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Northern Star (1837-1852), 28th November 1840, Edition 1 of 1, Page 4, Untitled Article

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    • THE NORTHERN STAR. SATURDAY. NOVEMBER 28, 1840.
    • THE OLD DOG FOX UNKENNELED AT LAST.
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      Untitled Article

      FOKEIGN AKD DOMESTIC IKTELLICrENCE , TAKING OF ST . JEAN D * ACRE . ( From the Times . )

      TELEGRAPHIC DESPATCH . " Toulon , Not . 22 , three o ' clock . "The Phoenix British steamer , which arrived at Malta on the 12 th , announces the takine of St . Jean d'Acre . fc This intelligence is given by the captain of the Enrotas . " % Oar Paris correspondent stateB that an insurrectionary movement was expected to hare taken place it Cairo , which wonld extend to Alexandria , and put an end altogether to the power and the reign of Mehemei Ali , and perhaps to his life .

      Thb Pxesidbkt Steam Ship . Liverpool , November " 22 , —Considerable anxiety was manifested to-day amongst the merchants of this pert at the non-arrival of the steam ship President , which was advertised to sail from New York on the 2 d in&s . If she left that city on her appointed day , she has now been oat nineteen days , a longer passage ( homeward ) than has been hitherto made by any Bteuu ship . Liverpool , Nov . 24 . —No foreign arrivals up to ten minutes past ten o ' elock , ~ nor any intelligence of the President up to the same honr . Wreck of the Citt of Bristol Steam-Pacxet .

      —( Further particulars . )—Bristol , Not . 24 . Nine bodies only have as yet been washed on shore—viz . John Stacay , captain ; James Stacey , his nephew ; Richard Wright , second mate ; Thomas GoUewick , third steward ; William Grace , fireman ; Eiwaro Rogers , sailor ; a deck passenger , Dame unknown ; and one fireman and one sailor , not identified . It has been impossible as yet to get any ace -unt of the passengers , bnfc it 13 believed tfeat they were very few . The extent of the calamity cannot , therefore , be yet ascertained . A subscription has been alreadv ommenced for the relief of the widows and orphans .

      The late Fatal Accident ox the Bi&misgham jlnd Gloucester Railway . —The inquest en the body of Scaife was resumed on Monday , and the Jnryreturned the followinf ^ verdict : — " Ws find that Thomas Scaife c ^ me to his death in consequence of the bursting of the boiler cf a locomotive engine called the " Surprise , " the property of Mr . Samuel Aspinal Goddard , by the boiler being constructed of Iron plates which in evidence appeared to have been of insnSeient thickness . Deodand , £ 60 on ihe engina . " Tho investigation iiito tli 6 c&u *© oi Rutherford ' s deaih then succeeded , the Jury returning the same verdict , with the exception of the deodand , which was eniiued .

      Defeat op H . M . 5 . Fatockite . —A quarrel ( according to the Sydney Monitor ) having taken place at Tonga , one of the South Ssa Islands , between the raiives and the missionaries , the former broke off all commuaication with the latter and their converts , and took possession of a fort near the sta . Tc : s fort , Captain Croker , ofH . M . S . Favourite , sitempted to scale . The Captain and two eailors were killed , the first Lieutena . ui and nicet ^ en men wounded , and the rest retreated , leaving their gms aad ammunition behind them .

      Thk Texd&b . Mehcies of Wiuggesy . — "William Thompson , of Chorlt-y , a Charust victim , lately liberated , his sen- , us ihc following acooun ; oi" his treatment in prison : —At first I was taken to Lancaster Castle , and was put into a damp cell , the ceiling of which wss drop-Mng with water , the walls running down with water , the clothing which covered lny bed was covered with water , like dew © a mowed griss . I remained in the same damp cell for five months , sleeping oa the dewy bed ail the while , accord ^ Eg to prison regalsviocs . The consequence of such treatment brought on a very bad state of health , to such a pitch I conld aciiher walk , nor stand ; ptiil i was to have no mercy shown ine , because I u : as a Chartist , till oue morning , when I vm . s coming down stairs from siy bedchamber ( cei ;) i w ;; en I fell head foremost cown stairs , ay feel catching ia tie txa . tr rails ^ I broke

      my ckamber-pct , spilied my urlae , and no doubt 1 should have killed myself—< a circumstance that wouM have pleased your enemies welL >—iad not my feet been canght by the stair rails 5 then , and not till then , was I to be reaeved to a feetter pleck ( place ) . After my remev&l my bad health took another bad torn . My betres were -Sail of severe pains . 1 was removed t « the ho ^ pitai , and there met with worse treatmeat than before . I have been nine days at once without eating or drinking aaything , except now and then a drink of coia water . I was not permitted te enjoy those nourishments which are given te felons > n the same hospitaL While I have been so poorly , and not able to speak , 1 have been insulted abent my Chartism , as they termed it . Such are some of the Whig blessings I have received . "

      Untitled Article

      FKOJC OCX LOS DOS CORRESPOND KfT . Louden , Wednesday Eveningy Seve-n o ' clock . This evening , Colonel Thompson , the veteran opponent of Corn Laws , has engaged to deliver a lecture on that subject , at the Ship Tavern , Long-lane , Berxnondsey . A great mutter of diirtists ia expected , ¦ when , tie question is to be pot , point-blank , to tbe Colonel , whether , in his opinion , Universal Suffrage ought not to precede tha repeal of the Com Laws . The proceedings are to commence soon after seven ocicck ; which compels me to close this letter half an b&ur btfore the usual time—whereby 1 lose Uie advantage of the evening mooting of reporters .

