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havall this! sion all the servile attent...
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Mr. T. P. Gbeex is thanked for his encou...
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,l ML MEN ABE BBETHBES.' A SOIREE,
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TEE STAR OF FREEDOM SATERBA*, MAY 29, 18...
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In the "Star of Freedom," of Satnrd.iyne...
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POPULAR PBOGRESS We are sometimes inclin...
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RUSSIA DOMINANT IN EUROPE We have long h...
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COLLIERS: 'KILLING' IN COAL-PITS.. TO TH...
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TIIE ttERET.S OV '43 Tho "Galway Vindica...
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Ths Established Cntractt of ScoTt.wo- -f...
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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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Windsor Eleciiojc.—This Contest On Satur...
LETTERS FOR _TFOBKISG- ME 3 » _^' o . YL—Mr . Dcscoxibe axd the Charter . TO THE EDITOR OF StA R _CF FREEDOM . SlR ,-ln my letters for Working Men-b y _which I mean men who work , he they of the handicraft class or not , I shall not care to turn aside from the course I chalk out for myself to _Dotica such observations as _Se provokcdby _™ l ° _^* _L" _^*™ _Tl such observations tome
their expression , uulesB seem called forth by some misconception of my meaning , or that they bear directly upon the points 1 undertake to ar « me . I find two such matters worth notice in the ° Star' of last week . The one is Mr . Rogers ' letter . tbB other in the article by « L'Ami du Peuple . ' Mr . _Rogers has quite misunderstood me , if he thinks I would * depreciate our good friend Mr . Dunconibe . I thought that speaking of him so would have prevented any misapprehension . I yield to no man in respect fnr the service rendered bv Mr . Buncombe to the
People ' s Cause . Frank , chivalrous , honest , indomitable , untiring , —Iknow not if we ever had his fellow . It has always been enough for him to know that a wrong needed , redress , and his generous aud con . stant service was ensured ; or that a ri g ht needed advocacy , and he was the prompt , unhired , and fearless advocate . I had too much to do with him in his exposure of the rascally government spy system at the Post Office ( of which I will shortly have to speak , since I Bee the Austrian tool , Sir James Graham , is already prophecied of as one of the _« coming men' ) nottoba well aware of the deep debt of gratitude which
_veowe him so fir as that question was concerned ; and as regards tho Charter , its history can never be fairly written without p lacing in the foreground tbe Chartist Member of Parliament , Thomas Slingsby Buncombe . But my unreserved admiration for his steady adherence to our cause , —my perfect faith in his high integrity , do not , and may not , prevent me from criticising bis propositions , and speaking of them what I deem the trnth . I think then that his proposition of a new Charter is unwise ; and his stipulation of residence , even for six montbB , quite enough to damn it , oven if it was _wisor . Surel y we
have not forgotten the old terms ot hiring country servants , for so many weeks , in order that they might not get a parish " settlement . Sorel y the Case of 3 Iolton in Yorkshire is sufficient in point—Molton , rained by Free Trading , Lord Fitzwilliam _, who raised all his rents—the rents of the whole town , because his candidate was opposed . Without leases , what masses of workmen would be sure of their six months' _residencein agiven district , _whenoncetfceirpo-Hticalteadeawes were known 1 And if you beat down , our argument of the mischievous abuse of this residential , of any residential qualification , by showing that it would not be a disenfranchising enactment , then we
have a fair right to re-join . * For what purpose do you havo it" V It should he required of the proposers of all these residential , and rateable , and other disqualifications , to ihow us very satisfactoril y what numbers and what classes would be effected by them . Till they do this , and very exactl y , we are bound to be suspicions of the schemes ( no matter who the schemers : honest raea often ignorantl y propose dishonest plans ) and to reject them on tho ground that not rate and residence , and snch like , is tbe reason why a man should be enfranchised , but for the satisfaction of his natural right to perform all the duties of manhood . It lies on those who would deprive any of this ri g ht t
• how why ; and it lies on them who propose grounds of deprivation , to show how many would be thereb y effected . I look on all these things as dodges ; and when , as in the present case , I find a man of undoubted honesty proposing one , I simpl y say he does not see the bearing of it . I turn from Mr . Duncomhe to my other friendly opponent . ' L'Ami du _Peuple ' _canuot tell what is to be gained b y the adoption oi the proposition of Spartacus to go for Manhood Suffrage only , sinking all details . ' What is to be gained is on access of numbers to the cause , and that from the very class most able to help the cause—the intelligent and well-princi pled portion of the middle
class—the class that has political power . What is to be gained b y it is the chance of carrying then our one point , with such assistance . Without that assistance the working class , ichichwiUnot fight , and which has no constitutional means of ott . _on , cannot carry even that one point ; no , not though they utterly reformed their conduct , and foreswore all their past errors except this one , —this one , which has lain at the root of all Chartist failure , though being satisfied with a class movement , and tbat a paieeable movement , of the class which has no power except in their strong hands . Do not mistake me to be lamenting the abstinence from _iusarrection . We had no
means of turning that to account , and would have failed that way too . Keither do I recommend _iuaurreciioa now ; I recommend the other course—the only course really open to us—that of making our movement national . It is well to blame others for the stupid foll y which will refuse the aid of the middle class ' even far the Charter ; ' but on a smaller scale , and in a quieter way , we follow the same folly , when we insist on that which a long course of years aud experiments shows us to be equivalent o refusing their aid . The middle class will not become Chartists . I , myself , would not become so sow , if I was ju 3 t about to join a movement . Chartism (
however perfect the enactments of the Charter ) is the name of a class movement ; and one class no more than another has the ri ght to dictate what a national movement shall be . It should be subject of agreement , not of dictation , under any circumstances ; but when we know that our terms will be refused , is is not something akin to asking a rejection to insist upon them ? And farther , in every matter of agreement , the-fewer the heads or details the more likel y the agreement . Resolutions , at public meetings or _elsewere , which aim at combining numbers by even what is called tbe compromise of putting in something to please all , always fail in their object . If
you have two heads , you throw off all who agree with only one of those heads , and retain only those who agree with the combination . Have three heads , your chances of agreement are so much worse . How is it possible to be otherwise ? What is to be gained therefore by holding to simpl y the Principles of the Charter , and abandoning , for the present , the name and details ? Is the greatest possible number of adherents tobe the main object of our wishes ? Once settle that point , aud it will he easy to learfl what other points can be added to the bond of agreement without too much weakening or loosening ¦ that bond .
