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4 THE NORTHERN STAR* February l* ]8 .„
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LIBERAL BOOKS o.i B€LIT1CS. THEOLOGY, AND SOCIALU'ROGRESS,
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To be bad In Sine Number?, at Twopence e...
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O'CGNNORVILLE PLATE.
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As the different specimens of the above ...
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OBSERVE. All correspondence, reports; of...
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THE NORTHERN STAR SATDR.DAY, FEBRUARY 13, 1847.
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THE NEW ESTATE. It is with no small grat...
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THE PRUSSIAN "CONSTITUTION." " Then be t...
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PARLIAMENTARY REVIEW. This has been a bu...
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THE WARRINGTON "SHALLOWS" AGAIN . We beg...
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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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4 The Northern Star* February L* ]8 .„
4 THE NORTHERN STAR * February l * ] 8 . „
Liberal Books O.I B€Lit1cs. Theology, And Socialu'rogress,
LIBERAL BOOKS o . i B € LIT 1 CS . THEOLOGY , AND SOCIALU'ROGRESS ,
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Published , and SeldiVvThoIeaaleand Retail , BY JAMKS ^ WATSON . 3 , Queen ' * Head Pateage ^ f ateraoBter Row , Lendon . BE KKASOXER ( EditeiiJ & J . J . Holjoake ) . A-wteklj I ' liblicatiou , price tlw ^ erha ' . fpo . nce , de » oted to ihe M vestigMion « f R « ligtait 3 : Dcgmat . To be hadalgo in Montli !} ' l '» i ts . 3 £ athc < natic * m Mjsteoj . completed iu Kine Xcmbers at Thre-p «< ce earii . . Practic i . Grammer , brifiv JifAoly , Is .
To Be Bad In Sine Number?, At Twopence E...
To be bad In Sine Number ? , at Twopence each . Bailey's Monthly Messenger ; a repository of information , 1 vol . cloth boards ... ... 3 0 Carpenter ' s Political Text Book , ItoI . cloth bds . 2 6 Clark's Letters to Adam Clarke , on the Life , Miracle ? , & c , of Jesus Chnu , 1 vol . cloth ... 5 0 Boards ... ... ... ... 2 0 Bible of Reason , 1 vol . cloth bds . and lettered ... 7 C To be had in Parts and Numbers . The Xew Ecce Homo , I vol . clotb boards ... 3 0 Buonarotti ' s History of Babeufs C nspiraoy for Equality , 1 vol . cloth bds .... ... ... 1 0 O'Brien ' s Life or Robespierre , 1 vol . cloth bds . ... S 0 To be had in Parts at Is , or iu Numbers at Threepence each . Christianity prove ! Idolatry . By C . Southwell 0 i Socialism Made E * sy . By C . Southwell ... 0 2 Hewitt ' s Popular History of Priestcraft , a New Edition , 1 vol , cloth lettered ,,, ... 5 0 — —— . abridged 1 vol . ... ... ... ... ... 1 6 Cooper ' s Holy Scriptures Analysed ... ... 0 8 - Free Agency www Orthodoxy ... 0 2 The Scipturian ' s Creed . By Citizen Davits ... 0 2 Theology Dsplayed . By S . Curtis , boards ... 1 0 ¦ " a wrapper 0 9 Boulanger's Critical Examination of the life of St . Paul 1 0 The Free Inquirer . By Peter Annet ... 1 0 Freret's Letter from Thrasbulmto Leucippe ... 1 0 Christian Mystery and several other Tracts ... 0 C Lord Chesterfield's Ears By Voltaire ... 0 3 Thompson ' s Enquiry into the destribution ef Wealth , 1 vol . cloth , boards , ice . ... ... 5 0 —— Appeal of Yeoman , in a wrapper 1 6 Labour rewarded , in a wrapper 1 0 Mackintosh ' s Enquiry into the Katuro of Responsibility , in a wrapper ... ... 1 4 —— On the Being aud Attributes of God ... ... , „ ... ... 0 8 Twelve Lectures on the Non-exL'ttnce of the Devil ... ... ... ... ... 1 0 Peril Dissected , a Lecture , by It . Buchanan ... 0 3 Hollick and Baylee ' s Discussion on the Bible ... 0 S Rationalism . A Treaties for the Times . By 6 . J . Holynake ... ... ... 0 6 Paley Refuted in bis own words . By G . J . Holyoake ... ... ... ... ... 0 6 Yalae of Biography . By G . J . HoljoaKe ... 0 2 Caia ; a Mystery . ByLordBjron ... ... C Ecce Homo , a Critical Inquiry into the History of Jesus Christ , 1 vol . 