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t - ;.;¦•; .'. - .. =¦ ,,; ,:.;;.:;. ,:,...
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—*^s—mm—c—-* mmm t-—a____^- mma a_wama--:Ma*** _ a ^ ___ZZ— - TO TATXOR3. ,.
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Shipment of Eggs.—-We believe that this ...
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THE LAND COMPANY.
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SUB-LETTING ALLOTMENTS. It having come t...
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THE NORTHERN STAR SATPBDAY, DECEMBER 9, ...
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THE WEST RIDING ELECTION. The perambulat...
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THE FORTHCOMING CHARTIST TRIALS. The tri...
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A CHARTIST CANDIDATE IN THE FIELD. The C...
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THE POOR LAW IN IRELAND. The Poor Law pu...
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NOTES ON POPULAR MOVEMENTS. - The aspect...
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software. The text has not been manually corrected and should not be relied on to be an accurate representation of the item.
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Transcript
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Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software. The text has not been manually corrected and should not be relied on to be an accurate representation of the item.
Additionally, when viewing full transcripts, extracted text may not be in the same order as the original document.
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Ad00410
B _, approbation of Her _Midesij _^ _Qneen Victoria , and H . B . H . Prince Albert . SOW B . _EADT _. T" _« ° _VfS -J 2 & 25 K ty a Bi 3 Q- _* HoiyHei «<« _cw < i ed with the most _¦^^ _' bl _^ rford _MdStriSwdiDg Dress , Huntfasbi _TFr _^ _Coimtternt ; the Albert'Paletot . Dress 5 _ft tSett » ™ cS _' tiTcioiks _ofeverydescription _g' _^ _ffiwithdiagr _^ _B , and every _^« - » _Ig-^ TSd _^ f _^ _Su _- _orWe wbo consider * not righttoBay the _M price for the new _^ _systeti ; ef Cutthe old that
Ad00411
METROPOLITAN COUNTIES and GENERAL lVl LIFE ASSURANCE , Annuity , l _«« J _* _* _'S , l 5 _^! _a Beat SOCIETY . ( Incorporated pursnant to the 7 th and 8 th Vic , cap . 110 . ) Temporary Offices , 39 , _Begentetreet , Waterloo-place , London . TRUSTEES . Bichard Spooner , Esq ., I Spencer Horatio Walpole , its ? . I Esq ., M . P . Edward Vansittart Keale , Henry Pe ter Fuller , Esq . : Es < j ,. I _DIRECTORS . Bobert Chalmers , Esq ., Edward Lomax . _£ _**• Thurlow-square , Bromp- Johns Wood _, _^ _xwriuw-s-uare , _sr _gamnd _^ _j _^ E _^ Iuu SamuelDriver _. Esq ., White- coin ' s Inn . ball . Sir Thomas Newley Reeve , Henry Peter FnUer , Esq ., Ricbmond . P « I 6 _T _eriffitU , Esq , Esg ., SouthAndley-sireet _Troumonner-lane , Cheap- William A . S . We-toby - . _\ ie . Esq ., Hyde Park-place .
Ad00412
. _ESLABBEiSEST OF THE 'SPIRIT OF THE AGE' NEWSPAPER . THE success which has already attended tue _establishment ofthe SPIRIT OF THE AGE has led to the resolution of increasing its contents to Twenty-Poor Pages of tbree colamns each , being the Lascest Size JJiowEB sr Law . The SPIRIT OF THE AGE is theonlynewspspcrin this country especially devoted to the cause of Social Reform and the Organisation of Labour- It contains weekly , full and exclusive report ! and correspondence of _a'l that is going forward throughout Europe and America _relating to the Emancipation of the Indastrious Classes irom Political Thraldom and Social Slavery ; ia addition to tbe usual intelligence ot a First Class Newspaper , as it _respects Reviews of Books , Law and Police , Parliamentary and other proceedings of importance — Home and Foreign , and Domestic Sews of an interesting or amusing character . Price 6 d per copy , or 6 s Ed per quarter , paid in advance .
Ad00413
DO TOU SUFFER TOOTHACHE?—If so , use Biande ' s Evahel for filling the decayed spots , rendering defective teeth sound and painless . Price One Sl-flling only , similar to that sold at Two Shillings and Sixpence . Sold by chemists everywhere . Testimonials . — 'It has given me the use of one side of my month , whieh luxury I had not enjoyed for about two years . '—E . J . _Macdosald _, _Belford , Northumberland . 'It is the most effective snd painless core for toothache I have ever fonnd . I have no hesitation in recommending it to all sufferers . '—Captain Thomas Weight , 12 , _Newington-crekcent , London . ¦ 'I have filled two teeth , and find I can use them as weU as ever I did in my life . I have not had the toothache since . ' — Abraham _Couise , North-brook-place , _Bradferd , Yorkshire . See numerous other testimonials in various newspapers , every one of wbich is strictly authentic . If any _oifBcolty in obtaining it occurs send One Shilling and a Stamp to J . Willis , i , Bell'E-buildings , _Salisbnry-square , London , and you will ensure it by return of pest . —Agents 'wanted .
