''The Bee-Hive'' was a

trade union A trade union (labor union in American English), often simply referred to as a union, is an organization of workers intent on "maintaining or improving the conditions of their employment", ch. I such as attaining better wages and benefits ( ...

ist

journal A journal, from the Old French ''journal'' (meaning "daily"), may refer to: *Bullet journal, a method of personal organization *Diary, a record of what happened over the course of a day or other period *Daybook, also known as a general journal, a ...

published weekly in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

between 1861 and 1878. ''The Bee-Hive'' was established in 1861 by George Potter, with professional

journalist A journalist is an individual that collects/gathers information in form of text, audio, or pictures, processes them into a news-worthy form, and disseminates it to the public. The act or process mainly done by the journalist is called journalism ...

George Troup as editor and

Robert Hartwell Robert John Hartwell (1810 – 1875) was a British radical trade unionist and newspaper editor. Hartwell worked as a compositor, and in his spare time occasionally wrote newspaper articles. In this role, he took part in the "War of the Unsta ...

as the main contributor. Cooperative Society activist

Lloyd Jones Lloyd Jones or Lloyd-Jones may refer to: People Sports * Lloyd Jones (athlete) (1884–1971), American athlete in the 1908 Summer Olympics *Lloyd Jones (figure skater) (born 1988), Welsh ice dancer *Lloyd Jones (English footballer) (born 1995), En ...

was a leader writer for the ''Bee-hive''. It advocated

strike action Strike action, also called labor strike, labour strike, or simply strike, is a work stoppage caused by the mass refusal of employees to Labor (economics), work. A strike usually takes place in response to grievance (labour), employee grievance ...

and supported the New Model Trade Unions of the 1860s and had been set up to support the builders' struggle which had started in 1858. It was swiftly adopted as the official journal of the

London Trades Council The London Trades Council was an early labour organisation, uniting London's trade unionists. Its modern successor organisation is the Greater London Association of Trades (Union) Councils History Leading figures in the London trade union mov ...

(LTC), but by 1862 only had a circulation of 2700, and had led to Potter accumulating debts of £827. Some members of the LTC complained that the ''Bee-Hive'' gave its support too unreservedly to strike action, with

Robert Applegarth Robert Applegarth (26 January 1834 – 13 July 1924) was a prominent British trade unionist and proponent of working class causes. Biography Robert Applegarth was born in Hull in England. His father was the captain of a whaling brig. He spent a ...

accusing Potter of being a "manufacturer of strikes". Potter defended the policy by arguing that each strike had been judged as necessary by a trade union, and therefore deserved the full support of the ''Bee-Hive''. The support of London labour groups was split between the London Trades Council leadership (known as the Junta) and Potter's supporters who feuded furiously. In particular there was great animosity between George Howell and Potter which resulted in the exclusion of supporters of the Bee-Hive from the early meetings of the

Reform League The Reform League was established in 1865 to press for manhood suffrage and the ballot in Great Britain. It collaborated with the more moderate and middle class Reform Union and gave strong support to the abortive Reform Bill 1866 and the success ...

and frequent outbursts in the Bee-Hive against the

and Howell. Howell wrote about Potter and Hartwell in a letter to

Edmond Beales Edmond Beales (1803–1881) was the President of the Reform League and was a central figure in the 19th century British reform movement. Biography Edmond Beales was the son of Samuel Pickering Beales, a merchant of Newnham, Cambridgeshire and was ...

:- "''They live on slander and falsehood. They slandered good Mr. Lincoln. They slandered Mr. Gladstone. They have inserted the Trade slanders against Mr. Bright. In fact, who have they not slandered? I leave them in contempt and disgust.''" Beales became exasperated by the disruptive effect the scurrilous attacks were having on the Reform movement and resented the need to refute Hartwell's misrepresentation of the facts. Applegarth lead an investigation into the ''Bee-Hive''s reporting in 1865, and accused Potter of personal dishonesty and maladministration regarding the journal's coverage of an industrial dispute in North

Staffordshire Staffordshire (; postal abbreviation Staffs.) is a landlocked county in the West Midlands region of England. It borders Cheshire to the northwest, Derbyshire and Leicestershire to the east, Warwickshire to the southeast, the West Midlands Cou ...

