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THE PAUPER'S BUDGET
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THE LANDLORD'S PROTECTION. TIIE CAPITALI...
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REVELATIONS OP THE SPY SYSTEM. TO THE ED...
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' THE LAND! TO PEARQUS O'CO.Y.VOH, ESQ-,...
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THE COLLIERS OF NORTHUMBERLAND AND DURHA...
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A Repi'M-icax IiEKor.YE. — Early in the ...
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Rational Eantr Company.
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AN APPEAL TO THE WORKING CLASSES OP MNJ£...
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THE CHOLERA AMONGST THE PAUI » E8 CHILDR...
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MIDDLESEX SESSIONS. WKD.fBSDAT, Ja.V. 17...
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Employment of the Poor.—Oa Tuesday eveni...
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Transcript
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Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software. The text has not been manually corrected and should not be relied on to be an accurate representation of the item.
Additionally, when viewing full transcripts, extracted text may not be in the same order as the original document.
The Pauper's Budget
THE PAUPER'S BUDGET
The Landlord's Protection. Tiie Capitali...
THE LANDLORD ' S PROTECTION . TIIE CAPITALIST ' S DREAD . TIIE SHOPKEEPER'S SALVATION .
% To The Labouring Classes. $%* ¦ ^*& • ...
% TO THE LABOURING CLASSES . $% * ¦ ^*& £ ji My Fjiiexdj ; , 0 As the loaders of all parties are pro-^| Kninding their financial schemes , I consider it x ~ jaj duty , as your accepted leader , to propound i ^ mine . And as all are framed f or the purpose ^ cOf improving the condition of all classes <> i society , I shall base mine upon the broadest and -. ltb . e most secure foundation—THE LAND . ^ And I beg of you to l > ear the fact in mind , ^^ tfiat God ga ve the land to all his children , and ^• Hot to a few , while the few have made the
"l possession of land the engine tor oppressing i & the many without land . MB Labourers , my views with regard to the ^ f ^ land and its capabilities are not Utopian or ^^¦ abstruse , —they are simple , understandable , Jft ^ and easily explained ; and when an agrieultu-; i | fcral labourer hears or reads of the dissatisfaction Wj % and discontent of an allottee occupying four , ^ i three , or even two acres of land , he laughs ^* scomfullv at him , andsavs , "he wishes he had
-g" his complaint . " My theory has always been to ^ . . ; cultivate tlio national resources to their highest ' $%% capability by labour or machinery , insisting , 03 that if the laud was open to the poor , all im-^ H # provemente in machinery would then be a : ";^ Hessing , instead of , as now , a curse , because : Wi upon the principle of co-operation machinery - £ would become man's holiday . For instance ,
. ?| i although it would not Ik ; worth the expense : ' : ' ¦ ? ' - for the owner of a thrashing machine to bring - v lus machine six , ei ght , or ten miles to thrash f- the produce of five acres of land , yet it would ^ fe- be well worth his while to bring it a greater Wfg [* distance to thrash the produce of 500 acres of . * land held bv 100 occupants , and the occupants '" - ' ; would have this advantage , that upon the : principle of co-operation , the machinery would save them seventy per cent , in labour , —that - is , the machine would do the work for less ' than oik ? third of the money that their time " while thrashing it bv hand would be worth .
Labourers , even the most pious parson will not deny that God has given the land to all , and not to the few ; because all parsons pray , every Sunday , "that God may preserve the fruits of the earth to your kindly use , " so that in due time YOU , and not a chosen few , may enjoy them . Your title , your original title , is then basod upon God ' s " grant , and I shall now trace it from human law . There is no necessity for going back to the days of the adulterous Harry , who , to gratify his lust and take vengeance of the Pope , confiscated all the property of the poor , and divided it
amongst the abbettors of his crimes . His daughter Elizabeth , not from a sense of justice or humanity ( for she was a chip of the old Wock ) , but from a dread of the consequences , changed the old Catholic system of supporting the poor , and enacted a law , which Mas in force from the 43 rd year of her reign , to the first year of the reign of Whig Reform . The 43 rd ' of Elizabeth made the laud liable for the support of the poor , and by that law , the guardians of the poor were compelled to find raw nmterials for the operative out of work ; thus enabling him to expend his labour , which was his capital , for his own benefit , and
uncontrolled . This law remained in force till the year 1834 , when it was altered and amended , after a very expensive Commission had made its report ; and from the compendium of that report , you will find that the neglect of duty of officers , guardians , managers , and magistrates , is made the pretext for altering the law ; while the poor , who were the parties most concerned , and who were the greatest sufferers from this neglect of duty , were not only no party to the new contract , but , upon the contrary , were opposed to it to a man . Thus , you find that God's gift was taken away by Harry , restored by Elizabeth , and again " taken away by the Whigs .
If , then , according to the theory of politicians , property is the thing to be represented , is it ri g ht or just that the original owners of the land should be the onl y parties that have no voice in the election of a " representative ?—for mark , and mark well , too , that , by the law , if a man has received parochial aid within six months of the day of election , he ( the rightful owner ) , with the first charge upon the land , is disqualified , and cannot vote . Labourers , even yet the poor have the first title to tho laud . If the tenant is not
able to pay rent , tithes , or other taxes , ho must pay Poor Kates , it is the first charge upon the land—and , therefore , the poor represent the first mortgagee , and their claim takes precedence of all others . The proprietor in tec cannot divest himself of the liability of Poor Rates , and , in point of fact , lie is tlio lessee of tie pauper , because he holds subject to tho charge laid upon the laud by the law for the support of the poor ; and , however often the land may change hands—however complicated the title may be —whatever may be the necessities of the landlord , or the claims of mortgagees and solicitors—none can touch or disturb the legal claim of the poor .
