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_ «TTiftTER, THE VHOLE CHAR ^Ef^SoTHlNa BUT THE TElt ' CHARTER.
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" United , you stand . Divided, you fell...
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THE CONTENTED v. THE DISCONTENTED ALLOTT...
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CAPABILITIES OP THE -LAND. TO THE EMTOR ...
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A Puff as is a Puff.—A correspondent of ...
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Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software. The text has not been manually corrected and should not be relied on to be an accurate representation of the item.
Additionally, when viewing full transcripts, extracted text may not be in the same order as the original document.
_ «Ttiftter, The Vhole Char ^Ef^Sothlna But The Telt ' Charter.
_ « TTiftTER , THE VHOLE CHAR ^ Ef ^ SoTHlNa BUT THE TElt ' CHARTER .
" United , You Stand . Divided, You Fell...
" United , you stand . Divided , you fell . "
TO THE CHARTISTS . Mr Friends , —Althoug h , as I have fce-Jnfly stated , Ineyerhave , andlneva shaU jSSy opposition to any movement which 13 t 1 to eW * your condition , yet , nevetthe-£ if it i 9 in my power , I never mtt allow % ofter movemL to extinguish or even *& sg £ u ^ London Tavern , convened by theParliamen-Irv Befonn Association ; and I did so not for Apnxirpose of removing their stepping-stone , S for the purpose of convincing them that I ,
t all events , would not adopt any measure ! Lrt of 1 he six points . They have not adopted either of the two great points to which Tattach the greatest importance , " and without mrh I would not give you a straw for their Aidriea . I mean , AlftJTJAL PARLIAMENTS and PAYMENT OF MEMBERS . ¦ pjjey contend for Triennial Parliaments ; but ¦ L in mind , that you have had Triennial Parliaments since the passing of the Reform $ 11 You had a general election in 1832 , in 1834 , in 183 ? , in 1841 , and in 1847 . Prom
1832 to 1847 includes fifteen years ; and you have had five elections within that period ; and vrhat benefit have you derived from them ? Xot a particle . And then , with regard to Payment of Members , where would be the use of doing away with Property Qualification , if an enlig htened and industrious man , worthy the confidence of the people , was incapable of sitting in the House of Commons , because he could not exist without wages for his manual labour , if he was not remunerated for his mental labour , which would be more valuable to his order and to society at large ?
I found , at the several meetings of this association which I previously attended , thatthe object of the Managing Committee , was to extinguish Chartism altogether ; and I also found that this paid committee , like other paid committees , acted npon the old maxim , that « Self-interest is the basis of human action . " I have every confidence in the members of Parliament who attended that meeting , namely—Jose ph Hume , Sir Joshua Walmsxet , Geobge Thompson , Mr . Fox , Lord Du dley Stuabt , and Col . Thompson ; while , at the same time , however great the experience of many of them may he , they have hot associated with the working classes as I have ;
and , however long their experience may be , they do not understand their feelings and their princip les as well as I do . Mr . Hume is certainly a veteran politician ; while , at the same time , his mind has been principally directed to mere Parliamentary mechanism . He always has contended , that it is the right of the middle class to deal as they think proper with the working class ; while I have always stated , that the middle class have no ri ght , and ought to have no power , to compel the working classes to pay taxes for the power of suppressing their mind by tyranny and brute force .
I have gained no little experience as to the intellect of the working classes , from the very slig ht progress thatthe Parliamentary Reform Association has made ; and the people mi ght have looked npon me as a trafficking politician if 1 had opposed their principles before they were thoroughly developed . I do not even oppose them now ; hut I would not allow them to convince the government , and the country , that the peop le had abandoned Chartism , and adopted the ! New Parliamentary Reform system . The Press never reports our proceedings , while there were thirteen or fourteen
reporters at the meeting on Monday last . As a matter of course , in the centre of this wealthy metropolis , a number of money speculators attended at that meeting ; and , as a matter of course , they reprobated and hissed my repudiation of thehvJoggling ^ Jgteny while it isiriy p ride ahoTmy boast tcTs ^ yrroSf an overwhelming majority cheered and supported my princip les . The meeting was announced for twelve o ' clock , a time when the working classes had not an opportunity of
attending ; while , nevertheless , to their credit , numbers of them were present , althoughwhat I consider to be unfair , unjust , and partial—it was a ticket meeting . Many of the speakers lauded the Freehold Land System , but not one of them adverted to my Land System , the onl system—if you had the Charter —by which your order could be made happy and independent , and the system which every political economist is now beginning to advocate .
M y friends , I wish to prepare you for the coming strugg le . The Morning Chronicle of this week has published several able and irrefutable statements from its Paris correspondent . He truly defines the state of Paris , the object ofthe " Special-Constable '' President , the caprice of parties , and the growing mind ofthe people . He tells you—and truly—that when the National Assembly meets—which will be in a short time—that the different parties straggling for different principles will create unheard of dissatisfaction ; and it is because the state of France will have a greater
effect upon the English government than Chartism , Financial Reformism , and all other " isms , " that I wish io prepare you for the coming strugg le . No matter bow a few may endeavour to disunite the Chartist mind of England , rest assured that when that struggle comes , neither folly nor trickery can disunite the mind of this country . The Times does not give us so fair a definition ofthe present state of France as the Chronicle does ; and why ? Because the Times is the tool of the government , and to France the government looks as the means of upholding tyranny in this country .
