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Onward, u& we cosqeer! Butwtrd&ad we fall! THE PEOPLE'S CHARTER ASB K0 STJRHESDER
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TO THE OLD GUARDS. Friends, Comrades, Br...
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/tf/^ /fa / ,^/ W^<?^
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MP NATIONAL TRADES 9 JOURNAL. V
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VOL-XL No 551- ~ LONDON, SATURDAY, Ma| 1...
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IHE "DEMOCRAT," DAILY NEWSTAPER. To THE ...
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Jtanmai faruameht
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MONDAY, Mat 8. HOUSE OP LORDS .—Relation...
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then ht made. Tho prlndpi* ofttntraliiBl...
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RESOLUTIONS ON THE GENERAL PrUNCIPLES OF...
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Ba>ui'ky.—A mtoiitg ot' tho Ohaitists an...
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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, U& We Cosqeer! Butwtrd&Ad We Fall! The People's Charter Asb K0 Stjrhesder
Onward , u & we cosqeer ! Butwtrd & ad we fall ! THE PEOPLE'S CHARTER ASB K 0 STJRHESDER
To The Old Guards. Friends, Comrades, Br...
TO THE OLD GUARDS . Friends , Comrades , Brothers , Last week I felt invigorated and strong , because I was unjustly persecuted . This week I feel oppressed and overcome by your kindness , your confidence , your protection , and love . I waited for your " response to my accusers , be * cause , though conscious of nay own innocence , I was nervous and excited until your judgment should have affirmed my convictions . Ho * truly I have said that the people are seldom wrong , and never very long wrong ; and henceforth , what sustenance , comfort , and support the virtuous and honest must , though afflicted , derive from the tribunal of public justice .
Old Guards , mine has been no ordinary career , and my task has been one of no ordinary difficulty—nay , of no ordinary peril—as he who undertakes to dethrone licentiousness , and establish the supremacy of industry , will be beset by the malice of the strong , and the art of the cunning , who are ever at the command of the privileged and wealthy . I look , with no small amount of interest , " to the day when I shall see you assembled around me , proclaiming Labour s victory , and the downfall of tyranny : when we shall talk over our many battles , fought in the cause of Freedom , and laugh to scorn the puny efforts of the tvrant .
It is not my intention to rub old sores , or * o fret those which are yet green ; but if my character is of value—as you seem to think it—it would have been destroyed had I submitted to the despotism and domination of those whose object was mydestructien ; and now , that your courage and confidence have sustained me through a struggle , which no public man has ever had to contend ajrainst , and emboldened by your reiterated confidence , I shall again venture to map out the policy by which our movement should be governed .
Old Guards , when I opened my commission at Stockport , in 1835 , 1 told you that my duty was to marshal the public mind for the day of auction , when Russell and Peel would bid for it , according to the value that courage , union , and resolution would stamp upon it ; and I told you that 1 would knock down that Public Will to the bidder who would offer Annual Parliaments , Universal Suffrage , Vote bv
Ballot , Equal Electoral Districts , No Property Qualification , and Payment of Members ; & nd , having been party to several agitations in Ireland , and being acquainted with the constitution and feeling of the House of Commons , I warned you that , as we approached the goal of victory , the middle classes—accustomed to use the people for their own purposes—would baulk us of our triumph if we were not watchful and resolute . In the outset of every
movement they are seductive , caressing , and kind ; but when the strength of the people is unconditionally surrendered , they are tyrannical , oppressive , and harsh . For , believe me , that if economists were to write 10 , 000 volumes , the whole would never erase from my mind the fact , that so Ions as Capital legislates for Labour , sa long will the Labourer be the slave of the capitalists . Old Guards , cast a glance at the odium I have encountered from the commencement of the Free Trade agitation , for propounding these doctrines , and let it confirm vou in the
belief , that if I were now weakened b y the withdrawal of your confidence , I should be again sacrificed to middle class tyranny . In what has the failure of Free Trade altered the propensities , the desires , and the anticipations of the party ? Had it succeeded to their utmost expectations , as far as regards their own profits , would your poverty and disappointment ever have induced them to fraternise with you for an extension of your rights , or for the remission of your burthens r On the contrary , has not class after class been shifting the burdens of taxation from their own shealders to yours , until the dried pap has failed to give sustenance to the luxurious idle f and is it not
a notorious fact , that the law of primogeniture , with all the other anomalies that are part and p arcel of the feudal sysiem , annually increases the burdens of the poor ? Well , if yon read the delates iii the National Assembly , you will discover that the maxim propounded by Mr Lawrence Hey worth , at the Sturge Conference at Birmingham , was to have been the rule of action . " It is not so much a name , " said that gentleman , " as your leaders , that we want to get rid of ; " and some of the Scotch delegates , who were of the Complete Suffrage party at that Conference , acting upon precisely the same princi p le , said— " We w ant to get rid of Feargus O'Connor . "
Old Guards , can any man deny the increased strength and vigour that the Chartist movement has acquired since the glorious loth of April—the day when we marched through the armed battalions of the enenly , and held our meeting in defiance of an unconstitutional proclamation ? And as it has been my aim and object to circulate those principles by all and every means , the terror created by osr resolution that day , and the respect created by our courage , our prudence , and forbearance , has set all men , of all classes , inquiring about the
Charter ; and those who laughed at our presumption and Hgnorance , now admit that the consummation of our victory is but a question of time ; and you may rel y upon it , that 1 at least am not prepared to adopt the old maxim of " Live horse , and you'll get grass . " I have never thrown away any opportunity of Strengthening our position , and much less am ] prepared to parly with assassins when I see the life ' s bluod sucked from the pallid cheek of the innocent bake ! when I see woman a slave , and man a shadow '
I his m <> ve in the Assembly was one upon the part of of the middle class , which my posi tion in the House of Commons , as your repretative , prevents them from making openly ; and had you not come to the rescue , and had confidence in me been destroyed or weakened , you would have been juggled , as you have been aforetime , by the shadow of Reform , and the fascinations of Free Trade . Old Guards , " come weal , come woe / ' it is my resolution , and niv fixed determination , to keep our banner straight , and ourfiag unfurled and unsullied , and to preserve the noble army of Chartists ;' . s a distinct and separate battalion , p . ehher turning to the right hand nor to the left , but marchiiur onward till labour is fully and fairly represented in the House of
Commons . Old Guards , some of your representatives in the Assembl y disdain to consider the question of Labour ; that is to be the secondary consideration . But 1 teJJ you that it e \ er has been , and ever shall be , my primary consideration . It is my thought by day and my -jream by night . And now mark me , and mark me well , when I call your attention to the present position of parties in France . Labour , oppressed b y despotism , made its revolution ,
and gained its triumph ; but the question ot Labour never having been discussed , it has for ten long weeks been the vexed question—the all-absorbing question—the one and onl y question with the Provisional Government and the National Assembly ; and they are now as far from its adjustment as they were upon the first day of the revolution . And why ? Because their theories are all based upon the artificial principle , and the farther we stray from nature ' s laws the deeper we get into the labyrinth of confusion .