What is to be gained by this is , therefore , just the one thing ue have always vented—the element of success . L' Ami du Peuple' must forgive me for not thinking much of the danger of _unsettling ' all that has been determined , not merely by ChaTost localities , but by the enlightened conclusions of wise and faithful reformers . ' The actual determination at which Cha-tist localities have arrived , is only the nonpayment of a trifle of debt and tho inability to maintain even ihe poorest shadow of organisation . It is by no means pleasant to have continually to be crying out that the deadshonld be removed ont of the
"fray of the living ; but what else can one do when tho public thoroughfare is so continually blocked up ? This pretence of life in Chartism prevents all other action . Will auy _^ friend of the people name tome ten men—only ten men—who will undertake ta stand together till _thiii Chartism , which they tell me is not dead , shall be upon its legs again ? And not any more of its * last legs . ' What is the use , then , of talking of Chartist localities ?—Why keep up the delusion ? I know that within twenty miles of London localrties
are _-vulages of some 2 , 000 souls , with yet , after all our labours , not ten nominal Chartists there . " I know manufacturing towns , with their tens of thousands of inhabitants , and not ten Chartists banded together even there . And I know more than oue of OUT agncnltural counties in which , spile of all our ten years' noise they can scarcely tell you what a Chartist is . We have all to begin over again ; and therefore we may as well begin upon a wiser footing—upon a broader one , at all events . And for « the conclusions
of wise and faithful reformers , ' I would conclude by asking , Are none wise and faithful now , or is Democracy to be so traditional ? Verily I find no stancher Const-natives than among my friends , the Democratic Chartists , who will hold out for a name or the roitru % _* st point like any Tory of them all . That which is needed is , indeed , " 'that good and true men should come forth . ' Let us be thankful if we can get them by any surrender short of principle . I say not—care noth ing about details : bat onl y let them be subject to the determination of wise and faithful reformers , muuhtened enough to combine upon the repeal prinp Spartacus .
Havall This! Sion All The Servile Attent...
havall this ! _sion all the servile attentions of his imperial vassaltionate his
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Mr. T. P. Gbeex Is Thanked For His Encou...
Mr . T . P . _Gbeex is thanked for his encouraging letter . Mr . Skelton ' s "judical Adviser , " advertised in last welts star < _iCEte « A » ift , » ' is _^ _uWiftefl a : One vemw , ana notata sauling _, as announced The KErccEE ? .-Among the Polish exiles who were recently expelled from Republican France , for being Republicans , is a ™ teri . nary surgeon , who completed his stuaie ? in the celebrated T _dimwujf _Sthnl of _At / ort , near Paris . Besides a perftc _tW the art of _treating the different maladies peculiar to ail _P"" _™?' he is also versed in the stuffing of quadrupeds and bird ,, _uvw »« r -having studied zootomy-he excels . We give insertion to Wise few lines thinkin ? that some of our readers might be in . want ot such _assistance . An act of philanthropy would at : Ue ran * time Ik ; performed brgirin _* him em ployment . _^« r »™™ 5 " turn can be acquired of Mr . KxywK . French shoemaker , 10 , Crawford street , Baker-street , New road , Loudon . We have no room for" Old John . " _„„„ . 1 ... _ , „ ar-F- G _., Edi . ihurgh .-We are so _overtimed , with mate-flat weare unnMp _* tnrr . « ntt . _™ _,,. _-P insertion 10 the _COTimUOlcatlOn WMCll ,
however , shall have publicity at the earliest _onpni _wohj &• We should be glad to hear from Henr * Cron _* "j _™» _£ g _» somevearssince , at Messrs . Swan and Edgars , _llegent-street _, London , should he chance to see this notice . We are informed by a Correspondent that . the _* _?/ u st been at Buckingham Palace again . ,, _^'" _'SSm _' _S a certain principle of " reciprocity" means & mtts-l run * . _^ Lord prescrre us from "Punsters ' . J . SAUXDEfcs , _Xew Radford , received . Mr . _HAszisn _Rehired . Thanks .
