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N its as the fruits ofthe Montpensier ma...
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From nearly all parts of the world this ...
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6 / Ull The celeBrated Greek General Kalcrgi, who so admirably conducted rho .™™»». " .. .T.li.„-„ ™
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It. 1M fO . . "WJIVJII; « JLUCIjO 10th i...
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Weekly Review. Ireland Still Occupies Th...
opinions of bona fide working men , whereas its own report shouldhavejshown that such was not the case . The troth is , the meeting squared with a favourite crotchet of the Chronicle , and therefore it suited the purpose to give it that colour . If the Chronicle -pishes to kno w the real opinions of the working classes . let _itsend reporters ( and print their reports ] to the numerous meetings now held in favour of P nliUeal entranchishment and industrial emancipation hy means of the operation of the Chartist _Co-opera-_ - _-. . .- . : *» « ,= .,
tive Land Society . These meetings and that Society are neither the tools nor the toadies of a set of crafty mill owners and moneymongers . " . As to the object itself , there could be no harm in opening the ports , but if the statements be true that there is no corn to be had from foreign nations there could be little rood derived from it . It is , in short , just one of those _will-o'tbe-wisps which lead ignorant 3 nd thoug htless people astray , and land them in quagmires instead of conducting them safely home .
The sen tence of the court martial or private Mathewson of the 7 tn Hussars is a proof that the late ag itation on the subject of military flogging has not been without its effects on the military authorities , while at the same time shows it the strong animus ofthe officers against the poor man who was bold enoug h to bring to light ihe torture to which the priv atesoldier is subjected ; the abject degradation to which he must submit . Six months' imprisonment , two of them in solitary confinement , is , in their estimation , only an adequate punishment for a petulant
expression to anon-commissioned officer—an expression utter * d wheH the offender was smarting under exasperated feelings , and his petition for the small favour of exchanging duty with a brother soldier , in order that he might for a short time enjoy the soeief y 0 f his mother and a brother-in law , whom he had sot seen far nine years , had been contemptuously refused . The same man was formerly condemned to one hundred lashes for calling " Holloa" to a High Mightiness of a sergeant ! The dignity of sergeants seems an awful and venerable thing 2 Though we have not the lash on this occasion , six months does seem to ns rather a severe _' pnnishment for " coming between the wind and the nobility of a sergeant . "
Tbe Poor Law , as usual , bas been yielding a crop of those atrocious offences against all decency and Common humanity which has characterised its entire sxi * tenec . The case of the imbecile pauper in the _Risbridse Uni o n , of which we have given the _leading facts , affords a forcible illustration of the manner in which the fiendish spirit of inhumanity generated by that law seems to seize upon all who are brought under its operation . The Jury deserve all credit for tbeir bold and truthful verdict on the occasion , and the watchword should be everywhere—Down with the infamous Law , which treats poverty as a crime , and murders those who , as helpless wrecks of humanity , should claim our tenderest care .
N Its As The Fruits Ofthe Montpensier Ma...
October 17 , 1846 . THE NORTHERN STAR . ______ 5 ' t , \ ~ '~ . ' ! ~ ~ _HJIHJJiJg _*
Colonial Aitfi Jformpt Urbttln
Colonial aitfi _jformpt _Urbttln
From Nearly All Parts Of The World This ...
From nearly all parts of the world this week ' s intelligence is of a more than ordinary excitin ; and important character . Simple details wili be found in our seventh page which will well repay perusal . Cape of Good nope papers to August 4 th report the progress of the British troops , and it will be seen that some important advantages have been gained over the Kaffirs . Had the defence of the colony not been most criminally neglected by those who are paid the public money , both in England and at the Cape , for the pnrpose of securing good government and protection to tbe Colonists , all the recent bloodshed might have been _preven ed .
Life and property have been destroyed to an immense extent , and now , when the mischief bas been done , we are retaliating upon our semi-savage _assailant o . The defence of the Cape has been so utterly neglected , that it is morally certain that in the event of an attack from a French or American force , the Colonists must have surrendered before assistance from England could have reached them . Let the British public note this , at the same time remembering the sum paid yearly 10 our secretary of state for colonial affairs , and the nice pickings of a colonial governorship . The present deplorable state of South Africa is _another signal proof ofthe mischievous incompetence of our aristocratical rulers .
_Xew Zealand is not yet at peace . A small body of British soldiers have been surprised and cut off by the natives . The fact is , the natives hate their English despoilers Hypocritical plundering mission aries , and other rascally land-robbers , have so aroused the hatred ofthe wrong .-d natives , that the colony U not likely to be at peace until , proceeding from one crime to another , we complete the work of Christian civilizing colonisers , by adding to robbery extermination of the robbed and wronged .
