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'I ¦ " ¦ ' ¦ —>. Anrnr q 1852 T H E S T ...
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3E10Q10GRAMME FOR AJEOPLE'S PAR7 .T. 1 I...
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MINISTERIAL MORALITY. Whatever may he th...
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THE NEW MILITIA BILL. TJnawed by the fat...
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ARISTOCRATIC VANDALISM. Paris abounds wi...
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Tbe Murder at Stow-on thb-Woid.—John Ilu...
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®xtow Intelligence
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NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF UNITED TEADES, "...
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THE AMALGAMATED SOCIETY OF BXGIKEERS
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&o*WM\bt MtXlwmt.
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CENTRAL CO-OPERATIVE AGEtfCY, 76, Charlo...
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MWtifit UnteUigw*
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NATIONAL CHAltTE.t ASSOCIATION. At the u...
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MMHOMtxtA* DaKOAiB CoUNCiL-On Sunday aft...
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Transcript
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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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Rarllamentatty Legerde ' Maift: Even Wit...
SSS ^ s ^ e ^^ je : eeta ' eha ™ longcoOTrflrf tta = ™ " « PaJliam 8 nt „ , I » , be W" * " *!* , '" he , p , Lh paring ot . uoh » m n , "SjSSitofln , reform In tko tatdHmrt , 33 ^ 4 3 ? ftS ? " ° " Mra ,, IT ha " irigbrigbt to demand and expect .
'I ¦ " ¦ ' ¦ —>. Anrnr Q 1852 T H E S T ...
¦ Anrnr q 1852 T H E S T A ft , ¦ ' ¦ ^ ' 5 ' April o , * ^« r ¦ - ¦¦ <¦ r ¦ i- . u i -, > v ,,, :
3e10q10gramme For Ajeople's Par7 .T. 1 I...
3 E 10 Q 10 GRAMME FOR AJEOPLE ' S PAR 7 . T . 1 In aln another porti on of onr columns will be { out , fl an r jporhportan ^ and at tbepreBentjaiicturepccuJiarly Jnte . sstinisting , correspondencebetwcenthe Cbartis sof . ^ ilo , „ d JU Mr . T-DuKCOMBE , which we earnestly cotnr flenc T to m eoie consideration of tha working classes of this r : 0 untry . bbe pbe public career of tbe honourable member fot ^ fonnry hry has been such as to entitle him pre-enr gentl y to meirteir confidence and gratitude ; and hisopir jionsupon lie pne present state of affairs—his advice as to the best i raraiurae to be pursued with reference to thr , formation
f f a [ a People ' s Party , demand their earn eat anrl Wnectbectfal consideration . Pe Perhaps , without exception , no othr r publ i . a man : as pas pursued , a course so freo from thr , jmpr . tation of i rwamate or interested rootYves , or one a a dir ectly and [ ibsubstantiaHy useful to the nation , a 8 j Mr . Dvjifi ouiOUBE . Tho instinctive feelings , a nr \ the acquired ablabtts of an English gentleman , h » v eever prevented i imam from descending to the acts by which popularityi iuntunttng and self-seeking ag itator /^ wi popular supi wrtort and applause . His advo cacy 0 f Democratic i iriurinciples has been free from t > ae slightest taint of
I lerrtemagogaism ; and in his ow perS 0 n and conduct he nasias shown they were quite •" jompatible with the most ; jerberfect self devotion to the pao c interest , and the : ibsoliservance of all the co avent joaal courtesies , which i Kiftoften the rigours of pr j ; t cai warfare , and impart ija « acba cbanntoallsor j a | jatercoBrBe . 'He made extretreme political opir joas reSpCcted in thc highest ciritircles , by the mann OT 5 n ^ liichhe combined the characracter of the patri < jt and the gentleman ; while wc are torture that the mw afraiacV . scd classes , whose cause he io io often p leader ? ^ $ \ admit they have never had a momore uncomprr ^ fese determined , or persevering adnot
rotrocate . Tbe comb' ^^ on nf these powers only pecnlialiarly disti * / wtfts'hed him as the leader of the People ' s C ; Cause in ftha Souse of Commons , previous to his Joilorig and _ » aerere illness , hut also enabled him , « s an i ^ i ^ fleper ^ ent member of that House , to attain a ggreate Timber of Buccesses than can ho shown hy a any ' j & er individual , unsupported by a powerful Par-Si 3 iaPaentary party . The habit of strict investigation 5 in ' «> tho truth of any alleged abuse , before he com-• nuftted himself to its public exposure , and hia un-. . daunted courage and perseverance after he had fairly < , done that in prosecuting the inquiry to its final
con-. elusion , enabled him to triumph overall the obstacles vwhich Ministers and sahardinateofficialscould throw in ihispath . The mannerin which he exposed the Postoffice espionage and treachery , which led to the betrayal and murder of the brothers Basmeba ; the . searching and fffrctive investigation into the abuses -of 3 Iillbant Penitentiary ; and thc still more important inquiry into the shocking state of the hulks ; which was immediately afterwards followed hy such a sweeping change both in the officers and tho system , are only a few of tho numerous illustrations -of the success with which Mr . Duscombe discharged