,L Ml Men Abe Bbethbes.' A Soiree,
, l ML MEN ABE BBETHBES . ' A SOIREE ,
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consisting of a rpEA PARTY AND PUBLIC _MEETING , X . IS HO . VOCB OF
Ad00416
THE _OFvGASISATION OF REFORMERS . WHAT DOES IT _MEAU , _AXD HOW IS IT TO BE ACCOMPLISHED ? ON SUNDAY _EVENING , May 30 th , at Halfpast _Seveno'Clork , Mr . G . J . Hohojske , Editor of the "Reasoner , " will lecture on the above subject at the Literary Institution , John Street , Fiteroy Square . _Admission-Tothe Hall 2 d ., Gallery 3 d . K . B . —The Apolonic Society will perform before and after the Lecture .
Tee Star Of Freedom Saterba*, May 29, 18...
TEE STAR OF FREEDOM _SATERBA _* , MAY 29 , 1832 .
In The "Star Of Freedom," Of Satnrd.Iyne...
In the "Star of Freedom , " of Satnrd . iynext , wiU be Published , Sotice ,
A SMASH FOR THE SMASHERS . THE OLDEN SPIRIT AND THE OLDEN POWER . 'It is mournful to hear our young men talk , ' says a _morning contemporary . It is , indeed , mournful . Puerile ideas seem to be the only ones by which their minds are capable of being' impressed . All lofty and manly thoughts are far above the mental capacity ot the majority of them , and should their attention be directed to ' such , they seem to consider them matters with which they have not any
capability for interference , or profess any interest in . How widely does the present youth of the nation differ from " that of the olden time ! Even the best educated are becoming little better than absolutely foolish , for , in accordance with the modern educational system—a system as fatal as it is absurd—the mind is attempted to be forcibly developed , while the body is left uncared for—or , rather , it is too much cared for , wrapped up as it is , and shaded from even the gentle breezes of spring , as if the insensate parents and _eo-called ' educators' would outlaw nature , contradict her laws , and change all the causes of health and disease .
• We would rather see again the happier days of our forefathers , than these days of degeneracy , disease , and death . If men did then possess less intellect , they were endowed with vigorous and health y frames , and noble and manl y feelings ; and although , in their ignorance , they submitted to kingly and priestl y tyranny , they did not do so from any feeling of cowardice , or inability to _ri-iht themselves ; but because the double usurpation of fraud and force had been handed down to them , time-honoured and unquestioned .
Very diuerent are the feelings and tho power of the men of the people of today . They have gained enough intelligence to know their wrongs and to hate and execrate the tyrannies under which they aro crashed , and which have none of the hallowing _asso - ' ciations of those of old . But they have altogether lost that physical power necessary to enforce the decrees of justice , and they have moreover been deprived of arms , and of a knowled ge of their use . Such axe the insidious cancers tbat are eating away the heart of the nation . Such arethe evils that
are undermining the foundations ofoarnational greatness , and hastening the fall of our national power and g lory . They are twofold , the radicall y bad system of education , or eay rather , compression ; for it is not reall y education , but the dwarfing of the mind and body of the future man , and that execrable social state , which has deprived the masses of the people of the many holidays they once enjoyed , of pure air , and of healthy exercises and amusements ; turned , in fact those who should have been men , into wizen-faced , weak , and listless toiling machines .
As regards the first , consistently with the very liberal , but not very ennobling * principle' of laissez alley , the education of tbe young haB been left to paternal stupidity and incompetence , notwithstanding that every page of history is a distinct demonstration of the great truth , that the education of the nation ' s children can be efficiently performed onl y by the nation itself . If that was a faulty system which followed the fall of the Lower Empire , giving to the body all the strength and powers of endurance of which it was capable , while the mental powers were allowed to lie dormant , that which succeeded it—the attempt to educate the mind alone—was not merely faulty , but was absurd and impossible . If the body be weakened , or its forces allowed to remain
undeveloped , it will not be long before it pulls down the mind to the level of its own condition . The only possible method of raising an intelligent and physically vigorous people , ia by an education whicii shall develop all the powers of tha individual—those of the body , as well as those of the mind . Military training , forming part of such a system , we should have constantly raised a body of true Militia ; an army of enlighteued and stout-limbed citizens , _soldiera ever ready to be the nation ' s defenders against internal and external tyrants . Yet small would bo tbe benefit to society if our yonth , thus trained , were to he drafted from the National Schools into tho pestilential factory and workshop ; and this brings us to the second part of our inquiry .
The martial spirit ot the people is degenerating , as their physical powers become enfeebled , by overtoil and confinement in the deadly atmosphere of the places in which they ate pent up ; and if the causes continue , the effect will increase until we become a nation of women , at the disposal of our guard of hired assassins , or lie at the feet of some foreign conqueror . For this there can be no remed y , until we abolish the cause . Let us have comfort and healthy exercise for the now pining overworked toilers , and we shall soon awake in them the old English spirit , which will be the best of all National Defences .
To do this , we must have something more than any Militia Bill that comes from our incapable and short-sighted rulers , whoso measure will but take a few of the workers from their industrial dungeons for a week or two in the summer , then return them to he weakened and murdered as before . « Men must have sports , ' says the ' Daily News . ' « Let us make our own muster on cricket-grounds . Let us have wrestling-matches for our exercises . Let us have footraces and leaping matches , as our preparation for matches . Let ns set up our targets , and see how nicely wo can pick out the hull ' s eyes . Let our swimmers seek out the strongest streams , and show how valiantly they can charge the enemy , and cast him off from their broad breasts . '
In The "Star Of Freedom," Of Satnrd.Iyne...
