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^™ T . . ¦ - » ¦ '¦ .'-.-..-"- ' ¦ _i i,...
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TO THE ELECTORS AND NON-ELECTORS OF THE TOWER HAMLETS.
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. LETTERS FOR WOBKING MEN.
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No. I—The Genekal Election. . TOTHE EDIT...
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2To (lomftnoitttnfc
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J, Thompson, Manchester, and II. WitsoN,...
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THE STAR, SATCKttAV, APK1JL »¦*, 5853.
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THE STAR OF FREEDOM Has arisen. Arisen a...
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A TRUE MILITIA. No true-hearted Briton c...
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THE APPROACHING ELECTIONS. The fast appr...
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software. The text has not been manually corrected and should not be relied on to be an accurate representation of the item.
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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.
^™ T . . ¦ - » ¦ '¦ .'-.-..-"- ' ¦ _I I,...
^™ T . . ¦ - » ¦ '¦ . ' -.-..- " - ' ¦ _ i i , ¦ - C ** ,- - ^ . < J' i- ' -. •>; - ¦ 'ivju- ¦ ¦ £ t £ V ' . v ¦ i ¦• - V' 11 ¦ ' - 'j ' ¦ i . i iiA » » i * -i - * . ** . 4 ¦ ' -: f' : ^;; - - ^^ v- - . . ,, ^ y
To The Electors And Non-Electors Of The Tower Hamlets.
TO THE ELECTORS AND NON-ELECTORS OF THE TOWER HAMLETS .
Ad00409
( 1 ENTLEMEN , —In consequence of my having U been honoured with arequisuion most maenai ^ Wd both * J E ' ectoK and Xoa-Electors . reqnesUDj ? me to allow myself to be put in nomination as a Canfia-ae for tbe Tovter Hamlets at the en ^ ng Son , I now come before you to ask for yonrjsuffrages and support . I am aUo induced to take that course because at several iomeransly a tended Public Meetings , resolutons embo-^ ng tfce ^ plrit of thereqaiaUoa have beea a ' -mostunanimously I do not pretend to conceal that tlii * step is a most serious one , and mucb as 1 desire the bigH honour of representing the liberal opinions of the Tower Ilamlets in the legislature , I -would not have committed mvself to the course I have now taken , without a fair prospect of success ; b-thaiins & me s > 1 pledge myself that I will not deceire my friends aud supporters hy stopping short of going to thepoH .
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GR AND JUNCTION OMNIBUS COMPANY . Pruridonally registered . Capital £ 100 , 009 . in Shares of £ 1 . Office , 36 , Bloom shary-street , Oxford-street . London . 1 BBSTEE 3 . The Right Honourable TiscountGoderich , Carlton-gardenj , Sir John Heron Maxwell , Bart , York-place , I ' ortman square . E . P . Stringer , Esq ., ( of ths firm of Lindsay and Co ., Ausiinfriars , ] Edward Tansittart Nsale , Esq ,, Charles-street , Berkeley-square . Csai & uas—Lieutenant-Colonel Anstruther , Chepstow Villas .
Ad00411
THE ATHENJ 3 UM INSTITUTE x for AUTHORS and ARTISTS . 30 . S ckville-street , London . Every companionship of men require some particular bonds of onion ; some natural basis and some common object wbicb induce concentration ; and the promoters of this undertaking have based their arrangements ou the peculiar position and circumstances of Literary Men and Artists . in dealing with mental workers , that is , men who are more interested in the works tUemseH e- _ which they pursue than ia the com mercial results . H became ptculiarly necessaiy to adopt special arrangements . The prospect of profit and pecaniary benefit is sufficient with commercial men to attract attention and command suppart Literary men , as it is well known , profess themselves particularly ignorant of figures and calculations ; and they have neither the confidence nor ths caution , as regards pecuniary transactions of business men . To such a class ihe common app ? als faU dead ; aa <^ whilst lawyers and doctors , clergymen and traders , and even soldiers
Ad00412
without subservience . It is desirable that tbe three important powers come to a liberal and mutual understanding . Literature , * cience , ana art have done everything for civilisation ; am it is time tnat cirtlised society should do something for those whose very position prevents their amassing tbe ordinary returns of- skill and The humblest literary man works for something more than hire ; and produces something more effective than a-mere piece of merchandise . His book is not only sold to the profit of the bookseller , but to the benefit of the public . The publisher pays for its mercantile value , hut the puMe should reward the author for its moral and social effect ; as they take uoou themselves to punish if it have an eviltende cy . I IThe Institution now proposed , it is hoped will meet the two important points of the case , and reconcile the claims ofliterature and irt on national assistance , with that self-supperting independence which should characterise all intellectual men .