      THE QCEES . —Nothing b * i Uie Queen , all day long , since Saturday last , go where ooe win , almost ; though the theme undergoes Eome little variation , according as men ' s minds have been brought to lo » k on the philosophy of rojaity , as figuring ia the " Black List" of annual payments from the taxes . Amid all the emetical stuff ¦ which the diurnals have been pouring forth on the subject , the readers of Uie Northern Star will find It refreshing to peruse the following extract from a private letter . by their tried friead Vincent , to a relative , dated Oakhata Gaol , Rutlandshire , Nov . 16 , 1840 , a few days before " the event" transpired : — " la it true that our ' lovely Queen' Is set agoing to ' hav a babby V Lord , I hope , for the sake of us poor Chartist prisoners , she won ' t deceive us . Besides , the newspapers are sow so destitute of entertaining matter—a Queen ' s lobby ( to say no-thing of the cash it would cost ) would affard the editors suck an excellent handle for forming

      pretty little paragraphs . 'Precocious genius !"—never was such a child . ' ' As soon aa the nurse took it in her hand , it was distinctly heard to say'Pa ! Ma ! I ' sheome for de peopeish goods . " ' The child was bom with teeth *— ' the handsomest child ever born '— ' the Qaeen ia doing -H-ell '— ' Albert is going mad ¦ with joy *—sad bo forth . Besides , we should be ' s « happy '—bells would ring , and windows be illuminated , and ragged Breams would make bonfires . Talking of bonfires , some of the ragged dogs in this part burnt ike church gale , on tbe anniversary of the ' failure of Gay Faux . ' Nothing could be more appropriate . Do your hear anything of tbe Pope ' s coming to London ? I w-as informed by the chaplain of Monnvjuth gaol that he ' was coming !' We shall certainly have a roast in Smithfield when he does conW It will be gratifying to the Chartists of the West especially to learn that Mr . Vincent is in excellent health .

      Tmcmph of Chartism is Maeylebonb . —On Monday evening , a meeting , called by a number of the xats-payers of the extensive and important parish of Karjlfeboce , took place at Chesney ' s Assembly Booms , Foley-street , Portland-place , to petition for a xex-eal of ths ¦ windoTr -tax . Many of the members of the Maryleboae National Charter Association were prtsaent ; and the persons who called the meeting , fearing that an amendment , pledging the meeting to the question of Universal Suffrage , would be proposed , determined , as far as lay in their power , to keep out of Uie room all those whom they supposed likely to take part in a discussion on the side of tbe Chartists . Accordingly , Mr . Walls ( who procured the signature of more than one hundred of the rate-payers of tbe adjoining parish of SL Paneras to a requisition for a

      aeeting on behalf of Frost , Williams , and Jones ) , no sooner presented himself , titan be -was refused admission . This conduct was resisted by the Chartists already in the meeting , who succeeded in carrying a resolution in favour ef Universal Suffrage , despite the clamour , trickery , and denunciation of the anti-Windowtaxites . On the whole , U ) ia meeting afforded one more among the numerous recent proofs -that the oppressed sasy hare it in their power to " make the ruling few mkt&sj , " as well as those -who support tbe *• existing wrder of things . " Mr . Wall was given into custody by Mr . Chesney , and was next morning brought up » t Marylebone Police-office , npon a trumped-up charge of assault . The sitting magistrate , on finding that he was a rate-payer , and Lad been pre-Tented from entering the meeting , immediately discharged him .

      BEDCCTI 05 AND DSTEBMIXED SUICIDB OF A Fbmilk . —Between seven and eight o ' clock last night , female threw herself into the Grand Surrey Canal , atmt tbe Greenwich Railway . At sa early boor this Sttondag , a piece of paper was found on the book , on which was written in pencil , in a neat hand— " You kave proved my ruin , and caused me to commit suicide , which I prefer rather than return home . May God lexgiTO you , Edward ; I do . From your victim , ^ B ^ ff K A . ** THm RlWA-ftD ov Hokestt . —This morning , between nine and ten o ' clock , a gentleman , named Son * 4 snoo , who is said to be connected with a bankingkfltue in th » city , was passing through St . Paul ' s Church-yard , dropped a memorandum book , containing ft cheque for £ 310 , in addition to other valuable docu-SttBts . It was fortunately picked op by a poor man , ssd in a few minutes restored to its owner , who liberaily rewarded ihe finder with a tailing !

      Sh » cki 5 g Accident from Fibewobks . —This morning , a fine little boy , named Falconer , aged eight Tears , whose parents reside in the Cornwall Read , was ia the act of letting off a large squib , when it bunt , and Shattered the thumb and fore finger of the right band in tosh a BhofiVing manner as to render amputation of the former necessary . The poor little fellow underwent Ihe operation without uttering a word .

      Untitled Article

      The Latb Melancholy aitd Fatal Accident ON THE LOSDOK ASD BIBMINGHaM RaILWaT . — This morning , at ten o ' clock , the adjourned inquest was proceeded with , at the Queen ' s Head , near Harrow , on view of the bodies of Joseph Simpson and James Dawson , who were killed on the above railway , on the evening of Thursday , the 12 th nit . The ease created more interest than on the two former occasions , and the room was densely crowded , and Mr . Jago , a solicitor , attended on behalf of the Lord of the Manor . The Foreman and Corona said they bad received several anonymous letters , complaining of their conduct relative to tbe enquiry . Sir Frederick Smith was in attendance , ready to be examined , but tbe Coroner and Jury thinking it was not necessary , he returned to London . There are yet several witnesses k > be examined .

