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Financial Reform butletofthe of his hove...
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DUTY 02f ADVERTISEMENTS.-AND' PAPER. On ...
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ilr. T. OitMKsnfiR acknowledges tho rece...
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'¦'. — «i>" . TO THE LAND MEMBERS. The D...
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THE CHARTER, On Monday, the 4th of June,...
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PORTRAIT OF THE PATRIOT, THOMAS FRANCIS ...
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THE flORTHERN STAR SATUKDAY, MAY 26, U849.
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THE CHARTER There is no coercion that th...
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PARLIAMENTARY REVIEW. Chartism is too st...
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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.
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Financial Reform Butletofthe Of His Hove...
inXT orv A p May 26 , 1840 4 THE NORTHERN STAR . ^_ ^ ^~ _ — ~^ ~ ., Ml iiiiiWMHMIW ¦ wwn ,, ** rWTr **^ '"
Ad00408
BRITI SH E 3 HP 1 KB FREEHOLD LAND AND BUILDING SOClt . ll . \ ) u an Advance your Hem is Saved , —you become your oivn Land and Householder . Patrons .- ? . 5- Pcscombe , Esc ., M . l \ " T . Waklev . Est , ill * . 15 . 15 . C . umEM .. Esq ., M-P- 1- ' U « siM > , Esq .., M . V \ Kih *«&—The Commercial Bank of London ( Iiraiich ) , « , Henrietta Street , Covcnt garden . ZonJo ., ( is , v . -Sft 13 , Tottenham Court , Scwlload , St . l ' ancras , Loudon . —Damei . William Hum , fccciciaij . A * rsxgb > is Three Sa-noss . Value of Shares and Payments for Investors . _ Full Shave „ .. fKO-pwmcnt « f 2 fc 4 Jd . ? Week , or JOs . Cd . per Month . UalfSharc .. .. CO — 1 j'i ¦ — * j 8 — ' ApiS -, re ri ^ ted 'Jo stated ftoiTfima the Section Uiey desire , to b * £ ^™ £ & c y i g 3 fo SoKxn & , SoucrroBs' , % v Redemption" FtE ^ V ^ pa ^ ^^^^^^ ^ u '' ' ' l » erShare , ana 2 s . foranypart ofaShare . rneeofHules , mdudu ) glostage , ls . OHJFCTS -i . ' n- ii v * i . -M-n . v » ri ; n < rTfmiscs . 5 th . —To give to Depositing Members a hi g her rate of Inlst-To enable members to Inula Dwelling *""*«>• ^ . \ s ^ dde ( 1 % orduiary modes of investment . 2 nd . —To afford the means of purchasmj : " both Freenow cti ,, _ To enable Parents to make Endowments for their and Leasehold Properties or Land . ChUdren , or Husbands for their Wives , or for Marriage 3 rd . -To advance Mortgages on Property Held Hy « £ « - * ^ ^ ^ TO S 1 to cnal * »**» ' » * en * ers to redeem « g ive a legal dUeto a County Vote for Members of their Mortgages . ^ , ¦ a - v this section every person in town or country can become the proprietor of a House and Land Sections—By joininp m removed from iisiHends , connexions , or the lu-esent means liimself aud family in his own neigbtwurliooa ,, wauiM ikui , Tnayhaveof punmsalrr ^ shOTw to pm < jhase j . stateSj erect DweUings thereon , and divide the Land into Section lL—iora ^ c * v ^ near thc towng Qf ^ Tarious branches of the society . T he property to be ^ otmffl ts irem njH- * m ^ nBeT after a term of years , from the date of location , according * o his subscriptions . 41115 ^^ £ v lii ^ Saviiis or Deposit section , in which members not wishing to purchase are enabled to invest smaU sums , •^ Tiuierest at the rate Of five per cent per annum , on every sum of 10 s . and upwards so deposited . in * — £ 50- ) wiU be advanced to the members of the first Section in July nest , when aU persons who have and may iecome members for Shares , or parts of Shares , on or before the 4 th of July next , and who pay sis months' subscriptions in advance , or otherwise , wiU be eligible for an advance .
Ad00409
M ** - ^ —— — - ^ —* —— —— — ™ " IF TOTJ "WAST A REALLY CHEAP AND FASHIONABLE HAT , GO TO ECSEESLEY ' S CELEBRATED HAT MART , 25 , CKOWX-STEEET , OPPOSITE THE UPPER GEORGE IXX , HALIFAX . OBSERVE THE 1 AEGE GOLDE 2 T HAT OYER THE DOOR ,
Ad00410
THE CEEAPBST EDITION EVEE PUBIISHED . Price Is . 64 , A new and elegant edition , with Steel Plate of the Author , of PAIHE'S POLITICAL WORKS .
