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onward and we conquer, backward and we fall.
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NO SURRENDER! REGISTER ' REGISTER!! REGI...
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/ fa &^/Z '¦ ¦ MP NATIONAL TRADED JOURNA...
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VOL. X . NO. 46L LONDON , SATURDAY, SEPT...
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ACCESSION OF DEVONSHIRE TO THE CHARTIST ...
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Z " and continued-, cheering.) Nowthat's...
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THE TEA PARTY. This splendid entertainme...
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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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Onward And We Conquer, Backward And We Fall.
onward and we conquer , backward and we fall .
No Surrender! Register ' Register!! Regi...
NO SURRENDER ! REGISTER ' REGISTER !! REGISTER !!! TO TEE IMPERIAL CHARTISTS . , Mr "Beloved Fbiekds , —My heart is so full of joy at onrimmediate prospectofsoclaland political improvement , that I am once more about to rouse the whale country from tlie Land ' s-end to John o' Groat , for THE LAND AND THE CHARTER . I cannot , I will not , remain idle and useless , while every fragment of faction is uniting to continne your oppression , and perpetuate your inferiority . My presentjoy arises from the state of preparednes in which . I found even the out-of-the-way county of Devon , the Land of parsons , sonrcider , and low wages .
This was my first political experiment in the agricultural districts , and I haTOadded Devonshire to the noble army of Chartists ; audi will now go on converting every fibre of the slave class of all denominationsto our gloriousprinei ples . Now , my dear friends * will you pay close attention to my solemn advice and recommendation . We have now a powerful party in the country . We have raised up a substantial thing to straggle for—THE LAND . Bat then , believe xne when I tell yon , that close attention to our political principles , is the surest and speediest way of pushing and accomplishing our social object .
I say we have a great and powerful party in this country . ifwe only use its power wisely , and fbra legitimate and useful purpose . Will you then permit me to suggestt he proper guidance of that mind which I have mainly created and organized ? It is the last stage of a political movement . THE DIRECTION OF PUBLIC OPINION , And now 1 proceed to counsel you under this head .
Will yon then abandon every species ef agitation Of every sort and Wnd , Bate and except that which will -fee required for securing the return oi TWELVE CHARTIST MEMBERS to the next parliament and the procuring of signatures to the National Petition ? Now , I ask yon to place every ( Other description of agitation in abeyance , in order that we may devote oar antiring , undivided energy , to those two important questions . The return , not of a choice of evils , but OF TWELVE OF OUR OW 2 ? MEN , and the National Petition . Let the conntry secure the power of electing , and I will undertake the task of securing the PARLIAMENTARY QUALIFICATION .
Remember that the restoration of Frost , Williams , and Jones ; the Ten Hours' Bill ; the Repeal of the Poor Law ; and all other interesting questions , are the work to be done . PARLIAMENT IS THE TOOL TO DO IT WITH ; and in the present balanced state of faction , get only twelve members , over whom you have entire control , and who shall be pledged in writing to resign the trust whenever called upon by a meeting of non-electors , convened for the purpose , and of which the member shall have due notice ; and you can reeal Frost , secure a Ten Hours * Bill , Repeal the Poor Law
Amendment Act , or arrest the whole business of the country , and snap up Government after Government . Ton can command the circulation of your opinions and principles through the pre = s . You can have your every grievance exposed withoutthe dread of ridicule or flat denial . Yon can have the LAND PLAN fully and fairly expounded . You can make the subject of the Land familiar to every ear and every nation . Yon can refute the calumnies which Mr . O'ConneU has so industriously spread of yon in
Ireland . You can prove yourselves the real friends of Ireland and the Irish . You can inundate the House with petitions , when yon are convinced that they will he honoured not only with mock presentation , hut with serious discussim . In short , jou will then have an interest in all Parliamentary proceedings , and the world will Iparn that there is a powerful public opinion in England as well as in Ireland ; and that the English mind cannot be turned io suit the will of a political , place-hunting weathercock .
In September , 1838 , 1 wrote you several letters xtpon this subject , and laid down the machinery for carrying oat the p lan but yon were careless and heedless . We have had our day of NECESSARY MAD EXCITEMENT ; letns now have our season of calm reflection , and , if you will , of FIERY ACTION—that is , of enthusiastic work . Let the whole nation , fi-om North to South , from East to West , now join in the work of manufacturing tools to make freemen and unrivet chains .
" In 1 S 32 , by my own sole and unaided exertion , I succeeded in returning seven ont of eight members for the County Cork . It is true that you in England have not the same class of electors to deal with , but I do not set yon as hard a task ; I ask you only to return one FIFTY-FIFTH part of the House of Commons . In Ireland we returned one-half of the Irish members , and a d d bad lot they were , but the people were not to blame for that .