Oid Guards , had I been deposed , and had Labour risen in arms and gained its revolution , the first men who would have fallen a sacrifice to popular fury and disappointment would have been those who were instrumental in destroying the vld system , without bei ; - ) i prepared with a new system as a substitute . After a revolution , whether h be obtained h \ moral or physical means , there must be a com mending head , and before a revolution there
To The Old Guards. Friends, Comrades, Br...
must be the universal adoption of a new system : —one so self-recommending and easy of practice as that the satisfied majority , who glory not in idleness , shall be capable , and at once , of overawing the idle , the refractory , and lascivious , who would rather live on disorder than earn their bread by labour . Old Guards , I now invite you to call the attention of the people to the Labour question ; to debate the subject at your meetings , and without much loss of time , to elect such a representation of the National Will and improved mind , as will defy oppression , and- command
re « pect . And although not now belonging to the Legislative body , the Executive of your choice shall have my hearty co-operation and support ; you must supply them with funds . And I contend now , as I ever contended , that the more extensive we make local representation the better , and the more vigorous we make the movement ; as the several localities are the best judges of character , efficiency , and fitness ; and the less those lecturers are brought into collision with the Executive the better for the cause , and the better for the jjxecntive . This course prevents the possibility of jealousy arising from the
disappointment of rivals , or toe dismissal of inefficient parties . I am now speaking from long experience , and I have found it to be invariably the case , that in any disagreement between the locality , the lecturer , and the Executive , if the Executive refuses to dismiss the lecturer , the locality refuses its contribution ; if the Executive dismiss-, the lecturer becomes its enemy—therefore ^ I say , pay your Executive honourably , and not stintingly ; appoint your own lecturers , enable your Executive to print and circulate tracts , and when an Assembly is called , be prepared to support your delegates .
Old Guards , as to the appointment of a new Executive , 1 assure you that it has been a question long mooted by me as to the propriety of the Land Directors resigning their trust ; and , from the dissatisfaction very generall y manifested , it is a subject that we have thought over , and talked over , and , had the last Convention been convened in the ordinary course of I usiness , the Land Directors would have resigned ; but , after the French Revolution , we thought it would have the sem blance of cowardice if we abandoned our post in the hour of danger .
I have always thought that the safe guidance of the Chartist movement required the undivided attention of the Executive Council but , from the lingering state of Chartism until the establishment of the Land Company , and taking into account their empty Exchequer , I think he will be a bold man who will venture to charge them with any dereliction of duty—in fact , the position of the late Executive—every hour of my time otherwise employed—Mr Doyle always absent—and Mr Wheeler attending to his farm—rendered it impossible for that body to devote proper
attention to the Chartist cause : —just as I held it inconsistent with Mr Harney ' s duties as editor ofthe '' Northern Star , " to devote his time to the National Assembly , and just as I should hold it inconsistent to continue Mr Jones , as Mr Harney ' s assistant , now that his whole time must be devoted to the cause of Chartism-It is impossible for any man to devote Tuesday , Wednesday , Thursday , and till twelve o ' clock on Friday , te the business of a newspaper , and to do justice to-those by whom lie is paid . Apart from this consideration , 1 would hold it to be very impolitic that any officer , whose duties are of a
perambulatory nature , should be tied by the leg . Old Guards , I have now discharged a duty which 1 o « e to myself , as far as 1 am personally concerned , and now 1 shall discharge another , which I owe you as a journalist . A charge has been made against the " Star'" for not publishing a more lengthy report of the proceedings of the Convention and the Assembly . On the first day that the Convention sat , so anxious was I to have a verbatim report of the proceedings , that I asked Mi
Reynolds to recommend me to the best reporter in the gallery . Hedidso ; and I agreed with that gentleman to give me full reports—besides having my own reporter always in attendance ; but so hostile are the whole of that class to the '' Northern Star , ' ' that , when too late , I learned that this gentleman had not sent a word to the office . I then requested Mr M'Gowan , the printer , to engage a special reporter for the " Star , '" and hf did so ; and thus 1 answer the charge of indifference as to reporting .