Labourers , having thus shown you that this property is yours by divine right and human law , I will now submit my Budget , basing it upon the just approp riation of the poor man s property—and from it I will prove irrefutabl y , and I def y contradiction , that the proper application of this fund to its legitimate purposes would make the rich richer , and the poor rich . With the several contingencies , I estimate the annual amount of Poor Kates lowly at seven millions a-year , and as they constitute the first charge upon property , I estimate the value lowly at thirty years' purchase—that is , that a majorit y of the " landlords would gladly release their estates from tho burthen of
Poor Eates b y paying thirty years' purchase*—and , in cases where landlords were unwilling or unable , capitalists would be but too happy to g ive thirty years' purchase—thus receiving upon the best security in the world , £ 3 . 6 s . 8 d . per cent , for their " money ; and the whole amount would be raised " in less than three Tears—and mark its app lication . That i ^ lO , 000 , 000 of money belongs to the poorthere is no mistake about it—and its misapplication imposes an indirect tax , of over forty millions a-year , upon industrious labourers , who , bv competition consequent upon destitution and dread of the Poor Law , are compelled to measure their wages .
Labourers , while Sir Robert Peel based his hope in Free Trade upon anticipated improvements in the science of ag riculture ; while Agricultural Societies , and Cattle Associations , aud Land Improvement Associations are daily springing up . as if by magic , and are paraded as the means—the only means—of saving all classes of society ; do not , I pray of you , reject that knowledge of the science which is most interesting to your class ; as , rely upon it , to agriculture—not to the cultivation of the soil by himself hut to reliance upon agriculture—the mechanic , the artificer , the artisan , the operative and labourer , ah * must come . And now for the result of my budget , % _ _
The sereu millions a year of 1 oor s Lato - would realise two hundred and ten mdhonso monev , and as the p hilanthropic «™™ £ *» ff at the notion of a working . man Imng upon two , three , or four acres of land ,, 1 . win a sign to each eig ht acres of land n , ? « cottage , aud £ 50 aid money , and this would be the result : — *> - d Price ofgc ^ land reW from ^ oor ^ - „ KatCi « £ *« a " acrefore « f acreS 130 0 0 Espen ** of building cottage , 4 c . - 50 0 " Aid Mwwy " £ 300 0 0 Thus I appropriate £ -500 io the location of
% To The Labouring Classes. $%* ¦ ^*& • ...
a man upon eight acres of land of the best quality , £ 130 for a cottage , and £ 50 as aid money , making £ 500 ; thus establishing not what the Press and the Economists are pleased to call a pauper class , but a yeoman clasg ; and if y ou divide £ 500—the amount required to locate each into £ 210 , 000 , 000 , you will have four hundred and twent y thousand thus provided for , and , at five to a family , you will have two inillions one hundred thousand taken out of the destitute Labour market , and constituting a Home Colony for the production of the best , the freshest , and the cheapest food ; and a home market tor consumption of home manufactures , more profitable than the rest of the world . ¦ 1 TT > * 1 > 1 llTiriV * ninrV » + n sm . ia r \ 4- ¦••«> 1 nf ? iV > A 1 . 1 ..
Labourers , do not you mind if those who live upon your destitution and dependence , scoff at this budget ; their objection should ensure your approval . The Poor Rate belongs to vou , and I show its most profitable and honourable application ; and you must bear in mind that although I take the seven millions a year nakedly , as the amount paid in Poor Rates , you must add some millions a year to it in the way of saving , as then you would educate your own children , no police would be required , and the court houses and gaols would verv speedily be turned into colleges , or comfortable houses for the really indigent , the infirm , and the asjed .
Mr Cobden , in his budget , proposes a saving in round numbers of ten Millions a year , and if the cavillers in the Press see in the realisation of his plan the loss of patronage , and the extinction of corruption ; and if the Exchequer must be kept up to its present figure - ^ five per cent , upon an outlay of Two Hundred and ten millions would produce a revenue of ten million five hundred thousand a year to the Government ; while each occupant—for ei ght acres of prime Land , a good and comfortable house , as good as I could now build for £ 170 , as I presume that there would be no duty on bricks and timber
when built by the Government ; and £ 50 aid money , —would pay £ 25 a year , at five per cent , upon the outlay . And now what I assert is , that if England was thus reclaimed , she might defy the world in arms . She would have four hundred and twent y thousand of an able-bodied National Militia , with a female and juvenile auxiliary force , with something worth living for , and worth dying for ; while I assert , that there would not he a single defaulter upon rent-day . Labourers , you must understand that labour
applied to Land is the principal expense of the farm cultivator ; you must understand , that agricultural labour and mechanical labour , and all labour , is measured by the pride or the destitution of an unwilling idle pauper reserve , and , however you may meet , however you may chatter , however you may cheer , and however you may hug yourselves with a notion that you have hit upon a p lan for Labour ' s redemption , I tell you now , for the one thousandth time , that you must get rid of the idle pauper reserve bv whose necessities , and not by its
value , vour wages are now measured . Labourers , if you multip l y four hundred and twenty thousand by ei g ht ;—the number of acres assigned to each—it g ives three million three hundred and sixty thousand acres , or not a fifth part of the Land now grazed or badly cultivated in England , Scotland , and Wales . You take nothing from Government , hut add ten millions five hundred thousand a year to the Exchequer ; you take nothing from the landlords , as vou allow thorn to redeem the first charge upon the Land at a very reduced price , and vou create a domestic colony for
shopkeepers and manufacturers , of all grades and classes . And to show you that we are not ovorpopulated—apart from the spur that this system Avould give to every branch of trade and commerce—there is not a man with eight acres that would not be compelled to employ a labourer , at good wages , every day in the year ; and three , four , and live at some seasons ; but putting it down at one , you have provided for four hundred and twenty thousand agricultural labourers , employed b y the four
hundred and twenty thousand allottees , their families constituting two millions one hundred thousand . Thus , besides the impetus otherwise g iven to every other branch of trade , you have four million two hundred thousand , or nearly a third of the population of England , made happy , independent , and comfortable , upon three inillions three hundred and sixty thousand acres . And now what do you sayto the p hilosophers , who tell you that two , three , or four acres of Land will not support a man and his family ?
