The New York herald., 1879-02-09
Labor ina Engla nd.


and thousands of such burly ruffians as the
average British laborer, inspired with
conviction that they are oppressed and
wronged, and freed by their momentary
passion from the little moral restraint they
are commonly under, constitute an lnsur-
rection of blind and wild force well calcu-
lated to trouble the authorities wherever
it may show itself. From the operation OF
such burst of ruffianly ferocity Liverpool
will escape very we'll if it has no worse ex-
periences than what are so far recorded
Every wild fellow in an English mob is
eager only to outdo the worst that has been
remembered or recorded of the acts OF some
other wild fellow, and he applies to this
simple theme shamelessness in violence
and an ingrained disregard OF human
restraints that the ruffian of no other race
can approach, and consequently the mob OF
British cities filled with laborers is the
worst in the world, while if this mob should
ever completely escape from the firm hand OF
authority it would supply the materials for
q chronicle that the Turks, fresh from Bull
garian slaughters, might blush to read.
Days of gayety in London, days OF festivlty
that fill the streets with the crowds OF
the populace of that great city, supply
to the Coroner next day more dead bodies
than are produced by first class riots in
other cities. At the time of Louis Napo-
Icons famous coup dftat. when the troops
fired on the people, about as many were
killed as were trampled to death in London
in the spirit of exuberant festivity with
which the crowds celebrated the recovery
of the Prince of Wales from the typhoid
fever. With such awkward ways of hand
ling themselves in their merry moments it
may be conceived what such crowd will
be in its anger and in that freedom from
anger gives. But the hand of authority is
heavy. Well disciplined and effective po-
lice is q rule in English cities, and if the
police fail the soldiers are not far away;
and it scarcely needs to be said that they
are not the sort Of soldiers that the Gov
ernor Of Pennsylvania sent to Pittsburg
once upon time.
In these strikes at Liverpool men of diff
ferent trades are concerned. There are
engineers, iron workers, men in the provis-
ion trade and men in more miscellaneous
occupations; and in their disorderly de-
monstrations the crowds are reinforced by
sailors, animated perhaps by generous
fancy that it does nos become them to stand
oy and look on when there is fine row on
hand. Further reduction of wages is what
the strikers have revolted at. Notice bas
been given in the trades named of new rates
of pay, and the men have refused to 60 on
beyond the time fixed for the commence
ment of the new rates, and where q compro-
mise has been sought between the old rate
and the proposed new rate they have refused
to hear any terms. They have taken abso-
lutely the position that the employers shall
continue to pay them those wages which
the employers say they cannot afford to
pay; or that the shops shall be shut up and
the contracts be sent to other countries.
Irrational antipathy, half savage passion
on the part Of laborers, fully balances the
greed of gain that may be the fault of the
employers, and the two together render it
very difficult to overcome troubles of this
nature once on foot. On the one hand it is
held that the workingmen get more than
fair share Of what is earned by the conjunc-
ton of capital and labor; and some queer
instances are given in illustration of this
fact; while the workingmen clamor as usual
that they are the victims of the oppressive
and greedy spirit of capital. Each side
views the case from its own standpoint
only, and nobody will give way; and
it is the same in all England, for there are
labor troubles in all parts.
In the division of the results of labor in
England in former years the employer has
certainly had the upper hand. Manufac-
turers have steadily grown rich and the
laborers have steadily grown poorer year
by year. Capital invested in British indus
tries, while it has had to complain of the
caprice and the occasional irrational out
bursts of labor, has had the great advantages
of security and good returns; but the
laborer has lived and lives on narrow
verge of life, from which one unfortunate
step plunges him into an abyss. Stories
are told of workingmen who keep ponies,
and the stories may be true; but the work.
ingmen of that sort are not numerous and
one swallow does not make q summer.
There is more truth in wha. is said of their
inebriety and of trades in which they never
work on Monday and knock off at noon on
Saturday. and thus cut out of each week
q day and halls labor, the pay for which
would make oil the difference between COM
fort and the edge of starvation. But that
is an improvident habit that has grown
from their condition, from their discourag-
ing discovery of the hopelessuoss of getting
ahead in the world, and the consequent de-
termination to take by the way what little
pleasures and distractions life may afford;
to extort some little satisfaction, even ut
tho eynanse of n SLIGHT aporayation of tha