Ad00411
inTPOBTAMff PI 7 BI . ICATIOHS . Proceedings of the National Convention , ^ fhich assembled at London in April , 1348 . Thirty two very large and solid pages : price 07 ihf Threepence . The Trials of the Chartist Prisoners , Jones , FusselL Williams , Vernon , & Looney . Twenty four very large and fidl pages ; price only Three 2 >^ iee . Sold hy J . Watson , Queen ' s Head Passage , Paternoster-IOW , Lonuon ; A . Heywood , Ohlliani-stxeet , Manchester ; and Love and Co .. - " > , . XelsoK-street , Glasjjott" . And by all . Booksellers in Town and Country .
Ad00412
CUAUTIST SILK FABRICS . TMESSJtS . CLA 11 K AND WARREN J . U . beg most respectfully to call the attention of the Democrats of Orcat liritain to the following splendid assortmevtof -Wck and Pocket Handkerchiefs , Dlack Satin Vestpieces , Ladies' Chartist Coloured Satin and Tabby Dress , pieces ; also a splendid assortment of Ladies' plain and figured ' Xeck Tics , which ha ve just come to hand from their manufacturer at Macclesfield , and it is their intention to forward them ( carriage free ) to all parts of Great Dritain and Ireland at the following prices : — - £ s . d . Ladies' Dress-pieces , fourteen yards to the dress , 3 s . per yard .. 2 2 0 Gentlemen ' s Extra Strong Black Satin Vesting , - per Vest .. .. .. .. .. 0 10 0 Ditto , Xeckercliiefe , Bich Oporto Dueapes , Plain and Plaided .. .. .. .. 056 Ditto ,- ditto , Sa & tIfacapes , Piaidect .. O S O Ditto , ditto , Napoleon Blue Satin Brussels , Crimson Borders .. .. 0 4 6 Ditto , ' ditto , Extra Rich Black Satin
Ad00413
REGISTER ! REGISTER I REGISTER ! Sow Published , and ready for circulation , by the Xatioxal Election and Registration Committee , A COMPLETE HAND BOOK AND GUIDE TO REGISTRATION compiled from the Reform Act and other Parliamentary Papers , malting the subject of Registration so plain and simple , as to bring it withia the capacity of all classes , Published by James Watson , 3 , Queen's Headpassage , Paternoster-row , London , andseld by all booksellers in the United Eingdom . Price , only Three Pexce . May also lie had ofthe Secretary , James Gbassbt , 9 G . Regent-street , Lambeth .
Ad00414
TO TAILORS . By approbation of Her Majesty Queen Victoria and His Royal Highness Prince Albert , t fonr Beady , THE LONDON and PARIS SPRING and SUMMER FASHIONS for 1849 , by Messrs . BENJAMIN BEAD and Co ., 12 , Hart-street , Bloomsbury-squarc , London ; and by GEORGE BERGEll , llolywell-street , Strand ; a splendid PRINT , elaborately finished , and superbly coloured , the LANDSCAPE , a correct view in tho Queen ' s Botanical Gardens , London , ( hy special permission , ) the most magnificent place in Europe . This beautiful picture will be accompanied with the most novel , good fitting , and fashionable Dress , Riding , Frock , and Hunting SoatPatterns , both double and single-breasted ; Hussar's Youth ' s round Jackets , plain and with skirts ; single and double-breasted Dress , Morning and Evening Waistcoats ; also the most fashionable and newest style Habit Pattern ;
Ad00415
CIRCULATION—THIRTY-FIVE THOUSAND THE FAMILY FRIEND , J- a jioxmrr phiiodicat , UNRIVALLED IN CHEAPNESS , INTEREST , AND USEFULNESS , Price Twopence , Thirty-two Pages , beautifully Fruited , and stitched in a Wrapper , in neat Magazine form . As soon as the FAMILY FRIEND appeared , it was recog nised as something new in literature . Its superiority to the great mass of cheap publications , became at once apparent —and hence , before the Fourth Number was issued , the circulation rose to THIRTY-FIVE THOUSAND , and is still rapidly increasing . Upwards of one hundred newspapers reviewed the work in most favourable terms—all
Ad00416
NEWCASTLE-UPON-TYNE . rpHE QUARTERLY MEETING of this ¦* . Branch ofthe NATIONAL LAND COMPANY will be holden on Susdat , Jvsb 3 rd , 18 i 0 , at Five o ' clock in the Afternoon , at the Cock Isn , Head of the Side , when the Balance Sheet of the Directors wiU he read , and Officers chosen for the ensuing quarter . .. AU Members within tiro miles not attending will subject themselves to a penalty . It is particularly requested that as many will attend as possible , and that aU Arrears of Local and General Expenses wiU be paid . Parties neglecting wfll have thg amounts deducted from what has been paid . The attention ofthe members will he called to important business . Thomas Pobbest , Secretary .
