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Apsil 29,1848. THE TNOffiTggRN ^TAR. „ ....
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GRAND SOIREE ; In the evening a splendid...
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©De inovtyevn (souiam
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Liverpool —An immense meeting took place...
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Wht MiWwiQ ®owmts
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Radford, near Nottingham.—The Chartists ...
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tStye goutteti Counties
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Ipswich.—A meeting was convened in this ...
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male*-
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Newport, MoNiionTHSHiRB.—At the weekly m...
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^cotlanti.
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ine iDWBor.GH Weekly Expbbss reports Una...
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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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On Friday Night, At Six O'Clock, A Meeti...
Mr HAssises seceaded the mc-tioDj - which was carried unanimously . Mr O'Connor , on presenting himself , was greeted mth three tremendous cheers . He said—When Mr Daniel O'Connell was- . address ' ing a monster meeting in Ireland he reminded his audience of the motto under the touch-hole of the volunteers' guns , and then he put his finger to his nose , so . ( Loud cheers . ) Now , it * would be , perhaps , the best thing for me to remind you of the motto under the touch-hole of Lord John Russell's bomb , that is to blow ns all to Yea Diemen ' s Land , and put my finger on my lips . ( Loud laughter . ) But , however , notwithstanding tbat that trap bad been baited for tbe red cap of
Chartism , I tell Lord John Russell that he is too cunning to go into it . ( Loud laughter . ) It is now pretty nearly nine months since I was honoured with your confidence as your representative . I think tbat within those nine months I have been brought to bed of a very numerous family . ( Laughter . ) I rejoice to think that after so many who have been honoured with your confidence— certainly in return for their money—that I have acted a part different from those who purchased that confidence in order to fill their own pockets out of yours . ( Loud cheers . ) I thank you for the resolution you bave passed ; but I object a little to the tender of yeursympathy . You
should have expressed your sympathy for tbe House of Parliament , for I gave them as good as I got . { ' Hear , hear , ' and laughter . ) I require no sympathy ; and the more I am pricked , the more I am goaded , the more I am spurred , the more I am put upon my metal . ( Cheers . ) But , my friends , I am happy to find , from your resolution , that in these days of danger and dismay , when the rampant "Whigs nave kicked down the ladder by which they ascended to power , you think that lhave fearlessly and honestly discharged my duty . ( Cheers . ) I venture to say that there are few , even of the liberal memhers , who are willing again to test the opinion of their constituents . However , in order to show that
i think the popular voice should be as unanimous as possible , if there are two hundred here in this vast meeting who are dissatisfied with my conduct , I will iot continue to hold my seat . ( Cheers . ) I dare say ihe newspapers will state tbat there are about 200 or 300 at this meeting . ( Laughter . ) The virtuous press always has one eye clouded and tbe other shut . As we say of the cooks in Ireland , when tbe soot falls in the broth , they have one eye up the chimney and the other skimming the pot . ( Laughter . ) Look at what they said ef the meeting of tbis day fortnight . The most glorious meeting I ever saw one paper said consisted of 4 , 000 and another 10 , 000 . On Tuesday , however , after the Commissioners of
Police had sent a private letter to every one of the proprietors , there was an extraordinary coincidence in their dreams , for they all came out with 15 , 000 . ( Laughter . ) That was the meeting which the government proclaimed should not take place . That was the meeting which I was warned , by policemen and by members of Parliament , if I attended I should be shot . It was , however , held in defiance of the proclamation ; I rode on the front seat , and , thank God ! I myself was the cause that no blood was shed . ( Cheers . ) I told that meeting , whom 1 addressed , as 1 do this audience , as my children , tbat I had too much in store for them to spare one sinele man from nature ' s feast , when nature ' s feast .
• day shall come . ( Cheers . ) We find all the continental countries bubbling with the new genius of the iisae . We find despots g iving constitutions where £ few years ago they would not have made the slightest alteration . We have seen countries placed in the possession of their new-born liberties who are not so well prepared to use them as we . And why ? Because they have not had the power of speech ; they have not had tbe power of meeting in public to confer together ; and they have not , as we have for tbe first time in the history of nations , a good solid system to replace a rotten system- ( Cheers . ) In France the errors , or rather the position of the Provisional Govenment is not their own fault . If they are obliged to sustain 100 , 000 of the people in idleness ,
it is not the fault of the government which has now taken the command , but the fault of the tyrant despot who would not allow the people to confer together in order that they might have been prepared to propose a better system than that they were about to destroy . ( Cheers . ) But I have proposed a better system ; and what I assert here , as in the House of Commons , is , that if to-morrow we had , even for purchase , the land of our birih , I wonld not leave a man idle who was willing to work ; I would put every man to work . ( ' Hear , ' and cheers . ) It is something for England to say , that , unlike all other nations , her agitation has been made in s quiet , peaceful , and constitutional manner . ( Cheers . ) They may complain of idler * . Sa do I—of the idlers who live en the sweat
of industry —( cheers)—and to-morrow , if I had the means , I would find labour for those who are willing to work , and every unwilling idler I would have whipped through your streets . ( Cheers ) But I have now a great regard for tbe unwilling idlers , and their wives , and their children—they are made so by class legislation—as much regard for them as I have for the man who works sixteen hours a day , because they are not allowed to win an honest livelihood . ( Cheers . ) They have passed the Gagging Bill , and much good may it do them . ( A laugh . ) I told the government , and I will keep my word they may depend upon it , that if they did pass it , I would traverse the length and breadth of the land , by day and night , and that my cry should be ' Down
with the base , brutal , and bloody Whigs . ' I told them that the existence of three political parties in the state is incompatible with peace , law , and order , and teld them that public opinion would compel Sir Robert Peel and Lord John Russell to unite , and then we should have only two parties in the state—the rich oppressor and tbe poor oppressed . ( Great cheering . ) I reminded the noble lord and his colleagues that what had produced the French Revolution was what they had been doing the whole session , namely , extracting taxes from the middle and working classes for idlers to live upon . I reminded the Prime Minister—pushed and howled on by those tax-devourers who sat behind him on the Treasurv benches as he was—that this continued