Ad00414
HEALTH ASD ECONOMY , O'CONNORVILLE , NEAR RICKilANSWORTH . HERTS . 'rH 0 MAS MARTIN WHEELER wll receive -L as BOARDERS , TWO BOYS , between the ages often and fourtetn years . Every attention wiU be paid to their mental _deveiopement and physical comfort . Terms ( including washing , & c . ) , £ t per quart . r—payable in advance . * . - AU communications to be prepaid , and contain a stamp for reply . H . B . A paid-up FOUR-ACRE SHARE in the National land Company , ta be _disposed of—price , £ 4 .
Ad00415
LAND MEETING . _"WEWCASTLE-UPON-TYNE . —The Land mem-J . * be » of this branch aro informed that the future _neekly meetings of the branch _wUlbehelain M . Jude ' _s long room , every Sunday evening , from five to seven o'clock . The members are also requested to pay up their arrears for local and general expenses , as the treasurer has a . long account _s'ill remaining unpaid . A committee mee * ing will be held on Christmas day , at six o'clock , to hear appeals ofthe members who were turned out for non-attendance at the late quarterly meeting _.
Ad00416
FOR SALE , A PAID-UP FOUR-ACRE SHARE in the -JLJL National Land Compuiy . Price , £ 1 : ¦ -Apply to S . Belciier , No . 11 , Wiple Place , Kensington .
Ad00417
TO BE SOLD , A PAID-. UP FOUR-ACRE SHARE , a JX _THREE-ACRE SHARE , and a TWO-ACRE 8 HARE , value £ i is , £ 16 s , and £ 2 4 s . Apply to J . S . Anderson , Blackkdge , Halifax , York-Air ** .
Ad00418
FOR SALE , A YOUR-ACRE aud a TWO-ACRE PAID-UP SHARE in the National Land Company ; want of . employment is the reason of parting with tbem . Apply to Mr Wiilshire , News-Agent _^ 15 , Lower George Street , Chelsea .
Ad00419
EGYPTIAN DROPS , a Certain and Speedy Cure for STOSE and GRAVEL , sent Free to all Persens , by enclosing seven stamps , to _Thoius _Wiuisgon _, Land 'Agent , Gainsborough , Xincolnsaire .
Shipment Of Eggs.—-We Believe That This ...
Shipment of Eggs . — -We believe that this year exceeds all its predecessors , ' by a long chalk , ' in the quantities of eggs that have been exported to the southern markets . Some weeks as many as from 3 , 000 to 4 , 000 dozen have been sent off . Theresuit of this is , that the retail price here has risen nearly 100 per cent , above that of five years ago . The competition among the egg potentates of the coanty is the cause of many a ludicrous scene . — ohn O'Groat ' s Journal . Determined _Suicids at Southwark Bridge . —On Monday morning , shortly after two o'olock , a female , respectably attired , paid her penny to the toll collector on the south side of the Southwark
Bridge , as it was supposed for the purpose of passing over .. Instead of doing so , however , when she reached the nearest recess , she jumped upon the stone seat , and instantly leaped over the parapet into the Thames . One of the M division of police , and also a City constable who was patrolling the bridge at the time , witnessed the occurrence , and gave an ; alarm .. "Kms , of the Lendon Ere Brigade , then on duty at the floating engine , heard the alarm , _nd , pusbing offthe stern boat , succeeded in taking in the body before it finally sank ; life , however , was extinct . The unfortunate woman appears to be about forty years of age , and had evidently been of txepossessicg appearance .
Ad00420
: Now Ready , a New Edition of MR . O'CONNOR'S WORK ON SMALL FARMS ' IHB CHEAHST EMTIO ** WSS PUBLISHED . r Price is . 6 d ., . , A new and elegant edition , _wlUl Steel Plate of te Author , of PAINE'S POLITICAL WORKS . JUST PUBLISHED , No . 24 ,
The Land Company.
THE LAND COMPANY .
Sub-Letting Allotments. It Having Come T...
_SUB-LETTING ALLOTMENTS . It having come to the knowledge of the Directors , that some occupants have sub-let their allotments without refunding the amount due to the Company , we consider it our duty to inform all parties who have thus acted , tbat the parties in possession , and not the parties located , will receive a lease of _thejiremises upon payment of the amount due to the Company ;
and that in cases where such amount is not paid , the party holding will be ejected , as the course to which we refer , subjects the nonlocated members to a most scandalous fraud . We beg-, also , to inform allottees , that there will be a clause in each lease against tbe sub * division of the allotment , while the occupant will be at perfect liberty to sub-let the whole , •—first discharging the amount due to the Company .
THE CHARTIST TRIALS . Next week come on the Chartist Trial * at York and Liverpool , and it makes us blush and sorrow for Chartism thatthe means subscribed for their defence is so scant . However , we trust tbat Monday night , at Dewsbury , and Tuesday night , at Liverpool , will bring semething into the Exchequer .
The Northern Star Satpbday, December 9, ...
THE NORTHERN STAR SATPBDAY , DECEMBER 9 , 1848 .
The West Riding Election. The Perambulat...
THE WEST RIDING ELECTION . The perambulatory tour ofthe rival Candidates contending for the honour of misrepresenting the opinions and principles of a majority of the sane and industrious people of the West-Riding , will not be without its effect . Nothing was more calculated to advance tbe cause of Chartism , tban tbe tact evinced by tbat body in 1841 , in the selection of candidates to fight the fight upon tbe hustings , although not having a QUALIFIED army of reserve to fall back upon in the tents . The
free expression of tbeir opinions , enforced with eloquence , maintained by argument , and almost unanimously accepted by the wealthproducers , must have opened the eyes of tbe pampered idlers to the fact , that while the higher and middle classes took various views of various questions , and merely squinted at them in tbe direction best calculated to ensure support , tbe working classes look steadily—but in one direction—bnt in vain— -for the solution of tbe Labour Question .
