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THB CHARTISTS AND LAND 1° JfEM BERS.
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\?v Fries135 ' , . .„, This has been a d...
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TO THE CHARTISTS OF GREAT BRITAIN.
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T *«?HZHE5SI03i OP THE CbABIBT PlKE VsSD...
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/^ ^•^A^o^/ c^y^^^^C y ZUi~jh£
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^•^A^o^ ¦ AND NATIONAL TRADES 8 JOURNAL,...
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VOL. XL No 555. LONDON, SATURDAY ^ JUNE ...
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TO LORD JOHN RUSSELL. Literary Iastitute...
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EXECUTIVE NOTICE. METROPOLITAN "" DEMONS...
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Heckhokdwike, neab Leeds.—A lecture will...
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—-rsujjRltr _ TO THE PEOPLE. The ruffian...
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Chartism which was ' put dWu,' and accor...
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CoMMirrih OF ' RlOTBBS' FROM MANCnsBTBR....
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I ^s IV
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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.
Additionally, when viewing full transcripts, extracted text may not be in the same order as the original document.
Thb Chartists And Land 1° Jfem Bers.
THB CHARTISTS AND LAND 1 ° JfEM BERS .
\?V Fries135 ' , . .„, This Has Been A D...
\? v Fries 135 ' , . . „ , This has been a dusv , week witb me , d therefore , you will not expect a long U preparing to receive the fortunate nants to be located here on Monday next , ^ T expect to be honoured with the com » fte n j . ^ f Memb ers of Parliament , to If ? j nave promised such a treat and sur--f as they have never had ; and when I PV to see not a few of your order to come Tind ^ e for yourselves , from a peep at the Mature , ^ to what the full-length picture of Aland ' s elory might be made . on met
* ^ be Committee our Company yesrdar ( Tuesday , ) and meets again on Friday ; li very properly that Committee has prohi-£ jL < I the publication of garbled reports , until the inq uir F is concluded , and then all will be V jtjfched ' in the shape of a Report , and you ^ gll h ave all , and then the poor will be able \ 0 judge as te the mode in which their affairs jjave been transacted . On Monday , after a very busy day , I leave j , mail train for Birmingham , in order to be ^ ood time on Tuesday to meet my Sheffield friends- „ _ , __
-I promise all who come here on Monday gTjch a treat as they have never had . They J 33 V also see LowBA . xDS , which is close by , ^ d then they can judge of the effect of Labour upon the Land , _ . v Your faithful Friend , FEAR <^ i }' . C : i : Ji , ua . " Thursday Right . ? . S . —At half-past eleven o ' clock this raomingl received a letter from Mr Jones , ann ouncing his arrest , and asking me to become one of his Bail j and considering the liberty of oar members—even such as they enjoyed—ef more importance than my presence at Snig ' s End , 1 arrived in town shortly after four o ' clock , saw the solicitor , and made arrangements for the liberation of Mr Jones .
Now , my friends , I have often reminded you of the necessity of being prepared jrith the means of defending our party , an omission upon your part which has , upon several occasions , put me to great Inconvenience and expense ; and now that the oppressors Lave again resorted to the terrors of the law , under the certainty of cenviction , let my appeal upon this occasion not he in vain . 1 have given direction that the best Counsel shall be engaged for all , as it is a novelty in our movement , and my pride to boast of it , that no Chartist in my time has ever gone to trial without being defended by the ablest men at the Bar .
You may rest assured that this precaution , of itself , has converted maay to our princi p les . Let us not , then , allow the Government or the country to suppose that we are less protective of onr friends now , than we were when Chartism was but in its infancy , and the expense of sustaining and defending it devolved upon a small minority of the poorest of the poor . You are aware that in Lancashire , in
York-$ hiie and in London , many Chartists have to be tried ; and that those trials come on instantaneously . Mr Jones , and those who have been apprehended for offences said to be committed in London , will be tried next week , and , therefore , my application is , that every man will send his mite by Post-office order , payable to me , and addressed to the Northern Star Office , London .
I have to remind you , that tune presses , and that the work must be done ; and , in conclusion , 1 ask the Attorney-General , or any black-letter lawyer in England , to point me out one word of sedition in the speech far which Jlr Jones has been committed . But , Chartists , I told you in 1839 , that , if Keating ted night-caps , fasting and praying , would secure Labours rights , that these acts would be looked upon as seditious . But , Chartists , fear not ; for neither the power of the tyrant nor the terror of the law shall turn us from our coarse , but , on the contrary , wed us to our principles . F . O'C .
To The Chartists Of Great Britain.
TO THE CHARTISTS OF GREAT BRITAIN .
Brother Democrats , Another proscription and persecution of the advocates of the Charter has begun . Whilst I write , Ernest Jones and many other geod men are languishing in the prisoa-cells to which alarmed oppression has consigned them . I appeal to you to do your duty by forwarding your contributions to the 5 ATI 0 XAL DEFENCE AND VICTIM FUND . to the care of Mr O'Connor , immediately .
The Times has avowed that your enemies mean to make short work with your friends . You , therefore , will see the necessity of wasting no time in throwing the shield of your protection over the persecuted patriots and task greatly-wronged families . As editor of the Northern Star , as ( although a young man ) an old Chartist , and as one prepared to do to the utmost extent of my humble means what I ask you to do , I feel myself justified in adding my voice to the appeals of Mr O'Connor and the Chartist Executive .
