
come on a population to be numbered by hundreds Of
thousands.
To make the matter worse this momentOus decision is
really the decison'of a minority OF the 6000O now
said TO be the number. instead Of 10000 first
portedJ who go out STRIKE about 1000 ironwork
as and 10000 miners, Yet 1t is the 10000 who have made
the strike the $1,000 who forced to follow their
lead whether they like not The explanation is very
simple The ironworks cannot be carried on without
coal and IL the coal-mners refuse to work. the hands
employed above ground know that the works must be
closed by the employers if not deserted by themselves
They therefore followed the miners lead in the
hope OF strengthening their hands and forcing the
masters TO YIELD 1t is believed that the ronworkers,
II uncontrolled, would have gone at the pro-
posed reduction at any rate have accepted
the masters offer for inspection OF their books;
the result Of which, IT ia clear must have been either to
the masters statements about price and 80 re-
the ground of the mems complaint, or to confute
the masters and 70 compel them to yield to
the mems demand What adds TO the hardship OF the
iron workers case is the fact that they thrown on
their own resources. ard will ges none OF that help
which Mr.. Halliday offered to their colleagues The en-
ployers very rich They Will incur loss but they
probably hold out for months without straining
their imparng their capital and they may
recoup themselves out Of the increase In price
which will follow from the cessation Of overproducon.
But the men dependent charity for the means
OF existence aud they have managed matters that
public sympathy, outside OF their own class and perhaps
inside as well, is likely to be against them.
Or perhaps not inside their class, even II wrong
The class feeling is strong in England, and growing
stronger and the trades unlont only too apt to think
justice the side Of the striker or 10 wish him
success whether OF the just unjust kind have read
The Beehire long enough know that it needs to be
read lust as criucaly The Tines In the present case
The Beehre is all FOR the proposed arbitration, 10 which,
genara principles, there need be no objection. But
1t makes hardly an attempt to consider the its
merits; and the symptom which 1t hnds most unfa'or-
able is simply split in the camp OF the men, Its
adyice-advce sure TO great Weights all for COM
pete union of employers against employed IL asks most
earnestly of coers Wales to put stop TO their con-
troversy by declaring emphatcaly and universally for
their amalgamated association. Having taken this
grand step forward they must not consent to go back
don't know however, that any body has right to
complain OF that. The workingman and his advocates
are doing as they have been done by. Their masters"
las the English phrase still is and they in fact, were
till very atey) seldom thought 1t necessary to consider
the workingnan's side OF the question Society sided
with the master that the worlngman has learned
TO combine and proved himself able TO meet his old
enemy on even terms what wonder that he too should
be found sometimes overbearing, and often recking
little OF right or wrong involved but resoute to have his
own way on his own terms His real friends will not
justify him encourage MN n taxing that he put
wonder at him they cannot.
The very latest example set him by society was a
lesson he NAV well be pardoned Tor taking to heart
the ferocity shown by eitodo people In general
and Mr. Justice IN particular toward the hye gas
stokers accused and convicted for conspiracy. The
vndictiye tone In which their mistake was discussed
nd the shameful severity with which they were
punished has evoked very passionate reehngs' anu
reused rnany moderate men-many OF their class and
some Of other Just Meetings have been
held by trades councils to protest, and have
joined in the protest whose presence saves society at
large from the shame Of indiscrimnate condemnation
springing out sheer sehshness Mr' Hughes Is one
and WILL believe, go with deputation 10 the home
Secretary for modification OF the savage sentence OF
Mr. Justics BRETT Mr.. John Morley is another. IL
would be well for society If the widest circulation could
be given IN his contribution The Portnighay RerieU
for January ON The Five Gas stokers" 1t not long,
With some things be says you will not agree, but the
paper as whole masterpiece OF righteous invective'
and such an exposure OF wrong doing no wrongdoer
can sso,a q, have made whether he sit the bench