Ad00417
Ml ii « iiiWMHM >» IW ¦ wwn ^ ,, ** * **^ " ^ . „'" .... ^ -- ——¦— TO P . E SOL )) . - ' / ,. „ , „ D Y A PARTT ABOUT TO EMIGRATE , D AFOUK-ACKE SHAKE iu ( lie National Land Company . Price , £ +. Apply ( if by letter pre-paid ) toM . AY . P ., & S , KrOnuWH " , Christ Church .
Ad00418
TO TUB FRIENDS OF HUMANITY ! SOUTH LONDON HALL , 115 , Blackfriars-road , corner of Webber-street . TILE COMMITTElTof tho HAND AND HEART WIDOWS' AND OIU'lIANS' FUND have taken tho above Splendid Hall for a TEA FESTIVAL , CONCERT AND BALL , On WHIT-WEDNESDAY , MAY 30 . IH AID OF X 1 IK AllOVE FUND . Tea on Table at Six o ' clock . Dancing to commence at Nine o ' cloclc . A Ftill and Efficient Bapdwlllbe eiyttgld / drthe Ooeasbn . The Dances will consist ofthe most popular of the day .
Ad00419
NEW MONTHLY PUBLICATION . PBICB TIMEEPENCE . On the 1 st of June , will appear No . I . of THE DEMOCEATIC REVIEW Of BRITISH and FOREIGN POLITICS , HISTORY , and LITERATURE . Edited by G . JULIAN HARNEY . At present no Monthly Advocate of Democratic Progress exists In this country . It is therefore proposed to establish such an organ , at a price which will place it within the reach of all sections oi the people . " ¦ The Democratic Review will represent , contend lor , and chronicle the progress of Democratic Principles at Home and Abroad . . The Political and Social Emancipation of the Proletarians
Ad00420
RECEIPTS OF THE NATIONAL LAND COMPANY For the Week Ending Thursday , May 24 , 1840 . SHARES . £ s . d . £ s d . Ledbury .. 0 10 0 H . SneU .. 10 0 Lambeth .. 0 2 G P . Trumhle .. 0 10 Dukinfield .. 0 13 0 11 . Pattison .. 0 2 10 Merthyr , Morgan 5 2 3 C . Pilgrim .. o i o ArmZey .. 5 30 0 . J . Pilgrim .. 0 0 6 Nottingham .. 1 0 10 J . Collison .. 0 10 0 Northampton .. 0 4 0 E . Austin .. 0 5 0 Rochdale .. 110 0 T . GiU .. 0 2 0 Newton Heath .. 4 0 G II . Godding .. 0 10 0 Dalstou .. 0 19 10 J . Yigurs .. . . 0 2 6 Bclper .. 0 G 0 Manchester .. ¦ 2 8 10 Winchester .. 0 9 3 Todmorden .. 500 £ 30 18 10 T . Devonport 0 D 0 ' ' EXPENSE FUND . Merthyr , Morgan 0 5 0 H . Smith .. 0 16 Spilsby .. 015 0 C . Michaihvaite 0 2 0 Nottingham .. 023 Newton Heath .. " 0 10 ti £ 118 3 William Scott .. 0 5 0 Daan TOTALS . Land Fundi ... SO 18 10 Expense ditto ... ... ... 1 18 3 Bonus ditto ... ... ... 516 17 1 Loan ditto ... ... ... 0 12 0 Transfers 0 2 9 Returned Aid Money ... ... 20 0 0 £ 570 8 11 W . Dixox , 0 . Doyle , T . Clark , Cor . ¦ Sec . P . M'Grath , Fin . Sec . EXECUTIVE FUND . Received by W . Rideb . —Daventry , per ft . Ashweli , 3 s . Gd . VICTIM FUND . Received at Laxd Office . —Tiverton , per Rowcliftc , 5 s . ; Mr . Wright , Is . - , Deptford aud Greenwich Friends , per Mr . Whitcombe , 8 s . VERNON ' S DEFENCE , FOR MR . NIXON . Received at Lanti Office . —Mr . Side , sen ., Is . ; . Mr . Side , jun ., Is . }; Mr .-Edwards , 4 d . FOR WIVES AND FAMILIES OF VICTIMS . Received by W . ltnmt . —Birmingham , Ship Inn Locality , per J . Newhouse , £ 1 5 s . ; Haworth , per W . Greenwoail , 5 s . 4 d . ; Stroudwatcr , per H . Pritchard , as . Id . Nottingham , per J . Sweet , JB 1 2 s . lOd . ; Daventry , per G . Ashweli , 3 s . Cd . ; P . W . 13 ., Stepney , Cd . ; Levi Francis , Cnthal Mills , Is . ; Sheffield Female Chartists , per Elizabeth Hammond , 3 s . ; Carlisle , Chambers' Warpers , per J . Gilbcrtson , 10 s . NATION AL VICTIM FUND . Received by Jonx Abnott . —Totness , per W . M . Tanner , 7 s . ; Belper , per Richard Wheatley , 10 s . ; J . D ., and a Few Friends , per E . Stallwood , 3 s . 7 d . ; Crown and Anchor Hall Locality , per Mr . Allen , 5 s . OAd . ; 1 ) . N . B ., per Mr . Clark , 5 s . ; 23 , Golden-lane , per Thomas Brown , 3 s . 3 $ d . ; Globe and Friends , per Mr . Knowles , 2 s . lOd . ; Lecture Hall , Philpot-street , per ditto , 4 s ; Ernest Jones Locality , per Mr . M'Veigh , 0 s . Cd ..: Land Office , £ 1 lCs . 2 d . ; Mr . Rider , as per Star , £ 3 lGs . Cd . —Total , £ 1710 s . lid .