For the sake . ' of our holy ' cause , I conjure you to rush to the assistance * of the martyrs . Tens of thousands of you know the talents and burning patriotism of the man whom I am proud to call my friend—Ernest Jones . Many a time you hare rent the skies with your enthusiastic plaudits of his eloquent , soul . stirring outpourings in vindication of your rights
and denunciation of your oppressors . You who cheered him prove your sincerity by rallying around him now . Let his persecutors see that he has thousands and tens of thousands of friends—real friends , who will stand by both him and his family . And Williams , Sharp , Fussell , Vernon , and the brave men of Bradford , Bingley , and Manchester—these , too , demand your aid . Let there be no favouritism . Remember that an
injury done to the humblest in our ranks is a blow to us all . Let , then , all the persecuted patriots experience your sympathies and enjoy your protection . Let not the indiscreet words or deeds of any of our unfortunate brothers debar them from your aid ; over-zeal , with all Us faults , is preferable—infinitely preferable— to its opposite failing . Up , then , and be "flag . Remember that
"Those who permit oppretsion sfcsre the crime . "
G . JULIAN HARNEY wthern . Star Office , June 8 th , 1848 .
T *«?Hzhe5si03i Op The Cbabibt Plke Vssd...
T *«? HZHE 5 SI 03 i OP THE CbABIBT PlKE VsSDOB . — j Mto Downey , a shoemaker residing at Ho . 90 , Rocn-» -e-road . it appears that Downey was one of the ' ftex of the procession of Jche Mitchei and Brian « tthme . clubs , on Wednesday last , by some indi-• iritK J * which Mr John Henry waa wounded , and frSh ! ch the Police had a collision at the Newton sia , i if- a * Qbsequent part of the day . Downey Wv" ? P e ° n that dgr , but on Monday evening ' . oeiween ten snd eleven o ' clock , Mr Beswick , ^ apamed j , Mr snperintendant Leary , several m \ iZ Edetectir e officers , and between forty and fifty & Ed *? eVftheBd m « ° n , proceeded to his house , uappre v . h ; m there > Hfs hoD £ e k the hgsd fiS-7 fl . lhe Bnan Boroihae club , and at the »*» - , E PPRfcttaiQU there W « W fourteen men ia Ti u UP Stairs onnsnnfl . roosUnrr fha npwsmaDerg .
* W « P sr t of these teemed to be Irish ; their tWV 1110 add «* se 3 were taken down . None of fcjfs nfit £ ttem Pted to interfere with the proceed * £ OMk p ' j ! ice' Downey was quietly conveyed to q , wwutn-rosd police station , and subsequently to tW » r iiU- Ia ^ e lower room of the house a , b ' f fou s < i between twenty and thirty swords , J W . ^' . two muskets , and several pikes . dsv J Wa 5 i-rought up at the Ivew Bailey on 'ines bl » * ' on 2 charge ef being one of the riotous assemss icd wa committed for trial at the assizes . tCr ci 5 TIE ~ A pnblic meeting will take place on -iowau ^ ft , Whit-Moadar .
T *«?Hzhe5si03i Op The Cbabibt Plke Vssd...
PLAN OF ORGANISATION FOBTHS NATIONAL CHARTER ASSOCIATION 0 ? GREAT BRITAIN AND IRELAND , ADCPTED BT THE NATIONAL ASSEMBLY , MAY , 1848 , 10 OBTAIN THE 6 FSEDT EKACTHBNI OF THE PEOPLE'S CHARTER . I . —CONDITIONS OP HEHBEESHIP . Acqnieseing in the objects , and being enrolled in the books of the Association .
H . —DISTRICT AND LOCAL ORGANISATION . The country to be divided into districts and localise ? . A dairicS to be formed by the onion of contignona localises , _ . _ ¦¦ . A looditr » o be suh-djrided into wards—a ward Into classes . ,:. __ A ward to consist of one hundred , a class of ten aembsis . ' i .,,: _ ¦ -...- - . Tii . —ogrfcERs ^? , T 7 r ; : 7 ' / ~' - - I .--1 EV- ' -juirfice : -vtfamifttt , consisting of fire persons , to be elected tot the current year , by the members of fee ^ -Assooi & tion , in-- accordant Tfith instrnctions to be ^ issued , one" month pr ior to ' the date of the election , by the Executive Committee then m oSce . 2 . — Financial ^ ee « .--A treasurer , three trustees , and two anditors , t » be elected in accordance with initrnctioM issued bj the Executive Committee .
3 . —Commit doners . —Twenty commissioners to be elected at the tame time , and in the earns manner as the Executive ; and , in the event of any vacancy or vacancies occurring in the latter body , the coEiraisai 6 ner or commissiouera tecemug the greatest number of votes shall £ 11 op the place or places so vacated . 4 . —Local Ojjkers . —Consisting ef s council , treasnt-er , secretary , wardmen , snd class leaders , to be elected by the localities . 0 . —District Ctf . cers . —To consist 6 f deleg & tea fwm the localities in the district ; each delegates , at their first meeting , to appoint from their body a treasurer and secretary for the current year . IV . —FUSB 3 .
I . —Association Fund . —h 'Liberty Fana' of £ 10 , 000 to be raised by voluntary subicriptioa . 2 . —LoceH and District Funds . —To be raised and controlled by the localities and districts .
7 . —BANK . The National Land and Labour Bank . VI . —DUTIES OF OFFICERS . 1 . —sxictmvx . ToanperintandthenioTeaieat , perfect the organisation , and direct its powers ; te publish , frequent reports of their proceedings , and of the state of the movement ; to issue weekly financial statements ; snd a quarterly balance sheet ; to pnbliak tracts sad addresses when nesesguy ; to conveua an Assembly of the people ' s representatives in case of emergency , and to appoint & secretary or secretaries out of their own body .