If yon had twelve Chartist members , all pledged to follow their leader Buncombe , you would see n « more government prosecutions , and instead of the people , and especially the women , hem frightened from the advocacy of our principles , yon would see them becemingfashionable , and ; thimhle riggerswonld cease trying to make us afraid of the name . You would sive security to the free expression of public opinion , dignity to the name of demagogue , and protection to democracy ; you would rip up the . past , and tike vengeance , though tardy , upon your persecutors and betrayers . Yon would Jure the lagging trades into your fashionable , because represented , movement ; and thus become actually , instead of virtually , THE SOURCE OF ALL'POWER , and through it the first partakers of the fruits of
vourown inuustry . It is nonsense to talk of , a committee sitting in London to carry out this project , if every city , "town , and borough in the kingdom does not aid and assist . I am resolved , however , that you shall not Lave to charge me with apathy , or urge my neglect as the cause of your failure ^ Since I last wrote to you , 1 have been in Gloucestershire , seven miles beyond Stradford-on-Avon , bnt the land was too stiff and dear ; I would not have it at any price : you could not dig an acre in a month . I have been in Devonshire—fg lorions Devonshire . '—and to night { Thursday ) I go into Essex , Monday to Wecchm and Kidderminster , where I WILL HOLD A MEETING ON MONDAY NlGHT NEXT , the Mfh ; thus
makin" the Land serve the Charter , and the Charter serve the Land . Now then , if I am to work yon must work ; and once for all , if YOU DO NOT WORK , I WILL NOT WORK . Yoa see that all the bad men in Ireland have joined O'Connell in the sale of their country , and if yon don't take care you wi'l have an exchange of placemen , as in ' 9 Syou had of militias .: and of all evils pray God defend us from an Irish official , and Good Lord deliver the people from a coalition ofj Whigs , Free Traders , and Irish Place-hunters ; and God will deliver them if they wish , for God helps those who help themselves . Now , in the midst of your culpable apathy , and while I am devoting my every hour to your improvement , you may , perhaps , ask me , why I have thus resolved to increase my labours for the negligent
once more . Then hear my answer , and I am not ashamed to confess the value of new zeal , and the advantage of young blood being Infused into onr lethargic sluggish body . Here then is my answer : — For a giant hail risen , all grisly and grim , With his huge limbs , load , clattering and ' vast And he breathed Iris steam-breath—through long channels o $ " death , Till the soul itself died on the blast . And fibre and flesh he bound down on a rack , riame-girt on a factory-floor ; And the ghastly * teel corse—plied its horrible force Still tearing the hearts of the poor .
Like a winepress for mammon to form a golddraught , ± _ It sfiucized their best blood throagn its fangs
No Surrender! Register ' Register!! Regi...
And he quaffed at one breath—the quick vintage of death , While it foamed with humanity ' s pangs . Oh ! then I looked back for my cold , quiet home , As the hell-bound looks hack for the grave ; . But ! heard my soul cry—who hut cowards can fly , While a tyrant yet tramples a slave ! Then I bound on my armour to face the rough world , And I ' m going to march with the rest , Against tyrants to fight—for the sake of the right , And , if baffled , to fail with the best . Now behold my answer , and the moving cause-Jones ' s splendid Poem ,
THE BETTER HOPE . The whole poem , but especially the verses I quote , and more especially the two last inspiring verses . Oh ! then I looked back for my cold , quiet home , As thehell-hound looks hack for the grave ; Bnt I heard my sonl cry—who hut cowards can fly , While a tyrant yet tramples a slave ! Then I bound on my armour to face the rough world , And I ' m going to march with the rest , Against tyrants tofight—for the sake of the right ,. And , if baffled , to fail with the best . Your faithful friend and bailiff , Feargtjs O'Coksor . O'Connorville , Thursday .
/ Fa &^/Z '¦ ¦ Mp National Traded Journa...
MP NATIONAL TRADED JOURNAL . — ^ *
Vol. X . No. 46l London , Saturday, Sept...
VOL . X . NO . 46 L LONDON , SATURDAY , SEPTEMBER 12 , 1846 . „ ™<* « wiSc * -srT-* ^ - - ¦ ' . - . . - - Five Shillings a „ d Sixpence per gunner
Accession Of Devonshire To The Chartist ...
ACCESSION OF DEVONSHIRE TO THE CHARTIST CAUSE . GRAND DEMONSTRATION AND TEA PARTY AT NEWION ABBOTT . The 7 th of September , 1846 , will be a day ever memorable in the cause of Chartism , for never since Devonshire was first inhabited , down to that hour , was there such an unequivocal representation of the County ' s feeling , opinion and will , as upon that day . The struggling patriots of Newton , with Mr . EIras ,
and Mr . Crews , as their legitimate and universallyelected leaders , worked efficiently , and for the short time allowed for preparation , incessantly , to secure a triumph for the Chartist principles ; or , at least , a discussion which would teach the agricultural labourers that there was more good in store , from the adoption of a different policy and different principles . Devonshire is a purely parson-ridden , landlord-ridden county ; where the serfs of the soil luxuriate in a genial climate , sour cyder , and from
seven to nine shillings per week . The very names of their streets , their towns , their villages , their hamlets , and cross-roads , are distinguished by Scriptural names ; hut , alas ! philanthropy , civilization , and piety ^ appear to be no longer the type or symbol of Christianity . Upon the one side v ; e see lordly mansions , princely villas , proud cathedrals , ornamented churches , and gorgeous parsonages ; and upon the other hand , we are struck with the squalid misery of those by whose industry all have been created , and are sustained .
The undertaking of Mr . O'Connor , to preach unsullied Chartism , and the people ' s right to the soil , to a congregation thus cajoled and oppressed , was considered a perilous undertaking ; and , especially in the market-place of a town under the management of a pie-ball corporation , however differing about their individual interests , always united in their opposition to democracy . However , he ventured against the odds , and the success oi his mission will be gathered from the following narrative , and the report of the proceedings .