Duty 02f Advertisements.-And' Paper. On ...
DUTY 02 f ADVERTISEMENTS .-AND' PAPER . On Tuesday evening a general meeting of master printers , compositors , pressmen , and machinists , was held at the Mechanics' Institution , Southampton-buildings , Chancery-Line , in pursuance of a requisition issued by the committee of the Compositors Society , for the purpose of considering the propriety of petitioning parliament to rcpe ; il the duties on advertisements and paper , as also the penny stamp on newspapers ; L . J . Hansard , Esq ., in the chair . . . .. The Chairman opened the proceedings with an address of considerable length , in-, which ho contended that the amount of revenue derived bv government from the tax
on newspapers and advertisements , by no means compensated for--the deprivation of the means of intellectual culture which it entailed on the working classes , by enhancing the price of books , periodicals , & c ., and consequently contracting their sale , while it afforded no advantage in respect of elevating the intellectual standard-or the moral tone of the press . He . also showed that the impost was especially injurious to compositors and pressmen , by the tendency which it exerted to prevent any increase in tho number of newspapers and periodicals published . Mr . Edwards moved the first resolution , Which embodied the opinion of the meeting that the taxes on paper and advertisements , as also the stamp duty on newspapers for local circulation , forcibl y impeded the industrial operations of the . printing trade , and were otherwise pernicious to the
wellbeing ofthe community , inasmuch as thoy obstructed the mental advancement of the people , and b y improperly raising the prices of books , publications , and newspapers , prevented the majority from obtaining the practical knowledge and information so immediately essential to the happiness and conducive to to tho general prosperity of society . He said that the printing business had suffered for many years from the narrow field of labour and the excesssive number of labourers , and the consequence was that during that period large numbers of men both able and willing to work , were continually out of employment . The resolution was seconded by Mr . Baker , supported by Mr . J . Dvxcax , and carried unanimously . A petition to parliament in which the principal objections to these imposts were briefly and clearly stated having been adopted , the proceedings terminated ..
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Ilr. T. Oitmksnfir Acknowledges Tho Rece...
ilr . T . OitMKsnfiR acknowledges tho receipt of the follows sums fur ihe support of the Kirkdale prisoners j-l adihum , "Richard Barker , 10 s . ; Swineshead Clous ., lodiiuiihUju . ( is . ; Salford , Land Members , Is Od . ; 1 auuiam Chartists , 10 s . ; Todmorden , Kit-hard Bartaw , Os . Mv . G . Davidson , Leitli . —Keccivecl . , . . Mr . Itonianuv , Wingatc Grangc-None have been
is-S . h „ Ifolucc . lc .-Thc legitimate expenses of tfie election of churchwardens foil on the church rates and not on individuals . A written note is generally ha-ided inby parties demanding a poll-but we do not beheve it to to a positive requirement of the law . Has Holbeck a local act ? if so you must be guided by that . Mr . riBLDEN , Todmordeu . —Mr . Cooper ' s address is 5 , l ' ark . row , Knigbtsbridge . Edisuuuou We did not receive the report or the meeting until Thursday evening , which will account for tho brief notice we have given of it . W . II . ft , Birmingham . —We cannot advise . J , Sweet acknowledges the receipt ofthe following sums ( sent herewith ) for Victim Fund , viz . : —Mr . Lees , Is . ; Mrs . Perkins , Id . ; W . M ., 24 d . ; from Carrington , 78 . 6 d . ; The Seven Stars , 5 s . Gd . ; The Alderman Wood , Is . OJd , ; The Colonel Hutchinson , 5 s . ; Tho Balloon , 2 s . Mas . M'JDouALt . —Received by the Liverpool Committee . — Per John Knight , Is . 6 d . ; Mr . J . Sweet , Nottingham , Cs , Id . ; per Thomas Whittaker , from Newton Moor , near Hyde , 3 s . J . Nockles , Glasgow—We cannot insert your communication unless - paid for as an advertisement .