2 . —TIBiHCIAI , ornCEEB . Treasurer . —To keep an account ef all msniea received on behalf of the Association ; to invest the s & meiu the names of the trustees , retaining a sum aot exceeding £ 100 , to meet the current expend !* tow " , to honour no draft unlea previously signed by three of the Executive , and to withdraw no money from the bank unless on an order thus signed , and countersigned by the trustees . Trustees . —To invest , in conjunction with the treasurer , the monies of the Association , and te sign no document for the withdrawal of any such monies , unless previously signed by three of the Executive . Auditors . —To audit the qu & rtstly balance sheets , asd report thereon to the members » f the Asso ciation .
3 . —COHXISSrOHEBS . To carry bto practical operation the instructions of the Executive , and to be under the control of that body . i . —LOCll omcxs . 8 . Council , Treasurer , and Secretary . —The council to keep , through thairsecretary , a register of the names of the members in their respective localities ; to furnish s weekly statement of the iscrsasd or detreaiB of members to the district secretary , and to report as to the general and financial state of their localities . TFardmen . —To have the superintendence of their respective wards , under the direction of the local council . Class Ltaders . —To make themselves acquainted with the residences of the members composing their respective classes , and to communicate to them , the instructions received from the wardmen .
5 . —DISTSICT OFJICEI 6 . To keep up an active superintendence over the localities forming their district ; their secretary to furnish a weekly report to the Executive , stating the number of members ia each locality , . and the total in each district ; likewise the state of trade , the general feeling of the people , and tha movement of all public bodies . Local snd district secretaries and treasurers to furnish a certification of their election , together with their respective residences , to the Executive , and to use , in conjunction with the other officers , their best endeavours to carry out the instructions of that
body , VII . —SALARIES . Executive . — £ 2 per week ; when travelling , second class fare and 2 s . 6 d . per day for expenses . Commissioners . — -To be paid , only when employed & t the same rate as the Executive .
EXPLANATORY DETAILS . I . —ORGANISATION . The Executire committee beg to impress on all localities the paramount necessity for adhering strictly and uniformly to the above Plan of Organisation , and to remind district and local officers , that the only test of membership ef the Association is acquiescence in its principles , and enrolment of the individual member ' s name in the books of the local secretary . It is not requisite that the residence should be entered also . The secretary and treasurer of every district and
locality are required to acquaint the Executive with their respective names and residences , asd particularly requested to csrrespond with them regularly , as specified in the above plan . The secretary of a district is required to know the respective names and residences of the secretaries of erery locality in his district . m The secretary of a locality is required to know the respective names and residences of every wardmate in his locality . A wardmate is required to know the respective names and residences of evtrj class-leader in Ms ward . A class-leader is required to know the respective names and residences of every man in his class .
II —TRANSMISSION OF INFORMATION . In caseofthe sudden transmission of any information requisite to be known by all the members of one or more districts , the Executive shall write , or send , to thesecretaries of those districts they deem it necessary to communicate with . On receiving such message , the district secretary most immediately convey the same to the secretaries of the localities forming his district ; thelocal secretary , to the waromfctes of the wards forming his locality ; the wardmate to the claes-leadera ia his ward ; the classdeader to the men forming his class .
IIL—FUNDS . 1 . —Liberty Fund . —Collecting books are to be issued by the district and local councils for the purpose of this fund , and the money thus raised is to be transmitted to John M'Crae , Financial Secretary , Literary Institution , John-street , Tottenham-eourtroad , London . When Post-offica orders aw sent , they are to be forwarded as above , but to be made payable to Jobs Sewell , Esq ., at the Sonthwark Post-office , London . A weekly acknowledgment ot the monies thus received will appear in the Noethees Stab , under the names of the respective localities
. 2 —LocalFands —The districts and localities have fullpower to regulate their local affairs as they think DEBt , and toimpOW any conditions of local membership , consistent with the principles of Democracy , or to make any arrangements for the raising of local levies that may be required . . No portion of the Liberty Fund is te be applied to district er local expenses .
The Executive submit the above Plan of Organisation in the belief that it is one easy of execution , inefficient when in operation . A short time only " required for the country to 00 completely or-SriSd ; a short time only u needed tora . se the Site ' funds ; and thus a short time only need 3 ? pre ! if the people will it , before the attainment of the Charter . The above Plan and Details are to be sold at 2 = 6 d per hundred , and may be had on application to the Executive , and on receipt of the money .
T *«?Hzhe5si03i Op The Cbabibt Plke Vssd...
CORRESPONDENCE BETWEEN THE EXECUTIVE OF THE NATIONAL CHARTER ASSOCIATION
AND THE GOVERNMENT . Whitehall , June « l , 1848 . Sir , —4 am directed by Secretary Sir George Grey to inform you , that he has laid before the Queen the Address transmitted to him for that purpose ia your letter of the 30 th ult . I am , Sir , Youf obedient servant , G . C . Lewis . MrP . M . M'Douall .
Literary Institute , John-street , ' Totteaham-court-road , June 5 tb , 1848 . Sir , —I have to acknowledge the receipt of yours of the 1 st instant , informing' us that our Address to the . Queen had been laid before her flfajesty . '"'" ' ' " " " ' " ' "" I am instructed to inquire whether her Ma-. jesty was gra ^ upugly pleased to receive that Address ^^ whether any ¦ commands ¦ have been issued regarding it—and whether it is the intention of her Ministers to advise the Queen to consider the same , with the view of complying with the prayer of Her Majesty ' s faithful subjects .
1 am directed to adopt this course , in consequence of having read an account of the gracious reception of a deputation from Dublin , having fer its object a political change greater ( if possible ) , than that which we have sought to effect , and which political deputation you , no doubt , advised her Majesty to receive . Your obedient servant , P . M . M'Douall . The Right Honourable Sir George Grey .
/^ ^•^A^O^/ C^Y^^^^C Y Zui~Jh£
/^ ^•^ A ^ o ^/ c ^ y ^^^^ C y ZUi ~ jh £
^•^A^O^ ¦ And National Trades 8 Journal,...