Onr French neighbours are faring not one whit better with their colonial affairs—perhaps _somethia « worse . To say nothing of their pet colony Akeria . the peace and safety of which is continually menaced by the indomitable Abd-el-Kader , they have just received the anything hut gratifying _intelligence , that their forces hare been twice repulsed by the "barbarians" of Tahiti . The French have placed Tahiti under their own " protection , " much against the will of the natives , who seem to entertain insurmountable objections toa French " protectorate , " and would much rather be left alone to protect themselves . To force the natives to acknowledge the
French " protectorate , " and give np their arms , a French army , consisting of upwards of 1 , 000 men in May last , proceeded to attack a native town . The natives retired to their mountain fastness . The French troops followed them towards their retreat , but Were SOOn repulsed , with severe loss , baring twenty-seven killed and sixty wounded . It is said that only icn were wounded on the side of the natives -none killed . ' On their retreat from this expedition , " Governor Brnat and his troops returned to thebeaeh , _pilku-ed and destroyed the _vi'lage _. felled the bread fruit trees , cocoa-nut trees , orange-trees , & c . " This defeat was followed by another effort equally unsuccessful and disastrous , but avenged by the combustion of
more orange , bread-fruit , and cocoa nut trees , many thousands of which were levelled with the ground and burned with fire . This is " Glory ; " this is " Civilising ! " How anxious the Tahitians must b for French protection I Almost as anxious as the Arabs after the burnings and bakings in the eaves of Dahra . On the Spanish question we have given under the bead of " Foreign . Movements" some lengthy extracts from an article fro m the pen of theFrench poet , and deputy , de Lamaktise . This celebrated writer places the Montpensier marriage in its true light , j
fieabows that ' nations are no longer patrimonies or properties which follow their possessors , as a bouse or a field follows the civil proprietor ; and that-no Prince or no Princess can bring as a marriage _iportion , or b equeath as an inheritance , a people , —a nation , —an empire , or even a geographical parcel _whatever of a province or a hamlet . Man has reeanguesed himself ; nations belong to themselves alone . " Ehat this is rot a time for family compacts "it is a _tia : e for compacts amongst nations . " Of course it _woufd be impossible for M . de _Limabh . m ; to write on any _political question without being guilty of some strange inconsistencies . It is therefore nothing surprising to find him applauding th e
general " pacific _-tendencies" and " moderation" of the Government of Louis-rhilippe , and yet blaming that Government for set engaging in a war against all Europe on the Eastern question of 1840 . When AL de Lamartine approves of the smothering of the revolutionary propaganda by Louis-Philippe after the revolution of 1830 , and in the next breath condemns the same party for not plunging Europe into a war on the Syrian question , he expresses ideas exactly the opposite of our own . The muzzling of the revolutionary propaganda in 1 S 30 was a betrayal of liberty whicLFrance ought not to have permitted . The conclusion of M . De Lamabtixe _' s article paints , in "Wrid colours , the evils which must result to France ,
From Nearly All Parts Of The World This ...
as the fruits ofthe Montpensier marriage ; " a sacrifice of the peace and the existing alliances ofthe country to a _poHthnmous dream of 1713 ; the ascendancy of the worn-out houseof Boibbon substituting itself in imagination for the permanent ascendancy of France , imperishable and revived by its Revolution . " The Cabinet of the Tuileries "has abandoned the alliances of the Revolution , enga"ed France , risked peace , sowed rivalries , encouraged civil war in Spain , collected clouds on the continent , darkened the future prospect , drawn the diplomatic sword , not for a cause , but tor a dowry of difficulties . This dowry will press as heavily on the Cabinet of the Tuileries as on the country , and the entire affair may be characterised in two words—an unforas tbe fruits of the _Montoensier _tnarriao-A _"« * ..,.
tunate temerity , and a giddy deception . " While , however , poets , politicians , and journalists , have been discussing the probable results ofthe marriage , the marriage itself has been consummated . The Duke de Montpensier is at this moment the husband of tbe heiress presumptive ofthe Spanish throne . Amidst tbe menacing scowls of the enraged Spaniards , and guarded by a formidable army , the French princes entered Madrid ; and in the midst of similar signs of the public feeling and similar precautions on the part ofthe terrified plotters against Spanish freedom , the marriage took place on the 10 th . It is stated that , previous to the marriage , Mr . Bulwer presented another protest to the Spanish
Government on the subject of the Infanta ' s marriage . This protest is to the effect that the British Government will _refuse to recognise the claims of the children of the marriage to the Crown of Spain . We object to this protest on the ground that it is an attempt to legislate for and bind posterity , this protest looking very like a design to bind the English people to engage in a war in the event of certain contingencies coming to pass . We can see no utility in this protest , as , most likely , long before the time contemplated by Mr . Bulwer , Louis-Philippe , or Louis-Philippe ' s brood , will be kicked out of France , when , of course the Spanish will share the fate ofthe French monarchy .
The great feature ot this week's news is the
GLORIOUS REVOLUTION IN SWITZERLAND . -To comprehend this movement , it may be necessary to remind our readers that the introduction of the Jesuits into Lucerne , and the expedition of the Free Corps , bave created in Switzerland a rankling animosity between the Protestant and liberal cantons on the one hand , and the Catholic and Conservative cantons oil the other . The liberal cantons have , since the expedition against Lucerne , elevated to office some of the most renowned leaders of the Free Corps . 1 The Canton de Vaud has consummated
the most ultra-democratic reforms . The Canton of Berne has had a peaceful but democratic revolution , which has invested the people with the sovereignty aud masterdom of the state . While the liberal cantons have been thus engaged in founding the reign of democracy , the conservative cantons have been busy in forming a league _defen-ive ( and intended to be , if necessary , offensive ) , against the dreaded attack of the radical cantons . The Radical party throughout Switzerland demand the dissolution of this confederacy of the Conservative Cantons , and during the last
session ofthe Diet four animated sittings were occupied with discussions on the right of the seven Cantons to form a private confederation within the great confederation—to constitute a new state within a state . The decision was rendered null by the vote of the Deputy for Geneva , who remained neutral . The great Council of that Canton having been called on to explain , pronouned a decree in favour of the seven ultramontane cantons . This bold measure was , it is said , suggested by theFrench Government , and was adopted in order to diminish the influence of Berne , which is about to become the directing canton . This resolution ofthe Grand Council of
Geneva caused an immense excitement _amongst the population . The Radicals appealed to the people . Immense meetings were held , and a protest couched in the strongest language was unanimously adopted . The Government ordered the arrest of the printer of the protest , aud also the parties whose names were attached to it ; the stomi iow became a hurricane . On Monday , the 5 ; h , the popular assemblieshad resoive . i , with cries of " Liberty or Death '" to organise tbe armed people for resistance . On Tuesday , the Gth , the attempt to arrest the printer of the popular proclamations was resisted—blood flowed , and the revolution began .
Geneva is divided into three districts . There is the Upper Town , which consists of the large and handsome hotels of the burgher aristocracy . There is the Lower Town , which is the seat of trade and democracy , with its streets narrow and its houses lofty . Finally , ou the other side of the bridges , there is the Faubourg St . Gervais , the seat of the manufacturing and labouring population . On the evening of the Cih , the inhabitants of St . Gervais barricaded the bridges . On the tth , early , these barricades were attacked by the militia , and carried after a heavy cannonade ; but the militia failed in their attempt to make good their footing in the Faubourg . They were , however , still in possession of the Lower Town .