Yes let as indeed e But what opportunity have the workers for engaging in m anly sports and healthy exercises , when au absence of five minutes during their long hours of labour will cause them to be deprived of half their day ' s scanty pittance * You well know , hypocrite as you are ! that there is no such fate in store for the people , while the seiash Capitalists , whose cause you advo Cato , possess their present unlimited power ovei _^ the children of toil . If you reall y desire to see again a nation , concede our political rig hts and establish the reign of equality , give us the Franchise , and we will work out our own regeneration ' . Deprive us no longer of our just ri ghts , and in the liberated nation we will awake the olden spirit , avid build up the olden _pow !
Popular Pbogress We Are Sometimes Inclin...
POPULAR PBOGRESS We are sometimes inclined to think , that those of us who may live on for some thirty or forty years , on looking back , may saY , 'Well , there has been some Progress in our time , but it has been so slow as to be almost imperceptible ! ' How often have we seemed to be on the verge of that great day which our firm faith assures us shall yet arise . Again and again have wa thought the time had come of which the Prophets and Poets have foretold and sung , for which the Apostles of Progress have toiled and suffered , and for which the countless host of Martyrs havo welcomed death with calm front and smiling
soul , glad even to climb the scaffold , and strain their weary eyes upon the thick mists of ages , to catch one luminous glimpse of the coming glory , before they laid down their noble heads , with the scaffold-block for their last pillow , and bade a thankless world farewell . How often have we thought that this day of emancipation for the suffering , plundered poor , had at length arrived ; and then , how bitterly have our hopes been dashed to the ground—how cruelly have wo been deceived . The tide of re-action has sot in ; and our little schemes have been swept away by its destructive might , and our very footprints have been washed out from the . shore and sand of timo ! Yet ,
in spite of these things , there is Progress withal . Doubtless , we are too sanguine , and build too largely on expectation , forgetting that a few years , which is much in the life of Man , is but little in the life of Humanity , and little even in the life time of a People . Let us remember that this People , which is now the grand fact of the time , whose very name excites a thousand stirring memories , and a thousand throbbing hopes , was scarcely whispered about before the French Revolution , " save as the ' Mob . ' Up to that time they were looked upon somewhat iu the spirit of the old French law , which empowered cer . tain nobles , who might return hot and weary from the chase , to embowel two—only two—of their serfs , that they might bathe and refresh their royal feet in
the warm entrails ' And they were treated something according to this grim and bloody shred of feudal barbarism , aud used up for the gratification of their lords . But what a part has this same People played since that Revolution ! The People have come upon the stage of History and the prido of Kings and Princes has withered , and their hearts have perished within them in its majestic presence . There was a time when we thought a Lord' a superior sort of being , made of Nature ' s porcelain , while we were only common clay . We saw him only in the gloom of our Ignorance . _Nov , as we look ou our _miserable imposter-nobles in the light of _Euoivledge , we see they have not even got a natural crown ou their heads , like the common cock that struts at the
barndoor ; therefore , we have ceased to hail them as cocks of the world ' s walk any longer . Indeed , we find that their brains do not lie so near to their eyes as our own do , but are mostly at the back of their heads . The workers , as a class , no longer think it right that they shouhltoil and sweat , and drain out their very life ' s blood , that pimple after pimple may adorn the aristocratic , millocratic , or aldermanic nose , that the palaces of the rich may be heaped with princely splendours , and their tables laden with all the fruits and luxuries of the earth _.
while they , the producers , live scantily , are wretchedly clothed , and exist in dirty dens , feverous alleys , and ague-stricken hovels ! The workers are thinking , and do not drudge on in contented silence , as in times gone by . Where the heart does not burst out into bitter words of rebellion against the present state of things , the scowling brow , set lips , and the clenching lists , will tell what is going on within . The light of knowledge is springing like sunrise in the eyes of the toilers ; a light which shall enable thftm _tn sp . r the incubus which has crushed them in
the dark so Jong , and marshalled them for the death grapp le with wrong and oppression . They are silentl y thinking out their revolution , which must be thought out before it can be wrought out . They are thinking at the loom , in the field , in the red forge-light , and the murky mine . And , as all institutions are based on ideas , so shall the people ' s institutions inevitably follow the people ' s thinking . Ifcisinthe ignorance which covers the multitude as with a sea ofdaricness , that tyranny drops its anchor of safety ,
and maintains itself afloat ; let this ignorance be removed , and the king-CKAFr _, the priest-ciUFT , and the state-CRAFf , shall be swept away down the stream of time , b y the irresistible and rushing waves of Progress . We are making some progress ; witness the many movements , Socialist , Co-operative , Temperance , Poor-law , and numerous others which are springing into existence * around us , for the ame lioration of the condition of labour and its emancipa _» tion . We are manifesting the greatest progress in our belief , in self-reform , and in our growing reliance on ourselves . We have learned that if we
would have freedom we must win it ourselves . We have learned that a man who is a tyrant in his own heart would be a tyrant still , though the Charter were the law of the land to-morrow , We have learned that men may be called Democrats , and yet be the veriest slaves and hum . bugs . We have learned , that if we would carry our cause to victory , it is not sufficient that we rally round men , bnt round principles , and , if need be , we musk cheerfully sacrifice men at the shrine of those principles . We have learned that our greatest of curses is in the tyranny we exercise over ourselves , and that our governors can afford to laugh at all our
brag and bluster , and mock at our impotent struggles to obtain Eeform , so long as we are content to spend annually in drink more than the cost of the whole imperial taxation , which is now done , as is proved by Government returns . We have learned in short , that £ vicious , tyrannical , Government ca n on ly exist by virtue of the vice and _slavishness of the people which it _mal-governs . This is much that cannot pass away . This is something on the road of Progress . The people are thinking—let us aid them , let it be our duty
to supply them with fitting food . There is much to be done in the work of education which has been neglected . Let us teach them what to do to win the Charter _. and what to do with it when won , rather than be eternally harping upon the one string of self , and what the Charter will do for us . Set tho people—the whole people—thinking , and action will follow , as the fruit follows the flower , and Spring follows Winter , and there is no power on earth can prevent a people —ripe for freedom—from hastening to a swift fulfilment of its glorious destiny .