draw upon the pockets of the people could not De -maintained ; and I asked what was the reason so great a number were starving when the land of the -country was capable of supporting five times the population ? If I prove , then , that the land will produce enough for the maintenance of those placed upon it by God , where is the infidel who would compel the land to be sterile ? ( Cheers . ) Why should we pay £ 10 , 000 , 000 a year to the shepherds while the flecks are starving ? ( Cheers . ) Not a word has been said by the government of reducing the incomes of the idle parsons . ( Cheers . ) Why should a parson have £ 3 , 000 a year , while he allows only £ 120 to the journeyman parson who saves
your souls . ( A laugh . ) Your souls areall saved by journeymen . ( Cheers . ) All the master soul-savers go—not on the Continent now ; it is too hot for them —( a laugh)—to watering , and other places , and go to hear themselves tbe journeymen of other neglectful master soul-savers . ( Cheers . ) This Church Establishment cannot stand . ( Cheers . ) I say that the working classes , and the middle classes , and the Dissenters , will not allow the Church Establishment to stand . They will not allow £ 18 , 000 , 000 to be paid for the Army , Navy , and Ordnance , nor £ 4 , 000 , 000 to be expended under the head of miscellaneous estimates , which means for the support of idlers , lickspittles , and prostitutes , while the
: faces of old age , which I see before me , are pallid and careworn , and those of tbe young stamped with the marks of premature old age . ( Cheers . ) ] It is not according to nature , reason or humanity . ( Cheers . ) But however I have suffered in my constitution , and though I look five or six years ! older than I did nine months ago , when I came ' before you as your earnest , honest servant—( cheers)—I again feel the blood grows young again , however pale my face may look . ( Cheers . ) This ; atmosphere is rather more wholesome than that of St Stephen ' s . ( A laugh . ) I love to hear those i nearly cheers , and see those smiling countenances . I ( Cheers . ) But you have no more idea of what the ] House of Commons is , than a cock of a holiday . i < A laugh . ) 1 wish you were a few nights in that j gallery . ( Cheers . ) But the press never tells the
: real slate of the house . It did not mention that on : Friday night every member of tbe government was ] hooted and groaned down . They found there were 1 other groaners than the honourable member for ' Nottingham . ( Cheers . ) Never were there such volleys of groans as those the government got from those who formerly were their supporters . ( Cheers . ) The government will soon find out that they are in the wrong box . I am receiving letters every day from ""the shopkeepers , formerly our bitterest eaemies , ¦ who are beginning to find out that an empty till ¦ stakes an ugly wife on a Sunday morning . ( Great ; lasghter . ) These are the principles I have advocated and will advocate in spite of the Gagging Bill . ( Cheers . ) These are tbe principles I bave advoi eated during an agitation of thirty-five years' dura-• tion . My resolution now is that no man shall j make a fool of me , and that I will not make a fool
On Friday Night, At Six O'Clock, A Meeti...
of myself ; and I think you will allow that I have shown both prudence , courage , and wisdom in my career . ( Cheers . ) I will give them no excuse to put me on hoard the hulks , but I will confine my speeches to the House of Commons , and utter them regardless of Gagging Bills , and see if the press will report them . Lord Brougham says that any man who reports , prints , or publishes sedition , may be transported by this Bill ; but I will have a reporter of my own in . the gallery , and they shall be printed
in my paper . I was told that if I went to the meeting on Monday , the 10 th instant , I should be shot ; but I went in the foremost rank upon the car , and I was the means of preventing blood being shed tbat day . ( Cheers . ) But suppose I had been shot , and the news had come down to you , what would you have done the next day ? ( An indistinct murmur arose , of which we did not catch the purport . ) That is my protection , because the government knows that ii I am touched it will not be
because I shall do anything feloniously or illegally , for I always stand on the constitution of the law . But the government are they who act unconstitutionally . ( Cheers . ) Throughout the whole of my life of agitation I have never caused a drop of blood to be shed , but I am determined to go on . If the middle classes do not go on—if they do not go for the whole hog , bristles and all—( a laugh)—they will never find me for less than the People ' s Charter , name and all . ( A laugh . ) I shall call on them to proceed . In the olden time , when danger was abroad , men would shrink back , but if I find them skulking , I will strut out before them . ( Cheers . ) I do not think anything short of
inspiration could have induced me to speak so long in the open air . You know what Mr Duncombe has suffered from his devotion to the people , and I was attacked by just the same symptoms . But I have a good wide chest , and a good pair of bellows inside it : I shall keep a good deal in till I see how the middle classes come out . ( Cheers . ) The government , however , bave met with their match in me . ( Cheers . ) In 18-15 , Mr Fox Maule told Mr Disraeli that a commission was sent down to Scotland , to see after the state of the crops , and also to report upon tbe state of O'Connor ' s speech . ( Cheers . ) This Gagging Bill is a trap for me ; but they will not get so old a fox inside it . The honourable gentleman
then made an attack upon the reporters , saying he had no doubt one or more were spies of government , and then continued as follows : —At a meeting at Oldham Edge , at which a quarter of a millien were present , the press gave us 8 , 000 , and not bad either . ( Laughter . ) In fact , this is the rule I recommend . If there are thirty newspapers , which give different accounts , add all the numbers together , multiply them by two , and you will get about half the real total . ( Laughter . ) At that meeting a gentleman said , ' Mr O'Connor , you are Irish ; you must come back to your own country . ' * Nay , ' was the reply of an old man who stood near , « Nay , he ' s our feyther , and we canna part wi' hira . We'll lend him yer , but yo mnn send him back agen . ' ( Loud laughter . ) I shall continue this agitation until I
have been the means of placing every man who wishes to go upon the land , in a cottage , with land to support him there the remainder of his days . ( Cheers . ) If there be then any who do not wish that , the artificial labour market being freed from the present amount of competition , they will receive twice the amount of wages they now obtain . ( Cheers . ) Now , I have to address the tea meeting to-day , and therefore I will not keep you any longer , as I shall then be able to enter more minutely into detail . I have only to thank you once more for the confidence you have reposed in me in having returned me as your Member , and to assure you that I will not cease my exertions until the Whigs are driven from office and the People ' s Charter the law of the land . ( The Hon . Member then retired amidst loud cheers . )
Dr M'Dauall and the Rev . Thaddeus O'Malley , were unanimously elected members of the forthcoming National Assembly , which is to assemble on the 1 st of May . Three times three cheers were then given for Mr O'Connor , three for the Charter and Repeal , and three groans for the Whig ? , and the meeting dfepersed .
Apsil 29,1848. The Tnoffitggrn ^Tar. „ ....
Apsil 29 , 1848 . THE TNOffiTggRN ^ TAR . „ .. ..... J *
Grand Soiree ; In The Evening A Splendid...
