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    • TO TEE SAliOML ASSEMBLY. ¦
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      To Tee Salioml Assembly. ¦

      TO TEE _SAliOML ASSEMBLY . ¦

      Gentlemen* , It This Week Becomes My Pai...

      Gentlemen * , It this week becomes my painful , but imperative duty to defend myself agaiust several charges _^ which have been made against me in the National Assembl y , and , in doing so , I shall strictl y confine myself to the points upon which we are at issue , and I shall abstain frem the usa of a single expression calculated to widen the breach , or to give a triumph to those who have ever looked upon the disunion of the Peop le ' s friends as the triumph of oppression .

      Gentlemen , if I thought that I deserved even the slightest censure from those to " whose service I have devoted my life , I should adopt ihe manly course of confession , and _expressing TE _^ _ret—bnt , upon the other hand , if I lost my self-respect b y purchasing forbearance or for giveness at the expense of truth , conscience , and principle , I should esteem myself dishonoured and degraded . Gentlemen , I was perfectly aware that the mind and circumstances which are now operating upon all the States of Europewould be

      , wafted to this enquiring country—a country ever , thirsting for knowledge , and , unfortunately , but justl y , looking to foreign changes as the means of producing domestic reformsaad I was not onl y aware , but I was hopeful , that these circumstances weald infuse new blood into the drooping- body of Chartism ; and I tras not only prepared , but I longed to see this devotion and enthusiasm manifested in our ranks , while , at the same time , I was fearful and apprehensive lest the flood should be too sudden and rapid .

      Gentlemen , if the cause of Chartism had drooped from the year 1842 to the period of the French Revolution , it was not my fault ; but when that circumstance gave vitality to the cause of Democracy , it then became my duty , and the duty of those with whom I have acted , to turn it to the speediest and best account ; and that we did hy summoning a representation Of the Chartist body at the earliest possible period . Thus , without much prolixity , I lead you from that period when Chartism was last struck down by oppression , to the hour of its resurrection : and I now come to the matter , not in dispute between us , Ibut to the matter upon which you would condemn me , unheard and untried .

      Gentlemen , I take it that the whole question at issue between us , Is the Fact of my having published an opinion adverse to the meeting of the National Assembly , having previously given my assent to the proposition . Now 1 shall not rest my defence upon a quibble , because I am prepared to join issue ; but if I were inclined to base it _' upon good substantial grounds , I might say that the very fact of the whole body of English Trades , as well as ninetenths of the shopkeepers nf England , having adopted our princip les since the 10 th , would have justified me in recommending the postponement of the National Assembl y until the improved mind of these recruits would have insured ns a fairer and even a more extensive

      representation of Chartist opinions . And I wish you to bear in mind , when you speak of my recommendation to obey the law , this fact , that my recommendation went to the extent of askiog you to keep withi * the limits of the law until the alliance was made so strong and powerful as to def y the law ' s technicality ; but if I am to be dealt with hy the same measure of justice that tyrants have administered to me , I place my defence upon bolder and more unequivocal grounds . This is my defence—That , so help me God , I was not aware of the number of which the National Assembly was to consist at the time the previous Convention was sitting ; and I think that I shall be able to convince all reasonable men of this fact , and this is

      my p ioof—that , from the period of the issuing ofthe Government proclamation to suppress the meeting and the procession on the 10 th , and the hourly communications I received of the intentions of the Government and the " Specials , " and the subsequent treatment that I received throughout the week in the House of Commons—these circumstances , I say , did not merely excite taebut very nearly drove me mad . M y " visits to the Convention were hurried , and the Executive will do me the justice to say , that I p laced my name at their disposal , and placed my honour in their keeping , but that I had not time to attend any one of their meetings , althoug h their every act is stamped with my entire approbation .

      Now , there is mv unequivocal defence to the eharge which has been trumpea up against me , and I ask no mercy at your hands , but I claim justice . It has been my pride to establish a tribunal to which the accused may appeal with a certainty of receiving justice , and to that tribunal , if you still charge me , after my reiterated declaration , now appeal . There is more Chartism—more- watchful , just , and jealous Chartism—in Manchester , than will be found in any town in England , or in the world ; and I will change the cenue to that town . 1 will appear in the People ' s Institute in person , and will defend myself against any and every

      charge that can bs brought against my public or p rivate character , from the hour I joined your ranks to this moment . And as private integrity and honour is not consistent with political " profligacy , I shall be prepared to submit my balance sheet of the People ' s Money to the same tribunal ; and if I am not honourably and unanimously acquitted of any charge that may be preferred against me , I will abandon " the proud position that I hold . But neither tyranny , conspiracy , or oppression shall alter my individual purpose ; for if I cease to possess that confidence requisite for a leader , I will not part with that zeal and resolution which will enable me to discharge my individual duties , to a cause that is dearer to me than life .