¦ AND NATIONAL TRADES JOURNAL , ' ^— ¦ —»^—^_—^ . ^^^ _ ¦ . . . - . ——^ - .- -.. ¦¦¦ . II 1 1 1 11 ¦ iiimri — - im 1—
Vol. Xl No 555. London, Saturday ^ June ...
VOL . XL No 555 . LONDON , SATURDAY ^ JUNE 10 , 1848 . « wB ^ JgS ^ 'W ^
To Lord John Russell. Literary Iastitute...
TO LORD JOHN RUSSELL . Literary Iastitute , John-street , Tottenham-court-road , June 6 , 1848 . My Lord , We , as members of the Executive Committee of the National Charter Association , feel it to be our duty now to address you . We read with much astonishment a report of your declaration in the House of Commons , " That you did not believe the people desired the Charter / ' and having seen no contradiction given to that statement by you , we consider it to be correct . We have accordingly made arrangements to convince you , on Whit-Monday , that your supposition is utterly unfounded .
Tou have thrown down the gauntlet—we accept the challenge . Our intentions are to hold peaceful demonstrations . Our efforts shall be , as they have beent earnestly employed in the preservation of life and property . We have deprecated all rioting . We have repudiated the violent language used at Clerkenwell meeting . We wish to ascertain your intentionswe have reason to do so , f after the experience the people have had in this metropolis of the murderous acts of your police .
They and their associates have been the aggressors , the disturbers of the peace , and the destroyers of property . We are fully informed of the atrocious system adopted by the police . They are accompanied night and day by idle boys , who infest all meetings and break windows oa ^ signal given by the police ,-fio aa to justif y an attack upon a portion of a peaceful meeting , discussing in small groups the merits and demerits of the speaker . We are glad to perceive that you admit the right of public meetings at seasonable hours to discuss griev ances , and very much doubt whether Sir George Grey has been correctly reported , when he is represented to say last night in the House of Commons , that it is the intention of Government to put a stop to all meetings .
If such report is true , it would imply that you were afraid of a public denial being gives to the public challenge of the Prime Minister of Great Britain . We deeply regret that several meetings have not been allowed to disperse without being partially involved in a conflict with the police , who were kept in ambush until the greater portion of the people had dispersed—who where then let loose , half drunk and completely mad , upon the people , and who
in their ferocious onslaught at Bonner's Fields , paid no regard , and shewed no mercy , either to age , sex , or condition . We trust that no such disgraceful assaults will be sanctioned by you on Monday , whilst we are peacefully and constitutionally assembled , to report the reception of our Memorial to the Queen ; and to prove or disprove your statement in the House of Commons . If such are made , the people will hold you responsible , according to the constitution .
We respectfully but firmly inform you , that the people of this country are not beasts of burthen , and must not be bludgeoned out of their right of meeting . Misgovemment , loss of trade , and consequent starvation , have already sapped , in a great measure , submission to the . law , and obedience to the magistrate . We beg you to pause before you drive the people any further . We call upon ' you at once to abolish the right of public complaintthe necessity for public meetings—by granting to all men of a sane mind , unconvicted of crime , and above twenty-one—such persons having a settled residence—the power , through the Suffrage ^ of abolishing their grievances in a peaceful and constitutional manner .
We beg to impress upon your mind , that the Chartists , as a body , have not taken part in the riots which have occurred , but have heard with abhorrence and indignation of the treatment which the people—the toiling producers and tax payers—have received at the hand * of the police , who are not only , as you well know , obnoxious and expensive , but unconstitutional , as every armed Government placed beyond the control of Parliament , must be .
Trusting that you will not force us to defend our right of public meeting , and perfectly satisfied that all the Chartists will assemble and disperse peacefully , if un * molested , We remain , Your Lordship ' s obedient S ervan ts , P . M . M'DOUALL , J . M'CRAE , ERNEST JONES , SAMUEL KYDD , JAMES LEACH .
Executive Notice. Metropolitan "" Demons...
EXECUTIVE NOTICE . METROPOLITAN "" DEMONSTRATION . The Executive having summoned the secretaries of all localities in London , it was unanimously determined to hold a great meeting on Whit Monday , at Bishop Bonner Fields , at half-past Two o ' clock , and to disperse before Six o ' clock , or earlier if possible . The chairman and speakers were likewise ap * pointed , and every necessary arrangement made to ensure the greatest order and regularity . Men of Leildon ! gather in your tens of thousands . N . B . —Collections are to be aiade at all the Demonstrations throughout the country for the Liberty Fund .
Heckhokdwike, Neab Leeds.—A Lecture Will...
Heckhokdwike , neab Leeds . —A lecture will be delivered by the Rev . Joseph Barker , of Wortley , near Leeds , in the Marketplace , ( weather permitting ) , if not , at the Red chapel , top of Heckmonawike , on Wednesday , June 14 th . Chair to be taken athalf . past eeven o ' clock in the evening . A collec * tion will be made to defray expenses ,
Heckhokdwike, Neab Leeds.—A Lecture Will...
TO THE MEMBERS OF THE NATIONAL CHARTER ASSOCIATION Fellow Countrymen , The Ministry have placed a barrier between the people and the throne . There is no hope whatever . of your Memorial being presented by a deputation of your body to the Queen . We have already declined sending your Memorials to the Home Secretary , a course which we think would be humiliating to us , and insulting to you .