8 » o . ... ... 4 0 Letter Opening at the Post-Office . Maziniand the Ethietof Politicians . To which is aSded , an account of the Brothers Bandiera . By Joseph Hazzini ... ... ... 0 4 How did England become Oligarchy ? By Jonathan Duncan , E « j .... ... ... 1 0 Pocket Ltndon , 1 vol . boards ... ... 1 6 Eultm ' i Letters to the Clergy of all denominations . Complete in 1 vol . cloth , boards ... 2 S — stitched 2 0 To be had also in twenty-feur Numbers at One Penny each . Haslem ' s Letters to the Bishop of Exeter . Ia 1 vol . cloth , boards ... ... ... 2 6 stitched ... ... ... 2 Z To be had also in twenty-feur Numbers at One Penny eaeb . CarlUe's Manual of Freemasonry . 3 parts cloth boards ... ... ... — . 15 © Each part can be had separate at Five Shillings each . Just Published . Price One Penny . A Brief History of the Remains of Thomas Paine , from the time of their disinterment in 1818 , by William Cobbett , M . P ., down to the year 1846 . Rober t Oweu'a Book of the New Moral World Jp 7 Parts ... ... «•• •¦• ' 6 _^„__ Lectures on Marriage ... 1 0 __^__ Development , ' or principles of Home Colonization . 1 vol . .. * ... 8 C Lectures on a Rational State of Societj . in Answer to the Bishop of Exeter ... 3 0 Twelve Lectures on an entire New State of Society . 1 vol . ... 3 ° —— . . Signs of the Tines ... ... 2 - '— — Address to Socialists ... * 2 —— Address on the Opening of the Kew Lanark Institution ... ° * Beyweod , Manchester . Love , Glasgow . Shepherd , « 1 . RQttuon , Bdintarg * , asd & Book , selto
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JUST PWBLISHED , K » . 2 , ( price Sd . ) » f . THE LABOURER , ^ Monthly Magaeiae-of Politics , Literature , Poetry ,
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-CHARTIST P 0 EM 6 , BY ERWESf JONES . Prie « Tire « Pence . rtfTH £ PITI 0 N , REVISED AND CO » BEtfrR » : Replete with the lire of genius , and poetic jKwrers of the very highest ordar , for eloquence and destructive power , they appear ., to us , almost unrivalled . Wa say " destructive , " forthejrtendency is worn than Democratic . "Kew Quartaip Jfetietc . —( Tory . ) These poeroshiure earned for their author the admiration of thousands . They may be classed together as stirring and trnly poetical appeals , which must command tbe response of the mighty multitude . —Abrtttrn SUr . These poems maj « ry appropriately be styled tbe outpouring . ' of a soul inspired by a devout love for labour ' s cause , and intent on ihe achievement of the emancipa tien of industry . Tbe poetry will come home with power to many a carew « rn heart , produce an influence on the mind of millions , and do its part towards keeping alive the flame of hope in the souls of the toiling . —Nottimham Jleeitte .
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TO THE INDUSTRIOUS MILLIONS . On Saturday Next , January 30 th , will be Published , No . 1 , Price One Penny , to bo continued weekly , of
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TO TAILORS . LOUDON and PARIS FASHIOSS FOR THE WINTER , 181 C-47 . y READ and Co ., 12 , Hart-Street , Bloomsbury square , London ; And G . Berger , Holywell-stroot , Strand ; May be had of all booksellers , wheresoever residing
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JUST PUBLISHED , THE MISERS' ADVOCATE , AND MANX INTELLIGENCER . Price 2 d ., and delivered Free , by post , throughout the United Kingdom and the British Colonies . The abov * periodical is the recognised official organ of the Miners' Association , and will be devoted to extend its principles—to defend and instruct the miners , and to promote their general welfare . It is intended to be an organ of instruction and communication for the Miners of Great Britain , Ireland , and the Isle of Man—to be a reflex of their opinions and condition ; and its principal object and
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Now Ready , a New Edition of MR . O'CONNOR'S WORK ON SMALL FARMS To be had at the Nirtkern Star Office , 16 , Great Wind mill Street ; and of Abel Heywood , Manchester .