Then , not to go at all nicely into the science of agriculture , and throwing the retail markets altogether overboard , the man who feeds five pigs upon the produce of his land from March to Christmas , will make more than his rent of the profit , if he has to send them to the market town of his county once a year , or even to London . But perhaps the big-loaf gentlemen will tell you that food would thus become too abundant ; but I reply , better to have domestic food in abundance than to have foreign food to repletion , with English destitution measured by the surplus .
Labourers , I have often told you that you represent the man starving in a cook ' s shop ; I have often told you that the shoemaker ' s wife , children , and himself , are frequentl y without shoes , —that the weaver is without a shirt , —the tailor without breeches , —and the hatter with a " shocking bad hat ; ' and that it is much better to have a surplus pig than a surplus pair of breeches , with a difficulty of getting a customer for them . And if we are told that this abundance of home produce would lessen its home value in tho market , and that the rent would be too hi « h as compared with the probable price of produce ; then as governmental and all other expenses should be measured by the same standard , the rents should be relatively
reduced . Labourers , this is the age of progress , and you mav rest assured that , glossed over as everv institution now is with the tinsel of reform , you are living under a modified feudal system . Nay , I cannot suppose that even the modification is a benefit to your order , it is perfumed barbarism ; you never heard of mendving ofwant under the old feudal system ; vou never heard of the innocent babes of destitute but fond parents being farmed out to a human butcher and allowed to die of plague , pestilence , and famine . other
Labourers of England , while all countries are puzzled with the solution of the Labour Question , I repeat my words , delivered in Stockport in 1835 : - " LOCK UP THE LAND TO-DAY , AND I WOULD NOT GIVE YOU A FIG FOR UNIVERSAL SUFFRAGE TO-MORROW . " Masons of England , Bricklayers of England , Plasterers of England , Carpenters of England , Joiners of England , Slaters of England , Nailmakers of England , Sawyers of England , Miners of England , Ironmongers of Eng land , Timber Merchants of England , Painters of England , Glaziers of England , Sh oemakers of England , Hatters of England , Tailors of Eng land , Manufacturers , Merchants , and Shopkeepers of England—I ask
% To The Labouring Classes. $%* ¦ ^*& • ...
, whether do you think over four millions of industrious men , engaged in reproductive Labour , or a million paupers maintained by poor-rates , would be the best customers at your board ? Labourers of England , do not allow your heads to be puzzled with fascinating and complicated details , connected with the Labour Question in its present p hase : this is tho ago of reason and of progress ; you must divest your minds of all that political jugglery , which promises much , but gives to you nothing ; and you must instruct yourselves in the __ l J . X . I— . _ ...- J _\ - * \ - - £ . ^^ tXl * . « r .
real—the practical—the only mode of regeneration . As I tell you , again and again , that your National Debt , your Governmental Expenses , your Army , Navy , and Ordnance Estimates , your Placemen , " Pensioners , and Idle Paupers , are but a mere flea-bite compared to tho dominion , the caprice , and power of the Capitalist . I , like you , am for cutting down expenditure to the standard of necessity ; and I tell you , that the fifty-three millions a year paid in taxes , is not a shilling in the pound , when compared , with the amount the Free Labourer may earn in the Free Market .,. ^
Labourers , mind that , in Franco , Prussia , Austria , and even in famine-stricken Ireland , the Land Question and the Labour Question are the questions now puzzling statesmen , politicians , and bumpkins ; and upon those Questions you must keep your eyes steadily fixed . Their most profitable solution is within your grasp , and , much as the theory and its propounder may be reviled and slandered , the Land Scheme must be adopted ; butthegovernment never will adopt it so long as your jealousy constitutes then ' title to distribute a larger amount of patronage under the present cramping 1 and destructive svstem .
I conclude in the memorable words of Mr . Harkort— " He Avho must take care of himself has no time to take care of you . " Your faithful Friend and Representative , Fkargus O'Cov \ 0 k .
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Revelations Op The Spy System. To The Ed...
REVELATIONS OP THE SPY SYSTEM . TO THE EDITOR OF THE -VORTHERK STAR . Mr . Editor , —Having bcon the victim of an overwhelming amount of calumny , I trust that fact will plead my excuse for requesting the insertion of the following statements , which have boon made known to nic since my incarceration in Kirkdale Gaol . It will also enlighten the public still further concerning the infamous method resorted to , in order to entrap the active members of the Chartist body . From the information I have received , it appears that a Bradford informer , called Einmctt , having been forced to fly from that town , took refuge in
Alanchester , under the protection of Beswick , chief superintendent of police , and from the sums which he received from that worthy ( i ) functionary , was enabled to keep a mistress in some part of Salford ; and as Hoswick found himself in an awkward situation through his illegal proceedings—having arrested a number of men without a particle of evidence , it was necessary to fish out something which should form a justification for his conduct . The informer , Einmett , was therefore selected ; anil it is evident , from his proceedings , that he received his tuition from tho same pure source that supplied the redoubtable Ball .
