shadow of britain

Chapter 145 Owen's Speech

Today's Hyde Park is a little different from the past.

The speakers who had rushed early in the morning looked resentfully at the area under a maple tree, which was a temporary podium made of more than a dozen wooden boxes.

But even if they are full of complaints, they still have to keep their complaints in their hearts.

Because everyone knows that the speaker who visited Hyde Park today is one of the most influential social activists in the whole of Great Britain, the owner of the New Lanark factory, the founder of the New Harmony Commune, and the advocate of the education of minors , an important initiator of the movement to reduce working hours and working days, and at the same time, a series of British labor movement leaders and a staunch supporter of parliamentary reform - Mr. Robert Owen.

Although it is still early, today's Speaker's Corner has gathered an audience of hundreds of people.

The vast majority of the audience were workers from all over London. They held up billboards supporting Owen, and while shouting their demands under the leadership of the union leaders, they spontaneously maintained order at the scene.

The rest of the audience included both factory owners and some potential congressional candidates.

The purpose of the factory owners to listen to the speech is to learn from Mr. Owen's factory management experience. After all, everyone knows that the annual output value of Mr. Owen's new Lanark factory has been among the top in the industry for many years.

In this factory where the average working hours are only 10 hours, the per capita output of the workers is actually higher than that of most factories where the average working hours are 15 hours. Attention.

And young people aspiring to run for Congress plan to emulate Owen's oratory skills.After all, these days, it is not uncommon for a speaker who can cause a traffic jam in the surrounding area with a random speech.

And everywhere outside Hyde Park, Scotland Yard officers arrived early, keeping a safe distance from the audience so as not to provoke them into excessive confrontation.

The Metropolitan Metropolitan Police has always been prepared for this kind of situation, and Director Rowan even issued the latest order from the Ministry of the Interior in an earlier routine meeting-the closer the general election is, the more cautious we must be in dealing with a society like Robert Owen activist.

Of course, the reason why the Ministry of Internal Affairs issued such an order was not entirely out of public safety considerations. Of course, they also had some selfish intentions.

If a mass incident broke out before the general election, it would be too heavy for the dying Wellington cabinet.

So rather than caring about what Robert Owen was going to say, the primary task of Arthur, who was on duty in plain clothes, was to maintain order at the scene so that Mr. Owen and the audience could end the speech without incident.

Arthur glanced around, lowered his big-brimmed hat slightly, and asked Tom, who was also casually dressed beside him, "Has everyone figured it out?"

Tom looked a little nervous, and he also knew that if he exposed his identity on this occasion, a severe beating would be considered light.

He whispered back: "It's about the same as we estimated before. Most of the audience is organized by trade unions. According to the information sent back by our informants in various workers' associations, there are 147 people in the London Textile Workers' Association, London Dock There are 112 members of the Workers' Association, 133 members of the London Construction Workers' Union, and some scattered small associations with a total size of about 300 people. Most of the others are just a few impromptu joiners, and they shouldn't be able to start What a big wave."

Arthur nodded slightly: "Keep an eye on the big associations. After all, no one knows if any of them have been bought by the Whigs and come here to make trouble. But according to the temper of the Whigs, they probably won't send people to Mr. Owen's speech The scene. After all, most of the factory owners are on their side, and Mr. Owen’s proposition is there, and the two must not agree."

As soon as Arthur said this, he heard a burst of thunderous applause from all around him. Everyone blushed with all their strength, as if they didn't care if their hands were broken.

"Good morning, friends of the public!"

A middle-aged and elderly gentleman with gray hair was standing on the podium in a black suit coat.

His eyes swept across the audience, and he said enthusiastically: "I am very happy to see workers and friends here, and I am also very happy to see all of you factory owners who have provided countless jobs for the society. Again, if you want Learn from my factory management experience, then remember the following sentence.

I believe that all of you have experienced the benefits of a solidly constructed, well-designed, and perfectly manufactured machine in the course of long-term production and operation.If we say that good maintenance is given to inanimate machines, it can still improve production efficiency.Would nothing, then, be impossible if you devoted the same energy to living workers, whose structures are far more wondrous than machines?
Shorten working hours, build spacious dormitories, green the factory environment, and set up amateur clubs for some workers.Also, remember not to hire young children, but to educate them in proper skills.If they get a good education, don't you worry about not having enough high-level skilled workers to hire in the future? "

As soon as Owen finished speaking, there was another burst of cheers from the audience.

Owen raised his arms and shouted: "I am not here today to satisfy idle and useless vanity. I have come before you to complete a solemn and extremely important task. What I value is not to win everyone favor and future fame.

The sole motive which governs my actions is the desire to see you and all your fellowmen everywhere actually enjoying the most abundant happiness which nature has endowed us with.This is my life-long, unwavering wish.

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland is suffering more misery, poverty and misery than it has actually suffered in many centuries before!

Never in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland were there so innumerable conditions for the release of all people from this misery, degradation, and danger!

From 1781 to 1830, the cotton consumption of our textile industry increased by 50 times.

In 1820, my country's pig iron production accounted for 40% of the world's production, and coal production accounted for 75%. However, did the rapid economic data benefit our British public?

Those in power in our country have not yet come up with any reasonable solution to provide once and for all relief to the millions struggling in poverty.

These rulers have not used the power and practical knowledge at hand to allocate the abundant conditions of the country, and to free the people from ignorance and vice, which are the source of all existing evils.

I have often said that a country can never be rich and strong if it supports a large part of the working class in idle poverty or in meaningless work.

A nation where there are taverns, and the temptations of open gambling, is bound to make them imbeciles, or to commit crimes, crimes, and dangers.

In this way, it is inevitable to use coercive means and to use severe, cruel and unfair punishment, and then the people will have dissatisfaction, resentment and all kinds of resistance against those in power.

If the government allows and condones all vices, vices, and incentives to criminal behavior, and then talks about religion, improving the conditions of the poor and working classes, and improving their morals, it is simply mocking people's lack of common sense .

This kind of action and speech is the most boring and stupid way to deceive the public.The public is no longer deceived by such words and deeds, and no one will be deceived in the future by such leaky and meaningless nonsense.

If such conditions are preserved and the country is expected to progress, it is like seeing the rivers and rivers of the world rushing to the ocean day and night, and waiting for the ocean to dry up, which is as stupid and without vision!

Time for change, corrupt politics in constituencies, vote-buying campaigns by MPs, we've had enough of their backroom dealings!

If they don't give us the prohibition of child labor and professional skills education for underage children, we will elect our own members to fight for it!
If they don't give us normal rest days and a maximum working time of ten hours, we elect our own MPs to fight for it!
If they don't give us unemployed worker benefits and a reasonable wage payment mechanism, we will elect our own MPs to fight for it! "

Owen shouted here, and there was a voice from nowhere: "Down with Wellington! Overthrow the Tories!"

This roar instantly ignited the emotions of the workers present. They held up the slogans and repeated the slogans just now filled with righteous indignation.

"Down with Wellington, overthrow the Tories!!!"

I don't know who took the lead, the enthusiastic audience rushed out of Hyde Park, and the police officers of Scotland Yard were also taken aback by them.

They hastily pulled out the civilized guns on their waists, and subconsciously wanted to make a move, but when they recalled the order from the Ministry of Internal Affairs, they finally suppressed the urge to do so.

Under the urgent command of two Scotland Yard inspectors, the police officers followed closely on both sides of the crowd in groups of three and four.

Arthur looked up at the direction where the out-of-control crowd left, and slapped his forehead involuntarily: "Damn it! Are they really going to trouble the Duke of Wellington?"

(End of this chapter)