It has often been predicted that each cominc Session of Parliament would be the most confused , and that parties would he in the greatest antagonism . I have frequentl y thonght so myself , not being able to see the possibility of a Government upholding its position by the diffusion of patronage and conversion of some of its opponents ; now , Wever , that the landlords are in a doleful state , when all other countries are beginning to compete with English manufacturers , and when the great wealth of this country is
centralised in the hands of the few who have manufactured it b y machinery ; in consequence I say , of the present state of Europe , tiie present condition of the landlords , and * hat is likel y to be the condition of the Capitalists , 1 am of opinion , that the next Session of Parliament will astonish the Government , the people , the country , and the world . And , it is for that coming struggle that I wish to prepare the mind of those out of whose industry , power , capital tyranny and poverty are manufactured . v
I have frequently told you that the man who has jumped out of his clogs into S panish leather boots ,, and out of his dung cart into a carriage , weeps and wails and gnashes his teeth , if one year he loses ten thousand pounds out of half a million that he has manufactured out of the dependence and servility of the working classes . He never reflects upon the worse state he was in ; he always thinks of the better state he is in .
The Irish landlords are now beginning to squeak ; and of so much importance does the Times consider their influence over the minds of the Irish people , that that paper ' s columns are daily filled with the strongest censure of their conduct The state of Ireland , however , * ill have a greater effect upon the English Government , if the landlords and peasants Phb * together , than even the state of France . I have no great confidence in many of the hish members of Parliament but I have con-
" United , You Stand . Divided, You Fell...
fidence in the power that the Irish people can exercise over the English Government ; and I have confidence in that union and co-operation which will very speedil y be cemented between the English and the Irish peop le . - ,. , . Let me now g ive you the strongest instance of the folly of our system , and ^ the injustice of our rulers . There is nowoifc the Exchequer a surplus of over four millions of money—an amount extracted from the . mdustrious labourer , and yet not a fraction of that will go to the support of the poor , or to the reduction of poor rates . Working men"Words are but wind .
Actions speak the mind . And I think if you required a true definition of this maxim , you will find it in the fact , that while you laud , you praise and eulogise the brave Polish and Hungarian refugees , you are allowing them to starve in this country ; while a mite from each would not onl y support them in comfort , but would convince yourxown rulers , and those of the conntanti ^ S ^ n ^ njoh they were exiled for their paffi ^ sm ^^ i ^ tcihe English people were poslie ' ssea ^ r ^ tfie ^ fi ^ ings of charity , humanity , and p hilanthropy . I
am going to attend a meeting on Monday next , at Cowper-street , for the purpose of aiding and assisting those brave and expatriated exiles , who lost their liberty at home by contending for the liberty of their country , and who have now a just claim upon the English people , who should have received them harmoniousl y . I trust the meeting will be a bumper ; and , in conclusion , I beg to subscribe myself as Your faithful Friend and Advocate , Feaegus O'Connor .
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——^ 2 JATI 03 JAL REFORM ASSOCIATION . A public meeting , called by the members of this association , was held on Monday , in the large room of the London Tavern ; Sir Joshua Walmsley , M . P ., president of the association , in the chair . The meeting was advertised to be held precisely at twelve o ' clock , but it was not till half-past twelve thatthe chairman and his friends made their appearance on the platform , and at that hour the room was not more than two-thirds full . Those that did attend manifested considerable impatience at the delay , which was , however , changed into vociferous cheering when Mr . Feargus O'Connor made his appearance pn the platform . There were present Mr . Hume , M . P ., Mr . John Williams , M . P ., Mr . Fox , M . P ., Colonel Thompson . M . P ., Lord D . Stuart , ' M . P-, Mr . O'Connor , M . P ., Mr . Tindal Atkinson , Mr . H . Vincent , RungoBapogee , & c .
The Chairman , on taking his seat , was received with much applause . He said that , it had appeared to the Council of the National Association expedient to convene the present meeting in the city of London for the following among other reasons , — they thonght it would furnish a fitting opportunity for a review of the late session of Parliament , from the proceedings of which little could be gathered in the way of encouragement , although something mi g ht be learned to guide the people in their future efforts to advance their own cause . The council were also desirous of making known the changes which , since the general conference held in March last , had been made in their constitution , with the view of bringing it as far as possible into harmony
with the objects and principles of the association , and of carrying out the original wish of its founders , —namely , a cordi . il union lor a common end , of the various classes of the community , without respect to property . ( Hear , hear . ) Finally , the council having it in their comtemplation to hold a series of meetings in the provinces , conside | gd it an appropriate prelude to hold a meeting like the present one in the metropolis . The only lesson which it seeiB ^ Jo . liiinjUiey , . eould _ £ x ^ ings of werfafte " ' ParhTmenfery ^ sesaon was this , that if the people would gain an extension of their political rights , they must win it through their own exertions . ( Cheers . ) Various measures affecting , more or less , the great question of the franchise
were brought before the House of Commons during their late sitting . What had been their fate ? They had all , without exception , been fruitless , save the Government measure for Ireland . ( Hear , hear . ) The veteran leader ( Mr . Hume ) made his annual motion , embodying the princip les which formed the basis of their present movement . The case was complete , | his arguments were unanswerable , he had troth and justice on his side , but he lost his motion . The hon . member for East Surrey took up the cause of the occupying tenants hi counties who pay rents ranging between £ 10 and £ 50 , but who were , nevertheless , as much disfranchised as if they were lunatics , felons , or aliens . He showed the monstrous injustice of excluding from the exercise of