Old Guards , the " Star has now been nearly eleven years in existence , and hear my boast . It is—that 1 have never interfered with editor or reporter , unless I found just cause for expostulation or dismissal—that , though the Norlhtrn Star has sometimes conspired against me , it has never conspired against any one else ; and now I will prove to you . from past events , beyond the power of refutation , that the main object of some of the Assembl y was to destroy the ' ' ' Northern Star . "
Old Guards , when did you ever before hear of the proprietor of a newspaper rejecting advertisements , and returning the money , in order to make room for denunciation and censure of himself , as I have done ? Old Guards , judge of the future from the past . The first dissension in our ranks was created b y the " Champion , " the " Charter , " and the '' Birmingham Journal" trying to make parties against the " Northern Star . " Subsequently , when the first Executive was elected , Mr Philp—who was one of the Executive—made atour , not to establish Onanism
but to establish the "" Western Vindicator , ' in opposition to the " Northern Star , " and which paper completely divided us in the West of England . Then came the Convention of ' 43 , when the " Statesman" was purchased to oppose the " Star " then came the - Southern Star , " and then the host of Scotch papersthe " True 'Scotsman , " the " Dundee Chronicle the " Perth Chronicle , '' and number le .-s others , all of which the reviled " Star' has seen out of exist * nee , and all of which , in turn , attempted to pander to the middle classes for support .
Now can this he denied or contradicted ? And to prove that I have always stood by the Executive of your choice , can it be denied that 1 dismissed Mr Hill for havinjr traduced the ehar . icters of Dr M'Duuall and the then Executive?—and , while speaking of Dr M'Douall , allow me to do him that justice which he deserves at my hands . I understand that he conceives the term "poor gentleman " to apply to him , but 1 beg leave to assure him that it was neither intended to apply , nor is it at all applicable to him , inasmuch as there is a difference between him who is too idle to work .
and the man who has generously abandoned a class with whom he might have been popular , and given up a profession from which he might have amassed wealth , to devote his energies and his talent to the popular cause . And I further beg to ; : ssure him , that there is not one man in the movement for whom I have a greater affection and regard . As a young man he was placed in trying circumstances , and he has had his full share of persecution , which he has borne like a man ; and , although he and I have differed , he never , during his absence from the ranks , spoke a word or wrote a word calculated to damage the cause , and , therefore , 1 hailed
To The Old Guards. Friends, Comrades, Br...
his return amongst us with pride and satisfaction . Old Guards , it is a maxim with our enemies to magnify the virtues and suppress the vices of their party ; but it has , hitherto , been the practice in our ranks to suppress the virtues and fabricate the vices of our party . Old Guards , change of circumstances never alter my resolution . Some feel proud and vain when they gain admittance to the House of
Commons , and they immediately become surrounded by Conventionalism , to which weakness compels them to surrender ; they are fascinated by ministeiial and lordly inv itations and soon forget the power to which they owe their position ; but I as fondly clasp the blistered hand of the honest operative when 1 require no favour from him , as others condescendingly do in return for his ' vote at an election .
Old Guards , 1 have abandoned family connexion and friends ; I have given up the luxuries of society and the profits of profession ; 1 have surrendered the amusements of the ball room , the race course , and the chasethat ! may make myself more serviceable to the cause of labour ; I live frugally , honestly , and abstemiously , that my character may be valuable to the labouring classes from being unassailable by their enemies ; 1 have seen , 1 have read of , and heard of , the many revolutions that have taken p lace throughout the world , but in no change has labour had its , share , and have sworn that from the next id sh all have the lion ' s share .
Old Guards , I am one of a persecuted family and an outlawed race . And I am impelled by generous motives , which new men cannot feel , in seeking retribution for that class , for fig hting whose cause my family have been persecuted , banished , and dispersed . Old Guards , as the indictment against me was long , your love of justice and of English fairplay will tolerate somewhat of a lengthy defence ; and let me , therefore , remind you of mv oft-repeated maxim ,
: "Moral power is the deliberative quality in each man ' s mind , which teaches him how to reason , how to endure , and when forbearance becomes a crime ; and should that fail to achieve for him all the rights to which as a freeman he is entitled , and should physical forcejbe required—which God forebid—it will come to his aid like an electric shock ; but the man who marshals it destroys it by forewarning the enemy , and will be the first to desert it . "
Now such was my motto in the most boisterous times , when mouthing bullies filled the gaols to suffocation , and then deserted their colours and their cause . Did the French , did the Prussians , did the Milanese , shout" We'll fight ? ' * Is it not an invitation to the enemy to prepare them for the coming event ? Old Guards , let me go through some of my campaigns . In 1822 , I stood alone by the Whiteboys , who fought two p itched battles for their liberties , in the county of Cork , and when all was over I was obliged to fly my country for thirteen months ; and go to that county ,
where I was born , and ask them "Whether FARGUS is to be relied upon i" In 1831 , as Mr Grattan stated in the House of Commons , I charged a regiment of cavalry with a voter on my back , and was tramp ' ed upon by the cavalry . In 1832 . I had marshalled such a resistance to Tithes that the tyrants were obliged to persecute me . In 183 A ,. for seven long days and nights , I fought the battle of freedom at the Dungarvan Election , the soldiers defending me against the policebreaking through their ranks single-handed In 1834 , 1 conducted John O'Connell ' s
election at \ oughall , addressed the people in the presence of three regiments and 1 , 200 police , the drawn swords within four feet of my face , and the priests requesting me for God ' s sake to desist ; and about the close of the election , when the soldiers were placed as sentinelsoverthe doors ofthe voter , I rushed through a doable file of fixed bayonets , smashed the back door , took the voter out at the front door upon my back , polled him , and gained the election . At the Rathcormac slaughter , I preached the funeral oration over the slain in the midst of three armed regiments , denouncing them as murderers . I have conducted more contested elections in Ireland than any living roan , never
accepting my professional fee * , nor my travelling expenses . Did I fly in Preston in i 837 , when I stood in the middle of the street , in front of a troop ofthe lath Hussars , refusing to leave it until the Mayor ordered them into their quarters ? Did I fly at Manchester , when attacked by o , 000 in the Hall of Science ? Did I fly in the Town Hall in Birmingham , when Seized by nine Free Trade ruffians , hallooed on by 1 , 500 of their associates ? No , I jumped from their grasp over the Mayor ' s head , and made my speech . Did I fly in the Marketplace at Nottingham ? And , Old Guards , remember that I sought no triumph for myself in any one of the struggles , but I looked upon the result as indicating the popular triumph .