Russia Dominant In Europe We Have Long H...
RUSSIA _DOMINANT IN EUROPE We have long held tbe opinion that the * Holy AH i anc e' of Kings would not for any length of time exist as a fraternal fact with co-equal members ; but that all the divisions of the army of absolution would coalesce under the banner of the Czar . And so it has come to pass . Every despot and would-be despot vie with each other in their endeavours to obtain the patronage of the Emperor of Russia / Through the land of the murdered Blum—through that Germany , so celebrated for the genius and the bravery of her children , the assassin of Poland and Hungary , rides in triumph , and iu every town which he visits in the enchained Fatherland of the Gfer mans , there is some one of her many tyrants kneeling at the feet of tho Muscovite , and owning the Emperor of the _Russias for his lord and master .
It is patent to tho world that Austria does not even now exist as a great power ; that from the day when the Cossack hordes burst into Hungary to crush the conquering army of Republican freedom there , there was nothing conserved of the once mighty Austrian Empire but the bare name , and that it then became a mere Russian province , and its Mer o imitating Emperor nothing more than a lieutenant of the Czab . As such he has been treated by Nicholas during the late visit of that crowned brigand to Vienna , w h er e he acc epted with glorious _condescen-
Russia Dominant In Europe We Have Long H...
, and tbe miserable , sickly , ' popular , enthusiasm carefully got up by the government , with the aid of bayonets and gold . Not alone , however , has tho ruined aud rotten Austran Empire cast itself into tho arms of the Archdespot of Northern Prussia , or , rather the King of Prussia has also sunk to tho degradation of being the vassal of a foreign power . At a banquet given to Nicholas at Berlin , tho royal drunkard and hypocritical knave , Frederick William , pledged his liege lord , and prayed that Gop might ' _preserve him to that portion of the world which he has given him for an _tnfteritance , a to our epoc h , to which he is indispensable . ' The people of Germany would do well these words it is of
to take note of , as much importance they be remembered upon the arrival of tho new revolution , when the nation shall again bo iu possession of power . They will demonstrate the futility of the attempt to transform kings and princes into good and loyal citizens , and to show them that there is no cure for tyranny but extirpation Here have we the man who in 1848 doffed his hat before the triumphant revolution , and bowed down with respect in the presence of the sovereign people in arms , declaring that the millions of Russia , tbe _Caucausia _^ and the Pole are the property of this merciless tyrant , bestowed upon him by the Almighty God , to be butchered or _brutalised by him at his pleasure . Can there be any hope for humanity while there exist monsters who entertain such atrocious sentiments , and who
have not any fear or shame to express such abominable blasphemy . But not only do these royal villains pretend that it is by the will of the Supreme Being that they are seated upon their absolute thrones , and have the power to scourge aud oppress the suffering people ; but they actually arrogate to themselves the right to dictate to tho whole world ; and to decree that no nation whatsoever shall burst its bonds of slavery , or a _^ ake to a life of freedom and progress ; but that the whole of the human race shall for ever remain
crushed uuder the iron sceptre ot brutal and debasing despotism . It is for no other purpose than that of preparing for a crusade against the last remnants of European liberty , that tho CzAIt ( who is _indispeu-8 aV * -to the epoch of Kings ) ia marching triumphantly through his extended territories , giving his counsels , aud issuing his commands to his _servileand obedient dependents , in Germany . Louis Napoleon has toiled in their cause , by slaughtering and oppressing the people , and for this he baa received tbe thanks of the red monarchies ofEurope ; but he is too slippery , and not respectable enough to become an adopted son of the Czak—much as he has sought the honour . Besides , he has reached his blood-stained throne on
the back of the hated Revolution , aud cannot appeal to that 'divine ri ght , ' which is to be the tyrants ' only charter . France , therefore , must be restored to the _Boubbonj while the timid constitutionalism of Belgium and Piedmont must be overthrown , and the ' infamous radicalism' of Switzerland be for ever annihilated by the Polondisation of tho land of Tell When this ' holy * work of ' legitimacy' and absolutism shall have been accomplished , the whole continent , bound in the chains of' order , ' and ruled by the Russian despot , through his satellites , it will be time to crush England , and punish her for her sympathy with foreign patriots , and her many other crimes against the curse of European ' law and order . '
But shall Britain , the certain victim of this conspiracy of the Czaii and his serfs , allow them to work out their liberticidal plans without hindrance or molestation ? Shall she not rather fling down the gauntlet to this most unhol y alliance , and raise her yet powerful arm in defence of human freedom ? She might do so if the people , the veritable people , would awake from their apathy , and see it done , If the British nationVwould but rouse itself earl y into action , and clasp the hand of their American brother , which is now being stretched out to them so eagerl y , they would be inrincible , and would be able to hurl the Cossack from his throne , and strike off the fetters which bind the suffering and oppressed nationalities of Europe .