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JUST PUBLISHED , Price One Penny , THE DOMESTIC MONITOR , Or Literary , Scientific , Legal , and Medical Adviser . Edited by Hermes . 1 . LouisPhillippe's Vagaries : Speech of tbe King . — 2 Son Rodrigo , or the Forbidden Wedding , Chapter VI . —3 . The Nosegay : Poetry , Anecdotes , Maxims , and Miscellaneous . —I . Tbe People ' s Corner : Military Flogging . —5 . Correspondence : Literary , Scientific , Legal , land Medical . —6 . Medical Adviser : Consumptions continned . —7 . Literary , Scientific , and Dramatic Reviews . —8 . Domestic Herbal , —0 . The Lawyer : Wills . —10 AdvertUements . Poblisbedby £ . Mackenzie , 111 , Fleet Street , and to e ad of all Bo » kseUen and Hewsvenuer g ,
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IMPORTANT TO PHOTOGRAPHISTS . AN application was made on the 22 nd Sxptjmber , to tha T , ice-Chancelk > r of England , by Ar . Beard who , actingiunder a mostextraordiny dalusu . i , considers himsiifthesofepaWfwof the Photographic prajess I ) to restrain MR . 'EGERTOH , of 1 , Templo-stnot , and 1 * 8 , Fleet-street , « im tsking Photographic Porto . uls , which he does by a ? process entirely different fron . and very superior to Mr- Beard ' s , and at one-half tlie cK'rge . His Honour refused the application in toto . No license required to practice this process , which Is aii » ht by "He . 'Egerton iu a fsw lessons at a moderate Vi vec * AU th Apparatus , Chemicals , & o ., to be had as usual » t his Dctn ) f . l , JTemple-street , V \ bitefriars .
O'Cgnnorville Plate.
O'CGNNORVILLE PLATE .
As The Different Specimens Of The Above ...
As the different specimens of the above plate are now in the hands of our several agents , we have to request that all , without delay , will state the number of each they will require , as it is oar desire to present it to the subscribers as speedily as possible Next week we shall announce the day of presentation : any delay that has occurred has arisen from the increased orders for coloured plates . Agents are requested to forward their orders forthwith .
Observe. All Correspondence, Reports; Of...
OBSERVE . All correspondence , reports ; of public meeting * , Chartist and Trades' Intelligence , and general questions , roust be addressed to Mr . G . J . Hahnet , " Northern Star Office , " 16 , Great Windmill Street , London . All legal questions , aud matters of local news , no noticed in provincialpapers . and requiring comment , to be addressed to Mr . Ernest Jowbb as above . AH questions respecting Bills introduced into the Legislature , Arts of Parliament , their meaning and intent , & c , and questions respecting the Ministry , and the members of the two Houses of Parliament , to be addressed to Mr . George Fleming , "Northern Star" Office . All questions , connected with the management of land , snd touching the operations of building , cultivation , & c , to be addressed to Mr . O'Connor . Lowbands , Red Marie , Ledbury , Worcestershire . AH communications of Agents , and all matters of account , to be addressed t « Mr . W . Rider , "Northern Star Office , " 16 , Great Windmill Street , London .
AI Applications for magazines to be made through Mr M ' Gowan , Printer , as above .
The Northern Star Satdr.Day, February 13, 1847.
THE NORTHERN STAR SATDR . DAY , FEBRUARY 13 , 1847 .
The New Estate. It Is With No Small Grat...
THE NEW ESTATE . It is with no small gratification we have to record , the purchase of another estate for the people since , abstracted from its intrinsic value , it is a fact , proving better than all mere wordy argument the vitality and energy of the popular mind in a time of general depression , famine , and scarcity of money . It establishes the position of the working classes in a proud moral point of view , since it
refutes so many of the calumnies that have been urged against them . Let no one , henceforward , call them improvident , since we now see them enabled by the Bavin ; of their pence to purchase the estates of their aristocratic rulers , whose improvidence is forcing them , despite their thousands , to surrender that which , in most cases , they surrepti tiously or forcibly obtained .
The late proprietor of the Malvern Estate , we understand to he a most amiable and upright-minded gentleman ; it is such , however , as well as their more guilty companions , who have to suffer from the effects of a vicious system of extortion and prodigality , based upon that parent of all evil , monopoly Let no one , we further say , accuse the working classes of ignorance . Where is that ignorance to he found ? Is it in the fact that they apply their resources to moral , social , and political improvement , while the landocracy they are beginning to
supplant waste theirs in unprofitable , nay , ruinous extravagance ; bo much so , that Lord John Russell , when granting loans to the Irish landlords out of the English working man ' s pocket , to improve their neglected and dilapidated property , is forced to express a hope that they will not expend those loans in extravagance at Paris , Naples or Vienna . Is this ignorance to he found , we ask , in the fact that the people know better than their rulers where to find the paths of true pleasure—riiot in stifling hells , insipid or licentious courts , and insane orgies , but in the beautiful fields and gardens ; in healthy , bracing labour , and the cheerful home-fireside of a
winter ' a night ; or the pleasant chat before their own cottage door , or stroll through their own domains of a summer ' s evening : with no factory bell to fear in the morning — no bastile on the confines of the village , grimly waiting to receive them , the insatiable grave of honest industry . But , blessed change operated by democraey ! the school-house rises in its place—and the mother , instead of sending her children to the mill , there to brutalize the mind and waste the young form , sees them go to school with a light heart , to brighten tbat intellect which God gives equally to all , but the very use of which the rich have denied to the poor .