Old Guards , I have been four times engaged in duels , and have been fired at , but never showed the white feather ; and yet there are mouthing braggarts who talk of arms , of wars , and of bloodshed , that would sink into the earth before any of the scenes that I have gone through , and who would yet dare to call me coward . At Coventry , when the freemen thought that I was interfering with their privileges by seeking to put down bribery , when I stood almost alone , and for the first time in a waggon , a hired bully broke through the meeting , and struck a poor man in the face ; in an instant I was out of the waggon , returned the compliment with interest—dragged him through the meeting , and gave him up to the police .
Now these are some of the dangers I have encountered on behalf of our cause , not to speak of walking alone through the memorable tea party at the Crown and Anchor , amid the jeers and hisses of 450 Complete Suffrage delegates , assembled from all parts of the country ; and on the memorable 10 th of April , did I not take the post of danger when the Chartist army was passing through the enemies' ranks : Believe me , that the man who is tie most ready to fight , is the most cautious in talking about it , and that the man who talks most about it has the least stomach for it .
Old Guards , when you lay your heads upon your pillows ask yourselves these questions" Where would O'Connor go , what would he do , or what would become of him if he turned the prayers of the poor into the curses of the disappointed ? Is there one act of his life , and we have watched him for sixteen years both in and out of Parliament , which merits our censure , our condemnation , and reproof ? Did ever man of his class , or of any class , defy tyranny and braye oppression as he has done r When have the poor called that he lias not answered ? When has the oppressor struck that he has not returned the blow ? Where is the
iortnne that he has amassed out of our confidence ? Where is the blot in his character that makes us , his friends , his comrades , and his brothers blush ? Where is the man « ho so feels the agony of the infant , the suffering of the mo . her , orthe poverty of the father ? Where is he who would so cheerfully rush into battle against so fearful odds , to see industry requited , tyranny demolished , and virtue in the ascendant ?" Old Guards , I swear by Heaven , there is not
To The Old Guards. Friends, Comrades, Br...
a man'amongst you who would rather share his last crust—nay , give it all to the hungry child , the famishing mother , or starving marl , than I would . Nothing but your love , —your confidence and affection , lias charms for me ; and ten thousand times would I rather perish than accept of bauble titles , wealth , organdy honours , the price of my desertion of that causelwhich is dearer to me than life itself , and rendered doubly dear by the shield of your protection thrown over me this week , and the maddening enthusiasm that I witnessed at Leicester on Monday . It is very easy to lead me , but very difficult to drive me . I now know my position , and that position I will maintain and uphold as long as I possess your confidence , your affection , and esteem .
Everything- I have of power , of constitution , of position , and talents , I hold in trust for you , and I think 1 may turn with pride to the course I have pursued in 1833 , ' 34 , and ' 35 , and ' 47 and ' 48 , in the House of Commons , and during the whole period out of the House of Commons . In my previous parliamentary career , when 1 was independent of yourjmpport , 1 took a part in every English Labour question , thus proving to you that I have ever acted upon stern principle , and not upon expediency . Upon the ballot—upon the
Dorchester Labourers—upon the persecution of the True Sun newspaper—upon the damnable Poor-law Act—I stood by you when I was an Irish member ; and now that lam an Eng lish member , I will stand by Ireland and Repeal—by John Mitcbel , for whom my heart bleeds , and who is foully oppressed—and by England , the Charter , and the Land ; and J will never relax my exertions until 1 see the Land Plan national , and the standard of wages in the artificial market established by its value in the free labour market , and the Charter made the law of the land .
Old Guards , cement the Union that is how forming . You have strength which you little know of ; it was manifest in the fact of the wolves in the Assemblv , being unable to change the name of our movement . I will make that strength irresistible . Let nothing divide it . Let nothing disunite us , — ' Unite ! we stand , d ' tvided we fall . " Our disunion is the only title upon which tyrants can much longer establish their right to rule .
Old Guards—my beloved Old Guards —you have given me new life , new vigour , and new courage . I am well again . Your confidence and approval is the medicine that I want . M y heart bursts with joy when I think that 1 have not laboured in vain , or spent my life unprofitably . Old Guards , by the God of Justice and of Battles , 1 will stand by you till the last . 1
have nurtured many vipers m my bosom , who would have stung me but for you . I'll cast them all off and breathe again . And nowlet me implore all , that disunion may cease , and that Chartism may be itself again . I harbour malice against no man . Let us forgive and forget ; shake hands , and be friends—and in less than a month , from this date , I promise you that the flood of Chartist mind will compel the middle classes to fraternise with us for the
animal , name and all . I am , and till death will remain , Your fond , your faithful , your affectionate , and unpurchasable leader , Feakgus 0 Connor .
