The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1886-02-09
Dry Goods Stores Entered and Their Con-
tents Cast Into the Streets,
To Be Fought for by the Drunken Rabble-
Hundreds of Business Houses Plum
dered-No Loss of Life Reported.

LONDON. Feb. 8-The Starving mechanics"
of London to-day held mass-meeting in Trafal-
gar square, around the Nelson monument and
it resulted in a riot The proceedings opened
with an assemblage of 10000 men. Police were
present in large numbers, and they at once saw
that the soeialistic element of London greatly
predominated in the crowd which was also man
aged by well-known Socialists and extraordinary
vigilance was ordered to preserve the peace at all
hazards Conspicuous among the leaders of the
multitude was Mr. Burns who ran as the Social
istic candidate in Nottingham in the recent cleo
tion He sneered at the police and acted gen.
orally as if he wished to bring about a conflict
between them and the people. Finally he as
cended the pedestal of the Nelson column for the
purpose of delivering harangue. He was well
aware that this act would not be tolerated, and
the police politely ordered him to get down.
This he refused to do, appealing to the crowd to
resist interference with the exercise of popular
rights The officers, however were determined,
and they pushed their way through the excited
and resisting mass of humanity and by force re-
moved Mr. Burns from the pedestal By this
time the crowd had vastly augmented and the
streets adjacent were packed with surging
mobs. The stir in the elevated spot where the
Burns incident took place was easily preceptibe
through almost the entire area covered by the
concourse, and the sight Of helmets and uniforms
in the struggle was accepted as visible proof of
the commencement of the light against the
law" The intelligence was responded to with
general and fearful howl and an attempted rush
from all directions to the point of interest.
l~1 3c&o
the position he had attempted to occupy. He
became emboldened by the cries of the throng,
and made desperate effort to recover his lost
ground. He was so effectively helped by the
mob that the officers the spot were brushed
out of the way and the orator was soon pressed
up against the monument. He quickly reas-
cended the pedestal. accompanied by number
of other Socialist leaders. Burns bore a red flag,
and he waved it to the assemblage as signal of
his triumph over the authorities. He was greet
ed with deafening shouts, repeated again anG
again. Burns now leisurely finished his address.
He then read iercely-worded resolution. This
denounced the authors of the present distress
in England demanded that Parliament
start public works to give employment
and bread to the tens of thousands
of deserving men who were out of work through
no fault of their own, but because of bad govern
ment; to afford every facility for the employ
ment of British capital at home for the benefit of
the British people, and to give British enter
prise preference over foreign, and asserted that
the time had arrived for Parliament to earnestly
legislate for the relief of the depression in the
English agricultural industry. The resolutions
demanded the immediate appointment of a Min
lister of Commerce and Minister of Agriculture,
and concluded with the resolve that copies should
be forwarded to Mr.. Gladstone, Lord Salisbury,
Mr.. Parnel and the Board of Public Works.
The reading of the resolutions was accompanied
by fierce comment and short explanatory speech
es by the various orators who stood with Burns.
Some of these orators went so far as to warn the
government that. although the starving mechan.
les of London were now attempting to draw at
tation. they were bound to get bread, and would
get it by attacking the bakers shops next if the
government did not come to their relief Burns
himself, in one of these side speeches. denounced
the present House of Commons as body of land
lords and capitalists for whom hanging was too
good. He also declared that tho people had as
sembled to summon Parliament to Immediately
relieve the distress of the British workingmen;
that the people wanted the question settled at
once and peacefully, if possible, but otherwise
revolution was inevitable.
All this SO aggravated the excitement Of the
huge mob that the police reformed with in
creased force and made another assault. They
succeeded in forcing their way up to the ped
estal. They reached this point just as the reso-
lutions, which had already been offered an Sec
onded, were about to be submitted to the mob
for approval The officers ar once ordered the
proceedings 20 be discontinued on the pedestal,
and commanded Burns and his colleagues to
come down. This they refused to do, and the
officers thsreupon dragged them down by force
and drove them from the pedestal Il was eyi-