Here , again , is a signal refutation to those who fear to grant the working classes that power , which if not given , sooner or later they will take , and who oppose their emancipation in any shape , from the fear of the uses to which they would apply it . The very fact of this Land movement , the very fact of this estate being purchased , speaks volumes for the wholesome direction of the public mind . It proves that the working classes are not levellers , hut elevators ; not destroyers of property , but industrious men , who turn the occasion of all wealth—the land , to its best and holiest uses , extracting its neglected
treasures , and turning it to its legitimate destination — the sustenance of toiling millions , instead of the support of horses and hounds to indulge the vicious appetites or wasteful luxuries of a few pampered individuals . Indeed , it is gratifying to think that the kennels and stables on thi * new estate will he converted into healthy dwellings for the emancipated slaves of monopoly ; that the produce of these farms will be reared to nourish men , and not to pamper cattle;—nay 1 that the very materials of the feudal mansion will suffice to build cottages for a colony o the Chartists .
Again , the dissipation and excess attributed ; to the working classes is a calumny that must now fall to the ground . Were they such as the monopolist would make the world believe , would they not build the tavern instead of the school ? Or , indeed , would they ever have been able to save money wherewith to buy estates at all ? Thus we see , that while the legislature is debating about education , tbe people are educating themselves ; while the aristocracy are losing their estates by prodigality , the woiking men are purchasing them through the means of being frugal ; while political economists are accusing them of ignoraiee , the men whom ' , they accuse are outstripping them in the glorious race of
progression . We have reiterated these facts , inasmuch as they illustrate the moral effect the purchase of an Estate like this , must have on the mind of the so-called upper classes . It must teach ibem , tbat men , who are strong enough to do this , can carry any just measure ; it must tell them , trumpet-tongued , that monopoly has so longer a chance against co-operation ; it must show to THE CONSPIRATORS OF MONEnfthat they must bow before the
COMBINATION OF MEN ; while , on tbe other hand , it must open the eyes of the millions to the real power they possess ; it must teach them the value of union , without which this never could have been achieved : and above all , it must encourage the down-hearted , and recall the waverer to the ranks of the people . Were it only for these results , the Estate would be a cheap purchase , but farther , tbe immediate vicinity to several market towns , and to places o ! fashionable resort in oae of onr most beau *
The New Estate. It Is With No Small Grat...
tiful counties , affords facilities and advantages to the fortunate allottees , such as ^ our most sa nguine hopes hardly expected to see realized .
The Prussian "Constitution." " Then Be T...
THE PRUSSIAN " CONSTITUTION . " " Then be the juggling fiends no more believed , Who palter with us in a double sense , Who keep the word of promise to the ear , Anl break it to the hope 1 " Shakespeare . Let the sceptics who doubted the promises so oft
given by the Prussian monarch , but not until now fulfilled , stand abashed ; after the gestation of thirty years , the Prussian Constitution is produced , born like Pallas from the head of the ( anything but ) Jupiter of -Prussia ! On the 3 rd . inst ., a Royal letter patent proclaimed the " glad tidings , " that at last the pledge given by the late king was redeemed , nay more , that" the promises of our late royal father" are exceeded in the grant now made "to the faithful estates of our realm . "
Great is the joy of his Prussian Majesty ' s admirers —by the bye rather " few and far between . " The Times , the Post , and the Daily Netos , are in raptures at his Majesty ' s liberality ! The Times
says : — " At such Jt memorable crisis in their history , we are convinced that the feeling which will predominate orer all others in Germany is that of thankfulness for the confidence the King has shown to his people , and a firm resolution not to employ tbe liberties thus secured te them in mere struggles and contention * for popular power or for p * rty interests , but for the public good , Ac . We trust that the anniversary of the day on which Frederick William IV . performed the promise of his reign , and began the highest aad most arduous duties of his life , will long be celebrated with the blessings of successive generations of a free and prosperous pe » ple . "
Of course after this flourish of trumpets , our readers will expect to find the fruit of thirty years ' growth * something extraordinary and astonishing . They shall judge . The kingdom of Prussia comprises eight provinces , each of which has heretofore possessed a " provincial diet . " These diets are composed of four classes of delegates , two each , representing the nobility , knights , burgesses and rural communes . The subjects submitted to these provincial diets have been generally municipal and administrative questions , such as public roads , forests , local courts etc ., & c . They can discuss only the affairs of their
