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TO THE NATIONAL ASSEMBLY.
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Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software. The text has not been manually corrected and should not be relied on to be an accurate representation of the item.
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Gentlemen , It this week becomes my painful , but imperative dutrto defend raygelf against several charges which have heen made against me in the National Assembly , and , in doing so , I shall strictly confine myself to the points upon which we are at issue , and I shall abstain i ' rem the usa of a single expression calculated to widen the breach , or to give a triumph to those who have ever looked upon the disunion of the People ' s friends as the triumph of
oppression . Gentlemen , if I thought that I deserved even the slightest censure from those to whose service I have devoted my life , I should adopt the manly course of confession , and expressing Tegret—but , upon the other hand , if I lost my self-respect by purchasing forbearance or forgiveness at the expense of truth , conscience , and principle , I should esteem myself dishonoured and degraded .
Gentlemen , I was perfectly aware that the mind and circumstances which are now operating upon all the States of Europe , would be wafted to this enquiring country—a country ever thirsting for knowledge , and , unfortunately , but justly , looking to foreign changes as the means of producing domestic reformsand I was not only aware , but I was hopeful , that these circumstances would infuse new blood into the drooping body of Chartism ; and I was not only prepared , but I longed to see this devotion and enthusiasm manifested in our ranks , while , at the same time , I was fearful and apprehensive lest the flood should be too sudden and rapid .
Gentlemen , if the cause of Chartism had drooped from the year 1842 to the period of the French Revolution , it was not my £ iulfc but when that circumstance gave vitality to the cause of Democracy , it then became my duty , and the duty of those with whom I have acted , to turn it to the speediest and best account ; and that we did by summoning a representation oftnVCnlLttist body at the earliest possible period . Thus , without much prolixity , I lead you from that period when Chartism was last struck down by oppression , to the hour of its resurrection ; and I now come to the matter , not in dispute between us , fbut to the matter upon which you . would condemn me , unheard and untried .
Gentlemen , I take it that the whole question at issue between us , is the fact of my having published an opinion adverse to the meeting of the National Assembly , having previously g iven my assent to the proposition . Now I shall not rest my defence upon a quibble , because I am prepared to join isgue ; but if I were inclined to base itjupon good substantial graunds , I might say that the very fact of the whole body of English Trades , as well as ninetenths of the shopkeepers of England , having adopted our principles since the 10 th , would have justified me in recommending the
postponement of the National Assembly until the improved mini of these recruits would have insured us a fairer and even a more extensive representation of Chartist opinions . And I wish you to bear in mind , when you speak of my recommendation to obey the law , this fact , that my recommendation went to the extent of asking you to keep within the limits of the law until the alliance was made so strong and powerful as to defy the law's technicality ; but if I am to be . dealt with by the same measure of justice that tyrants have administered to me , I place my defence upon bolder and more
unequivocal grounds . Thi ? is my defence—That , so help me God , I was not aware of the number of which the National Assembly was to consist at the time the previous Convention was sitting ; and I think that I shall be able to convince all reasonable menof this fact , and this is my proof—that , from the period of the issuing of the Government proclamation to suppress the meeting and the procession on the 10 th , and the hourly communications I received of the intentions of the Government and the
" Specials , " and the subsequent treatment that I received throughout the week in the House of Commons—these circumstances , I say , did not merely excite me but very nearly drove me mad . My " visits to the Convention were hurr ied , and the Executive will do me the justice to gay , that I placed my name at their disposal , and " placed my honour in their keeping , but that I had not time to attend any one of their meetings , although their every act is stamped with my entire approbation .
Now , there is my unequivocal deience to the charge which has been trumped up against me , and I ask no mercy at your hands , bat I claim justice . It has been my pride to establish a tribunal to which the accused may appeal with a certainty of receiving justice , and to that tribunal , if you still charge me , after my reiterated declaration , I now appeal . There is more Chartism—more watchful , just , and jealous Chartism—in Manchester , than will be found in any town in England , or in the world ; and I will change the venue to that town . I will appear in the People ' s Institute ia person , and will defend myself against any and every charge that can be brought against my public
or private character , from the hour I joined your ranks to this moment . And as private Integrity and honour is not consistent with political profligacy , I shall be prepared to submit my balance sheet of the People ' s Money to the same tribunal ; and if I am not honourably and unanimously acquitted of any charge that may be preferred against me , I will abandon the proud position that I hold . But nsither tyranny , conspiracy , or oppression shall alter my individual purpose ; for if I cease to possess that confidence requisite for a leader , I will not part with that zeal and resolution which will enable me to discharge my individual duties , to a cause that is dearer to me than life .