political power this class of their fellow subjectsa class as respectable , as intelligent , and as eligible in all respects for the discharge of every civil duty and political right as any body of persons in the kingdom . But , thoug h Mr . Locke King had reason and fact to support him , he was defeated . The People ' s Charter was brought forward by tie hon . member for Nottingham , who was allowed to occupy the attention of the House for seventeen minutes , when the claims of millions of the working classes were summarily disposed of by the Parliamentary process of what was technically called a " count out . " The hon . member for the Tower Hamlets ( Sir W . Clay ) introduced , for the second or third time , a bill to relieve what were called compound
householders from some of the vexatious impediments thrown in the way of their getting npon the register ; but the Government managed , by the arrangement of the vote papers , to prevent its proceeding beyond the second reading , and with a host of other bills in various stages it had gone into winter quarters . Let them not , however , suppose that the House of Commons came together and deliberated and voted and did nothing . Much was done by that hon . House , thoug h there mighfbe a difference of opinion respecting the value and patriotism of its measures . It voted £ 12 , 000 a-year to the son of the late Duke of Cambridge—(* ' Oh , oh I" and hisses)—in addition to his private fortune and his pay and allowances as an officer of hig h rank in the British army . It voted money for the bnilding of stables at Malborougb-house ,
because it might be some day the residence of a Prince now nine years of age . ( Renewed hisses . ) It voted £ 14 , 700 to complete the house of the ambassador at Constantinople , in addition to £ 12 , 000 voted in 1849 , £ 12 , 000 in 1848 , £ 12 , 000 in 1846 , £ 13 , 000 in 1845 , £ 10 , 000 in 1844 , and £ 10 , 000 in 1843 , making in all £ 83 , 700 for the mere residence of the English ambassador at the . Court of the Sultan , and adding £ l 4 , 000 a-year salary , and other expenses for the same period ( eight years , ) or £ 112 , 000 , they obtained a grand total of £ 195 , 700 as the cost of the English embassy at the Sublime Porte . From these small items they would gather that the people ' s representatives in Parliament had not been inattentive to that which was their duty , namely , to watch over the expenditure ofthe peoples money . He had alluded to a change which had been made in their constitution . The council for that
association formerly consisted of those who were subscribers to their funds to the amount of £ 10 and upwards . The conference recommended a revision of this part of the constitution , and the council , readily yielding to that recommendation , proceeded to abolish the £ 10 money qualification . He could not omit to notice , as a gratifying proof of the progress of their principles , the recent election for the borough of Lambeth , which resulted in the choice by the independent and Radical electors of that constituency , of a gentleman long distinguished for his unswerving integrity in the House of Commons , and whose re-election to a seat in Parliament was an important gain to their small band . They were asking for nothing but that which the constitution had solemnly guaranteed to the people of England . They demanded iust and equal representation ; and ,
so long as that was denied , though they were in theory , living under a government of Queen , Lords , and Commons they were , in fact and m reality , under the government of an oligarchy . Did the constitution say that the peop le should elect the House of Commons ? No one would deny that the constitution said that the peop le should do so . Did Unpeople in reality elect the House of Commons ? Who that knew anything of their svstem would say they did ? Had every man a vote ? No , only one in seven . Was every man who had a vote a free agent ? Again he believed he might with truth say no , not one in seven . Did those who were free con * I ^ JLaI it ctions ? x » . the scale was invariably T ™ f „ y » \ thnid » tne lavish , and the corrupt . Sl ° ° f n of a 11 tne constituencies in the £ S ? SL ^ of p ° was ia * he haDds of those who were influenced by impure and improper
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motives . Where , then , was the freedom and purity of election over which the constitution watched with such jealous eyes , and for the preservation of which so many provisions had been made ? . If nomination , bribery , corruption , and intimidation were rife ; in the boroughs , what should they say of the counties ? Were they , or were they not , in a state of abject subjection to a landed oligarchy ? He would not except the very largest of them , for the fact had long been notorious that the great division of York , shire , for which Mr . Cobden then " sat , " was only wrested from the dominion of landlordism by the purchase of freeholds in the county bythe men of Leeds , Bradford , and ofManchester . Thesame . was equally true of the next largest constituency—the southern division of Lancashire . Iu order to remedy
these evils they advocated the extension ofthe franchise to all adult male occupiers of a bon & Jide dwelling , whether it were the whole or a part ' of a house . To insure the country against imposition they said ^ let the occupier be registered for twelve months on the parish books ; they said , let the voter have -the security of the ballot . Let the sacred trust he was called on to discharge be protected from outrage by the secrecy of the vote . Let hini have . ' . an ^ ppptfrtunity of voting independently 'by ; having ' . the opportunity ' of voting in sucli ^ ^ a ; way that thVmct of the ' tfefson fdr ' whom he voted should be known only to himself . Was their tBirdnropbsitioh a startling one ? Were triennial *« rtiam 1 mt »*? iirv ^^ one ofthe violations of the constitution which had
been most denounced in this country was that committed by the Parliament which passed the Septennial Act . Had they proposed annual Parliaments , they would have been going back to the system which prevailed for ages and centuries . They thought , however , that a three years' reckoning , under the other arrangements they advocated , with the influence ofthe general public opinion in the meantime , as well as the vigilant oversight of a large constituency , mig ht be frequent enought to keep representatives tolerably honest . One cf the most important alterations they proposed was that of the equalisation of the numbers of the constituencies . At present the contrast between the larger and the smaller constituencies was ridiculous and
monstrous . Their gross number of electors was 1 , 000 , 000 , but a clear majority of the House of Commons was returned by 141 , 000 , or one-seventh of the whole number . Was it not preposterous that while the twelve largest county constituencies in the kingdom , numbering 163 , 000 voters , sent only twenty-four men to the House of Commons , 227 other constituencies , numbering only 141 , 000 . should send 339 ? Was it not equally preposterous that Thetford , with 210 voters , should send two members , while the West Riding , with 36 , 750 , and the Tower Hamlets , with 21 , 000 , should send only two each ? They proposed then to equalise the numbers , not with absolute arithmetical ' precision , which would be impracticable , but as far as known
