LETTERS FROAI PARIS, BY 0. P. Q.
No. V.
TRE STRIKE OF THE LYONS WORKMEN, AND THE ASSOCIATIONS OF THE WORKING CLASSES IN FRANCE.
" us ne voient dans les ceuvriers de Lyon quo des ennemis, dans la question des sa. laires (perm embarras, et dans L's associations ilteuvriers qu'un epouvantai!."--Le TemPs du, 19 Ere. MIL
TO THE EDITOR OF TIIE SPECTATOR.
Paris, 19th Fe!irnary 1834.
SiR-1 addressed a series of letters, some months since, to the Morality Chro nide, relative to the " Ttades Unions, or Coalitions of Workmen in Fiance, Germane, and Great Britain." In these letters I endeavoured to show the Governments of Englmil and France, that if they would not take measures to improve, and that permanently, the physical condition of the labouring classes— that at any rate in France and Germany, those labouring classes would take the matter into their own hands, and that the last caw would be worse than the first. When these letters were read at the Tuileries (and I knots. as a fact tint they were read), it was said tint O. P. Q. encouraged revolt —democracy— agrarian notions as to property ! (purse they were condemned. Of course the journeymen tailors, baker' shoemakers, fk:c. in Paris, who had struck for wages, were prosecuted—tried by the Magistrates of the Correctional Police— sentenced to imprisonment and tines ; and the "Doctrinaires" and " Juste Milieu," whose feelings are so well expressed in the motto I have prefixed to this letter, exclaimed " I NISH ED there is an end to the Trades Unions in France ! "--But their calculations were erroneous: the associations of the working classes were !ming on—extending to Lyons, Marseilles. Chalons, Strasbourg, Metz, Nantes, Angers, Bordeaux, and Bayonne: and to-doe—even this very 19th February 163I—the avhole of France, thirty-three millions of souls, is oceripiul about one sohject, to the exclusion of all the rest ; and that with " the strike nf the Lyons WOIk men, and the associations of the working- classes in this cotton y." As this is not a local, but a general subject of vast and Dingwall magnitude, I lirIh devote this letter to its consideration. The cruel and unprincipled organ of the Doctrinaires and Juste Milieu in the second capital of France (Le (?oyrrier de Lyon) proclaims, that " if the workmen, pushed on by their detestable councillors, should trouble the repose the city, the Government which has been informed beforehand of all that may be attempted, anti is prepared to meet them, will teach them immediately a severe and vigorous lesson ; by which we do not see that public order would eventually be a loser !" What ! is it the duty, the interest, or the pleasure of a "paternal " or of a " wise Government," to meet the demands for remunerative wages by the sword and cannon-balls ? and is the second capital of France to he kept in order by having constantly a garrison nearly equal in number to the male working population, prepared to grape-shot the people when they ask for bread, and to fire on or sabre them when they say, " let us live and not die ?" But the Com-rice de Lyon gets on to argue, that as the workmen have not re- sources in their possession to last fitr more than eight days, therefore, to avoid starvation, they must either make riots and pillage at the end of those eight days, or return to the !wives dictated by their masters. If, says this sanguinary jour- nal, they should adopt the former plan, then there are troops enough in Lyons to cut them down ; and if they should adopt the latter plan, why, the victory, though less permanent, will still for the time he complete ! This system of argumentation does not, however, satisfy even those in whose cause it is pro- mulgated ; for private letters and public correspondences from Lyons assure us, that on the 15th and 16th instant, the master-manufacturers were employed in removing their goods and stocks in trade from that city for security, in the event of a general conflagration. In order that you may be able to understand and appreciate the nature and consequences of this and all similar strikes and commotions in France among the working classes I propose to give you, 1st, a description of the associations of 'workmen formed at Lyons, and their influence on the population ; and 2r1, an explanation of the causes and consequences of the present strike, and of the si- tuation of the opposing parties. You will then perceive, that there is a general and vast evil to be met ; that temporizing or local measures will not meet them ; and that the stupidest and most besotted of men in this v are those who only see in the workmen of Lyons their enemies—who only look on the question of wages as a tormenting and embarrassing affair, to be postponed indefinitely and never examined—who regard the associations of workmen to improve their hysical condition as a vast conspiracy of Republicans against the Throne and and the Government. Yet such men are the Ministers in France to-day; and the experience of the past, and the facts of the present, will all be lost on them fur the future.