Gentlemen , you have a great advantage ' over me , because you know , in your souls , that conscious innocence would prevent me from joining the ranks of the oppressor—you know that I am not like other men , who would make p ique or injustice a justification for desertion —you knotr , in your souls , that , sustained by the silent monitor , I would live down oppression , and though some , perhaps measuring me by themselves , have dared to say that I was preparing for the Treasury Benches , I tell you , and you know it , that , though oppressed by you , I would rather crack stones on the road than accept of place , pension , or emolument in the enemy ' s camp . Mv democracy is
not the common democracy . My democracy has been imbibed with my mother ' s ; milk—it has grown with my growth , and become flesh of my flesh , and bone of my bone . And now , mark me , when I tell you , that , though writing under feelings of strong and natural excitement , I am prepared to prove my obedience to popular representation—and I do not deny that the Assembly is a representation of the Chartist mind—and I am prepared , in my individual capacity , not only to recommend , but to assist in carrying out , the principles adopted by the majority . And . Gentlemen , allow me to tell you more , that , though unsustained by cheers , I will venture to assert that there is not an
individual in that Assembly , or in England , whe is prepared to make a bolder or more determined stand for the People ' s Charter , than I am . Gentlemen , if j ou commune with yourselve ? , and ask yourselves whether you see just grounds for your denunciation of me , I think precedent will show you , as in the case of Henry Hunt , that reflection , though sometimes tardy , coming , as it did in his case , after death , will do justice to those whom , in their fury , the enthusiastic destroyed .
Gentlemen , no false policy ever drives me from what I consider to be a safe position ; and I still maintain , and will still urge my opinion , wliick is , that , even yet . a National Assembly , representing all classes—and so much of the industrial mind of this country as the law ' s technicality dare not oppress — should be called ; and I still hold to my former opinion
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—for I will not purchase toleration at the expense of my honour—I still hold , that the present Assembly should pave the way for a grand national representation of the whole industrial mind , by propounding wise and discreet labour measures , calculated to convince all that the Charter alone is capable of making them national , and , therefore , worth living for and worth dying for . Gentlemen , cast your eyes around , and see what benefit the Prussian Revolution has conferred upon the Prussian labourer ; tnd watch ,
with an anxious eye , what the result to labour will be ' . from the deliberations of the French National Assembly . The Labour question is not settled there yet : The aristocracy of this country are exhausting their treasure to effect what the British Minister effected in 1793 , namely , a counter-revolution . For these reasons , having nursed this infant when many of you were in petticoats , 1 have resolved upon being prepared with a plug that would 6 top the hole made by progression before tbevessel sinks .
My pride has ever been , that England is better prepared for a free constitution than any country in the world ; but my conviction is , that any lapse of time between the destruction of the old and the adoption of the new system , is fatal to the cause of Democracy . Gentlemen , did you ever take this view of the question ? Did you ever consider that , up to the 10 th of April , Chartism was looked upon with dread , with horror , and alarm ? And that , from that period , notwithstanding the
boastful addresses of " specials ' ' to the throne , the justice of Chartism now fills every mouth . And I will again ask you , in the name of God and common sense , shall the millions of recent converts be scared by folly , imprudence , and impetuosity ? When thousands are now beginning to argue the justice of every principle of the Charter , shall they be scared and turned from , us by their attention being directed to what the Press would point out as the terror and lewdness ot Chartism .
Gentlemen , I have often told you that I would live to take the stink off Chartism ; and although you would now denounce the Northern Star , do you think that the new converts , of whose assiduity you boast , report your pro « ceedings for love of your principles ? Ah your reproach of that organ , for which I have suffered , and of which the people have received , the profits , is unmanly , ungenerous , and unjust .
Gentlemen , if I had been a trafficking politician , I have had many opportunities of making fortunes without the dread of slander or persecution . And to prove to you that I am not a profit-mongering newspaper proprietor , let me remind you that I edited the True Sun newspaper without fee or reward , when pO _ verty had emptied its exchequer , and th edited the Evening Star , for eight w noie months , never receiving or looking for a far . thing ; and , although I received dail y assurances that its fresher news was destroying the circulation of the Northern Star , my answer was " So much the better , if it quickens our pace ; " and I never withheld my services for a day until that paper became a Tory organ , and then I abandoned it .
Gentlemen , the treatment of Smith O'Brien , Mitchel , and Meagher , at Limerick , convinces me of the danger in which popular leaders place themselves when a people are divided and yet , I think that those who witnessed the siege in the Hall of Science , in Manchester , in 1842 , will say that it was not a less ferocious and murderous attack , than that so brutally made upon those three gentlemen .
Gentlemen , will you have the kindness to inform me , whether you , or any one of you , imagine that you have a more anxious or lively interest in the success of Chartism than I have ? Da you think of it as continuousl y and as deeply as I do ? And do you think that , if I had been present in the National Assembly , I would have allowed any one delegate to attack an absent man ?