During the night of the 7 th ( Wednesday ) the patriots of St . Gervais set fire to the bridges across the Rhone . The Lower Town joined the insurrection . An auxiliary Radical force from the Canton of Vaud was advancing to their assistance . Under these circumstances , on the 8 th the Government—the Council of State—yielded , and gave in their abdication . The heroic working men of St . Gervaise fought m 03 t nobly . Two hundred cannon shots were fired against the barricades before they were overthrown ; then , however , the militia found the hottest of the
ficht was only commencing . The moment the militia attempted to cater the faubourg , they were received with a deadly and unceasing fire of small arras from the windows , house-tops , and every spot from whence musket or rifle could be fired . The occupation of the faubourg was attempted on two points , but at both the militia were driven back with great loss of life ; the militia were , therefore , compelled to retreat across the bridges . Finally , as above stated , tbe population of the lower town rose en masse , and the aristocrats , menaced with certain destruction had they longer resisted , were compelled to surrender .
Our readers will understand the important consequences likely to result from this popular triumph , from the following letter from Berne , of the 9 ; h inst . published in the _Constitutionnel : — One hundred and one rounds were fired this morning to celebrate the triumph of tlie Liberal party in Geneva . Parties foresee in the changes which have just taken place in the richest of the cantons important consequences for the whole Confederation . They are convinced that the half voice necessary to complete the majority of the States required to sanction the expulsion of theJesuitt and the dissolution of the Ultramontane
League , will now be secured to them . On the one side Basle-city is agitated by the young generation , which has abdicated tin * prejudices and rancour of the old possessors of tbe cantons ; on the other side , the _existence of tbe present order ef things in the cinton of Friburgh , where the French Liberal party had a decided majority , only holds to a thread . Finally , even at St . Gull , the apposition in the Grand Council only wants on * vote to turn the scale , and enable the Federal Diet to _sattle the important question * which bare been pending _during the last two yearc to the satisfaction of the popular party .
Glory to the heroes of St . Gervais . Glory to the patriots of Genera . Glory and triumph to the _deineecacy of S witrerland ' Interesting intelligence from" Italy , Greece , Russia , and the United States , and glorious news from freedom ' s fastnesses in the Caueasus , will be found in our seventh page . We have no room for comment and none is needed to induce our readers to pray for the continued success' and glory of the brave Circassians , and the continued ruin and humiliation of the Muscovite miscreant ; aud Ms slaveg
6 / Ull The Celebrated Greek General Kalcrgi, Who So Admirably Conducted Rho .™™»». " .. .T.Li.„-„ ™
6 / Ull The celeBrated Greek General Kalcrgi , who so admirably conducted _rho . _™™»» . " .. . T . li . „ - _„ _™
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THE CHARTER AND NO SURRENDER _mTT-n nn i nmnn
PUBLIC MEETING IN ST . PANCRAS . Another of labour ' s _gp . ' i _' _nerings for the adoption of the National petition , iook place on Tuesday evening , October 13 th , at ihe Vestry-rooms , Gordon-square , St . Pancras . The meeting was rendered more than usually important from the fact , that the chief parochial functionary , the churchwarden , filled the chair on tbe occasion . At half-past seven o ' clock , C . E . Wagstaff , Esq ., churchwarden , was unanimously called to the chair ,
amid loud applause . He said , he believed that the boasted freedom of Englishmen consisted of their privilege of discussing questions affecting their rights and liberties . Respecting this privilege , the vestry had readily and unanimously granted the use of the suite of rooms in which they were then assembled , and with equal readiness when requested by his neighbours , he had consented to preside over their deliberations . ( Loud cheers . ) Seeing the talented men around him , he would not attempt to trespass upon their time ; he would , therefore , call on Mr . Samuel Kydd to address them . ( Loud cheers . )
Mr . _Ktdd rose , and read the resolution as follows : — That whereas the system of representation , as established under the Parliamentary Act of 1 S 32 , called the Reform Bill , excludes from the rights of citizenship six-sevenths of the male adult population , and whereas such exclusion is not less injurious to the best interests of the community than unjust in principle , this meeting considers that right and sound policy combine to demand a veritable Radical Reform of the representative system at present existing ; therefore , this meeting resolve to petition Parliament for the enactment of the People ' s Charter—a measure which , embodying " UnWersal Suffrage , " "Annual Parliaments , " "Vote by Ballot , " "No Property Qualification , " "Equal Representation , " and " Payment of Members , " will restore to the people the active exercise of their inalienable rights , and thereby afford them the means of correcting all grievances , and enacting all necessary measures of reform .
