The Labor enquirer., 1886-02-13

Co6SlCy OF n8ViAk Son 0sAAu~
he was now having an inquiry made for
the purpoae of ascertaining the exact
extent and character Of the distress.
Where it should be found necessary 70
do 60. the board of guardians, unless
they were already empowered. would oe
authorized to grant outdoor relief, when
the labor tests had been arranged 81 M
cient to prevent imposture. The erection
Of public works, continued Mr.. Cham
berlain, was not within the province Of
the local government board.
The Socialists departed not quite satls-
fed with the outcome of their visit.
Mr.. Hyndman and Mr.. Champion were
quite angry over Mr.. Chamb arlain's eva
sion of the real points at issue. They
denounced his scheme of inquiry as .
device to secure delay, while the very
men in whose behalf the alleged inquiry
was claimed to have been started, were
actually starving to death.
"The unemployed of London these
gentlemen continued, Outdoor relief;
they do not want charity; they want
nothing but honest and useful work,
which will enable them to earn bread
The proposition to give them doles &C
companied by servile and degrading
labor tests gall them and ls calcasated to
exasperate them into revolt"
LONDON, Feb. 10. The day opened
with dense fog which favored the con
gregation of the roughs, and small crowds
of Ioafers gathered on the street corners
An uneasy feeling pervaded all classes
oyer the events of the past two days, and
the shop-keepers. under this feeling of
dread, were prepared to close and bar
ricade their places Of business on the
sllghtest indication Of q continuation of
the rioting. Colonel Henderson, in
command of the Metropolitan police
force, held lengthy conference with
Mr.. Childers. the home secretary. in re-
lation to the rioters in regard to the nee
essary measures to preserve order.
During the afternoon hundreds Of gen
uine working men who are out of en-
ployment wandered about Trafalgar
square.
Ats o'clock information reached po-
lice headquarters to the effect that a
mob of roughs which had assembled at
Deptford were marching toward the
city, and that they were smashing win
dows and wrecking the fronts of all the
houses along their route. A panic at
once seized the People along their ex
pected line of march and the shop
keepers hastily closed their establish
ments The police, reinforced by the
military, were at once placed In readi-
ness to check the mob. All tradesmen
doing business in the Strand, Cockspur,
Pail Mall and Regents streets we're told
to expect disorder and to i'm nediately
close their shops and take steps to pro-
tect their prop erty.
By half past o'clock the mob had
reached enormous numbers. 1t was
composed largely of roughs, who had
organized for plunder. On its way to-
wards the Thames it swung through
New Kent road and Newington cause
way. Tt stopped at the mammoth es-
tablishment of William Tarn & Co.,
which covers the ground from No, 5 to
No. 2I on New Kent road, and Nos. 165
to 173 Newington Causeway. The firm
trades in boots and shoes, linens, silks,
mems and women's clothing, carpets,
iron ware, furniture, bedding, etc. The
building was under police protection,
but the mob overran the officers and
sacked the store, and when the rioters
retired they left the building very badly
wrecked.
The estimates which have heretofore
been made of the losses that were in
ficted by the mob of Mondey were far
from true statement of the damage.
An official announcement now places
the amount of the damage at $4,000.
The various labor reform societies are
to have a monster demonstration at
Hyde park on Saturday next, which is
to be attended by contlngents of labor
ers from the country.
The stores in many parts of the city
closed early, and the absence of busi-
ness gave strange air of quiet to many
thoroughfares which on ordinary occa,
sions are scenes of great activity.
Three regiments of foot guards, two
of cavalry and q battery of artillery were
confined in the barracks all day, in
readiness to sally out at a moments no.
tice.
The police had been informed early
in the day of conspiracy of the thieves
inhabiting the common lodging houses
to make South London starting point
Of pillaging expedition, and precau
tions we're accordingly taken to prevent
disorders.
Midnight-The city is quiet and the
crowds have disappeared. The panic
is subsiding. The riot was without
parallel in the history of London. Tens
of thousands of desperate men gathered
in the streets, and they only needed
some one more reckless than themselves