Emmett commenced operations by proceeding to the shop of James Leach , to whom he represented himself as Emmctt ' s brother-in-law . lie endeavoured to ingratiate himself into Leach ' s good graces by pretending that his brother-in-law , ' who was then in Manchester , was very sorry for what he had done , and was willing to make amends for it , if the Chartists would befriend him . He presented himself again in a while after , and avowed himself to bo the veritable Robert Emmett , the Bradford informer ; and , to satisfy James Leach of the fact , he produced a list which contained entries of the monies he had received from Bcswick . He then told Leach that he bad some important communications to make , in which the Manchester Chartists were deeply
interested , and also expressed his willingness to go to America if the Chartists would supply him with the means , as he felt sorry for what he had done , and having forfeited his previous good character , he would prefer leaving the country . Leach having found the fellow out in one , lie , he resolved to hear nothing from him , and referred him to W . I \ Roberts , Esq ., as the proper person to receive any information concerning the Manchester defendants . He left Leach under a pretence to visit Mr . Huberts , but did not go . At a subsequent period , he called on Leach and divulged the lesson which lie had received from his employer . He told him that I was regularly in the pay of the authorities , and was the head man over the spy system—that he had seen me receive ten pounds from the Bradford magistrates—that there was a regular row among them concerning my extravagant use of the moiiies entrusted to me for the
purpose of entrapping men—and that Mr . Pollard , who defended me , had not sat on tho bench since through it . Uc said , that I had purchased pistols at Bradford , and g iven them to parties for the purpose of shooting the magistrates—and that , when he was apprehended , I went to him in his cell , aud insisted on him giving evidence against several parties—and that I declared , at the same time , that I had all the leading Chartists fairly in my net . He also informed hinfthat I was to appear in tho witness-box against them at Liverpool , -and offered , for a consideration , to attend at the assizes to confront me with the above , and a large budget of similar statements , in order to destroy tho force of my evidence against them . He afterwards waited on Mr . Roberts , and made a similar statement ; but it seems he utterly failed in his object of getting money , and also of obtaining information for his base employers , as there was none to give .
Now , the worst part of the affair is this—the lying and infamous statements of this wretch have been circulated , not only in Manchester , but throughout England . The whole of the partiesagainst whom this ruffian has been employed , have suffered nothifig by his falsehoods , whilst I have been held up as the basest of the base , in an underhand manner , without the slightest chance of defending myself . The substance of Emmctt ' s statements concerning me has been retailed at private parties and delegate meetings ; and to such an extent has it travelled , that the governor of this prison informed the Chartist prisoners of it ; and even a man who resides near Birmingham , whom I always looked upon and respected as a friend , has added to it—before a number
of delegates in Birmingham—a string of falsehoods of his own manufacture , and claimed credit for the clever manner in which he had escaped from the trap which I had set for him , and thus added strength to the general rumour . It may be very well for some easy , p lausible people to exclaim , " Do not mention those matters—let bygones he bygones ; " but I consider it necessary , not only for my own vindication , but for the future safety of public characters , to expose those matters . . Few are aware , or can imagine tho suffering which I have endured through these proceeding * . It has formed the chief stock in trade of small coteries of littleminded and unfledged praters , who set themselves up as oracles in various parts of the country , and who thought proper to dissent from my policy . ' But let my views be what they may , I have stood * by them manfully , and no man can say he has been injured by inc . I have not shrunk from my
opinions through fear of what is termed law ; I have not crept behind a lawyer ' s gown to shield myself from any responsibility which mig ht be attached to my actions , and am now again undergoing twelve months * imprisonment as a proof of my sincerity . I have not only suffered in personal circumstances , but mv family have known what it was to want food , whilst I was held up as an instrument in the hands of the government ; and at the same time , it is well known to hundreds in Bradford , I was hunted bv those very authorities , and dared not sleep m my own house . ' The result was , that I was ultimately compelled to part with my furniture , break up my home , and send mv wife and children to her father , for that shelter which I was no longer able to give ; ai d finallv reduced to hear , in pritou , the humiliating fact that the poverty of my family was made the subject of a leading article in the Star , no doubt through sincere kindness on the part of an esteemed
friend . ,. , , . „ " , ,. , The substance of this letter will , therefore , show vour readers ii / m my family were in that state ; and were it only to explain the cause of their being in such a situation I should consider myself justified in askin ^ for the insertion of this letter as it is well known that I always had as comfortable a
Revelations Op The Spy System. To The Ed...
home , as » nost working men , and was not indisposed to wore for it . I | j | ' . g ricvous * ° l * compelled to make such state' 3 ^* # J usticeto myself and the cause of truth £ ^» rt . I have held a prominent position in the Onafrost ranks for manv years , and I wish to hold the s & aracter of a sincere ; and unflinching friend of mani political and social redemption , and prove by my ajpts that I deserve it . From this gaol , then , I now put forth my final answecto all calumniators . Surely they must be now satisfied , for if they merely desired to injure me , I have got my share , as it is not in the power of them , or the government , to do any man a greater injurv than break up liis home and place him in prison ' . l \ ra Y \< v •*«! Vvs rvr . 1 »» ..-... \ , 1 _ . 3 . «•
uut-tnere isonethuig beyond the power of mortal mam ,-, which , is , they cannot destroy my principles . I havtyroad thig letter to my fellow ymouerc , who are ah agrged . in the correctness of tins statement , and * H ? f * ' ^ ^ iave tne 0 ' , ? s ' ^ effect , by exposing stttl furthe r the infamous spy-system , and placing the-propagators of the above falsehoods in their proper position , in conclusion , I have to state , that time will prove me to have acted the part of a devoted-friend of liberty . . ' - lam , Mr . Editor , yours fraternally , ¦ f -i ¦ . Oboroe Whim . ^ u ^ djae Gaol , near Liverpool , Jan . loth , 1849 . . 3 ft 5 j ? I hope the-parties to whom I have alluded , wuj ; jjjjtke the same trouble in circulating the subs |» N * t . of tlris as . they > have in propagating the lalseffltods referre < Ho : * -G . W ,- .: ^ ' / -
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' The Land! To Pearqus O'Co.Y.Voh, Esq-,...
' THE LAND ! TO PEARQUS O ' CO . Y . VOH , ESQ-, M . T . Beau Sib , —You will much oblige the members of the I ' oa-street branch , by inserting the following r esolution in the Northern Star . Proposed by Mr Packer , and seconded by Mr Clarke : — " Having heard a copy of a letter read that was sent to the Star for insertion , addressed ' To the Members of the National Land Company , ' and signed ' G . P ., Birmingham ; ' and which letter Mr . O'Connor promised should appear the week after , but which has not appeared yet ; we request it may be published iu the next Star , and that we do now pass a resolution according with that letter ; and respectfully request Mr . O'Connor and the other directors to carry out that cheap plan of building the cottages for the future . Your ' s truly , Wm . He . nrt Hudh ' aIiIi , for Chaulks Goodwin . Birmingham , Jan . 16 th , 1849 .