      Gentlemen , you have a great _advantage ' over me , because you know , in your souls , that conscious innocence would prevent me from joining the ranks of the oppressor—you know that I am not like other men , who would make p iq ue or injustice a justification for desertion —you know , in your souls , that , sustained by the silent monitor , I would live down oppression , and though some , perhaps measuring me by themselves , have dared to say that I was preparing for the Treasury Benches , I tell you , and you know it , that , though oppressed b y you , I would rather crack stones on the road than accept of p lace , pension , or emolument in the enemy ' s camp . My democracy is HOt the common democracy . M y democracy has been imbibed with mv mother ' s milk—it

      has grown with my growth , and become flesh of my flesh , and bone of my bone . And now , mark " me , when I tell you , that , though writing ¦ under feelings of strong- and natural excitement , I am prepared to prove my obedience to popular representation—and I do not deny that the Assembly is a _representation of the Chartist mind—and _t am prepared , in my individual capacity , not onl y to recommend , but to assist in carrying out , the principles adopted by the majority . And , Gentlemen , allow me to tell you more , that , though unsustained b y cheers , I will venture to assert that there is not an individual in that Assembly , or in England , whe is prepared to make a bolder or more determined stand for the People ' s Charter ,

      than I am . Gentlemen , if you cemmune with yourselves , and ask yourselves whether yoii see just grounds for your denunciation of me , I think precedent will show you , as in the case of Henry Hunt , that reflection , though sometimes tardy , coming , as it did in his case , after death , will do justice to those whom , in their fury , the enthusiastic destroyed _. Gentlemen , no false policy ever drives me from what I consider to be a safe position ; and I still maintain , and will still urge my _' opinion , which is , that , even yet , a National Assembly , representing all classes—and so much of the industrial mind of this country . as the law ' _n technicality dare not oppress—should be called j and I still hold to my former op _oion

      —for I will not purchase toleration at the expense of my honour—I still hold , that the present Assembly should pave the way for a grand national representation of the whole industrial mind , by propounding wis © and discreet labour measures , calculated to convince all that the Charter alone is capable of making them national , and , therefore , worth living for and worth dying for . Gentlemen , cast your eyes around , and see what benefit the Prussian Revolution has conferred upon the Prussian labourer and watch ,

      with an anxious eye , what the result to labour will be _] from the deliberations of tbeFrench National Assembly . The Labour question is not settled there yet : ' The aristocracy of this country are exhausting , their treasure to effect what the British Minister effected in 1793 , namely , a counter-revolution . For these reasons having nursed this infant when many of you were in petticoats , 1 have resolved upon being prepared with , a plug that would stop the hole made by progression before the vessel sinks .

      M y pride has ever been , that England' is better prepared for a free constitution than any country in the world ; but my conviction is , that any lapse of time between , the destruction of the bid _aatTthe adoption of the " , new system ,-is fatal to the cause of Democracy . * Gentlemen , did you ever take this view of the question ? Did you ever consider that , up to the 10 th of April , Chartism was looked upon with dread , with horror , and alarm ? And that , from that periodnotwithstanding the

      , boastful _addressesof " " specials ' ' to the throne , the justice of Chartism now fills every mouth . And I will again ask you , in the name of God and common sense , shall the millions of recent converts be scared by . folly , imprudence , and impetuosity ? When thousands are now beginning to argue the justice of every principle of the Charter , shall they be scared and turned from us by their attention being directed to what the Press would point out as the terror and lewdness ot Chartism .

      Gentlemen , I have often told you that I would live to take the stink off Chartism ; ahd although you would now denounce the Northern Star , do jou think that the new converts , of whose assiduity you boast , report your proceedings for love of your principles ? Ah your reproach of that organ , for which I have suffered , and of which the _psople have received the profile , ie unmanly , ungenerous , and unjust

      Gentlemen , if Ihadbeen a trafficking politician , I have had many opportunities of making fortunes without the dread of slander or persecution . And to prove to you that I am not a profit-mongering newspaper proprietor , let me remind you that I edited the True Sun newspaper without fee or reward , when po-Verty had emptied its exchequer , and that I edited the Evening Star , for eight whole months , never receiving or looking for a farthing ; and , although I received dail y assuranees that its fresher news was destroying the circulation of the Northern Star , my answer was " So much the better , if it quickens cur pace ; " and I never withheld my services for a day until that paper became a Tory organ _, and then I abandoned it .

      Gentlemen , the treatment of Smith O'Brien , Mitchel , and Meagher , at Limerick , convinces me of the danger in which popular leaders place themselves when a people are divided ; and yet , I think that those who witnessed the siege in the Hall of Science , iu Manchester , in 1842 , will say that it was not a less ferocious and murderous attack , than that so brutally made upon those three gentlemen .

      Gentlemen , will you have the kindness to inform me , whether you , or any one of you , imagine that you have a more anxious or livel y interest in the success of Chartism than I have ? D _© you think of it as continuously and as deeply as I do ? And do you think that , if 1 had been present in the National Assembly , I would have allowed any one delegate to attack an absent man ?

