The Labor enquirer., 1885-03-21
The Unemployed Of London
Hold an Immense Mass sst,is. & ..,;.
sb,.554 Meeting ..15 e9a i, s5s ,5
On the Thames Embank kment----
A Deputation Visits the sn2.'
: 5gI .s Local Board. s s. "a IIs 81,
H.. N. Hyndman, John Burns, Ar.
Frost, and others Address the 4 :
j. ,Zasl ~ Multitude. a7t9d sft3
From London (EnglandD News

From London England News. 8gftjd
| On Februay 16, in spite Of almost in
| | .pAnrn,t &c. roin hnnta 80 NO 0:nnAmploYed
bankment, whence" they marched in
procession to the offices of the local gov
ernment board, and sent in deputation
to- interview the parliamentary secretary,
Mr.. g. Russell, NJ P..aai99a iAGoii2E a@
This gathering, called by the Social
Democratic Federation, included large
number of persons whose appearance
proved that they we're only too we'll
acquainted with poverty. Half d dozen
of th ose present carried red banners,
bearing the words, "Work for All; Over
work for None )" while one man, march
ing at the head Of the procession, dls-t
played a board with the familiar motto,
"Liberty, Equality and h Paternity.
There were numerous small red flags
among the processionIsts, whose march
was enlivened by band. While await
ing in Charles street the result of the in
terview between their leaders and Mr..
Russell some Of them became rather
disorderly. One or two small stones
and sticks were thrown at policemen
and officials standing III the doorway of
the boards offices, and movement was
made towards that point. Thereupon a
dozen policemen who had been standing
on the opposite side of the street forced
their way through the dense crowd and
drew up across the entrance. Pressing
heavily upon them, and swaying vio-
lently. the people seemed for moment
likely to overwhelm the police, who
however stood manfully at their posts,
and at length prevailed. . ,~5I
The crowd seemed still threatening.
Superintendent Gernon, who was pres
ent, sent for reinforcements, fifty officers
being in reserve at King street station,
close st hand, and fifty at Scotland yard.
Thirty or forty promptly arrived and
Z 4para isna., nnndnda far thn nnn,la at
tempted to tear down a long line of
boarding in the street. They had, how
ever, only got one or two planks off
when the police stopped them. During
the struggle constable was knocked
down and kicked, but was rescued by
his comrades before being much hurt.
In the meantime several speakers-one
on lamp-post, another at the top of the
boarding already mentioned-begged the
people to be quiet but the noise was too
great for their voices to be heard far off,
and more or less disorder continued till
the deputation came out of the building.
Mr.. H. M. Hyndman presided at the
preliminary meeting on the embank-
ment, the platform being the pedestal
of Cleopatra's Needle. Insisting that
unemployed persons had right to de.
mand that the government should find
work for them, he remarked that they
did not ask for charity. They must say
to the government, ave represent the
people who make the wealth of this
country. You Represent those that live
On it. Are you prepared to give us some
share in that wealth 2 Weask no more
and we will take no less" The govern.
ment was preparing to slaughter thou
sands Of Arabs, What interest had that
meeting with such an object? Half the
money that was being spent on 1t would
find work for all the unemployed in
London! He urged them to show by
their determined though orderly attitude
that they would have justice and work
for all. [Cheers.]
Mfr. John Burns, Of the Amalgamated
Society of Engineers, who was intro
duced as having been discharged from
his situation for attending conference
and advocating Socialistic opinions, ar
gued that land monopoly and the state
Of society which permitted one man to
make enormous profits while others
worked at starvation wages or could not
get work at all were the causes Of 50
much misery in this country. [Hear,
hear.] What did they intend to propose
when they reached the local govern
ment board? First. that the hours of
work in all government departments
should be reduced to eight or less per
day. That would not only benefit the
present public servants,n but enable
10000 or 50, 900 more people to get work.
Hear, hear.] They asked that the
government should begin tie fconstruc-
ton of river embankments to keep off
floods, and should see to the erection of
artisans dwellings, public baths and
washhouses, free libraries. and other in
stithtions Of the same kind. Such things
would find work for all who now needed
it; but it must be fairly paid for, I'D.
an hour as In nottingham, or 1od. day
as in Birmingham. At the same time
the government must make it a penal
ofense for any railway, tram, or omnibus
company to employ their servants more
than eight Or ten hours daily. He was
Revolutionary Socialist, but these were
not Revolutionary proposals. for they
had been cairied out in other countries.
Hear, hear,1 The distress Of the work
H', lConcluded on fourth page.l T..
'S9nEinG 9B'G J.aE RI '1!-JH1.'. lu3'''
/ hnG is9tajus :n~q .'.r.ji ,-"... 4s7ioIs ?