Up to that period , a choice of evils was the onl y alternative left to the Non-Electors , and tbat choice invariably falling upon wbat they called the least obnoxious Candidate , was , beyond all otber circumstances calculated to increase the power of tyranny , inasmuch as this choice of evils was paraded through the country , and used in the House of Commons , as proof of popular confidence . We regret to find the same standard now partially adopted by a portion of the Keigbley Chartists _, who prefer the Whig to the Tory Candidate as a
choice of evils ; while the real question for their consideration should be , ' how to take satisfaction of that party whose aggressions upon popular rights , and public liberty , during the last session of Parliament- —and , indeed , during their whole reign—had all but paralysed the Chartist cause . And , seeing that this Sir Cunning Eardley is intended as a patch upon the old Whig coat , it was their bounden duty to bave _manifested their disapprobation of Whig tyranny , by opposing tbe Whig Candidate .
Here we are , in tbe dreary winter season , with scores of innocent men to be tried in the very week in which their friends are manifesting a tacit consent in favour of an ally of the very faction wbo have thus doomed tbem to martyrdom . So long as the Chartists pursue this course , so long will the Whigs , as a body , be justified in their every act of tyranny and oppression ; whereas , bad the people made use of that licence allowed upon such occasions , to manifest their disgust for the tyranny of the party , by the rejection of one ofits members , it might have been a warning for the future .
But what is the qualification ofthe Whig candidate ? And let it be borne in mind tbat upon such occasions electors always allow an excessive licence to the candidate of their choice , who invariably measures bis political opinions and pledges by the standard of present necessity . Here then is the qualification relied upon by the Whig candidate , as extracted from him in the examination of Mi * Firth—as good , as sincere , as ind ependent a Chartist , and as industrious a working man , as lives : — Mr Firth , a Chartist ia the town , said _itfwas plain the question that lay nearest his heart , was opposition to endowments . But the mostiraportant question , in bis mind .
was , an extension of tne -. oarage . Sir GuUing -wasin favour of the ballot , but he was opposed to ths ballot till they got the franchise . Ha concluded by asking if he wou'd enfranchise all male adults of twenty-one years of age , of sane mind and unconvicted of crime ! Sir Calling Eardley saitl that alterations in the constitution , in order to be successful , must be gradual . Iu France they had gone by a hop , step , and jump from an arbitrary _govern ment to a republic . His conviction was , that- theBe rapid and hasty changes would keep tbe country iu a perpetual state of corifa-ion and bloodshtd , In this country all changes had been made gradually , and therefore they had been safe . He wonld _thertfore vote for the municipal franchise , but not for unWersa ' suffrage . ...
Mr Firth said , in this case ifr Cobden would rote for Hr _Ilu-ae ' s motion , nnd Sir Culling against it ; and tbe "West Riding would say apon the suffrages " ysa ' and " nay . " ( laughter . J Sir Culling said he was for progress , but not for a Republic , he was not for that progress which , in nine casos ont often , ended in going back again . Ur Firth then exclaimed — <> Those wbo are for no extension hold up your hands . " Hone were held up ; " Those who are for municipal suffrage , hold up your hands . "—
Few or none held up their hands . " Now , then , those who are for universal Justice , hold up jour hands . "—All the meeting held up their hands . Mr Firth was going to put a question , but complained of Sir Culling Eardley laughing at him aad the meeting . Sir Culling Eardley denied that he was laughing ; he suspected that this man was hired by the Tories to disturbthemeetiBg . ( Hooting fron the crowd . ) Mr Firth said all present knew he _wasnaver hired by the Torie »; he thought Sir Culling was laughing , and he was sorry if he was mistaken .
Sir Cullmg said , as the man hadhandsomely apologised to hix , he would not be above apologising to him , and he withdrew his expressions . ( Hear , bear . ) Mr Firth then asked whether Sir Culling believed tills _suntry was abtoto maintrdnits inhabitants * - _s-M a _
The West Riding Election. The Perambulat...
Sir C . Eardley objected to this rmode' of questioning him . These were questions ot political economy . 'not questions on the duties of Members of Parliament . Ur Firth asked , if he thought people ought to be allowed to starve ! ' i Sir C . Eardley , said , certainly not , Mr Firth then aiked what were the causes which made the people starve ! .: .... ¦ . ¦ ¦ ¦ . '• _< • : Sir C . Eardley Baid one would think hirfriend was a schoolmaster , and he was a schoolboy . . ,., ; . v .
Mr Firth said this was a most important question , which he bad studied a long time . He had asked the magistrates ef the district tie question , and they had evaded it He had ashed their representative , Richard Cobden , by letter , but that gentleman had treated him with silent contempt . If Sir Culling Eirdley was sent to Parliament this time he would not be Sent another time . However , en the present occasion ha'thoUgot of two evils they must choose the least ; and 'therofere he supposed they must vote for Sir CuUing Eardley this time .