      Gentlemen , you look for liberty , and desire to destroy oppression ; but in my absence even the House of Commons would not allow me to be traduced , although , when present , I felt the full measure of their indignation . You say that yos will establish another paper and depose me ; the one you need not take the trouble of doing , because , if a National Assembly is called , which will defy terror , I will make them a present of the Northern Star , and

      will be content to bear the lion ' s share of the danger which the Treason Act may impose upon the proprietor . And as to deposing me , I defy you , until you dishonour me , arid that you shall never do . No ; I shall adopt the rule which I have recommended to all _thelabouring classes , to ask themselves , — " What is Feargus O'Connor r" or , " What can he or any other man do for us ? We must put our own shoulders to the wheel . "

      Gentlemen , you are welcome to put another on the box , but I will have hold o f a spoke , and my shoulder to the wheel , in spite of you , for surely you do not think that I am made of that base metal that your vengeance could turn into counterfeit ? There are few instances of insulted men adhering steadfastly to their principles ; but I assure you that if you passed a unanimous vote of censure upon me I will never join any party but the veritable Democracy .

      You _mustdo me the justice to admit , that from the year 1837 to the present hour I have been endeavouring to enlist the co-operation of the trades and the shopkeepers , and that at last I have accomplished il ; and that one por tion of my fear , in your taking a step beyond the law until this union was complete , was lest you should enable the more moderate party to " crimp those new recruits , upon the plea of

      Chartist violence and folly . Aad I tell you now , that just as the Old Irelanders and Young Irelanders are at deadl y war in Ireland ; and as the Communists and the government are at war in France ; so will the middle classes , who are now organising their new Reform agitation , endeavour to create two classes of working men—one they will call the enli ghtened , peaceful Reformers , the other , the Chartist Destructives .

      Now , Gentlemen , I do not want to give them this handle , because I am as convinced as I am of my existence , that if we surrender ONE BKISTLE OF THE HOG , or change the animal ' s name , that the animal , bristles and all , will be instantly buried in the same tomb , and the leaders would use the intellectual lovers of peace to coerce the Government into a reduction of taxation , and which you woald be told was the Charter .

      Gentlemen , I believe that Joseph Sturge is a thoroughly honest man . So are Muntz , and Scholefield , Sharman Crawford , and several others ; and s . 11 that we require to augment that force in the House of Commons , is the strong and united pressure from without lmt if that pressure comes in changeable breezes , instead of a general hurrieane , then will there he a justification within for " bating ' a portion of the demand .

      Gentlemen , it is as clear to me as the sun that now shines , that nothing but folly or indiscretion can postpone the accomp lishment of the People ' s Charter for a few weeks ; and , in the midst ofyour censure , I was consoled by a letter from my leader ( Mr Duncombe ) , approving of my policy , asd conveying to me , and to vou the cheering intelligence that he

      hopes to be in his place in parliam ent in three weeks ; and then , gentlemen , I shall be able to prove to the world that I can be as zealous as a follower as I have been independent as a leader . Gentlemen , when I opposed the sacred holiday in ' 39 , 1 was very copiously abused * and so was the Northern Star ; but when reason resumed its dominion , my censors were the first te apologise . So in 1840 , when I was sent for at a moment ' s notice to take the command of Mr

      Bussey ' s array , those who reviled me , soon did me justice J and my consolation in the midst of my every trial has been , that the people are " seldom wrong , and never very long wrong . ' And now allow me to ask you , in sad and sober earnest , whether in the course of your political career you have any of you heard of so sli g ht a charge leading to so much acrimonious abuse . If T had fattened upon you , deserted you , and betrayed you , you could hot have been more unsparing of your censure .

      Gentlemen , there was another , circumstance which impressed upon my mind the necessity of postponing the National Assembly , and itis this . * — -That we should ' not be mocked for our poverty , but that the people should , have an exchequer capable of enabling _ them to ! support their- representatives in _respectability ; and even at the _haaard of still further exciting your wrath , what I now recommend would be , that the , present Assembly should propound its social , as well as its political reforms , and that when thoroughly digested , the Assembly should be divided into two ' s , and sent as missionaries with those tracts for sale , and to lecture on

      their several circuits , andjthen tb name a day , when the country is prepared _. for the gathering ofthe National Assembly , which would represent shopkeepers , trades , operatives , and all labourers . . i . Gentlemen , perhaps I may be told that this is a dilatory p lea . I assure you , however , that if done , and well done , neither this nor any other Government could resist the _^ constitutional pressure of such a power ; but there may be some who are tired of agitating—if there is one who ought to be , I think I am that one , and yet I never tire when I see my way before me or when it is necessary to remove obstacles out of it .