I We have decided upon holding a great demonstration in London , which we hope to be allowed to conduct in a peaceable and orderly manner . For the sake of our political prisoners weshall use our utmost endeavours to secure a satisfactory termination to the proceedings on Bonner ' s Fields . „ We have seen Ernest Jones in Newgate , and 'have great satisfaction in announcing to you that we found him firm , cheerful , and unflinching , Fiiesell , Sharp , md Williams , we
were-fi & t permitted to see . We have been busily engaged to-day , and shall be constantly employed until a late hour in the night , preparing bail , arranging a Defence Committee for the Metropolis , and preparing for the trials . Nothing shall be neglected on our part , and we call upon the country to strengthen our hands , in this crisis , by every means in their power , to maintain our sacred cause , and save our friends from the felon's fate .
Organise I organise !! organise !!! Collect money for the Victim and Defence Fund . Defend the holy and time-honoured right of public meetings to discuss grievances , as we shall do . Respect property . Be not aggressors . Let not our cause be disgraced by riots , nor thrown back for years by partial outbreaks . Defend your liberties and lives like men , and whilst you ^ keep the law on lyour side , do not allow it to be broken over your heads . So long as we are at liberty , we shall advise you prudently , firmly , " and with that determination which a righteous cause alone can give . Faithfully yours , P . M . M'DOUALL , JOHN M'CRAE . On behalf of the Executive .
—-Rsujjrltr _ To The People. The Ruffian...
— -rsujjRltr _ TO THE PEOPLE . The ruffianly Press-Gang , Mr Charles Knight and his ' Voice of the Profitmongers '—The Patriot Mitchel-The ' Times , '' Dispatch , ' and' Examiner . ' The Chartists—the \ dth of April , and the 29 th of May—The calumnies , forge ries , and incitements to despotism and terror by the Press-Gang .
' Let ruffianism meet with its appropriate punishment / Times , Jans Gtb , IU & . Friends , CooNTavMEK , and Brothers , The sentence I have culled from the columns of the Times to stand as the text for this letter , will , I am sure , command your approbation . Yes , ia the name of Humanity , let ruffianism meet with its appropriate punishment . To such a wish what honest man would hesitate to say ' Amen ? ' Not , at any rate , the men of the people . They have too long suffered from ruffianism , particularly the ruffianism of the Press-gang .
When the discovery of printing called the Press into existence , good men imagined that , at last , the means had been feund to lift up the prostrated victims of oppression , and put an end to the reign of fraud and force . Events have proved the reverse of this . I acknowledge that the Press has done good service in promoting public enlightenment on some subjects ; but , on the other hand , I assert that the Press , as a whole , has done more to prolong the reign of error than to hasten the advent of truth ; and , at this moment , is the great , the principal ,
barrier in the path of popular progression . Of course , I am fully sensible of the immeasurable worth of the journal , through the columns of which I am permitted to address you ; hut , in spite of the earnest labours of the conductors of the Star , how little , after all , can they accomplish towards counteracting the evils engendered by the prostituted and partisan papers ; for what can one honest journal effect against the daily and weekly lies , calumnies , and plotlings of the vile sheets whose name is ' Legion ?'
A few weeks ago , I addressed to you a letter 00 ' The Press-Gang Conspiracy against Liberty , abroad and at home . ' In that letter I exposed the infamous plottings of the ' respectable' journals to keep down Chartism , even at the cost of blood , and every vestige of liberty hitherto permitted to the people of this country . The recent pranks of the Press-gang demand a few additional comments . The name of Charles Knight , the publisher of the works of ' The Society for the confusion of Useful Knowledge , ' is pretty generally known ; He is also , I believe , publisher of the reports , & c , issued by the Poor Law Commissioners , It has been the fashion , with a certain class of knaves and fools called ' Liberals , ' to trumpet forth this ' Knight ' as a great public benefactor—the conqueror of
ignorance and prejudice , by means of cheap publications . In fact , however , like the Chambers' of Edinburgh , he has done a great deal more to poison the Stream of knowledge than he ever did to diffuse its life-giving draughts in their natural untainted state . A political economist and Malthusian , he has hardly issued a solitary publication in which he has not done his best to promulgate the damnable doctrines of the heartless political school to which he belongs .. With all his canting about ' the diffusion of useful knowledge , ' he has ever been the bitter foe of cheap political information , as promulgated through the medium of Radical and Chartist stamped and unstamped publications . Of course , he has been not the less violently opposed to the political enfranchisement of the people , as provided for in the Charter .
Recently , the Malthusian hookseller started a new publication , entitled ' The Voice of the People : A Supplement to all Newspapers . ' Supplementary , that publication certainly was , and something more . The readers of ' all newspapers' seem to have regarded it as superfluous , and , therefore , refused to buy it ; consequently , ' a little month' saw this wretched abortion both commence and terminate its miserable existence The lamentations of its parent announce , in sufficiently explicit terms , that the untimely end of his mis-shapen bantling has left him a sadder , if not a wiser man 1
Mr Knight s new venture—commenced a week or two after ' the 10 th of April '— . was started avowedly for the purpose of putting down Chartism , and succeeded in putting down—itself . The matchless impudence of its publisher named it' The Voice of the People . ' Had it been called ' The Voice of the Profitmongers , ' or ' The Voice of the Plunderers , ' or ' The Voice of the Pettiest Prig of the Press-Gang' the character of the publication would have been much clearer indicated . The first number contained , besides other delicacies , a furious attack upon Mr O'Connor and the Land Plan ; but , as the Lion of Chartism did not think the brayings of his asinine assailant worthy of notice , I may pass them by . The second number had an article on ' the Movement , ' the principal features of which
were abuse of Mr Fkargus 0 Connor and Julian Harney , and praise of 'the honest and able' Wblliam Lovett and John Collins , and ' that able , courageous , manly Reformer , ' the ' Whistler !' Lovjstt ,, 'Collins , and Somerville ; sublime trinity in unity I The third number professed to contain an ' Analysis of Chartism ; ' perhaps the most barefaced attempt to ' make the worse appear the better reason' that I ever read . Imagine the sublime impudence of the " assertion that ' Trades Unions and Chartist oppressions are now the only invaders of the freedom of industry ! ' But this is nothing compared with what follows . The ruffian , mouthing through the medium of Mr Knight ' s ' voice , ' denies the abstract right of the Suffrage . He maintains that the majority have no rig ht to rule the minority ; and then with an amount of un-
—-Rsujjrltr _ To The People. The Ruffian...