his duties . The last mentioned case was , in fact , the proximate cause of the protracted illness which has deprived for so long a period the Legislature of -one of its greatest ornaments and most useful members . Day after day did Mr . Duscombe sit in the dark , damp , ill-ventilated * 'tween decks' of these toffies , and only leave them to bo exposed to the Jhfeated atmosphere and labour of the House of dominions at night , despite the warning of his medical ad-¦ riscrs that they would not be answerable for the 'consequences . He literally brought on the almost jfatal illness , from which he has now recovered , by his ¦ devotion to tho public service . Anil though during 'his labours he had to encounter all tho opposition " which those in office could offer , at the close of these
" investigations so amply had he sustained all his allegations , so conclusive were the exposures of existing abuses , that the late Home Secretary considered it to he his duty , as Minister of the Crown , publicly to state that the Governmeat , the Legislature , and the public at large , trwed a 4 eep debt of gratitude to tbe hon . geRtJcrmn for his great public services . This i & raluanle and hig h-minded public man is , oncesgwai , -m Tih place . Daring his comparative rctir-Knetitlio ^ olls us that he hns not been an inatt ^ oSiiva or-unconcerned spectator of what has been iftff & sinfr in . the political world ; and nt the
commencetme'tft o'f Vhit we trust is a long career of renewed strength t fnd usefulness , ho deliberately states the grounda't ^ ion which it appears to him the formation of a rea ! l ? eoplo ' s Party is alone practicable . We feink that address appears just at the moment it wastrquired , and meets one of the most urgent T ^ aife of tho popular party at an extremely critical gnf & d . The late Leader of the Chartist bod y has , ifeom erases which thousands sincerely lament , be-( t ome unable any longer to take an active or a useful
; p » rt in public life . Charity leads ns to he silent m n « pwttama " wouvd-b 8 successors , and the few over wh « -m tlioy have influence , further than to say that to call them a 'People ' s * or a 'Popular' party , would ba a gross perversion of words . On the other 'hand , the Parliamentary Reform Association have , as we have frequently said , shown no hearty sympathy with t ' io unenfranchised industrial classes ; and , as a consequence , they have not attracted either their support or their confidence . Looking at the ante'cedents and tho connexions of the leaders of that
. party , it was not probable that any greater fusion or identity of opinion between the middle and the working classes was likely to take place in the future than : thcre had been in the past . The masses who are , in heart and sentiment , favourable to political reform and progress were , therefore , without any standard or leader , at a peculiarly important juncture . They could not act cordially with the so-called middle class
Taovtnvcjjj , because they had not sufficient faith in those who led it ; they had been repelled from the Chartist ranks hy tho foolish conduct , mischievous Acclamation , and palpable selfishness of trafficking adventurers , whose only recommendations for the position they wished to assume was , want of principle and superabundance of assurance . Mr . Doncombe' s xe-appearance on the political arena , therefore , could sot be better timed . His devotionto the cause of tho
people is beyond question . So raych so that he has , in past tiroes , sacrificed the p lace and power which his position and connexions would most certainl y have secured for him . Ho has preferred the nobler , if less profitable , part of a faithful , disinterested , independent public servant ; and we say that such services -demand in return public confidence and support . The policy recommended in hia address to tho Bristol Chartists may not please those who mistake ^ ords for things , and who are wedded to the mere formularies of party . But for all practical purposes h
suc persons may be left oat of calculation , when * ? ^ tne P ossible chance of forming a genuine and effective People ' s Party . It is not to fanatics or obstructives of either extreme , that the practical politician appeals , but to the great mass , who , with * genuine appreciation of , and adherence to , principle , can yet recognise the great and indestructible rZ ° i nature and society ; that all sure and enduring SP ? ? ^ dnd and ^ at » by taking a firm j „ "" J ? kp today , we are most certainly preparto-mo anotuer equally sure and progressive one
iv \ r ^ l ? " " 5 embodied in the petition suggested lii « C 0 MBE ' PP ear t 0 DB to inc , ude aI 1 fhe Wr * - / 8 ? be rc ^ ired by any practical aud « w mend of popular enfranchisement , at the pre-5 aT ?** ^ fir 6 t ^ franchise is fettSr nt np ° rB 0 " Bft but re « dencc ; and as a ^ iecKnL ° n agarast frand » ATedo not see that a less pieff . ?? could * P P ° scd at th ° outset . In ^ hat fc ! r ° bellCTe t ! , e Suffrage would amount to ttwfcS . J ' ^"^ aV wi thout tho odium . I ' ^ TO that * n ^™ „_ i •_ . __ . n Mli
, ne dttrit ; —/ u CW ,, quarters , upon ic * c © wl rarlia ment and the Ballot , Mr . tff 0 uerr id Ve ^ " ^ 7 » ° Hsly struck out r asotis a ? * ' **" C'k 8 atisfact 0 I % r a *** the only "Ppear ^ " ! * | h two measures which have any In the fc al , dit ^ aera We sC ^ f ' has been ar 2 ued » with a ™ tibU * ou ! d preven t rn re » that AnnnaI Parliaments ? duties , andV e ^ from thor oughly mastering ^ ^ fermen t P o th ll 0 , e COUQtr yin a state of m > By Mr , Dukcojibb ' s plan , there
3e10q10gramme For Ajeople's Par7 .T. 1 I...
