, 1875-06-21

The most significant sign OF the importance
attached to the National Agricultural Labor
ers' Union in England is tho fact tl,at tie
London 1iues doyotes three broad colunus
to d roview Of the Inst session OF It's Annuo1
Council. Such lavish expenditure Of space
Is reserved for matters OF no moan maeu;-
tndo. Tho session was held at Birmingham.
and continued four days. Two or tllreo
members Of parliamontattenledit. Tho Btatis-
ticspresented showed that the number of NOM
bers had risen from ~ 900 In 1873 to 81, 600
In 1874, but lad fallen OF to 68,G52 in 1876.
This marked decline Is only partly duo to
emigration. Discouragemont aud deepair
havo been n moro potent cause. Tho igno-
rant laborers thought tho Union would at
once redress nll their wrongs, and when tho
grcat strike 1t urged them into failed,
many Of tho,n believed they had boon
trfoked aud nbaudonod all further effort,
Thus, 6 sort Of natural selection has wooded
out the faintheartod. The income of the
Union hns increased circumstance that in
itaetf shows that the condition Of the average
laborer Inns improved. It il diaagrseaLlo
fact thet nearly half Of this income of 3,o2G
waa spent for management" Wh;lo tho
Union maintains few lecturers, etc., 1t is
nevertheless prepostorous to suppose TINT the
cost Of running the machine should honestly
amount to moro than $4,000. There waa a
rather angry discussion over the accounts,
which finally resulted in something very like
the traditional verdict: "Not guilty, but
don't do 20 any more"
The matter Of most interest to American
renders in the proceedings Of the Council is
tie dobata on emigration. The "minera'
mombor" Of Parliament, JosEpH 1fAcD DoaA1p,
mndo an earneat speech In favor Of tho
schome for wholesale emigration. He argued
TINT this had proved groat benefit in tho
caae Of domestic servants and Of miners, both
for those who went and thosa who stayed Ut
homo. Yeara ago, the Wost OF Scotland
minors emigratod in large numbers to Illinois,
and Iowa, and Indiana. where they now havo
"lourishing cotonios" Those of them who
stayed IN Scotland are now suffering again
from plethora Of labor. Consequently, q
large colony is about to buy up tract Of
land in Kentucky and establish aco-operative
mining industry. At tho conclusion ot tiis;
speech, reports were submitted which
showed that 1000 adult members of tho
Union had gono to Now Zoaland within the
Inst year, s,4o7 souls to Canatla, and
q number to Queensland. Lack Of knowledge
Of the United States had prevented any Or
ganized emigration to this country. It was
subsequently, voted to send Messrs. opoxn
and W1oHs to Spy out the resources Of tho
3tfsaiaaippi Valley. Tho funds Of the Union
were consocrated to the promotion Of ex-
tenaivo emigration.
During the session the necessity for giving
the franchise to agricultural laborors was
touched upon often and strongly. NoNouRx
D. CoNwAY predicts that this necessity will
BOON be folt by the powers TINT bo. The
bare demand for 1t shows that the laborers
have advanced; that they are no longer mere
sodden brutes; that they aro ambitious to bo
recognized aa men. There can ba no doubt
that the Union has been an educational force
of great power. The laborcrs are beginning
to think, and to say what they think. Three
yoars ago they would not have dared to even
dream Of rebuking tho Prince Of WA1xa for
keeping tho wnges Of his laborers at the
starvation-point, but this year they hare done
90 openly.