Mushing hardihoad , which certainly does the ruffian some credit on the score of * pluck , ' he boldly announces that' the minority always do governalways must govern—often , it is true , through the means and under the cloak of the majority , but always really and substantially ! ' After this exhibition , the reader will not be surprised to learn that Knight ' s ' hired' ruffian strengly counsels the government not to make any concession to Chartist
demands . The Chartist leaders he describes as self-elected ; paid , turbulent , idle , and illconducted , and too frequently Celtic / The fourth number contains an article on ' What the Chartists want , and how to get it , ' and is every way worthy of being associated with the rich effusion in number three . The ruffian announces that hundreds of thousands of the middle classes will join the Tories to « right with determined resolution against the Charter . '
Take it for all m all , the pretended' Voice of the People' was a most shameless and malignant concoction of ignorance and fraud ; every way worthy , however , of the labour-grinding school of which it avowed itself the champion . But it overdid its work . ' The People' repudiated it , and the 6 ourgeoine were afraid of it . To use its own words , it possessed' the serpent ' s venom , but not the shining skin . ' ' Its unspeakable vulgarity was disgiistjng even to its dupes / Whilst exceeding the devil in point of malignity , ' it had net the art to conceal the cloven foot , or attempt to cover the horns . Hence
its pitiful wind-up at the fourth number , killed by public contempt . In its last dying speech the wretched culprit avowed that its grand design had been to put down the Chartist leaders , whom it called * bull-frogs of the darkness , ' but , alas , it added , ' Our publication has not been successful , ' and ' we cannot persevere against coldness and neglec . t . ' Of course this very pretty speculation will have bred the not too plethoric pocket of Mr Knight . Verdict , ' Sarved him right ! ' Public contempt ha , s decreed the epitaph for his bantling The Voice , ' « Here lies a liar ' . '
The heroic patriot John Mitchel is now on his way to that far-off shore where his , and his country ' s oppressors , hope to break his heart by the slow tortures of felon's chains , and the anguish of banishment from all he holds dear . The ruffians of the Press-gang may congratulate themselves that they did their best to cause the destruction of the man whose honesty and nobleness of soul was their shame and humiliation . In the transports of its fiendish
exultation at the conviction and sentence of the patriot , the' bloody old Times' exclaimed— ' Wekope that no mawkish and mistaken tenderness will be allowed to interfere with his deserts . He has courted his fate . Let him have it . ' If ever the people of this country acquire power , I trust « that no mawkish and mistaken tenderness will be allowed to interfere' with the execution of that stern justice which these bloodhounds of the Press most richly deserve .
For months past the bully of Fleet-street , commonly known by ' the style and title * of the Weekly Dispatch , has been amongst the foremost iu hounding on the government to destroy John Mitchei .. That having been accomplished , the Fleet-street bully turns round and affects sympathy for the doomed patriot . This disgusting hypocrisy is even more revolting than the bloodthirsty bowlings of the truculent Times . I might extend the list of Press-gang assassins to
the entire Press of England , with one exception ; for , so far as I can learn , the Northern Star is the only journal published in this country which has bad the honesty and courage to defend and vindicate John Mitchbl . I must , however , single out one journal for notice , which , by a perfection of villwvy not often attained , has managed to exhibit its malice towards the proscribed patriot in a form so revolting as almost to defy belief . But there shall be no mistake . I will quote the infernal concoction word for word .
The Examiner of Saturday , June 3 rd , in an article entitled— ' The new scheme of the Confederates' has the following paragraph : — Bat one mistake should bo guarded agalntt . Mr Dobeney raves about Mrs Mitchei ; bat conceding to that lady every merit that can bo claimed fer her , and erery sympathy too , we beg to suggest that there may be other wives who may be as impatient ef the yoke of matri mony as of the yoke of England—eager for the Repeal
of tha Union in mere respects than one , and who may ba transported with joy at the transportation of thtir husbands . Irish husbands must take care how they yield too readily to tho ' 60 where gtorj waits thse ' from their wives . A man should make quite fore that his removal from his country will be a blessing to it , and that it is not his wife alone who will be the gainer by being quit of him . Though , to be sure the chances are that the foe of uuioa in one Instance is the curse of it In another .