      BREAKING UP OP A NoTOEIOWS GAHG OF Swisdlers . —At Union Hall , this morning , a young man named John Knight , was placed at the bar on a charge of having obtained £ 20 worth of goeds from Mr . Fenwick , artist in fire works , living at No . 25 Regent-street , Lambeth-walk . The office was crowded with tradesmen who had been swindled by the prisoner and a number of his confederates . From tbe evidence of Mr . Fenwick , it appeared that on the 18 th nit , the prisoner called upon nim and gave a list of fireworks which amounted to the above amount , and they -were furnished

      upon a promissory note being accepted by a person said to be named Dean , potato merchant , of No . 13 , Hatton Hall , Hatton Garden . Upon the bill being presented , however , f « r payment , it was found that the person who kept the shop was named Wood . The prisoner -R-as apprehended at Peckham on the previous Friday . There wtre several other cases but the magistrates remanded the prisoner until Friday next , and in tbe mean time gave directions that every exertion should be used to take the other part of the gang into custody .

      The Northern Star. Saturday. November 28, 1840.

      THE NORTHERN STAR . SATURDAY . NOVEMBER 28 , 1840 .

      Untitled Article

      At length and at Ioi ; g last , the old dog fox has discovered that he cannot allow tbe cubs in the cover to mutiny without sooner or later , " nolens volens " being lugged into tbo squabble and compelled to take part in it . Oar Mercurial neighbours have found out that , however a dignified silence may be most agreeable and ease most delightful , there are times when dignity and pleasure must give way to dire necessity , and that upon occasions even the Mercury may be forced to speak against its will .

      A letter from the Editors of the Mercury to a Mr . Hamer Stansfelb , of prodigious length , is the subject of our commentary . Aft-. r the occupation of nearly two columns , with a hash of nonsense , in which the Editors jumble the brain of Mr . Roebuck with the cracked and thick skulls of themselves , this Mr . Sxansfied , and the Fox aud Goose Club , they proceed to erect their own standard of franchise , amid the confused heap , and present us with the following lucid and satisfactory exposition of their principles : —

      " If we were required to state our own view of tbe principle by which the extent of tbe Suffrage should be regulated , it would be essentially practical : we should Bay , the Suffrage onght to be given to all vrho cxn be reasonably deemed likely to exercise it intelligently , independently , and honestly . " Before we comment npon thi 3 extract , jasb one word upon a matter « f fact . Had the democratic mind slanbered during the last eight years , it might , upon waking , have looked with astonishment at the great improvement in . the old political actors , but beiag -wide awake , the audience merely recognise

      sobm alterations ia the stage giggery , without the slightest change n the plot . Roebuck and Baines , aad the old company of Malthusian strollers , cannot nn sustain the diversity of characters in the drama winch was so successfully performed in 1832 to au ignorant multitade . The change is simply this . In 1832 , the people were admitted by ticket and took the fire from some well-trained fugleman , placed in the critic ' s row in the pit ; while , at present , thought precedes the expression of opinion , and every man thinks for himself ; and hence the gaggery of the actor fails to produce its wonted effect upon an intelligent , an attentive , and a paying audience .

      Now to our review . u Tho Suffrage ought to be given to all who can be reasonably deemed' likely to exercise it intelligently , independently , and honestly . " This is what the Editors of the Mercury deem ** essentially practical "; while we declare that , however good the principle may be , the Mercury's details render the sophistry of John Arthur Roebuck and the simple ignorance of the " Fox and Goose Club" plain ABC common Bense , when compared with the Mercury ' s deductions from , and reasoning upon , their own premises . " Reasonably deemed . " What , then , we ask , is to constitute

      the reasonableness ? Is it to be matter of opinion , or of fact susceptible of unerring proof ! If of opinion , in whom i 3 the judgment to be vested ; and if of fact , where the test ! In these two words we recognise the admission of the very principle for which we have ever contended—the absolute and indispensable necessity of merging all political names and distinctions into one class , possessing an equality of rights before the law ; because , unless yon constitute an equal aad impartial court , yon can have no fair judgment upon those qualifications which may be " reasonably deemed " to constitute a title to the franchise . We will stick a little to this

      soft spot . We admit the justice of the principle , " reasonably deemed , " but we defy the art of man , nnder existing institutions , to carry it out . Aud why ? Because no Tory can by possibility be an impartial judge of the fitness of a Whig elector ; no Whig can be an unprejudiced or an unsuspected judge of a Tory elector ' s fitness ; and neither Whig , nor Tory , nor both unitedly , would , for one moment , ba considered impartial judges as to what should , or rather what could , constitute a Chartist ' s title to vote . Now , if the test is to be matter of opinion

      who is to give it J for " reasonably deemed" must mean entitled to , according to a deciding power vested somewhere ; it cannot mean adjudication npon proof , for then some defined term , such aa u entitled to under certain regulations , " would have been used , if a Whig could use a plain and unambiguous phraseology . Is a revising barrister to be the qualifying judge ; is it to la vested in the Government ; in a court ; in a committee ; or in whom , or what ? The valuable part of the admission comes to this , that the qualification mast be intellectual , because a fool with a good house cannot be

      " reasonably deemed" as fit a trustee as an intelligent , honest man , though having no house at all ; for , bear in mind , we have the word * B intelligently" and ** honestly , " as well as " independently . " Suppose a miring barrister to be the judge , and suppose him to be a Whig , let us in such a case ask our "independent" friends , whether or not the exact same amount of intelligence or honesty would constitute a Whig , a Tory , and a Chartist qualification . We put thiB question , because the

      fact must never be lost sight of ( hat the Mercury and all the Whig ** Establishment" very candidly confess that their whole , sole , and only object is to keep the Torie * out . Then apply Whig details and a Whig banister , or Tory details and a Tory barrister , to the principle , and , to use an illustration of O'Connor ' B , the chances of the game , as between Whigs and TorieB , will be Heads , Tories win—harp , Tories lose ; but against the Chartist " Heads I win ; harp , you lose . "

