The Labor enquirer., 1888-02-18

Netley. composed of the mosl
respectable people object to ths
boys Of a reformatory school wor'
Shipping with them in the same
edi6ce. They say that they are
very quiet and orderly while they
are there; but their common cor
duroys are abominable and theil
presence does not conduce to the
purity Of the atmosphere" These
are our latter day Christians! and
there can be little doubt that the
great mass of the respectable
would agree with these gentlefolk
in their objection to these pnfor-
tunates. They care nothing for
the cause of the wretched. unless
the people by threatening move
ments endanger their security and
trouble their well-fed ease; then
they relieve their minds by a few
pence scattered in charity. and by
the Imprisonment of those who
made themselves by any means
conspicuous.
We have an instance on hand:
the Imprisonment for six weeks OF
Graham and Burns for participat-
ing in unlawful assembly. which,
according to latest legal de6ni-
ton, means any meeting or gath
ering of the masses to which an
autocratic police official or the
stupid despotism of a government
of blockheads, can find any OBJ
lection. We have now almost ar
rived at that happy state which
prevails in that blest city Of yours
Chicago. The highes. legal
luminary of the day, our intellect
ual solicitor general, doubts
whether the public have any right
to meet in the open air at all.
The British proletariat in future
must con6ne themselves to halls
which, as the British proletariat
in these hard times is very short
of money, amounts to prohibi-
tion Of any public meeting to ex-
pound the wrongs and explain the
grievances of the poor. This is
too charming. They won't
allow us to 60 to church
and we must meet to grum
Bile, when our bellies are
pinched with hunger. What in
the devil are we to do? Do they
mean to show the masses that the
only way to right their wrongs
is by open insurrection1 Itwould
seem so. The upper classes must
be singularly obtuse if they imag-
inc they can check the revolu-
tionary movement by gagging one
or two of its leaders. Nor will
the Imprisonment of a few brave
men, for that fastidious offense-
an assault upon the police-check
a movement which has its foun-
tains in the great deeps of modern
society. No. it is far more likely
that the policy of repression now
pursued with equal energy in every
civilized country by the ruling
classes has but one aim, to pro-
woke premature explosions, to i'm
prison and shoot down the dissat-
is6ed before they grow too numer-
Gus. This is the explanation ol
this policy Of provocation which
our Bismarcks. our Bonhelds and
our Warrens are now forcing upon
US. Thegame is cunningly played
the trap is laid very artfully, bu,
we shall not be caught. The peo'
pie have not long to wait; a:
events are moving. another yeal
will probably witness an almost
universal uprising on the continent
and if our tories remain in Office
England, Wales. Ireland and Scot
land will not be far behind.
The symptoms are even now ap
parent to the meanest intelligence
In every district distress grow:
sharper and sharper. In Deptford
for example. some families have
lived on rotting cabbage leave:
and other refuse for days. A.
distress increases sullen disconten'
is blown intoaame; hence Londor
riots. the 6eht for the land in Ire.