Colliers: 'Killing' In Coal-Pits.. To Th...
COLLIERS : 'KILLING' IN COAL-PITS . . TO THE EDITOR OF THE STAR OF FREEDOM . _SlR , —It is in our nature , our education , and habits , to reject inquiry into the causes of human suffering , Each section of society is apt to confine itself to its own specialities , casting it may be an occasional g lance at others , but ever returning in its vitality to its own immediate interests . There is , it is true , much in common among men ; but it is equally true , that certain grades are stamped with the impress of their own vocations , and arc at once recognised and recognisable by all . In most cases , the matter ends there .
The underground portion of the British population , and chief among those the colliers—are a distinct and separate class , which can only be understood by examining in person , or by direct and authentic evidence , heir tastes , habits , associations , manners , customs , labours , dangers , and rewards . The Colliers of England number many thousands and to their industry , in a great degree , our country is indebted for much of her manufacturing greatness . According to Parliamentary evidence , tbe Colliers enjoy , on au average , relatively , a fair share of the comforts of life . Their food is homely and plentiful , and , since a law was passed to prevent the employment of women in coal mines , their domestic enjoyments have been vastly increased—a fact especially deserving of notice , showing , as it does , that in the
end wrofound humanitv is the wisest economy . end profound humanity is the wisest economy . A boy , at an early age , enters a coal pit as a trapper , so called from it being his duty to sit in a small cavity in the coal pit for ten or twelve hours , as the case mtiy be , and open a trap door when he hears the putter approach with his coal tub . In time , the trapper becomes a driver , the driver a putter , tbe putter a hewer . The duty of the driver is , to drive a horse , to which is attached waggons . The putter fills the waggons . The hewer hews or digs the ccal out of the seam . The leading manager of a coal pit is the viewer , whose duties consist in planning and managing the working of a coal mine . Next in rotation is the underviewer , whose duties are subordinate to those of
his chief . Next in rank arethe overman and deputy overman , whose duties are to superintend the practical working and safety of the pit . All of these grades have their share of personal responsibility . The trapper boy , by neglecting to shut the _traji door , may endanger the lives of all the persons in the pit . We have often heard the Colliers in tbe north complain of tbe risks to which they were exposed by danger in this respect . Driver , putter , and newer , may , by inattention , endanger the lives of others ; but the chief cause of coal pit accidents \ 9 , in many cases , inefficient ventilation . . The greater part of the life of a collier is underground : his work to all not engaged in it must be esteemed unpleasant . When above ground the collier associates with his own order ; and a collier
village presents to . the eye of the . visitor the abodes of au industrial colony of an exclusive class . The cottages are small one story buildings , their furniture , in some cases , for their rank in life , is good , — in others , indifferent . They invariably burn largo and blazing fires—the doors of their dwellings being generally open . We have mixed much among them , and have found them confiding , generous , and hospitable . The old practices of dog-fighting and manfighting are on the decline . Methodism and Chartism have each contributed to bring about and accelerate that improvement . Methodism is the predominant form of religion . So far as our experience goes , Chartism is the ruling political faith . Tho CollierB
complain of many hardships , and frequently suffer grievous injuries , arising from the over-reaching practices of some of their employers and overlookers . « Strikes * are , therefore , of frequent occurrence , and , as usual , leave in their wake disastrous consequences . Tho last great ' striko ' was in 1843 or 1844 , We were present at many delegate and other meetings , and pay a willing tribute of respect to the self-sacrifice , personal courage , and enthusiasm of the Colliers of Durham and Northumebrland . But _thesejare virtues , which , against the power of united capital are all but powerless . As to the physical condition of the Colliers of tho north , perhaps nothing can be more expressive than the following quotation from the auuendix to a
Parliamentary Report , published in 1842 . Mr . William Morrison , the medical attendant of the Lanibton _Colleries , says : — < The outward man distinguishes a pit-man from every other operative . His _staturois diminutive ; his figure mis-shapen and dispropor-
Colliers: 'Killing' In Coal-Pits.. To Th...
