River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1874-05-19
THE AGRICULTURAL LABORERS OF
ENGLAND.
Joseph Arch.s wo,A.

Joseph Arch's work.
From London Correspondence Of the Toronto
Globe.
For months past we have heard
little or nothing of Mr.. Arch or his
cause. The organization of agricul-
tlral laborers has ceased to be the topic
oil the day. These reformers of the
thoughtful liberal" class have drop
ped away from the movement, and the
agitation rs left 10 shift itself without
the aid of special correspondents. phi
lanthroplc members of Parliament. and
Broad Church patronages. The time.
IN fact, has come when the true charac-
ter OF the movement must be tested by
experience. AS you know / have never
been very sanguine in its success. At
tins moment-and for some time past
a struggle is being waged which will.
fancy, decide to some extent the fate
OF the whole movement. Some couple
OF thousand laborers in the district
called the Isle of Ely have formed
themselves into a union, and struck for
an advance of wages. AS far MS my
observation goes | should say that the
condition of the agricultural laborers
are really worse in this district, which
lies between Cambridge, Newmarket
and the Fen country, than any other
parts of the United Kingdom. Wages
are possibly lower in Dorsetshire and
Wiltshire than they are in Cam
brldgeshire, but in the former conn
tries there is large aud wealthy resi-
dent squirearchy, who, TO some extent.
directly, and still more Indirectly. do
much to mitigate the hardships of a
laborer's existence. But in the Hat.
bleak, sodden places of the Isle of Ely
there are hardly any resident gentry
except the clergy, few of whom are
wealthy. The administration of the
parishes falls, therefore, almost entirel,
into the hands of the farmers, whose
natural interest it Is to keep down rates,
and get the maximum of work out on
the laborer for the minimum of wages.
Only a few weeke ago | was taveling
through the eastern counties i'm com
pany with Il number of farmers Just
coming home from market. They were
shrewd, intelligent specimens of the
school of modern farmers, who 60 in
for high farming, and look on their
pursuits as mere matters of business.
After some time the conversation turned
upon the question of poor relief, and
the expense caused to the rates by the
requirements of the poor law author
tiles. Thereupon my fellow-trave
began exchanging notes as to the sal
aries paid to the relieving officers, and
avowed with perfect candor TO each
other that it was the best plan to keep
the officer down to a salary lust suf.
iicient TO enable him To live upon. as.
if he was not entirely dependent upon
the Board of Guardians, he was apt TO
be too liberal in giving to the poor.
In fact, If you wished TO see English
agricultural life under its worst and
harshest aspect, you should study it in
ITS eastern counties and where the gent
ry are few, the ague is universal, and
the consumption Of LIQUOR enormous.
1t seems, then, that acting under the
instructions of the Central Union at
bennington, the laborers at the villages
of Exning and Alderton, numbering
some three hundred, struck for an
advance of wages from thirteen TO four
teen shillings week. The idea of the
promoters of the strike was that the
men ON strike should be supported by
the contributions of the members Of
the union who remained at work, and
thus the farmers should be brought to
terms, village by village. To counter
act these tactics the farmers formed an
association and bound themselves TO act
together. \ meeting was held, and it
was resolved by large majority to
discharge all laborers belonging to the
| Cambridgeshire Union until the men
ON srlke at EXning and Alderton gave
in. The resolution was carried out,
and the agricultural operations have
been virtually suspended throughout
the whole district Both farmers aud
men are pledged not to yield, and the
issue of the contest must he decided 10y
the relative power of endurance of the
two contestants. TO the farmers the loss
of labor at this season of the year il
almost ruinous; but they have capita
to fall back upon, and believe they cal
hold out longer than the men. Til,
Union laborers are supported by con
/ nun Niit ntdAl Nulbii di lItdul
ington, and up TO this time some TIVE
thousand men on strike have been re
ceiving eleven shillings per head
week, and the question is, how lonG
can this drain be supported? Tn,
dispute is cmbittered by the unpopu
larity of the Cambridgcshire farmers
amid the laboring class, and by the al
most vindictive feeling entertained by
farmers toward the union leaders
Monster meetings and professions have
been held on the part Of the men on
strike. But, AZ ! have said, our news
paper readers have got tired of the sub.
iect of agricultural trades unions, and
so but little account of the agitation
appears in the papers.
How Gcrrit Smith Ruined an.
A large proportion of men never can
or will accumulate or keep capital.
The best illustration of this fact that
hava avnr mot "a that of Garrit Gnifb