      Gentlemen , as you are so generous of yeur censure , why have you not censured my conduct in the House of Commons ? However , it ia my consolation to know , that from all parts of the , country I receive affectionate letters , whioh sustain me against the ungenerous impressions you have allowed to hurry you into unmerited reproach . Gentlemen , if you are tired of agitating , I am not ; and it is my intention , when I shall have located the occupants at Snig ' s End , to visit , as an individual—not as your leaderevery town in England , Scotland ,- and Wales , for the mere purpose of sustaining Chartism , and of supplying the Chartist exchequer , without which aU agitations and assemblies are imperfect .

      I am aware that in these times , when thrones are dissolving , crowns falling , and sceptres crumbling , that the miniature may be pleasing to many . Nothing can be more true than the saying of Lord Barrymore , " That one enemy can do you more harm than a thousand friends can do you good ; " and it is my pride to know that all my enemies , and their name is Legion , have been created by my devotion to the people ' s cause . And now , Gentlemen , in conclusion , I . have to assure you that you have , through some mistaken notion , attached a false meaning to my advice—that I fully accord

      your right to censure when I am wrong—but I plead my own rig ht for trial before condemnation . And , however you may attempt to provoke collision , I am resolved that I shall give no cause for dissension in the popular ranks , because , if reduced from my commission tomorrow , I will again fall into the ranks ; and _as'disci pline , duty , and devotion , secured my promotion before—though I am now older—I will obey your leader ' s word of command , but he must be sound-hearted , prompt , and longlegged , or I shall walk over him , and for my service may again be entitled to at least a

      sergeant ' s place . geant s place . Gentlemen , I never seek the battle , not shun it when it comes . Tiie Press has made a feast of your abuse of me , * but while the jeering enemy may live upon the fragments , my conscience shall sustain me , AND THE

      PEOPLE WILL SUPPORT ME . Gentlemen , I am told that some Delegate said " Let him stick to the Land . He is not a fit leader for us . " Yes ; when you have your rights , I will stick to the Land . - and 1 tell you , that ' _. but for the Land 1 would not give you a fig for the Charter to-morrow ; and 1 tell you that it is your duty , and it ought to be your pride , to instruct the labouring classes in the value of the Land , and all other social reforms , without which political change is a mockery , a delusion , and a snare . Let those who scoff go to the Land , and ask those whom I have taken out ofthe house of bondage , and into whose cheek t have infused the blush of joy , if they would go back again into their murk y dens ?

      If those questions have been beneath the consideration of all former Demagogues , who look to change and depend upon Providence , for the result , I , as a Demagogue , ? shall ever feel proud that I have established the only system , since the world ' s creation , which is capable of enabling the industrious Labourer to live in luxury in the sweat of his own brow ; while it establishes the only standard whereby the value of artificial Labour can be established . I assure you , Gentlemen , that however you may scoff , that , though far away , my spirit and my mind are hovering over those loved spots , and would to God that those who revile and speak slightingl y . of thera saw them , and made their increase the ground-work of

      political agitation . Gentlemen , if it is your wish that I shall Cease tO hold the office of leader , say so , and say it like men * and as I consider you a fair representation of the Chartist mind , I shall bow to that decision , and shall once more fall into the Chartist ranks ; but , for God ' s sake , do not make censure of me the daily food of the enemy ; be more dignified . Let those who have recently joined our ranks have confidence in your prudence , your courage , and your zeal , and adopt a nobler theme than the deposition of a too-old leader for the new blood of Chartism .

      Gentlemen , I had suffered much in health ; nevertheless , as I stated to the Executive , when I arrived in town on Tuesday ni ght , that I would go to the Assembly on Wednesday morning though not elected , more mature reflection told me that if I propounded any policy which should be rejected , and if the liar pies ofthe law sought to take vengeance upon the Assembl y , then , as in the case of others at Lancaster , the rejection of my policy might have been urged against those who refused to accede to it , and 1 did not wish to be praised for moderation at the expense of the younger and more enthusiastic Chartists . Moreover , I feared the effect of the excitement , as I had been spitting blood for some days , and , when unjustl y charged , I felt convinced that I should lose my reason and self-possession .

      „ Gentlemen , in conclusion , this shall terminate my correspondence upon the subject _; and when I retire to mysolitude , andaway from the busy haunts of man , I shall read the

      indictment upon which I have bean convicted with a scrutinising eye , as anxious 'to discover ypur justice as my own innocence . But to _whatever situation of life it shall please God to call me , my prayers shall be for " The Charter and No Surrender , '' and my services , though politicall y reviled , shall , if trusted , be devoted to the location of Nature ' s children upon Nature ' s soil -, and , in my conscience , I believe it was and still is , in the power ofa National Assembl y so to enforce the Land System as to make it National instead of Sectional .

      Notwithstanding the differences that have _arisen between us 1 subscribe myself , as ever and for ever , Your devoted , faithful , unpurchasable , and forgiving friend , Feargus O'Connor .

