The Forest of Dean Examiner : — 1875-12-17 (Blakeney, Gloucestershire, England)

MINERS' MEETING IN NORTH WALES.  Last week Mr. Martin Cooper, in addressing the Welsh miners, spoke as follows :—Gentlemen.-1 am come to give the best advice to you that I can under the circumstances in which you are placed. But you may say I don't intend to pin my faith to any man's sleeve. I don't care what conclusions you have arrived at. I will confide in the exLrcise of my private judgment, and act for myself. But remember the man who always confides in his own judgment must be immensely conceited, and will probably soon bring himself to grief. Perhaps the next time you are very ill you will exercise your private judg,ment, call in no medical man, and do the doctoring yourself, and if ever you are 80 unfortunate as to have a dispute that brings you into a court of law, though your opponent secures the ablest counsel, you will rely on your private judgment and plead your own cause and have what a well. known proverb tells you for your client, that is your infallible judgment. The reason why I have made such remarks is that my judgment may not be thought infallible. In fact, I want you to know that I am not a self-conceited sort of 4 man, but you must allow the lemons of experience to teach you better lessons. I therefore would say to all of you, commence work on Monday at the reduction, and if you can get every miner into the union then will be the time to ask the masters for better wages. For as long has one part of the men are out and the other in the masters will do what they like with you. There are some men at work and others standing out. This is one miner fighting against another, and the tabernacles of such robbers will not prosper. The man that is enjoying the short hours and other blessings the Union has brought to him, and not paying into it is worse than a murderer—(hear, hear). Many of the miners who will not pay into the Union spend a large portion of their wages at the tavern. What will a mans children have to say of such a father. They will have cause to curse their dust —(hear, hear). Did you ever hear the word husband explained? It means literally the band of the house, the support of it, the person who keeps it together as a band keeps a shad of corn. There are many married men who are not husbands, because they are not the band of the house. Truly, in many eases, the wife is the husband, for in many cases, she, by her prudence and economy keeps the house together. The man who will not pay to the Union, may, in a legal sense, be the husband, but his actions tend to allow other people to strip his house of all comfort. He cannot be said to be keeping the house together. "Strip my house naked and I will be content." Is this a man for a woman? I say that he should not have a pig of mine—(hear, hear). Ignorance I cannot be pleaded in North Wales in reference Ito the union, and the man that keeps aloof from It is nothing befter than a fool. I trust that all I the miners of Wales will be in the new union in a short time, and then they will kave greater . power with masters. In conclusion, the masters of your collieries I have seen, and they have , agreed to draw out a sliding smile for the future ! regulation of wages, that strikes may be avoided in time to come. I hope, therefore, that you will resume work, and join the union to a man. Then you will get back that which the masters have taken from you. Mr. Cooper sat dawn amid , rounds of applause. I The men agreed to commence work at the ! reduction for a short time, until the. union funds , were increased, though believing that there was I no need for any reduction. f Votes of thanks to Mx. Cooper ended the meeting.