      Having , we think , prored the impracticability of carrying oat our friend ' s principle , under existing institutions , and highly approving of the principle , we now declare Universal Suffrage to be indispensable to the success of the principle ; for by it alone can that equality exist so absolutely necessary for the adjudication of what may be " reasonably deemed" a qualification ; for , as we

      shall presently show , Universal Suffrage alone can erect the intellectual standard of fitness , and give to the finer feelings the ascendancy orer the grosser passions . Universal Suffrage would virtually and actually disfranchise the licentious of all- classes , and enfranchise the virtuous of all ; thereby creating a new order of the gold of the classes , if we may bo designate the purified constituencies . Thus we take the term reasonably deemed ' in its most extensive

      Untitled Article

      sense , while the Editora of the Mercury must of ne-1 eessity limit its application to partial and party purposes . Indeed , they make their principle a mere auxiliary to Berye Whig purposes , while we would apply proper details to its full developement . If any just object is sought , it must be good government ; and , indeed , a little further on the Editors , fantastically enough , admit as much . They say , " In a few words we regard the end of representation to be good government . " Here then the question arises as to the means of effecting this most desirable of all objects , and we are at issue with our friends as to those means .

      We defy the art of man to carve good government out of a jealous rivalry of factions ; and , therefore , our first purpose must be to reduoelthe alternations 6 f factious Bway , to the permanent ascendancy of intelligent , independent , and honest opinion ; and this , we contend , can only be effected by equality at starting , however well-merited distinction in the race may be the result . In taking this view , wil ' ^ any man of intelligent , independent , and hon-i St

      opinion assort that a vicious minority would gov or overpower a virtuous majority ! No , but c ^ ^ contrary , we contend that a virtuous majorit * WOtty overawe , govern , and reclaim a vicious minority As our friends have observed but little , of ruie oj order in their patchwork , we are comp 41 ^ to pick their scraps up here and there , bit Y 5 ^ j put them together in Mosaic style ; ^ although with great labour and trouble , prer j ^ - ^ whatever force and meanin in th * ^^*» KcviO ui

      g appears * •„*«„„ „„„; : —^ v ~ ., . * u 6 various pos itions assumed in the context . In tho next celuma , then , we find Mr . Hamkb Siabwklb . addressed thus , by his Mercurial friends : — ' < But what think you of tte fact that one-third 133 per cent ) of all the meD matTied - m Eng ] MlA duri tho very last year were unr ^ even to wito tteIr ow « names ? Yet tbese would be yoar bOtiseholders , The Hon . and Rev . Baptist N < ^ hi 8 Ietter to the Biah of London , speaks thus e f ^ ^ Ug ^ md immorality existmg in the metr » poJ is »

      Now , supposing t ' ae writing test to constitute the requisite qualifir Ation we find that the nnin ' . ligent , or non-scr iwlers , compose but one-third of the married class < s during the year ; but this is not a fair test , and for this reason ; that the march of intellect , the g < Aoral thirst for knowledge , and the improvement Among the working classes , would reduce this ro jnority , if applied to all ages between twenty-oue aad sixty-six , to less than one-fifth of

      the whole . But take it at a third ; would the third , who , form the amount of ignorance whioh may be be presur ^ ed f rO m such inca pacity , and be it remembered , t ) j at many a sound head may lack tho hand to indi tQ its knowledge ; but whether would the thirty -three who could not write be likely to sway the E ixty-six who could write , or would the sixty * six who could write carry with them the thirtythr ee who could not write ? If this would be

      tyianny , it would be the tyranny of knowledge 'jvex ignorance , and of a large majority over the minority ; it ' would be the tyranny of reason and the triumph of knowledge . Again , let us judge as we are judged . If the incapacity to write proves ignorance , and is " reasonably deemed" a disqualification , award , at least to those who can write , the merit of boing " reasonably deemed" qualified ; at all events bo as to form a judgment npon so simple a question as the choice of one to represent them . In speaking upon this subject , let it always be kept in view , that every voter is not expected , nor yet required to be a solon , while each solon would have his weight and influence with the most ignorant voter .

      Now for the Hon . and Rev . Mr . Baptist Noel ' s statistical account of Metropolitan licentiousness , which we pronounce to be , in a great measure , the effect of class legislation . We take it from the Editors' letter ; they have grafted it in , and have attempted to make pious use of it for Whig purposes , and in defence of the very principle , and the monsters who have created the " monslrum horrendum "; but we shall turn it to much better account than our friends have succeeded in doing . Behold , then , Q , ueen , Bishops , Parsons , Lords , temporal and spiritual , and the Right Honourable and Honourable the Commons of the United Kingdom in Parliament not yet assembled—your indictment , your conviction , and your death-warrant . Good God ! it is a frightful catalogue of sin .

      " There is something , my Lord , unspeakably painful in the contemplation of this mass of immortal beings , in such close juxta-position with ourselves , living as we haTe reason to fear , without God and without hope ; 500 , 000 Sabbath-breakers , at the very least , in toUl neglect of the restraints of religion , communicate the plague of ungodliness t » all around them ; 10 , 000 ol these are devoted to play ; above 20 , 000 are addicted to befgary ; 30 , 000 aro living by theft and fraud ; 23 000 are annually picked ap drunk in the streets ; above 100 , 060 are habitual gin-drinkers ; and probably 100 , 000 more have yielded thtmseks to syatematatic and abandoned profligacy . "

      Were we to rest our case upon this horrid and melancholy picture alone , we might be justified in crying , " Down , down , down with every fragment of the diabolical system which has caused such a state of systematic infamy , and whioh should hurl its originators , its supporters , and its abettors into everlasting condemnation : " and this in the midst of the seat of power ; under the very eye of royalty , and within earshot of the palace ! This under the very observation of the Queen !