Mr . O'Connor was met at the Exeter station , at ten o ' clock on Sunday night , hy that excellent , intellectual , consistent , and unflinching patriot , Mr . Wilkinson , formerly Mayor of Exeter , and a numerous party of friends . Upon arriving at the hospitable and beautiful mansion of the ex-Mayor , his dining room was found too small for the accommodation of the several deputations , and his spacious drawing rooms were cheerfully thrown open for the reception of labour ' s sons , where from forty to fifty honest and respectable men and women , met in solemn , but not in secret
council , as to the best mode of forwarding the interest of their order . The several sections spoke hopefully of the future , and secured a pledge from Mr-O'Connor of a long visit to Devonshire , when the several localities had manifested their love of Chartism , by recruiting their associations , and signing the national petition . At ei ght o ' clock on Monday morning , Mr . 0 'Connor and Mr . Wilkinson started by train for Teignmouth , where they were met hy a zealous and ardent Chartist and Tee-totaller , Mr . Garratt , an extensive Railway Contractor , to . whose
hospitable mansion they repaired for the purpose of awaiting the arrangements . Teignmouth is a fashionable bathing-place , the chosen resort ; of the aristocracy , and about twelve o ' clock the lounging group of fashionables loitering upon the Den , and admiring the vast expanse of calm and quiet ocean , were roused and startled b y the approach of distant music , and were presently surprised hy the appearance of a very beautiful open van , occupied by the tee-total brass band , dressed in military uniforms , playing merry Chartist airs , and followed by a very handsome open carriage drawn by four " blood tits , " with neatly dressed postboys . Having paraded the Den , which is the fashionable promenade upon the
coast , the van and carriage halted , and Mr . Wilkinson , Mr . O'Connor , Mr . Elms , and two friends on the box , started for Newton , a distance of six miles and a half , amid the gaze of the astonished bathers , and the delight of the populace ; passing through the principal streets of the town , which were crowded with spectators , while every window and door presented a fair share of the curious , and the baud playing the while . As the party passed through the several villages in their way to Newton Abbott , the peaceful villagers , who had been made acquainted with the objects of the demonstration , cheered them on their way , and when the cavalcade had arrived within less than a mile of the town it
was joined by a large procession of the men of Torquay , the most fashionable bathing-place in Devonshire , with a population of about ten thousand . These honest fellows , with another band that came from Newton Abbott , formed a beautiful procession of well-dressed respectable Chartists . And here Mr . M'Grath , who had come from London to aid in the conversion of Devonshire to the Chartist
principles , joined , and entered the carriage . The procession was met at a distance from the entrance of the town by a vast concourse of persons , who cheered and cheered again , until the carriage arrived at the Globe Inn , where Mr . O'Connor and his friends remained until the necessary preparations ere arranged for the public meeting . And at halfpast two precisely , Mr . O'Connor , Mr . Wilkinson , Mr . M ' Grath , Mr . Tanner , of Totnes , Mr . Elms , Mr . Crews , and the Committee of Management , mounted the platform , and were received with the most rapturous cheers , and waving of hats of the men of Devonshire , in the open market-place of Newton Abbott . As soon as the cheering had subsided ,
tJ & . £ f * - ' of T » tn ¥ ? , read the hand bill convener ? K « L ? ' * r « friends atld men of Devonshire , little lemains for me to do beyond the reading of the bill convening this meeting , except to propose a chairman to preside over our proceedings , nor are we at a loss for such a person ; for I am sure you
Accession Of Devonshire To The Chartist ...
will be glad to learn that in the person of Mr . Wilkinson , of Exeter—{ loud and continued cheering )—the working classes of Devonshire are secure in the faithful representation of that gentlemen , therefore , I now propose him as a fit and proper person to preside over this meeting . Mr . Elms , of Newton Abbott , seconded the appointment , which was carried by acclamation and without a dissentient . Mr . Wilkinson , in rising to open the meeting , was received with tremendous applause . * He said , men of Devonshire , you have conferred upon me a high and distinguished honour to-day , and notwithstanding the invitation of the editor of Woolmer ' t Exeter Qasetie , to the magistrates of this place , to be in a state of preparedness to meet and put down any
insubordination that may occur amongst you —( groans for tire Gazette)— he , Mr . Wilkinson , who construed that invitation as a threat for the purpose of intimidating the people , would nevertheless be answerable for the good conduct of his countrymen , and would save the magisterial office from trouble and interference . He felt no ordinary pride and satisfaction in introducing Mr . O'Connor to a Devonshire audience . Devonshire , whereso little was done , and where so much might be done , if the industrious as well as the luxurious were allowed to participate in the blessings of Divine Providence , so munificently bestowed upon that favoured county . ( Loud cheers . ) , He also felt pride in introducing Mr . O'Connor , because lie conscientiously believed him to be the most philanthrophic , and benevolent man he had ever met with in the whole
course of his life . ( Cheers . ) His continued exertions were to benefit the people , to raise man to that state of society which it was intended by . his Maker and Creator he ^ should enjoy . " ( Cheers . ) Mighty were his efforts in regard to the land , and for the exercise of which there was ample room in this beautiful and productive county , which may be made more fertile and still more productive by the application of its native industry to the native soil , and no man was more able or more capable of carrying out that mighty principle than was Mr . O'Connor . ( Loud cheers . ) The chairman again expressed his conviction that the orderly conduct of the meeting would he the best answer to the anticipations of Mr .