. Letters For Wobking Men.
. LETTERS FOR WOBKING MEN .
No. I—The Genekal Election. . Tothe Edit...
No . I—The Genekal Election . . TOTHE EDITOR OF THE ' STAR OF FREEDOM , SiR , ~ Tho minds of that influential section ol the community-the class endowed by our ^ adnujahle Constitution with the patriotic faculty ; of chooMng Members of Parliament-the minds of this prmleged class are , we are told , now occupied by the absorbing question of the next election , when Lord Derb y « is to take the sense of the country . 'We , who are only free-born Briton ' s , but not yet enfranchised , may also venture to take some interest" ! the matter , albeit , the before-mentioned admirable Constitution considers as as havinff nothing to do wUh the laws ,
except to obey them My Lord Uerby is aoous w consult the country ; T ' other party ( or parties , tor they say there are several , though the difference is of little consequence , ) will alsoconsuft the country , xo what purpose this consultation we may judge from one or two samples of preliminary elections . At Monmouth the question is , Portion . <«• Free trade < The answer furnished by Mr . Crawsliay Bailey , and his 500 bludgeon men , who declare that Monmouth is in favour of Protection , though it ia swd that the whole drove of electors w ould hare come down on the other side , if they had the Protection of the ballot , only to prevent them from being punished one Then Ireland
by one . Independent patriots ! m they put the question-Landlordism or Tenant MffM , aud , of course , which ever way the seventy electors who form the majority in New . Rosa sha ll vote , will be ' the sense of tho country . ' If Duffy shall come in two ahead , what a triumph of Tenant Right ; if Redingtou wins by a neck , to say nothing of the head , will it not be clear that Toryism is the beloved of Ireland 1 For are not the seventy independent electors the ' sense' of New Ross!—and is not New Ross a fair specimen of Ireland ? And so on , in the same approved good fashion , in fifty other places . What a pity St . Albans is no longer allowed to
express 'the sense of the country ! ' What an utter farce the whole business is—a farce about as disgraceful as the recent French farce , enacted by command of Napoleon the second . The difference is , that France had a pretence of Universal Suffrage : here they unblushingly tell us , that asking the opinion of one man in seven is taking the sense of the country ; and even the opinion of this seventh is such an opinion as can be got by bribery , intimidation , and foul practices of all sorts . The « Honourable House' pays just two millions sterling to ascertain the sense of the country , in order that it may be a faithful servant . Very patriotic , is it not ? But the whole concern is consistent . Tho very questions propounded—will you have Protection or Free Trade ?—will you have Conservative or Democratic ?—are farcical . The first
is the Whig form , the second the Tory form , of the question ; which , in plain English , means onlywill you have this set , of noble noodles , or that set of as ignoble noodleships , to misgovern the country ? In each form the question is a blind . There is no fear of Protection being restored : the cry is only got up by the Free Traders , who would make political capital out of it , —who , indeed , would fain force the Conservatives to try it on , that they may gain great credit by overthrowing them . And , as to the ' democratic intent " on , ' the Tories , who impute it , know well enough that their opponents areas little democratic as
themselves , —know well enough that it is many years since a lord among them had an atom of democratic principle in him . The whole thing is at bottom but a personal squabble between the Derbies and the Russells—the Liberals , as they call themselves , backing the latter , that they may creep into office under shadow of the Whig weakness . And whether Tory or Whig succeed , what have the people to do with the election ? Nothing at all , so far as siding with either is concerned . They have , however , this to dp with it , —that they are every way the victims—victims of the success of either Peachum or Lockit , —victims of Peachum and Lockit ' s reconciliation , when all parties
resume their game of Parliament , and victims even ¦ while the quarrel lasts ; for the quarrelers use them for their private ends , and abuse them at their first convenience . The people ought also to have this to do with it—to be heartily ashamed that such shabb y fooleries are played off hi their name and to their mischief . And perhap » -when they learn to be ashamed of the matter , they will come to mend it . How to mend is another thing , and may not be so easy . That itistimeto begin we maybe sure , when even the ' Times' is compelled to cry out , that the farce of a general election is beyond endurance—that public opinion must be brought to bear upon it . But who