      But no , alas ! poor soul , she has no eye for poverty , no ear for misfortune ; her vision is obscured , and her ear is stopped by the very monsters who are paid for opening her eyes to her subjects' wants , by pouring their complaints into her ears . She is the head of the Church , and the head of the State ; as both , she is well paid , and by whom ? Good heavens ! she , as head of the Church , draws the revenue of sacred calling from this , this very abyss of profligacy , misery , and wretchedness !

      buppose , then , five hundred thousand to be in the state of misery described , would such a contemptible , appalling , horrifying minority by the most vivid porutrayal of their varied and various vices even if characteristics of their nature , instead of being consequences of oppression and misrule ; would they , we ask , seduce the virtuous majority into their ranks \ or would not the virtuous majority of three-fourths consider such profligacy a reflection upon their intelligence , independence and honesty , and set about the reclamation of those now wicked and thoughtless ,

      because neglected and despised , outcasts . 500 , 000 , says the honourable divine , who draws his livelihood from this very depravity , M living without God and without hope . " Good God ! what a reflection ! What a text for a Chartist sermon ! " 500 , 000 living without God and without hope I" Ye ministers of the gospel , staud upright before Robebt Owes , and look that charitable infidel in the face , if you can , and then spit upon him , or throw one stone from your glass hoKses , if you dare . This in a letter to the Lord Bishop of London , too We wonder whether his Lordship draws any

      of his Godly revenue from thiB " without God and without hope" portion of his flock . If tbe honourable and reverend shepherd bad said that his sheep were without protection , and therefore without hope ; and consequently had become gamblers , drunkards , murderers , profane swearers , adulterew , Sabbath-breakers , and profligates , we could have understood him . If he had said , My Lord , we have banished those sheep from the fold , haying first shorn them , and , verily , they die in their filtb 7 in the streets and the highways , from the negleet of the shepherds , " we could have understood him . '"" In this

      number , he says 20 , 000 are addicted to beggabt ; we doubt " addicted to beggary" is the spiritual interpretation of the words , driven to despair : 100 , 000 are habitual gin-driukerB , " and from that gin the Church distils its revenue ; but why are they so ! Because a profligate , licentious , infidel , brutal Government finds that the poison produces the largest revenue when taxed within the reach of poverty ' s palate . It is taxed to suit th « Exohequer ; without an / reference to its debasing consequences ; it is placed wnthin the reach of those out of whose grasp the commonest necessaries of life are far re-

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      moved , whioh are tax ' dd according to the higher scale of luxury . Is man formed with these propensities , or is he driven by despair , to hide a life in Bhame , which he eannot maintain in decenoy ! Let it be borne in mind that this wretched band is daily recruited from the ranks of the brokenhearted , and that those " addicted to beggary " can for Borne time extract alms from the kindhearted sufficient to prolong an excited existence for a short day of misery , while they cannot insure a sufficiency either by beggary or work to support a steady life . O ! what an exposure i Onefourth of t ' ae population of our civilised , enlightened christiani zed metropolis ; notof our back settlements

      but of 0 or capital , the circle of our monarch's residenoe ^ compelled to seek rafuge from contemplation in Profligacy and within earshot of the very yelping ° f royal dogs , supported in luxury in a royal kennel , r . pon the proceeds of their depravity ! And all ¦ his under the nose of our fair , young , constitutional Qaeen , as the Mercury calls her ! Does aristocracy make or loso by this depravity ! The answer is easily supplied ; if they lost the evil would be speedily remedied . Again , have the 500 , 000 benefited , or have they not been rendered " surplus population" by class legislation ? Here also the fact supplies the answer , which is this : notwithstanding Buchalarge abstraction from the labour market , all branches are still overstocked .

      The question which now presents itself is which of all the classes is most injured by such a state of depravity ! Not the upper classes ; because they could remedy it ; not the middle classes , because they could remedy it , but they actually preserve this pitiable reserve , in each town , as the means of keeping down the wages of the industrious . And in justification of those poor creatures , whose misfortunes the pious ecclesiastic would lead us to look upon as characteristics , wo may observe that , even

      when steeped to the eyes in habitual profligacy , they not unfrequently cheerfully abandon their evil ways , upon the very first tender of relief to be earned by their honest labour . We come then to the conclusion that the working classes alone are interested at present , or rather they alone , at present , see their interest in the reclamation of their strayed , deserted and abandoned brethren . All will presently feel the equal necessity for setting about this glorious and god-liko reformation .

      The working classes , then , being most interested in the work , are the most fitted for its accomplishment , and this is our position . We assert that the principle laid down by the Mercury Editors is the fair , the intelligible , tho independent , and the honest principle . We asaert that the existence of three rival parties in a state is incompatible with the existence of the dotails to carry that principle out . We assert that the principle oarried oat by the present , or any more extended constituencies , short of universal , is , and would bo , but the establishment of a . tyrannous majority of the electoral body of one

      party over all other rival parties in the state . We asssert that in the three grades of qualification laid down in the Mercury , intelligence and honesty constitute a majority over independence , in its most limited sense , which is the sense in which our friends have used it . We assert that by no means can tho majority of those qualifications be brought into operation , except through Universal Suffrage . We assert that under Universal Suffrage no minority of the vicious could influence a majority of the virtuous ; but , oa the contrary , we assert , from philosophy , reason , and practice , that a minority of

      open-faced virtue would controul a majority of bare-faced vice ; the virtuous woula seek kindred spirits to represent their feelings ; while the vicious would , in very shame , attempt to cloak their own vices under virtue ' s mask . No man either confesses himself vicious , nor yet knowingly takes such an indirect step as will lead to the discovery . Place twelve persons in one room , each of whom has committed murder unknown to his fellows , and these twelve will enact a stronger code of laws against the crime of murder , aa a cloak for their concealed iniquity , than twelve of the most virtuous men in another room whose virtue and conscientiousness will embolden the mind , and lead to suspicion and doubt , which the

      vicious would be fearful of expressing , and who will not xequire the rigour of expression to cover the malignity of design . But we learn from our friends , though it is only by picking at their medley , that opinion is to be the test of fitness , not the opinions nor yet the intelligence of the voter , but the opinion of the distributor , for the Mercury Editors say , " We should advocate the extension of the suffrage to £ 10 occupiers in the counties , as well as in borough towns , , on inquiry , it should appear "now , appear what ! that they were qualified 3 no , no such nonsense , but " that the effect of such a measure would not be like that of the £ 50 tenautsat-will claim , namely , to increase the influence of the landlords . "