woaV /; a ^ ray s remain in the House a sufficient num-DCr e ? members , possessing the requisite knowledge * * ( f experience for the efficient transaction of public J * ' iainess ; while the country , at the same time , would 4 ave regular opportunities , at short intervals , of ex' pressing their opioron . as to tbe manner in which tbeir representative * discharged their duties , and that , too , without tho bustle , tumult , aud almost maddened excitement which characterises a general election . Again , with respect to tho Ballot , many persons object to it because they prefer to act openly , and do not fear doing so . Why should these parties bo summarilcoerced into secret voting if tbey believe
y they can do without it ? Why should those who feel that they cannot act conscientiously and independently , he coerced into voting against their convictions , because others do not need the protection they ask for ? Mr . Duncosibe ' s proposal solves the difficulty by making the Ballot optional . If it was found to work satisfactorily , its general adoption would follow , as a matter of course ; and we see no reason why even g ood things should bo forced upon a people before they are prepared to appreciate and make a proper use of them . On the other points included in Mr . Duscombe ' s programme it is unnPCPRsarv to offer any comment . They commend
themselves to tho support of all sincere Reformers , and taken as a whole , we think tho hon . member has take ' n up so sound , so atrong , and so practical a position , that he ought forthwith to receive the adhesion of all who wish tho enfranchisement of the people to bo a reality instead of a political mythmerely to be talk ed about , but never seen . His past career is a sufficient guarantee to the industrial classes now without the pale of the Constitution , that bo will honourably and firmly defend their rights , and promote their interests ; while , at the same time , the course he recommends , and the conciliator spirit in which he speaks of tho other sections of the popular party , are such as should secure him the adhesion and confidence of middle class Reformers . If
a junction so desirable could be effected between tho middle and working classes through the instrumentalitv of Mr . Buncombe , it would he the crowning act of a long public life , winch has already been honourable to himself , and moat valuable to the country .
Ministerial Morality. Whatever May He Th...
MINISTERIAL MORALITY . Whatever may he the advantages of office in other respects it does not appear to heighten the reputation of its occupants . Lord D 121 . Br , for instance , might not be all that could be desired , either as a theoretical politician , or a practical statesman ; but everybody agreed in one point , at least , —namely , that ho was a man of the hig hest honour and integrity , and would shrink from anything that implied meanness or duplicity . The short experience we have had of his administration , while it will not im prove his character sa a statesman , has extremel y damaged it as a man whoso word can be relied upon , and whose public statements are the truthful indexes of his private intentions .
With respect to the duration of Parliament , the Premier said , on Monday , the loth ult ., * This is a question which ought not to be allowed to remain in abeyance any longer than possible . * * * The appeal to the country ought to be made as early as tho great interests of the country will permit . ' On tho Friday following , in answer or the Duko of Newcastle , he was still more explicit . While he declined naturally aud properly to answer to name any specific day for the Dissolution , he distinctly staled that the New Parliament , * before the close oi the autumn , ' should upon the great question of Protection , * pronounce its definite and final decision , ' and , further , held out the expectation that the present Parliament would be dissolved late in May or early in June , in order to allow its successor to assemble in August for
the special purpose of discussing the question at issue between the Free Traders and his Cabinet . These declarations were so distinct that tbey were accepted at the moment as satisfactory both by the nobleman who elicited them , and by one more difficult to please—Earl Grey , on behalf of the late Government . On the following evening , Lord J . Russell , in tbe other House , representing the combined Opposition , also accepted tho statement as a final and satisfactory replyand withdrew all further obstruction
, to thc granting of the supplies for the whole year . Iu the short interval that has elapsed , the Estimates have been voted with most edify ing unanimity , and most unexampled rapidity , on this understanding . Everybody was looking forward to an early dissolution , in consequence of tho speed with which this most important business was disposed of , when lo ! a change comes o ' er the spirit of Lord Derby's dream . The money being voted , he does not see why the existence of cither the Session or the Parliament should bo
prematurely shortened . He is quite content to go on , and does not understand why everybody else should not be so . On Tuesday night ho astounded his hearers by declaring that nothing whatever had ever fallen from him that could lead any one to sup- ose the Session would not be of tho usual duration ; and that he would continue to bring forward all such measures as he considered essential to the public services . The Duke of Newcastle quoted his exact words to the contrary , but Lord Derby
denied them , and , in reply , was contradicted in as strong terms as the courtesy of ' good society ' p ermits to be applied to direct falsehood . So the matter stands . The chivalrous , impetuous , highminded SlAKLET , has * j ockied' tho Opposition into granting supplies for the year by statements which he never intended should be fulfilled ; and now he turns round upon them , and me ans to retain place by aid of the monies thus fraudulently obtained , in spite of his own acknowledgment that he is in a decided
minority . Such exhibitions as these are not at all calculated to produce any very great respect for tho political morality of our public men . The greatest reproach against thc late Ministry was thatits conduct in offies , was a living lie to the professions of its members while not in power . It is lamentable to sec its successor break down precisely on that point on which it was imagined it was strongest . Henceforward shuffling , equivocation , deceit , and falsehood , will be
thought cardinal qualities in the character of British statesmen . The commercial spirit has spread through all classes—even to tbe highest . The perfection of modern action is to ' do , and take caro you are not done . * The soul of honour is eaten out of society and men , tho most prominent in position uss -words , not as the sincere expression of their honest determination , hut as counters to play a political game , in which their rivals are to be beaten , no matter how fraudulent or deceptive tho
means . Of course the opposition , thus rudely awakened to a sense of their real position and tho intentions of the Government , will take care to harass and obstruct it iu such a manner as to render it impossible to carry on Parliament for any lengthened period . But whether tho close of the Session and of Parliament com ^ s in May or August , tbe great mischief is done . Nothing can restore confidence in the unimpeachable
veracity of public men . That sheet-auchor has been swept away , and the vessel of state now drifts among the shoals and quicksands of factions , whose sole aim is to out-jnggle and out-manceuvre each other . Tot tbe -very men who are guilty of these acts presume to depreciate the unenfranchised classes , and talk of elevating the tone of public morality before any extension of the franchise can be granted , or the voter can be protected hy tho ballot Faugh ! Wo are sick of such a race of political Peckssiees .