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      AND _NATIONAL : _TRADED _JOURNAL . _"—^——— " ~ - _~* _" _~?> ** - _^» - _^ on — ¦ — . _t . i »»»»«»! « lu .. _Hffi . iW ) _. « . j . _^ .. _ _. ' i ... _—«—» Ill H i '" IIJI " _l _^^ T * '' * ' . ' * _g ? VOL-XL No 550- LONDON , SATURDII , Ii _¥ 6 , l 848 . _^ . _i _^ _JSSSfe _* --¦ ¦ '' t _!¦ ¦ ' ' ' : _¦• - ¦ : ¦¦ . : . ' . ¦

      To The Chairman Op The Meeting To Be Hel...

      TO THE CHAIRMAN OP THE MEETING TO BE HELD ON TUESDAY EVENING AT DEAN-STREET . SiR ,- < --Hav jing learned by the merest chance that a meeting is to take place on Tuesday night , at Dean-street , for the purpose of hearing some complaint from some one sis to my management of the Land Company ' s affairs * and being _resolved that no man shall damage thafc Company or my character with impunity , I have sent all my foremen—Mr Jones , the

      contractor for , building houses * Mr DoyId manager , under my direction , in my absence ; Mr Cunningham , who has been my overseer from thej commencement ;; Mr King , bailiff ; Mr Robs , carpenter ; Mr Jones , plasterer ; Mr Moody , carpenter , who has been with me since tbe commencement ; and Mr M'Gowan , } vho has received and banked the money—to be examined by the meeting ' , and now allow me to make a few observations , :

      Englishmen _, you vapour when your rights are invaded , but do you call it acting . upon what you call the princi ple of old English fair play to allow a gentleman and his servants to be charged behind their backs , and to proceed to try them in their absence . It was by the merest chance I heard of the conspiracy , and only through secret letters written to my workmen ; but I haye gone to the expense of sending every witness to London , who can speak to every question connected with the management of the Land Company ' s affairs .

      I should be present myself , but for the following reasons . ' —Firstly , lest my presence should be supposed to influence a single Op inion . Secondly , I am not just now in that state of health whicii would warrant me in undergoing much excitement , and I do confess that such treachery and deceit mi g ht deprive me of the necessary self-control . This plan I have established for the poor , not for the vultures who would live upon the carcase . It is a well known and an admitted fact , that society ' s money , to be expended on labour , is considered fair game for all who condescend to . live upon it ; and the man who is bold or tyrannical enough to interpose is a despot .

      Now , I fearlessly and proudly challenge mortal man to point out one single instance of improper economy , which I have observed in the _management and expenditure of this sacred fund , and 1 defy the sceptic or the censor to prove the misapplication of one farthing of it-I have adopted the present course , not for the satisfaction of the disappointed , but for the

      satisfaction of the members , to whom I am alone accountable . Lord Barrymore had a saying , " that one enemy can do a man more harm than a thousand friends can do him good . '' It is my pride , however , to be able to meet the slander of the enemy with the well-merited confidence of my friends ; and I should hold myself unworthy of that confidence if I failed to meet even the accusation of the

      enemy . Let me tell you that no man living shall control me , dictate to me , or in any way interfere with me , in the selection of persons who , under me and my direction , shall be engaged in this undertaking ; and , upon my soul I 1 believe the whole fund would be swallowed up in one month if the manager feared the vi tuperation of the disappointed . The greatest difficulty that I have to contend with is to satisfy the unemployed thousands that I cannot find work for ,, each urging his claim as the most just and reasonalle , and aU considering themselves injured if not satisfied ; but 1 will no longer devote every hour of my life to receive only insolence as my reward .

      1 will not apply every farthing of my money to the benefit of a class who will tolerate such injustice ; and as I am the largest holder of stock in this Company—having about 700 / . in the Bank , for which I will receive no interest , and which shall be left there to the last—and all my own funds going to the Company ' s credit , what I now desire is , that a more competent person shall be appointed as manager . I will make the Company a present of the 700 / ., and nearly 2 , 0002 . besides . All my accounts shall be settled by competent arbitrators , and thon the' affairs of the Company may be creditabl y managed .

      A couple of master _bui'ders , from Hammersmith , were in love with the Land Plan , but being disappointed in their attempts to live upon it , attended every meeting to criticise , and became correspondents of 'Lloyd ' s' and the 'Dispatch . ' Now these are the virtuous indignants I have to deal with . I learn that some one complains that I am eaten up with foremen . I have two , whom you shall hear , and one whom I cannot spare—Mr Bryan—who sees to the horses , and a practical man whose -business it was all the winter to measure the work of seventeen pair of sawyers , to see to the best application of the timber , and to the proper care of it , and who bad 1 / , a week , and saved many a score of pounds each week . But now to

      foremen . If I had 100 men working in ten di visions , of ten each , it would well pay me to have a foreman over every division , I will put ten men to work by themselves , and ten under a foreman , and the ten under the foreman will do more work , and better work , in one day , than the ten others will do in three days ; and for that reason I set all the work that can be done by task , to be done * and 1 see to its proper performance , reserving twenty-five pec cent , until it lias been approved of b y the Company ' s Surveyor , who is very particular ; and I invariabl y find that all men like task work best , and that it pays both employer and the employed best , and gives most satisfaction .