To The Old Guards. Friends, Comrades, Br...
tell you that the vice ef a people is the power of the tyrant . Tho question is now in your hands—deal with it as you think proper , and thenj > # ejibj & r ,. th e country Chartists , nor the Nattefh ^| : J ^ feiblj ' , would complain of not bein ^^^ lpited . Such an organ would mHke us relpjctld'by the pood , and feared by the bad ; ' arid ' while preparing thfi locations for my land children , I could , after my day ' s labour , write with a freshness and a vigour that I cannot possess amid the smoke of your towns . Give me that , and I don ' t care how soon it kills the Star . Your faithful friend , Feargus O'Connor .
/Tf/^ /Fa / ,^/ W^<?^
/ tf /^ / fa / , ^/ W ^^
Mp National Trades 9 Journal. V
MP NATIONAL TRADES JOURNAL . V
Vol-Xl No 551- ~ London, Saturday, Ma| 1...
VOL-XL No 551- ~ LONDON , SATURDAY , Ma | 13 , 184 & Y v ™ , ^^ S ^; ^»^
Ihe "Democrat," Daily Newstaper. To The ...
IHE " DEMOCRAT , " DAILY NEWSTAPER . To THE CrURTlSTS , Having received numerous applications from different parts of the country , as to the propriety of establishing a dail y newspaper , for the support ofthe Democratic cause , and bavintr , from my first introduction into public life , felt the necessity of such an organ , seeing that the Press of the factions is sternly opposed to us , and knowing tho absolute and indispensable necessity of conveying intelligence while it
is fresh and feverish , and before excitement shall have passed away , and well understanding the value of being able to answer the false hoods and fabrications ofthe morning journals before the sun shall have set , and knowing the vitality that the " Evening Star" newspaper gave to tbe cause , while under my management , ) am willing' to accept the proposition made from several parts of the countrynamely , to undertake the management of such an organ upon the following c » nditions : —
That the necessary amount shall be raised * in shares of one shilling each . That no individual shall hold more than one hundred shares . That I shall have the entire control of the paper . That the ablest accountant shall be kept . That he shall furnish a half-yearly balance sheet of the accounts . That every hundred shares shall be carried to the credit of some one person appointed b y the other ninety-nine . That the accounts of the hundred should be opened with him , as it would he impossible tu keep a separate account for every shilling subscriber . And ,
That the profits should be divided every half-year between the subscribers . I have now got the weekly artillery and the monthly reserve of the Chartist lorce . Give me this rifle brigade , and I will promise you to silence a few ofthe batteries of the enemy . I can very soon make the necessary arrangements for my staff . I can devote part of my night in the country to writing articles upon
general subjects , and 1 will take care to be surrounded b y men who will strike the iron of faction while it is hot , and administer the antidote before tiie poison has worked . My services , as ever , shall be gratuitous and unpaid for , and even nnthanked ; hut 1 promise you that such a power would make Chartism iii ; i month , what its present power could not make it in twelve .
We know the value of a lie which remains uncontradicted for six days , and we know the value of its immediate correction . The people , at their meals , would ask for the Democrat as their desert . It shall lie as well conducted as any paper in Europe—it is what I have always panted for—what I have always asked for —and vyhen you see what the freshness of lies can do for the enemy , will you not be convinced of what the freshness of truth can do fur the cause ? The Times has turned Whig , and the Chronicle has turned Tory , but the Democrat shall never turn its coat—its principles shall l . e- "THE CHARTER AND NO SL-llRENDKIi . " " The Castle and the Free-labour-field for every man who chooses to enjoy them' '— " The Higlitsof Labour and the means of achieving them . " I ' p , then , Chartists . The man who is not willing to g ive a shilling , is not fit to he a freeman . The man who will not lend one to his poor brother , vtho is notable to supply it , is onl y fit for a s-lave . Smash your porter pots and tobacco-pipes—yon can break the government hy abstinence , and they would more dre >; d the resolution to he sober than the thunder of your defiance . If I had a hundred thousand teetotalers around me , I'd carry the Charter without a blow being ; struck , for 1
Jtanmai Faruameht
Jtanmai faruameht
Monday, Mat 8. House Op Lords .—Relation...
MONDAY , Mat 8 . HOUSE OP LORDS . —Relation * with S * ain . —Lord Stanley brought under consideration the ooireepondence relative to the lat « Spanish diipute , laid on the table ot the bouse , with ihe view of obtaining- explanations of the contradictions which that corrospiMidevee gave to the declarations made by the Lord President of the Council on Friday night last . While the Lord Pre . eideut had then alleged that the letter written by Lord Falmerston to Sir H . BOliver waa a private instruction for Sir H . Bulwer ' u private guidance , and not intended to be communicated to the Spanish Minister , the despatches laid before parliament hhowed that not only had Sir II . Bulwor satisfactorily followed his instructions ,
but that on two dutiact occasions Lord Palmereton bad written to him conveying to him the entire approval of ber Majesty ' s government for the communication he bad made to ti > e Duo de Sotomajor . It vwh right that the country ahoild know whether Sir H . Baltvir ' a conduct bad been indiscreet end indefensible , as declared by the Lord President , or whether , according to tha despatches of L'ird Palmerstoo , it was deserving ofthe en-Ire approbation of the government . Lord Stanley strongly con . doomed the undignified and unworthy way in which Lord Palmerston closed this correspondence— ' generously ' declaring that the British government was not at nil offtinded at the result which thpy bad drawn on them , selves—that they entirel y approved of the kicking that had been inflicted on thetn .