The New Militia Bill. Tjnawed By The Fat...
THE NEW MILITIA BILL . TJnawed by the fate of their predecessors , tho Derby Ministry have brought in a new Militia Bill . It is in its leading features more undisguisedl y warlike than tho Whig measure , while pains have obviously been taken to divest it , as far as possible , of anything that mig ht render it unnecessarily offensive . The one point in which it is more open to objection than the hill it succeeds , is the increased range of its operation .
Lord John confined his conscription to youug men hetween twenty and twenty-three years of age ; a period of life when , as he very justly remarked , the parties would he generally unmarried , aud not ham pered either with the cares of a famil y , or tho res ponsibilities of largeand important establishments . Besides this , to young persons of that ago a little soldierly drilling , B 0 fer from being either objectionable or injurious , would be p leasant in . most cases , an
The New Militia Bill. Tjnawed By The Fat...
beneficial in all ; and a rigorous enforcement of the result of the ballot upon all classes liable to the force would have made it a national one } by including in its ranks , representatives of these various classes . The bill brought in by Mr . WalpSle , proposes to include all males between the ages of eighteen and thirty-five j a proposition extfemly objectionable in itself , and only rendered tolerable by the offer of a bounty of £ 5 to substitutes for those who may be unwilling to serve after being drawn . Wc are by no means among tho number of those who , in the present circumstances of Europe , deprecate the traiuing of a portion "f our population iu warlike exercises . On tho contrary . Wo think that
tho traditional policy of successive Governments has had a fatal tendency to emasculate the people , and deprive them of the personal hardihood ) energy ^ and presence of mind in danger , which are such admirable qualities m man . A measure to encourage the development of these qualities would have been a national boon of no ordinary character ; but we cannot perceive any such recommendation for that actually proposed . Tho short period during which the Militia aro to be culled out each year , thc manner in which the wealthier classes will escape actual service b y tho payment of a substitute , and tho inferior class , who will be
attracted by tho bounty offered , and the chance of a fortnight ' s soldiering , aro all defects in the new measure , even if such a measure were needed . A wcll-dcvised and properl y organised system of volunteers , under the instructions we recentl y quoted from Sir Charles Napier ' s letter to the Gentlemen of England , would have been very far superior iu respect of real efficiency , while it would have been free from all the vitiating and demoralising agencies that aro certain to operate upon Mr . Walpole ' s new Militia men . In fact , the proposed force would only
bo a cheap and nasty substitute for a real army , which we could hardly have expected to . he proposed by Tories and Protectionists ; and the only solution of the difficulty why they did so , is to suppose that it might form a seed plot and nursery , whence they might draw soldiers in case of another European struggle , and our embarking in that struggle , after the old fashion of Pitt , in favour of legitimacy and absolutism . The Militia , as explained on Monday night , is much more suitable for that purpose than home defence .
But we must took farther than these considerations , arising out of the construction of tho force itself , and ask the major question : Is a force of that kind re . quired at all 1 A few weeks since the reply to that question would have been promptly and unanimousl y in the affirmative . The panicmongers had put tho country in a fright , under the influence of which wo were ready to agree to almost any proposition that seemed to have a chance of preventing our being eaten up by the French Ogre and his Algerian hordes . The circumstances that have since transpired have shown tho groundless nature of the alarm . M .
Bqxaparte is too much engaged at home to have leisure for foreign quarrels or foreign conquests ; and our own public men had so little dread of any invasion , that thoy could perpetrate a change of Ministry with all its ) delays , and all its temptations to au invader , just as if no such person was in existence . It required , therefore , no small amount of assurance to re-introduce the question after its essentially unreal and exaggerated nature had been thus exposed ; and we can only account for ithy the supposition that , after so much noise had been made on the subject , it would not bo seemly to let it drop without at least seeming to do something . We can scarcely believe , however , that it will ever be allowed to pass
into a law . If its opponents aro firm , it must be ' sent to the country , 'with many other questions , for decision , and if so , we prophecy it will not come back , to Parliament for Legislation . A . numerous iuid powerful fleet in the Channel , well-trained bands of volunteer rifle corps , and a fair proportion of regulars , armed and equipped with tho heat weapons and ammunition that the existing science and the experience of the art of war have provided for the soldiers of other countries — these are all the requisites " for effective national defence , and these may he had , withonteither adding to t ' le ' cost of armaments , orinflicting upon the people a new grievance in the shape o . a conscription , which would practically fall almost solely on the poor .
Aristocratic Vandalism. Paris Abounds Wi...