      You can a _? k the parties I send what " questions you please , but the general questions which 1 desire to be put are—Do you think that a gentleman or tradesman could be more particular in the expenditure of his money than Mr O'Connor has been , in regard to the Land Fund ? flow does he make his contracts , and how does he require the work to be performed ? From the mode adopted by Mr

      O'Connor would it be possible , if so inclined , to defraud the Company of a farthing ? How are the several accounts kept , by whom , and what check has Mr O'Connor over the foreman and what check has Mr O'Connor over the accounts ? How are the men paid , and what wages do they receive , in comparison with those employed in the neighbourhood ? Have you ever known Mr O'Connor

      defrauding , ill-treating , or saying an unkind word to any man , in his yempfoyment ? Is he in the habit of capriciously discharging men ? Do you think Mr O'Cennor could be m « re anxious and careful , if the property were liis own , and if so large a concern belonged to an individual , could there be less waste ? Do you know whether Mr O'Connor gives the Company credit for every particle of old property sold—and who receives the price of such property—and is a regular account of every shilling kept ? Until Mr O'Connor was returned to Parliament , how much of his time did he devote to the Company ' s service ? During the whole of the operations at O'Connorville , was Mr O'Connor on the scaffold with his

      bricklayers , from six in the morning till six in the evening ? And does he now devote his every hour to the accounts and affairs of the Company ( and on Sundays—and the whole of Sundays ) , when not engaged in Parliament ? Have you known Mr O'Connor to pay monies outofhi 8 own pocket never charged to the Company ? Have , you seen , my mismanagement of the Company's property ? In what-state - does Mr O'Connor receive the Land ? And in what state does he leave it ?

      Arid what quantity of manure does he have made in proportion to the amount of land ? Is there care or slovenliness observed about the most roug h work ? And are old materials not required made the most of ? Have you heard thata sing le one of these questions would be proposed to you by this meeting ? Do you thitik if Mr O'Connor discharged any man in his employment to-morrow , that one of them could charge him with a single act of neglect , dishonesty , or waste , or one act unbecoming a gentleman ? Now , such are the questions which I—the aceused party—wish to put ; any person is at liberty to ask what , further questions he p leases .

      I shall now state a most - extraordinary fact with reference to the funds of this Company , and which will be corroborated by 'Mr M'Gowan . It is that I have not seen a fraction ofthe Company ' s money from the day 1 have been treasurer to this moment . The Directors pay the money to Mr M'Gowan , and Mr M'Gowan pays it into the Bank ; and on no bank , as my books will show , lis there a cheque for a pound for myself , though all myj own money goes to the credit ofthe Company . Mr M'Gowan will show you the books , and explain the charge as to the looseness of keeping the Company ' s accounts , than which nothing can be more simple , clear , and perfect ..

      Now , in conclusion , while 1 feel a pride , a pleasure , and an honour , in serving the honest working men , I will not be subject to the insolence , the impertinence , and annoyance of drunken sots , who . come amongst my happy family , and give a bad character to the society , by cheating widows and industrious people , running Off in their debt , and leaving me to bear all the odium of their dishonesty ; while they have the magnanimity to scrutiiise the conduct of all with a virtuous indignation .

      Release me then , from all responsibility , or protect me against allrascality . One or other you must do ; and so wedded am I to this Land Plan , that if I ceased to carry it out for others , and commenced it upon my own account , in less than five years from this day I would be the ri & hest man in England from ray profits as a Land Shopkeeper—buying it wholesale , and selling it retail , with perfect control over my own men and without insolent interferenceand yet I am fully satisfied to give my gratuitous . labour to the poor .

      Now , Englishmen , again I must call your attention to the fact o f this meeting being got up without one word of notice to me , am ' o the fact that letters have been written to pei * sons in my employment , to prop up the malcontents . If you tolerate such proceedings , I am no longer fit to be your _sei-vant . Feabgus O'Connob , P . S . —I think I mig ht be allowed to enjoy

      Working men , 1 feel quite insulted by bging _constantly dragged into these explanationsand , above all , I wish you to ask the complainants , whether they are paid-up members , or members at all . Mr Jones plastered , stuccoed , and slated all the houses at Lowbands . Question him as to work and price . He has built , nearly all the houses at Snig ' s End . Question him as to work , materials , and price , and ask him if ever he worked for an individual employer who was more particular ; and pray let it not be said that the witnesses are my servants—for , bear in mind , they are the onl y persons cognizant of the facts , and that what they state will be known to all in my employment . F . _O'C .

      the fruits of my bard winter s work upon this Mayday , instead of being compelled to travel to Bromsgrove , and back here at twelve o ' clock at night , after addressing a meeting at Tewkesbury , and then sit up to make this defence against p arties who have never had the manliness to complain to my face , nor to give me the slig htest intimation of _ftheir proposed appeal .