[ hi answer to the above , I beg to ' say , that nothing but pressure upon my time , and upon the columns of the Star , has prevented the publication of Mr . Packer ' s proposition referred to in the Birmingham letter ; it shall appear next week with my comment upon it , and at all times I shall be most happy to receive suggestions from the working men upon ' tlie Land Plan , and the most economical mode of carrying it out , while I will be no party to a parsimonious economy in the erection of cottages for the poor , as one of my principal objects is to see them comfortably and respectably housed , as I feel convinced as I do of my existence , that evo long , when live Company is completely registered , my whole time and that ofmany others who now revile the Plan , will be occupied in carrying it out ; and I beg to tell the members , that much as I am otherwise occupied , time hangs heavily upon my shoulders , and 1 long to so back to the fields .
It may be some consolation to the members that we have now got the opinion of one of the ablest conveyancers and also of the ablest common law lawyers , both agreeing that tho Company must be registered in its present shape and form , and that the Itegistrar will be compelled to register it . However , where law and caprice interfere those things are not don » in a day , and what I state I base upon long but simple-Written opinions of those two lawyers , who have given the matter their most anxious attention . Feargcs O'Cosxou . 1
The Colliers Of Northumberland And Durha...
THE COLLIERS OF NORTHUMBERLAND AND DURHAM . About a month ago the owners of Seaton Deleval , Leghill , Cowpor , and Percy Main Collieries , noticed their workmen for a reduction of wages , averaging from twelve to thirty-three per cent , So large a reduction roused the dormant energies of the miners , and a few courageous individuals having judged it proper to resist such reductions , convened a public meeting at the Seaton Delavcl , on Saturday last , when the following resolutions were unanimously agreed to . On tiie motion of Mr . Bell , M . Jude , of Newcastle , was called upon to preside , who briefly noticed the objects of the meeting by a cursory glance at the position of the miners when united ) and contrasting their present condition when divided . Mr . T . Bell moved the first resolution , to the effect : — " That if the miners would be relieved
from slavery of the deepest dye , they must again raise the standard of union . " The second resolution was moved by William Bell : — "That this meeting calls upon all present to resist the reduction offered by their masters . " In elucidation of the necessity thereof he warned all present of the deep design of the owners in only making the reductions in a few collieries ; but if such reductions were complied with , all the other collieries would soon he reduced to the same level ; hence the necessity of all uniting for mutual protection . It was then arranged
to hold a delegate meeting directly after the close of tho present one , in order to ascertain when and where to hold the next general meeting . The proceedings were closed by three hearty cheers for the revival of tho Union . The utmost cordiality and unanimity of feeling characterised the whole proceedings . Delegate Mketixo at the Hastings' Arms , Seatos Deleval . —Mr . Knox in the chair . The chairman briefly noticed the objects of the meeting , and called upon any delegate present to state the amount and nature of the reductions offered at their
collieries . The reductions at Seghill are upwards of lid . per ton . There is also one penny of the double working . The price for turning lifts was 6 s . 8 d ., which is wholly taken off—likewise sixpence per yard for siding over . The Seaton Deleval reductions were calculated at thirty-three per cent . ; Cowpen , about twenty-five per cent . The other delegates had not any detailed account of the reductions offered , but all the delegates present were convinced , that the collieries noticed for reduction of prices ought not to submit to it , believing , as they did , that all collieries would be obliged to suffer in due course . The delegates then resolved to hold a general meeting of tho miners of the district , on Saturday , the 20 th instant , at tho Scaffold Hill , near Benton-square . The meeting then separated , i
A Repi'm-Icax Iiekor.Ye. — Early In The ...
A Repi'M-icax IiEKor . YE . — Early in the war , Governor Itutledge sent a quantity of arms and ammunition to the house of Colonel Thomas to be in readiness for any emergency that might arise on the frontier . These munitions were under a guard of Urentr-firo men , and the house wan fovtitied to resist assault . Colonel Thomas received information that a large party of Tories , under the command of Colonel More , of North Carolina , was advancing to attack him . He and his guard deemed it inexpedient to vUk sin encounter with a force so much superior to their own , and they therefore retired , carrying off as much ammunition as possible . Josiah Cu £ bertson , a son-in-law of Colonel Thomas , who was with tho little garrison , would not go with the
others , but remained in the house . Besides him and a youth , the only inmates were women . The Tories advanced , and took up their station ; but the treasure was not to bo yielded to their demand , Their call for admittance was answered by an order to leave the premises , and their fire was received without much injury by the logs of the house . The fire was quickl y returned from the upper story , and proved much more effectual than that of the assailant ? . The old-fashioned " batten door , " stronglv barricaded , resisted their efforts to demolish it . ' Meanwhile Culbertson continued to fire , the guns being loaded as fast as ho discharged them , by the roadv hands of Mrs Thomas and her daughters , aided bv