lie said , he might , with advantage , have divided the resolutions into sections , bnt he preferred treating it as a whole . He did not know that he could better illustrate his subject than by a reference to the past ; and so sure as the past showed us an appalling picture of misery , destitution , and wretchedness , so sure would the future , if the resolution he had the honour to submit , was adopted , be productive of peace , prosperity , and happiness . ( Loud cheers . ) So long as brute force prevailed , might prevailed over rights , and property confined to the few . He pointed their attention to the past in order that , for the future , they might eschew the evil , and choose the good . ( Hear , hear . ) Rome , in former periods , was great by the mere brute strength of her standing army ,
which , for a season , overcame the world : yet , sb alarmed was she at the approach of reason ' s light _, that she immured Gallileo in a dungeon , after-he had arrived at the age of seventy years , for merely enunciating a great truth . ( Hear , hear . ) Yet did this great principle of brulc force prevail at tho present time in England , and by it she boasted that her monarch ruled the world ; but , fortunately , the time had arrived , when mentality would supercede brutality . ( Hear , hear . ) His resolution warred net only with mere falsehood , but somethiug more ; it warred with that system than represents money , and consequently renders money all powerful under the reform act , and that very money power would prove the curse of the country , if the working classes did not
unite to carry out the principles contained in that resolution . ( Loud _checis . ) Again he asked , _WilS not monej all powerful ? Go to the Exchange , and ask a money-monger if he is executing his stewardship justly , and a policeman would be called in , and the interrogator given into custody . ( Hear , hear , ) Money aimsconntry against country—citizen against citizen , son against the father , and the mother against the daughter ; and so it runs on until the whole of society is contaminated by its damnable influence . Well , what do we purpose to do by way of remedy . To enfranchise man . not money . In the words of Julian Ilamey , we adopt for our motto , " your rights and no more , our rights and no less" ( Loud cheers . ) But some one might say , have you not tried the Suffrage in America , and has it not failed . He answered no . To give America the credit due to her , much had been done there , but unfortunately she inherited tho vices of here forefathers , and they were
a money making people . ( Uear , hear . ) But as regards education , the state of Boston alone had devoted £ 30 , 000 for that purpose , a sum equal to that the Whigs voted to educate a nation . ( Loud cheers . ) Put that down in your note books , you who rail a » ainst _democratic institutions . ( Much applause . ) Might we not fairly anticipate , that did we possess the Charter , our mental qualifications would stand much higher than at present . ( Hear , hear . ) In this respect America was a head of us . Lord John Russell talked of Education , and Sanatory Reform , whilst the people raised £ 16 , 000 , purchased an estate , and erecfed dwellings and a school-house , thus improving their ventilation , illumining their __ own minds , and bettering their own general condition . He had much pleasure in moving the resolution , whose principles went to tho root ofthe disease , and would prove the only efficient _remedy . ( Loud cheers . )
Jcliax _Harset , who was received with applause , rose to second the resolution , and said : —This resolution asserts that the system of representation established under the Reform Bill is unjust in principle and injurious to the best interests of the community . It is clearly unjust that six-sevenths of the adult population should be excluded from the rights of citizenship . That they are so excluded none can gainsay , for whereas the adult males of the united kingdon number about seven millions five hundred thousand , the number of electors does not exceed at the utmost one million . Will any one assert that this is just ? Will any prince , potentate , or peer—any one of the privileged , _iinv priest whose voice is raised to sanctify wrong .
any lawyer whose cunning is devoted to making the worse appear the better cause—will any of these dare to stand here and proclaim the natural inequality of mankind ? For myself , and for my brother _Clnrtists , 1 fling down the gauntlet , let any take it up who dare . ( Cheers . ) When I shall see one portion of mankind coming into the world with saddles on their backs and bits in their mouths , and . vhen I see another portion provided , at their birth , with spurs to their heels and whips in their hands to ride and drive their fellows , then I will believe in the justice and right of the present order of things , but not before . ( Loud applause . ) To enter into an examination of the question of popular suffrage , fully and completely , to answer all the cavillings and
sophisms of the enemies of the popular sovereignty is impossible , seeing that my time is limited ; 1 can but notice one or two points . I assert that under the existing system the people are politically slaves ; slaves even according to the meaning of the term as understood by our ancestors . Our opponents assert that Universal Suffrage , as we understand that principle , never existed in this country . They say , that in the early period of English history the franchise was confined to that portion of the commonality entitled freemen . The tillers of the ground were for the most part serfs , denied political franchises , which were confined to that portion of the people who bore arms , or were liable to military service in defence of the state . Arms and the Vote
were the distinguishing features of the freemen as opposed to the serfs . But admitting this we must remind them that serfage has been long abolished ; nominally , at least , slavery is no longer tolerated in this country ; and we all know that no portion of the commonality are now exempted from the liability to bear arias in defence of the country . Thus the existing system imposes upon the poople the duties without investing them with the rights of freemen . To be really emancipated from villienagc we mnst , even according to feudalist ideas be invested with the franchises of freemen , if not , then the pretended abolition of serfdom is a sham . ( Applause . ) Butl found my argument upon a broader basis , and I assert that if the English serf was denied the active exercise
of his rights , those rights were still inalienable . ( Cheers . ) God did not make serfs —( cheersJ—he made men . ( . heers . ) God made neither privileged nor unprivileged , neither kings nor subjects , neither lords nor slaves ; but men and women , free , and destined to be happy . ( Great cheering . ) As to the worn-out argument , that the people are not sufficiently intelligent to fitly exercise the franchise , that is sufficiently answered by the fact that the people are always in advance of their rulers in opposing bad or demanding salutary changes . ( Hear , hear . ) In 1815 the Boroughmongcring Parliament passed the Corn Laws against the will of the unrepresented people , who were hewed down by ruffianly yeomanry cavalry-men on the fatal field of Peterloo ,
when assembled to protest against those laws , and to petition for Universal Suffrage — ( hear , hear ;) — and now after thirty years experience the legislature has abandoned those laws . Subsequently the people opposed the New Poor Law , but they were unrepresented , they had but few friends in the House of Commons , although amongst those few was that noble of nature and glory to the English name , the immortal William Cobbett . ( Cheers . ) The people protested in vain ; that law was enacted , and now on all sides it is confessed that the law is a failure . ( Applause . ) That law is the great English difficulty of * thepresent government , and we behold
at this moment a vast organization preparing under the direction of the member for St . Albans , for the purpose of superseding that law . Again , for years , a number of reforms were demanded by the peoplefor instance , the abolition of the slave trade , the extinction of black slavery , corporation and postoffice reforms—before the government would so much as stretch forth a little finger to carry out the popular will . ( Applause . ) Now , the people ' s demand for the Charter is opposed and condemned , and the idea of universal suffrage is scouted as absurd and mischievous , ridiculous and ruinous . But " wait a little longer . " Lord John Russell who now declares that be will resist the six points to the last , has been
It. 1m Fo . . "Wjivjii; « Jlucijo 10th I...