shall bring it to bear ? Who shall even endeavour to learn what that opinion is?—the Tories ? They know well enough that feudalism has not the votes of the country ; they know well that privilege dares not depend except upon privilege ^—a select limited aristocracy —( 0 ye Hertfords and ye D'Orsays ) -i-upon a selected constituency , Nothing but a packed jury will serve their turn . Young England—the reformed Conservatives in white waistcoats . ? - . They may take public opinion upon a cricket-ground . The Whigs ? Base as they are , they cannot hope that the country is base enough to choose them . It only put up with
them . Nothing but a packed jury could save them . The Free Traders ? - » -Not they either . They dare not evoke the fall opinion of the country even on their own pet theory , for its answer would go too far Yes Free Trade for the labourer as well as for the com-Joined employers . The Philosophic Radicals ?—They cannot even agree upon an opinion on which to take the sense of the country . The Parliamentary and Financial Reformers ?—Oh yes , they are the daring men to probe public opinion to its depth ; only let them leave out at least a million of the ' dangerous ' classes—those who are not allowed to live twelve
months in one spot , and they will go even for ' Universal ' Suffrage , and get a score or two of Christian clergymen to back them , with the assurance that the Franchise ' is a trust bestowed by divine Providence ' upon ' every Englishman who Ms a home in the country , ' ( the homeless may be ——) and so ' the Christian is under special obligation to contribute his share of activity to' ' a body which , under , the presidency of Sir Joshua Walmsley , has done , and is doing , much worthy of its patriotism , ' & c . So far are these men from venturing upon public opinion , that tliey dare not even de . fine their own , but wander about the country , making
fine speeches for Universal Suffrage , and always winding up with a most illogical proposition for the exclusion of a million or thereabouts * plaguing us with twaddle about their ' half loaves , ' their ' four courses' for hungry men who cannot get six , their 'instalments' of so much in the pound for the public creditor , and such like sophisms , till even Toryism , which at least confesses a principle of some sort , seems respectable in comparison with such mock democracy . Their half loaves to all are whole loaves to a favoured class , and no loaves to the rest . Their four courses instead of six , means a dinner for four men , and two men left to starve . Their so much in
the pound is not so much to every creditor , but as Mr . Newton well-expressed it at the Tower Hamlets meeting .. * A fraudulent preference' to those whom they think they can most easily influence . The Hume and Cobden Reformers , who want a garrison to keep down Amalgamated Engineers , are not the men to move the couni » 7 « even wllen they ' affect a virtue though they have it L \ ' . And the Chartists , what can they do ? 'Apretty Ration / say some of you , * when you have been telling us-1 *" 7 ®^ , P & st that Chartism is as good as dead . ' Alas , ' . ' * « too true . The party is broken up . But what theu ? . If tbe party is gone , the men remain ; their wants the 2 . ame ,
their energies really not so much worn as to be quite exhausted . We have not got the Suffrage yet . The need , the hope , which stirred us in 1839 , may move us yet . True , we have failed : but why ? Not by any means ( whatever our friend " Ion " may say ) because we adhered so closely to our principle ; but because we sought to win a national object by a class movement , by the movement of a class without political power . Let us retrieve our error , and leaving our class Chartism in its grave , hut stilltiue to the old object for which Chartism was , ask for a national party to carry it out . Let us bring at the next election 1 ?
out public opinion—ay , even How The machinery is simple . Take heeds for instance ( meaning no personality ) . The return of two liberal members there is said to be sure with some 2 , 600 votes . What proportion is that to the adult male population of Leeds ? Well that the sure men are ' Liberals ; ' if they were red Tories , they would be equally sure with this number of votes ; and , Liberals or Tories * , the will of the non-electors is not consulted . These 2 , 500 speak ' the sense' of Leeds Is it so ? That is what I would ascertain . On the day of nomination I would have each candidate asked— "Are you in favour of extending tho Suffrage to every male adult of
No. I—The Genekal Election. . Tothe Edit...