and well-defined boundaries would allow of it , and thus to make every member amenable to a large and independent electoral body , a body that , on account of its numbers , should be equally beyond the reach of corruption and of dictation . Such were the objects they sought , and such the changes through which they sought them . They again appealed for assistance to their metropolitan friends in aid ofthe great cause ; they had hitherto been faithful stewards , and had adhered inflexibly to the principles on which they first sought assistance . In conclusion let him exhort those he had the honour to address , and all to whom his humble words might come to renew their exertions in the cause of Parliamentary Reform . ( Great cheering . ) Mr . Searle moved the first resolution : —
That , on a deliberate view of the proceedings of the last session of Parliament , this meeting feels called upon to express its strong dissatisfaction with many of the votes of public money , —votes altogether unwarranted by the reasons assigned for them , or by the financial condition of tbe country ; that , connecting these votes with the neglect of numbers of petitions from the people for Parliamentary and other reforms at home ; the disregard of general and just complaints from our fellow subjects in the colonies abroad ; the continuance of heavy and oppressive taxation , and the maintenance of overgrown and unnecessary establishments ; this meeting is deeply impressed with the necessity for a radical reform in the Commons House of Parliament , for the purpose of giving to the people a constitutional control over the proceedings of that assembly , and , consequently , over the taxation and expenditure of the country . —— . ——J =- ~~>— - ^^ - ^ r :.--r- . ^ s ^^>^? *^^ '
He thought that the time had arrived when the people should make a strong effort to free themselves from the necessity of submitting in silence to the exactions of so ill-constituted an assembly as the House of Commons . Let them look at the present condition ot the national expenditure , and the uses to which the public money was put . What a palace had the members been building for themselves—a scene of gewgaw oligarchy , showy enough , but unfit for all its business purposes . ( Hear . ) Let them remember the venerable old Houses of
Lords and Commons—venerable for the acts which took place in them—and they would all feel that the fire which had destroyed them had destroyed one ofthe country ' s grandest monuments , to make rocm for an erection such as they might fancy represented in the scene of a playhouse . What had been done by the present House towards reducing the list of admirals ?—( hear , hear )—who were kept up to live on the shore and grow grey in peace , without ever seeing the water ? What had been done to help the administration of their navy , and prevent their building iron vesssels by the score ,
vessels so bad tbat when a section of one was put before a battery , in i-pite of sheathing of gutta percha and wood a foot thick , it would not stand the shots fired against it in a friendly spirit of trial . ( Hear , hear . ) What had been done to remove these and other abominations ? and what had been done to elevate the condition of the people ? Nothing . The people had a perfect right , as inalienable as that of an individual , to regulate its own expenditure , and that could only be done by extending the franchise . The speaker here glanced
at the acts of the last session of Parliament . He exhorted them to persevere in their present efforts , and , though their opponents might affect to disregard them , they would ultimately be successful . ( Cheers . ) Mr . Searle then adverted , at considerable length , to the present condition of the Continent , and particularly to recent political events affecting Russia , Germany , and Austria . He said , that the English people ought to take an interest in the success of those who struggled for liberty , as their success in the cause would be something more than an augury of the welfare of their " own .
Mr . W . J . Fox , who was received with great cheering , said that he should not follow the analysis of tbe last session ; he had ' several reasons for not doing so . He was not a reformer on account of what passed last year ; he had been so for half a century . He was a reformer when it was a stigma and opprobrium to be so , and when such a meeting as that at which they were assembled would have been put down by the strong arm of the law , and any individual would have taken part at his own peril in that which they now did in safety , with abundant co-operation and well-merited honour . He was a reformer when Lord J . Russell said , in the House of Commons , tbat there were a million of men in this country worthy of possessing the
franchise , and that they ought to have it . ( Hear , hear . ) They had had the Reform Bill since , and where was the additional million ? If , in 1825 , a million of men were fit to have the franchise , and were not possessed of it , what must be the case at the present time , when , during tho long interval , knowledge had made such gigantic advances ? One great qualification required to fit the people for the free exercise of the franchise was education . He ( Mr . Fox ) had been voting in minorities on this question-especially on the bill which he attempted to introduce . ( Great cheering . ) The fate of that measure proclaimed two or three instructive lessons . It elicited throughout the working classes of this country a strong disposition to have that
Knowledge , if their superiors would allow them to have it . ( Hear , hear . ) The majority against him on that question was greater than usual , because it was a combination of all the priest-ridden factions . Those who so long held Europe in darkness , and were now bringing new titles into this island—such as Cardinal Archbishop of Westminster , sent their members to oppose it . The Puseyitcs sent their member to oppese it . The old hierarchy sent the government to oppose it . Leading members of sects sent members on the same errand , and thus swelled the majority ; but it was his determination to proceed again , though not in precisely the same form
as to details . On the former occasion it was urged that he left too large a power in the hands of the Committee of Council . They should not make that complaint again . Ho believed that there was a necessity on the part of the people for education , uncontrolled by priests or by government . ( Great cheering . ) That education should be paid for by self-imposed local taxation , directed by voluntarily chosen local management , free to all classes , and endeavouring to embrace all classes —( hear , hear )—whilst it should be . too good for the poorest it should be good enough for the wealthiest . ( Hear , hear . ) In pledging themselves to parliamentary reform , they did not pledge themselves to a light or brief work . They had to contend against great difficul-