Tnere is no necessity for engaging in the loathsome task of dissecting this horrible specimen of rotten-hearted depravity . The damnable meaning of the ruffianly pcribe ' s calumny is too plain to he mistaken . Thank God , as John Mitchei . is not likely to see many newspapers , it is very unlikely that he will see the Examiner . I , therefore , venture to hope that he will be spared the maddening misery of knowing of this foul wrong , and being unable to glut the thirst for vengeance which would naturally take possession of him . It was cowardly—unmanly enough—to strike at the chained patriot incapable of striking again ; but how infinitely more foul and
unnatural is the attempt of this miscreant of the Examiner to injure the fair fame of the defenceless , suffering wife , whose virtues , public and private , are the theme of popular admiration from one end of Ireland to the other . By all means , ' let ruffianism meet with its appropriate punishment , ' and let the ruffian of the Examiner have ' his deserts . ' Shame upon this anonymous beast ! Masked by the convenient ' we' he is safe ; but' the curses of hate and the hisses of scorn , ' from millions who honour John Micthel , will reward the filthy Examiner . I am only sorry that the individual writer cannot be singled out ; if that could be
' His name—his human name—to every eye The climax of all scorn , should hang on high , Exalted o ' er his less abhorr'd compeers—And festeiitig iu the Infamy of years / Great was the joy of our' best possible instructors' after the ' 10 th of April . ' ¦ We have put down Chartism' roared the Puddledock Thunderer , and every vile and venomous creature after its kind * in the ranks of the press-gang , echoed and reechoed the cry . I have seen Chartism ' put down ' before to day , and , therefore , could measure the folly of the frantic fools , and howling knaves , who proposed to celebrate * the triumph of order' by gorging the ' special' bludgeoners , and erecting
public monuments , to commemorate their own cowardly fright or hypocritical villany . The monument maniacism was laughed down . After collecting some thousands of pounds the committee dissolved . But I beg the working men of England to remember two facts : —1 st . That' Her Majesty and the members of the Royal Family' gave a thousand pounds towards a subscription for the purpose of raising a monument or monuments , to record' the defeat of the Chartists on the IQth of April ; 2 nd . That the Committee for getting up this public disgrace included the following persons : — Bis Grace the Archbishop of Sir Wm . Clay , Barl . M . P „ Conteroury Sir Walter R . Farquhar , Tho Most Noble the Mar- Bart .
guls of Lansdowne , K . G . Sir Moses Montcfiore , Bart . The BigH Bon . Lord John Raar-Admiral Bowles Riistell , UP , Charlts Buller , Esq , The Right Bon . Sir Georga Chairman oj ' thePoor Law Grey , Bart ., M , P , Commtaston The Lord Bishop of London . William CuoiK , Esq , The Lord Bishop of Win . W . F . A . Dalane , Esq . Chester Geoge Carr Olyn , Eeq , Lieuteaant-Oeneral the Via- Gaorge Hudson , Esq ., M . P . count Hardlnge , 6 . O . B . Henry Klngseote , Esq . The Right Bon . Sir Robert Richard Ifayns . Esq ., Peel , Bart ., M . P . Commissioner of Police The Right Bin . the Viscount Charles Pearson , Esq ., M . P Morpclh , It , P . S . h . Pelo , Esq ., M . P . The Earl of Aruadelana G . Rodmayne , Esq .
Surrey , M . P . Ooxid Salomtni , Esq . Lord 4 sMey , itP . Alderman The Right Bon . Lord It . B . Seeley , Esq . Rooert Grownor , M , P , Lord Stanley The ' liberals' and ' philanthropists' included in the above list , will , of course , be gratefully remembered at the next general election 1 As to the aristocrats and ' oily men of God' they of course but ' followed after their kind . '
Chartism Which Was ' Put Dwu,' And Accor...
Chartism which was ' put dWu , ' and according to the Press-gang , utterly extinguished on the 10 th of April , appears to be endowed with phoenix-like powers for on the 29 th of May , the extinguished ism was found to be all alive again , and —if you may credit their journals—frig htening the bourgeohie ' from their propriety . ' Poor fellows 1 The measured tread of marching thousands and the heaven-splitting shouts for ' Mitchel' and the ' Charter' qsite obfuscated the potbeUyOCracyv Of course such sn * indecent disturbance of public order' was not to be tolerated , and so the rascals of the Pressing were set on to write up another panic . The Times suddenly changed its tone and proclaimed itself a liar ; here is a sample ;—' Chartism is neither dead nor sleeping . The snake was scotched not killed on the 10 th of April .
Again ' The nnisance ( of Chartist processions should be put a stop ( 9 . Nip it in the bud , or , to use a more appropriate figure srack the dragon in his shell . ' Stilt true to its old character , combining the ' buffoon' with the ' villain' of the poll tical stage , the Times made a desperate ; effort to he facetious at the expense of the Chartists . * If , said the Times—If tha Onanists would assume a more plcturoaqua
exterior — it they could wear icmo suuh costume as that of her Majesty ' s ' Baefeaters , ' or slashed trousers and red ra rocco boot * , and if tbey would relievo the moEototiy of tbe procession wi . h an occasional transparency or firework , perhaps they might be borne . But a a set of grim , ditty , a . nd di « contented men , trudging with a hang . dog air through the streets , with a hideous sort of mystery as to what may ie in their heads or their poohets , constitute a scene perfectly abhorrent to tho taste of a genuine , buglneos . llke Londoner , dividing bis time between his counter tad bis fireside .
The repeal of the soap tax , and labour for the unwilling idlers , would dispel grimness , dirt , and discontent ; and it is precisely because the Chartists desire to look more like ' Ueefeaters , ' that they demand the one thing needful—political equality . ' The delicate hint of the Times , that fireworks raigh * rnajse Chartist processions more endurable , appears to me to savour strongly of' Swing . ' In the days of the Reform Bill agitation , the Times advocated brick-bats and bludgeons as the means necessary to
effect the conversion of the Tories . Lately the Times has again turned ' Reformer , ' and perhaps this call for' fireworks' to enlighten anti-Reformers is only its old tactics revived in a new and more striking shape . But that there may be no mistake , I would suggest to the Times to put its preachings into practice . When the liberators of Switzerland saw that the hour had come to summon theit confederates to action against Austria , they created their signal fires by appljjing the torch to their ; own dwellings . Everybody knows that in the disgraceful sense of the term , the ItWesia Swiss' enough for anything , hut is it sufficiently Swiss to imitate thfi compatriots of William Tell , and make of Printing House-square a burnt sacrifice ( a ' firework' on a large scale ) at the shrine of freedom ?
