The Irish standard., 1890-09-13
small capital of their own; but in con-
gested localities. where the tenants at
harvest time have always liabilities 20


/ loans made for the sowing season, il
! was impossible for them to follow the
same course. Some littie assistance
however, was forthcoming and a few II
these districts were enabled to carES
out my recommendation. We hupe fo,
/ liberal assistance from generous hearted
| Americans and our fellow c0untrYmen
| in the United staIes and In Australia
10 enable the famine stricken people oil
Ireland to tide over the coming gloosu5
winter
With parliament scattered over the
| moors, among the lakes and the CON
tinental watering places. with ROYALTY
on A vacation. and feet and army rest.
| ing from summer manouyers, the press
| inc question on the British public nnind
| is the rising antagonism between or
ganjged labor and the right of free, un-
restricted employment. In Importance
| it really overshadows all other q,es-
tions. The differences as to wages are
OF but slight consequence in com mparjs0n
with it. .'In this country says the
London Times, ''the central question is
NOT at all how much uen are to have fer
their labor, but whether they have the
right to prevent other men from taking
what they refuse. Nobody need supply
his own labor on any s. rms that do not
please him; bnt Che issue is wnesher a
man who chooses to withhold his own
labor is to De allowed to break the head
of another anxiously seeking che wages
he rejects
At an informal meeting today in Lon
don number Of the leading industries
Of the country, including railways,
docks, brewerles and shipping, were
represented by responsible men con-
nected with the ownership and manage
ment OF the companies and firms The
disastrous influence of recent strikes
upon the business Of the country was
commented upon, and particularly the
tranfer of trade to LONDON, caused by
the dictatorinm rules and requirements
Of the dockers union, While no actual
resolution was arrived at, the general
sentiment eX XDressed was that EN- pIoyerS
should make a stand for the right Of
employing whom they pleased, leaving
the question OF wages to be arranged
in such manner as might seem to be for
the best interests OF all concerned. 1t
was substantially determined that
united action should be taken against
unjustiiable strikes, and that in the
event OF any such strike, the employer
should be protected from serious loss
While as yet no formal action has been
taken, there can be no doubt that En-
glish capital is preparing for struggle,
not against the union, as such, but
against the dictation of the union.
TIE unions are entirely prepared to
take up the challenge. Skilled and un~
skilled labor are receiving good wages
In Great Britain, ,sand the general condi-
tion Of the working classes is prosper
GUS. Consequently, the various unions
have considerable balances On hand,
and their leaders are just as determined
to maintain the claims of organized
labor as the employers are to assert
their own liberty of action. Sir Ed
mund Lechmere, who has done much
for the laborers at Staunton in adding
to their means OF self support, writes
on this subject: ssThe chief danger TO
the public from the present demands or
trades unions is the revival Of the old
obsolete trade guilds, IN substance, If
net IN name. which would confne with
in a chosen number the right to pursue
a particular trade and exclude all Others
thus reducing to the abjecG dependen-
cies OF beggary all whom the unions
would not see fit to admit. This will
never be tolerated in this age and coun
try. / believe in the elevation Of labor,
bnt Of all labor. not Of some close
lodge or union, excluding others from
the right aud benefit of labor W
Sir Edmund's utterance has been
eagerly taken up and was the keynote
at the employers meeting today. A
curious strike has come 60 an end in
Northam ptOnshire, The farm laborers
there receive in harvest time aud 20
shillings a week, without beer. In
neighboring counties the wages. in har-
vest time, are about the same. with
beer. The N Northampton laborers struck
for the beer a lioWance, and refused to
20 to work until they gotit. Meantime
thousands OF Irish laborers were hasten
ing over to do the work, beer or no
beer, and the knowledge OF this fact
made it q good deal easier to bring the
strikers Co terms. However, they got
their beer. s Harvesting III England
lasts about a month. In some parts OF
the country the farmer allows the
laborer faggotS in addition to his wages.
aud in some places che lahofer may
have, if he likes. an 18-ea aiIon cask fof
beer provided by the farmer ats his owl
cottage, to d be- accounted for in the
harvest ettiemant.s The general ten
gdency is to Day all IN money and cease
the time shonored ,perq quisltes. Nothing
tao much illustrates tho changed condi-
tiYns of English life. since the time not
mally years agu u han the farm labor