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• ' ftit ; * ' £ ' " : M - -. 7 !> l { k , 1 ,..,. ...,-. : — " ties * .-fiThey . ; had the viti- . tierii & 'M timid people to resist—people who : yere always calling to them to let weU . alone-. who said that . in stormy times such efforts endangered the ' state- ^ iu calm times that quiet ought not to be disturbed—in times of adversity that they ought to attend to the physical wants of ; the people , and in times of prosperity that they were not required . A Whig deficiency showed an unfavourable ; time , and a Whig surplus—that . rare event- ( laughter )~ . showed that no reform was needed .. It would be easy to reverse all this reasoning ,, and turn it upon its authors , were it worth while to / o so . They had io contend against corruption in boroughs , where votes were gained over by gin } and [ . lastly , they , had their heaviest drawback in their want of union among themselves . I
: He knew that many friends differed among themselves as to , the reform which should ultimately be sought ; jfbnt let them unite in the first instance to get any reform at all . -To discuss ; final . measures at ; present-was to divide , the spoil , before the battle was won ,, and while yetiheir mostitrenuous efforts ™* e'required to briog ' about what- theydesired . Let theto | umte amongst ' themselves in ' the first instanpeyremembering that the causehad been transmitted tojn ' em , and that'they might have to transmit it to ' another generation to complete , leaving theirr own . ' ^ examples as ., an- encouragement . ' They wouiS ^ ih ^ aj find that / soimer or :-later , the ; words of th £ ioetiw |^^ ; e . 3 ^ reenonr % 4 i ^ e ;/) neS * eg «^ Bequeathed from dying ^ sire to sdu ^ , " * Is baffled oft , ; but always won . " ( Great , cheering . ) -: ' . '
Mr . Hume ; M . P ., Lord Dudley ' Stuart , and Col . Thom son , M . P ., successively addressed the meeting in support of the objects ofthe association . Mr . O'Connor , on rising , was received with loud and long continued applause ^ He said , that he was not a trafficking politician , and therefore he was neither afraid nor ashamed to attend such a meeting as the present , although he did not acquiesce in the principles adopted by that Association . ( Cheers . ) Nevertheless , as he stated in tho outset , he would now repeat it , such gatherings ; gave the higher and the middle classes an opportunity of judging ofthe intellect , the knowledge , and
intelligence ofthe working classes ; while they enabled the working classes to judge of the folly and cupidity of the higher and middle classes . ( Cheers and hisses . ) Although he would not oppose the Financial Reformers , yet , nevertheless , however near they may profess to come to the Chartist principles , he would never abandon Annual Parliaments , Universal Suffrage , Vote by Ballot , Equal Electoral Districts , No Property Qualification , and Payment of Members . ( Loud and long continued cheering . ) Thank God , they were all beginning to open their eyes now upon the Land Question . ( Cheers . ) The Chairman , in his opening
speech , had told them that one foreign ambassador , in the course of a very few years , had cost the country £ . 200 , 000 , an amount which would purchase 8 , 000 acres of land , which , allowing four acres to a family , would support two thousand families , that is , at five to a famil y , it would support ten thousand people . ( Loud cheers . ) But that was not all . Mr . Searle , in a very able and powerful speech , described what the , House of Commons wa 8 . T He told them , that notwithstanding the
amount it cost the country , no voice could be heard in it . He ( Mr . O'Connor ) considered that a great blessing , as he thought it would be better for the people if the rubbish spoken there was never heard . ¦¦ ( Great cheering and laughter . ) But let him g ive them a valuable bit of information ^ with reference to the amount that that " show , box " cost them , the people : it would purchase a hundred thousand acres of good Land , jvhjcb , at 'four . acres to a fSmily ^ and " allowing fiveto each famil y , would support ONE HUNDRED AND
TWENTYFIVE THOUSAND PEOPLE , without paying any rent . ( Loud cheers . ) He had listened with great pleasure to the speech of Mr . Fox , upon the question of education , while , he would ask ; him , and the meeting , how it was possible for a child ei g ht years of age , working six hours a day in heated and unhealthy atmospheres , to devote any time to education ? ( Hear , hear . ) How was it possible for a child thirteen years old , working ten hours and a half per day , to receive any education ? And he would tell them , and the Financial Reformers , that it was upon this ignorance , upheld by the tyranny of the
speculator , that they preserved and upheld their power , and made their fortunes . ( Hisses and loud cheering . ) What did he care for the hisses ofthe geese ? He was there to speak the truth , and in spite of any antagonism he would do so . Mr . Hume had told them , that many of the working classes , who had acquired votes , voted for the most corrupt members ; and was it not a true definition of his ( Mr . O'Connor ' s ) maxim , that their oppressors based their power upon the people ' s disunion ? ( Cheers . ) He had frequentl y defined the construction of the House of Commons to the working classes . However , as what he had
told their order may be a novelty to the middle classes , he would now define it for them . There were admirals , captains , lieutenants in the navy , supporting the party from whom they expected promotion . There were generals , colonels , . majors , captains , and lieutenants in the army , actin g upon a similar principle . There ' were bankers , merchants , manufacturers , traders , landlords , traffickers , and all description of classes , whose vote was based on the power of the Government in office , or the party expecting office . Not one of those classes had the sli g htest consideration for the people , nor had the people any , the slightest ,
power over any of those persons . ( Tremendous cheering . ) He had devoted thirty years of his life , ' in the endeavour to establish that union , and no matter what antagonism . he had . to contend against , he was resolved to adhere to his princi ples . ( Great cheering . ) ¦ He would implore of them not to pay any , . attention , to Financial Reform rubbish , The blessing that a reduction often millions a year in taxation would confer upon them was received by many foolish men with great applause ; but let him explain the benefit that their order would derive from such a reduction . Estimating the population of the United Kingdom at thirty millions , it would be six shillings and eieht
pence a head , a farthing a day , three halfpence a week , a pint of beer a fortnight , a quart of beer a month , three gallons of beer a year . ( Tremendous cheering , and loud laughter . ) But as the land had been referred to , he would again draw their attention to that subject , and explain to those who , perhaps , had never heard it before , what he had often stated to the working classes . England had a popu . lation of 300 to a square mile , Ireland 250 , Scotland 100 , while they were importing food from all parts of the world with idle land , idle labour , and idle money at home , paying eight millions to support unwilling idlers ; while in Jersey and Guernsey , with a population of nearly 1200 to a square mile