her son William ; and this spirited resistance soon convinced the enemy that further effort was useless Believing that many men were concealed in the house , and apprehending a gail y , their retreat wax made as quickly as their wounds would permit . After waiting a prudent time , and reconnoitring as well as she could from her position above , Mrs . i nomas descended the stairs and opened the doors , mien her husband returned , and knew how gallantly the plunderers had been repulsed , lus jov ' was onlv equalled b y admiration of his wife ' s heroism . The powder thus preserved constituted tho chief supply tor hunter s army iu the battles at Rockv Mount KS R 0 Ck — * WwMn thi ^ wrfwn
≪Kptti0t Fttttf Lltgr Nee
< Kptti 0 t fttttf lltgr nee
NATIONAL VICTIM AND DEFENCE FUND . _ Sums received by the General Committee . —3 . F lleadfi ,.. \ l , * "S ' ^' ra- Rider - £ 1 1 - " ' P ** Mr . " KvdJ , ¦ t « m i n , ; E ? ftest -fonoB Locality , 10 s . ; MVstmiuitor , -s . -il . ; A inend at Juhn-street , 5 s . ; i > er Mr . Knowles , 2 a . iioxtojt Locality , per If . Sumner , 7 s . ( id . ; Cripplo ( jate . per Air . Fay , ]» . ; ]) er Mr . < Merriman . 6 d . ; Brunswick Hall per Air . Bailey , ' 2 s . Cd . ; Liverpool , i > er Mr . Collin- ; . l 3 . ; Co ^ ventrr , per Mr . Freeman , is . 3 d . ; Mr . M'Grain , as per Star , J-Js . Otl . ; Collected at the ISarlev Mow , Itethnal-grcenroad , per Allen , 2 s . Wd . ; Hall Locality , Crown and Anchor , per ditto , 5 s . ; Globe and Friends , per Thomas , 3 s . 2 d Commercial-road Hall , per ditto , 4 s . 8 d . ; John Kendrirk , per ditto , 5 s . ; Hnxton Loealitv , per Cox , 5 s . Old . ; Soniers Town ditto , per Wyntt , lis . 3 d . ; John Arnutt , as per Star , ± 1 7 s . 5 d . ; G . Beck , > outh Loudon Hall , per E . stallwood , 3 s . ; r > outh London Hall , per Barton , 15 s . 8 d . ; Cripulomte Locality , per Fay , !) d . ; Brunswick Hall . Limehouse , per Bailey , L ' s . Cd . ; Ernest Jones Locality , per Hamip . 4 s Mr Greenslartc , 2 a . —Joiw Awiorr , Secretary . —Land Office , Jan . 18 th .
The Executive Committee met at their rooms , 144 , High Ilolborn , on Friday evoiiiiifj , Jan . I 2 tli , when the following members were present—Messrs ' Dixon , Stallwood , Kydd , M ' Grath , Boss and Clark ! Mr Dixon was called to the chair . Letters of a very encouraging nature were read from Newcastle-upon-Tyne and Bradford , and the local agents were dulv confirmed . Application was made bv the Camberwell friends through Mr Stallwood , for two members of the Executive to attend a free discussion in tho Camberwell district , the subject— " What lesson docs History teach ; " the Camberwell friends believing that by so doing great " good would bo done in spreading Chartist principles . Messrs . Dixon and Stallwood were duly appointed to that mission . —Mr . M'Grath gave notice that at the next meeting of the Executive , he would raise the question : —J' What shall be our future poliev , as regards the proceed ) n"d of other cal rties
politi pa . "—I ' aum . vmkstaut Drmosstiiatio . v . —The Executive , with the deputies from each district , then formed themselves into committee on the demonstration business . Mr . M'Grath said , circumstances had caused him since their last meeting to come to the conclusion that the soiree should consist of a tea-party and public meeting , and that the public should be * admitted after tea , at the usual admission charges . Mr . M'Grath moved a resolution in accordance therewith , and tho motion was unanimously adopted . It was also unanimously resolved : — " That the following members of Parliament be invited to attend the miree : —T . S . Duncombe , T . "V Vakley , G . Thompson , W . S . Crawford , John Williams , ' Charles Lushinston , Charles I ' earson Feargus O'Connor , It , B . Osborne , W . , 1 . Fox , Lawrence Ileyworth , and Colonel Thompson . " Tho committee then adjourned .
Crown axi > Anchor . —On Sunday evening , Jan . 14 tli , '' The Land—its capabilities , a ' nd its possession by the people" was dismissed . Mr . Styles opened the question in a masterly manner , showing tho benefit of the people obtaining the hunl as a means of removing the distress now existing . Messrs . Illingworth and Ferdinando also addressed the meeting ; on the motion of Mr . Da vies , the question was adjourned to next Sunday evening , Mr : O'Connor ' s letter wasthen considered , but there being a diversity of opinion , the consideration of the letter was adjourned to Sunday evening . Bijjgi . ky . —A grand banquet was held at the new Odd Fellows' Ilall , on Saturday evening last , to welcome Mr . Ickringill , on his liberation from Wakefield prison . Mr . Ickringill was met at the railway station by the Bingley band , and a large concourse of his Chartist friends , who formed into
procession , and accompanied him to the Hall , amidst the cheers of the populace of Bingley . About 500 sat down to tea , after which the public were admitted . Mr . W . North having been called to the chair , tho meeting was addressed by Mr . W . Firth , of Kei g hley , and Mr . E . Hurley , of Bradford , The evening ' s amusements concluded with singing and dancing . —Mr . E . Hurley delivered lectures on Sunday afternoon and evening . The llall was so erowded in the evening that hundreds could not gain admittance . Norwich . —At a general meeting held in the room St . Mary ' s , on Monday evening last , a vote of confidence was given to Mr . O' Connor , and a resolution to carry out his p lan adopted . It was also resolved — " That ten shillings be sent to the Executive , to assist them in cai-ryimj out the agitation for tho People ' s Charter . "
UoLMFiKTii . — At a meeting on Sunday evening last , a resolution approving of Mr . O'Connor ' s letter in the Star of Satunhiy , and a vote of confidence in that gentleman , was carried unanimously ; after which Mr . Henry Marsden delivered an interesting lecture on the Labour Question , and at the conclusion , a collection was made for the Victim and Defence Fund . Bkigiito . v . —A concert was given at the Artichoke Inn on the 9 th hist ., to commemorate the seventyeight anniversary of Mr . Flower ' s birthday , which was well attended ! A variety of patriotic songs were sung , and the proceeds , £ 1 12 s . ' . Id ., in accordance with the wish of Mr . Flower , has been forwarded to the National Defence and Victim Fund , and six shillings to the Executive New Year ' s Gift .
