Labour-riots are reported from three countries at once. The French
misers of Decazeville absolutely refuse to return to work, and demand the expropriation of the mines in their favour ; and a series of strikes have broken out in the coal-mines near Liege Several fights have occurred with the gendarmes, and the miners are said to be extorting money by threats over a large district. The cosmopolitan anarchists have taken advIttage of the strife, Liege is threatened with plunder, and the entire Civic Guard placed under arms. In a riot on Thurs- day week, one street of shops was sacked. In the United States, the " Knights of Labour "—an organisation with half-a- million members—support a variety of strikes, and have closed the Missouri Pacific Railway among others. The directors resist dictation strenuously ; and as the strikers stop outside workers, the Governor of Missouri has called out the Militia to protect the lines. The tendency in America, according to the telegrams, is to concede an increase of wages, but to resist the claim to shoirt hours, and to defy the interference of the general Union, whieii, it is said, has organised a general strike of labour on May 1st, in favour of a law making eight hours the legal day for the entire Union. Experience seems to show that in the States such efforts must fail, outsiders accepting work, who are _ protected by the Militia. These latter, again, are mainly free- holders and their sons, who have little sympathy with the Trades Unionists.