, , four times the amount of England ' s population , nearly five times tho amount of Ireland's , and twelve times the amount of Scotland ' s , they were exporting food , and had not a pauper in the country . ( Loud cheers . ) Well , but why was this ? It was because the manufacturer and the trader were enabled to live upon their sweat , their morrow , and their blood , by their disunion . ( Tremendous cheers and continued hisses , which lasted for a considerable time . ) Aye ( continued Mr . O'Connor ) , the geese may hiss , but let him remind the working
classes that the man who employed a thousand hands , and made only a shilling a day profit upon each ( while he made much more ) , would realise £ 50 a day , or £ 300 a week profit . ( Loud cheers . ) But he would g ive the Financial Reformers a stronger illustrat ion of the state of this country : they paid to archbishops , bishops , and parsons , about ten million three hundred thousand a year ; they paid eight millions to support unwilling idlers in bastiles ; and they paid eight millions to support a useless army ; for these three charges , as much as
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would pay the interest of the National Debt ; while the whole governmental expenses of America was hot more than eight millions a year—the amount that they , paid to support paupers . He was glad to be amongst thein now , -in order " to prepare the mind for tho coming struggle . All Europe . was in a state of convulsion ; and to prove to them that the English system was based upon the ^ power' and union of capitalists ; let him remind them , that , if jpeople in other countries—in Prance , in Germany , m Prussia ,-in Italy , in Poland , or in Hungarystruggled for their ri g hts ' , noble lords , officers , of all classes ' , 'bankers , and merchants , would join with the people to establish their rights ; while in this country , the poorest sKopkeeper .-whose wealth
and power were based upon the poverty of the people and the tyranny of the law , would oppose the ; people . ( Loud cheers and hisses . ) Mr . O'Connor turned , round to a gentleman upon the platr form , and . pointing , at him , said , '' There is the goose or the . gander that is hissing . " ( Loud cheers and'laughtcr . ) Were they yet , aware of the state of ^ society in this country ? "if a foreigner was here ; i walking through a splendid square or a magnificent [ street , 'and asked his friend whose home that was ? ; His Grace the Archbishop of So-and-so . Whose is Ithat ? TUei Bishop . of So-and-So . Whose is ^ that ? My Lord Nincompoop ' s . Whoso is that ? Colonel iRedrag ! s . -W ^ pse , is , thats ? : , Mr . Cheat ' s , ' the b ' anker .:. ; -Whose ; jiB : ; that , ? , Mr * Juggler ' s , the . nier-^ l ^^^ g ^^^ iKun ^^^^ pJfe
ter . Whose is that ? ' Mr . ' SwnMeT ^ wsol icTOH ? Whose is that ? Dr . Physic ' s . Whose is that ? Mr . Puke ' s , a druggist . Whose is that ? Mr . Hypocrite ' s , the parson of the parish . ( Tremendous cneers , laughter , and hisses . The laughter and cheering lasted for a considerable time . ) Well ( said Mr . O'Connor ) , he would now develope to the Financial Reformers what his bloodthirsty notions were , and he would describe it as he had frequently described it to their order . . 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 secure for man all the rights to which he is justly entitled , and should physical force be required—which God forbid—it would come to their aid like an
electric shock ; but the man who marshalled it destroyed itj and the man who recommended it , was a traitor or a knave , and would be the first to desert it . ( Loud cheers . ) As other speakers were to follow him , he would conclude by again assuring them that they had nothing to expect except from the union of their own order ; and whatever antagonism and persecution he might be subjected to , and however great their own disunion mi g ht be , he would hold fast to the principles of the PEOPLE'S CHARTER , and No Surrender ! Mr . O'Connor resumed his seat amid loud cheers and waving of hats .
The Chairman declared that the association had never asked any man to aoandon his principles ; but they believed they had taken the course which , upon the whole , would soonest accomplish reform . He condemned the language which had been used —( hisses)—he dissented from many of the sentiments which had been uttered— ( repeated hisses )—but he called upon the working men to take the middle classes at their word —( " humbug" )—to go with them as far as they would go , and then go further , if they thought necessary . The resolution was then put and carried with only one dissentient voice . Mr . NichoIiAT moved the second
resolution—That this meeting desires to express its gratification at tlifi recent changes in tho mode of elcctien to the general council ; also the pleasure with which it has heard of the activity and extension of the Reform Association throughout the metropolis , and would earnestly call upon the members of this Association , as well as upon the friends of reform throughout the kingdom , to sustain by prompt contributions the funds ofthe council , that the necessary means may be obtained for prosecuting with vigour and efficiency the great cause of the present organisation . Mr . Hi Vincent supported the resolution . He said if anything in that assembly could give him momentary pain it was the little irritation of feeling which had been exhibited . It was not to be disguised that there were gentlemen present holding
various views as to the extent to which political reforms should be . carried . Holding himself the most extreme political prlnciples , ? tie had yet felt it his duty from motives of expediency , and as the result of some reflection , to give his independent support to the association . ( Cheers . ) It must be obvious to all that there was no political party in this country which could boast that it had made no mistakes ; and while moderate men might feel angry with somo of tho old Chartist body , because they did not understand its principles , and because they sometimes confounded the declared opinions of hired servants of the government with the sober convictions of tho virtuous and intelligent Chartists of
England —( cheers)—on the other hand ,, working mon were apt to refuse the liberty which thoy claimed for themselves . ( Hear , hear , and cheers . ) The object of that association was to create a general public opinion in favour of progressive reform . Principles were , in his judgment , superior to councils , and there were many principles to which he clung as a portion of his creed , though they were not inculcated by that society . But he saw on tho platform men who , though in some respects they differed from himself , yet clung to the progressive character of the institutions of the country , and he was an advocate for such a casting down of prejudice and such a union for action as would combine