Gentlemen , you leok for liberty , and desire to destroy oppression ; but in my absence even the House of Commons would not allow me to be traduced , although , when present , I felt the full measure of their indignation . You say that you wall establish another paper and depose me ; the one you need not take the trouble of doing , because , if a National Assembly is called , which will defy terror , 1 will make them a present of the North ern Star , and
will be content to bear the lion ' s share of the danger which the Treason Act may impose upon the proprietor . And as to deposing me , I defy you , until you dishonour me , and that you shall never do . No ; 1 shall adopt the rule which I have recommended to all the labouring classes , to ask themselves , — " What is Feargus O'Connor ? " or , " What can he or any other man do for us ? "We must put our own shoulders to the wheel . "
Gentlemen , you are welcome to put another on the box , but I will have hold of a-spoke , and my shoulder to the wheel , in spite of you , for surely you do not think that I am made of that base metal that your vengeance could turn into counterfeit ? There are few instances of insulted men adhering steadfastly to their principles ; but I assure you that if you passed a unanimous vote of censure upon me I will never join any party but the veritable
Democracy . You must ^ do me' the justice to admit , that from the year ] 837 to the present hour I have been endeavouring to enlist the co-o |> eration of the trades and the shopkeepers , and that at last I have accomplished it ; and that one portion of my fear , in your taking a step beyond the law until this union was complete , was lest you should enable the more moderate party to
crimp those new recruits , upon the plea of Chartist violence and folly . Aad I tell you now , that just as the Old Irelanders and Young Irelanders are at deadly war in Ireland ; and as the Communists ' and the government are at war in France ; so will the middle classes , who are now organising their new Reform agitation , endeavour to create two classes of working men—one they will call the enlightened , peaceful Reformers , the other , the Chartist
Destructives . Now , Gentlemen , I do not want to give them this handle , because I am as convinced as 1 am of my existence , that if we surrender ONE BRISTLE OF THE HOG , or change the animal's name , that the animal , bristles and all , will be instantly buried in the same tomb , and the leaders would use the intellectual lovers of peace to coerce the Government into a reduction of taxation , and which you wonld be told was the Charter .
Gentlemen , I believe that Joseph Sturge is a thoroughly honest man . So are Muntz , and Scholefield , Sharman Crawford , and several others ; and all that we require to augment that force in the House of Commons , is tiie strong and united pressure from without ; bnt if that pressure comes in changeable breezes , instead of a general hurricane , then will there be a justification within for " bating " a portion of the demand .
Gentlemen , it is as clear to me as the sun that now shine ? , that nothing but folly or indiscretion can postpone the accomplishment of the People ' s Charter for a few weeks ; and , in the midst of your censure , I was consoled by a letter from my leader ( Mr Duncombe ) , approving of my " policy , aiad conveying to me , and to you , the * ; cheering intelligence tbat he
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hopes to be in his place in parliament in three weeks ;' and then , gentlemen , I shall be able to prove to the world that I can be as zealous as a follower as I have been independent as a leader . Gentlemen , when I opposed the sacred holiday in ' 39 , 1 was very copiously abused , and so was the Northern Star , but when reason resumed its dominion , my censors were the first to apologise . So in 1840 , when I was sent for at a moment ' s notice to take the command of Mr
Bussey ' s army , those who reviled me , soon did me justice ; and my consolation in the midst of my every trial has been , that the people are " seldom wrong , and never very long wrong . And now allow me to ask you , in sad and sober earnest , whether in the course of your political career you have any of you heard of so slight » charge leading to so much acrimonious abuse . If I had fattened upon you , deserted you , and betrayed you , you could not have been more unsparing of your censure .
Gentlemen , there was another circumstance which impressed upon my mind the necessity of postponing the National Assembly , and it ie this . —That we should not be mocked for our poverty , but that the people should have an exchequer capable of enabling them to support their representatives in respectability ; and even atthefcasard of still further exciting your wrath , what I now recommend would be , that d its
the present Assembly should propoun social , as well as its political reforms , and that when thoroughly digested , the Assembly should be divided into two ' s , and sent as missionaries with those tracts for sale , and to lecture on their several circuits , andjthen to name a day , when the country is prepared . for the gathering of the National Assembly , which would represent shopkeepers , trades , operatives , and all labourers .
Gentlemen , perhaps I may be told that this is a dilatory plea . I assure you , however , that if done , and well done , neither this nor any other Government could resist the constitutional pressure of such a power ; but there may be some who are tired of agitating—if there is one who ought to be , I think I am that one , aud yet I never tire when I see my way before me , or when it is necessary to remove obstacles out of it . Gentlemen , as you are so generous of your censure , why have you not censured my conduct in the House of Commons ? However , it
is my consolation to know , that from all parts of the country I receive affectionate letters , which sustain me against the ungenerous impressions you have allowed to hurry you into unmerited reproach . Gentlemen , if you are tired of agitating ,.. am not ; and it is my intention , when I shall have located the occupants at Snig ' s End , to visit , as an individual—not as your leaderevery town in England , Scotland , and Wales , for the mere purpose of sustaining Chartism , and of supplying the Chartist exchequer , withoat which all agitations and assemblies are imperfect .