GRAND SOIREE ; In the evening a splendid tea party took placo at the Exchange Rooms , about 700 sat down to tea . After the tables were cleared speaking , commenced . Mr Mott was unanimously called to the chair . The CHiTRiiAN ^ briefly stated that the Chartists had met on a previous occasion to celebrate the election of Mr O Connor , and that the present festivities were for the purpose of driving the last nail into the coffin of the base crew who had presented a petition against Mr O'Connor ' s return—a section of the most tjranical set of men that ever existed—the base , brutal , and bloody ' . Whiss . ( Loud cheers . ) It would not be in the power of Lord John Russell to gag them with his Bill ; for if he ( the chairman ) were in tlw situation in which thousands were , with their wives and children crying for bread , he should think himself a wretch if he tamely submitted to be thus deprived of tha right ot complaint . ( Cheers . )
Mr Roberts read the following address to Mr O'Connor . TO SEXEcrS o ' coNNoa ESQ . , M . J . Sir , . —Ia presenting to you this address , expressive of out confidence in your integrity , and our admiration for the indefatigability with which yoa have pursued the political couree you advocate tor the regeneration of mankind , we cannet but express our sorrow that those laboars and exertions have not met their just reward . We , along with you , deplore the unconstitutional law passed by tbe Legislature , at the instigation of government , for the suppression of public speaking , and , consequently , tho freedom we bare hitherto peaceably exercised , of advocating our political rights—rights which arefoanded in justice , in accordance with the constitution of these realms—which we advocate solely for the purpose of making better the present bad system of
legislation . The Legislature , in passing this unconstitutional law , have disregarded the great principle , that all government is meant for the protection and happiness of all . Tha ahaws we complain of have tome of them been trammitted to us from past generations ; and yet it has required the labour ef twenty-five consecutive years on jour part , to convince the middle and working classes that they are both inseparably connected with the exten . sion of the franchise—that it is to better the condition of both , and remedy the evils they joist ] / declaim against , that you advocate the People ' s Charter , We glory in your advocacy , and ail men ought to protect and shield yoa from all attempts list are zaadt to sacrifice you to despotism—tha faint glimmerings of light which were a few years ago to be observed recalling reason from her darkness , which then obscured the whole political horizon , now blaze forth , equalling the majestic splendour of the sun at noon day .
We disclaim destruction of property or the sacrifice of life , and will use our united exertions to prevent both . In conclusion , we repeat our confidence in your integrity , we promise to support you in all yoar political struggles for the redemption of man , and victory , advocated peaceably and morally , is certain . Mr Harrison then addressed the meeting , and informed them that he bad bees dead fourteen days , for tbatthe Debet Mebcukt , in refejence to tbe memorable 10 th of April , had said tbat he had had a small sod thrown at him , and that he had never been heard of since . Notwithstanding that , he had , however , been preaching liberty in Derbyshire ever since . In allusion to the Chartist petition , he said that the introduction of obscene signatures was the work of Government ' spies' to fling them into a disgraceful position . The Whigs had shown themselves capable of sueh a trick . One circumstance marred the
pleasures of tbe day ; and that wa ? , tbat Mr O'Connor was so unwell , and looking ten years older than he did one year ago ; but if he did look ill , it was the treatment he had met with in the house which had caused it , for it was no more like an honourable house than hell was like heaven . ( Cheers . ) He ( Mr Harrison ) had been in the House of Commons , and the conduct he had seen there would have been disgraceful to pigs . ( Cheers . ) It had been said in the House that the people would entwine their affections around the constitution like the ivy around the oak . The people had been trying to do this , but such was the rocky , flinty nature of the soil , tbat it was net possible to do it . Feargus O'Connor , in the words of the old saying , was as sound as an acorn . He was the Irish acorn , transplanted into English soil , and he had grown up into a large and majestic tree , the real oak around which the people of England will entwine their affections . ( Cheers . )
Mr O'Connor , who said , Mr Chairman —( Thundering applause . ) Mj friends , in confirmation of what has fallen from our veteran friend Harrison , I beg to remind you of the werds of Sheridan , when he said that the children of this eeunfry were governed by the mansnas , that tie mammas were go . Yerned by the papas , and that the papas governed tbe country . ( Deafening cbeers . ) I do not think that he was much out when be said tbat it was from all male attempts and support that thte females of this ceuntry would now be able to carry the Charter ;
{ Sheers from the females . ) My friends , it is sot at all unlikely that if the mouth of man should be gagged , and if his tpngue should be stilled within hia lips , tbat the unruly instruments of women , perhaps , will intimidate the government more than the violent language of man . ( Tremendous cheering . ) I am alio better pleased to be surrounded by women contending for their rights than by men ; and I never felt more proud than when the assailants of tke natienal petition declared that it was signed by a great number of women . Would to God that it
Grand Soiree ; In The Evening A Splendid...
was signed exclusively by women . But , mark , the growth ef mind , and the causes which have Jed to this change . " In ' 39 , when we contended for our political principle ? , without the social principles attached to there , it was to make woman the mistress of her own home , and tho mistress of her OWD ca ^ iO . ( Great cheering . ) Then the mothers were nothing to compare with their projectors ; they were not political agitators , because they could not see the social benefit that could arise from it ; but now that Iubave shown that woman is no longer to be tfco slave of man and that the babe is not to be turned frem the mother ' s breast and given to a stranger ( Cheers ); and when wa see the women foremost in contending for their rights and liberties , we must he
hearjtbem . One veteran has told us that waa dead , I have had the new birth unto [ rig hteousness . ( Thunders of app ' anse . ) Men tbat never asked ot the Charter before fche 10 th of April , now talk of tbe Charter , and only the Charter . ( Cheers ) We I , then , ia not this something to have accomplished ; and while our friend has told you that the middle classes must either go onward or take their rubbish out of the way , I say I am not afraid of death , J would rather be found alnongst the vanquished contending for liberty , than among the victorious who destroy it . But although the Gagging Bill has been passed , it does not apply to the House of Commons ; and I have always told you of the value of an organ in that house . I will have a reporter to report what I t & j in tbat house . I bave always told you that one man in the house is worth a legion out of it ; that
the voice of honeur , tho love of the Charter , the indomitable adherence to the principles of liberty bave gone further throughout the world than they have for centuries before . ( Great applause . ) Well , what now is the principle that should guide mo in your confidence in me , and your love towards me ; mind , wheal tell you I would rather die than betray that confidence , yon are not . to look upon me as a demagogue , or trafficking politician . You are yet my dheiples—you r . re my children—( cries of' We are , ' and cheers)—you musUeok upon me as one not wishing te destroy the families mors dear to me than life . Where could I find soiace . where csuld I find refuge , if I disappointed the males , the female ? , and the children of this country ? It ia not for you I feel , it is for the women , who have performed so much that they ought not to be worked as they have been . It is for the innocent babe