      To The Members Of The Land

      TO THE MEMBERS OF THE LAND

      COMPANY . Mt Friends , The above letter was addressed to the Chairman of the meeting which was held in Dean _, street , on Tuesday evening last , to hear some charges preferred against the management of the Land Company—a meeting that I heard of by the merest chance—but , being resolved in all money matters and matters of management to afford the fullest opportunity of

      investigation , 1 sent every man who was engaged in those departments , at my own expense , from Oxfordshire and Gloucestershire , and , singular to say , not an individual , with the exception of Mr Cullingham , the overseer of carpenters , was examined , and who , I understand , gave satisfaction ; and , still more singular , the meeting would not hear my letter read , stating that there was no charge whatever against me . l think when you consider the old legal

      maxim" He who acts by another , acts by himselt "you will come to the conclusion that if my servants were charged with waste or mismanagement , that I , as the superior , would be responsible , and 1 never desire to shift the blame from my _. own shoulders . ? The charges , I understand , _were—^ Firstly , the contract work was sublet to subcontractors at a Lwer price . And , Secondly , that there was a waste of materials .

      As to ] the ' first charge , I receive proposals for contracts , the work to be subject to the approval of the surveyor , and twenty-live per cent , to be withheld till the work is completed , That is my answer as to my mode of dealing with the contractor , and I know nothing as to his mode of dealing , further than this ; - when 1 contracted with Mr Griffiths for building forty-five stone houses at Lowbands—he

      finding all materials , and the contract made up of different items—1 bound him to give the exact amount for mason work to those he employed , that I paid him , Tbe carpenters all work task-work . At Herringsgate I attended to the bricklayers myself , and tried the experiment of _patting the plastering and stuccoing to different p lasterers , and , without an exception , they every one cheated the Company , and 1 could not prevent _> t as it was impossible

      _^' _^ _% _^ _iMWi l _^^^ . _^'^^ r \ n ai 6 _tt i _^ _^^ _BirSiI » e _4 _ilf-fiaished _wotfe— -and , inert ? f « retS *« ri ' _«^ _ce < 1 have-lot th « p lastering to a ed ! pctdr 7 'The _Bowing _Isf dime bv contract , ai } # sl Hg _# » _£ t <> W » / 7 from the day * thrft i _, commeiice _^ 6 _Mrati 0 Bfl at - O'CoribOrville , to _tltj _present hour , ' 1 have rieveir heard a single _complaint _ofinjusticfbr harsh treatment from any m At Minster Lovel the eighty houses were all taken by working men , all of whom _gptHgood wages—not one of whom convpjped . _u Ihe plastering _wa 3 done by working men- ' -the _slating was dhe by working men-ana the painting has always been done by working , mea —that ia , working men have had the contracts ; and , I assure you , it was no small puzzle to keep those separate accounts . '

      [ At Shi _^ _s End the houses ara all _Sricfo At the Moat , they are nearl y all stone . For the brick houses , Mr Jones and Mr _powlin ff had the contract . For the atone _hau _^ _ea , Mr Griffiths had the contract . And I am ¦ -told , that one of Mr Dowling _' s complaints is , _; that he was not conveniently supplied with materials , and that the bricks were under water —the fact being , that he selected the houses thathe would build himself—and my directions were not to let them stand a minute for materials . And as to the bricks being under wuter , there were hundreds of thousands landed on the quay , with four feet of water over them ; but 1 know of no rule in the Land Plan to obviate such a catastrop he as that . So much for contracts—and now for waste .

      I believe the only charge in that respect was the burning of some faggots at dinner time , in the winter , for men to eat their dinner by , and to this charge I cheerfully plead guilty , and am only sorrv that 1 could not make ihem more comfortable ; while l assure you that , as far as my knowledge goes , there never was less 7 waste , even in the building of a single house hy a private individual—in fact , l-.-defy the art of the most artful to charge a single act of waste , negligence , or _dishonesty against

      the management of the whole affairs ; and all 1 wish is , that every man in the' Company could come for a week and see the operations performed , and 1 dare say that it is one of the anomalies of modern times , that , if 1 fell out to-morrow—and every one feels inclined to fall out with me just now—1 could * defy directors , managers , tradesmen , contractors , overseers , or labourers , to charge me with one single act of negligence , * meanness , or- dishonesty .

      I have always heard " that proffered service Stinks , ' * _andjl think 1 shall begiif to cateulate what 1 could make at my own profession , and make the Land Company pay me the ' same amount . of salary , and then , perhaps ,-they would value my services . There was no ; man to whom I was more partial than Mr _Dowling but he must remember that 1 discharged him three times at O'Connorville , for creating confusion amongst the bricklayers ; and when he speaks of job work , he must remember , that he had 33 s . a week for doing nothing , while those who worked had 24 s . ; and he must also remember that 1 was quite inclined to pass all that over , and to employ him again at Snig ' s End , and that even there he created confusion .