Woolmer , and concluded amidst loud cheers by introducing Mr . M'Gbath , who on rising was loudly cheered , he said , if the talented gentleman occupying the chair , who was a native of Devon , and who was personally known to most of them , had reason to be proud of his position , how much more reason had he , an entire stranger , to feel elated by the greeting with which they had been pleased to honour him . Many a time had they assembled on that spot to promote by their resolves and exertions , interests , and causes , which they had deemed of importance , but never since this town was called Newton Abbot , did a nobler object engage its inhabitants than the one which to-day
convenes us under Heaven ' s blue canopy . ( Cheers . ) We are here in obedience to the impulse of that purest of human feelings—patriotism . We are here in submission to the great fiat of nature , which with voice imperious calls upon humanity for ceaseless progression towards the goal of perfection . Our aim is man ' s elevation , social and political , through the restoration of the land of which he has been deprived by ruthless power , combined with inordinate avarice . ( Hear . ) What is the character of the mind that is not interested by such a mighty theme , what is the nature of the heart that throbs not in the admiration of 83 sublime an object ? As the Poet has it ,
" Breathes there the man with soul so dead , Who nercr within himself has said , This is my own , my native land . " Gentlemen , your native land has produced sons which calumniate and helye her ; we have had them amongst ua latterly , diligently labouring in their vocation , to stamp the public mind with the impression that oar native land cannot yield to the hand of husbandry that amount of produce required for the maintenance of our present population , in other words that Almighty Providence has committed the egregons blunder of placing more mouths around Natnre ' s table than there is food to fill them ! This is an error / men of Newton , which must be exploded ;
you must be made to Understand the capabilities of your native land , and these are that it will produce a sufficiency to support a population the quadruple in number of the existing one , ( Cheers . ) Gentlemen , we are not here to amuse your fancy with startling propositions , or to excite your contempt with those of an untenable nature , wewish to flash the conviction of truth upon your minds , by fair argument , by producing that sort of evidence in favour of our cause , which the intelligence of these days requires before the popular judgment yields its assent to it . Mr . M'Grath then entered into an elaborate argument demonstrative of the truth of his position , and then drew the inference that as we bad
land labour and capital in abundance , poverty or its fear should never assail or disturb the industrious classes of Britain . He then called the attention ol the meeting to the Chartist Land Co-operative Society . It was a noble confederation of intelligence , energy and perseverance ; it may without hyperbole be pronounced the vanguard of civilization and progress in Britain . Its past history has been a series of triumphs . Its present condition is prosperity itself , and its future prospects are bright and cheering to those who rely upon it for their release from the thraldom in which grasping capital has ever held prostrate labour . ( Cheers . ) The speaker then dilated on the benefits held out hy the Land Society to the working classes , and illustrated clearly the
principle of operation by which the society proposed to realise its objects . He urged on them the necessity of joining the society , because by sp doing their condition would he improved , he invited them to examine for themselves the objects and principles ol the society , convinced as he was that they would stand the ordeal of the strictest scrutiny . ( Hear . ) He wished them to " join the society because he was desirous of seeing a spirit of manly independencv diffused among the working classes , he advised them to become membera of the society , feeling assured that their corporeal and mental meliorations would ensue , that they would enjoy life ' s choicest blessings in the fruits of their labour , secure in their happy homes , no avaricious landlord or tyrant taskmastei daring to make them afraid . ( Cheers . )
Mr . O'CojraOK . was next introduced , amid the most enthusiastic app lause . He said , —If I can form a proper estimate from this great , this magnificent , this cheering demonstration , of the will , the wish , and the mind , of the industrious inhabitants of this vicinity , I must come to the conclusion , thai at Jast my mangled fame has burst like a radiant lig ht through that murky halo by which faction hoped to obscure it . ( Loud cheers . ) Their excellent Chairman had a right to be proud of his position to-day , notwithstanding the invitation of the time-serving fool , who writes for hire in a garretcheers and laughter)—and who passes in the transfer of opinions to each new purchaser as a portion of
the docile machinery . ( Cheers . ) These are the creatures who threaten most danger to institutions and society , by . the vain endeavour of veiling the popular will from the eye of authority . ( Cheers . ) These , and not you , are the real parties from whom danger is to be apprehended ; but , however , as this time-serving tool has thought proper to herald mc to your notice as a dangerous man ; and , as he has had the insolence to nickname one of our friends , 1 will show him that , even in Devonshire , I can play the parson as well as him . His name is Edward Woolmer ; his townsmen call him Neddy—I pre - sume , from his mental affinity to a long-eared gentleman . ( Cheers and laughter . ) He was once
Mayor of Exeter ; and , as you know , though every horse is not a mare , yet every mare is a horse : so 1 christen Neddy Woolmer , ex-mayor of Exeter , the great horse of Devonshire . ' ( Loud cheers and laughter . ) He would now tell them why he came amongst them , and for what purpose he was there . He was there to propound the philosophy of the several political parties who courted the aid of the industrious as a means of securing their own ascendancy ; and he would ask , which party ' s philosophy —those who toiled for a mere existence most
approved ; the philosophy of Whiggery , which said , — " Keep us in office , in the hope that you may one day be enabled to make an impression on our councils ; " or the philosophy of Toryism , which says , — " Honour and obey the King , and all that are in authority under him "—and thank God that you constitute a portion of that pauperism which marks the civilisa tion of your country —( loud cheers ) ,- or the philosophy of political economy , which says , — " Buy in the cheapest , and sell in the dearest market , " while they have the power of affixing the lowest
Accession Of Devonshire To The Chartist ...