Hcll . —At the weekly meeting on Sunday last , it was resolved , "That Mr . P " . M'Grath , he requested to allow himself to be put in nomination for the representation of this borough , vacant through Mr . E . T . Baincs having accepted the presidency of the Poor Law Commission . A letter was read from Mrt . Theobald , promising to deliver a temperance lecture on the 22 nd mst ., in the Temperance Hall , Paragon-street . Glasgow . —At a meeting , held on the 13 th iust ., after Mr . O'Connor ' s letter had been read and diseussed , a resolution was passed to the effect , " That p lan proposed was premature and dangerous to the Chartist cause , because tfie general mind of society is only awakening to the subject , and because there is such diversity of opinion on the Labour Question . " It was also resolved that meetings should he held every Thursday and Saturday evenings .
Wii , si > kx . —At a meeting of this locality Mr . O'Connor ' s propositions , contained in his letter of Saturday last , gave great satisfaction . South London Hall . —A very numerous mooting assembled at the above hall on Wednesday evening , to hear Messrs . Thomas Clark and Samuel Kydd on the subject of " Ireland and her Government . " Mr . Hichards was called to the chair , and briefly introduced Mr . Clark , who traced tho miseries of Ireland to the conduct and misrule of her governors in allowing her lands to lie waste , whilst her people starved . Were her lands duly cultivated , and their products wisely distributed , they would afford sustenance to those ' who wove now starving , and bring ultimate comfort and happiness to her whole peop le—but he much feared this would never be accomplished until the people of both nations laid all prejudices aside , and made common cause . ( Loud cheers . ) Mr . Kydd ably supported Mr . Clark , and said Ireland and Irish misery was an English question—it affected England very greatly—and , as a
remedy , he would say—t ; i . \ the uncultivated / and of Ireland . Let Parliament pass a law imposing five shillings an-aere on all uncultivated land , giving Us propriety the option of cultivating or giving it up to the government for the benefit of the people . ( Loud cheers . ) If the land was cultivated , the people would be employed ; if the land remained uncultivated , its proprietors would be bound to find the means of sunpovtiu " those people whom they caused to be unemployed ^ or resign it to government , who would cause it to be tilled for the benefit of the people . Hence , he said , the land for Ireland ; and civil liberty , under the People ' s Charter , for both England and Ireland . ( Great applause . ) Mr . Kydd incidentally mentioned the name of John Mitchel , as a man who had sacrificed all in an attempt to elevate Ireland in the scale of nations . The declaration was received with the most vehement applause . The meeting then adjourned to Wednesday , the 24 th inst ., to discuss the question— " Revolutions—their causes and effects . "
South Shields . —At a meeting held on Tuesday , it was resolved : — " That we do our best to respond to Mr . O'Connor ' s generous otl ' cr , and that we call a meeting of trades next week , to test them on tho subject . "
Rational Eantr Company.
Rational Eantr Company .
Lamdlet . —At a meeting of tho Land members and others , on Sunday last , Mr O'Connor ' s proposition was approved of , and a resolution passed to carry the same into effect . Leickstkh . —At n general meeting of members on the inst ., it was resolved : — " That the allottees should not have their rent given them , hut that it should be paid after a certain time . " A resolution was also passed to the effect that shareholders who do not p ay their local levies shall be expelled . Maxciiksteb . — The monthl y meeting of members w as held in the People ' s Institute on Sunday last . Mr Sutton in the chair ; when it was resolved ' - — " That the aiiottcss ought to pay the rent due to the Company , iu conformity with the resolution of the Conference . "
An Appeal To The Working Classes Op Mnj£...
AN APPEAL TO THE WORKING CLASSES OP MNJ £° N ' AN ]) THE PUBLIC IN GENERAL , ON BEITALEiOF-JOHN DRUHY . -MAltSDEN , SiJt « ' *\ £ llALL > TJ'B FOVR'SirKF FILLD RAZOR OIUNDERS , Who were convicted at tho York Spring Arizes , lii-iii , on a charge of insti gating men to destroy machinery , and sentenced to ten yews' transportation , upon the evidence of two men who were under sentence of transportation for
^ destroying the said machinery— . whose testimony was unsupported in any . material point—and who ( it is believed ) iflade this charge against the officers of their Trades ' Society , in order to got their own sentence mitigated ; as a proof of which , since the conyiction of John Drury and the others , their sentence has been commuted from seven years ' transportation to eighteen months' imprison- ' ment ! *
"VVe , the Committee , knowing tin ? character of these men , and believing them to be innocent , have resolved to let no opportunity pass to restore them to their wives and families ; and in consequence of tho sentence being heavier than the law has awarded in such cases namely , seven years' transportation , whereas a sentence of ten years ' transportation has been passed upon them , that is , three years more than tho utmost
penalt y of the law , —a writ of error has been obtained , which has already coai- ^ tlw Trades of Sheffield upwards of -lOO / . \ Ttfeir means having been exhausted in conswfuofice ' of tho depressed state of trade , this a . p | fei is made to you , to enable them td " carry this expensive course , to a successful issue , there being no court of apn ^ al in criminal cases , however innocent the parties convicted may be .
By the exertions of the working classes , the Dorchester labourers were set at liberty , iSic ^ the innocence of the Glasgow cotton-spinner ^ was established ; and we , believing those men to be w / uall y innocent , and who are now suffering the horrors of transportation , confidentl y make this appeal to yon on their behalf ; certain of being successful . Fellow-workmen . ' Each is inquiring , "Who will be safe , if the liberty of the subject is made dependent upon the will and caprice of the Felon ?"—and how strikingly does this easo prove what kind of evidence " is sutlieiwit to secure a conviction against a poor workman , whose views , sentiments , and feelings are not in accordance with the powers that be !
Signed , by order of the Committee , BhXJAMIN llt < X ; oUT , Sec . Committee Room of the Trades' Delegates , Bell Inn , Old Bailey , Dec . 13 th , 1 K 48 . Subscriptions received at the above place .