1 sound mind , not actually under sentence for crime ? Tea ' or No ? No reservations , no qualification of twelve months ' ' residence , Or a claim . to be rated , or other such clever ' impediments to the universal exercise of tho Franchise . ' Are you prepared to aid in procuring the Franchise for « every man , in virtue of his right , as an active member , a component part of the State , in virtue of the State * requiring his duty and allegiance ? "Wilt you pledge your-« self to support that principle in the House of Commons , 1 whenever and by whomsoever it shall be moved ? and will ' you pledge yourself to more at least the recognition of the « principle in the next Session , if no other mover shall be found fcr it ? Yes or No ! ' Whatever may be the answer , be you prepared with tho numbers of the non-electors , those who hold the principle , and if his answer be « Yes , ' then bid him go up to tho Commons House as the represenUtwe , not only of \ ho privileged voters , bnt also of bo many non-electors . If his answer be ' No , ' then sign your names to the following , or a similar form of petition } and let it follow him to the Commons House
;" to the honourable , & o , « The petition of the undersigned [ here give number ] adult mile inhabitants of Leeds , i Showeth , —That your petitioners , holding it to be the right and duty of every man of sound mind , not under sentence for crime , to take part in the government of the country , do hereby declare that Sir John Stokes , said to he elected for the town of Leeds as its representative in Parliament , does not represent them tho undersigned . They , therefore , pray your honourable House to take such measures as may to your wisdom seem good , in order to obtain a fall , fair , and free representation of tbe said town of Leeds .
'And your petitioners will ever pray . [ Signing the same with names and addresses of adult male inhabitants . ] . So , setting aside all minor questions—for all questions are minor in comparison with this—caring nothing for the little difference of Tory , Whig , or Radical , poll in every locality for this question of the Suffrage , and let the sham Parliament know the real ' sense of the country . ' So also count hands for a new National Party—not one of class , but of ail : a party which shall be strong enough to make its will respected . One man in every town can set the work afoot . . How it would work I will make the sabject of another letter . Spartaous .
2to (Lomftnoitttnfc
2 To ( lomftnoitttnfc
J, Thompson, Manchester, And Ii. Witson,...
J , Thompson , Manchester , and II . WitsoN , Liverpool . —Yes , we have seen tha scurrillous libel of t ! : at gentleman who ofoEs a begging with the Cap of LiberTr in his hand—respecting middle class gold . The principles and sentiments of this Paper will be the best answer . We can afford to let him go on fulminating hia lies and slanders for the present . Should we think it worth while to reply , we shall give seme strange revelations of that gentleman's proceedings , which will include , some very humiliating tacts relating to his anxiety to clutch at middle-class gold . But , depend upon it , we shall not give him the benefit of our circulation , by noticing him in this paper , —with his miserable circul . tion of 500 , We shall take other means . The Societi of the Fbienos op Italy will hold their third Conver . sarione ou Wednesday evening , the 28 th inst ,, at the Princess ' s
Concert Hoom , Castle-street , Oxford street . London . The lecture will he on" England's Place and Duty in Europe , " by Professor Newman . The meeting will be addressed by llnzzini . TV . Berwick —We will uot forget Poor Ireland ; your case and others of the kind shall have our earliest attention . J . B . M . —Many thanks for your kind letter , - which , however , we must decline to publish , it being one of a host of such . Ooa best thanes are also due to friends in Birmingham , Sheffield , Manchester , Halifax , Ashton-under Line , Glasgow , and numerous other cities and towns , ' for their kind congratulations , which we hope to prove worthy of . \ Monies Received . —h ' ov the Fraternal Democrats , J . Smith , Is . Eon tub O'Connor Fund . — Nottingham , per J . Sweet , 4 s . ; Ashtonunder-hyne , per William Aitken £ 3 .
NOTICE . iJS'A Gentlemen of eminent legal attainments , has been engaged as i egal Adviser , and will fully and gratuitously answer the quesiions of Correspondents wishing trustworthy information ou points of Law .
The Star, Satckttav, Apk1jl »¦*, 5853.
THE STAR , SATCKttAV , APK 1 JL »¦* , 5853 .
The Star Of Freedom Has Arisen. Arisen A...