condemned unconsciously to slavery . But , my friends , a new day is beaming upon us ; and if there is one description more than another of courage and resolution , it is that which is required by tbe general . ( Cbeers . ) How foolish would that general be who was forced by the tactics of his opponents into tha very position into which they had seeked to force him . ( Cheers . ) I have my own resolution , and I have sworn to myself , before God , that you shall have the Charter and the Land . ( Protracted cheering . ) I have not joined the movement yesterday—I am not like those men who joined it on Monday and told ue on Wednesday they were quite tired of agitation . My friends , if I were tired the cause would have been lost , but I bave so organised the mind , that in a great measure must be left to me the carrying out of the principles which I have
propounded . ( Great cheering . ) Do you think I am so silly , and so foolish —( cries of 'No , no' )—as to allow recruits , to force me into collision with an armed force ? No . You might dishonour me if I were to declare myself with enthusiasm which would not ba warranted of me again ; but I wonld lose my self-respect , and if once I lost that , your confidence would speedily follew . ( Cheers . ) It does not require a man who will talk loudly , and thin cower before the first cloud of danger . ( Cheers . ) It requires a man that will go for universal liberty . ( Hear . ) Well , now , the middle classes , to a certain extent , have joined us . But do you suppose that I am going to march ia tbe rear of that class ? Do you suppose that I am going to give up one bristle of the hog ? Do you think that I am going to pander to that class ? No , my friends . ( Cheers . ) My motto is : —
Onward , and we conquer I Backward aad we fall ! THB PEOPLE'S CHARTER AKD NO SURRENDER ! ( Cheers . ) Why are we in advance of all other countries ? Because we have had the freedom of speech ; and by that freedom of intelligence and opinion , we have come to one unanimous resolution . It is , tbat the idle shepherd should not live luxuriously , while all the flock were starving . There is more than sufficient for all God ' s family . ( Great cheering . ) All that is possessed by the idle and luxurious Cherch belongs to the people , and that people are determined , ' Come weal , come woe , ' come Gagging Bills , or what may , their resolve is to have that property restored toils legitimate place . ( Loud and long-continued cheering . ) If the Land were looked up from the Charter , I would not give you
that for it to-morrow . ( Here Mr O'Connor snapped his fingers . ] You must understand that this is a knife and fork question—that this is a question of life and death—as to whether a man , his wife , and children shallhave a good breakfast , a good dinner , a good tea , and supper , or whether he shall be a pauperis thebastile , or a beggar at tbe rich man ' s door . Never lose sight ef this question—that the middle classes , who have joined ns in our strength , never asked to unite with us in our weakness ; but now they ask to join us , proving tbat we are tbe power in the ascendant . It required no power in persecution to place you ia that position . I told the shopkeepers that an empty till on Saturday night , would make an ugly wife on Sunday morning . 1
told the manufacturers they would not find saie for their goods . My friends , four out of every ten shops in Nottingham , are now closed . Why ? Because the pauper is a bad customer at the counter of the shopkeeper . Because the pauperis a bad customer at the counter of the manufacturer . ( Hear , hear . ) 1 ask no more than a 'fair day ' s wage for a fair day ' s work . ' ( Tremendous applause . ) Then I will consent to whip the willing idler through the streets . ( Cheers . ) I will not consent to treat with degradation the unwilling idler , who cannot obtain work , who cannot obtain labour . My friends , sympathise with those who are beaten . Do not sympathise with those who have triumphed . I have triumphed . Sympathise where sympathy is due—with the House
of Commons—vritn the government . ( Cheers . ) What is the reason we have triumphed ? Because we have been on the side of Kberty . Because wa have been upon the side of justice—because wo have bein upon the aide of labour . ( Great applause . ) Many a thousand , many a hundred thousand men , who feofFed at us , are [ pow beginning to think tbatthe People ' s Charter should be considered . It was only oh Saturday night last , Mr Gladstone attended a meeting , and proposed a humble and loyal address to the Queen . A working man get up and moved , as an amendment , the People ' s Charter . ( Great cheering ) But we must not forget that when ws adopted the Charter from principle , that the principle then was the same as now . That these
persons then were amongst our greatest revilers , and jet , mark onrkirdness and wisdom . Wo are prepared to forgive , but we are not prepared for the retrogade movement . In the present state of Europe , when crowns are trembling , sceptres falling , I am not prepared to see an aristocracy living upon the industry of this country . I am net prepared fer the terms of ' peace , retrenchment , and reform / ' cheap bread and plenty to do . ' I am not prepared to see tho same amount of taxation wrung from the few who are now employed , as was wrung from the nation when it was supposed to ba entirely employed . I am not prepared to acquiesce in tbat , and I am resolved , if I stand atone in tbe House of Commons , my cry shall be' for Labour , for Labour , '
which is the souree of all wealth , I told the House of Commons that the working : classes of this country would not be represented bj soldiers , sailors , captains , colonels , railway directors and chairmen ; by bankers , merchants , and manufacturers , idle placemen and pensioners , who are hanging on the nation . ( Cheers . ) Mind , I do not say before you what I dare not say before them . They did ' bellow , they ( lid ' boo / and they did' bah / and « groan , ' and ' laugh ; ' but the more resolute their voices the more resolute ray courage . I stood it bravely . ( Cheers . ) I was neither unnerved nor intimidated ; and I would not ba deserving of your confidence —and I have had many proofs of it—if I were prepared to cower before the groan of faction . T hie
has for me great charms . ( Cheers ) This is my teaching ; that moral power , is the deliberative quality in man ' s mind , and should that fail to secure for him those rights to which as a man he is justly entitled , should physical force be required , it will come to his aid like an electric shock ; but the man who advises it is a fool and a traitor . ( Cheers . ) To be forewarned is to be forearmed ; but as the Gagging Bill has been passed , I would rather die a freeman than live a slave , ( Leud cheers . ) My friends , mark me well , and take this home with yon—that wherever there is physical revolution , labour will be the first to suffer . ( Hear , hear . ) But when a moral revolution takes place , labour establishes its own system out of the system that it has broken down . ( Cheers . ) Don't do as they have done inPrnssia . I tend you that the king had thrown off the Prussian plume , and that he has taken the peacock ' s plume for a moment , to gain a larger army ;
and we now see that the King of Prussia has established a Natiocal Gnard of the middle « lasse 6 ; to keep down the working classes . ( Hisses . ) Now labour strikes the last blow ; but as soon as that blow is struck , and he is not prepared to receive it , he will be struck down . ' ( Cheers . ) My whole life has been devoted to the interests of labour . Not an heur , not a minute , not an instant , do I devote to my own affairs—leaving them to chance . ( Cheers . ) Well , then , am I to be led by every-day supporters ? No ! Let them follow me . I will take two steps for their one , and they shall be forward . ( Cheers . ) The man who is least forward in proclaiming his valour ia the most resolute to win . ( Cheers . ) Tho middle classes have joined ua now-the Irish have fraternised with us . rl ^ -l „ u tnis Gagging Bill is a violation of the Bill ef Rights . Itis a violation of liberty —« freedom ; and wheiever tyranny tries to travel upon the grounds of liberty—liberty ia sure to ob-
Grand Soiree ; In The Evening A Splendid...