The Marquis of LaN 6 J > oitne admitted that , judging of the circumstances in England , be bad expressed his regret that Sir H . Bulwer had written the note he had forwarded to the Duo do Sotomayor . But after the ¦ inswtr returned by the Spanish Minister , it was necne . aary unless the recall of Sir H . Bulwer was detsrminetl a , to give to him en assurance that the government bad approved of his conduct ; 11 that were not done , it would be giving the Due de Sotomayor a triumph . A spirit of amity bad been re-established between our Minister at Madrid and the Spanish government ; Sir H , Bulwer ' s recall waa not demanded , and it wis better to let the matter rem :.
The Earl ot Abe . been agreed that It would have teaa unjust to hare abandoned Sir H . Bulwer , who had acted accorains to the letter of bis insti actions . The explanation juat given by the Lord President was not borne out by the facts , because the approbation commuiiicated ty Lord P . tlnocraton to Sir H . Bulwer was sent before the noble lord could have heard of the Due de S-ttomayor ' s answer . The noble earl indignantly remarked upon the ignominious insult provoked by the Foreign Secretary , and for the first time endured by a British government , Lord Bbocghah deprecated any further discussion of the mattsr , seeing that a friendly understanding had been re-estiblithed between Mr Bulwer and the Spanish authorities—a fact which was to him a matter of great satibfaction .
The Marquis of Clanbicibde obferved that , in his opinion , the only error committed by Mr Bulwer consisted in his having sent almost in extensoto the Spanish government this comajunication , which was only lutmded tor bis own guidance . Such an error was not sufficiently grave to justify tither bis censure or rocall . The subject then dropped . The Encumbered Estates ( Ireland ) Bill passed through committee , and was amended . Their lordship * then adjourned . HOUSE OF COMMONS . —The game suVjsct was mooted in thin bouse . Mr U & QCBABT inqtrred If it were true , as reported to have been stated by the Marquis o ( Linsdowae , that Sir II . Bul veer ' s conduct bad been disapproved of by the government ? Lord Palhebsion replied that tho papers laid on the table ahowtd tbatSir D , Bulwer ' s conduct had been ap . proved of .
Mr Q . BiNKEt inquired if it were true , as int ' maied hy Lord Lansdowno , that tho Spanish correspondence had been sent to a French newspaper by the Due de Sototniiyor , or tome , of his colleagues -, also how It happened that the correspondence just laid on tbe table had been sent to a London morning paper twenty-four hours before it was in tin hands of members ? Lord Palsierst-. h said , that be had no distinct proof that tho Spanish correspondence hid betn sent to La Puesse by any member of tho Spaniah government , though that published correspondence bore internal evidence ot having come from Madrid . With respect to the second question , it was the customary courtesy of the government in this country to send to the principal journals papers laid before Parliament .
Public Health Bill . —Lord J . Russell , in moving that the orders of the day be now read , availed himself ofthe opportunity to state , that in the clause if tbe Public Health Bill which constituted tbe superintending board , the government intended to introduce an important alteration . Instead of a paid commisiion , he proposed that tho Chief Commissioner of Woods and Forests should be the president of the board , and that there should only be two others , and those unpaid commi sioners , Mr SrooNEs admittsd that this was a great improvement in the bill , but regretted that Lord J . Russell had
left the obnoxious principle of it untouched . The centralisation principle was left in full force ; and to that principle he had the most decided ot j iction . The Board of Health would still retain ite control over the rights of tvtwna ; and he protested against tbe interference of government in the local administration of our corporate » nd municipal boroughs . Some measure ef sanitary reform was unquestionably necessary ; and ho hoped that he should not be considered as oVjeeting to all sanitery reform , because he objected to this bill . The clause appointing the superintending board should bo postponed until every other detail of the bill was settled . Hu recommended Ministers to refer tho bill to a committee
upstairs , Mr Slanet regretted that those gentlemen who opposed this bill had not read the reports upon which it was founded . He then entered into a statement of some length io fho'v that Mr II . Drunioiond had committed several grave mistakes in the precis which ho had given <> f it on a farmer evening . Your drainage never ci > uld be ff ; ctual , uutll you had a good supply of water ; and iu many of the ljrga tonne such a supply of water was wbeolutely denied to the poor at present . This bill , which he defended with great ability , would give them that supply of water for the first time , and was , there , for ? , dest-. rvin ? oi support . He was convinced that if the i : ou 6 o consented to g 9 Into committee , it would be able to render this blil an efficient instrument { or improving the condition of hundreds of thousands of our f l : ow men .