standard to the only thing you have to sell—your labour ; - 'while they have the power of affixing the highest standard to > the chief commodity you have to buy— j ^ jj ^ ihe . philosophy of Chartism , which sa ^ pMll ^^^ ourselffvproducevfbr ., •^ eS . 'ttiiBr-ijctsi-In-Ki-TMt- ''! ¦ . rr-t ¦ * . ¦ ¦ - " .: ¦• - Jii' -i yourself , jS |^ consume the produce of yourrown la ^ hour , befi ^^ there is "i t > irplus ^ foftraespkers ^ speculate : lupon ~( ioud cheers)—and if theVsurpius from increa ]^; labour ; s hall become so ; larg e . ' that gluttedlmarkets shall reduce the price of provisions ' rejoice that JaW ; weli & d / we ^
husbahdma ^ sells jbut the surplus , after an abundant consumption ^ ( Cheers . ); - My friend ; Mr . M'Grath ; has given yqufclear ^ . -and'convincing ; statistics , as to , the capabilifiM ofilhe soil-to sustain four times its present , amount ? of population , gleaned' from the : study of th | p | e | # eU 1 nfqrmed . upon the subject ; but I will give yopan-illustration that you can analyse in your wa ^ j ^ npate . upon in your solitude , and carry home tt $ our retirement ; it is this—and pay attention . ' t ^ the ' easy . rule : —can any man in Devonshire pohri . out to me any ten acres in Devonshire , lyiHg ^& gether , and cultivated to one-fourth
part of thefirrhigbest power of bearing . ( " No , " cheers , and ^ ithat's it . " ) Well , then , let us cultivafe ^ he ^^ d fourltiraes as we ] l as it is , : now ; cultivate ^ inu * let the- ( labourer that produces the increase be the firsts partaker of the fruits ; and ^ you have the easy proof of the capability of the land to sustain four times its present amount of population . ( Cheers . ) I admit with Mr . M'Grath , my friends , that under the present system each parish is over , populated ; but take one State pauper who nips the grass from the fold , and the parish will be found large enough for the flock . In propounding the
principles of the People ' s Charter , and the question of the Laud , to you , you are not to be led astray by the supposition that 1 am advocating idleness , or exemption from toil , or that I ask for any remission ot labour ; for , on the contrary , I ask that labour ' s hands should be unshackled , in order that the labourer may perform more work—BUT FOR HIMSELF . ( Cheers . ) I am not for promoting idleness , nor for distinguishing the idle ; hut my object is to separate the willing from the unwilling idler—( cheers)—so that society may be able to say to the wilful idlers of all classes , " Go out from amongst
us ; you have had an opportunity of living honourably upon the fruits of your own industry ; but you have preferred idleness , and dependence upon others to industry and honourable remuneration , and if you will not labour you shall not partake of the fruits of our industry . ( Loud cheers . ) That ' s my doctrine , a doctrine which would solve the problem of theCriminal Law , dispense with governmental sanatory improvement , educational aid , and a standing array —( cheers , )—but the Criminal Law ought not to be a problem when th dietary and discipline of a prison is preferable to th
degradation of a poor house , and when the crime of pauperism is more damning than offence against class-made laws . ( Loud cheers . ) Perhaps the GKEAT HORSE OF DEVONSHIRE may say , that , I am disturbing the exuberant and heartfelt loyalty of her Majesty ' s subjects of Devon , but , my friends , I am endeavouring to establish a system by which you may he loyal without being servile , which you may honour without fear , and love without coercion , f Cheers . ) I confess that I do not possess that whimsical , capricious description of loyalty which teaches men to crouch slavishly at the footstool of rovaltv , or
to bend the knee lowly before a patchwork minister , composed of the shreds of faction . ( Loud cheers . ) No , my loyalty tells me that I owe support only , and obedience only , to that and those which protect me in the possession and enjoyment and exercise of those rights , the use of which is not injurious to society at large , or to individuals like myself . ( Loud cheers . ) There is no greater piece of fancy patchwork than the loyalty by which we are told thrones are supported . The Bishop of Exeter is , no doubt , loyal , but take away the substantial emblems of his trade , and leave him but the distinction of title to
live upon and away flies his loyalty . ( Cheers and laughter . ) So with the parsons of Devonshire , take away their tithes and their loyalty will vanish with them —( cheers , )—and so with the landlords , and so with all classes , and take away the pay of the loyal soldier and you at once stop the stream of his loyalty at the source . Now , I wish you to have something to be loyal to , you cannot be loyal to a gorgeous cathedral and stupendous churches , which you are compelled to support , against your will , and out of your poor earnings ; you cannot be loyal to Whigs , Tories , and Free Traders , who traffic in your
toil ; you cannot be loyal to Lords and Commons who make laws to aid the wealthy in the distribution of the properties of the poor ; you cannot be loyal to bishops , parsons , and landlords , to barristers and lawyers , to bankers , merchants , and manufacturers , to soldiers , sailors , and policemen , to gaols , and Poor Law Bastiles , to shop keepers , that vote away your interest , to laws that oppress you , and society that degrades you —( loud and continued cheering)—but s hcw me the recreant renegade , the soulless monster that will be disloyal to a system that cherishes his comfort , protects his industry , defends his property ,
and enables him to live honestly upon the sweat of his own brow . ( Cheers . ) Show me the father that will allow the growing child to nourish one disloyal thought towards institutions that are equally protective of the lives , the liberties , and the properties of the poor and the rich . ( Cheers . ) Mr . O'Connor then entered into a lucid exposition of the capabilities of the soil and the principles of the Chartist Co-operative Land Association . Then , said he , this is the new feature in Chartism , which the enthusiastic ignorant assured me would destroy the great political principle , but . I now appeal to a large
jury of sufferers who arc struggling for the means of living by honourable labour , and I ask them if 1 have destroyed the spit by putting a leg of mutton upon it—( loud cheers and laughter)—of one thing , however , the working classes may rest satisfied , it is , that rather than live upon their pennies [ will become a practical illustrator of my own Land theory by living as an independent gentleman upon two acres of land , rather than as a state pauper upon the gleanings of the poor man's board . ( Loud cheers . ) He would ask that meeting whether they had in
aught participated in the political benefits of the Reform Bill , or in the social improvements upon increased commerce and manufacturers , i Shouts of not a bit . ) Yes , they ; were mistaken , they were benefited in the hig hest degree—they had increased in civilization , as Sir Robert Peel told them , that increasing poverty was consequent upon increasing civilization . ( Laughter . ) Away , then , with civilization , and welcome , thrice welcome , barbarism , that barbarism which would not tolerate the improvement of the palace and the ruin of the cottage—that barbarism which would not laud the merchant for
exchanging his cottage for a mansion , and brand the poor man as a conspirator and a criminal if he sought to exchange his slave-den for a freeman ' s cottage . ( Loud cheers . ) He asked but for an unerring scale by which all classes should unerring ly participate in all improvements , but he protested
Accession Of Devonshire To The Chartist ...