I am aware that in these times , when thrones are dissolving , crowns falling , and sceptres crumbling , that the miniature may be pleasing to many . Nothing can be more true than the saying of Lord Barrymore , " That one enemy can do you more harm than a thousand friends can do you good ; " and it is my pride to know that all my enemies , and their name is Legion , have been created by my devotion to ^ the people ' s cause . And now , Gentlemen , in conclusion , I have to assure you that you have , through some mistaken notion , attached a false meaning to my advice—that I fully accord your right to censure when I am wrong—but I plead my own right for trial before
condemnation . And , however you may attempt to provoke collision , I am resolved that I shall give no cause for dissension in the popular ranks , because , if reduced from my commission tomorrow , I will again fall into the ranks ; and as'discipline , duty , and devstion , secured my promotion before—though I am now older—I will obey your leader ' s word of command , but he must be sound-hearted , prompt , and longtegged , or I shall walk over him , and for my service may again be entitled to at least a sergeant ' s place . Gentlemen , I never seek the battle , nor shun it when it comes . The Press has made a feast of your abuse of me ; but while the jeering enemy may live upon the fragments , my conscience shall sustain me . AND THE
PEOPLE WILL SUPPORT ME . Gentlemen , I am told tbat some Delegate said " Let him stick to the Land . He is not a fit leader for us . " Yes ; when you have your rights , I will stick to the Land : and I tell you , that ^ but for the Land 1 would not give you a fig for the Charter to-morrow ; and 1 tell you that it is your duty , and it ought to be j'our pride , to instruct the labouring classes in the value of the Land , and all other social reforms , without which political change is a mockery , a delusion , and a snare . Let those who scoff go to the Land , and ask those whom 1 have taken out of the house of bendage , and into whose cheek 1 have infused the blush of
joy , if they would go back again into their murky dens ? If those questions have been beneath the consideration of all former Demagogues , who look to change and depend upon Providence , for the result , I , as a Demagogue , ? shall ever feel proud that I have established the only system , since the world ' s creation , which is capable of enabling the industrious Labourer to live in luxury in the sweat of his own brow ; while it establishes the only standard whereby the value of artificial Labour can be
established . I assure you , Gentlemen , that however you may scoff , that , though far away , my spirit and my mind are hovering over those loved spots , and would to God that those who revile and speak slightingly of them saw them , and made their increase the ground-work of political agitation . Gentlemen , if it is your wish that I shall cease to hold the office oi leader , say so , and
say it like men ; and as I consider you a fair representation of the Chartist mind , I shall bow to that decision , and shall once more fall into the Chartist ranks ; but , for God ' s sake , do not make censure of me the daily food of the enemy ; be more dignified . Let those who have recently joined our ranks have confidence in your prudence , your courage , and your zeal , and adopt a nobler ^ heme thnn the deposition of a too-old leader for the new blood of
Chartism . / % /¦ Gentlemen , fpii suffered much in health ; nevertheless , asl stated to the Executive , when I arrived ip town on Tuesday night , that I would go to the Assembly on Wednesday morning though not elected , more mature reflection told me that if I propounded any policy which should be rejected , and if the bar p ies of the law sought to take vengeance upon
the Assembl y , then , ; is in the case of others at Lancaster , the rejection of my policy might have been urged against those who refused to accede to it , and I did not wish to be praised for moderation at the expense of the younger and more enthusiastic Chartists . Moreover , [ feared the effect of the excitement , as I had been spitting blood for some days , and , when unjustly charged , I felt convinced that I shouid lose my reason and self-possession .
^ Gentlemen , in conclusion , this shall terminate my correspondence upon the subject ; and when I retire to my solitude , and away from the busy haunts ofiman , I shall read the indict-
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ment upon which I have been convicted with a scrutinising eye , as anxious to discover your justice as my . own innocence . -But to whatever situation of life it shall plewe God to ; call me , my prayers shall be for " The Charter and No Surrender / ' and my services , though politically reviled , shall , if trusted , be devoted to the location of Nature ' s children upon Nature ' s soil ; and , in my conscience , I believe it was , and still is , j n the power of a National Assembly so to enforce the Land System as to make it National instead of Sectional .
Notwithstanding the differences that have arisen between us , 1 subscribe myself , as ever and for ever . Your devoted , faithful , unpurchasable , and forgiving friend , Feargus O'Connor ,
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TO THE CHAIRMAN OF THE MEETING TO-BE HELD ON TUESDAY EVENING AT DEAN-STREET .