Mr C . Peabson objected to this bill , because it placed the time-honoured institutions of this country , like ricketty children , in the go-cart of government superintendence . It was an extraordinary circumstance that Scotland , Inland , the metropolitan boroughs , end tbe city of London , were exempt fnm its regulations ; and he suspected that they were exempted uotv to be seerificadhereafter , when isolnUd , He analysed the report * of the Health of Towns Association , and deduced from his analysis Una eonclm-ion—that n greater mass oi misrvprcstntations bad n vtr before btea huddle 1 into the Huron number of psigt-8 . Though not iu favour ol this bill , he wa « in fav ., ur of a measure for effecting ijreat sanitary improvements , L ird AsniET was anxious to impress upon the house
? be absolute and indispensable necessity of mukirg a romnieiioomcnt in some measure of legislation for the r « lief of thowsikiiiR classes from those grievances which pressed heavily upon them , As a proof that tho la baurers of England had this mausure greatly at heart , tie sttted that the otb . tr day , ^ ben the trades delegate ? met , at a timo of great excitement in that metropolis tho first point on which they a ^ dresstd him was tht fate in whic . ' i tl : tir families were left by wuntof aanltarj reform . He gave govcrnm . nt credit for the boldness > vith which it had faced tho dlffitulO . es ot \ htir enso but heabo told miniottra that their measure was sua . ' c ptHe of improvement . He , therefWe , implored tbe
' ¦ o-jsa to let it go into committee to obtain that improve"ient . II-., was surprls-d to hear it said , that tho law , as it now a . od , was sufficient to put an end to existing nuisances . He dinted the & wvtUMv , but , aJvnUving it 'o be correct , it was a most tedious and expensive pro . etss , which no poor man , or uggregato mass of peor men , c » uld put in execution . Besides , t o law ought not only t > bo csp-ibie of removing abuses , but should , also , bo capable i . f instituting improvements . Ho in . bisted that far more than halt' tbe intoxication which f isgraccd our Intge tonne , and led to much crime , arose fr m the wretched condition of tho tenements in which the labouring classes were obliged ta live .
Mr Mi'NTadidiwt intend to oppose the motion for going into committee , because he hopjd that such iraproycmenis aa would render it useful to society would
Then Ht Made. Tho Prlndpi* Ofttntraliibl...
then ht made . Tho prlndpi * ofttntraliiBlion ends tfad bill in many respects a very orjectieaaMo *»»««« . Mr Stdaut concurred fa the view taken of tiiia bUI byMrHi'Dlej . The principle of ceatralisatW vrtiis & i perraded it was tiiiktfent to ruin ft op any other aai «* sure . It was a libel on every town in the kingdom to assert , aa this bill asserted , that their ionabttanti were incapable of cftrrjtog a system of sanitary reform lata txerntion wi $ hput tha » uperiBtendenc * o * » owxtesJL board in London .. After , some forlbtr discussion the booie reaolreo it . * eif into committee upon the bill , uno ihe remainder ot tbe sitting was spent iu discussing tbe claused . Tbe house adjourned at one o ' clock . TUESDAY Mat f > . HOUSE OF LOHDS . — PsovjMBT AesociAHOR * ttxisn PjtKTEfittoH But . —This bill , intended for tbe protection of tb # 0 ild Fellows ' , the Foresters ' , and similar societies , waa , on the motion of Lord Beaumont , read a second 'ime .
HOUSE OF COMMONS . Lord G . BEKTINCK wished to auk the noble lord attfea head of the government n question of the greatest importance as connected with the free trade principles of which the n < --ble lord was one ofthe staunchest advocates . He need not remind the house of the royal command which had none fcrtli to the latiics of England , in consequence of the present dtprecialimi of trade and manufacturt s , t'i appear at the approaching drawing- noma and royal assemblies in no attire—( greatlaughter)—except the products of rititish industry . The question he had to ask the noble lord was , whether that royal c . npinamlhad been dictated by the impulses of her . Majesty ' s own heart , beating for tbe di-tress of the people in Spitalfields , in Ml ester , in Nottingham , and elsewhere , or whether it had been issued at the suggestion of her Majesty ' s responsible advisers ? Had It come to her Majesty ' s know * ledge that , within the first three months of the present ; year , French silk goods , to the vulno of £ 100 , 00 ^ , and
which , if manufactured in this country , would give employment to HI , 0 »" i weavers , had been imported into the port of London alone ? Had her Majesty heard that , during the same period , lace to the value of £ . '" , i 00 , and needlework to the value of £ 2 <> , nnu more , numcient to employ 4 , 000 needlewomen ; and 7 , ' 0 i > pairs of booU and shoes , sufficient to employ li . OUu cordwaiucrs ( G . tiQO of whom were at this moment out of employment in London ) had al * o been imported ? ( Hear , hear . ) He asked whether the royal command was the re ^ lt of her Majesty's having been made acquainted with all these matters , or whether it was that the noble lord : \ t the head of the government had determined that the free doctrine * were to be put aside with dismay , and no longer to ba tolerated or encouraged by Englishmen or Englishwomen t He asked his noble friend "liether this command was to be taken as an indication that her M : tjesty '» ministers were about to abandon a policy which had brought the trade and manufactures of this country to beggary and ruin ?
Lord John Kussell said the command in question had been issued through the Lord Chamberlain , as had been frequently the case under former sovereigns . It was merely-intended as an a't of kindness , for the beneiit of persons engaged in the manufacture of articles of di ess . Although ho believed that there might bo particular classts of persons in ibis country who suffered inconvenience by the introduction of foreign good- ' , yet , inasmuch as their introduction stimulated the production Of other goods , which were exported in return , ho should be the Inst person to advise ber Mnjesty to return to tha old system , very much doubting even were he thus to act contrary to his convictions , such advice would be 80 acceptable to her M ; ijesty as noble lords and some gentlemen on the opposite benches seemed to think .