; legs mucb l _^^ T r === _^ C ' and greatly developed hi , J ' IlIS chest _mw _^ and the forehead' _^ £ J _^ _?? $£ _* pr ominent , and tho check hi _£ ? t _* < _\ cultural labourers , blacksmith 1 * hav e see _. _* <> the distressed stocking _^ J , _^** . _Sg _« _- ' joll y ' might not unaptl y bo _annliS il 0 m % _?* a'Jolly Collier . ' ' OA PP » eo , but I * \ On the effects of labour i „ m < u . f _^ decay , Dr . Elliott states :- _< K Uciu _S Pre ,,,, age in appearance is common 21 / ° ! ll ! lt 'i _*> l forty years may often be tike " fo , / _^ nL _* than they really are . ' Mr ThnV _^ _^ _Sp geon , T _^ _ker Colliery , _nXSoS _^ 1 _have an -god as _ect _sotSt , ' % In som e parts of _England thn r « « ii- arI _iuiir small in stature and deJ _. l i _,, Sf _^ Northern Counties ; but / in « _]?* _% *»* •• f ' £ rarel y to be met with . The _e-irlv ° Mc _» % { Colliers begin _work-th _* Z _^ _nf at underground-th e painful _^ _£ S j * assume JU excavating ( ho coal , _SonS _^ _Wd into an anerture . onK- \ v _- , An *> "mids piw . _u to
for the contracted moW if _«^*» 3 their hams , sometimes iu ono _posw _\^ Bl 8 itoi another , in few ia _^ _inec _. work _^^? in a state of nudity , or almost so , _£££ ' _* S cases to _jdamp and draughts , subject to r £ , "' 4 arising therefrom , it is not _surprisinj TH _* i _Mon-iaonnerersawa 'jolly collier . * D 0 i t ,, a J K _obstac es , some of tho colliers are men oW ° i _^ muscular power , and many , but for _sul i _* would have been models of strength . _^ h _, Every now and _again , the heart Of _Enfflaiu ]; - « . he news of some fearful coal-p it _acK * sl _^ br _raged y m which human beiS s Jit n _H ? eh hundreds , are hurried out of existence ' v " ™ " « . « made . ¦ AUW - _^ _recfo _^ Within the range of a fow _davs _sixtv-fom-i ; ,. floedatAbCrdJ , «? twaty . Bcven at Pembm . _£ _? _f «« i . llebburn ; _thirty-four at _Coppnl ; „ „ _, ' J 0 " _^ o , and forty-seven human _bmngs are _U ? _>*« account—wives , sisters , morlmvs _i „ . _» i-. l ° their
, steeped in grief . We have been ey Z * T r inexpressible anxiety with whicii _wlaUvM , 1 - ° th « sequel of a coal-pit accident . Women and _»« " streaming eye ; , and some too muoh overcome h . ' _- _^ know tho balm of tears . O _, horrible ! most ho iS / ' t 0 The recent coal-pit accidents are not accidents _Z' * _„ usual course , they aro the every day lesson of _" m _^" hfo . Each accident brings with it thJVC » l n 1 , t , nail , « - 'It wns caused by the ? _oolhardinm f e _" «**• statement is as often false as if . i 3 true It » TV _M ] x that the Pitman should become ' foollvwiW ¦ \ " ? tllral _reasonable to expect tbat he will been fo Jl kt danger , when all the _pnctical _vJL _^ Tr oS ?» 1 to make him so . Who instructs hi into thn Z , ' en (! calling ? Who informs him _hoir 5 _ZT dl . £ _? 7 ft rare exceptions - . -not tbe overman , tbe v * c-w Vh » i * or the proprietor ? It was not _* _ikou t _^ _Sfe " reasons that the government commissi Me _* took nS * two things . The almost invariable practice of - _? l w _^ accidents to the _foolhardinea of _ti mrl _vV ? linraess of surgeons to present them vvi { h k _SriSi accidents . lv _-y _^ u w
It sometimes happens that a coroner ' s _iwracumiv . bodies of the dead does not end without a nw to £ ! _living Suoh _Wa « too case at llebburn . The hot en not ' separate without _exprasiutr an opinion thatihcrT been a great _* ant of caution in ' _tlie safe workin _* oft colliery . They further recommended , that an _additional trapper bo placed in tho district , that the vholo of 2 inmps be locked , and that no blasting take pL _. _ca in tht part of the . colliery wrought b y lamps . ' A _l'ecommonda . lion which implies , that had such precautions been _t-iken no explosion would have occurred , and therefore twenty ' two men would not havo been killed .
Whose duty was it to see that tho pit was in ' safe working' condition ? Such was the duty of the owner Who neglected that duty ? The owner . W ) m _, then by _neslect or avarice , caused the death of _twontv-two nien ? The recommendations of the jury answer our question . By every rule of equity , supported hy reason , the owner of llebburn Colliery should pay an indemnification to the heirs of tho deceased , for the losses tbey havo sustained , because of the deaths of their husbands , fathers , or brothers , as the case may be . Such a practice is now recognised in all cases of railway _accidwus , _seisins from neglect on the part of railway comnanies or their s . _iWs .
Why should coal pit proprietors bo _exempted from like penalties ? If the _owner or owners of lkWmvn Colliery had to pay down £ 10 , 000 to the relatives of tho deceased colliers killed , because of neglect— ' because there h ; id been a want of CHUtiOQ in the safe working of tho coiiiery ' —we are much mistaken if such a penalty would hot , in future , secure tho ' safe working' of that and other coal pits .
The Collier is constantl y exposed to danger—sometimes from water , as in the case of the _Pembvey CoUiovy in South _Walea—sometimes from inflammable gas , ks in the case of _Hebburn , and often from other cause ' s ; and it may ho that it is impossible to _rendsr his vocation fiee from risks , to which other trades and crafts are not liable . The fact , however , that the collier is exposed to unusual risk * , should vonder him an object of care on the part of society and the legislature . Government commissioners ehouM have the power to abut up alt coal pits that are not in safe working condition until they be made so , and uuder a strict law of deodand ; the owners of coal pits should lie iieM responsible for tho lives of all persons engaged under their superintendence .