respective provinces , but can decide on no question . They have the right of petitioning the throne , meaning thereby the right of grumbling . In addition to the meetings of the provincial diets , the decree of the 3 rd of February organises the assemblage of all the provincial diets in a general one , or National Parliament . The General Diet will consist of two houses . Tbe upper house will be composed of the royal princes , and other princes , counts and lords , who have seats in the provincial diets . We believe that the Prussian prelates , answering to our Bench of Bishops , will hare seats in this house . The system of voting by proxy is to be allowed to the members of this
house . The lower house will consist of the deputies of the knights , burgesses and rural comraunes , who have seats in the provincial diets . As these are the nominees of the wealthy classes , they may be considered at sufficiently aristocratic and conservative . Thus ( as was remarked { at the banquet of the German Democratic Soeiety ) this precious "Constitution " ' rewards the long-suffering patience of the Prussians with an upper house , a shade or two worse than 'aur ' hospital of in curables , " £ and a lower htwe , which is a cross hetweeti the old boroughnwngering ( English ) 'House of Commons , and the corrupt and infamous ( French ) Chamber of Deputies .
As regards tbe sessions of this hopeful assemblage , our readers will desire to know whether these are to be annual , triennial , or septennial . They will he neither . The King will assemble the General Diet " when the necessity shall occur , " or when he may " consider it advisable ! " The duration of the sessions and the place of meeting the King will also regulate . The powers here re . served to himself , enables bis kingship to render bis boasted boon a dead letter . We shall not be at ail surprised to hereafter find that tbe General Diet has held its meetings NOWHERE , at NO TIME ! For certain reasons , however , —reasons affecting ! the state of his Prussian Majesty ' s Exchequer—we are inclined to believe that tbe General Diet will
meet ; let us see then what are to be its powers . No new loans are to be raised , and no new taxes imposed without the consent of the General Diet ; but so many limitations arc added to these clauses * as almost entirely to destroy their effect . Import , export ' and transit duties , local taxes , the revenues ar ising from the royal domains , and such indirect taxes as may become the subject of treaties with foreign states are excepted . A pretty to ' erable list of exceptions ! But mark what follows . In case of war ( he King reserves to himself the power of levying extraordinary taxes without consulting the
General Diet , should he deem Us convocation unadvisable ! Under such circumstances , too , the rai-. ing of new loans are to be transferred to the commission for managing tbe affairs of tbe national debt . Thus it will be seen , that precisely when his kingship is most likely to want money , and when perhaps public opinion , opposed to an unjust war , would be most determined against granting new taxes and sanctioning new loans , then the king will snap his fingers at the " constitution , " get the money as he best may , and settle accounts afterwards .
Only two other prints of this " constitution" are worthy of notice : —First , When the General Diet has to agree to new State debts , new taxes , or the raising of existing taxes , the two houses will vote together ; this is for the purpose of swamping what opposition may be manifested in the lower house by the flood of royal and courtly tools and sycophants from the upper house . Second , Petitions , and complaints can only be brought before the King when previously adopted by two-thirds of the members in each house . Petitions once refused cannot be again preferred by the same assembly , and by a subsequent one only if there be new reasons !
We should add that a " Committee of the United Diet" is to be formed from the members of the General Diet ; this Committee will meet periodically , and will possess nearly the same functions as the General Diet . There will also be a "Deputation " or Commission , formed from the General Diet , for managing the affairs of the State debts . It is very evident that the "Committee" and "Deputation " will be the real working bodies ; composed of the King ' s creatures , they will devise the " ways and means" to keep the state machine moving . The General Diet will be consulted but rarely , and
only in cases of emergency . Such is the thing called a " Constitution , " but which is in reality nothing of tho sort . It neither restrains power nor confers rights . The people will as heretofore have no controul over the making of the law * , nor will they be allowed a free press , or the privilege of publicly associating for the discussion-and redress ^ grievances . Ciass « -a limited few of the population—are permitted to agree to taxes and raise loans when the King may feel his inability to procure either without their assistance . This "great concession" "hath this extent , no more . "
So fat as the raising of moft « y w wmewned , Frederick William has reason to acknowledge the superiority of" Constitutional Governments" over bis ewn . No despotism has been able to extract such enormous sums of money from its victims as have been wrung
The Prussian "Constitution." " Then Be T...