TI ™ f Wore now to believe in the justice and efhcaoy ot measures which he had previously opposedand denounced . ( Hear , hear . ) In 1821 , Lord John Russell defended the nomination boroughs , as an usetul and ornamental part of our blessed _consti-*!• 1 yet In 1831 ' ne introduced a bill to disfranchise those very boroug hs . ( Hear , hear . ) He opposed Corn-law Repeal until he found that Peel was about to offer a more popular bid , and then , but not till then , he declared for total repeal . ( Hear , hear . ) It may be , therefore , that Lord John Russell will yet see the wisdom and propriety of our demand for the Charter ; and in a few years hence , acknowledge that the people were more intelligent than himself . ( Loud applause . ) If not , if he is not to be the minister for whom is destined the glory of _nnnvar . _hi > A u _„ e . .. . .. . .
assisting at the birth of a regenerated people , if he be unworthy of that high mission , too cowardly , or too dishonest for the performance of so glorious a task , why . then , never fear , but if once the Chartist twelve are side by side with Duncombe in the House of Commons , when the hour comes , the man will not be wanting ( Enthusiastic cheering . ) As respects what is said m the resolution ofthe injurious results i j Present system , no lengthy argument is needed to prove that . The demoralization and destruction of hfe which repay the toil of our factory workers ; the veritable slavery of our collier and mining population ; the misery of our agricultural labourers , their wretched hovels , their ioodless homes , their subserviency to the infamous truck system , their punishment in Poor-law
_Bastiles the temptations held out and punishments inflicted upon them through the accursed Game-laws , —( cries of hear , hear)—the cellars of Liverpool and the wynds of Glasgow—al ) these attest the effects of class-usurpation and class-misrule . ( Applause . ) Could the so-called i gnorant people have by their legislation possibl y produced a worse state of things ? ( Cheers . ) Look at Ireland . Would Chartism have allowed a people to subsist for centuries upon the verge of famine ? ( No !) And now that actual famine has come , that despair and frenzy has seized upon the unhappy people , would Chartism give bullets to _thebreadless , and send bayonets as the means of quieting starving men and hungered women and children ? ( Shouts of "No ! " ) That there are ignorant and slavish men amongst the people who
would not exercise rightly , or exercise at all , the rights the Charter would confer upon them , I do not dispute , but these aro not the many , these are not the men who would guide public opinion ; these are not the men who even now elect Duncombe and Wakley by show of hands previous to the confirmation of their election by the electoral body . ( Cheers . ) I am persuaded that the . _great mass of the people arc fully qualified to exercise the rights of citizenship , and those who are notso qualified would speedily become so . ( Cheers . ) What would be said of a man who having a youth placed under his instruction to learn the trade of a carpenter , should tell the youth that he must not think of handling the tools until he had learned his trade ? ( Laughter . ) If you want to make a man a carpenter , you give him the axe , the
hammer , the plane , the chisel , the saw , and other tools , and he learns how to use them . He may cut his fingers once or twice but he will outlearn that- ( cheers ) so , give the most uninformed the suffrage , ant ! they willnotcut their ringers very often by returning _dishonest or incompetent representatives . ( Applause . ) What would be said of a man who would not allow his son to go into the water until he had learned to swim ? Give the people the suffrage , and they will dive to the depths of society , and fetch up "pearls of great price , - " they will strike out their vigourous limbs and reach in safety the haven of freedom and happiness . ( Great chcering . ) _^ For . _ tlie _ attainmenl . of this great _rlguTTTe _iiiusiTperscvere in spite of all _oppusitien , and all discouragement . The press will not report us . The magnificent meeting at the
Crown and Anchor was totally burked by the Times , and merely noticed in miserable paragraphs by other journals . The equally magnificent meeting at the Eastern Institution was altogether passed over , and this meeting will share the same fate . Thus we are treated by the press . The- peonle mee * and petition for inquiry into their grievances—they meet and ask for their rights as men , and so long as they do thus legally and peaceably , so long the press stifles their voice . When ' , however , goaded by despair , and wearied ofthe contemptuous indifference with which their prayers have been treated , the outraged people write their wrongs upon England ' s soil in characters of fire and blood ; then the press finds its voice , then it denounces the people , and invokes the vengeance of the law upon the unhappy masses . The press then
demands dragoons and hangmen , to smother in blood that agitation which the base press-gang have mainly caused . If the conductors of the press had done their duty , long before this the people would have been instructed in the duties of citizens , and loiig before this would have enjoyed the rights of citizens . ( Great Applause , ) The press-writers are infinitely more to blame for the wrongs and misery of the people than either the government or the aristocracy . ( Renewed applause . ) But , in spite ofthe traitor journalists we will persevere and conquer . ( Cheers . ) Our cause is a cause worth struggling for ; in the words of the Martyr Muir _. ' when sentenced to transportation for defending the principles of Chartismthe right of _universal citizenship— " It is a good cause , it shall yet prevail , it shall finally triumph ' . " ( Enthusiastic and prolonged cheering . )
Mr . Ernest Jones rose amid much applause to support the resolution , and said , Mr . Chairman and Brother Chartists , it appears to me that we are assembled here more for the purpose of proving to the government and to the world at large our firm adherence to the principles propounded by the People ' s Charter , and our determination to carry those principles into effect than to strengthen our convictions or brighten our own perception of their truth . Indeed , the propositions it contains are so plain , so conforming with the laws of common sense and common honesty , that I can scarcely conceive how this light has been kept under the bushel for so many centuries , ( near , hear . ) Now , what does the resolution before you say ? It says that a man has a right to his own property , and to reclaim it from the
thief who stole it , or the robber by whom it was taken . Originally every man had an equal right to an equal share in thisea _' rth , its produce and government . This is a proposition no political economist can deny . Thus every man must have been , or ought to have been , possessed of an equal portion of the soil , wealth and power . Now we see land , produce and government in possession of a few hands , while the landless , _moneyless , and oppressed millions are starving . How did they Jose their property ami rights ? It can only be reasonably supposed to have been in one of two ways : either that they sold them for an equivalent or that they were forcibly or fraudulently taken from them . ( Hear , hear . ) If the first , we naturally ask , what equivalent did the producing classes receive , and when did they receive