tain Us rights . ( Great cheering , ) Let us ask what isthe government doing in Ireland ? They ara arming the rich oppressor against the poor opp ressed ; - but I havo never said arm , my friends . The mind is a thing that nothing can check ; the tongue and the pen are the means of expressing that mind . ( Grcaieheering , ) What I the mind of England tebe gagged ! but they cannot do it , as I told the ministers in my place in parliament , that all the hulks of her Majesty would not be large enough to contain the treacherous ministry , who now sit upon and behind the benches . I say the ministers have committed treason against the crown—against the people , and against the constitution . Weil , who can go further than tell the government that they are
traitors te their faces , and to repeat it to my constituents . ( Loud cheering . ) We marched through thecannon , through the soldiery , through the armed and unarmed , when we dispersed , showing our lovo of life , rather to sacrifice our life to liberty , than to sacrifice the people . ( Cheers . ) But now even soldiers , sailors , and policemen are inquiring what does th « Charter mean ? ( Great cheering . ) According to the lying press of the country , the whole of tbe Pro . tectives , armed and unarmed , amounted to 250 , 000 men . What were they to be alarmed at ? ( Leud cheers . ) Now , my friends , I have shown jou the value of this ; to-morrow I leave you to go to my' cold , quiet home ; ' I go to receive fresh vigour—to plant beans and peas for those who never had one of their
own before . I go for the next wet k , that I may renew my health and vigour . ( Great cheering . ) My friends , I told them if the rain lasted ten days longer , the effect would be awful . The wheat is now rotting in the ground . I haveseen it in many counties . ( Cheers . ) Oimyoulongercheer—canyou pay £ 30 , 000 , 000 fer food to foreign nations , as you did last year ? ( ' No , do . ' ) Bat if jou had the find , you would have more than would supply you . If tbe wheat rotted , tho carrots would not ; if the carrots did , tbe turnips would net ; everything would not rot . ( Cheers . ) 1 contend that wheat is eu ogised far above its worth y I contend that a good beefsteak with a selvidge on it , and some good cabbage , is better than a crust of bread . ( Cheers . ) Good God ! what can be so beautiful as to tee the father going out into his own labour field to gather vegetables . They cannot grow bread , but
they can grow vegetables . ( Great applause . ) I bare struggled long , and incessantly , and honestly , I hope , tor the success of this great cause ; and ' Come weal , come woe , ' although I may be a martyr to the Gagging Bill , I will smile tyranny out of countenance , and I will die as I have lived , a pure lover of liberty . ( The honourable gentlemen tbea sat down amidst tbe most deafeaiog applause ever heard within a bfiilding . ) Mr O'Coxnor then propesed a vote of thanks to Mr Mott as a sincere Chavtiot , and after three cheers each for the Charter , fer tbe voters for Mr O'Connor for tho return of Frost , Williams , and Jones , and for Mr O ' Connor , and three terrible groans for the Whigs , Mr O'Connor retired . The reom was then cleared for dancing , which was kept up till a late hour .
©De Inovtyevn (Souiam
© De inovtyevn ( souiam
Liverpool —An Immense Meeting Took Place...
Liverpool —An immense meeting took place on the North Shore , aliMe way out of Liverpool , on Good Friday , for the election of delegates to the National Assembly . The chair was occupied by Mr Matthew Platts—Mr H . Smith propesed the first resolution . He recounted the steps taken by the Chartists during the last lew weeks , and said the government were about to give the people a bill to stop their mouths ; but as the people bud months and brains it was impossible to cheek the march of intellect and the progress of knowledge . Would it suppress the Chartists of England or the Repealers of Iraland ? ( Vehement cries of ' No , no . ' ) The Chartiata were about to memorialise the Queen , ' and to elect two properly qualified persons from Liverpool to represent thara in the National Assembly in
London ; and in addition there would be other measures adopted , with a view to the making tho People ' s Charter the law . He said he stood before thorn as one of the 49 delegates how sitting in London . Thi * was one of very many Baeetings which were taking place on that day throughout England . The people were now engaged in a tremendous struggle , and never were the people ef England and Ireland mere thoroughly unitsd than they were now . They had fratermsed , and every effort would be made to achieve the liberty of the working classes . He was happy to state that the proceedings in London on the 10 th inst ., were characterised by moral force ; for there , in spite of a base government , the Chartists met in their Conventkm . rooma , and proceeded to Kennington Common , headed by that noble-minded man
, Mr Feargus O'Connor . The horses and the band both belonged to the people , and no money bad to be paid tor either , Tbe shopkeepers cheered tbe populace , and hundreds of thousands met on the Common , and such a meeting had never been held in England before . The right to hold public meetings had been establishsd in London . If , however , the Gauging Bill passed , the rif-ht of public speaking would be made a transportable offence , and he and others would be pounced upon by the minions of too law . Were they determined to support the National Assembly ? ( Loud cries of ' Yes , yea . ' ) He cencluded by moving the first resolution , as follows : — * That this meeting views with feelings of disgust the conduct of her Majesty ' s government and tbe Petition Committee in their unprincipled attempts to damage
the People ' s Petition ; and this meeting feel that that they have nothing to expect from a Parliament based on any other principle than universal suffrage . ' —Mr Maclean seconded the resolution , and in doing so , asked what was to beexpected from a parliament which numbered 200 persons , who lived upon the honours and emoluments earned upon fields of bloed ? Titles he looked upon as nicknames , and the true representatives of the people were tho men of mind , intelligence , and industry . Was England to remain quiet ?—was she to lie down in her ashes when the whole continent of Europe , from Rome to France , was successfully struggling to obtain liberty and independence ? ( 'No , no !' and cheers . ) Did they expeet any better treatment from Parliament than they had recently received ? Could thev expect
others to do their business for them if they failed to do it themselves ? He called on them to aid the great cause of freedom by every constitutional means in their power . The resolution was put and carried amid great applause . —Mr T . Joses proposed the sect nd resolution , as follows : —* That this meeting agrees to memorialise tho Queen to dissolve the present Parliament , and dismiss those ministers who have so long abused the power they possess , and call to her councils such men as will make the People ' s Charter a Cabinet measure , ' Would the people lose if Lord John Russell got the sack 1 Rather , would they not be great gainers if honest Tom Duncombe were called to her Majesty ' s Councils and installed in office ! { ' Hear , ' and cheers . ) Let tbe people give a helping hand to raise a superstructure of freedom ,
and to elevate the working classes to that position which God and nature intended them to occupy . Let them , like the receding tide , gather fresh strength at every flax and rtflux , and wash away every foul and filthy corruption from the face of the earth . —Dr Reynolds seconded the resolution . He would never be gagged by Lord John Kussell ' a bill , and ho believed that in England and Ireland the Gagging Bill would fail . ( Cheers . ) He rejoiced that he was an Irishman . The world never contained snch a body of men as were now in Ireland ; and if the people of England turned cowards , he would go back to his own country , where there were no cowards to be found . ( Cheers . ) 'Several other speakers addressed the meeting , and Messrs Thomas and Edmund Jones were elected delegates to the National Assembly .