Mr Height hail been under the impression that the Lord Chamberlain was a political officer , and that whatever he did was the act of the Queen ' s responsible advisers . He did not attach much importance to orders respecting dress , but he very much regretted that any . thing Should h . ive been done to delude tho working classes into the belief that they could be served by driving awny the products of other countries . tl-Iear , hear . ) He feared it would be looked upon abroad as an act of retaliation for the expulsion of English workmeuirom France . ( Hear , hear . ) As to the great quantity of French silks imported during the present year , it should be recollected that , in consequenee of recent political tvent-s , that Stock :
was very much depreciated and , consequently , a great quantity had been hrought over by speculators . Kow , it was useless to be prett tiding t-i do a kindness to the weavers of Spitalfields by a curse which must involve others in loss and injury . ( Hear . ) He was for : he fullest lreedom to enable ail these persons to better themselves by any kind of traffic they chose . On the other hand , he bad no objection to a number of noble , titled , but not very wise womtu , forming an association among themselves against French silks , but lie protested against the government doing anything calculated to create an illwill between this country and other nations , and to foster feelings amona the working classts which must end in disappointment .
A conversation followed , in which the Protectionists ana Free-traders as usual amused the house by denouncing each others nostrums Mr Uhqchaet moved an address to the Queen , condemnatory of the ministerial policy towards Portugal , but was counted out thortly after the commencement of his speech , and the house adjourned . WEDNSSDAY , May 10 . THE HOUSE OF COHMONS met at twelve o ' clock , and sat till four . Thebusine & s wa » oi ' avery uninteresting character , A discussion arose as to the proposed postponement of tho bill , for disfranchising the corrupt electors of Horsham . In the course of the discussion Colonel Sibthorp said , there had btens-jHne talk of patronage , and he , for one , thought if the house wished to getrid ofthe evils attendant upon patronage , it would atotiea settO work and scour the Treasury bench . The house was , perhaps , not aware that there was a sum of money voted annually for secret services . He strongly suspected that a good deal ol money was spent in returning Members to the Treasury Bfeneii . Ultima ' . ely the government succeeded in postponing ihe bill .
Resolutions On The General Prunciples Of...
RESOLUTIONS ON THE GENERAL PrUNCIPLES OF REPRESENTATION . BY EARL STANHOPE . I . That , for the purpose of preventing bribery and corruption at elections , oaths shall lie taken , or declarations shall lie made , liy each candidate and hy each elector , the former stating that he had not g iven and would not give , and the latter staling that he had not received , and would not icceive , any money , or anyarticlc having the value of money , directly or indirectly , wilh the view of tnfltiencingtheelection ; that a similar oath or declaraiion shall , at the
commencement of every session , be taken , or made , by every member of the House of Commons ; and that every person taking any such oath , or making any such declaration , and being proved to ha \ e acted contrary thereto , shall , exclusive of other pains and penalties , be subjected to those of perjury . II . That , for the purpose of securing from any undue influence those electors who may consider thcmsehies subject thereto , every elector may , it he thinks proper , voie by ballot .
III . That , for the purpose of avoiding those expenses which might otherwise prevent many fit and proper persons from sitting in parliament , the necessary expenses attending an election shall he paid by a rate to he levied on the electors ; and that every representative shall , during the session of Parliament , receive , if he shall think fit , an allowance for his expenses . IV . Tbat , for the purpose of conducting with greater convenience the public service , and ot allowing to the Crown tbe unrestrained extreme of its prerogative in the appointment cl its ministers , a certain number of persons holding official stations shall , by virtue thereof , have seats iu the House of Commons .
V . That , for the purpose of maintaining the due responsibility of the representatives , the duration oi any parliament shall not exceed three years , and shall not be affected by a demise of the Crown . VI . That , for the purpose of establishing a full and fair repvesentaiion of the people , all the rights , interests , qualifications , and franchises , which now exist with regard to elections in counties , towns , boroughs , and universities , shall he abolished . VII . That , for ihe purpose of enabling each class of the community to elect those representatives who may support its ri g hts and promote its interests , there shall be representatives lor each of the following classes , viz . : — 1 . The owners and occupiers of land . ' 2 . The manufacturers , and those v \ ho make any article for sale on their own account .
3 . The merchants , and those who traffic in any article on their own account . ¦ 1 , Those who are employed in daily labour , whether in agriculture , in manufacture , or in trade . 5 . Those who have prolessional employments , or who have rent-charges , annuities , or mortgages charged upon real or personal property , or who receive salaries or yearly wages . VIII , That , for the purpose of giving to every citizen of the state his due share in the representation , every person of full age shall be eutiiUdio vote in each of the above-mentioned classes to which he may belong , and in each district where he is either an owner or occupier of land , or a manufacturer , or a merchant ; and when ab . « ent , to vote by proxv .
IX . That , for the purpose of allowing a free and unrestricted choice at elections , every citizen of the state being of full age , being willing to take the requisite oaths , or to make the requisite dclarations , and not being a 1 ' ccr oi rar lament , shall be eligible as a representative in ' ! e H use of Commons . Note . —The preceding resolutions were , we believe , submitted by J . ord Stanhope to iiarl Grey ' s Government , in ISI ' jO . Ill Lord Stanhope ' s opinion , the House of Commons eii"ht not to contain more than five hundred members . Tu each of the preceding classes , his Lordship would commit the business of electing one hundred representatives .
Ba>Ui'ky.—A Mtoiitg Ot' Tho Ohaitists An...
Ba > ui'ky . —A mtoiitg ot' tho Ohaitists and memlets ot the Land Company will take place at the Siar Inn . Hiph-sm-n , on Monday , the lo . hoi May . Chair to bo ' . akeu ai hdt- ^ isl tcven o ' clock . . MANCNHi-int —Thoreoi . tniy n-cesijit' ofthe Mas-Chester branch of the National Laud Company vtill bo held in the People ' s Institute , on Sunday morning , May 14 th . Chair to be taken at niae e'dwfc ,
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Citation
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Northern Star (1837-1852), May 13, 1848, page 1, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/ns/issues/ns2_13051848/page/1/
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