from tho people of this country , in the name of " constitution" and " glorious institutions . " With this object in view , the Prussian King has taken a step in tho " constitutional" direction . The result for the people will be , an increase of taxation , with no increase of their liberties . Nevertheless , we hail the appearance of this sham . Disgusting as it must nearly all ( parties , it is very likely to excite a storm of indignation , instead of the burst of gratitude solicited by tho Times . The middle classes who have been offering to join the King in keeping down the democrats , provided he would place
them on a level with their class in England and France , will bo not a little chagrined to tind their propositions unheeded . As to tho working classes , with this additional proof of the insincerity of royal pledges , and the humbug of royal concessions , they will persevere in their efforts to accomplish that mighty change designed by the truo Democrats of Germany , which will free them from the oppression and exactions of princes , nobles , usurers , anil tyrants of every description , and ensure them a state of veritable and permanent freedom , based upon social justice , The hour is not yet , but is fast coming . Barbarossa will not sleep another hundred years !
Parliamentary Review. This Has Been A Bu...
PARLIAMENTARY REVIEW . This has been a busy week in the House of Commons . The members of the Upper House are always compelled to kick their heels at the commencement of the session , waiting for bills being sent up from the other branch of the Legislature , greatly to the
discomfort of Lord Brougham , whose impatience can hardly be restrained by forms , and who seizes erery opportunity , howeverirr'gular , for carrying on a sort of guerilla debating on his own account . There is , however , every likelihood of his Lordship ' s appet'te for talk being satisfied in the course of next week . The first hatch ef Irish measures , having reference to the withdrawal of able-bodied labourers from the
roads and similar unproductive works , employing them in cultivating the soil , and preparing for the next harvest , and supporting them while so engaged , are rapidly passing through their several stages in the lower house . The specchification is smaller , and the work , such as it is , greater than is usual at the commencement of the session . The opposition of the Irish landlords to the only valuable portions of the Government plans , and their insatiable selfishness , are developed more clearly as the successive measures are brought forward . A
numerous meeting , of what is called the " Irish party , " was held on Saturday , under the Presidency of Lord Monteagle , when a resolution condemnatory of the principle of out-door relief was unanimously passed . The Government measure , in fact , does not establish the right of the destitute to such relief . It merely givesjjermtsgion to the guardians to dispense it at their discretion . By the existing law , they are strictly tied up to afford no aid whatever except in the workhouses . Against this discretionary power , the " Irish Banditti" resolutely struggle . They will , if it passes , no longer he able to lay their own
cruelty and hard heartedness ou the law . No Act will stand between them and their responsibility . Besides , they dread that what is at first dispensed a a favour , may grow into a claim . The Government Poor Relief Bill may become the thin end of the wedge , which , when driven home , will gire Ireland a real substantial Poor Law , based on the old principle , that those who hold the land of the country in their possession , are bound to find the people upon it either employment or subsistence ; and that , iu fact , the first mortgage on the soil is that of the labourer .
Mr . Roebuck is no favourite of ours , but the manner in which he has contended that the Irish landlords shall not turn the distress of that country to their own advantage , and demanded that the money and energies of the people of Great Britain shall not be mortgaged for the aggrandizement of a particular class , deserves commendation . His attempts to arrest the lavish generosity of the Whigs , and to expose the true character of the Government plans , have stung the " banditti" to the quick , and the personal attacks which have resulted , diversify the debates on the distress and its remedies .
The Government scheme of Education , like everything else they have yet brought forward , is a miserable abortion . The characteristic cowardice of the party is stamped upon it . The magnificent promises of the Premier have dwindled down to a miserable abortion , introduced by an open confession that the Government dare not grapple with the
question manfully , because it is a difficult one , and they are not strong enough to fight the Church on the one hand , and the voluntaries [ on the other . ' It is a disgrace to the country that , at such a crisis , men so confessedly incompetent and weak should be permitted to retain office a single week . As the scheme will in due time claim the attention of Parliament , we shall reserve further comment upon it at present .
An assault was made on Tuesday upon a remaining vestige of our old protective system . The Free Traders cannot be said to have any particular reasons for boasting of the success of their measures so far , but they seem resolutely bent upon the destruction of everything based upon the protective principle . The Navigation Laws formed part of a system , whose parts fitted tolerably well into each
other , though it might not be abstractedly correct . They can , however , hardly expect to be saved from the fate which has levelled stronger portions of the fabric . The Government , in consenting to Mr . Ricardo ' s motion for a Select Committee of Enquiry , virtually pronounced the doom of these laws , and the unavailing resistance of the Protectionist party , though pushed to a division , shows that they are not strong enough to avert it .
