The times., 1897-04-18
Its Disorganization After De-
struction of Medieval Guilds.
WAGE-EARNERS DARK AGE
Victory of English Land Owners and
the Revolution of 16SS-Labor Dur :
ing the Napoleonic Wars-Third
Paper of the Series.

| night of oppression OF labor which did not
| break for nearly three centuries. We are
| now in the morning z ofthe daythatsucceeded
| that long and dreadful night, the effects
| of which, and of the struggle attending its
| breaking, have not yet disappeared, how
ever the conflict may have changed in
| character.
As long as there is wrong in the world
efforts will he made to right it, As long as
u class or body of people are denied equal
and exact justice there will be a struggle
| for it's attainment AS long some people
[ are deprived OF opportunities which others
| possess there will be q contest until the
| privilege is abolished or like privilege
| is extended TO all In the Trinity of God
| there is no person before or after; no person
| higher or lower; all three persons are OF
/ equal virtue, power and majesty, and to
| this model must human society in the end
| conform, so far the rights and oppOr-
| tunities of its members are concerned
| The fact that society took a tlifferentform
| when the pressure which had maintained
| the relations of lord and villein was lessened
| by the destruction of one third of the people,
! was conclusive proof that society was not
rightly constructed, as the height to which
| water rises fIou an artesian well IS proof
| Of the pressure which was exerted to keep
| 1t in It's reservoir; and when wages rose
| after the black death the fact was equally
| conclusive they had before been too
| low, for nothing rose In price but wages
| and those articles in whose production labor
| was the principal item OF expense.
| As has been stated, there is limit to
wages that may be paid Wages cannot
| encroach too far on the profits of capital
| without destroying or impairingit, and thus
| destroying or impairing the continuity Of
| labor. Affair interestil the cost of thel land,
| buildings and ma chineFy must beftrst paid
| or otherwise no one would put capital in to
| these things; next come the taxeSfOr the sup
| port OF the government, which should be so
| adjusted as to bear equally upon labOrer
| and capitalist. Then the wages must be
| paid or the capital will have become use
| lessly expended; but not such wages as will
! prevent the capitalist from receiving the
wages he is fairly entitled TO for his super
| intendance Of the business and q reason
| able profit Oh his investment, but sufficient
| to enable the labOrer to feed. clothe and
| educate his children and prepare them to
| take his place in the labor world, andlast
| of all what is called economic rent, If there
| is any But the latter should not be per
mitted to lessen the wages OF the labOrer.
| for labor is necessary to production, and
there can be no production without IT, but
| economic rent is not necessary, and should
| only be allowed after the Iaborer has been
| fully Temunerated Prof. Rogers as
| serts that rent is natural as disease and
misery are natural but that is no rea-
son why either or all should not be elirnin-
atedif this were possible
So when. through the increase of prices,
| the land owners and traders Of England.
| in 1858 gained a complete victory over
| labor. not. indeed, restoring the serfdOni
| from which the laborer had been freed, but
| so reducing wages, compared with the
cost of living, that the laborer was a pau
| per, or ever kept Onthe brink of pauperdorE.
| the pressure which had been counter
| balanced was again made effectual, and
| the last state OF the laboTer was worse than
| the first Their wages would not purchase
near as much OF the necesSarieS oflfe, the
| hours ot labor were longer, and the guilds
| their means OF protection against the
| rapacity of the landowners and traders
were destroyed or rendered powerless-
1t is evident that there were OrganiZa-
| tions among artisans during the latter
nart OF the sixteenth and until the be-
| ginning of the eighteenth century; but they
| had no permanent, and probably no tenn
porary effect on their condition. while
the agricultural laborers were reduced u
hopeless poverty. The conditiOp of the
| wage-earners was better under the pre-
| tectorate of Cromwell than either I'M
mediateIy before after, the justices
| seemingly being disposed to act with less
| in Justice to the Iaborers. After the res
| toration OF Charles III the act Of paroehial
| settlement was passed, and neither arti-
| san nor agricultural laborer could go To
| another parish, except with the consent
| of the officers OF the parish to which he
| desired to remove, and then ne must give
| bond that he would not become a charge
on that parish Thus the laborer was i'm
prisoned in his own parish and practically
made a serf without land; an anomaly in
| history.
The revolution of 1888, though it put
| an end to the abuse of arbitrary power
| over men of wealth or station, brought no
relief or liberty to the workers. The law
really added to their burdens, for it was
made obligatory that notice of the arrival
| of strangers should be published after serv-
|
settlement was re-enacted with changes
more oppressive to the laborer Prof.
Rogers thus describes the action of the
new law: ''It allows that persons are
imprisoned in their place OF settlement
| where they cannot get work, though work
| NAV he wanted elsew where. 1t allows that
| the provisions of the act of 1862. requir-
| ing the newcomer to give security that he
would not become cbargeable to the parish
| of his new residence, confines them TO
| live in their own parishes.
1T, therefore, permits churchwaTdens
| and oversecrs to give license to those who
| wish to migrate the effect of the license
| being that ifthe newcomer become scharge-
able, he could be forthwith removed with
his children, even though they had been
| bornin thenew settlement Those
| persons who possessed the whole of n
| parish took care, whenever they could, TO
pull down the cottages on their estates,
| and rely on labor from a distance. By
| this system they hired labor at quarter
sessions, i. e, at factitiously low wages,
| while the parish OF a mans residence had
to supplement- his wages, and bear all
| those contingencies. which We're enhanced
by the Iaborer being constrained to travel
| u considerable distance to his work IN ali
weathers The law OF settlement lot only
| fixed the tenant to the soil, but enabled
the opulent landowner to rob his neighhor,
| and to prematureIy wear out the laborer's
| health and strength" And he adds: And
| this, too, was done when Burke and Sheri-
dan were denouncing the despotism Of
| Hastings. Why, at his own door in Bea-
/ consfield, Burke must have daily seen
| serfs who had less liberty than those