I. Let us look at the working associations established at Lyons. THIRTY THOUSA ND LOOMS are hushed in one day ! The busy noise of the workshop is succeeded by the silence of the sepulchre. NINE THOUSAND looms in the environs of Lyons were to suspend all operations last Monday. TWENTY THOUYAND foreign workmen, established in that capital, have joined the FIFTY THOUSAND French artisans. The shops are closed. The magazines are deserted. No bills or letters of exchange are drawn. The funds fall at the Lyons Exchange. The Mayor conjures the masters "not to yield—but now, or never' to try the question." The workmen are parading the streets by thou- sands. The large garrisor of soldiers is supplied with ammunition and arms : each soldier has his cartouche-box full: and no sound is to be heard but that of occasional groups of hundreds of workmen marching slowly along and singing the Marseillaise and the Parisienne. This is the state of Lyons. Let us look at its working associations.
The weavers of Lyons are composed of two classes of artisans, the compagnons,
or journeymen, and the " m journey-
men foremen of the workshops. The are those who work sometimes in one workshop, sometimes in another.
They are the wandering portion of the artisans of that large city; and perhaps are less industrious, and even less economical, than others—but they must not be condemned en masse. The maitres, or chiefs of the workshops, are, pro- perly speaking, workmen like the rest; but they have at their houses three, four, Mx, or eight looms—seldom more ; and they take one half of the salary of the journeymen. The journeymen have not the looms, but the maitres" are the little capitalists. Thus, a yard of plush, for making which the maitre charges three francs to the manufacturer, is made by the journeyman at the loom of the maitre for thirty sous ; and the other thirty sous goes to the maitre, for interest on his capital, lights, fire, and so forth. The fofiricant, or manu- facturer' has simply to give to the maitres, or chiefs of the workshops, the raw material and the pattern to be worked ; and all tine rest is managed by the maitres, and arranged with the journeyman. These "master workmen " are all organized in one society, called " Societe Motaelliste;" and all the journeymen compose an association, named " Feran.. diniers "—or, if you will, " Ferrandine-makers." The Society of 3lutuellistes is composed of 122 Lodges (similar to those of Freemasons); but in order to keep within the law, which prohibits more than twenty persons in Fiance front assembling without the permission of the Government, each lodge is composed of 20 maitres, of whom one is president. There are thus 122 presidents; and these are formed into twelve Central Lodges. Each of these twelve Central Lodges of Presidents elect three meinbers to form the Executive body. Thus the Executive hotly amounts to thirty-six in number ; oral these thitty-six elect three of their number, who form the General Committee or Directory. Thus, 2440 inaitres or chiefs of workshops leave eventually the management of their affairs, and the conducting of all negotiations in their behalf, to three individuals. They are 'necessarily the most competent, most energetic, most prudent, and most esteemed. Every member of this association pays five francs on entrance, and one bane per month as subscription : and this sum, anti the interest on their capital, is applied, first, in supporting a journal called L'Echo de la Fabrigne, written in the interest of the working classes ; and, secondly, in supporting necessitous workmen during the time that they are ordered nut toll- hour. Each lodge is obliged to have one thare in the Echo ; and every five in- dividuals subscribe for a copy of the journal. On the first Sunday of each month, the lodges meet ; but it no other fixed times, and only when assembled by the Presidents. The Society of the Ferantliniers, or journeymen, is very similar to that of the .111utuellistes ; except that they are much more numerous, not so well organized, and lunve:r journal of their own called, L'Echo des Tra- raillcurs. The subscriptions of the journeymen are less ; bat being far more nu- merous, their resources are really. greater. Of course, tine Mutuellistes and the Ferandi niers have frequent communications NI- itli each other ; and the journey- men make propositions which are discussed III (hill-relit lodges, and then sent to the Ilutuellistes for their decision. The chiefs of both these societies are Re- publicans. This imist be at once admitted. Though confined to weavers at intent, the principles of these associations, somewhat modified, are being adopted by the other classes of workmen in Lyons ; and both Muntellistes and Feratuli- niers have intimate and regular communications with the •L'i 5,000 W k men of Saint Etienne and its environs. Titers: is between them a complete concert as to their plans and views. They are all Anti-Orleanist. At Lyons, Li0,000 workmen ean in a tley or two be directed to do any thing which shall be finally decided on by the illututdlistes ; and rthedience is the roust complete. It is the fundamental principle of thew :isociations, that " when one member of this body politic suffers, all members alike stiffer ; " and therefore tine redress of any grievance inflicted on one party is made a general cause. The " Society of the Rights