'¦'. — «I>" . To The Land Members. The D...
' ¦' . — « i > " . TO THE LAND MEMBERS . The Directors have received numerous applications from , parties who have been inspired with increased confidence , in consequence of the decision ofthe Court of Queen ' s Bench , asking them to postpone the day for receiving Bonuses , in order to enable them to withdraw their monies , and as this cannot in any wise interfere with the time of taking possession , the Directors have agreed to extend the time for receiving bonuses ,, till Wednesday , the 13 th of June ;
and in reply to correspondents asking what amount of Bonus would be likely to insure location , the Directors cannot foim a guess , nor would it be legitimate for them to attempt one . Every man paying one-third of the amount that the Land and House cost the Company , will receive a conveyance at his own expense , which will amount to between £ / J and £ 8 , or rather less , while every man who has paid less than a third by way of Bonus , will receive a lease . Those who pay the largest amount of
Bonus will be entitled to the first choice , and so on in proportion to tho amount paid , while four per cent , upon the amount paid will be deducted from the annual rent . Some have already paid as much as £ 140 , but this is no guide ; but it should be distinctl y understood , that those who have paid Bonus , hut not of sufficient amount to entitle them to location , will have their funds returned . This is rather a bettor security than monies invested . in Railway Companies .
Feargus O'Connor , Philip M'Gtkath , Thomas Clark , Christopher Doyle , William Dixon .
The Charter, On Monday, The 4th Of June,...
THE CHARTER , On Monday , the 4 th of June , a meeting will be held in Milton-street Theatre , to adopt a petition for the People ' s Charter , to which Feargus O'Connor , Esq ., M . P ., and several other Members of Parliament have been invited . Chair to he taken at half-past seven o ' clock ,
Portrait Of The Patriot, Thomas Francis ...
PORTRAIT OF THE PATRIOT , THOMAS FRANCIS MEAGHER . On Saturday , the 9 th of Juno , this splendid portrait of Thomas Francis Meagher , together with his biography , will he g iven with the " Northern Star . " Agents are requested to send their orders , and state to whom they shall he sent for enclosure , or hy what conveyance they must be forwarded .
The Florthern Star Satukday, May 26, U849.
THE flORTHERN STAR SATUKDAY , MAY 26 , U 849 .
The Charter There Is No Coercion That Th...
THE CHARTER There is no coercion that the inventive mind of man can suggest , that is not being attempted , to seduce , induce , or intimidate us to modify our political principles , and reduce our demands to the standard of expediency . The Free Traders , who based their title to Chartist support in their struggle for cheap
bread upon professions of Liberal principles , assured the people that Free Trade once accomplished they would then struggle for the Charter . To use Mr . Bright ' s words , delivered in the Market-square of Northampton , " Let us get the one waggon through the gate first , and then wo will open it wide enough for the six ; " but now they bare contracted their space to four of different dimensions , as we do not recognise one of our vans in their
group . By this party we are now characterised as obstructives ; while some few—and , thank God , they arebutafew—lick-spittle drivellers , formerl y tho most enthusiastic Chartists , inspired by the hope of another mock crusade , in which they may he the paid apostles to 2 > reach another mouthful of moonshine to the oft-deceived working classes , are pinning
themselves to the broad-cloth sleeves of their iuturc paymasters , and shadowing forth their future hope , derived from middle class patronage , based upon desertion of Chartist principles . But , thank God , although the English mind is capable of being caught by flies , which turn out in the end to be stinging gnats , and although we stood alone of our order , we have the courage and resolution to resist the bait .
what ! have not the working classes of England gained sufficient experience from the nothing achieved from the three great measures of the last twenty years—namely ,
EMANCIPATION-REFORM—FREE TRADE ? Were not these three changes considered as essential political changes ? Did not Emancipation promise the down-trodden Catholic perfect religious freedom , while he still pays tax to the law church , and sees the conquerors ' trophy in every church stooplo ? Did not the promises held out by Reformers excite the expectants to arson and revolution ? And was not the confident hope relied upon by the people as the realisation of that measure , that every man should be represented in the House of Commons , leaving the seductive hope of
PE A CE , RETRENCHMENT , AND REFORM wholly out of the question 1 Next came Free Trade , which presented not only the flattering prospects of HIGH WAGES , CHEAP BREAD , AND
PLENTY TO DO , hut the still fonder belief , that the ultimate object of its advocates was to insure a " full , free , and fair representation of the whole people in the . Commons House of Parliament . " Well then , we would ask if a people thus juggled for twenty years , and without whose co-operation not one of those measures would have been carried , are again about to surrender that proud position which will ere long make thorn the real , as they are the legitimate source , of political power , and thus a fourth time be the slayers of popular liberty ? ! * '
TheEree Traders , when struggling for the moans of competing with the world in manufactures produced by cheap labour , were > MORAL FORCE Chartists , and only required Free Trade as the first stepping-stone to cross the political ford . Knowing that the people of England attach paramount importance to political equalit y , thoseVwho struggle for their own financial benefit find it expedient and necessary to mix
The Charter There Is No Coercion That Th...