it . Was it in the shape of property ? Hardly so Are they not plunged hopelessly into a national debt , the interest of which they are forced to pay with their very blood . Was it in the shape of good government ? Hardly so ! Good government is the greatest possible amount of good to the greatest possible number ; whereas we find a few rich idle men in palaces , mansions , barracks , pleasure yachts , and churches , while we see millions of poor working men in hovels , garrets , cellars , factories , unions , prisons , penal settlements , and bleeding on the triangle . Was it in the shape of education ? Hardly so \ For they themselves accu-c us of ignorance , thus confessing that they never educated us . ( Hear , hear . ) We find , also , that this has ever been the case throughout the course of history , from the time
when Cain , the first soldier , murdered his brother , to the preset day , when we . have armies of Cains with scarlet coats and glittering bayonets . ( Loud cheers . ) Then it is clear the equivalent has never been given , and the privileged holders of the land , wealth and power of this earth arc debtors to the people for centuries of enjoyment and monopoly We now summon those debtors before the tribunal of nations , for we will have back capital and interest ; aye , and compound interest as well , even to the last fraction , since , not content with defrauding you , they have treated you with contumely , goaded you with the lash , at the _sometime that they held back the food from your mouths , so near when you sowed and reaped , that the _fabled punishment of Tantalus of old is turned into a modern reality ,
although their scriptures say , thou shalt not muzzle the ox that treads out the corn . ( Great cheering . ) But I deny that our fathers ever parted voluntarily with their rights and property . They were surrendered at the call of dire necessity . Self-constituted governments , raised by the hand of violence , or traitor rulers who betrayed their trust , robbed thorn by unequal laws , that as they impoverished the industrious enriched the oppressor . Do you not dailyhear the cry of "hard times ? " Let us translate the phrase into common sense . " Hard tiniCB " means "hard" government and " hard" laws . No times are "hard" when governments are just . ( Cheers . ) Unequal legislation then became the creator of ignorance , for it knew that enlightenment was its most deadly foe . Therefore it established bad schools , lest others should come and establish good ones . Therefore the working man ' s child is taught little in those schools but this— " reverence your superiors ! Olwy your betters ! " Therefore he
is told to w orship the throne and the altar ! which means insolence and taxation—tithes and idleness ! Therefore he i s told , if in this life he consents to be an abject slave—if in this life he allows himself to be degraded below the level of a beast of the field—he has a chance of becoming a cherub in the next . Therefore he is told , if he meets a lady or a gentlemen to bow low and step aside , but if he moots a far nioro useful member of society , a child of toil , he may pass whistling and heedless on his way . But we are going to him , and when he repeats to us the hellish lesson of his childhood , " to reverence and humbly obey his betters , " we will tell him that he has no betters , and that earth has not a nobler title than that of an honest , independent man . ( Great applause . ) Unequal legislation next became the parent of crime ; for hunger makes a thief , and outrage creates a murderer . No man is born with sin in his heart . Then the thief and murderer , that is , the poor man , who enacts the crime , is punished , and justly so , for in no case can a violation of God ' s
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law be justified ; but what punishment is there for the greater criminal , who , by his oppressive legislation , has become the creator of that crime , of which the sufferer is but the actor ? ( Loud cheers . ) Thus has your property been stolen , thus have your rights been denied you , thus might your hearts have been corrupted , your minds debased and your very souls infected by laws tbat you have been forced to uphold at the cost of your lives . ( Hear , hear . ) These laws still exist in their full force ; nay , their hoaryheaded iniquity grows more rampant every day , and it is againRt these laws that you are called upon in the resolution you have heard to make a solemn protest ; it is against these laws you are asked to defend yourselves ; it is against these laws you are . . ... . .. .. ..
exhorted to elevate the holier statute of the Charter , and what is the spirit of its principles ? — why , simply this , since we find that unequal legislation has been our ruin , we ask for its opposite—equal legislation . Well may the goddess of justice be depicted as blind . Oh , she has been blind for centuries , and given all to the most grasping . Now we will tear tho bandage off her eyes , for it is high time she should begin to see . ( Cheers . ) I am prepared to prove , that all , or nearly all , the institutions of the country are either unsanctioned by us , or hostile to our interests . We never said we wanted a standing army . We never wished men to bayonet their fathers , and , if ordered , to burn down the _cottage homes of their childhood . They are of no service to
us . We clothe , feed and pay them , that they maystab , shoot and sabre us at the bidding of monopoly . Never tell me the men of this country could not defend it against any invader without a standing army . . Make it a happy land for them , give them something worth defending , and trust me they " won't let any mortal take it from them ; but you would find a recruit at every cottage door , and a bayonet in every hand . As for foreign conquest , we like not foreign conquest , we see no glory in Avar , and nothing religious in bloodshed , though it seems to delight the hearts of the Queen and her archbishops , since in speeches from the throne and prayers from the altar they give thanksgivings to God that their fellowbeings have been most gloriously _slaughtered . And
as for colonies , there is not a great colony that were not happier itself and more beneficial to the mothercountry , if this very hour it w ere a mighty , allied and independent nation . Witness America—what was our commerce with that colony ? What is our commerce with the empire ? ( Loud cheers . ) We never said we wanted gaudy bishops . We are not proud ; less splendid ministers of religion would satisfy us—men who should go to their churches on foot , as Christ and his apostles did before them . We never said we thought an expensive court indispensable for maintaining by its magnificence the dignity of the country . We believe , on the contrary , that the dignity of the country is best maintained by the prosperity of its people . We never