Great Chartist Mheting on Runcorn-hili , Cheshire . —On Good-Friday last , a Chartist meeting consisting of about three thousand persons , was held on Ruticorn-hill , Chesire . The speakers on the occasion were , Doctor Reynold * ,, Mr Noon , Mr Taylor , Mr Bailey , and Mr Forest , all of whom were listened to with the utmost attention , while enlargingon the merits of the Charter , and showing the benefits that would be derived from it . It is the first meeting of the sort that has been held in this locality ; and several of our working men were threatened to be dia * charged if they would be present at it ; but these
spirited men despised the threats of their imperious masters , and swelled our number . The meeting was conducted in an orderly manner , and it waa evident from the show of hands , tbe continued cheering , and waving ef hats , that all of them were thorough Chartists . We are determined to hold Sunday meetings for the future ; and we wish that some able delegates should be sent to Runcorn , for the purpose of having ub properly organised . Their coming should be announced through the Stab . Let them honour us with a visit , and I will venture to say tbat they will find us as determined to struggle for independence as any other men in the nation .
Chorlet . —At a meeting called by the middle classes , but which very few of that bod ^ attended , the Chartists proposed a resolution , ascribing present ovils to the present unjust system of representation , and proclaiming the Charter to be the only remedy , The resolution was carried unanimously . About a score of middle elass men have contributed liberally towards the expenses of the Convention . Chartist meetings are held every Sunday evening at six o clock , and Monday evening at seven o ' clock , behind the Rope-makers , Market-street . Cheltenham . —At a public meeting of the Land Members of this branch , it was resolved that a levy of threepence per member be made , for tbe purpose of assisting the present movement for the Charter , and that one pound be voted from the funds now in hand for that purpose .
Shefiield —On Sunday evening , the Council ef the National Charter Association held a meeting in the Democratic Reading Room , 33 , Queen-street . Mr James Senior in the chair . Mr Councillor Brigga read from the Northern Star Mr O'Connor ' s letter to the Old Guards , which gave general satisfaction . On the ntotion ot Mr Cavill , seconded by Mr Briggs , tho following resolution was agreed to : — 'That the best thanks of this Council be given to Mr O'Connor , for bis manly conduct on aU occasion , aad taoie
Liverpool —An Immense Meeting Took Place...
especially on the 10 th of April last ' ; likewise were , commend te the consideration of the Convention , the propriety ( if necessary ) of postponing the meeting of the National Assembly still further , believing as we do , tbat the cause will be best served by such a course . ' The latter of our Ashton friends was read , and Rave the utmost satisfaction . A public meting is talked of to forward its objects . A very animated camp meeting took place on Atiercliffe Common , on Sunday afternoon , which wai adjourned to next Sunday , at the same place .
Siho tield . —On Sunday week a camp meeting was held on Attercliffa Common , when 20 , 000 peo » plo pledged ^ themselves to the following resolution : — 'That this meeting views with disgust and alarm , the bill brougbt in by Sir George Grey , known by the name of the 'High Treason , or Gasging Bill ; ' and this meeting pledges itself to redouble its exertions for tho overthrow of the said bill , likewise to make tbe People ' s Charter , the law of the land . '—At another large and enthuoiastio public meeting , held in Paradise-square , on Monday week , Mr Ironside in the chair , the following resolutions were unanimously passed :-Moved by R . Otley , seconded by T . Willey :- ' That the people of Sh . fli-id , in public meeting assembled , not having received any answer to their address to the Queen , resolve to elect two
members to the National Assembly ; and inasmuch as that assembl y will represent the feelings of tbe united nataon , they pledge themselves to be guided by its wisdom and councils , in tho obtainment of an « otembodying the People ' s Charter . '—Moved by J . T , Grayson , seoemded by S . Jackson : — 'That Mr Councillor Thomas Briggs , of Sheffield , and Mr fhomas Clark , of London , ba and are hereby elected members of the National Assembly . '— M ., ved by G . Cavil , seconded by H . Tavlor : — 'Thatas MessM Pa > kcr and Ward have not complird with the unanimous resolution of a late public meeting , calling on them to resign their seats , and as their conduct is daily becoming more obnoxious to the town , they be again requested to resign , and that Messrs Briggs and Clark , be and aro hereby appointed to wait on them with this resolution .
Northumberland and Durham . —A district dele , gate meeting ot the National Charter Association , was held in the bousa of Mr Widow , Patent Sirp Inn , Jarrow , on Sunday , April 18 : k , whea the following delegates were precent : —Newcastle , MrW . Byrne ; North Shields , Mr J . Pratt ; Sunderland , Mr H . Haines ; Bishopwearmouth , Mr W . Dobbie ; South Shields , Mr Thomas Richards ; Jarrow , Mr Joseph Mitchell ; Berry Edge , Mr James Raid . Mr John Pratt in the chair . The following resolutions were passed : — ' That the counties of Northumberland and Durham be amalgamated in sending delegates to the National Assembly , and that these counties send two delegates to that assembly : — 'That Mr Thomas Richards be put in
nomination to serve as delegate for the county of Durham , and that Mr James Nisbett , be pat in nomination to serve as delegate fer the county ef Northumberland , in the Natioral Assembly . '—That Mr Byrne , of Newcastle , be nominated for the county of Durham and Mr Joseph Mitchell of Jarrow , be nominated for the county of Northumberland , to serve as the delegates for ^ these counties , in thejevent of the arrest of Messrs Richards and Nisbett by the | goveKnment , and that such reserve delegates be elected at the public meetings held on Good Friday , along with the two first named candidates . '— That tbe delegates for these counties , be paid the sum of & u per day while employed upon the business of the assembly , and that they ba paid thp „ vr travelling expenses between Newcastle and London , and London and Newcastle , and that they be paid their necessary
cab hire while in London . All the branches are requested to send the necessary funds for the support of the delegates to M . Jude , the district treasurer , as early as possible . '— ' That all local lecturers when addressing public meeting , do show their audiences the necessity of entering into voluntary subscriptions for the support of the delegates while in London . '' That the next distrtict delegate meeting be held in the house of Mr W . Gilroy , Cross Keys , West Hoiborn , South Shields , on Sunday , April 30 th , at two o ' clock in the afternoon , or sooner if necessary . ' At a public meeting held on the Town Moor , en Tuea . day , April 21 st , Wr M'Intosh was elected on behalf of the Northern Democratic League , and Mr James Nisbett , on behalf of the National Charter Assoeia . tion , to serve as delegate for the county of Northumberland , in the National Assembly .
Radcliffe . —The following resolution has baen adopted by the Chartists of tbis locality : —« That we , the members of the Char tist Association and Land Company , view with indignation the course the House of Commons has pursued towards the Na . tisnal Petition , and our esteemed chief , Mr Feargus O'Connor ; and we hereby declare our unbounded confidence in Mr O'Connor . ' Soma Shields—The public of South Shields are respectfully informed that the daily papers arc read every nisht at seven o ' clock in Mr Drjden ' s Schosl room , Mill Dam . A political debate takes placo every Tuesday evening . ;* The council of the National Charter Association attends every Monday evening , at seven o ' clock , to enrol members and transact other business . The council are happy to state that thirty-seven good men and true , joined the association last night . This is South Shield ' s first answer to the Gagging Bill ,
Rochdale —At a publie meeting held on the 17 th , Mr Liveaey in the chaii' resolutions were adopted denouncing the Gat-ging Bill , and demanding the dismissal ef the Whig ministers ; declaring the union of the English and Irish democrats , and voting confidence in Mr O'Connor and the Convention .