in one compact phalanx those who believed that , through-their exertions , despotism was destined to perish . The tendency of things in England was obvious . They had heard from the platform most powerful arguments for the extension of the suffrage . He would urge upon the upper classes- he would urge upon the House of Peers—nay , ho would urge , with becoming respect , upon her Majesty , that the question of extending power to the people ceased that day to be a debateable question , and assumed an aspect important alike to the ruling and the ruled classes . ( Loud cheers . ) The power of the aristocracy as a distinctive corporation was dead and gone . He would put it to Lord John Russell , or the distinguished leaders of the Whig or the
conservative party , whether they could reckon ' on fifty rising young men of title to whom the businesslike , shrewd , and energetic , middle and workingclasses woulk like to commit tho government of this country ? When death had swept off a fewillustrious names that might be mentioned , the ancient families would be powerless without a hearty constitutional union with tho great body of the people . ( Hear , hear . ) The tendency of the country was democratic . Nor must men be alarmed at this fact : for to quarrel with democracy was to quarrel with Christianity , which taught that God made all the nations of the world of one blood , and which was more democratic than the constitution of that sooietv . or even of the People ' s Charter . Ho
was pleased to hear Mr . Hume refer aa he had dono to the Peel monument in Punch . It showed that he was not , as some had imagined , only a man ot figures ; and it reminded him that on one occasion that gentleman himself was represented in the character of an Ethiopian serenader , playing his banjo in Downing-street , while Lord John Russell , represented its an elderly lady , with a broad-bordered nightcap , asked , "Who ' s dat knocking at the door ? " ( Great laughter . ) It would ultimately be found that the music played by that veteran reformer had found an overpowering echo in the heart ofthe nation . ( Cheers . ) The recent changes in the commercial policy of the country had done much to ensure ultimate success to tho cause of reform . In his travels in Suffolk some of the farmers had said
to him , " Don t you think we shall have protection back ? " and when he replied "No , " they rejoined , "Well , at all events we must have the taxes down . " ( Dear , hear , and laughter . ) As to the feelings of the agricultural labourers they wero well expressed in his presence the other day by a Yorkshire labourer , who said , "Eh ! this be a grand change 1 There was a time when we used to cut a slice off the loaf for the children and then put it awav , but now we put the loaf on tho table and it ' s cut and come again . " ( Laughter and cheers . ) The tendency to cut down sinecures would do much to advance the good cause , and he firmly believed that ten or twenty years hence England would be one of the most enlightened and democratic , yet conservative , countries in the world . Never was
there such a general conspiracy of intellect and conscience against darkness and despotism . The other day be visited the Major of Southampton to ask him what sort of reception ho would give to Kossuth . ( Cheers . ) Tho reply was , that he should have such a reception as bad been given to no man who had ever visited this country . The sound of liberty was abroad , and if they were 200 years in advance of many continential nations , they must give those nations the benefit of their counsel and experience . For his own part , ho had cast his fortunes with the democracy of the world , nor would he ever cease to exert himself until the people were in full possession of their ri ghts . ( Immense cheering . ) The Chairman ( referring to Mr . Vincent ) said : That is one man from tho ranks of the people . ( Hear , and cheers . ) , There are thousands 83 good
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as ho : be it ours .-to send such to tho IIouso of Commons . ( Cheer ? . ) A working man ; named In ram , connected . wiih Maudslay ' s factory then camei forward and gave an account of the rise and ' progress of aAbranch reform association in Lambeth , which he said was going on most satisfactoril y ' under the auspices of the industrial classes . ...:-,. ; ;
The Chairman announced that he had just received a donation of £ 10 from a gentleman at Twickenham towards the Funds of the Associatio ' ni This example , he trusted , would be'folio wed by gifts from many others , as an association of this nature * , could not possibly be carried on without funds . Ho also stated that he had a resolution placed in his hand which it was his duty to lays before them if they would receive it ; its object wa 3 to effect a change inthe constitution ofthe Society ^ He would put it' to the show of hands whether they ' would receive it or not ; a show of hands was then taken , and the majority was against receivine ; the . resolution . The amendment , disposed of in thisr summary manner , was handed to . the Chairman by Mr .-Elliott , and its purport was to recommend thecalling of a Conference to consider the propriety of ; adopting manhood instead of household suffrage , ; but of its obiect tho meeting was in happy ignor-.
; anoe . ., . _ , . , i ' The ' meetih g separated , after a vote of thanks to ; ! the Chairman , having sat five hours . ; I There were nearl y 800 persons in the room ; ' [ The result of this meeting proves that there is" a wideband ; at present , impassable gulf : betweeii ; tbjB section of Reformers and the . veritable pera ^ crats of this country . No oppp- sitibn whatever " was offered to any of the speakers . The numerous bod y of Chartists ^ listened patientl y to the al p habet of reform , ( which their younger brethren were being , jtaught . -Whereyer ,, it . was possible for them
Ito , app laud , they did so ; yet ,- no sooner . dpr Mr .-O'Connor-rise , . than an uneasy expression . ' ¦ was evinced upon the . p latform ' , by jibes and ' jeers about -the Latid' / Pla ^ he touch upon the wrongs of ilabour ; than their f jsp leer ^ found ventri in ^ hisse ^ and' attempts ' at ' ia ^^^^^^ EB ^^^ s ^^&^^^ n ^ r ! s ^ ner vous ^ r ^ l ^ ll ^^^^^^^^^ i ^^^ PnHlgi atmosp here of the L 6 n ^ off"Tfvern—cfr'talmf they fell 'harshl y upon the ears of any who
mig ht be living upon those wrongs which he ' was about exposing . They would , therefore , agree with their chairman in expressing their ; dissent both to the language used and the sen- ; timents conveyed ; but we think they , mig ht ; have taken a better method of g iving an ex-, pression to it . The Chartist body , when they . read the report of Mr . O'Connor ' s speech , : will , in all probability , come to a different
conclusion respecting it to thai arrived at by Sir Joshua Walmsley , and the members of the Parliamentary and Financial Reform Association . ]
The Contented V. The Discontented Allott...
