LAW IN POLITICS. 385 



sure which does not stand in some clear relation 

 to pre-existing laws, that Sir Robert Peel's bill was 

 limited strictly to the regulation of the labour of 

 Apprentices. Children and young persons who 

 were not Apprentices might be subject to the 

 same evils, but for them no remedy was asked or 

 provided. The notion was, that as Apprentices 

 were already under Statutory provisions, and were 

 subjects of a legal contract, it was permissible 

 that their hours of labour should be regulated by 

 positive enactment. But the Parliament which 

 was familiar with restrictions on the products of 

 labour, and with restrictions of monopoly on labour 

 itself — which restrictions were for the purpose of 

 securing supposed economic benefits, would not 

 listen to any proposal to regulate " free " la- 

 bour for the purpose of avoiding even the most 

 frightful moral evils. These evils, however great 

 they might be, were the result of " natural laws," 

 and were incident to the personal freedom of Em- 

 ployers and Employed. In the case of Appren- 

 tices, however, it was conceded that restriction 

 might be tolerated. And so through this narrow 



door the first of the Factory Acts was passed. 



2 B 