Wht Miwwiq ®Owmts
Wht MiWwiQ ® owmts
Radford, Near Nottingham.—The Chartists ...
Radford , near Nottingham . —The Chartists of ( his place havo collected the sum of 10 s for our Irish friends ^ to _ be disposed of as they may think well . We think it would soon convince that sapient legislator , Sir George Grey ^ that we do sympathise with chose victims of oppression and misrule , if other localities would do the same . Nottingham . —Messrs West and Linney addressed a large public meeting in the market place , on Thursday even ing . The weather was very unfavourable , the rain falling in torrents all the time ; nevertheless the most enthusiastic devotedness was exhibited for the Charter and the Convention . Loughborough . —At a public meeting of the in habitants of Loughborough , held at the Wheatsheaf Inn , April 16 ' -h , it was resolved : — 'That a subsorip . tion be entered into for the purpose of presenting a tea . timonialto Mr J . Skevington , tor his valuable services rendered to the cause ef liberty . ' A committee was
formed for the management of the same , who con » sidered it their duty to issue the following appeal to the inhabitants of Loughborough and its vicinity . That this cammittee . ever ar . xious that labour should be rewarded and talent encouraged , feel it their bounden duty to appeal te the working classes of Loughborough and its vieinity , in behalf of the fund for presenting to their valuable friend and advocate of the rights of labour , Mr J . Skevington , a testimonial , as a token of their respect for the valuable services rendered to the cause of liberty and emanci . pation of labour during the last twelve years . And this committee do pledge themselves to stand by him and support him in the present struggle to obtain tbe People ' s Charter . Signed on behalf of tbe committee , William Stevenson , chairman ; John Farrow , secretary . Loughborough , April 19 tb , 1848 . P . S . —All subscriptions in behalf of this fund , to be forwarded to John Farrow , shoemaker , Mill Street , Loughborough . '
Hanley . —A public meeting , heldjn consequence of excess of numbers in the open air , took place on Tuesday evening , when ( he celebrated Joseph Barker delivered a mosi admirable lecture . At least 5 , 000 persona were present . Bedworth , « ear Coventry . —At a meeting held at the Nottingham Arms , Calljcroftroad , on the 17 th , the following resolutions were adopted : — That this meeting views with disgust , the attempt made by the editors of the News of tub World , and the editors of other of the metropolitan newspapers , to cast
odintn on Mr Feargus O'Connor , M . P ., and the Chartist body generally , relative to the signatures attached to the National Petition ; it being the opinion of this meeting , that tho alleged fraudulent signatures have been penned by some enemies ef the Chartists . Also this meeting resolved to unite with the Chartist body to rally around the great Father of Freedom , Feargus O'Connor , being determined not to rest satisfied until the Charter becomes 1 . w . ' At the close of the meeting several new members were enrolled .
Lowbands . —The Chartists of this place have adopted the following resolution - . —That an arms club be formed forthwith , and a committee of five persons appointed to carry out the game , The proceedings of Monda / the 10 th inat ., were highly approved of .
Tstye Goutteti Counties
tStye goutteti Counties
Ipswich.—A Meeting Was Convened In This ...
Ipswich . —A meeting was convened in this town , by a Mr Everett , a member of the middle classes , on Thursday , April 20 th , for the purpose of considering the propriety of petitioning Parliament for an extension of the Franchise , so far as to give electors under the Municipal Corporation Act , a right to vote for mejnbe ? s » of Parliament . The room ( a large one ) waa full . Mr N . Whimper , a town councillor , occupied the chair , Mr Everett strongly incited his hearers to lend their aid towards tbe execution of his plan , as one- more praetical than the Charter , which
he described as a mere theory . Mr Booley ( Chartist ) having given an elaborate reply to the remarks ot Mr Everett , concluded by moving an ameadment to the effect : — ' That the Charter being theoniy means for the attainment of the full measure of justice to tho people of this country , tbis meeting determine to agitato for nothing less . ' Mr M'Pherson having seconded the amendment , Mr John Cook having supported it , and Mr Everett replied to their remarks , the amendment was carried amid three cheers for the Charter , with only one diffseatieB * . , A pnbbo meetiag waa hM 0 a CorahM on Gwd Friday , when
Ipswich.—A Meeting Was Convened In This ...
Mr Francis , our delegate , gave in his report from the National Convention , which was adepted , togq thev with the memorial to the Queen , amid ihh acclamations of about 1000 persons . The chair wsa occupied by Mr Joseph Bird , and the meeting waai addressed successively by Mr John Cook , Mr Kuahhi brook , Mr Booley , and Mr M'Pherson . Bristol —The meeting here was held in the opaur . air on Brandon-hill , a working man named NichoMi presiding . Tbe memorial waa adopted without diaesent . Mr Bartlett was appointed delegate to thee ! Nations ! AsiembJy .
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male * -
Newport, Moniionthshirb.—At The Weekly M...
Newport , MoNiionTHSHiRB . —At the weekly meet-:-Ingot the Chartists of this town , at tho Fountaim Inn , Commercial-street , Mr John Williams in tho * chair , the following resolutions were unanimously ? agreed i o . Proposed by Thomas Williams , secotdedl by George Egan : — 'That , in . the opinion of thjas meeting , the base and calumnious attack made byr the members of the Petition Committee on Feargugj O'Connor , Esq ., M . P ., in tbe House of Commons ,, on Thursday , April 13 th , was brutal in charaoterr and unmanly in spirit . ' Proposed by Jonah Williams , seconded by Thomas Cove : —' That , as long } aa Feargus O'Connor , Esq ., M . P-, porsues thai straightforward course he has hitherto done , wo > pledge ourselves to support hir . i , to the utmost of our * abilities . ' Proposed by J , D . Whitaker , seconded by '
James Stevens : — ' Tbat tbe thanks of the Chartists I of this town are due , and hereby given , to Reginald J . Blewitt , Esq ., member for this borough , for tha i manly and straightforward course which he has taken in opposition to tl ? e government measure , generally called the Gogfing Bill / Proposed by Mr Daniel O'Leary , seconded by Richard Burns : — 'That we suggest to our brother Chartists throughout the United Kingdon , the propriety of sending the amount of signatures , procured by each locality , to Feargus O'Connor , Esq ., M . P ., border that thfl truth may be ascertained of the exact number of signatures . ' The members of the National Charter Association bee to inform the working men of this locality , that they meet every Monday night , at the Fountain Inn , Commercial-street , to transact tho general business of the association , awl enrol new members .
^Cotlanti.
^ cotlanti .