Up Political with Financial Reform ; but , \ let our readers rest assured , that their Political Reform is hut the trap to catch an auxiliary force to secure their own object ; and that the people are hut used as political engines to . intimidate middle class opponents , and to achieve another middle class triumph ; and , that onco gained , all thought of extension of political power will vanish , until the support ot me masses may he again required to achieve further financial benefits for their taskmasters .
We are now taunted with a slugg ish inertness ofthe masses , and are sneeringly asked , if it is not more prudent to walk with those who have power to light us a portion of the way on our Reform journey ? But our answer now is—as it was thirteen years ago—that they will lead US on that road with a dark lantern in their hand , flashing it in our face when they have arrived at their own goal , thanking us for our company , telling us that they have arrived at their destination , and requesting us to grope our way to ours in the When there was m ore difficulty and greater danger connected with . the advocacy of popular
rights , we resisted every bait held out we laughed at every threat , and cheerfully bore oppression and persecution , rather than allow ourselves to be used as tools to deceive the working millions ; and now , that a new campaign has opened , and that another attempt is being made to seduce the Chartists from their allegiance , wo swear before Heaven , that we WOUld ratherjoin even in a physical struggle which should terminate in death , than he again led blindfold , gagged , and manacled , as recruits in the RULE-OF-THREE ARMY .
What is life , but liberty ? and what is liberty , hut the fullest enjoyment of life ? And how could we enjoy life or liberty—how could we repose by night , or think freely hy dayhow could we live without pungent remorse , feeling the sting of conscience , were we seduced from our own path by the scoff of the wily , the threat of the powerful , or the desertion ofthe slave ? Talk not to us about the promised benefits to be derived from the QUADRUPED . You —brave Chartists of England—pawned your clothes , your little luxuries , your necessaries of life , and stinted yourselves of food to send delegates—nay hundreds of delegates—from all parts of England , Ireland , Scotland , and
Wales , to Birmingham , in 1842 , to save your Wed and honoured principles from the machinations of the wily , whoso only PROFESSED OBJECT wasto change yourname , hut whose real intention was to slay your constitution ; and if you can derive knowledge of the future from the past , bear the fact in mind , that a small minority of that assembly , professors of Universal Suffrage , and of every point in the Charter , abandoned the meeting when defeated in then- attempt to destroy us , thus fully establishing their lore for the principle of Universal Suffrage . What , then , are you , brave Chartists of England , so degenerate , and have you lost that spirit which animated you in 1842 , to preserve even the name of your Charter ? and
will you now , with your prisons full of victims , with millions of your fellows starving for want of bread— -will you , who made such sacrifices to preserve even your name in 1842 , consent , in 1849 , to accept the QUADRUPED as a substitute for the Charter ?—if so , seven years do in truth M'ork a mighty change in the human mind . . Your taskmasters may rejoice in your silence
and prostration , and may take advantage of your apparent apathy to raise their own little flag , but we have made a wrong estimate of English feeling , if we could presume that the English mind is prepared to retrograde ; while , in this age of progress , new opinion is upon every passing breeze , and the people of all other countries are contending for the inalienable rights of man .
What said Mr . Williams , the late member for Coventry , at the Financial Reform meeting , held in the London Tavern on Tuesday last ? He spoke as follows : — "The productive power of the people had been fearfully reduced , and tho consequence was that last year 3 , 500 , 000 received parochial relief , and 100 , 000 were committed to prison for crime . Surely , then , if something were not done to stay the further progress or this downward system they might live to see a prophecy Sir James Graham , published in a pamphlet thirty years ago , to the effect Uiat ' whenever the country presents the spectacle of millions wanting bread , then would the people sweep away titles , pensions ,
and honours / The only remedy for this complication of evils was parliamentary reform ; * it was useless to expect financial reform tiU that had been attained . When Lord John Russell introduced the Reform Rill , he made use of these remarkable words : ' I propose by this bill that the people shall send to tho Commons House of Parliament their real representatives , to deliberate on their wants—to consult on their interests—to consider their grievances—to hold the purse-strings of the nation—to lay the foundation for salutary changes in the well-being and comforts of the people—and that laws shall not be passed for the benefit of classes by men roused from their slumbers at twelve o' clock at night to . vote for what they know not . '"
Well , then , have we not millions wanting bread now ? While Sir James G-kaham looks sleek and fat , and is preparing himself as a recipient of a larger amount of bread wrung from the starving millions , hy passing from the bleak to . tho sunny side ofthe Treasury . But we agree with Mr . Williams , and fully , that the hope of Financial Reform , except through the instrumentality of Parliamentary Reform is ridiculous and absurd ; while we further contend that no measure of Parliamentary Reform short of the People ' s Charter , will ever accomplish that Financial Reform which will be of any ( the slightest ) benefit to the working man .