to gainst the doctrine that the poor should exist capriciously upon the sweat of their brow while the privileged live luxuriously upon their labour . ( Cheers . ) These blessings , my friends , can only . be ohtainedfor you—the land can onl y be obtained for > 7 . ? Pr ~^ y Annual Parliaments , Universal Suffrage , Vote by Ballot , Equal ftepresenlation , No Property qualification for members of Parliament , and Payment of members for their public services . ( Loud cheers and waving of hats . ) Ah , but you are not fit for the enjoy ment * of those blessings !^ Seventy JI
five years ago , Fox and Richmond propounded them for the benefit of party , and from that hour to the present faction has met the demand by the charge of popular ignorance , while the same populace ignorantly contribute ten millions a year to the support of a state church , whose duty it is to educate you , to enlighten your minds and improve your understandings , to the end that you may be able to distinguish between right and wrong , between an honest man and a rogue , which after all is the , best qualification for a voter . ( Loud cheers . ) Well , but in the face of this
disqualifying ignorance they should treat us hy the same rule as they treat all other' professions . The qualification for the church requires so much divinity , for the barrister so much mystery , for the lawyer so much roguery , for the doctor so much assurance for the apothecary so much chemistry , and for the lawmakers so much ignorance . ( Loud cheers and laughter . ) Will they , even now , after seventyfive years' agitation , prescribe the electoral course , and whether it be ethics , logics , or the classics , natural history , heathen mythology or metaphysics , chemistry , mineralogy or geology , astrology , the use
of the globes or political economy , he . ( Mr . O'Con . nor ) will venture within a prescribed time to qualify the working classes in any of those mysterious branches . ( Loud and continued cheering , and waving of hats . ) They were qualified to pay rent , they were qualified to pay tithes , to pay taxes , and to carry arms , and in discovering their respective qualifications f or the per f ormance o these several services , no qualification was required beyond the will of the tyrants strong , and if mental qualification was necessary , the Chancellor of the Exchequer and his staff would perambulate the nation with a brain
guage convincing fools of their ' wisdom , idiots of their rationality , and the ignorant of their education . ( Repeated cheers . ) Luxurious hypocrites , who revelled upon paupers' sweat , designated him ( Mr . O'Connor ) as an unchristian dog , | as an infidel , a firebrand and destructive , because in obedience to his mission he had sought to carry out the injunctions of his Creator by raising those who fall , and comforting and assisting the weak-hearted . ( Loud cheers . ) He proclaimed it as an unnatural state of things that , while the bird had its nest , of which the strong of each class would not deprive the weak of
its tribe , that while the wild beasts of the field had their "jungle , " their "lair , " their " earth , " their "form , " their "burrow , " their hole , or their resting-place , that man , poor man , made from distinction after the image of his Maker , should alone hold his refuge from the storm , and the winter ' s blast , at the caprice of a tyrant by the system made more powerful than himself . ( Loud and long continued cheering . ) He protested against any system , any law , or any practice which deprived man of his habitation . It is folly to say that he occupies the property of another , and that failure of a contract which soeietv
will not allow him to fulfil " , -jasUy drprives him of his home ; for I say , free him , unshackle him , and protect him , and like other animals , and with more wisdom , every son of the soil will soon erect'his own habitation . ( Loud cheers . ) Do you then think that I am an unchristian dog , a destructive , and a leveller ? ( No , no , and cheers . ) No , my friends , I who hate suffering would not pull down the mighty , even the oppressor , to your state of degradation ; but , without injuring them , would raise you up to the standard of freedom , simply by throwing you upon your own resources , and placing you in the
free labour market , for the free exercise of your own industry , and the full , the free and undiminished enjoyment of your own produce . ( Great cheering and waving of hats . ) And when this experiment , made upon a national scale , shall fail , and when the lordly oak is levelled to the dust / and when the wild forest is converted into a field for labour , when the race grounds , the heaths , the wildernesses , and the now barren wilds are subdued by your industry to the " supply of man ' s wants , and when all England is one great garden , proclaiming her greatness through individual happiness , comfort and
prosperity , instead of traffic , monopoly and speculation ; then , if the Lord ' s g ift to man shall be too small for the Lord ' s children in this land , I will join you in search of other climes and other shores , but first I will make the experiment of St . Patrick " to banish all the vermin . " ( Great cheering . ) And to prove to you that I am governed by Christian feelings , and by them only , and as we are no monopolists even in salvation , and as the parsons tell us that there must be tribulation , and weeping , and wailing , and gnashing of teeth , and suffering , and woo , and sorrow in this lovely world , which God gave as a cherished gift ,
and not as a seduction to guilt before man can insure salvation hi the next world , in God ' s name , let the bishops , parsons , luxurious , voluptuous , and the idle now qualify themselves for eternal salvation , by taking their share of tribulation , of sorrow , and of woe . ( Loud cheers . ) But , alas ! my friends , their assignment and division of the good things of this life are like the prize money and the bullets in the navy , the officers getting the largest share of the prize money , and the sailors mote than their fair proportion of the shot . ( Cheers and laughter . ) A ship was once going into action , when the first