. As a result, the ''Bee-Hive'' ceased to be the LTC's official journal and Potter lost his seat on the executive board. Potter went on to establish the London Working Men's Association (LWMA), with the ''Bee-Hive'' as its official journal. The journal continued to advocate rights for trade unions and supported the more radical members of the

Liberal Party The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left. __TOC__ Active liberal parties This is a li ...

. Potter took up editing of the ''Bee-Hive'', but it sold poorly and was only saved from

bankruptcy Bankruptcy is a legal process through which people or other entities who cannot repay debts to creditors may seek relief from some or all of their debts. In most jurisdictions, bankruptcy is imposed by a court order, often initiated by the debtor ...

when Samuel Morley (a

Liberal Liberal or liberalism may refer to: Politics * a supporter of liberalism ** Liberalism by country * an adherent of a Liberal Party * Liberalism (international relations) * Sexually liberal feminism * Social liberalism Arts, entertainment and m ...

MP) and Daniel Platt bought up shares in the newspaper in June 1868. During 1870 Rev. Henry Solly, the veteran founder of working men's clubs and institutes, took over as editor and introduced a less radical tone. Articles such as "Men who have Risen", "The Origin of Prussian Greatness" and the ultra-submissive "Letters to Statesman" were typical of this time. In early 1871 Platt ran into financial difficulties and Solly departed as editor. Potter returned, albeit in a more sober guise. A thawing between Potter and Howell took place and from 1871 Howell became a frequent contributor to the ''Bee-Hive''. In 1877 the ''Bee-Hive'' changed its name to the ''Industrial Review''. In late 1878 it was on the verge of collapse and Potter offered Howell co-partnership and full editorial control if he could raise £150. The ''Bee-Hive'' had been a losing proposition for nearly a decade so no-one could be found who was willing to put up the money. It was subsequently declared bankrupt, with debts of over £2000. Potter attempted to continue his business by publishing political pamphlets and biographies but this too ended in failure. The natural successor to the ''Bee-Hive'' was ''

The Labour Standard The Labour Standard was a short-lived trade unionist newspaper in London, published between May 1881 and July 1885. It described itself as 'the recognised industrial journal of the organised trades of the United Kingdom'. The paper's initial edit ...

'' which was published from 1881 to 1885.

Editors

:1861:

George Troup George McIntosh Troup (September 8, 1780 – April 26, 1856) was an American politician from the U.S. state of Georgia. He served in the Georgia General Assembly, U.S. House of Representatives, and U.S. Senate before becoming the 32nd Governor ...

:1863:

:1870:

Henry Solly Henry Solly (17 November 1813 – 27 February 1903) was an English social reformer.Alan Ruston, �Solly, Henry (1813–1903)��, '' Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'', Oxford University Press, 2004 , accessed 18 April 2010. William Bever ...

:1871: George Potter

References

David Kynaston David Thomas Anthony Kynaston (; born 30 July 1951 in Aldershot) is an English historian specialising in the social history of England. Early life and education Kynaston was educated at Wellington College, Berkshire and New College, Oxford, fr ...

. ''King Labour''. George Allen & Unwin. London. 1976 * F.M.Leventhal. ''Respectable Radical''. Weidenfeld & Nicolson. London. 1971 * S. MacCoby. ''English Radicalism 1853-1886''. George Allen & Unwin Ltd. London. 1938 * D. Mares. 'Die englischen Publikationsorgane der IAA'. MEGA-Studien 1998/2, pp. 24–48. * J. P. Parry. 'Democracy and Religion: Gladstone and the Liberal Party 1867-1875'

External link

Record of Karl Marx’s Speech Concerning the “Bee-Hive” Newspaper
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bee-Hive, The 1861 establishments in the United Kingdom 1878 disestablishments in the United Kingdom Weekly magazines published in the United Kingdom Defunct political magazines published in the United Kingdom Labour movement in the United Kingdom Magazines established in 1861 Magazines disestablished in 1878