sent such costly ambassadors to foreign despots . Alter all , they have not the dignity ofthe Swiss envoy who came bare-footed before Duke Charles and the mounted chivalvy of Burgundy , which fled that very day like dust before the whirlwind of his countrymen . We never invited Nicholas of Russia , lie was no guest of ours . Then why should the food be taken from our mouths to feast him at the royal banquet board . If the Queen has such regard tor that murderous barbarian , let her entertain him with sourcrout and . sausages from her ' family in Germany _, instead of taking to feast him the source of strength from the lips of infancy and the staff of life from the hands of age . Then why , why , in the name of justice , slnuld we pay for goods we never
ordered , and guests we never invited ? ( Immense _applau ? . e _) - ~ _-ifl / l . what , I ask , are our rulers about in this time of fearful prophecy ? Members are bagging game on the moors of Scotland , after havinu made game of us in a much more barren place—the House of Commons ; though , thank heaven ! they have not bagged us yet . ( Laughter . ) Churchmen are building churches , while those already built are but half filled . Uncharitable Christians might suppose it was to create more livings , for more parsons If the adage be true , "the nearer the church , the further from God , " how far we must all be , since we meet a church at every turning ! ( Laughter . ) The Queen , our lovely , gentle-hearted sovereign , is looking out for fresh palaces on the Cornish coast , while
the workhouses of the empire cannot hold the starving population . And we!—we are waiting for the Charter . Waiting ! what for ?—For the Duke of Norfolk to teach Lord John Russell how the people ought to be fed . Waiting ! For the archbishop of Canterbury ' s prayer to avert the famine . Waiting ! For the manufacturer to say to his workman , "I think you work too much , and earn too little ; take more and toil less . " Waiting ! For the baker to say to his man , " Since the passing of Free Trade bread ha 8 risen , therefore it is but justice your wages should rise too . " Waiting ! For the Queen to say , " My palaces are too many and too large , and my salary too high ; I will resign so much of both to the poor . " Waiting ! Mr . Chairman !—Good
heaven ! 1 hese men are waiting for that which they could take at once . ( Great applause . ) If you wait for these , or any of these , you may wait long enough . Now . for my part , i confess I do not like waiting , for I have learned the truth of the adage— " while tho grass grows , the steed starves . " But while we desire to reform others , we must not be blind to the fact , that we want reforming ourselves . That it might elevate the mind , and strengthen the frame of men , if they went less to the _ein-palace . Rest assured , a man who drinks , however great his talents may be , is worth nothing in a popular movement , in which energy , presence of mind ' , clearness of head and promptitude of action , are indispensable requisites . —Aud oh ! if there be
any who cannot themselves resist the degrading vice , —why , oh ! why I ask them will you inoculate your children with the same ? The child is sent to the tavern by its mother , to call the father home , —it is sent for beer or spirits;—it grows familiarised with the sight of vice , —it grows familiarised with the way to that accursed door , —and , believe me ! he , that has been sent there so often for another , when achild , will find the way for himself when a man . ( Hear , hear . ) If you wish to change Chartism into government , you must break its last lingering link with tlie pothouse and the tavern ! I have witnessed publicbouse meetings , where the _mcmberstold me they could not afford to build a hall , or hire a room . Nay , I have seen them spend more in gin , beer and tobacco , than
would have paid for a room to contain twice their numbers . ( Hear . ) Again , we must quench envy _, petty jealousies and discussion . 1 believe this is well uigli banished from within our ranks , —but the tempter comes from without;—fresh attempts are being made to disunite you . As we have been lately told , the separation-cry of Church and State is being raised under the name of religious liberty . Give us religious liberty , as well as every other , —but do not give us religious liberty alone . Will religious liberty give you aleg of mutton on your spits , or a coat on your backs ? Will religious liberty give you a vote ? Will religious liberty cut down the pension-list or the civil-list ? Will roligious liberty do away with
the House of Lords ? Will religious liberty abolish a standing array ? Will religious liberty throw open the parks to culture and pass the plough through the preserves ? Will religious liberty give you the land ? Then let us have that thing first , which gives us those ! Meanwhile we will keep relk'iousliberty sale aud alive within our hearts and brains . They have seized upon thatone of our requirements , to disunite and disarm us , which was just the very one that would not injure them nor benefit us ! No ! we want social and political liberty as well , and then we will take good care religious liberty shall not be far off . And we can coin it all , for , to parody the old national distitch : —
Chartists no wily foe shall rue . If _Clutrtitts to themselves keep true ! It may have appeared , my friends ! as though through past generations , heaven itself had been against the people , and for their tyrants , so many resolutions have been rendered abortive , by trifling and unforeseen events . But , Sirs ! it was not Heaven that was against the nations , but the nations that were against themselves ! They have been cowards , —they have been slaves , —they have been unmanly , miserable slaves!—for they have bent with servility to those whom they should have chastised , they have kissed the hand , that smote them on the face . It is only those who deserve to be free , that shall ever win their liberty . Freedom comes
not of herself , —you must go and seek her , there is no time to rest , till you have found her . The corn will grow , while the husbandman sleeps , but he must first have ploughed and sown . You , however , seem to have passed the _timo of trial ! you are no longer confounding the right divine of kings with the divine rights of man ; you no longer give to the priest the homage that is due to his God;—you are becoming worthy of your liberty , and therefore our father which is in heaven , permits his mighty famine to visit the nations , —it comes permitted by God , but created by man , not to punish , but to stir them on , not to crush them , but to give them strength , — a dreadful messenger , breathing inspiration through their hearts , —experience through their councils , and power through their multitudes . —For romember ! the days are past , when manna falls from heaven . Expect nothing but from your own actions !—God aids those , who aid themselves ! JDo this ! and in the