• We ask whether or no , according to' tbe present necessities of the nation , and the universal demand for progress , it would have been possible for the _M'Callochs or the M'Gregors , or the first class men of the Manchester School of Economists , to put more rational , more trite , more seasonable questions to a candidate for parliamentary honours * In his opening speech the cunning baronet makes a sad blunder . He
says , " Now about the Franchise—he was for the Ballot . " As we have often told our readers , the Ballot witbout the Suffage , is the'ladle without the soup ; the mask to cover the hypocrite ' s face , and save him from that responsibility which it is acknowledged he owes to HIS CONSTITUENTS , who are the non-electors , and of whose interests he should be the trustee ; and which trust , like the Salford barber , he should use according to their instructions .
Mask the face of the electoral body tomorrow , and you ' give to idle speculators an unqualified licence to plunder the labouring classes witbout any tbe slightest responsibility . Mask the electors to-morrow , and every shopkeeper will shout for the most liberal candidate upon the hustings , but will covertly , drop the eolour of the man of . their order * into the Ballot-box . . For these reasons we , with Mr Firth , are opposed to tbe Ballot until the Suffrage is possessed by every man of twenty-one years ot age , thus constituting a constituent body far too large to be tampered with . And we should not fear the establishment of snch
a constitution emanating from the first Parliament so chosen , as would induce the proud Englishman to go boldly upon the second occasion , without' the guise of the mask , to vote independently for the man of his choice , because tbe influence ofthe privileged few would then be d estroyed , and pride would take the _. place of subserviency . ' ; The Whig Baronet selected the present position of France sis a justification' for the old policy—WAIT A BIT . "Youare not prepared . I am for cautious progress , and not for hop , step , and jump from Despotism to a Republic . " •' . ' ¦ •¦'
Now has net this been tbe twaddling cant of Whiggery from the days of Charles James Fox , down to its repetition b y this Whi gling ? And has be not the brains to . understand that if the despotism ef France had been modified by degrees , in accordance with the progression demanded by an improving age , tbat : the expatriated despot might have still filled the throne of that great nation as its accepted monarch ?
And that the very denial of those changes due to altered opinions and an altered state of things , drove an exciteable people from the hope of any change to the accomplishment of a Republic , and this but a few short years after the King of the Barricades had encircled his palace and his city with fortifications , in the hope that they would serve as barriers to the mind ' s progress , but which , however , fell before the mind ' s unity .
We are told by tbis candidate for popular support that , "in tbis country all changes had been made gradually and , therefore , they had been safe . " In faith , some have been gradual , and some , like the French Republic , have come with a bop , step , and a jump , but all have been hostile to the interests of Mr Firth ' s class , and to the advantage of the class to which Mr Firth ' s school-boy belongs In what consists the safety ofthe Poor Law Amendment Act save in the custody of the immured pauper , the breaking up of bis little home , the separation from his family , to weep through a life of bitterness in his tomb .
Have safe laws been made for tbe regulation _^ machinery , which have come upon us with a fearful hop , step , and jump r Have safe laws been made for the trial of those Chartists whose sweet voices this Whigling now courts ? Have safe laws been made for tbe protection of those whtf are willing to live by the hardest toil , but are threatened with the convict shi p if they dare describe the injustice to which the tyranny of class legislation bas doomed them ? Will no one venture to face this Whigling upon the hustings , and ask bim to point out tbose
safe and gradual changes which he advocates as his qualification to represent the industrious classes ? Iu the event of this Whigling being returned , of wbich there is but little chance , asMr Firth truly said , the West Riding of Yorkshire will be divided into a "Yea" and a "Nay ' in the House of Commons . But , like all other Whigs , when the enlightened baronet found himself in an inextricable puzzle , be exclaims , " Oh , he ' s a Tory tool , hired b y the Tories to
disturb tbe meeting 1 Ah , Sir Cunning ! that war-cry served its purpose but its day is gone . It was the last resource of Cobden : and Sidney Smith , but the Chartists have learned how to distinguish between their friends and their enemies , and are no longer to be caught in that trap . Yours is a Whiff cry . Firth ' s was a National cry—one that you were not able to answer , and , therefore , not qualified to represent the enlightened class to ' -which your SCHOOLMASTER belongs .
The great questions which now agitate tbe public mind are , population , colonisation , emigration , and starvation * and for a solution of these great problems we . are told that Political Economy is the text book , and from these great facts let us endeavour to deduce the qualification of the hustings schoolboy to discharge his Parliamentary duties . When asked by Mr Firth , "Whether he believed this counr try was able to maintain its inhabitants , and what were the causes tbat made tbe people starve i" tbe would-be legislator replies , " These were questions of Political Economy , not questions on the duties of Members of Parliament / ' >'"
Now , ean any schoolboy , can any reporter , or even editor , restrain bis laughter , when he reada the Baronet ' s answer ? He boastingl y presents himself to be questioned as _tohis fitness to _dischargelhe duties of Member of Parliament , and when questioned upo n the one subject which of all others distracts the cabinet , the country , and the legislature , and upon the science which is relied upon as the text booh for the solution ef all , he says , " These were questions of Political Economy not questions upon the duties of Members of Parliament . " . '
Fore Gad 1 here is a pretty candidate , who declares , that population and starvation are subjects with which a Legislature lias nothing to do , but were merequestions of _political economy --the very science , and the most abstruse one , which Parliament has long been endeavouring to solve , unravel , and unmystify ; while , unfortunately , all its heretofore end eavours bave but tended to entangle , complicate , and mystify . But perhaps the honourable baronet will explain what the duties of a Member of Parliament are upon the hustings , when surrounded by those with whom mystery and entanglement will constitute his best qualifi . cation .