THE STAR OF FREEDOM Has arisen . Arisen at a time when all is distrust and indifference with the masses of the people , and , when the gloom of Despotism , and the shadow of portending events , gather round us like the darkness of coming night . At such a time our humble light cannot but be welcome to ' the hearts and homes of thousands . And as the deepest gloom reveals the starriest soul , so may the surrounding darkness serve to blazon forth the' Star of Freedom * in the political firmament , SO that its light wvay be seen from afar , the watchfire of the people , the beacon of British Democracy , "W e . coromence our undertaking faM of
heart and hope , in despite of all untoward circumstances . "W e bring to the people ' s struggle for freedom and right heads and hands unwearying , and unweariable , and hearts as full of faith as ever in the immutability of justice , and its coming triumph . Many a hard battle has yet to be fought—many a hoary wrong has to he demolished— -many more tears will fall to the earth , and many more groans will ascend to heaven , before the ' day ef Victory arrives ; but fearlessly and faithfully we fling ourselves into the glorious work , eager to strike a blow wherever oppression rears its Gorgon head , and speak the word of healing cheer , wherever a slave bends to the
lash , or a nation to the yoke . We believe that Freedom has a work for us to do , and we shall perform it with despot-and-devil-defying earnestness , and with , spirit unconquerable . We have laid out our lives to aid in the work of destroying tyranny and slavery—to put an end to this speculation in man by man—to starve all willing idlers—to insure to industry the fruits of honest toil , and to enlarge those limiting institutions of our country , which are kept in existence at the expense of murdering all the budding mind and growing intelligence of the working classes . This , readers , is also your work . Your assistance is demanded in the struggle now raging between the oppressors and the oppressed . The right divine of kings aud priests , and the ri ght of the people to govern themselves . Rally round us , then
in our endeavour to establish the ' Star of Freedom , ' and in our efforts to gather up tbe scattered forces of Democracy , which only need to he marshalled in the right direction , to ensure the popular triumph . Only work with us as we willwork for you , and the 'Star of Freedom' may become as the olden pillar of fire , to lead the suffering people out of the Egypt of modern slavery . And to continue our allusion to that grand oldExode , so full of mighty meaning—though we may never live to reach the political and social Canaan , for which we struggle and aspire- —even though we may not climb the Mount Pisgah of the future . Yet let us fight on , and plant our footsteps firm up tho ascent of our up hill journey , so that others who follow after shall see where our footprints have beaten out the rugged road , and , with tears of joy , bless those who have gone before .
A True Militia. No True-Hearted Briton C...
A TRUE MILITIA . No true-hearted Briton could feel otherwise than proud of the dauntless spirit of his countrymen , when they latel y awoke from their apathy , and expressed their hatred and defiance towards the miscreant Louis Napoleon , aud his royal and imperial co-conspirators on the continent . The cry of the awakened people was for armsarms to protect Right and Freedom ; and they Sfiomed alike the cowardly ' discretion' of the Whigs , and the absurd and unmanly doctrines of the peace palaverers . How has that great national cry been answered ? The men calling themselves a Government , to whom chance has for a time entrusted the destinies of the
Empire , utterly incapable of appreciating either the feelings or the interests of the people , have endeavoured , as customary , to use the ' agitation' for their own selfish ends . Nothing could so well demonstrate the incapacity of . our aristocratic rulers , ' and more fully show the absence of aU sympathetic ties between them and the masses of the British people , than the manner in which they met the defence agitation . The nation demands a national force , and the Government increases the standing army . The present aspect of European affairs is sucii sa to inspire the mind of every enemy of Absolutism
with grar ? apprehensions , and to make it more than ever evident that-the liberties Of any nation cannot safel y bo entrusted to hireling armies ; that the free nation ' s only natural defender is the nation itself . Yet , notwithstanding the imperative necessity for a citizen army , tho imbecile and short-sighted factions , who have usurped tbe Supremo Power , propose to call out some ei ghty thousand men for a few days drill every year . Every thinking man must easily see the Utter inadequacy of such a force , with such training , for the defence of a great country . 1 alpably , this scheme has been formed , not from any desire to endow the people with the means of
defendwg their own rights , and of redressing their own wrongs , but simply as a concession to that awakening indomitable spirit which they feared , and could not hope to quell or contemn . A nd it is by no means improbable that , besides the greater patronage and power to be derived from the increase of the standing army , they had in . view a project , the success ot which would be most disastrous to the cauee of free-
A True Militia. No True-Hearted Briton C...