You will remember how mercilessly the Times ridiculed the Chartists for not fighting on ' t ! . e 10 th ef April '—how in every form the English language admits of , it slandered the working men of Eng ' . snd as cowards and poltroons ; it is , therefore , north while to quote from the Times on the Bradford affair : —• Let as do the Chartists justiea . If fighting with' pluok against special constables And police could make a revolution , those who fought at Bradford ought to havo succeeded . If desperate resistance and desperate onslaughts could overturn tie established state of things , the naen ot Bradford might have figured now as Zi « dra-Rollini and Alberts ( otatim ) . But they forgot tbuodda against which they had to contend .
The Times then goes on to explain that the principal of tbe « odds'against tbe working men of this country is the hostility of the middle classes , and avows that were the English bourgeoisie like those of the continent , the ouvrim of Bradford' might have stood up longer- ^ uerAfljos successfully—against the body of soldiers which was oppposed to them . * Here is confirmation of what I have so often asserted that the middle classes are tbe great criminals of society , and responsible for all the oppression and misery under which the people groan .
The Times , of June 6 th , furiously demands ' the full execution of the law' to put down ' tumultuous meetings 5 ' announces that ' any measures ' of repression ' will' receive the sanction of public opinion , ' [ by which it means the sanction of the bourgeoisie ] provided the said measures ' be sufficiently energetic , ' that is , sufficiently bloody and brutal . The Times then goes . on to threaten the " rioters" with the vengeance of the exasperated military and police , backed by thousands of the shopocracy , who , ' come what will , ' are determined to prevent the working classes playing the part performed by the owners of Paris , Berlin , and Vienna .
The Times then goes on to quote the dicta ol judges of the times of Sidmouth and Castlereagh , as to what constitutes unlawful meetings , and the liability of joining in them . The article concludes by advising the dispersion of open-air meetings by force , and the arrest of Ernest Jones , and other Chartist speakers , promising , that if arrested , there will be no difficulty of obtaining a verdict of guilty from a jury of London merchants and tradesmen . Tne Tory Morning Post , and the Radical Morning
Advertiser , are equally liberal in advising the government to ' put down' the meetings of the people by force , and punish the' leaders' under judge-made law . The ' liberal' Examiner abuses the magistrates for dealing too leniently with the ' rioters , ' and the ' philosophical' Spectator' wonders why any such meetings as those held on Clerkenwell Green and Bishop Bonner's Fields are ' tolerated ' by the ' authorities !' You see they are all alike ,
• Tanta-ra-rara , rogues all !' The dodge , too , that was worked so arduously be . fore the ' 10 th of April , ' is again in course of operation . Letters manufactured in Downing-street , or Printing House-square , but signed' A Special / ' Six Specials , '' A Barrister , ' & c , & c , are now appearing daily in the Times , demanding in terms of assumed indignation , to know why the police don ' t break more heads ; why the soldiers have not orders to fire upon' the mob ; ' why the speakers are not arrested , and means taken to transport them , & c , & c . Thus is the pretended ' public opinion' manufactured to justify the forthcoming ' vigorous measures , ' which , in addition to the Gagging Bill , the Whigs will no doubt inflict upon this country .
But these' measures of repression , ' that is , measures of tyranny and brutality , blood and vengeance , the Whigs would never dare of themselves to propose ; they are hounded on to their infamous work by the ruffians of the Press . How long is ' ruffianism ' to walk the earth triumphant , fearless of its ' appropriate punishment ? ' How long ? oh God how long 1 ' L'Ami du Peuple . June gth , 1848 .
P . S . —The ruffianly Press-gahg have not worked in vain . As two days ago I foresaw , persecution has followed immediately upon denunciation . The Times , which announced the arrest of Ebnest Jones before he was arrested , was , from the be . ginning of the week , fully aware that the government intended to arrest him . Let every Democratevery true man , rally to the defence of Ernest Jones and the other victims of Whig tyranny . June 8 th .
Commirrih Of ' Rlotbbs' From Mancnsbtbr....
CoMMirrih OF ' RlOTBBS' FROM MANCnsBTBR . —The examination of the parties charged with being implicated in the Mitchei riots in Manchester , terminated about six o ' clock on Tuesday evening , in the committal of five of them—Flynn , Downey , Mooney , Birch , and Gun , for trial at the next Liverpool Assizas . Four others were held to bail to keep the peace . From what was said , by the chairman of the magistrates , it is probable that they will ba indicted , among ether things , for a conspiracy to bring about abroach of the peace by force of arms . It was awors by a policemaa that Fiynn had told a meeting on the 4 th ult . that the time had come when something must be done , and he advised the people to procure and nse arms , and recommended a procession to be formed to perambulate the town .
and seek assistance from the shopkeepers , advising them where nothing was giTen , to take . If the policeman interrupted them he advised them to fight . Flynn * nd Downey were charged with being the leaders of persons bearing arms at the riotous demonstration on Wednesday week , and the othe ? threo connected with them were charged with bearing arms on that occasion . The prisoners had prefeEBional assistance , and the magistrates were asked if bail would bo taken . Thoy replied that four sureties of £ 25 each would be taken for the appearance of either Flynn or Downey at tho assizes , and that three sureties of £ 20 each would be accepted for tha other prisoners . The bail was not forthcoming , and the prisoners were removed by railway to KMd & lG prison the same evening .
O'Cohnorviiae . — A Chartist meeting wdl be held on Whit Monday , at half-past two o ' clock , xm-tho . School Ground . \ -vN . 7-Buckstone Edqe . —Aoamp meeting wiU be held ' on Elackotone Edge , next Sunday , June 11 th . Ernest Jones , Esq ., will attend . Chair fa ba taken at twelve o ' clock . The delegates willasaemble ait the / V . hite House , at ten o ' clock-
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Citation
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Northern Star (1837-1852), June 10, 1848, page 1, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/ns/issues/ns2_10061848/page/1/
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