THE CONTENTED v . THE DISCONTENTED ALLOTTEES AT MINSTER LOVEL . ; TO THE EDITOR OF THE OXFORD CHRONICLE . > We , the undersigned allottees on the Minster Lovel estate , having read a letter in the Northern , Star , copied from your paper of the 28 th of September , signed , J . Wilcox , J . Gathard , and J . Beattie , on behalf of the allottees , beg to say that we entirely dissent from them . They tell you that they wero induced by Mr . O'Connor to take shares in the National Land Company ; they all know Mr . ' O'Connor was the founder of the Company when ' they took their shares ; they also knew that thou-, sands of shareholders were content that Mr . O'Connor should purchase in his own name , as trustees could not be appointed until it was legalised . They speak of having broken up their homes , left their
callings , and travelled here at a great expense . Thi 8 first named person—J . Wilcox—is not an allottee , nor even a shareholder . He came here with Jackson , from Nottingham , a two acre allottee , who has left ; ho worked his land for him , but he now holds seven acres that were occupied by Gilbert , of Coventry , and Squires and Howie , from Bri g hton . Ha has not produced so much from them as a two acre has produced near to him . He says he will hold them ; he has paid no rent , nor will he pay . Poor sufferer , what claim has he upon your readers to help him into Chancery ? The next is Gathard . No doubt ho has suffered for want of a sufficiency of the commonest necessaries of life , for he has not produced near so much from his four acres as his
near neighbours have done from their two acres , althouah he said he would instruct us . Wo think he ought not to lay the blame to Mr . O'Connor ; he got his house , four acres of land , thirty pounds aid ' money , a quantity of manure , and also a quantity of wood placed at his door , which is more than the rules expressed ; he was also favoured ( as were several others of us that were poor ) witli part of our aid money , advanced to us-in London by the Directors , to enable us to get here . We consider it ungrateful to turn against our benefactor—Mr . O'Connor—through causes over which he' could have no control . Mr , O'Connor has considered our inexperience , and shown us great lenity , by taking the rent in part , promising a lease when we have
paid all . We have confidence in him . The next that claims your assistance is J . Beattie , He has a good four acre allotment ; he has boasted of producing fine vegetables , fine potatoes , which he is famous for ; had the thirty pounds aid money , lets three acres of his land , for which ho has already received £ 2 G ; he has one acre and his house to himself , and having been a soldier , is in receipt of a pension . He has paid no rent , he says he will have the lease first before he will pay . He was employed on the estate as a labourer before tho houses were finished , at 12 s . per week ; while the farm labourers where getting about 8 s . ; so much for his expensive travelling . Now he is called a
good hearted Irishman , and so he is sometimes ; but his ingratitude and revilings towards Mr . O'Connor , who has endeavoured to better the condition of the working classes , calls from us our loudest protest . We leave it to your readers , after these facts , if it is a case worthy of your sympathy . Charles Willis , William Chandler , William Hoy , Georgo Lay , Benjamin Munday , Thomas Belstead , William Smith , John Stone , Masfin Hart , Jehn Driokwater , John Metcalf , John Hayes , Charles Smith , John Wilkins , James Price , Charles Ireland , John Bennett , Charles Neppard . . Minster Lovel , near Witney , Oxon , October 9 th , 1830 .
Charterville , October 16 th . Sir , —The above is a copy of a letter which I sent to the Oxford Chronicle last Thursday , with five enclosed postage stamps for a paper , containing tho above letter . It was to be addressed to Mr . Hayes , my neighbour , but we have not yet received it . It was tho wish of the allottees that I should send you the above for insertion in tho Star , if it meets your approbation . Your humble servant , Charles Willis .
Capabilities Op The -Land. To The Emtor ...
CAPABILITIES OP THE -LAND . TO THE EMTOR OF THE NORTHERN STAR . Sir , —Being an enthusiastic admirer of tho land and o ! the LandPlan , Icrave a smallportion of your paper while I give the results of the proceeds of a small piece of garden . The size of garden in all is only nino falls , and I have kept a careful account of the quantities ot each crop , and have marked the - price at what the same were selling in their season . I had two falls planted with potatoes , which yielded one and a half bolls , which , a , t od . per stone , gives £ 1 ; 200 cabbages , at four for a Id ., 4 s . 2 d . ; 200 stalks of beans , 4 s . 2 d . ; 100 German greens , at four for a Id ., 2 s . Id . ; 400 leeks ( some of them six inches round ) , at eight for aid ., 4 s . 2 d . ; 281 bs . onions , at ljd . per lb ., 3 s . 6 d . ; one stone of carrots , 8 d . ; one bed of lettuce , 8 d . ; sold 2 , 500 German green plants , at 2 d . per 100 , 4 s . 2 d . ; two double rows early peas , under value , at 2 s . ; three pints of black currants , at 4 d ., Is ; eight pints of red and white currants , at 3 d , 2 s . ; twenty-six pints
of gooseberries , at 3 d ., 6 s . 6 d . ; twelve leek heads of the Scotch kind , containing three dozen in all , at lOd . per dozen , 2 s . 6 d . ; one lb . German green plant seed sold at lOd ; two bee-hives , one of which hived twice , value of hives , £ 1 ; the old hives being put down produced four pints of honey , at 8 s , £ 1 12 ; total , £ 5 10 s . 2 d . Besides this , I have off my ground , a pig-sty , a duug-pit , a bleaehing-green , a handsome flower plot , besides roads , & o . A neighbour of mine , William Breaton , has a lock bed , eight yards by five , in which arc seventeen rows , for which he gets 8 d . per row , or lis . 4 ii for the whole , "Who , after this , will say that thi land is valueless ? Like Mr . Crockett , I use the liquid manure largely , and have been greatly indebted to Mr . O'Connor ' s admirable instructions , and hope he will be long spared as a social and practical instructor . I am , & a ., Robert Miller . Markinch , Fifeshire , Oct . 12 th .
A Puff As Is A Puff.—A Correspondent Of ...
A Puff as is a Puff . —A correspondent of tho New York Courier and Enquirer writes an accoun j a good iron safe which was exposed to a heat tuac completely destroyed its competitor , and from , wn c was taken , after the trial , a live rooster andla lump of stamped butter . Tho butter w " . ^ * X ™ S , S = SiSS « 3 g | ^' j s ^^ ' ^ posed . —Ztarfcn M " -
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Citation
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Northern Star (1837-1852), Oct. 19, 1850, page 1, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/ns/issues/ns2_19101850/page/1/
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