lieutenant saw an able seaman kneeling and praying at a gun . D n your eyes , said he , with a kick , what are you doing there ? Praying , your honour , says Jack , that the officers may have the largest share of the shot to-day as they will of the prize . ( Roars of laughter . ) Mr . O'Connor then refuted the fallacy of the Small Farm system being the ruin of Ireland . I'll tell you , said he , what constitutes Ireland ' s misery and her poverty . Suppose a peasant takes twenty acres of land from a landlord , at a pound an acre , he very soon increases the value of that land to twenty-five shillings an acre , and as a landlord of straw can break a tenant of steel the griping tyrant landlord thrusts the legitimate owner
of one fifth of the entire property from its possession and makes a pauper , a thief , and a rebel of the disinherited slave . So , my friends , while wages arc low and poverty is universal in Ireland , I use the situation of Ireland in illustration of the value of the land , because I shew you that while 8 d , a day or £ 10 a year is the hi ghest wages that a labourer can earn , the man who had raised the value of the twenty acres from JE 20 to £ 25 a year will have earned , £ 5 a year for ever , or £ 100 at 5 percent within three years , or £ 33 a year after living , for he'l increase the value in less than three years . So [ that even in poor Ireland , you see , labour , if protected , would soon work out its own salvation , without being a beggar at England ' s door . ( Loud
Accession Of Devonshire To The Chartist ...
and continued-, cheering . ) Now , that ' s my policy not to % ake you idle , but to make you work twice as hard -to . induce you to work job-work every hour in the day , and every , day in the year , that you are able ; and to have the same consoling hope that al and continued-, cheeriinr . l Now . that ' s mv nolicV
other classes have , that your toil is sweetenedby the cheering reflection , that you hasten the dayof retirement , comfort , and ho nourable ease , And why should you not ? Why does the barrister fag by the dull lamplight ? Wh y does thefarmer plod throughout the flay ? Wh y does the shopkeeper , after a day of exhaustion and toil , though wearied , still stand at the counter in the hope of a stray customer / it ' is because his labour is sweetened . by the hope of an earlier day of retirement and release from toil
( Great cheering . ) There is a home in old age for the ' soldier and the sailor , for the placeman and the penioner ; there is compensation for the tribes of faction , whose services were never needed ; there is supefannuation for the young sons , of the aristocracy , the wealthy , and the powerful , when business becomes irksome ; but , alas I there is no home and no refuge in old age for the toil-worn slave , upon whose industry all have lived , and all of whom have sucked his blood through life , but the bastile , the dead house , and the pauper ' s cold grave , ( great sensation . ) I am now drawing to a close . And , oh , that those who have supposed
that the addition of a five-roomed cottage , four acres of land , £ 30 , and a lease for ever , would have strangled the People ' s Charter- ( cheers , and no | no . ) No , my friends , while lam here , in the midst of your hills , and surrounded by those who never saw me before , it is . my pride , and my consolation , and your protection , to know that I have left behind me , in Hertfordshire , thirt y-five dumb but eloquent propounders „ f the principles of the People ' s Charter —( loud and continued cheering . ) Yes , my friends , the Villa and the Land can inspire thought and hope , and confidence and action , while eloquence would fail to convince —( loud cheers : ) I would ask the sceptical , whether the experiment in Hertfordshire has damaged Chartism in that county ? Or , I would ask , have I not supplied a ready answer to
each passer b y , when questioned as to the meaning of the People ' s Charter . When the most ignorant would fail to receive knowled ge from the most eloquent words , or the most simple explanation , where is the man , however dull or steeped in ignorance , who will fail to comprehend the meaning of a Home from which no tyrant can eject him—Land , on which he may discover the value of free labour , and Capital , to enable him to contend against the disadvantages of poverty—( tremendous cheering . ) And , when I have placed the slave-class in . those lovely , habitations of their own , I will have erected a monument of gratitude in each possessor ' s heart ; and when my labours are ended , and when called upon to settle my last account , I may proudly lay my head upon my pillow , and dying , exclaim , " Thank God I have left the world better than I
found it ! " Mr . O'Connor retired amid the most enthusiastic applause and excitement we ever wit . nessed . Mr . Tanner then moved , and Mr . Elms seconded , the following resolution , which was carried by acclamation : — " That this meeting highly approve of Mr . O'Connor ' s object , and the object of the Chartist Co-operar five Land Society ; and we hereby pledge ourselves to do all in our power to give effect thereto , by using our best efforfcj for its extension throughout this county , and taking effectual means for rousing the working population from their present degraded
position m society . " A Gentleman on the platform proposed a vote of thanks to the chairman , which Mr . O'Connor seconded in a speech highly complimentary to Mr . Wilkinson for his undeviating advocacy of the people ' s rights , and which was carried amid thunders of applause . The chairman briefly returned thanks , when Mr . O'Connor called for three cheers for the Land and the Charter , which was responded to with right hearty good will , amid Waving of hats . He then called for three cheers for Mr . Duneombe , the people ' s only representative , which was rapturously responded to , and the meeting then separated , giving three cheers for Messrs . O'Connor and M'Grath . '
Z " And Continued-, Cheering.) Nowthat's...