Sir , —Haying learned by the merest chance that a meeting is to take p lace on Tuesday night , at Dean-street , for the purpose of hearing some complaint from some one as to my management of the Land Company ' saffairs ; and being iesolvgd that no man shall damage tbat Compkny or my character with , impunity f I have sent all my foremen—Mr Jones , the
contractor for building houses ; Mr Doyle , manager , under my direction , in my absence ; Mr Cunningham , who has been my overseer from the' commencement ; Mr King , bailiff ; Mr Ross , carpenter ; Mr Jones , plasterer ; Mr Moody , carpenter , who has been with me since the commencement ; and Mr M'Gowan , who has received and banked the money—to be examined by the meeting , and now allow me to make a few observations .
Englishmen , you vapour when your rights are invaded , but do you call it acting upon what you call the principle of old English fair play to allow a gentleman and his servants to be charged behind their backs , and to proceed to try them in their absence . It was by the merest chance I heard of tba conspiracy , and only through secret letters written to my workmen ; but I have gone to the expense of sending every witness to London , -. ¦¦ „ ^ n speak to every question connected with the management of the Land Company ' s affairs .
1 should be present myself , but for the following reasons : —Firstly , lest my presence should be supposed to influence a single opinion . Secondly , I am not just now in that state cf health which would warrant me in undergoing much excitement , and I do confess that such treachery and deceit might deprive me of the necessary self-control . This plan I have established for the poor , not for the vultures who would live upon the carcase . It is a well known and an admitted fact , that society ' s money , to be expended on labour , is considered fair game for all who condescend to live upon it ; and the man who is bold or tyrannical enough to interpose is a despot .
Now , I fearlessly and proudly challenge mortal man to point out one single instance of improper economy , which 1 have observed in the management and expenditure of this sacred fund , and 1 defy the sceptic or the censor to prove the misapplication of one farthing of it . I have adopted the present course , not for the satisfaction of the disappointed , but for the satisfaction of the members , to whom I am alone accountable . Lord Barrymore had a saying , " tbat one enemy can do a man more harm than a thousand friends can do him good . ' ' -
It is my pride , however , to be able to meet the slander of the enemy with the well-merited confidence of my friends ; and I should hold myself unworthy of that confidence if I failed to meet even the accusation of the enemy . Let me tell you that no man living shall control me , dictate to me , or in any way interfere with me , in the selection of persons who , under me and my direction , shall be engaged in this undertaking ; and , upon my soul ! 1 believe the whole fund would bn swallowed
up in one month if the manager feared the vi tuperation of the disappointed . The greatest difficulty that I have to contend with is to satisfy the unemployed thousands that I cannot find work for , each urging his claim as the most jusfc and reasonalle , and all considering themselves injured if not satisfied ; but 1 will no longer devote every hour of my life to receive only insolence as my reward . I will not apply every farthing of my money to the benefit of a class who will tolerate such
injustice ; and as I am the largest holder of stock in this Company—having about 7001 . in the Bank , for which I will receive no interest , and which shall be left there to the last—and all my own funds going to the Company ' s credit , what I now desire is , that a more competent person shall be appointed as manager . I will make the Company a present of the 700 / ., and nearly 2 QQ 01 . besides . All my accounts shall be settled by competent arbitrators , and then the affairs of the Company may be creditably managed .
A couple of master bui ders , from Hammersmith , were in Jove with the Land Plan , but being disappointed in their attempts to live upon it , attended every meeting to criticise , and became correspondents of 'Lloyd's' and the 'Dispatch . ' Now these are the virtuous indignants I have to deal with . I learn that some one complains that I am eaten up with foremen . I have two , whom you shall hear , and one whom I cannot spare—Mr Bryan—who sees to the horses , and a practical man , whose business it was all the winter to measure the work
of seventeen pair of sawyers , to see to the best application of the timber , and to the proper care of it , and who had 1 / . a week , and saved many a score of pounds each week . Dut now to foremen . If I had J 00 men working in ten di " visions , of ten each , it would well pay me to have a foreman over every division . I will put ten men to work by themselves , and ten under a foreman , and the ten under the foreman will do more work , and better workin
, one day , than the ten others will do in three days ; and for that reason I set all the work that can be done by task , to be done ; and 1 see to its proper performance , reserving twenty-five per cent , until it has been approved of by the Company ' s Surveyor , who is very particular ; and i invariably find that all men like task work best , and that it pays both employer and the employed best , and gives most satisfaction .
