The Shadow of Great Britain

152: Chapter 109 Owen’s Speech 152: Chapter 109 Owen’s Speech Hyde Park today was slightly different from usual.

Speakers who had arrived especially early looked resentfully toward an area under a maple tree where a makeshift platform had been assembled from a dozen wooden boxes.

Yet despite their complaints, they were compelled to keep their grievances to themselves.

Because everyone knew that among today’s attendees at Hyde Park was one of the most influential social activists in all of Great Britain, the owner of the New Lanark Mills, founder of the New Harmony Commune, advocate for juvenile education, and significant initiator of the movements for reduced working hours and days.

At the same time, he was also a steadfast supporter of British labor movement leaders and parliamentary reform—Mr.

Robert Owen.

Although it was still early, the speaker’s corner today had already drawn a crowd of several hundred listeners.

The vast majority of the audience were workers from various parts of London, who, led by union leaders, chanted their demands while holding signs supporting Owen and spontaneously maintained order at the event.

The rest of the audience included factory owners and some prospective parliamentary candidates.

Factory owners attended the speech to glean management insights from Mr.

Owen, as everyone knew his New Lanark Mills had consistently ranked at the forefront in annual output within the industry for many years.

In this factory, where the average working hour was only 10 hours, the per capita output of its workers was actually higher than in most factories averaging 15 hours, a phenomenon that had long drawn the attention of their community, seemingly defying common manufacturing sense.

The young aspirants to Parliament planned to emulate Owen’s oratorical skills.

After all, it was not common these days for a single speech to cause nearby traffic to come to a standstill.

Meanwhile, outside Hyde Park, officers from Scotland Yard had taken their places early, maintaining a safe distance from the audience to avoid provoking any excessive confrontational sentiments.

The Greater London Police Department was always fully prepared for such scenarios.

Superintendent Rowan had even issued the latest orders from the Home Office during a routine meeting earlier—that closer to the elections, one must be cautious with social activists like Robert Owen.

Of course, the Home Office’s issuance of such orders was not wholly out of concern for public safety—they certainly had some ulterior motives.

If a group incident were to erupt before the elections, it would be an unbearable burden for the dying Wellington Cabinet.

Thus, rather than focusing on what Robert Owen planned to say, the primary task for Arthur, who was on duty in plainclothes, was to ensure order at the venue so that both Mr.

Owen and the audience could safely conclude the speech.

Arthur glanced around, slightly lowered his wide-brimmed hat, and asked Tom, who was also in plainclothes beside him, “Are all people accounted for?”

Tom looked somewhat nervous.

He knew that being exposed in this sort of situation could lead to a severe beating at the least.

He whispered back, “About what we estimated earlier, most of the audience are organized by unions.

According to the information sent back by our informants planted in the various workers’ associations, there are 147 people from the London Textile Workers’ Association, 112 from the London Dockworkers’ Association, 133 from the General Union of London Construction Workers, and about 300 more from various smaller associations combined.

The rest are mostly people who casually decided to join in on the excitement; they shouldn’t cause much trouble.”

Arthur nodded slightly.

“Keep a close watch on the larger associations, after all, no one knows if there are troublemakers sent by the Whig Party specifically to stir things up.

But according to the temperament of the Whig Party, they are unlikely to send people to Mr.

Owen’s speech.

After all, most factory owners are on their side, and Mr.

Owen’s proposals are clearly incompatible with them.”

Just as Arthur finished speaking, a thunderous applause suddenly erupted around him, with everyone straining so intensely that it was as if they didn’t care even if their hands broke.

“Good morning, friends of the public!”

A middle-aged gentleman with grey hair in a black suit overcoat took the stage.

He swept his gaze over the audience and enthusiastically began, “It is a pleasure to see my friends from the workforce here, as well as all of you factory owners who have provided numerous job opportunities to society.

If you wish to learn from my experience in factory management, then remember the following words.