ARISTOCRATIC VANDALISM . Paris abounds with palaces and public buildings , freely accessiU ' e to the people , to which wc have nothing in the British metropolis equal , either in beauty or extent ; yet not content with the existing provision for the recreation and tho comfort of tho inhabitants , a decree has just appeared , by which a Crystal Palace , on the model of Sir J . Paxton's building , is to be erected in tho Grand Square of tho Champ Elysee . London has but few buildings , and these of exceedingly limited capabilities and faulty architecture . Tot the decree has gone forth to pull down the Crystal Palace we have . The aristocracy from
the first were opposed to its erection—so near their favourite ride , during what is called tho London season . They did not relish tho idea of tho commonality coming hetween the wind and their nobility , and tho commission appointed last December to report upon the propriety of maintaining the popular Palace entered upon lbeir duties with a foregone conclusion . They have proved , as the * Times' very truly says , ' The executioners , not the . judges of the building . ' Their report is opposed to the evidence on which they profess to base it , and tho architect has indign antly contradicted tho falsified version of his evidence , hy which they sought to make him accessory to the destruction of tho beautiful creation of his own
genius . We visited it last Saturday for the first time since the goods were removed , and the first feeling excited by a glance at its light , graceful , and stupendous proportions , was that of wonder and indignation , at the worse than "Vandalism that could doom so noble , so admirable a structure to destruction , at a moment when tho people of this country are becoming full y aware of the humanising and instructive uses to w hich it mi g ht be put . There is scarcely a capital in Europe that is so deplorably deficient in these respects as London . There never was a building so thoroughly adapted for almost every
popular purpose that can be imagined ; and yet , now that we have got it , it is to be thrown away for no reason whatever , save that a few exclusives hate to see the people enjoying themselves on ground hitherto appropriated to their peculiar use and delectation . There is scarcely a public building in existence that is not at this moment overcrowded with the objects for the reception of which it was erected . The collection of pictures presented to the nation by Mr . Vernon , has been ] removed from the cellars in which they were formerly stowed away temporarily , to Marlborough House , already voted to the heir apparent . The British Museum is crammed to
over-Awing . The sculptures annually exhibited at the Royal Academy are huddled into a small dark hole , where there is neither space nor light . We have no Architectural Museum—no place for the collection of botanical productions , with the exception of the small museum at Kew j no storehouse for models ; no covered winter garden where tbe people might find some compensation for the uncertainty and the rigours of our climate . In thc ample courts and spacious avenues of the Crystal Palace all these purposes" and many more , could be provided for ; and yet it is to be pulled down on a paltry pretence of economy , which will in reality throw away all the money that has been spent upon it , and deprive the country of a building which is the admiration of all who have ever
beheld it . Such specimens of oligarchical rule , with its littleness , selfishness , and jobbing , almost brighten despotism by the contrast . We pay in ninny things besides taxation for the freedom of grumbling ; and when the numerous public uses to which such a building might be applied is considered , it will be admitted by all , that a more gross , brutal , and wanton outrage than that which it is proposed to commit , never was contemplated in any civilised country . Petitions are being signed for its preservation , but we fear with little effect . The power rests in the hands of those who have resolved that the fairy-like and stupendous structure shall he swept away ; and at least another g eneration will elapse before the people of this country are provided with anything in its place .
Tbe Murder At Stow-On Thb-Woid.—John Ilu...
Tbe Murder at Stow-on thb-Woid . —John Ilumbago , who stood ciiarged with the murder of his father by shooting hiai with a gun , was tried at Gloucester on Thursday , and found Guilty of " iManslaughtcr . " He ffas sentenced to a fortn ight ' s ininriflonmcut .
®Xtow Intelligence
® xtow Intelligence
National Association Of United Teades, "...
NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF UNITED TEADES , " sm JiisriiiA , " * ' If it were possible for the working classes , by combining nmong themaelvcSi to raise , or Keep up the general rate ol wages , it need hardly be said tlittt this Would bo a thing not to he panishedi but to be welcomed and rejoiced at . "—Stum Mux .
We have shown in our late articles the circumstances which , in 1845 , gave rise to the National Association ; we have shown that the aggressive and e . 'iot'Oiishing spirit of Capital is as rifo , as determined , and unscrupulous now as then . That the spirit which animates its possessors is tho same ; its mode of manifestation , and its strategic tactics are alone different , In iB & o an attempt was . made to subjugate Labour by a smugg led legislative enactment ; the attempt was mean and infamous , and was deservedl y defeated . In the present day , the existing laws are distorted ,
and by the aid of class influence , and the power of a subscribed Capital , wrested into engines of oppression , against all who daro aspire to that freedom and independence which they aro sometimes cheated to believo are rights which thoy actuall y enjoy j To protect Labour from these , or any other form of assault , tho ono and the only remed y ia Union—as wide in its basis , as powerful by its numbers , and as unassailable by the soundness of its principles , the justness of its objects , and the moderation and legality of its practices , as the formidable nature of tho gigantic evils it is required to grapple with
requirei The arguments fof ft National Association of Labour arc immensely strengthened by recent occur - rences . We doubt whether in all England an enlightened working man canabe found to impugn the policy , or to demur to the imperative necessity of at once setting about in real earnest 'organising' British Labour . We repeat our solemn conviction , that this question is alone deserving the earnest and immediate attention of the Trades . It is for Labour a question of life or death , and can be no longer trifled with . Other questions of a most important , but more chronic
form , of a social and political character , may admit of a more measured treatment . 0 f political ri ghts wo have been long utterly deprived . A change in our social position requires time and an improved public opinion , aud both , of therA a , gveater unanimity of opinion as to their nature and extent ; biit upon the question of the rights to ' a fair day ' s wage for a fair day ' s work , ' we are unanimous . There is not the man living that would say , in the presence of his fellow workers , that he would prefer twenty to thirty shillings per week . If this is tho case , why do we hesitate ? Why have not the numbers of the National Trades multiplied a hundredfold since its foundation ? There are many obvious
reasons;time and circumstances were wanting to impress the mass of the working men of the dangerous helplessness of their position . They have been too much in tho habit of thinking and acting unreflectingly , by oroxy . Their leaders have , in too many instances , lulled them into a false sense of security and confidence in their own isolated power . And our love of Individualism is the besetting sin and bane of our existing social system . . We are bora in it , nurtured in it , and it has become , as it were , an exclusive part of our nature , and will remain so until a continuous repetition of the Wolverhampton and Bucklersburyproce : dings bring home to our awakened faculties a thorough conviction of its one-sided unuaturaluess .