      Now , we beg our readers to mark this admission , while we translate it thus : — "We would enfranchise the £ 10 occupiers in counties , if we could be certain of turning that interest to manufacturing , ; . instead of agricultural advantage . " If it does not mean this , what is the enquiry to be about ? for surely every £ 10 occupant is not to have his head gauged for his independence , intelligence , or honesty ; no , but the naked proposition is how , with the Ballot , could the greatest boors on earth be converted into Whig lumber ! This admission at once knocks down the sincerity of the knowledge-test :

      because the £ 50 tenants-at-will have been over and over again denounced as more ignorant than the horses they drive Here , then , we also separate the question of monied qualification from that of intellectual fitness , or rather the Mercury does it for us . They have admitted that the £ 50 qualification is bad , because unintellectual , and yet they would create a £ 10 qualification of the same class , if intellectual , that is , if the brain was all on the soft , or Whig side , of the head . We have shown the mode of demolishing the Mercury fortress by firing from their own redoubts , and now let us

      give one direct fire from their own battery , at their own fort . Here it is , and in the same paragraph . "Our principles , therefore , would exclude from the franchise the classes whioh are generally uneducated , those which are almost entirely dependent upon others , and those which have boon convicted of crime " . Now for a bit of logic . The Mercury would exclude from the franchise the classes—mind the classes which are generally uneducated . Now , in such event , who is to judge of those who may be " reasonably deemed " fit . What is meant by classes 1 Is it the usual

      division of society into the upper , middle , and lower t or are we to take it in its more narrow limitation of trades ; and are Tom and Dick , and Bill to be disfranchised , because Ned , and Jack ., and Habby have no homes , or because their brains are not on the right side of the head f It is then , as in any other case , incumbent on our friends to lay down their test of " education , " and to shew how they divide society into classes , bo as to prove any class to be " generally uneducated . " This the ; have not

      done , and cannot do ; and hence , therefore , so far as this test of fitness is concerned , all classes must be " reasonably deemed" fit to exercise the franchise ; and the proposition of the Mercury ' s Editora to deny the franchise only to such classes as are " generally uneducated , " amounts either to an asser tion of Universal Suffrage , or obliges them to pick out all the individuals , whether rich or poor , who are " uneducated , " to form a special class for disfranchisement .

      Now for the next test of disfraohiroment"those which are almost entirely dependent upon others . " Surely , this must mean sections of all classes , and the Editors must have meant " those of a particular class who are almost entirely dependant on others "; because taken in connection with the former standard of qualification of intelligence and honesty , and with the , contingent qua-

      Untitled Article

      lification of £ 10 ftceupanta , it stands more in harmony thus than if taken Bweepingly in classes ; but we must deal with it as we find it , as we cannot find our friends in principle , details , and sense . '' ¦ ;¦ . ; Well , then , what does this amount to ! Why , to nothing more or less than the complete and entire disfranchisement of all the upper and middle classes ; for they are wholly and entirely dependent upon the working classes , and could not live a month without them ; indeed , but for them they would soon be included in the third tlass , that of criminals for exposing their naked persons in the streets . Well , so far so good . We now have the

      whole of the higher , and middle , classes disfranchised , and together with the working classes thrown for protection upon those " without God and without hope" And what do we find here ? Why a class of criminals , and those u > hicft ( mind which ) have beea convicted of crime ; surely our friends might , at least , have eaid those wfto have been convicted of crime , unless the sweeping analogy is still to apply , and it means , ( which , in fact , it must mean , ) that if ten working men have been convicted of crime , all working men shall therefore be disfranchised ; or in the more limited Bense , if ten blacksmiths shall be convicted of crime , the whole of that oraft shall be excluded .

      We protest against these eweepingjudgments 5 inasmuch as five millions of Chartists have been already convicted of crime , by both Whigs and Tories , ( Chartism itself being in their estimation the greatest of all crimes , ) and no exhibition of talent , independence , and honesty , could ever induce the brain-guagers to find out the franchise bump in the head of a Chartist . Will our friends reserve a large number of transferable tickets of admission at our office for the

      first brain review which is to take place at Leeds , under the intelligent , honest , and independent regulation of a Whig-appointed Inspector , and let us have a view of the cranium of our Judge , and see which side of the head he feels for Chartist honesty ; while we pledge our lives he'll only take stock of the bellies of Whigs I We shall order thousands of Falstaff ' s dresses for our bare-bones squad , as guts > not brains , will be the test of " independence , intellect , and honesty . '

      Here is another precious morceau from the Luddites of 1819 : — Now if this [ the account of the Hon . and Rev . Mr . Baptist Noel ] be true—and it is so in a great measure—could there be a mistake more fatal than to bring clown the substance and staple of the constituency from the educated to the uneducated classes?—from classes , a great majority of whom possess considerable information , to classes a large proportion of whom

      ( perhaps a majority ) cannot write their own names ?—from classes accustomed to tbe management of their own businesses or professions , often requiring comprehensive views and considerable knowledge , to classes who have been confined to mere manual employment , and have had no pecuniary concerns beyond their weekly ot daily wages?—from classes having some experience in political matters , to classes who never in their lives gave a vote ?"