The most important debate of the week took place on Wednesday—the whole of the sitting -was devoted to the second reading of the Ten Hours' Bill , and at its close the question was adjourned . There was a very numerous attendance of members , and the interest manifested in the subject was Terr great . To the fullest extent our limits will permit , we have given extracts from the speeches delivered on the occasion , but they convey but a faint idea of the manner in which the claims of labour were defended on this occasion , by Lord John Manners , Mr .
Muntz , and other supporters of the Bill . In argument , in fact , in oratory , as in principle , the advocates ol the Ten Hours' Bill had an unquestionable superiority . The oft-refuted and stale sophisms of the Humes , Bowrings , Brights , el tioc genus omnce , were urged in a subdued tone , without the slightest variety either in matter or manner , and with a dogged but downcast air , which almost implied an internal conviction that they cannot much longer resist the righteous demands of the Operatives , The only variation on lhe subject of the speeches delivered
in defenc * of the right of capital to tyrannize over labour , and trj ' uestioy health , morality , and domestic comfort , in the hurry of accumulating splendid fortunes , arc the excuses urged why such a question should not be pushed at any particular time . Formerly Corn Laws stood in the way—when they were repealed , then V perhaps— . " They are repealed , virtually , but the " perhaps" is not realized . This year , Irish distress is the excuse . Because the peasant in Kerry has not food and remunerative employment , yon are to
Parliamentary Review. This Has Been A Bu...
continue overworking the women ^ T *^ dren in Lancashire and Yorkshi re' Chi 1 , logic is above our com prehension . A ^ that equalises work , leisure , and enjoymen t ' " ^ us an improvement upon the system of fa , ^ ? *** ness and starvation , and over-worked TT' " ^ industry . On this question the Russell Gov ' ^ presents a strange spectacle . Its members smT ** vote contrary ways . Cabinet Minister arJL * H Cabinet Minister . The Premier is opposed 7 ^^ Chancellor of the Exchequer ; the Home se '? ** differs from both ; and , in s hort , the whoi ?^ are at sixes and sevens . This does Jot seeml ^
desirable wav nf cnnihwtinn * k « ! ... _• . lls 4 desirable way of conducting the business of a i Those who are entrusted with the awrujj v im I ' "* responsibility of ruling over an empire fjk e J" *** Britain , should at least agree on the great hr ™ ' - ° by which they -mean to legislate for the mass ' * those whose destiny is , to a considerable d « J * ° their command . It is impossible that any G * ' * ment can long exist on the " open qu ^ L" ?" tern . It , in fact , virtually deprives the count a responsible Government , and leaves to Wv / ° what ought to be the result of careMy-diJ s P ? formation and deliberate counsel . Next \ Xe , \ w T will , we presume , decide whether this great ' eonta ?
versy between Capital and Labour is toeml in v tory for the latter , or not , this year . , „ , * have only to maintain the same admirable tone fo have done , and ultimate victory is certain
The Warrington "Shallows" Again . We Beg...
THE WARRINGTON " SHALLOWS" AGAIN We beglo call attention to another letter of Jj r Roberts to Mr . Duncombe , upon the subject of the Warrington Conspiracy . At six o ' clock on Thiu * day evening we received the Petitions of Mr , Roberts to Parliament , upon the case of his clients ' and to which we should have cheerfully given more * prominence than mere mention , had the y arrived in
anything like convenient time . This is a complaint that we have frequently to make , of tbe delay of most important matter from the same quarter . Fot the present we shall merely observe , that the forth * developement of the subject , as analysed in the Petitions , shall have due consideration in our next when we promise to administer to the SHALLOWS a larger measure of justice than they extended to their victims .
Manchester , 7 th Feb . 181 ? . My dear Sir , There is no doubt but that the petition as to the Warrington men will be opposed , and there seems to me to be but little doubt as to t he cour se of opposition . They will talk about matter that is not in ( he petition , that the petition does not relate to , and they will give no answer to what the petition does relate to . This is the game I notice in all these cases ; unable to grapple with the matter charged , they divert attention by talking of other matter .