The possession and enjoyment of an enlightened individual happiness can only be attained by the agency of judicious and extensive associative arrangements . Individual exemption from oppression and wron g can only bo effected by associative combination , and this applies to the union of aggregates in an equal degree as of units . Tho individual love of class distinction which leads one trade to assume an aristocratic pro-eminenceover another , has been hitherto an irremovable stumbling-block in our road . The dustman assumes a superiority over the sweep . Wbv , it
would puzzle either of them to tell . To us they have always appeared very much upon a parequally ill-educated and neglected , and , of course , equally brutal and repulsive ; but still something exists to give to the one a specious elevation over tho other and this something consists in a COm « parativeVy pleasanter and better paid occupation . Search upwards through tho whole ramifications of labour , and you will find this plague spot in pestilential activity . This has been another powerful obstruction to progress , but the snake is scotched , if not killed ; and we hope , and firmly believe ,-that this narrowminded , exclusive spirit is fast dying away , and will
no longer bo permitted to disfigure aud travesty the public conduct of otherwise useful and estimable bodies of men . Surrounded h y these and similiar difficulties , the position , of the Executive of tho National Association has been an arduous and a thankless one . They were placed by the confidential vote of largo numbers of their fellow workmen , as the pioneers of a principle which no one disputed , but few would honestly and openly recognise . They saw the idea of 1845 , with the principles and constitution adopted for its roalisition , stingily recognised , and by piecemeal adopted b y every new claimant for the sweet voices' of tho industrial
mass . Even its very name has been in more than one instance (* e had almost said feloniously ) appropriated with such slight and immaterial variations , as were just sufficient to enable thoso up to tho ( ioilije to show there w : is a variation , but not for the working-class public to perceive it . This and such unworthy tricks have caused our policy and actions to be misunderstood . We have been charged with an attempt to convert the National Association into a political engine—with having offered to hand it over to tho Protectionists of the 0 . A Young school ; iw fact , we have been ciiarged with all possible and impossible aberrations front duty ; while few have given us the credit we think our duo , in having , at all times , given our best
assistance to enable others to promulgate and advance tho principles , although in some instances , wo knew the parties were influenced by no friendly intentions to the National Association or its Executive . We conceived * this to be our duty , and performed it : and we now rejoice to find that the airing our principles have obtained , through so many channels , has secured for them quite an agreeable popularity . It may be that our fato may prove similar to that usually attending inventors of theories , and mechanical and scientific improvements . After years of exertion , at a sacrifice of comfort , health , and even of liberty , wo may be doomed to witness the honours of a
triumph , won chiefly by our own Association , appropriated without any qualms of conscience , by those who have systematically , but covertly , opposed our progress . Bo it so , n ' nnporfe , so long as tho end is obtained . Let labour bo organised ; let the surplus labour be no longer suffered to remain a dead weight upon tho produotivo industry of tho employed , to prevent it becoming an instrument for tho depreciation of wages . Let the great machinery bo constructed by which " these things can be accomplished , and we shall rejoice in the successful experiment , iwhethor wo or others are the immediate agents in the affair .
Ihe Committee of the National Association will still pursue the even tenor of its way . promoting , as far as is in its power , tho advancement of tho principles , by whom ever adopted , offering no obstruction to any moving in tho sairifii direction , while naturally ambitious of securing for the National Association the original promulgates of the movement , the fairly earned honours Of ultimate triumph . Queen ' s Bench Prison , w . Vzzt , April 1 st , 1852 .