      Here is a pretty confession for knowledge-mongers ; the people are so situated that their very despondency prevents them from acquiring the prescribed qualification , by having no becoming interest Of their own to aek after . We are inclined to view this latter sentence rather critically , in consequence of the first votes given by the electors of Leeds ; but we trust that the ignorance hitherto displayed in honour of our " intellectual" representative will wear off by practice in the art ; however from no human being could the assertion come with a worse grace than from one of our friends , who is indeed the offspring of excited passions , and a mere bubble upon the Reform surface .

      Our friends will bear m mind that in our first exposure of the Fox and Goose Club , we complained that the management , by a single overseer , of all pecuniary matters , prevented the people from attaining that qualification , by education , which the learned foxes were so anxious to confer upon the geese . The next extract is npon re-distribution , and is a long one ; however , though long , we will give it all , and the translation also , because in itB innendo lies the whole pith , marrow , essence , and meaning of the four columns written by the Mercury ' s Editors to Mr . Hamer Stansfeld . The Editors say : —

      " Have you-also duly considered the immense change which your re-distribution of the representation would produce in the relative influence of the several parts of the United Kingdom ? You would not only increase the number of electors from about one million to upwards of four millions , but you would give a degree of influence to the peasantry of Ireland in the House of Commons , altogether disproportioned to their property , their contributions to the revenue , and their social condition . The following table will show the change that would be produced by the numerical principle in tbe House of Commons : —

      Inhabited Present Num- Nttn » ber of Re-Houses in ber of Repre- P »««» t » tiYM in 1831 . sentatives . Portion to the Householders . England 2 , 326 , 022 471 373 Wales ... 155 , 522 29 25 Scotland 369 , 393 53 59 Ireland 1 , 219 , 816 105 201 Totals 4 , 100 , 753 658 658

      " You would , therefore , take nearly a hundred Members from England , and give them all to Ireland : and thus Ireland , which , by the Act of Union , was only to contribute towards the general expenditure of the United Kingdom , ia the proportion of two to fifteen , compared with England , would be in the proportion of twenty to thirty-seven , compared with England , in the number of her representatives 1 Would it tend to the good government of the Empire to make this great change ?"

      From this stuff the unsophisticated reader , and especially the Irishman , would very naturally exclaim * " Why , here it is ; sure here ' s Repeal and Justice to Ireland , and meat , drink , and clothes , all in a lump . " Why sure we have 1 , 500 , 000 houses now , and we have nine iu every ten of that number . Oh what political apostles are the Editora of the Mercury ! Such would : be the undigested opinions of many ; but of all , Irishmen , whose opinions are digested at the Corn Exchange ; but observe how we blow the airy bubble into its proper element . The Catholics have thirteen hundred thousand out of the million

      and a half of intelligent edifices . Suppose they have , and that a million belong to the poorest of the poor , what then ! Why , simply that now , being extrapolitical , they are allowed to remain aa covering for the natives ; but once enfranchise them , and every mud edifice would bear the mark of the cross as the sign of the sentry box of a volunteer in the army of crusaders against the infidel , the hated and persecuting church . Thus would the smoke of eight hundred thousand , out of the million , rise as incense to Heaven , in token of the glorious triumph of Protestantism and Christianity . Aye , —

      " Tbe blackness of ashes would mark where they stood , While the wild mother screamed o ' er her fmnichinir brood , " * and the routed garrison , denied even a resting place for their polluted feet in the land of their fore * fathers and their birtn , would migrate to Britannia ' s shores , where they would be received with open arms , by the men of their order ; to bring down whose wages they would Berve , as a further army of reserve , in the hands of the cheap-food economists . Is , or is it not , their common sense , and do , or do not , the Editors of the Mercury , and the whole tribe of metaphysicians , write as though houses once enfranchised should stand and be occupied by rival electors , whether the proprietors liked it or not .

      We sufficiently refuted this notion in our former essay upon HouBekold Suffrage , we showed that the result would be the manufacture of one great electoral chain , consisting of links of heads of all classes , and wholly excluding the industrious of each . Has the disfranchisement of the Irish fortyshilling freeholders , as a condition annexed to Catholio Emancipation , and by a Catholic , taught the Editors of the Mercury no lesson ! Again ,

      again , and again , we tell the people , thai Household Suffrage would unhouSe every poor inde . pendent . man ; make lodgers of the present small class of householders ; throw ' the whole balance of power into the hands of landlords , whether landlords of the country ** landlords of the towns The effect , especially in Ireland , would be to knock all small Catholic tenements into Urge Protestant dairy-farms , managed by a jungle herdsman ; and thus would bread be considerably raised in price , while labour , from ihe very same cause , would be wofully reduced in value

      . Once for all , let it be borne in mind , that no man could possess either a house , or ground to build one upon , without the consent of the master ; and let all be assured that , instead of leases , the occupants would be tenants from month to month , and always ousted previous to a general election , for fear of th * ihtelligent , honest exercise of their independent votes . No ; no ; ten millions times no ; no more humbug ! We will now have the walking , living , animate , intellectual , independent , honest man carryingin his own person his own title deed to his ovvn life , his own liberty .