Let us suggest a course for him . We believe he was first in the field , and therefore will be the first nominated , and the first to address the electors , and—miserable mockery ! —the _j- _' non electors" as well ; whose hands will select , until the voices of the privileged reverse their judgment . This position is rather an unfortunate one for the Whi g cock as he must enter the pit , trimmed and spurred , to make battle with his antagonist ; whereas , had he been last in the field , he might have waited for the declffction of his opponent ' s principles ,
The West Riding Election. The Perambulat...
and . have met' them ; '" with ' , ' a direct negative , placing his : pretensions upon anti * Toryj and not Whig principles , which ; according to his own showing , cannot be explained . ; But as he is placed in bis present awkward position , wa will furnish him with a speech for tlie occasion .: — . . _., _s ! : ' Mr High Sheriff , electors , and NONELECTORS of the West Riding of the great' county of York . ( Loud cheers . ) Ah ; I am happy to find that you are proud of your local habitation and . yOur name . ( Shouts of ' We have no habitations ! ' ) My friends
wbo interrupt me must be aware of tbe onerous duties which have devolved upon me in my recent canvass through this extensive district , throughout which I have considered it my duty to submit myself to the most rigid and searching examination , in the several large towns in tbe district—no easy task , I assure you ; and in the discharge' of ; which solemn duty , my friends will discover / that I have contracted a severe hoarseness ,, and I must , therefore , claim their indulgence . " ( Hear , bear , and cheers . ) ( Aside to the Mayor of Leeds : "What shall I say ? " ) The Mayor : " Oh . abuse Denison . "
" Gentlemen , the great ' and onerous duty now devolves upon you of choosing a member to represent you in the House of Commons . There are two candidates before you . My principles are well known to you , and so are my opponent ' s . I am a Liberal in the fullest sense of the word —( shouts of ' Bravo , ' from the platform)—and if " I am honoured with your confidence , I shall endeavour , to the fullest extent of my power , to realise those great principles upon which alone , I believe in my conscience , the stability of this empire must henceforth depend . " ( Shouts of applause . ) A Yoke :, " Ar't for doing away with the damnable Poor Law r "
'" I think that , like many other of our institutions , requires very great _^ _alterations , and I shall withhold any expression of my opinion upon the subject until—if honoured by your confidence—I shall hear tbe views of the successor ofthe late able and much lamented head of that department—Mr Buller . ( Laugh : ter , and 'Live horse , and you'll get grass / and Gobackto Edinburgh . " ) . . ; , ' AVoice : "Ar't forGaggingBill and transporting folk if they speak their mind ? ' ' "The measure to which my friend refers was rendered necessary by the revolutionary state of foreign countries , the licentiousness of a portion ofthe foreign Press , and the discouraging effect which those events were calculated to
have upon our domestic trade and industry , " ( Shouts of " Get thee home , lad "— "Go and take another lessen from Firth—we can ' t be worse off than we are . " ) " Well , that is a measure of a mere temporary nature , and if Government should apply for its renewal when the Act is about to expire , I shall be entirely governed by tbe then circumstances of the country . But , let my friends bear in mind , that while they catechise me so severely , tbe party to which my opponent . boasts of belonging , expressed
disappointment that the measure did not go farther , and , therefore , the duty , the only duly , which-now devolves upon you , is to choose between a professed Liberal , ready to march onward in the safe course of progression ,, and a professed and rabid Tory —( Hear , hear , cheers , and waving of hats on the platform)—who makes no secret of his determination to resist all progress . " AVoice . — "E ' mun , but we'll squeeze him ; and we'll put thee / and the like of thee , tother side of the House , and THEN thouls ' t squeeze bim too . '' .
"JWell , my friends , I have now made a clear and unmistakeable avowal of my _^ principles . You have to choose between one who is a Free Trader in heart , and one who cloaks his views upon the subject in mystery , calculated to in * spire confidence through delusion . " . A Voice . — "Thou ' rt a Leaguer , thfen ? We had enough of them chaps . One lot speculating in our labour , and the other in our food . We won't have thee . Get thee home . Thou ' rt a humbug . Wilt give Suffrage , lad ?" ( Cheers . )
' 1 have already answered the several questions pat ' to me upon that head . 1 trust you will question my opponent upon those several points , and if he goes farther than I do , let your choice be decided by the soundness of your judgment . I thank you for the indulgence you have manifested towards me in my present critical position , and I trust that , although my examination has been severe , that I have treated all with that courtesy and
respect which should always mark the conduct of men upon such occasions . Again thanking you for your kindness , and assuring you , iff should become the man of your choice , I shall exercise my poor abilities , ( Shouts of "Devilish poor , lad . * ' ) . Well , such as they are / they shall be ever devoted to your , service , and the dearest object of my heart shall be the amelioration ofthe condition ofthe labouring classes . ' ( Cheers and groans . )
Now , there is a capital speech for tbe baronet , a much better one than he will make ; and , in conclusion , we have to express an ardent and an anxious hope , that the good men of the West Riding will march to Wakefield on the day of nomination , and shout "Ireland , ' ' " Gagging Bill , " "Starvation , " "Transportation , " "Imprisonment , " "Whig Tyranny , " and " Treachery , '' in the ears of the Whig candidate and his friends .