The Cholera Amongst The Paui » E8 Childr...
THE CHOLERA AMONGST THE PAUI E 8 CHILDREN AT TOOTING . OFFICIAL report from the poor LAW KOAKD , Oil Thursday a numerous special meeting of the Board of Directors of the poor of S ' . Paucras was h-Id in tha new vestry room , adjoining the workhouse , King ' s-road , Camden-town , for the purpose of receiving a report which had been forwarded from the Poor Law lioard , Somerset-home , concerning the outbreak of cholera amongst the childien farmed out at Mr . Drouet'g establishment at Tooling , asd as to the disposal of the children -which had foei a removed therefrom . Francis Healy , Esq ., churchwarden , having been called to the char ,
Mr Pitt , the acting clerk to the Board , read the repoit which , after alluding to tl-e calamitous occurrence at Tooting , states that the Poor Law Board are desirous of turning the attention of the Directors to the provisions for the relief and management of pauper children that have been recently incorporated into the laws for the relief of the poor , and especially to those which are contained in the 7 th and 8 th Vic , cap . 101 . The provisions which the Poor Law 13 oard refer to relate chiefly to the estahlishment of district schools .
Afrer some conversaiion , in wjich the tone of the report , as well as the suggestions it contained , appeared to meet with general . approbation , the motion was agreed to , and the Board adjourned .
Middlesex Sessions. Wkd.Fbsdat, Ja.V. 17...
MIDDLESEX SESSIONS . WKD . fBSDAT , Ja . V . 17 . Tits Casjkos . — Tiiis morning the stand jury brought in three bills against Henry Laurent , J -im Adams , aad James Thompson , for illegally al . ' oiving music and dancing at the Adelaide Galiary , in fchs Lowthcr Bazaar , not tciiifr licensed ; a . ainst the p > opriitof of the National UaU , in Ho born , fortbe samo offence ; and again-t William Clements , for the like offence , at a certa ' n room in Theobald ' s " road . The information 1 ! were Liiri by Thnias Stowoll , of No . 11 , Church-street , Trinity-square , Southward who sitated that he was emp o ml by a society of persons who had a lincence for music and dancing granted to them by the magistrates . A true bill has also betn found against the V . ' allialla Itocms in Leicester--quart * .
VIIJ . ANY ntOTECTKU UY TIIK LAW . W . Smart was indicted for having stolen a quantity of furniture , the property of a person of ttie name of Grove * . It appearcl from the statement of tho prosecutor that the prisoner had taken a / o fging in hia house about four months since , but he had left in consequence of some unpleasant woros having passed between them . A fortnight ago he w « 'iit out in the morning as usual , leaving his wife and four children at homo , and on his return w ; s much astonished at finding that his wife and one < . f his children had gone off , and that the whole of his furniture had been removed . In the course of a da > ' or two he ascertained that his wife was living with th- ^ prisoner at No . 5 , Duke St-eet , and upon going there he discovered that not only had his wife gone there , butthit the place was fitted up with his furniture . On his arrival he was informed that his wife had left ; but
by further inquiries he learned that they had just taken up their abode at a house iu Tabernacle Walk . Thither he w ? nt about ten o ' clock at night , lie found his wife in a bedroom , and the denied that the prisoner was with her . He , however , searched ths room , when he discovered him concealed under the bed . Hy the advice of his brother hs gave the prisoner into custody . Cross examined . —lie had been married nine years but his wife and himself had not liv . d happily together ; so much so , that they had lived a [ art on several occasions , The learned Judge intimated that the question was , whether the prisoner had committed tho felony with which he was charged . After some further cross-examination ,
The learned Juclce to'd the jury that the chargo of felony against the prisoner cmid n t be sustained upo / i the evidence which had been brought forward , tor doubtless the furniture bnJ been removed with the consent , and inall * . robabi'ity by tho direction of the wife-The Jury therefore acquitted the prisoner .
Employment Of The Poor.—Oa Tuesday Eveni...
Employment of the Poor . —Oa Tuesday evening a meeting of th-j rate-payers of the parish t-f St . Andrews , Holborn , was held at the Ked Lion Tavern , Ited Lion-street , for the purpose of inducing the Paving Board to give employment to artisans out of work , and to the inmates of the workhouse , as sttiet orderlies , instead of cleansing the streets by the present expensive and unproductive method . Mr . T . Smith in the chair . Mr . Pearson , a churchwarden and guardian of the poor , in proposing the first resolution , adverted to the number of persons then in the workhouse a charge upon the parish . A fair trial had been given to the system of keeping streetorderlies in the parishes of St . James , St . Anne , and St . Martin , and the inhabitants were so pleased with the various benefits which arose from it that they had subscribed a good sum for the maintenance of these orderlies , besides offering to pay any
reasonable sum which might be required for carting away the refuse . Several other gentlemen then addressed the meeting , dwelling at great length up » n the crowded state of the metropolitan prisons , and the enormous expense which the main ' enance of those prisons required . Poverty was the great incentive to crime , and it was acually the fact that 50 , 000 artisans were now in London unemployed . Would it not be better to endeavour to employ ' even a part of that great number in cleansing the streets than having them driven to tin * workhouse or to ajpiisou by famine ? A resolution was then agreed to , calling upon ( the Paving Board to adopt the plan of employing these men in cleansing the streets instead of continuing the present method . Other resolutions , expressive of satisfaction at the results of the experiments set on foot in reference to street sweeping , were then agreed to ; and , aft * r a vote of thanks to the chairman the meeting separated .
The Ministerial Circular .-Lord John Russell has issued the usaal circular to Members sitting on tho ri g ht of the Speaker , announcing the approaching meeting of Parliament , and requeuing their attendance at the opening of the session .
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Citation
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Northern Star (1837-1852), Jan. 20, 1849, page 1, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/ns/issues/ns2_20011849/page/1/
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