Comment upon the hope held out hy Lord John Russell when contending for the Reform Bill , would be useless and mere waste of time , inasmuch as we have shown a thousand times over , that not a single promise held out by the advocates of that measure , and not a hope of those who fiercely contended for it , has been realised . Have we not already drawn from past disappointments a sufficient
warning for the future to place the Chartists upon their guard against this new recruiting company ? Are they not aware that of all horrors the present system of political persecution is the greatest ? And are they not aware that the juries who carry these fierce laws into execution by their verdicts upon Chartist prisoaerg are composed exclusively of our middle-class
FINANCIAL REFORM FRIENDS ? If required further proof ofthe powerofthe middle classes to rule this country , even under Household representation , could Ave furnish a stronger one than that which the Irish Poor Law system presents ? In that country three years residence constitutes a title to parochial relief , and the tyrants take care to eject their slaves every thirty months ; and once establish the princi ple of Household Suffrage in . this country , and then as we before predicted , you will have two descriptions of House—H-O-U-S-E , to live in—and H-O-U-S-E , to vote out of ; and no man will be secure in the
possession of his domicile for one year , much more for three years .-The mask would then not he relied upon by the owner , for , even with the Ballot , the owners of property would take good care that their voting houses should onl y be occupied by serfs upon whose votes they could depend ; and the result would he continuous oustings , and the utter suppression of public opinion , as no occupant of a voting house would run the risk of being ejected Why , did not the Reform tfilt—that great Leviathan—promise all hut the Charter , and what has it - effected for the millions , who are again to he duped hy the repetition of a similar humbug 9 '
Jft ali ° ther nations > for ' centuri <* held in servile bondage , are contending for flesh and blood and mentalright , willthe IngLh peopt -theforemost of all nations in political knowh & ^ f ;^ l , lood > ^ d mind , to oe fS'TtW ^ an ? morfca 1 '? Sha 11 * GvnZL , JS . ^ xon that his mind , and the ZK ? f f ? * ' s ^ H be swayed , directed , controlled , *& governed by the caprice
The Charter There Is No Coercion That Th...
ofthe owner of his hovel ? J \ o . ' bravo C'lia tisfcs of England , let your watchword he r
. " TILE CHARTER AND NO SURRENDER , "' . You have been caught in the middle-class trap three times , and we now toll y ou in <> m , clus _ ion , that" As well may the lamb with the ti ger unite The mouse with the cat , or the lark irith the Iate "_ as to presume that the labourer can unite with the moneymonger for any other purpose than to make him a lark in the claws of the kite or a mouse in the fangs of the cat . What is to be done for Labour must be done b y Labour and , as we have-consistentl y fought the battle of Labour , if all others should now desert its banner , and though we stood alone , our watch . word shall be—' THE FULL RIGHTS OF MAN ACCOMPLISHED BY " THE PEOPLE'S CHARTER . "
Parliamentary Review. Chartism Is Too St...
PARLIAMENTARY REVIEW . Chartism is too strong a dose to be swallowed entire by our legislators ,- they there , fore take it in drops upon the homeopathic system . Last year on the motion of Mr . H . Berkeley they adopted a resolution in favour ofthe Ballot , by a majority of eighty-six to eighty-one ; this week they have by a majority
of five declared in favour of shortening the duration of Parliaments . As no specific time was named by Mr . D'Et ^ court , who introduced . the subject , and who merely asked for leave to bring in a bill with that object , the decision was one upon a principle rather than any fixed number of years . Probably the mover himself and many of his supporters would prefer Triennial to Annual Parliaments , but as the decision stands it is merely an affir « mation ofthe justice and policy of short Parliaments , and is therefore as much to "be claimed by the advocates of the latter as by those who
support the former period . The Ministerial organ on the mornin g following this decision , tried to throw ridicule upon it . It was a mere joke which was allowed to pass ic " the absence of the great bulk of the members . " According to the same venerable authority " upon the Derby question , " ( that is , whether the members shouldhavea holiday to go to the races on Wednesday , instead of attending to their business ) there had been a full House and a full divisioa—138 against 119—as the gravity ofthe subject deserved . Immediately the division had
taken place , the Members presuming that all serious business was at an end , ran out to arrange their plans for the morrow . The " Times" may consider this style of writing humorous and witty , we think it brutal and ! insulting . If it represents the feelings or harmonises with the sentiments of those it is supposed to represent , we can only say that we trust that ere long the people of this country will teach them in an effectual and practical way the difference between their opinions as to what constitutes " serious
business . " In the meantime , however the Puddledock Thunderer may affect to decry the decision of Parliament , on the subjects of the Ballot and Short Parliaments ; however true it may be that Ministers could " whip" a counter majority of hacks , whoso only business in the Hall of St . Stephen is , in the words of Burns , "to say aye or no as they are bidden ; " yet one thing is certain .