I * * / fa &^/ Z ^ / ft ^ . " ! *^****^ . ) rffe jp ** ' ¦ ¦
The Tea Party. This Splendid Entertainme...
THE TEA PARTY . This splendid entertainment took place in the large ball-room of tho Globe Hotel , where about 250 highly respectable people , men and women , sat down to a very excellent , and well arranged tea party ; however , so great was the enthusiasm , that the stewards were compelled to divide the company into two parties . Tho orchestra was occupied by the splendid
tee-total band , and nothing could surpass the good order , good feeling , and decorum , that prevailed . Deputations from nearly all parts of Devonshire ; from Plymouth ; from Exeter ; from Tiverton ; from Tavistock ; from Ashburton ; from Teignmouth ; from Totness , Torquay , and various other districts , were present , some having walked a distance of over 30 miles , and all expressing themselves more than satisfied with the day ' s proceedings .
When the ceremony of tea drinking was over , Mr . Wilkinson was again called upon to preside , amid the hearty cheers of his fellow countrymen and neighbours , and we feel assured that that highly respected and gifted individual must have felt flattered at his reception . When the applause had subsided , he said—I do assure you , my friends , if all who witnessed this day ' a proceeding ' s feel as I do , the pulse of Devonshire must beat high . If I felt delighted with the profound truths , that I heard so eloquently enforced this morning , and if I f elt gratified at the marked attention paid to the speakers , and the orderly and
dignified conduct of the audience , I feel still more impressed with the solemnity and importance of tbia night ' s proceedings . ( Cheers . ) Yes my friends , I feel its importance doubly , because , so many virtuous females , anxious to raise themselves , their families , and their children , and their children ' s children , to that social state for which their creator designed thum , have graced our festival with their presence . ( Loud cheers . ) When man talks of his rights and his privileges , we must bear in mind that woman has her rights and her privileges also , and it is cheering to find them thus mixing with us , to aid us , to council us , to comfort us , and help us in the
struggle . ( Cheers . ) Whether she be the wife of a manufacturing operative , or of an agricultural labourer , she has equally to bear her domestic burden , to participate in the husband ' s sorrows , and share his afflictions . ( Cheers . ) The women of Devonshire long to be able to assist in the improvement of their country , and in the improvement of the social and political condition of their order , and at length they have had their minds turned in tho right direction ; in that direction in which their creator and maker intended they should walk , as honest cultivators ot the soil of their own country . ( Great cheering . ) My friends , I have joined
the brotherhood of Odd Fellows for the same reason that I have joined in your holy cause , because it ia paternal ; because it is christian ; because it is protective of the widow and the orphan ; and because it respects the memory of the dead , and the feelings of the friends of the departed . ( Loud and continued cheering . ) And what can be more recommendatory of a principle , and of its object , " good to all and injurious to none . " ( Cheers . ) It is a pious work and a holy work , to feed the hungry , to clothe the naked , and to lessen the sufferings of the afflicted . _ ( Cheers . And it is because I think that bur political and social principles are upon . a large and extended
scale , of what the principles of oddfeilovrship are upon a more limited scale , that I can without distinction ov violation of any conscientious feeling , belong at the same time to the two brotherhoods . ( Great cheering . ) For these reasons , then ; I say , go on ; persevere against all odds and every obstacle , until the whole nation shall resound with one loud song of joy for the emancipation of the poor . ( Cheers . ) Who could hear the bold truths enunciated by the two gentlemen on ray right and left this day ; who could witness the greediness with which those truths were imbibed by a oeople to whom they were new , though hopeful ,
without coming to tho conclusion that party can no longer teacli tho science of legislation to suit mere party purposes . I have seen many moves in my time , but never one till now , that was calculated to place tho several classes of society in their relative social positions without the suspicion of one being roused by the jealousy of another . ( Cheers . ) Tho Land is man ' s gift from his maker , and as you were eloquently told by tho speakers to-dav , it is his inheritance , his birth right , though too long withheld from him . ( C Users . ) My friendsI need not on this occasion repeat
, the injunction of this morning , to keep the peace , because we have a guarantee for the decorum ot tne most rude in the presence of the ladies . Nor , indeed should I have thought it necessary to b are made the request this morning , had it not been for the hint given by Mr . Woolmer to the magistrates of the vicinitv . We metin fellowship forahigh , a mighty , and a roble purpose , and we parted in peace to ponder upon tho important and startling truths we heard ; and to mo it was a glorious day , a day ot gladness and rft-( CtnliniiedcH tht Eiqkik P * q * . )
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Citation
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Northern Star (1837-1852), Sept. 12, 1846, page 1, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/ns/issues/ns2_12091846/page/1/
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