dom in England and in EuWT ^ T 1555 ^^ the ill-trained Militia , W ^ S ^ call into existence , must ' soon Col eaauc * $£ he k Jure of this experiment , of 2 tP ^ C 'arming the people , ' would be S ^ JL ^ S giving arms to none hut « regular' iV ^ e 5 the defenceless civilians wolld be ^ 4 tender mercies of any Castiekeagh orfi at £ I ' ff * W , ° 6 h 0 uid chauce to c ml IS % backed , aa he would be , by the W > V Fnetorian guards . If posted SeveTS ° ^ tern of representativ e Governme nt , wfoi . ** fc should u . » Lm r „„ u .. * « t BUa _ wr ' i aat
, " * " «"<> « ' "a preservation , whnni « e kw-makers might be easily 8 et at ded ? ** We whom chance might pitchfork into ° y ^ of all the material power of the nation » P ° % 5 But a deeper stigma than even that ' of . , amotion must rest upon those sord d f'jK philoso phers , ' who denounce the destruction of N hfe by the Bword t and who arfl t J ^> , so-called ; Peace , ' even if shame or slavI * N price , wh . le they are coining into gold the fL N blood , notof men alone , bul of women an /^ We do not at all doubt that that maudlin mentality , which seems to superficial ohZ *^ be the main characteristic of the men of ^ t ( > only that of those not over strong mindpd ' ' who catch greedily at the gilded pill 0 f eVG ,. v * , and who are led tn Win ™ « ' « k
deceit . The originators and active supporton * " * ' movement , ' we believe to he men of different ! . ^ actuated b y very different motives . e K We need only to consider whence the na , any-price doctrine arose , and who are its monf * stant and unflinching advocates , to undersh V 0 I 1 , cause of that bitter hostility with which thj i ^ greeted every proposal for arming and trainiL !?" people . u o « a Our readers must all be well aware that the ¦ movers in the Peace agitation are the dm i . ° class , and the « liberal" supporters of % ' ° & cracy . To the interests of these this armiT ^' training of the workers would be doubl y detrimf f ? inasmuch as it would , by making them conscin ? . 5 their own power , encourage them to resist the
tvrand extortions ot their task-masters ; while it »• , ? on the other hiind , shorten the hours of toil and ' sequentiy prevent a proportionate amount of T spoils of labour finding its way into the nocked p the capitalists . ' ts ot The working classes would do well to take the 1 trap of the interested peace-mongers for what V * worth . Far from the lessening of pro duction I ' ' an injury to the interests of the producer . * it is ^ JT ^ thing needed for the amelioration of their « oci-il cn '' ^ tion . Did they work one day a Wek wore tVmn Iw
do now , they would be still poorer than Wt , present and did they work one day less , they would vece ; v * proportionate benefit . It is the capitalist who \ rouM lose a portion of his unjust profits , and , tWe ? We u . is he raises a cry against the disturbance < tf industry Let one day in each week be set apart for military training—a training which should include all the population , and instead of disturbing industry , i )) 6 limitation of labour would be found to have the effect of restoring a healthy action to that over-gorged monster , which is now so named ; while the physical exercises they would be subjected to would renew " and preserve the health of those who now suffer from the enervating influence of sedentary pursuits .
When wealth and greater comfort have come to Ha homes of the poor , happiness will he there also ; aud when they can look upon themselves with respect as members of that society of which they are armed de . fenders , nobler- thoughts will spring up in tlieir minds , pointing the way to complete freedom . Thta our country may again become 'MerryEngland , ' - and be not } as now , tho haunt of wretchedness aud grieft
But no such good can flow from the wretched mea < sures that Whig and Tory offer . The cause of freedom and progress cannot thus be served unless tlio people bestir themselves to obtain a Militia Bill , which shall be a real arming of the nation : and they energetically oppose such worse than meksj measures s s those of a Hvsselz , and a J ) emir , which principle and expediency alike condemn . To obtain such a Bill another measure must first bo wrung from our class-government ; a measure establishing the principles of the Charter , and thereby the veritable Sovereignty of tbe people .
The Approaching Elections. The Fast Appr...