Parliament has solemnly recorded its decision in favour of both . There they stand on the Journals of the House of Commons , and thc reversal of these decisions can only be effected at the cost ofthe character of Parliament itself for integrity and consistency . Mr . D'Eyncourt ' s speech was studiously subdued and almost Whiggish in its tone , though that does not save him from the ridicule of the Ministerial
organ , which complains that he treated the subject " retrospectively , prospectively , historicall y , philosophically , or , " as sailors would say , from stein to stern . " This is really , to say the least of it , a strange objection to maka to a speech , and still stranger the sequence . "We ( the " 1 'imes" ) can only consider the question in one way , and that is rationally . " If
there be any meaning in words , as used by the recondite authority of Printing -House Square , we are to infer , that to treat a subject " historicall y and philosophically "—to view it by the light of past experience—in order to justify the conclusions of abstract , arid a . priori reasoning ; in short , to look at the whole question in a comprehensive and argumentative way— " as sailors would say , from stem to stern "—is to treat it irrationally ! '' This
conclusion affords a key to the approval of Lord John Russell ' s opposition to the motion . Whatever is opposed to history and philosophy being rational in the estimation of thc " Times , " must receive its eulogiums . How far it , and its proteges , will receive the support of the country , in this crusade against common sense , common justice , and common ri ghts , is another question . The whole ofthe Premier ' s address was
cast m the old moulds of Toryism . Disraeli ' s most bitting sarcasm on Peel was , that lie had stolen the clothes ofthe Whigs while they were bathing . Lord John has cried " quits , " by borrowing the very arguments which wore used against his own Reform Bill , " along time ago . " That Bill , in the course of some seventeen or eighteen years , has given him and his party somewhere about twelve or thirteen years of office . "It has worked well : ffliy do you seek to alter things as they are ? I am very well satisfied with themand " see no catis «
, for change , and as long as I can prevent it there shall be none . " Such is , iu effect , Lord John ' s argument . In his present position , perhaps , it is a natural one . But , on the other hand , he ought to recollect , and Mr . D'Evxcourt ' s quotation from his own speech on introducing the Reform Bill , was a timely reminder- of the . fact , that that Bill was not passed into a law merely that the Whigs might be enabled to oust the Tories from office , and enjoy the comforts of place and patronage m their stead . It was intended to enfranchise
a portion of the people , in order to lay tll < 3 foundation gradually for a still wider exteii " siou of political rights , in oz-der that thes might be exercised for the promotion of the well-being of all clases of the community . When the advocates of Toryism taunt thc supporters of political reform , with the crao-like progress which has been made under nominally reformed institutions , wo have an answer ready in ths fact , that the power of the Stale hi *
been administered in the spirit of Toryism , fa the selfish purposes of individuals and classw ; power has been monopolised in order that its benefits mi ght be confined to the holders aai their immediate connexions and dependent * , and that the people , as a whole , have bee " looked npon in the true spirit of aristoeraticaj brigandage , as merel y subjects for legal plunder . In plain , straightforward despotisms , the people are plundered wMinntanv disguise ;
in this country we are robbed under the gi " / constitutional form s—borne down to the oartj with general and local taxation-excludej from all direct participation in leg islation a »» administration , and then mocked with tw empty name of « freemen 1 " Wo are » uc " mistaken , however , if this state of things la st long . Englishmen will not tamely look on an see the nations ofthe Continent achievu ^ j > one bound political emancipation , a j ! v ( J ing masse those suffrages which they " , been asking in vain for long years , ffHiw taking heart , and endeavouring to copy example : — .
' * The veriest jade ' will wince when thc harness rt ^ S So much into her hide , as quite to wrong her . And perhaps , in the long run , those v " ^ so anxious to maintain the status qu" ^ t think that aU political wisdom a * th eP / 0 tho moment is summed up in res istance « . ^ popular wiU—may find that wisd om to DC
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Citation
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Northern Star (1837-1852), May 26, 1849, page 4, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/ns/issues/ns2_26051849/page/4/
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