Ine Idwbor.Gh Weekly Expbbss Reports Una...
ine iDWBor . GH Weekly Expbbss reports Unarti ? t meetinge , attended by numerous and enthusiastic assemblages , at Barrhead , Dunfermline , Hamilton , and Leith , in addition to very lengthy reports or meetings at Glasgow Dundee , and Edinburgh ) abridgments of which we lay before our readers . CoALSKAuoHioN . —The Old Guards now working at Forth Iron-works have sent the sum of one pound one shilling and sixpence to the Chartists of Coalsnaughcon , towards the expenses of ' the delegate to the Convention . The said snm is hereby acknowledged by the Chartists of Cealgnaughten . Thomas Birnib .
Glasgow . —Election op Obligates . — On tho evening of Good Friday an overflowing meeting waa held in the Ciiy Hall—Mr Daniel Sherrington in tbe chair . Mr Andrew Harley moved a resolution for the dismissal of the present Ministry , along with a memorial to the Queen for that purpose . This motion was seconded by Mr George Adams , andaupported by his brother James , the delegate . It waa carried . Mr Thomas Fraser moved the appointment ef Jamea Adams , Andrew Harley , and Mr Murray of Dublin ( as fraternising with the Repealers , ) as delegates to the National Assembly , which being seconded in a very long speech by Mr Kelly , was agreed to . The meeting was also addressed by Mr Ernest Jones , in a lengthy and eloquent speech , which excited tresaendcus cheering . The usual votes of thanks concluded the proceedings .
GREAT CHARTIST DEMONSTKATION IN GLASGOW . Oa Monday week a great Chartist demonstration came off on the Green . The hour of assembling waa announced to be two o ' clock p m ., but previous to that time a large number of individuals bad already taken up their ground . In obedience to the proolamation _ of the authorities , there was no attempt at pre * cession , with the exception of a body of men from , Parkhead and the vicinity , who came in at the east end of the Gallowgate , with music playing and banners flying . From two till three o ' clock , the crowd on the Green received immense accessions to its numbers . The number on the Green was calculated at 100 , 000 . A few constables were drawn up on tho Green , more apparently as a guard to Captain Miller than for any other purpose .
The business of the day commenced about threa o ' clock , by the different detachments falling in near Nelson ' s monument , and forming into line . They then marched round tbo Green , playing , in ranks about six men deep , displaying the flags which they weio carrying to as much advantage ^ as possible . The inscriptions oa tbe flags , which might amount to from twenty to thirty altogether , consisted of such mottoes as ' The Charter and No Suirender , '' Universal Suffrage / ' We know our Rights , and we will have them , '& o ,, & o . A number of tricolour flags formed part of the display , with the werds * Liberty , Equality , and Fraternity . ' After completing the circuit of the Green , the procession took their station , according to previous arrangement , around the hustings , which was decorated with full length portraits of Feargus O'Connor and Mr Duncombe , besides a tricolour flag .
About half-past three o ' clock , the principal parties ascended the platform ; and on the motion of Mr J . Cameron , Mr James Moir was called to the chair . He said he rejoiced U see bo many persons assembled together under the banner of peace , law , and order , to assert their rights as freemen . ( Cheers . ) Was he to understand that they appeared there aa attached to the Peoples' Charter ? Were they deter « mined legally and peacefully to persevere until they obtained it ? ( 'Yes , yea , ' and cheers . ) He waa exceedinglydelighted to hear them say bo , for he had a bit of advice to give them before he stopped speaking . No doubt , that meeting would be as variously estimated as to the numbers attending it as was the meeting in London on Kennington Common . Ho
daresay some liberal gentleman would give them the credit of having assembled there to the number of 5 , 000 ; others wonld go as far as 10 , 000 ; whilst he had no doubt that some would declare th ? ir numbers to be above 50 , 000 . He was exceedingly sorry that after that demonstration had been held , the number of persans present attache d to the principles of the Charter would be just as much a matter of dispute as it was before . Tbat week there would bo two associations formed for obtaining the People ' s Charter , and his advice was , that instead of further wasting their time in assembling in that manner , which still left their numbers . a matter of dispute , they should enrol themselves universally as members
© f ono or other of those associations . ( Cheers . ) And let him tell the effect of it . If 50 , 000 of them appended their names to one er both of those associations , and subscribed Id each , they would establish the fact , that there were 50 , 000 of the industrious people of Glasgow favourable to the People ' s Charter , and enrolled for its attainment . ( Cheers . ) But besides establishing that fact , they weuld leave behind them the sum of £ 208 6 s Sd ; and if they came forward to the number of 100 . 000 , they would have a sum of £ 41613 s 4 d , which would enable their Executive Committee to put a legal gentleman at their head , to conduct their affairs in the best manner , and that without it being feit as a burden . ( Cheers . )
Mr D . Paul , victualler , said be was proud to see so many persons assembled on such an important occasion as tbis . He hoped they would all do their duty like men , men worthy of the great object they had in vhw , namely , tbe enfranchisement of the present uniicd kingdom of Great Britain and Ire * land . ( Cheers *) The motion he had to propose was as follows : — We , the citizens of Glasgow and tho surrounding districts , in public meeting assembled , having experienced the ruinous effect of class legislation on our moral and social position , ere convinced tho time is now arrives when a great organic change must be made in the constitution of these realms ; and it is our decided opinion that the surest and best way to effect that object will be to continue the agitation for the principles contained in the People's Charter , until they areenaotcd as tho law of the land .
Mr Gsorgk Adams seconded the resolution , which was carried unanimously . Mr Robert Wingate moved the next resolution : — That we , ike citizens of Glasgow and the surround , ing district !! , in public meeting assembled , view with regret the very great amount of poverty , and contequeae discontent , which has existed among the people of Ire . land for the last twenty years , and is daily lucreaalngr , and which Is principally caused by the unnatural union forcod upon them ; and we hereby pledge ourselves to una every lawful Beans in our power to assist them as far as possible te ohtain a Repeal ef the Legislattva Union between that country and Great Britain .
Mr Ahdebw Duncan seconded the resolution . Ia a pithy speech , he contrasted the condition < vi Ireland before the Act of Union passed into , a W with what it now was , forty-eight years awards , and cautioned the British government not t 0 drive the people past endurance , or they won ^ be answerablo for the consequences . The blood . - df a million of hia countrymen lay at the hands of a Whig government ; but the people of Ireland werr , now determined to get their rights psaceably , ar ,,, } jje asked the citizens of Glasgow to aid them in , contending for their just demands . The resolution waa ca ^ tied unanimously . he
Mr Thom & s Fbasbr s ^ id had come ther e for thy purpose of proposing , resolution upon that mcafc infamous bill that as ^ been broug ht into the House of Comraqaa py ta $ most infamous gOYommeut t \ m
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Citation
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Northern Star (1837-1852), April 29, 1848, page 5, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/ns/issues/ns2_29041848/page/5/
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