i ou can ask the parties I send wheat ] questions you please , but the general questions which I desire to be put are—Do you think tbat a gentleman or tradesman could be more particular in the expenditure of his money than Mr O'Connor has been , in regard to the Land Fund ? How does he make his contracts , and how does he require the work to be performed ? From the mode adopted by Mr O'Connor would it be possible , if so inclined , to defraud the Company of a farthing ? How are the several accounts kept , by whom , and what check has Mr O'Connor over the
foreman , and what check hay Mr O'Connor over the accounts ? How are the men paid , and what wages do they receive , in compariswn with those employed in the neighbourhood ? Havejou ever * known Mr O'Connor
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defrauding , ill-treating , or . 6 aying an unkind word to any man in his employment ? Is he in the habit of capriciously discharging iDien ? Do you think Mr O'Cennor could be more anxious and careful , if the property wfre his own , and if so large a concern belonged' to an individual , could there be less waste ? Do you know whether Mr O'Connor gives the Company credit for every particle of old property sold—and who receives the price of such property—and is a regular account of every shilling kept ? Until Mr O'Connor was returned to Parliament , how much of his time did
he devote to the Company's service ? During the whole of the operations at O'Connorville , was Mr O'Connor on the scaffold with his bricklayers , from six in the morning till six in the evening ? And does he now devote his every hour to the accounts and affairs of the Company ( and on Sundays—and the whole of Sundays ) , when not engaged in Parliament ? Have you known Mr O Connor to pay monies out of bis own pocket never charged to the Company ? Have you seen any mismanagement of the Company's property ? In what state does Mr O'Connor receive the
Land ? And in what state docs he leave it ? And what quantity of manure does he have made in proportion to the amount of land ? I « there care or slovenliness observed about the most rough vvark ? And are old materials not required made ( Be most of * Have you heard thata single one of these questions would be proposed to you by this meeting ? Do you think if Mr O'Connor discharged any man in his employment to-morrow , that one , ' of them could charge him with a single act of neglect , dishonesty , or waste , or one act unbecoming a gentleman ?
Now , such are the questions which I—the accused party—wish to put ; any person is at liberty to ask what further questions he pleases . I shall now state a most extraordinary fact with reference to the funds of this Compasy , and which will be corroborated by ; Mr M'Gowan . It is that I have not seen a fraction of the Company ' s money from the day 1 have
been treasurer to this moment . The Directors pay the nuney to Mr M'Gowan , and Mr M'Gowan pays it into the Bank ; and on no bank , as my books will show , is there a cheque mine for a pound for myself , though all my own money goes to the credit of the Company . Mr M'Gowan will show you the boots , and explain the charge as to the looseness of keeping the Company ' s accounts , than which nothing can be more simple , clear , and
perfect-Now , in conclusion , while I feel a pride , a pleasure , and an honour , in sewing the honest working men , I will not be subject to the insolence , the impertinence , and annoyance of drunken sots , who come amongst my happy family , and give a bad character to the society , by cheating widows and industrious people , running off in their debt , and leaving me to bear all the odium of their dishonesty ; while they have the magnanimity to scrutinise the conduct of all with a virtuous indignation . Release me , then , from all responsibility , or protect me against allrascality . One or other vou must do ; and so wedded am I to this Land
Plan , that if I ceased to carry it out for others , and commenced it upon my own account , in less than five yesirs from this day I would be the richest man in England from my profits as a Land Shopkeeper—buying it wholesale , and selling it retail , with perfect control over my own men , and without insolent interferenceand yet I am fully satisfied to gire my gratuitous labour to the poor . Now , Englishmen , again I must call your attention to the fact of this meeting being got up without one word of notice to me , and to the fact that letters have been written to persons in my employment , to prop up the malcontents . If you tolerate such proceedings , I am no longer fit to be your servant . Feargos O'Connor .
P . S . —I think I might be allowed to enjoy the fruits of my hard winter ' s work upon this May » day , instead of being compelled to travel to Bvomsgrove , and back here at twelve o ' clock at night , after addressing a meeting at Tewkesbury , and then sit up to make this defence against parties who have never had the manliness to complain to my face , nor to give me the slightest intimation of their proposed appeal . Working men , I feel quite insulted by being constantly dragged into these explanationsand , above all , I wish you to ask the complainants , whether they are paid-tip members , or members at all .
Mr Jones plastered , stuccoed , and 6 lated all the houses at Lowbands . Question him as to work and price . He has built nearly all the houses at Snig ' s End . Question him as to work , materials , and price , and ask him if ever he worked for an individual employer who was more particular ; and pray let it not be said that the witnesses are my servants—for , bear in mind , they are the only persons cognizant of the facts , and that what they state will be known to all in my employment . F . O'C .
