The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle. — 1867-06-29 (Stourbridge, West Midlands, England)

SATURDAY, JUNE 29, 1867.  THE SHEFFIELD OUTRAGES.  From whatever point of view we regard the startling facts that have come out on the Sheffield inquiry, they are of the most lamentable character; and they may be viewed in so many lights, and are affected by so many circumstances, that it is very difficult, if not impossible, to weigh these facts justly in relation to their causes and accessories. But there is one broad and incontrovertible fact—a central fact round which many other horrible revelations are gronpril—that murder, murder most foul and unutterable, has been committed, and that this murder arose directly from the spirit of trades' unionism.  We have long been familiar with the terrorism and intimidation springing from trades' unions. We unhappily have too many instances of it, and only the other day two journeymen tailors were sentenced to imprisonment for assault and intimidation. But the Sheffield inquiry has brought to light a state of things more horrible than any of us could have supposed existed. The outrages committed have spread horror throughout the country, and we think it may fairly be stated that there is a universal regret that the chief instigator of these crimes should he allowed to escape unpunished. The narrative may well cause a shudder of horror, and there is a natural tendency to insist that the perpetrators of such infamous crimes should Buffer the penalty of their guilt. But the pen. alties administered how they may, or not at all, the public will not miss the terrible lessons they teach. That one lesson they teach is that trades' nnionism is essentially and necessarily connected with such outrages as this, we should be sorry to assert ; but that it is under cover of unionism, and to carry out its objects that these exceptional crimes have been committed, is uni-len is ble.  The memory of these terrible deeds of blood and violence will long exist, and the narrative of them will be a permanent stain upon the annals of our commercial history. hnt we trust that out of evil may come good. The whole object of the Trades' Union Commis.ion, intl of the commission to ingairo into the Sheffield outrages, is to aseertain whether something cannot he done to establish the relatioms between master and man on the one hand, and between man rind man on the other, on a better footing. We hope that this object may be obtained, and that some decisive line may be drawn between lawful earn. bination and intimidation, and that the latter, whether accompanied or not by absolute outrage, may be more severely punished than at present. We could not conclude these few remarks without a fall acknowledgment of our belief that the working classes generally, onion or nonunion, indignantly repudiate the slightest sympathy with these miscreants of the Saw Grinders' Union. All classes alike participate in the horror which these revelations have excited, atuul the working men of England, not iegli than the capitalists, will be heartily willing to adopt any reasonable measures that HMV be proposed, so that trade outrages may in future be followed by condign punishment.