THE APPROACHING ELECTIONS . The fast approaching General Elections constitutes the only exception to the general dearth of political topics . It is rumoured that Parliament will ha dissolved before the expiration of the month of May . Should this prove true , the ' bubble bubble , toil and trouble , ' of the electoral Saturnalia will accompany the Midsummer holidays , or , at furthest , will add to the delights of the Dog-days . Be it a week sooner or later , it is evident that the term is short from the
present moment to that which will witness the candidates of all parties and factions , outbidding each otto for the sweet voices of the multitude , ' aud the voles of the ' free and independent' proprietors of that convertible commodity—a vote . The utter baseness and rottenness of' an immense proportion of tha electoral body the recent Elections at Harwich , Moamouth , and similar sinks of corruption hare made patent to the world . In constituencies less corrupf ,
class interests and party prejudicesinducetho election of representatives , but little , if any , superior to thou who \ mb \ ushingly occupy their seats in the Legislature , uot in consequence of their superior worth , tat by virtue of their superior wealth , Between the corrupt and the prejudiced of the electoral body , the mass of the people are crucified . It is sometimes pretended that the Suffrage is held by the Electors a 3 a trust for the community at large . If true , tha Electors are most unjust stewards , and infamous betrayers of the trust reposed iu them .
The theory of « trusts , ' like many other sublime and mystic theories connected with that impenetrable myth , the British Constitution' is plainly and simply humbug . If to any section of the community tw j Suffrage should be delegated as a ' trust' for the test of the body politic , in common fairness it should W confided to those who constitute the majority . ? ¦ whose existence is indispensable to the State . v " ™ such a trust ordained , would not the mid < H « <| forget their clumsy theory , and loudly clamour tor-- rights-rights for all ? If the middle class rm
believe in the « trust' theory , they are bound to pw ^ their sincerity by paying some deference to the «' istt of those who vastly out-number them , ^ they assume to represent . .. .. The approaching Election will afford them » jj J rious opportunity of demonstrating their W and fraternal regard for the rights and wis hes the non . electors . Whether one or two m " ™* * .: , ' :, to be returned , let the Electors , previous t o then « ° » nation , submit the several candidates for the P ? « « bation , or otherwise , of Puttie Meetings , ° P ^ ° - ^ $ classes and let the voice of the majority detenu
: the votes . By so doing the middle class » ,, , . Jgj W that they know ho ~ w to exercise a « trust ; ' » ' - ^ cannot , or wi / i not , comprehend the theory w' ^ jjjj On the other haud , the Non-Electors should not ^ ^^ for any such display of unusual and extra or / Wj ( ji » liberality , on the part of their privileged 0 ^ 1 countrymen . The Non-Electors may tof % M )\ t / S they will get ( from both . Electors a ^ f ^ and , ^ precisely as much as they can taK e 7 * y j no more . If the forthcoming strugg ^ ^ ^ to be turned to account by the working . clas f !! they the ; have not a moment to lose in nvenariflg { " „ . „ , „ . „ ,
conflict . Remembering' the manifestations ' . ^^ , tist principle and Chartist strength in 18 d £ a ^ we must Confess our surprise and sorrow » ^ almost universal apathy in relation to this gr » ^ important question . Everywhere constituent ^ being parcelled out between Whigs , Tories , a"a ? | , u Radicals , without intervention or interference , Democracy . Nottingham is a striking eX , £ jli , ] When the last General Election took pl «« j & other constituencies could do no more tlia ^^ their Chartist candidates by show of ha " ' ' te ! ' some instances added thereto a few hui ^ jL ^ cl ., ^ Nottingham succeeded in returning M r ; n , eii [ j n O'Connor by a great majority . At * "" ^^ wwa fliaf . of- ™_¦ . ! ,.. 1 . 1 .. ( T > .. J :,... li ^ ni ie llfiinfi 3 I ) P ) . » k
, by three or four ' shams , ' whose sole cl <» " . ^ suffrages of the Nottingham Eleotow eon «« ^ possession of that wealth which will . en ^ L ll ) ni ' V elected , to join the ranks of the collective ff » ^ masquerade io the guise of Legislators .
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Citation
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Northern Star (1837-1852), April 24, 1852, page 4, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/ns/issues/ns2_24041852/page/4/
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