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to measure the h alf-fimshld work-aad , there- - fore ever since , 1 have let the plastering to 8 " contractor . The flawing is done by contract , and singular to say , from the day that 1 com . menceS o eration ^ at O'Connorville , to the > present hour , 1 Lave never heard a ™ A """ plaint of injustice or harsh treatmeat from any m At Minster Lovel the eighty houses were all taken by working men , all of whom got good wages—not one of whom complained , lhe plastering was done by working men—the slating was done by working men—and tne painting has always been done by working men —that is , working men have had the contracts ; and , I assure you , it was no small puzzle ti > -
keep those separate accounts . At Snig ' s End the houses are all brick . At the Meat , they are nearly all stone . For the brick houses , Mr Jones and Mr Dowling had the contract . For the stone houses , ' Mr Griffiths had the contract . And I am told , that one of Mr Dowling ' s complaints is , that ^ he was not conveniently supplied with mate- , rials , and that the bricks were under water * —the fact being , that he selected the houses directions
thathe would build himself—and my were not to let them stand a minute for materials . And as to the bricks being under water , there were hundreds of thousands landed on the quay , with four feet of water over them ; but I know of no rule in the Land Plan to obviate such a catastrophe « s that . So much for contracts—and now for waste . I believe the only charge in that respect was the burning of some faggots at dinner time , in the winter , for men to eat their dinner by , and to this charge I cheerfully plead guilty , and am only sorry that 1 could not make them more comfortable ; while 1 assure you that , as far as my knowledge goes , there never was
less waste , even in the building of a single house by a private individual—in fact , 1 defy the art of the most artful to charge a Bingle act of waste , negligence , or dishonesty against the management of , the whole affairs ; and all 1 wish is , tbat every man in the . Companycould comeifor a week and see the operations performed , and 1 dare say that it is one of the anomalies of modern times , that , | if 1 fell out to-morrow—and every one feels inclined to fall out with me just now—1 could defy directors , managers , tradesmen , contractors , overseers , or labourers , to charge me with one single act of negligence , " meanness , or dishonesty .
I have always heard " that proffered service stinks / ' and ; I think 1 shall begin to calculate what 1 could make at my own profession , and make the Land Company pay me the same amount of salary , and then , perhaps , they would value my services . There wa 9 no man to whom I was more partial than Mr Dowling , but he must remember that 1 discharged him three times at O'Connorville , for creating confusion amongst tbe bricklayers ; and when he speaks of job work , he must remember that he had 33 s . a week for doing nothing , while those who worked , had 24 s . ; and he must also remember that 1 was quite inclined to pass all that over , and to employ him again at Snig ' s End , and that even there he created confusion .
Now I never mind those little ebullitions , nor did I part with Mr Dowling on bad terms ; but really and truly , neither my health nor my temper will stand those continuous snarlings and carpings about nothing , for I swear before God . and man , that there never was such attention paid to a work of the same magnitude as is paid to the Land Company ' s affaire . And now I ask you , the members , whether you , too , will allow me to be put to this ridiculous expense of bringing seven men from their work to London , and to receive nothing but snarling for my pains . In fact , I don ' t know what planet
is in the ascendant this month , but it appears to be Mars , as every one is fighting with me . However , I look to the country , and to the provincial towns , to furnish me with a shield against the several poisoned arrows that are showered upon me ; and I think tbat no man in my situation ever offered more favourable terms than I do , when I say to all who ar& tired of me— l Give me my discharge—I ask for no wages—I defy you to give me a bad character . I came to you rich—I have spent my all upon you , and if I go about my business , you'll very speedily cry " For God ' s sake , come back to us . "
In these times I really don't know how to subscribe myself , lest my children , too , should have rebelled against me , however , I am , your faithful servant , Feakgus O'Connoh . P . S . You will learn from an advertisement which appears in another part of the paper , that my prediction relative to the Land Plan being taken up by wealthy individuals ha 3 been
realised , and being well acquainted with the nature and situation of the soil , and not being a puffing auctioneer , I can truly say that the advertisement falls slioi't of the tvua description of both land and situation , and a more lovely , more suitable , or richer spot could not have been selected for location ; and I only wish that every proprietor in England would follow the example of our good and excellent friend Mr Allsop . F . O'C .
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TO THE CHARTISTS OF GREAT BRITAIN . COKFERENCE IN DUBLIN .