Any measures short of theso will prove futile . Any lessening of the numbers of _coliiory accidents , in Dm absence of somo such restrictions as wo have hinted . r _, trill bo looked for in vain . « Coal Kings , ' like' Railway Kings , ' and ' Cotton Lords , ' are , in many cases , apt to toot ' . be responsibility of property , and in their ambition to slurs s large dividend , and pocket handsome profits , _suhje-t their dependents to unnecessary dancer . If om' countrymen
wish to escape the horror of such " fearful coJlier _/ accidents as they have lately heard of , and some of them _Iikvj witnessed , they will lose no time hi seeing that bucIi _aicaus affl adopted as shall secure td Che unfortunate _colhoralliiw advantages that science has suggested for his Iwlmlf , and negligence and avarieo alone _prex-ent him from r « . ipin _? tte benefit of . .. Were the interests of labour as _mauii i »* _w for as are thoso of Capital , at no distant day matters i " tho case of tho Collier would bo much improved . Giuccnra .
Tiie Tteret.S Ov '43 Tho "Galway Vindica...
TIIE ttERET . S _OV ' 43 Tho " _Galway Vindicator" publishes a long letter fa ? f ose of those who figured in the "year of turhulcnn , "] 3 r' '• The writer is Mr . William P . Cowling , a youig Ifl _™ i artist , who resided in London , and took an active part" ] » the Chartist Demonstrations of ' 43 . Jle was transported & to Van Diemen ' s Land , under tbe act which _prohibit » open and advised speaking . Of his companions ia a " * " says :- " Cuffy is working at his trade , which , until b « 'f . _f > was not very brisk ; but the recent cold discoveries _t » ' _«« neighbouring continent has made every trade good _«< w- - he is much respected as a sober and industrious man . l ' j _*> has always been in constant employment , and he » _% _' " . _' sidered the best workman in the colony , Liey lias T _™™^" a shot ) in Launceston , his wife and five _childrcu haT _* _«* _" " ; . to him . and he ia in a fair w : iv of _rranine a fortune . tt » _yv _s
a great number of men employed , and , _P'"' _^/^ _Vrnrn the gold discoveries , has received more order ? ™ n ikm _* * procure men to execute . Ritchie has not been » j < i fortunate , but is no * in employment . i « th respect to mm country Chartists , none of thmu b . vo been awe w » » employment at tbeir trades , there being no _. actone * o ;• ; consequence in the colony ; thev are , however , e " P' '' ; _to ; itt somewhere in tho interior as gardeners , < M . n O'Brien , _sinco his acceptance of a tiokot o _» «» w , ' ¦ lived in great privacv and retirement in tho vide ivia _< having , in order to employ his highly cultivated fl « J . _m . condescended to become tutor io the youna _sc-as o t sn _f . , Hj _npiif-. _Trijli _nhvainian cr _' in resided in that _rt'tlie'l _lt | ace . ' . 1 . . 1 ,
constant and dignified demeanour has procured , " i | lc _u _Cjj respect of all , even of those most opposed to lum " _> P . , ( pies and politics . He is now , 1 am informed , in _" - .. . health , so much so that be has been obliged to ej » e » P _£ P oraplovment he had accepted , and has _Sot P _«?? 'r l v ] _,,,. ] , side in A different locality . Mitahel has been joined W w > ( wife and family , anil with such a family , and mUii _* _w _^ _cietyofhis old and excellent friend , Mr . John »' , _M must be as happy as it is possible for an exiled rtoei (( 0 'Meagher still resides in his solitary d ra c Lj fc fc Sorell , save that the solitude is now _gomew-mt fl _$ « _W ' the preseneelof his amiable and beautiful bnde . 0 _»^ is at present in this town , and has just comple eJ a g _^ _w _^^ of his persecutions in this colony , which would ue , _¦« _ immediately , but in consequence of the gold dijw J _^ _^ printers cannot be procured at any price—tiicy » _' _» . _* ° , "j to the » diggins . " Ho purposes te have it pu _JJ _? A Dublin and London , for the benefit of his _tanWi _" _fcli „ in the colonies and America . Letters _havs beeni _rew to | , here from _M'Manns , enclosing his business caias » _^ friends—among others , to the Governor and tne [ m troller-general . _O'Doherty is _practising his RJ _* , |„« r _\ a «| : | HobartTown , and is universally respected . , " , " _, j , > , „ , ) ib i bad the pleasure of seeing him he was in excellent hca '"" . M «
Ths Established Cntractt Of Scott.Wo- -F...
Ths Established _Cntractt of ScoTt . _wo- -f _, jL Assembly of the _& tabHsked Church of _&» _" »» , ! J , ' i Edinburgh on tho 20 th inst ., the Earl of _^'"^ _tJi 1 , tho Lord High Commissioner . Dr . _M'Lcod . t > f _^ » Moderator of the past year , preached the annual ser _$ e and proposed tho Rev . Dr . Forbes as his _successon . son Royal letter being read hy the commiss ioner , . •*•« ' •"' . . was appointed to prepare the reply . _W' _^ _fi occupied on the following day entirely _with _™^ R _iifiss . It appears that the incomes of tho _^ _cott- _" . ¦ . in all the country parishes havo been _sorioos y _; din J nn » by tho alteration in the corn duties ; cud !* a _TkT _: intervals of twenty years that an _augmontot _iou « _^ . w can be legally obtained , and even then t » c t 0 ' t courts of law make much opposition , A" _T , _' i ( _' -i government on the subject is resolved on . it ' d d that both from the as _* mMto _« of the _Estf Me » churches petitions will bo adopted against the _« a » of tho Maynooth grant .
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Citation
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Northern Star (1837-1852), May 29, 1852, page 4, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/ns/issues/ns2_29051852/page/4/
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