The petitions do not go into the merits of the cases , any more than the O'Connell argument before the House of Lords did ; if they did , we should be met with this , " The Law has constituted the Magistrates the Judges . " I carefully steered cleat of that rock . What the petitions charge is this—and to this the argument should be confined—that the men did not have a fair trial : with regard to all of thm that they had not fair time to see their friends and obtain legal advice , and that their friends were not allowed to see them before trial ; with regard to Gerrard and Wyke , and partially with regard to
the others , that they were tried in the absence of the informations , the charges against them j with regard to Ireland that he was first tried in the absence of the information , then that I was refused a copy of the information , to have it read slowly , or to hold it ; and with regard to Dobson that the information on which he was arrested having been lost ( Qy . was there an information at all ) he ought to be at once discharged ; the refusal of the copy , Ac . and the fact , which all the sophistry in the world will not get over , that he was sent to gaol , not for the offence charged , but because he would not pay the £ 4 . Is . Sid . which he did not owe . This is all
that we charge , except that the practice of trying immediately on the accused being taken into custody is general iu Lancashire , and we say that fuch trials are " a mockery , a delusion , and a snare , " I send you by Mr . Chinery a newspaper account , From this , what may he called the " merits " may be learnt . Wyke's defence was , that his master , contrary to agreement , made him pay for his tools . Gerrard had been induced to sign his contract while pressed for money to bury a child , then lying dead
in his house , so he bound himself for fire years ; he had been to gaol before ; caught rheumatism in trie shoulders ; the master ' s doctor pronounced hira " shamming . " So being really ill , but aware that the doctor ' s evidence would be received in preference to his own , he absconded , rather than go to gaol again . On my arrival the court was cleared and the doors closed , in consequence of a cheer at my arrival . ( The cheer was hardly worth this ; two of their friends were already " gone , " anil the rest were fast " going . " The excitement was natural enough . )
As to what follows the Newspaper account in the main agrees with mine , it says , however , that the offer to discharge Dobson on payment of costs was before the trial—so it was ; but the offer was repeated after the trial as I give it , and it was after the trial that ihe magistrates offered to discharge and enquired the amount of costs , Another prisoner , Wilcock , was brought up , but he got off " because he was a worthless character . " The evidence of J . Bramwood , the policeman , will be relied on against us , by this it appears that the men on their journey boasted and talked a great deal of nonsense . The real fact of the matter is , that Edleston , the master , is a new man , poor and needy , and is endeavouring to get more work from his men at a lower rate of wages than the other masters .
Sir G . Grey will talk about all this , the hig h ra ! e of wages , & c . ; but the fact that the men have not had a fair trial will remain untouched . The matter here is regarded with very great interest , and that must be my excuse for troubling yuu thus at length . I remain , My dear Sir , Your ' a very faithfully . W . P . R . T . S . Duncombe , Esq . M . P . P . S . —Wyke ' s was a bard case , the appvenfe ; his mother is a widow , has two children besi j les " Thomas , " six and two years old ; is receiving relief from the parish—sis shillings per week .
Edleston , the master , is a Poor Law GuaruiMb an office that , it will be seen , assists him in his s trade ; he insists on his apprentices doing as much l work as amounts to 19 s . per week , their ap prentice e wages being 8 s ., the apprentice gets no portion of if the other lis . If the apprentice gets less than 19 s . :. the deficiency is stopped against him in a fi » U « e e week , " it is entered in the black book . " The e horrible tyranny of this system is apparent enoug h * i , but what can the poor people do .
The master is a guardian , on several occ asions he le has told the lad Wyke , that unless he work ed the ; ie 19 s . he would " stop bis mother ' s pay ; " lDj 8 j 8 threat has been repeated over and over again , in in every variety of language . Thomas is a thoroug hly ily good lad , " a husband to me , and a father to ray ny children " his mother calls him , and so he worked , eo on ; first he had to work 19 s . for his master , andiud then for his mother ; he is really a splendid fellow ») W » a giant in strength , always sober and thoughtful , he he is twenty-one in October next ; it is heart rending Ing work to hear his mother speak of lura . I vvish * " h I had been in time for his trial , to examine his
ruas-iast « r ; she was not allowed to see him till half-pastysl five in the evening . His earning 18 s . one week eel ( besides thgjrtOs . for bis master ) will be relied on . on He workeeW & ard for this ; his mother was behinditiic hand , and the lad determined to " get it uj » . " He 1 I ( worked on the Monday twelve hours ( deduct fromron this and following two hours for mtals ); on Tuesmes day fifteen hours ; on the Wednesday the sawe Jue on the Thursday , from four in the morning ti" ti ' twelve at night , working at his own bench som « onv hours before aud after he left the shop , on Ftidayida : from three in the morning till twelve at uig ht ; h «; h then called tip his mother that he might not ovetivet
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Citation
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Northern Star (1837-1852), Feb. 13, 1847, page 4, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/ns/issues/ns2_13021847/page/4/
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