Our policy has ever been , and ever shall be , to weaken the hands of that faction—to rip them up into shreds and patches , without the slightest reference as to the colour or principles of their opponent , until we place them in that situation for which Nature designed them—in opposition—where they are spouters of liberty and registers of tyranny , thus affording some check to a rabid . Tory administration . We conclude in the graphic words of the old _Geaerai , when leading his soldiers to battle .
"THERE'S THE ENEMY ; BY GIF YOU DON'T BEAT THEM THEY'LL BEAT YOU . "
The Forthcoming Chartist Trials. The Tri...
THE FORTHCOMING CHARTIST TRIALS . The trials of the Lancashire Chartists will commence ., we believe , some time next week . We are sorry to say , that the funds collected For the defence of the victims fall far short of the requirements of the case . We earnestly trust that a last , simultaneous , and general effort will be made , within the next three days , to procure the necessary means of securing for our persecuted brethren all the aid that legal sjcill and talent can supply . ' Let all monies be addressed to Feargiig O'Connor , Esq ., M . P ., "Northern Star" Office , 16 , Great Windmill Street , Haymarket , London .
The following paragraph has been going the round of the " respectable" Press * — "Tbe Ch * rtistPbisonebs in Kibkdale yoa Thul — There will be about sixty Chartist prisoners for trial at tlie coming assizes . Though the cbarge against tbem haa reference to physical force , men of moro feeble bodies and weak constitutions it would be difficult to find in All Lancashire . Thore are riot tbreo mauly . looking fellows among tbem . Time , reflection , and treatment have wrought a wonderful change in their opinions and expectations . In tbe event of caption ior treason , they took for granted that tbej would be treated as state prisoners , and fed at the Queen ' s table . Dr M'Douall was oi this opinion , and great was his disappointment at being set down to gaol allowance . He sought to bo sent to Lancashire , as his wife could then live there , and see him daily . Defeated
La this object , he became dejected , and _uonttauts in rather low spirits . The Chartist prisoners at first de . manded to be treated _asoffendors ofdiitinetlon , and have felt what It is to live on gaol bread . The mist that surrounded them has dispersed , the friends they loved have deserted them , and the Crown solicitor is perplexed at the number who pray to be permitted to turn Queens evidence , " —Liverpool Journal . The scribe of the Liverpool Journal knows very little of the defendants when he asserts that there are not three manly-looking fellows among them . If John West , James Leach , and George White—to say nothing of a host ofothers—are not manly-looking , we should like to know whore he will find his men ? But , granting thai ; many ofthe defendants may be
The Forthcoming Chartist Trials. The Tri...
men : of "feeble _bodies and weakebnstitutions , " it does not appear , very surprising to . us that such men should dream- of righting their wrongs by " physical force / ' "feeble bodies and weak constitutions" are the results of an _oppressive system . " The starving' man may find his strength wasting daily . away , but it does not follow that his spirit must needs decline as rapidly as his bodily powers . " Oppression will drive a wise man mad , '' and starvation will goad the _wretchedjto talk of " physical force . " Sometimes—in other nations , if not in this—deeds follow words . For words and deeds , not the oppressed , but the oppressors , must be . held responsible .
Ihe scribe of . the '' Liverpool Journal " jests over the sufferings of the poor fellows who have been lying in prison ihrough want of bail . Dr _M'DouaU _' s punishment is made the subject of special merriment . The "Liver pool Journal '' ruffian looks upon the sufferings of Dr M'Douall as something particularly funny . When we remind our readers of what has been -already stated in this paper , that the Doctor is confined to a cell * thirteen feet by seven , for twenty-three hours out of every by seven , for twenty-three hours out of every
twenty-four—that he is compelled to pick wool—that he is forced to wear the gaol dress—that he is- half-poisoned on the gaol diet—and , consequently , that his health is rapidly Rinking--when we add , that he is permitted to see his family and write to his friends only once in : three months— -we have said sufficient to give our readers an idea of Dr M'DouaU ' s sufferings , and of the pitiless malignity of the wretches of the Press-gang who chuckle at , and exult over , this catalogue of human miseries .
We are told in the paragraph from the "Liverpool Journal , " that "time , reflection , and treatment , have wrought a wonderful change" on the Chartist defendants ; and it is added that" the Crown Solicitor is perplexed at the number who pray to be permitted to turn Queen ' s evidence . " We will hope that the approaching trials will prove the latter part of the statement we have just quoted to be a calumnious invention on the part of this " Liverpool JourmV But if proved to be the truth , then , while lamenting the treason ( or shall we say the weakness ?) of those who have passed over to the camp of the enemy , our indignation will be excited principally against the Inquisitors who have had recourse to torture for the purpose of creating traitors .