The Amalgamated Society Of Bxgikeers
THE AMALGAMATED SOCIETY OF BXGIKEERS
TAB STRIKE . Cote ^! f ? f t" ? TRinTsT .-On Wednesday evening a Seek TJhL I' ^ t . f ^ Sates-adjourned ' from last of d >^ nW h at tb ° Bell - In ' 01 d B « V , for the purpose of teJLT" ? ' ° - a 9 f'stjng the Amalgamated Society eLw „ , 0 T * £ V ? , th . Clr P ^ ent contest with their pates presented their credentials , and took their seats . Mr . that'irtrS' 8 fca ' < ' ^' ieha u receive d irSa ion tivoq nriAi . < 1 V .., .. •?} ° to a PPOMt representa-Sain honrP « nf ^ - ltt , D ^ V V ™ being called on to Mr W' ^ wtoT ^ JT !^ ^ Amalgamated Society , to sulort a at ih „ fi tb ^ t , be - 80 c , ety had still as many men woeiv o thi « % Xl * w flr 8 t 0 , M i ?* of the shops ; who would honoH tlK „ S ? kth - f » a . moalIowan 6 ea » last week , and ho b ! ™& T ^; s- iV ™ > a *«< rc of the trades , would SL ?; lll ^ ri nue . t , iat . ? PPon ; but there was great
h / the most «;«> IT u on Th 0 statement published KdSS workmen who had bv the fict ^ " ^' ^ ^'" Plctely false , as was proved tUlvIl no , Ration had taken place in the Lfin t J / hntttUr ° ° f tll ° ' ^ y- iie ««« d hold out no Its * . «^ J ¦ 8 P - teei"ia *«™ of the dispute ; but un-»? fh . w h ^ f m , natM > n ™ ' ° s , iorJ , v ar «™ > « P ° tcrn , s with which tho men might go in with honour , tbe society would have to buoklo on their armour , and labour in tho neio . or agttatiop ? aoro strenuously than tbey had hitherto
The Amalgamated Society Of Bxgikeers
" " 'I " ¦ ' ¦ —> . ilia * done . Mr . Allen stated , in reply to a queition , y the trades had only subscribed about £ 400 per week . In reply to a question , Mr . Newton said that the statement he had read last week of the number of men who had entered was true , and that about twenty had gone in since . —Mr . Allan said that the non-society men had not given the support which had been anticipated . They had deputations trowelling through England , Ireland , and Scotland , and deputations waited on the trades of London every night , llo h"ped to see something definite done by the Conferencesomething to bring in moiioy for ths relief of the engineers . It
* m said that there were 200 trailr s in London , and if each or thege would only send £ 10 per week for a few weeks , they would have sufficient to support the men . They did notcare % the sacrifice of their own funds , but had a great SV / L *" lat ' struggle . They had still to support If ?? ' » o ^ ot 7 , 000 society men , in whose uenaii ae called Upon the Conference to take effectual steps . nn « i # hW ° S of Operative Worships wag adjourned Ssdn ol ^ V ™ raore f llv represented .-The re-£ D ? Sn ? . ? erit , r ll 8 , l ? 0 CCft P «* bythe appointments Srt ? nVa ? n £ . with ' ¥ *** ' Associations upon the propriety of establish ^ a joint action x > ith the Code-
&O*Wm\Bt Mtxlwmt.
& o * WM \ bt MtXlwmt .
Central Co-Operative Agetfcy, 76, Charlo...
CENTRAL CO-OPERATIVE AGEtfCY , 76 , Charlotte-street , Fitaroy Square Weekly Repobt , March 23 rd to March * 29 th ; The Agency transacted business with tho following Stores : —Banbury , Crewe , Bacup , Leeck . Gaksheils , Paisley , Selkirk , Brighton , UHesttorye , Safe fax , Heywood , Woolwich , Middlesborough , Edinburgh , Tillicoultry , Becking Baraley , Hawich ,
tfor-In a few days the Agency will have ready printed rules and instruction for the formation of Co-operative S storesandAscociated Workshops . Theseruleswillhavo appended to them specimens of the various books re quired for keeping correct accounts $ and tho Agency c nai < * brs that the various Stores already in existence should , where it is riot found inconvenient , model their hooks upon the plan given , and that all future . tor % es should give tliem a . preference , inasmuch as it is highl y desirable that there should bo as much uni-Jormity as possible , as regards account keeping , in the ^ 0-operative Movement . Tho plan submitted by the Agency is put forward in consequence of repeated applications from the Stores in tho p ' rbvinces „ arid . from individualsi anxious to exort themselves for ^ formation of such societies .
LEEDS REDEMPTION SOCIETY . H o are ; | lad td report that our Store has reached and passed the paying point ,. This t fe have ascertained on our taking stock after three hiehths existence . _ Nearly every week shows a regular itfffroVfl * ment in our receipts sucH as must ; in a few months , yield something -worth while to assist in " fettleing " our farm . We hope , therefore , that the friends of tho Eedemption Society will assiei co-operative efforts whero they can , and especially such as apply a portion of their profits for the full and ofitat carrying " - out of Co-operation . The monies for thtf & ok sta --Leeds Subscri ption , £ i 8 s . Id . ; Propagandistf Fund , Is . 4 d . ; Longter , Itiloy , Is . 8 d . ; Edinburgh , ^ o ^ , / T Last week-Leeds Subscription , i / 1 3 s . lid . ; London , Cornold , lOs . —R . Jones , Secretary ,
Catkins , Ayrshire . —The Catrine Economical Society was founded in December , 1840 . The causes of its formation were maiiy , —we may here note a few of them . Catrine is a manufacturing village containing about 3 , 000 inhabitants , and the workers receive their pay every week , to of course the working-man never can better his condition by getting credit ; but notwithstanding , the credit system was rampant j the merchant gave it to ensure his custom , the workers took it because they could get it , so heavy losses often occurred with the merchant , and of course ai large profit had to be charged , aud often inferior arf . files sold at the price of good articles , and by this way of working , the man that paid all his debts paid for tbe man that only paid in part . It was often thought on , of
forming a co-operative store , but it was generally believed that as the credit system was so popular , nothing but credit would do ;—but at leWgth covn & ge overcame tear , so we launched into the field of co-operation . About forty pounds were collected in the name of shares , a shop was taken , and a salesman appointed ; but before we were many weeks in business , we found that our capital was hy far too small , but we soon found that that could be met by our own members but owing to having interest to pay , and the uukindlv feeling that prevailed in the villages towards us or a few years at first , our trade was not extensive , and of course our profits were not large ; hut thes « three or four years past we have had a very extensive business and a large surplus at the end of each quarter . When our stock was taken in January last , our capital amounted to upwards of £ 500 . —Yours truly , James Murray .
Mwtifit Unteuigw*
MWtifit UnteUigw *
National Chaltte.T Association. At The U...