      Now I never mind those little ebullitions , nor did I . part with Mr _Dowling on bad terms ; but really and truly , neither my health nor my temper will stand those continuous snarlings and carpings about nothing , for I swear before God and man , that there never , was such attention paid to a work of the same magnitude as is paid to the Land Company ' s affairs . And now 1 nsk yon , the members , whether you , too , will allow me to be put to this ridiculous expense of bringing seven men from their work to London , and to receive nothing but snarling for my pains . In fact , I don ' t know whatplanet

      is in the ascendant this month , but it appears to be Mars , as every one is fi g hting with me . However , I look tothe country , and to the provincial towns , to furnish me with a shield against the several poisoned arrows that are showered upon me ; and I think that no man in my situation ever offered more favourable terms than 1 do , when I say to all who are tired of me— " Give me my discharge—I ask for no wages—I defy you to give me a bad character . I came to you rich—I have' spent my all upon you , and if I go about my business , you'll very speedil y cry " For God ' d sake , come back to us . "

      In these times I _i _* eall y don ' t know how to subscribe myself , lest my children , too , should have rebelled against me , however , 1 am , your faithful servant , Feargus O'Connor . P . S . You will learn from an advertisement which appears in another part of the paper , that my prediction relative to the Land Plan being taken up by wealthy individuals has been

      realised , and being well acquainted with the nature and situation of the soil , and not being a puffing auctioneer , I can trul y say that the advertisement falls short of the true description of both land and situation , and a more lovely , more suitable , or richer spot could not have been selected for location ; and 1 only wish that every proprietor in England would follow the example of our good and excellent ' friend Mr Allsop . F . O'C .

      To The Chartists Of Great Britain. Confe...

      TO THE CHARTISTS OF GREAT BRITAIN . CONFERENCE IN DUBLIN . Brethren , —The more I think of a Conference of Five Hundred Chartist Delegates in Dublin tbe more I value its importance . Suoh an assemblage is Dublin , where the popular press , and especially the Freeman ' s Journal , is fully determined to give ample publication to the proceedings , will , in one week , show to the people of Ireland that the only means to their political redemption is to be found in the People ' s Charter . The hearts of the Irish people are set on Repeal . They do not know that the Repeal would do them no good . That after they had the two _Houses of Parliament in College Green their condition would still be the same . Thev do not know that an Irish

      parliament , witb the present constituency , and they contemplate no other , would be to all intents and purposes a landlord parliament , —an exteroaiuating parliament . They do not know this , but that is not their fault . They were cheated by those whom they trusted . They do not know that an Irish parliament , such as they bave been led to look for , could re-enact the penal laws ; could pass a law to deprive every Catholic in Ireland of a horse above the value of five pounds , aud then , as it did before , taunt him with his poverty . This , though known to their treacherous and deceitful leaders , was kept a secret from them . Come then , my friends , elect five hundred delegates to teach the Irish people

      their rights . To teach them that their only hope is in the Charter . I cannot see auy difficulty in the way of this _fcreat and mighty movement . It is sure to unite in one common fjund of amity the people of the two countries ; and thus , by uniting in a righteous cause , overthrow that infernal policy of the oligarchy which maintained its power by keeping the people divided ; by sowing hatred and ill-wiH . amongst men on earth . Let us , my friends , unite and destroy for ever the flagitious policy of those demons . The two missionaries of peace and goodwill , whom your Convention deputed to us , and no men could be belter suited to such a holy mission _. Will inform you that the present , above all others , is the time to teach the Irish people their ri g hts .

      Thirty-two missionaries could be sent from tbe Conference iu Dublin to teach the people simultaneously , in the thirty-two chief or county towns of Ireland . Let these propositions be well considered , and if approved of , acted on with the utmost promptitude . Truly yours , Patrick _O'HrcGiNS . Dublin , April 30 tb , 1318 .

      Biancp Bo.Vhbb's Field?, Victoria Park.—...

      Biancp Bo . vhbb _' s Field ? , Victoria Park . —A great meeting will bs hold next Sunday afternoon , ac threo o elook , in this _ruMldisu-kt , whioh wiil bo addressed by Mrsara May , Sharp , Shaw , M ' . Dot-all , Ernest Jones , and Leach . —Alio at the corner ot ' _Willmott-street , _Bethmd-meen Road , at eight o ' clock in the evening , whicii v . i . i bj a' . _tmided by Mr Maunder May , _undotker atlvocaica . —A public open-air meeting will bo held on Wednesday after .-iu .-Jii , May 10 th , at the same plaoe . Chair t J ba taken ut taree o ' clock , when several ol { he delegates frow the _Na « ttt > na . \ Assembly will attend and address the meeting

      X /""Nvs . V •; R-T* In T

      X _""Nvs . •; _r-t * IN

  • Citation
    • Northern Star (1837-1852), May 6, 1848, page 1, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/ns/issues/ns3_06051848/page/1/