" Tbe ball ef horror * , and the assessor * * pen , " were formerly employed by tyrannical priests to prop up their power , nevertheless , that power crumbled away . So with political oppressors . The torture of" solitary confinement , degrading labour , hunger , c 61 d , and insult , may serve their ends for a time , butnot for ever . At the worst , the cowards and tra ; tor 3 will be few , compared with the noble army of dauntless and enthusiastic martyrs , whose great example will give birth to " Thoughts— -Influences , to livo in hearts _nnlorn ; , Opinions tha * . will wrenoh the prison-key From Persecution ; show her mask off torn ; And tramp her bloated head _beneath the foot of flenrn . * '
We commend to the attention of oar readers a letter from Mr George White , in vindication of his character against certain calumnies lately promulgated to his injury . Believing Mr White to be a thoroughly honest man and sincere Democrat , we can sympathise with his indignation against the dishonourable imputations cast upon his character . We wish Mr White every success in defending himself against both slanderers and persecutors—private enemies and open foes _.
A Chartist Candidate In The Field. The C...
A CHARTIST CANDIDATE IN THE FIELD . The Chartist Executive Committee have determined to bring forward Mr Samuel Kydd as the Chartist candidate for the West Riding . We understand that Mr Kydd left London some days ago , to commence his canvass of the electors and non-electors . Mr Kydd ' s abilities , are so well-known , that any recommendation of ours would be altogether superfluous . His fitness to represent the people is well understood by the masses themselves in every town of importance in the West Riding ; and the working-men—if true to themselves , will rally round him in their thousands on Monday next .
Hurrah for Kydd and Labour s rights ! The Charter and no . Surrender !
The Poor Law In Ireland. The Poor Law Pu...
THE POOR LAW IN IRELAND . The Poor Law purge is evidently working a revolution in this unhappy country . Landlords , farmers , and peasantry—all who can contrive to possess themselves of the means , in fact , are flying from Ireland as fast . as they can . If things go on at the present rate a great portion of the island will be left desert . Estates cannot find purchasers , because the burdens _unon them , or likely to fall on them in
future , exceed the rental . The farmers gather together the remnants of their property , and cross the Atlantic by hundreds , and tbe steamers bring over to tbis country hordes of poor famishing wretches , who add to the enormous mass of pauperism and vagrancy already existing in it . We observe by the police reports , that one duty of the city magistrates daily is to dispose of an immense number of charges against vagrants of this description .
The selfishness of landlordism has brought its own curse . They would govern Ireland in the way they have done—namely , by the strong hand . They laid the foundations of society in tyranny and injustice , and the inevitable retribution , which , in the long run , ever waits on such conduct , has visited them at last . When they complain that rents cannot be collected—that their late tenants have carried off ail they could scrape together , and have fled across the sea—let them remember their _ownpast conduct to Ireland , and see in the present state of the country , the natural
consequences of their own misdeeds . Ihey willed that their country should be politically and industrially enslaved and degraded , and they are now reaping the fruits of their own policy _. The facts to which we refer , are not only a lesson to the landlords , but to the Government also . They may now sit down and count the cost and the results of their late victories in tbe so-called Rebellion , whether these were achieved by the force of arms , or by lawyers and the jury-box . They have made , and are making , a solitude , in order that they may call it peace . Inthe middle ofthe nineteenth
century , tbe highest wisdom of an English Government and Legislature , can only find one cure for the social evils of a land , possessing a superabundance of all the natural elements of national prosperity , —and that is depopulation . Verily , " Our fathers have eaten sour grapes , and their children ' s teeth are set on edge ! ' * The way out of all these difficulties is plain enoughand simple enougb , butfor that very reason it willnot be adopted . Our rulers hate truthful , practical business-like measures . Every thing must be tortuous , involved , and complicated . They have bewildered themselves with a host of moonshine crotchets , elaborated into a very awful looking thing called Political Economy :
and for fear of violating the canons of this dread " Science , " they are content to let a nation go to wreck skd ruin . We observe that some of the Boards of Guardians in Ireland , not having the fear of this new Deity which rules our rulers , have taken a very easy way of putting matters right . Finding themselves called upon to pay a great deal of money to feed idle people , they bethought them of the expedient of setting these idle people to work by means of that very money on idle or unemployed lands , and the consequence is , that the idlers produce more than they eat , and the Unions are relieved from the burden of supporting idle paupers *
The Poor Law In Ireland. The Poor Law Pu...
But this is , as we have said , far too si ' mnlp and plain a plan , to be adopted , by L _andlcr _, _* and Whigs ; and so they must , we suppose < r on blundering until , in the course of event s honester and wiser men take the affairs of thn nfition . inhand . , _^* - _^^^^^^ s _^^^^^^^ at _^_^ m _^^—- _~^^ _J _^^^>^^^^^
Notes On Popular Movements. - The Aspect...
NOTES ON POPULAR MOVEMENTS . - The aspect of affairs in England at a moment of universal commotion upon the Continent , is very remarkable . With ns " nothing is stirring but stagnation , " 1 _\& West Riding Election is the onl y event of a political character which excites general inte rest . No doubt the late leaders of the League will work with might and main to prevent the election ofthe late Member , because Mr Deni . son is an avowed Protectionist , and his return would be a virtual recantation of the creed of
the Free Traders , besides affording small hope ofthe re-election of Mr Cobden , in the case of a dissolution . It is of the utmost importance to the League that they should maintain the prestige of their party , by keeping hold of the wealthy and powerful Constituency of the West Riding and that they feel it to be so is proved by the fact that John Bright has taken the field in person , as a supporter of Sir Culling Eardley ; the probability is , however that this undisguised interfer ence on the part of the Manchester clique , will do more harm than good to Sir Culling . Not a few York-8 hiremen are anything but pleased at the idea
of having one stranger foisted on them by the League , and are not at all reconciled to the idea of taking another from the same hands . It will be seen that advantage will be taken of the occasion to test public opinion , by nominating a representative of Chartist opinions . With the exception of this affair , the quiet which marks the political world is really singular , and would almost induce the belief that it is merely the temporary but deep calm which immediately precedes a storm . In the most ordinary state of political affairs there is always some agitation or other going on ; but all parties , for the present , seem struck dumb .