      and his own property , instead of looking to the number of doors , windows , and chimney-pots , in &nintellecluat house for his license to Uve . We have had quite enough of joining all our force for the recognition of a principle , and depending afterwards upon the calm judgment of inflammatory demagogues for the detail moulding of the principle to their own sole use , behoof , and benefit , when excitement has passed away . No , no ; no more Reform Bills—no more tailors to cut our cloth to their fashion to make coats for themselves . This time

      we'll have" the thing" the very thing we bespoke , and well have it made to order too . Now , then , let us translate tho classical letter of the Editors of the Mercury from its mixture of high Dutch , Sclavonic , and Greek , into common Euglish . and in plain terms it means this : — " We are a numerous family , and as yet unprovided for , but our turn must come if we can only hold the old ship together for yet a little longer . But if forsaken by her present crew or any portion of them , she must go to pieces ; Daniel and his dependants have hitherto kept us afloat ; but the

      renewed , the strong , and the increased declarations which his eft-broken faith upon the repeal question has compelled him to make , as compensation for this year ' s rent , threatens a rupture , if tredonot at once open for hia a trap-door , and for the Irish a-rareo show , to amuse them while he is making his escape . He has been compelled to call God to witness this twice in almost all parts of Ireland in person , to bring the lagging cottiers up to the scratch . In fact , he has sworn to have repeal , and nothing short . Now this , if persevered ia , must

      cause a rupture ; and , therefore , we present to him something even greater than the repeal for Ireland —an actual preliminary sjtep required to be taken by the English Parliament , preparatory to the good working of a domestic legislature . We tender him real "justice to Ireland , fifteen hundred thousand voters , nine-tenths Catholics , and over two hundred Catholic Members for Ireland in the English House of Commons , instead of one hundred and five , half

      Protestant and half Catholic , as now . Is not this , then , a good trap-door for Dan ? and where is the Irishman who will not willingly say " aye" to the question—shall I give up the bepkal foe anothee season to tet this last , this very , very , nay very last experiment « In 1835 one man from Tuam , and another from Tralee , commissioned Dan to make another " very last trial" for the mere principle of "Justice to Ireland "; but here now is a substantial measure for them at once .

      Such was the senior editor ' s translation to hia family ; and when he had concluded , the junior editor rose and said , " Yes but , Papa , won't the Irish recollect the forty-6 hillingfreeholders ! " " Hold your silly tongue , you fool , " quoth the sire ; " not till it is too late , not till you are provided for ; " and then h » goes back to repeal again . " And do yon really think , Papa , that Hamer Staksfeld and the Fox and Goose Club can get Household Suffrage V " No ; no more , my dear , than you can get brains ; but they

      don't want it , it is only a means to an end . " " And what ' s the end to be , dear Papa ! " " Why , to break up the Chartist camp , to be sure , you fool , by dividing the English and Irish , and bringing Dai » into fashion once more , with a Household Suffrage coat , breeches , waistcoat , buttons and all , to carry out our scheme . " •* Omnes , O Papa , Papa , Papa ! what a wise Papa you are ! no wonder you should humbug the clothiers of Leeds , Papa ! " " Aye , my dears 1 as I have you , the Government must provide for you . "

      Untitled Article

      - ^ - " . ^^^ I . -WW ^ v .. CAUSE OF IRISH POLITICAL IGNORANCE AND HATRED OF ENGLAND . However widely we of the broad sheet may differ upon minor points , there is one upon which we are all agreed , our oun importance . Books convey knowledge after their fashion , but the hedge-fire of the daily press , and the artillery of the weekly , odd as it may appear , give even to book-knowledge the stamp of value . Many are the excellent publications which , from one deficient note of admiration addressed to a reviewer , have slept soundly upon some luckless publisher ' s shelf , till called into action to perform duty upon the exterior of a head , in the shape of

      curl paper , into the interior of whioh the jealous Editor had precluded their admission . Upon this subject , however , the odds are even as regards newspa pers , " inter paresnon estpatella * " ; and hence wftfind the little "gamecock , " with a circulation which , but for decency , might be produced in manuscript , throwing his we , with the utmost defiance , in the very teeth of all the ice ' s of the " Leading Journals . " In fact , that we are the Constitution , none but noodles will for a single moment deny , and if any should , we have even the power of persuading *

      jury of Solons that they are mad , or what is of equal value , if they , the jury , will not say so , we can persuade all the tane portion of the world that the jury are all mad to a man . We can murder any man , or any woman in a month , without having even seen them . We murdered Lady Flora Hastings . W » murdered Queen Caroline , and we murdered Hembt Hcnt . These are but poor specimens of our performance . We Bend many with a broken heart to " that bourne from whence no traveller

      returns . " We can close a bank , make a bankrupt of a merchant or trader—raise the price of corn , or fall it . We can keep monarchs on the throne , or declare Republics . We can snap administration * like twigs ; indeed , we are now engaged in tb »* holy work . We can call the Parliament together , and our breath can dissolve them . We can declare war , or preserve peace . In short , what cannot «* do ! Being able to do so much , then , let us see the little we have done , and the much which yet remain * to be done .

      The following analysis of tbe Stamp Returns for the last six months of the last year , will show that notwithstanding all the noise about Irish education and improvement , we have done little in those respects for the advantage of Ireland . From this analysis all the causes of IriBh ignorance , »<* all Uie bad and rancorous feeling which has been successfully kept up for profit 's take between th « BiBter countries will be seen at a single glance . 1 ° . the six mouths , from July to December , both in * elusive , there were published in England seventeen million six hundred and forty thousand weekly

      papers , and seven million one hundred thousand daily papers , making a total of weekly readers of about sixty-eight thousand , and of daily readers of forty-five thousand ; thus giving a total of above seventy-two thousand newspaper readers to » population of fifteen millions , or a paper , daily or weekly , to one in twenty . In Ireland , within th « same period , there were pnblished about two million four hundred thousand , avera ging about ninety thousand weekly , and •* ° three-fourths of that number being published three days in the week , and one-fourth one day m " -

      The Old Dog Fox Unkenneled At Last.

      THE OLD DOG FOX UNKENNELED AT LAST .

      Untitled Article

      * THE NORTHERS STAB .

  • Citation
    • Northern Star (1837-1852), Nov. 28, 1840, page 4, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/ns/issues/king-y1kbzq92ze2712/page/4/