NATIONAL CHAltTE . t ASSOCIATION . At the usual weekly meetine of the Executive Committee on Tuesday evening last , at 3 , Queen ' s Head-passage , the following letter was read from Mr . Robert Le Bl . md : — " Gkktlembn ,-- ! rejoice to observe that each week sine ' s the election to office of the Executive of the National Charter Association tht-y have stea < lily carried out the policy with which they started—of liquidating the debts of the i Chartist body before incurring any fresh liabiliiie . « . This" i policy , so just , and so necessary , at the present junctures I am most anxious to do all in my power to further : I therefore heg your acceptance of the £ 5 standing ; against you in my favour , as a donation from me towards * the accomplishment of the object you have in view . II wish to take this opportunity to add , that in my opmiouu the policy about to be re-instated of establishing an o » - > -
etruc ion party , is ruinous to the common cause . On thoo 18 th of March , I , with Messrs . Nicliolls and T . Hunt ( hyy invitation ) attended tho meeting at the Druid ' s Hall . Ortn the placards were the words "Free Discussion , " ' Faiiir Piay , " & 8 . ; butin practice there was no fair play ; hocauswo nothing opposed to the views of the conveners was alloweded to be stated ; therefore we could not advance or justify oumt policy ; while the speakers on the other side , ' instead olol showing and proving tho errors of the Parliamentary Nolo ioraera and their plans , were quite content to use the oror dinary abuse and inveoiives , and made no pretence whatat ever , by argument , to show in what way the policy of tho Itetie form Association was detriment . !! or antagonistic to the intate rests of the working classes . Under such circumstancesee there could be no discussion . Except in the House of Corrom mons , I never heard such a combination of noises as at tului discussion .
" I hope and trust , for all our sakes , if these meetingng aro under the Executive ' s control , that if tbey mean diidii cussion , they will take means that that object may b b realised ; and if discussion be not the object , that they wiwi not use such words as ' fair play , ' « free discussion , ' & o & o merely to attract those to the meetings who aro antfiouiou only for truth and principle , without reference to interearei in any shape . " Robbbt Is Blohd , " , " [ We beg to state the meeting above alluded to was corcon vened by tho Metropolitan Delegate Council , and not bt b tbe Executive Committee . ]
MONIBS BBCBIVBD . Bingloy , John Wild , os . ; Mr . Ambrose , Is . ; Uoxtoitot per C . P . TSicholls , 10 s . ; Glossop , per Henry Collier , Is . Is . Cheltenham , per W . Shariand , 4 * . ; John Cook , Ipswiclricl Is . ; George Gibbs , ditto , la . ; W . Ilarrold , ditto , Is . ; M M Sibbom , ditto , Cd . —Total , £ 1 4 s . Od . The above , with tho £ 5 remitted by Mr . Le Blond , ri , r duces tho debt to about £ 10 . We therefore trust thathat vigorous and determined effort will be at once made to wv vn off the whole amount . James Gbassby , Sub-Secretary , , 96 , Regent Street , LatribetiUb .,
Mmhomtxta* Dakoaib Council-On Sunday Aft...
MMHOMtxtA * DaKOAiB CoUNCiL-On Sunday aft aftt noon , the first day of the quarter , at thePinsbury LUenitern lnstuution , Leicester-place , several new delegates , included : ! : Messrs . Downs , Kelly , Wheeler , Stratton , Welsby , HanHarn and others took their seats . Mr . Snelling was called to ( to n chair . Mr . Parran was elected treasurer for the ensuinsu i quarter , and Mr . Clarke secretary . Messrs . Wheefheell Jones , Bezer , Wood , Harris , Bligh , and Stratton m wn elected as an observation committee , to meet once a wen weci and report to the Council . Mr . Wheeler was appointed ted cretary to the committee . —Mr . Jones reported from torn 11 O'Connor Committee , and stated that considerable fnre frin bad been promised as soon as tho Committee was in wprfrrorki i order . —The timo for electing officers was extended for tfor cc week . —Several committees gave in their reports which wch win approved of . —After considerable discussion and a modifiodifii tion of the motion made hy Air . Jones last wcek . ^ h \ lt \\ decided that 500 cards of membership of the IfatioUtioii
Charter Association should be issued by the Council . B . B 3 were ordered to bo printed calling &« aggregate meetin < etin { i { the hall on Sunday afternoon , April the 3 rd , and the meetmeetn adjourned . . Snip Ins , Wmracruwsr .. --A meeting was held on Sun Sunn evening . Mr . Evans in the chair . ~ -Mes 8 rs . Wheeler eler Stratton reported from the Council . Messrs . Shaw haw Smith reported from the Committee f . « ProrrmtWltinsr Newton's Election for th ellamlets , and other busfieBs less ' similar nature was transacted . U 5 ^ . tff % FlMBBnr .-At tho meeting held on Sunday It & M & jfrftS Butter * nd Down reported from tbe MetropoHtafSS Council . . It was then resolved tbatfiOn S SS
? , t 0 ; l / v 7 n n ! l 1 ln t , le Literar V Institution oSrjMJBil ' . , ""!! nl ' i , ? ommernorat \ on of the birth-d « y ^^* 3 c 4 « k * - land Robespierre . The members were TC * wt « 4 TfoWif at six , instead of nine o ' clo-h , "' - '; £ . ' '; ££
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Citation
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Northern Star (1837-1852), April 3, 1852, page 5, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/ns/issues/ns2_03041852/page/5/
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