Brethren , —The more 1 think of a Conference of Five Hundred Chartist Delegates in Dublin the more I value its importance . Such an assemblage ia Dublin , where the popular press , and especially the Freeman ' s Journal , is fully determined to give ample publication to the proceedings , will , in one week , show to the people of Ireland that the only means to their political redemption is to be found in the People ' s Charter . The hearts of the Irish people are set on Repeal . They do not know that the Repeal would do them no good . That after they had the two Houses of
Parliament in College Green their condition would still be the same . They do not know that an Irish parliaraant , with the present constituency , and they contemplate no other , would be to all intents and purposes a landlord parliament , —an exterminating parliament . They do not know this , but that is not their fault . They were cheated by those whom they trusted . They do not know that an Irish parliament , such as they have been led to look for , could re-enact the penal laws ; could pass a law to deprive every Catholic in Ireland of a horse above the value of five pounds , and then , as it did Wefore , taunt him with his poverty . This , though known to their treacherous and deceitful leaders , was kept a secret from them . Come then , my friends , elect
five hundred delegates to teach the Irish people iheir rights . To teach them that their only hope is in tiie C ' iiarter . [ cannot see any difficulty in the way of this great and mighty movement , it is sure to unite in one common bond of amity the people of the two countries ; and thus , by uniting in a righteous cause , overthrow that infernal r-olicy of lhe oligarchy which maintained its power by keeping the people divided ; by sowing hatred and ill-will amongst men on earth . Let us , ray friends , unite and destroy for ever the flagitious policy of those ( lemons . The two missionaries of peace and goodwill , whom your Convention deputed to us , and no men could be better suited to such a holy mission , will inform you that the present , above all others , is the time to teach the Irish people their rights .
1 tarty-two missionaries could be sent from the Conference in D « Win to teach the people simultaneously , in the thirty-two chief or county towns of Ireland . Let these propositions be well considered , and if approved of , acted on with the utmost promptitude . Truly yours , Patrick O'Higgins . Dublin , April 30 th , 1348 .
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Bisuoi' Eonnbk ' s Fields , VicrjRri Pakk . —A Ktyac meeting vviil be held ueat Sunday aft xnoon , a& ihree o ' clock , in this rural district , vrtiich will bo addressed by Messrs May , Sharp , Shaw ^ j M Dpua . lJ , Ernest Joues , and L « ac ! i . —Alsj > at- ' ^ lS-cmnift ;< b £ Willniotf . street , Burbnal-grcpn ltyap \ at $ p ' ftii :-c [ i&k % in tboevening , wiuc ' . i will bz Mifskl ^ m JVM AJi ' acW (?¦ ¦ '*** ike May , and otker advocates—A jij ^ i <^ lrts # , uit" ' -, % meeting will be held un Yu'duw ^ Mp ^ iftiR / JaM 1 ; * " *¦ Kj loth , at the same place . Chair £ a Im&fereire ^ ihfeiji >" ' ' - ^ ojouMk , whea several of the d « left % | Wg $ Jt fe " ^ £ feudal Assembly will attend and a&cew'l ^ h ^ meatffli' ^ *" s . ^ & v -y ^ - VsTfo /
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/ / '/^ tT C C- Jh —^ -z- ^ a—* " ' / j S ,
, , J \
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TO THE MEMBERS OF THE LAND COMPANY . My Friends , The above letter was addressed to the Chairman of the meeting which was held in Deanstreet , on Tuesday evening last , to hear some charges preferred against the management of the Land Company—a meeting that I heard of by the merest chance—but being- resolved in
all money matters and matters of management to afford the fullest opportunity of investigation , 1 sent every man who was engaged in those departments , at my own expense , from Oxfordshire and Gloucestershire , and , singular to say , not an individual , with the exception of Mr Cullingham , the overseer of carpenters , was examined , and who , 1 understand , gave satisfaction ; and , still more singular , the meeting would not hear my letter read , stating that there was no charge whatever against me . 1 think when you consider the old legal
maxim" Ho who acts by another , acts by Wmaelf" you will come to the conclusion that if my servants were charged with waste or mismanagement , that 1 , as the superior , would be responsible , and I never desire to shif t the blame from my own shoulders . The charges , 1 understand , were—Firstly , the contract work was sublet to subcontractors at a Lwer price . And , Secondly , that there , was a waste of materials .
As to the first charge , 1 receive proposals for contracts , the work to be subject to the approval of the surveyor , and twenty-five per cent , to be withheld till the work is completed That is my answer as to my mode of dealin g with the contractor , and 1 know nothing a " s to his mode of dealing , further than this — when 1 contracted with Mr Griffiths for building ^ forty-five stone houses at Lowbands-he
finding ; all materials , and the contract made up ot different items—1 bound him to give the exact amount for mason work to those he employed , that 1 paid him . The 'carpenters all work task-work . At Herringegate 1 attended to the brickhfyers myself , and tried the experiment of letting the plastering and stuccoing to different plasterers , and , without an exception , they every one cheated the Company , and 1 could not pieveptit , as it was impossible
To The National Assembly.
TO THE NATIONAL ASSEMBLY .
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AND NATIONAL TRADES ' . JOURNAL .
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VOL 7 xi 7 n ^ 5 Q . LONDON , SATURDAY , MAY 6 , 1848 . * lvcsuT ^ SSc ^ er
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Citation
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Northern Star (1837-1852), May 6, 1848, page unpag, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/ns/issues/vm2-ncseproduct1469/page/1/
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