I believe you all have realized the benefits of a sturdy, well-designed, perfectly manufactured machine in the long-term process of production and operation.

If good maintenance can enhance the efficiency of inanimate machines, then what can’t be accomplished if you devote the same energy to caring for living workers, whose complexity far surpasses that of any machine?

Reduce working hours, provide spacious accommodations, green the factory environment, establish some leisure clubs for workers.

Moreover, remember not to employ young children, but provide them with proper vocational training.

If they are well educated, could you still worry about not having highly skilled technicians to employ in the future?”

As Owen finished speaking, another wave of cheers erupted from beneath the stage.

Arthur raised his arm and exclaimed, “I am here today not to satisfy boring and useless vanity.

I stand before you all to fulfill a solemn and extremely important mission.

What I value is not to win everyone’s favor or future fame.”

“The only motive that governs my actions is the hope to see you and all fellow citizens everywhere actually enjoying the immense happiness bestowed upon us by nature.

This has been my lifelong, unchanging desire until death.”

The suffering, poverty, and miserable conditions presently afflicting the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland are more severe than any the centuries past have ever actually experienced!

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland has never had so many conditions that could relieve all its people from such suffering, degradation, and danger!

From 1781 to 1830, our country’s consumption of cotton in the textile industry grew fiftyfold.

By 1820, our country’s production of pig iron had already accounted for 40% of the world’s total, and coal production had reached 75%.

Yet, has the rapidly soaring economic data benefited our vast British public?

Our current rulers have not yet proposed any viable solutions to permanently relieve thousands who are struggling in poverty.

These rulers have not utilized the power and practical knowledge at their disposal to distribute the country’s abundant conditions, freeing the people from ignorance and evil, both of which are sources of all existing maladies.

I often say that a country cannot be strong if it supports a large part of its working class in idle poverty or engages them in meaningless work.

A country, if filled with pubs and all the temptations of public gambling, will inevitably become incompetent and useless or turn to wrongdoing, crimes, and harm to others.

Consequently, strict, harsh, and unfair punishments must be employed, followed by the public’s dissatisfaction, resentment, and various forms of resistance towards the rulers.

If the government allows and condones all vices, bad deeds, and criminal motivations while talking grandly about religion, about improving the lives and morals of the poor and the working class, it’s simply mocking the people’s lack of common sense.

Such actions and statements are the most foolish ways to deceive the public.

The public is no longer deceived by these words and deeds, and in the future, such blatantly flawed and meaningless nonsense will deceive no one.

If such conditions are allowed to continue while hoping for national progress, it’s as foolish and short-sighted as waiting for the sea to dry up while rivers continuously flow into it day and night!

It’s time for change.

We’ve had enough of the corrupt politics in constituencies, and the MPs’ briberies in their elections!

We’ve had enough of their backroom deals!

If they do not grant us a ban on child labor and vocational education for minors, we will elect our MPs to fight for it!

If they do not give us normal rest days and a maximum ten-hour work period, we will elect our own MPs to fight for it!

If they do not provide unemployment relief and a reasonable wage payment mechanism for our workers, we will elect our own MPs to fight for it!”

Owen shouted this when suddenly from somewhere came a cry: “Down with Wellington!

Overthrow the Tory Party!”

The shout instantly ignited the emotions of the workers present; they raised their banners, each one fervently repeating the slogans just announced.

“Down with Wellington, overthrow the Tory Party!!!”

Whoever led the charge, the fervent audience surged out of Hyde Park.

The Scotland Yard officers, seeing this, were also taken aback.

They hurriedly pulled out their batons with the intent to react, but when they recalled the orders from the Home Office, they ultimately suppressed the impulse to act.

Under the urgent command of two Police Superintendents from Scotland Yard, officers grouped in threes and fives, following closely on either side of the crowd.

Arthur looked up in the direction of the uncontrollable crowd departing, involuntarily slapped his forehead and said, “Damn!

They aren’t really planning to trouble Duke Wellington, are they?”