of ALM " has made an immense progress in Lyons; and in no part of France are Republican doctrines so openly avowed tut in that city. The Repub- lican join-mils distributed among the people are likewise/MOM-011S ; and it is ad- mitted by the best-informed manufacturers and mei-eh:nits, that if Lyons remained without troops for twentv-four hours, a revolution Avtrul.1 inevitably ensue. There are some points, indeed,. of difirence between the journeymen and the maitres ; nin,l or: minor questions the Echo de la Fabeipte and the Echo des l'earoilleurs are not agreed : but on all vital points their views are the saute; and both are resolved to improve by all tile means in their power the physical condition of the labouring classes. Instead of meeting the Mutuellistes and the Ferandiniers—insteari of listening; to their complaints, their wishes, their fears, and their sorrows—the Juste .Milieu and Doctrinaire manufacturers boast of a strong garrison—remind tire workmen that they are without arms—repeat over and over again the history of the defeat of the Republican insurrection in Paris in June IS32—atul refuse to believe that the workmen and rnaitres are a•sociated together to improve their physical and not their political or their moral condition. Being always accused of being Republicans, and persecuted as such, they at length really became so : and to-day—this very day—Lyons could supply 30,000 Republican troops. II. Let us now look at the causes and consequences of the present strike: and at the situation of the opposing parties. Amongst various articles of manufacture at Lyons, there is one which occu- pies a great many hands, anti this is tie: article of " plush " or " peltiche." You are aware that it is a sort of shaggy silk article, and is used very much in France for bonnets, and also for collars to cloaks. The weaver of plush can make a yard a-day ; and this supplies him with ONE stirt.r.ING AND THREEPE NCE,—or, allowing him to work 365 days in the year, and never to be ill or out of employ, and never to take any amusement or recreation, '22/. 16s. 3d. per annum. How my heart aches as I write these lines ! The journeyman weaver of plush must work from the 1st January to the :21st December, mad from morning till even- ing, in order to earn, to support himself and wife, and one or more children, 22/. 16s. 3d. per annum ! And yet there are creatures who crawl on God's earth, who call this journeyman plush-weaver a conspirator, for belonging to an association to better his physical condition ! Illay such conspiracies succeed! and may such conspirators become more numerous!
Well—the manufteturers of ',lushes or " peluches" proposed last week to
diminish the price of labour. They thought 22/. 16s. 3d. too much for a man to earn per annum. And their example was followed by the manufacturers of shawls, (for Lyons shawls are celebrated and demanded everywhere) ; and the journeyman weaver of shawls, who earns about 25/. per annum, was likewise informed that his salary must be decreased. The reasons alleged for this dimi- nution were, first, that stocks in hand had increased ; and second, that the pro- fits bad diminished. But the master-manufacturer never thought of the expe- dient of decreasing his enormous profits; which are 300 per cent. upon the la- bour in many instances, but only of taking away from the wages of the work- man, as trade was prosperous—as the manufacturers are living in unheard of splendour—as their fetes, balls, dinners, and banquets, succeed with unparalleled rapidity—the Echo des Traraillenrs and the Echo de la Ferber que could not understand the necessity for this deduction from the wages of the poor weaver ; and an extraordinary meeting of the alutuellistes was convoked for the 12th in- stant, to decide on the question of "What should be done? " Some were for merely suspending all the plush and shawl humus: but, after twelve hours de- bate, It was decided in each Lodge, and by the twelve Lodges of the Chiefs or Presidents, that the Executive power should command all the working weavers to leave their looms—to cease to work—and thus to reduce the manufacturers to the necessity at least of continuing to pay a poor journeyman weaver one shilling and three or fourpeuce per day for the support of himself and family. On the the 13th this order or decree became known ; and on the 14th all the looms were as quiet as the frame.
These are the facts of the case. At the moment I am writing, perhaps the second city of France is again in a state of insurrection and civil war ; citizen armed against citizen, and soldiers, the sons or brothers of workmen themselves,, armed against workmen. This is all most deplorable : but what should it teach us?
1st. That society is in a state of great excitement and regeneration ; and that those who attempt to arrest the torrent will be borne down and swept away by it. 2d. That the working classes in France are organized and organizing, and will no longer submit to work as galley-slaves, merely to obtain an adequate quantity of bad and coarse food to enable them to slave on. 3d. 'That the remedies for this state of things are not to be found in garrisons, soldiers, grape-shot, and cannon; but in cheap governments, cheap taxes, cheap provisions, and institutions adapted to the new state of human society.
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