i he people are only recovering from the assaults made on them by our liberty-loving Government . The middle classes having been doctored by the Times , and the alarmist Press in _gesera ] , into a state of feverish panic , are afraid to move for the support of even the " little goes / ' which used to be so rife at this time of the year . The Financial Association , at Liverpool , with its parings and its seductive cry of economy , which at any other time would have elicited a ready response from all the tribe of shopkeepers , and the race of " penny wise and pound foolish * ' people who abound among us , is a failure , in spite of the attempt of the Press to " write it up . "
The people have no objection to cheap government , and have long been aware of the extravagance , and the disgraceful anomalies of our national expenditure . But they are more anxious about good than low priced government , and they are convinced tbat an effective and a just government never can exist , until the Legislature reall y represents all classes of the community , and is a faithful exponent of the people ' s will .
With respect to the present incidence of taxation upon particular classes , there is no doubt that great injustice is done by our present system to the poorer classes , and that it is possible to construct a much fairer scheme in appearance ; but it would be in appearance only . After all that can be said , there is but one source from which all taxation can be paid , and that is the pvoduce of Labour . It matters little , therefore , to the labourer , if 6 , 000 , 000 / . a year is to be in future ( as it is now ) the
amount annually paid to carry on the Government , whether he pays it directly , or has it taken from him b y others , and paid in their name—or , at least , the difference is—speaking in a pecuniary sense—so small , that it is not worth talking about . The only thing really desirable with . reference to this financial question is , that the taxation should be cut down at once to some two-thirds , er so , of the present amount , in which case there would be a sensible diminution of burdens . But , in order
that the workers should have a fair share , and their due proportion of the advantage , it is essential that they should have representatives of their own , to look after their interests , and see that the new scale of taxation wa 3 equitably framed . Another movement may be mentioned , as in some degree breaking in upon the monotony of these "piping times of peace "—the Ragged School . movement . No doubt many of the amiable people who take part in this have deluded themselves into a sincere belief that it
is a most philanthropic affair , and that they are , individually , the very perfection of Christian virtue and benevolence . Others , of course , know better , and laugh at it in their sleeves , though it suits their purpose to row with the stream . " _*} The whole Movement is just one of those popular fallacies which present a sufficiently attractive and specious appearance , and effect just such an amount of benefit in individualand isolated cases as to direct into that channel the resources which might otherwise have been available for more useful plans . The very magnitude of the evil for which these Ragged Schools are intended as a remedy , is sufficient to show their hollowness and inadequacy .
It is stated , that in this metropolis alone , there are not less than thirty thousand children who live by vagrancy and theft . In every large town inthe country , the proportion is at least the same to the entire population . This accounts for the fact , that in spite of schools and improvements of all sorts , the sum total of criminality is yearly increasing . These improvements do not penetrate into the depths of our social system , from which the recruits of our great standing army of criminals are constantly enlisted . In the tortuous lanes , blind alleys , and
unventilated courts of immense districts , in every populous town and city , are to be be found an immense population , whose doom—previous to birth—was to be beggars , prostitutes , and thieves . The cost of maintaining this perennial and growing criminal army , is estimated at not less than £ 9 , 000 , 000 sterling per an . num , exclusive of the value of their depredations upon society . It is increasing : it will soon be £ 10 , 000 , 000 . What is the inference ? Why , that nothing less than a vigorous and enlightened national effort is capable of coping with so gigantic and costly an evil .
Instead of that , we have the aforesaid amiable , well-intentioned persons , leagued with a score or two of Church clergymen and Dissenting preachers , taking dilapidated old cowhouses , stables , and piggeries , in the heart of the destitute and demoralised districts , assembling such of the children as they can lay hold of , and teaching them sundry script ure lessons and spiritual hymns . When they have learned these by rote , they are paraded on platforms before public meetings to repeat and sing them , in order that a few stray halfcrowns may be wheedled from the poc kets of "the Christian public" in support of _^ so good a cause ! " Why this is very " moonshine madness ! " The old story of Dame Partington ,
who tried with her broom to sweep back tno advancing tide of the Atlantic Ocean , was a sober reality compared with it . | We have seen not a few of those exhibitions lately , and it was rather trying to the risible muscles , to watch the ill-concealed chuckle " at the fun of the thing , " which lurked in the eyes and in every feature of the faces of these young Ishmaelites . " They evidently thought the whole affair a capital joke , more especially as being picked ones they were indulged with the luxury of a wash , some clean and whole though coarse clothing , and a warm meal daily for carrying it on . That such mere surfacemongering should make the slightest impression on souls so deeply incrusted in moral filth —so prematurely old in the world ' s worst way *
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Citation
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Northern Star (1837-1852), Dec. 9, 1848, page 4, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/ns/issues/ns3_09121848/page/4/
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