words of Cromwell : the spirit of the Lord shall be with the people ! Above all expect no succour from a government , thai although it has a census taken every ten years , —although it numbers the people as a flock of sheep upon the _pastures of monopoly , and finds that they increase by _half-a-million every year , —yet takes no pains » to see , whether the supply of food increases in the like proportion ! ( Hear , hear . ) But in Ireland the step of the avenger is heard ! Oh ! little did they think , that the very ministers of Heaven itself should be sent to confound them ! The rotting of a humble root of tho earth shall tame their pride , and overturn their sway ! There the thin hand of famine is grappling with the hearts of men . Methinks I can bear the voice whispering rebellion—see her bony finger pointing to the exported food—while that patient , willing people have been looking on in mute and sorrowful forbearance , trusting , as with the confidence of a child , to the soothing promises of their magistrates aud pas-
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tors . —thus , pacified during the hour of danger , till _Jm soldiers of Victorialiad time to arrive , and with w ii \ , , 11 ? . ta P ' ierce their poor , confiding hearts ! Well ! Well ! So be it . Those vollies sound the knell ? h _HT _fe rf the murdered peasant ! We will give &„ f Jl C ,, _bulIet--but ° bullets shall be the Un _vpL _, i % i lofc ' cast tnillionfold by the hand of nm ™ _1 _» ' ! rasi ! , ' more efficacious in prostrating is too late . What guarantee have you that EnSd may not soon become the same ? Take nitv on th _« poor Irish people ! Pity ? No ! D oju » ti _« . Knao ; the same government—rated by the same policy—and destined to the same fate , if you do not interpose and take pity on yourselves . Give them their own
bread to eat—you will be saving yours in the end . Drive famine from there , and you will never see her here . British Hercu ' es ! strangle the serpent seed of monopoly , ere it has growth enough to span the channel . ( Great cheering , ) And to what more does famine , that terrible monster point ? To the midnight torch upon the mountain top—to the shattered mansion and the burKing cottage—to the loosened hell of a ruffian soldier—to the red blood on the accursed bayonet—and to the despair of outraged womanhood in Ireland . But more— still more ! that dreadfulhand is pointing hither to England ! To the prospective of deserted fields , and stormy gatherings of fierce _thousands;—Hanger for their general-Despair for their councillor , and murder for their priest . Itis this fruit of Whiggovernment—class monopoly , and unequal laws , that it will be our duty to prevent—through the means of our Oha-ter . Save
_usT-save your country-save the cause of liberty from this ! lou can yet gain peacefully , more than bloodshed evor gives to man ! The Charter still can silence the cannon and blun t the bayonet ! Herald of peace and angel of redemption , it invites you to serve the sacred cause of humanity ; and while the powers of hell are sharpening the sword of massacre in the arsenals of kings , it comes like the surrise , calm , great , and glorious , shedding an omnipotence of peace on the earth ; lulling the storms of our tempestuous skies , and pouring over the darkened child of misery , the broad day of plenty and contentment ! ( Enthusiastic , cheers . )
Mr . _M'Gellktt , said it was the first time he had ever addressed a public meeting . He had heard much of the distress in Ireland , but they had yet heard but little ofthe destitution prevailing in the islands and Highlands of Scotland , of the thousands perishing without either potatoes er meal , in the glens of that country . Look at the hundreds turned from their holdings away from friends and relatives , or to the weather or to the roads to perish . The speaker proceeded to relate several " clearances" or " weedings out" of the people of the Highlands , by the Duke of Sutherland and other tyrannical Scotch aristocrats , which excited the indignant outcries of the meeting . Mr . M'Gellety concluded by announcing his intention to lecture to the English public on tbe wrongs and suffevinga of his Highland countrymen . The resolution was then put from the chair , and carried unanimously .
Mr . John Arnott then read and moved the adoption of the National Petition . Dr . M'Douall in seconding the motion , said he felt as much as his countrymen could do for the prevailing distress in the West of Scotland , or as much as any Irishmen could do for the existing distress in Ireland , but the only effectual remedy was to place the means of prevention in the hands of the people for tho future . Competition stood much in the way , giving full _gvunui-id . i to the rich , and emptj cupboards to the poor . ( Hear , hear . ) How was this ! He thought it might be traced to class made laws . ( Hear , hear . ) The iaw of primogeniture allowed the oldest born to take the estate , and leave the younger son to be provided for by the nation , consequently the
blackguards of the family are placed in the army and navy , and the fools were put into the church . ( Loud , cheers . ) Wo have five million acres of wasteland , why not send the two millions of surplus hands out of the labour market or to the land ? Suppose thatit takes six millions of money to support the two millions surplus hands in idleness , could not that money thus saved be placed to other purposes such as educating the people . Again , ' would not the two millions thus placed on the soil , want hats , shoes , clothes , furniture , knives , field and garden implements , & c . Constitution in the labour market would be lessened , fifteen men would be wanted when only five were to bo found , of course , wages would rise in proportion . You want the power of thus beneficially employing
the waste lands the Charter would confer upon the people . ( Great cheering . ) The late storm in London blew down two houses in High Holborn , and in so doing it blew away two votes , but had it blew away two men ' s heads and left the roof of the housesstanding , the votes would have remained . Such was out present excellent representative system . ( Hear , hear . ) The Dr . next proceeds to show the evil produced by the manufacture of goods within the walla of prison , when made to compete with out door labour , and asks , must notour system of legislature be defective when such things are allowed ? ( Loud cheers . ) Our earth was beautiful , God showered his " blessings most abundantly , but the aristocracy of
land and money had built a wall around this earthly paradise , reason would , however , ere long round her empire , and that wall would fall before the brilliance of her lightning rays . ( Loud cheers . ) He had told Baron Gurney , when sentencing him to twelve months iinpri ' sonnient for advocating the rights of man , that he should live to witness the triumph of right over might in establishment ofthe People ' s Charter , and he was now more than ever convinced that he should . ( Great applause . ) Yes , Chartism shall triumph over tyranny and oppression , and under its rule vice , misery and wretchedness shall not be known , but peace , prosperity and happiness shall cover the earth . ( Vociferous cheering . )
Mr . T . M . Wiiekler rose amidst considerable cheering , to support the adoption of the Petition _, lie did so , because it had received the sanction of many millions of his fellow-men , and , because he , like Dr . M'Doual , believed it was calculated to produce cententmeut and happiness . ( Loud cheers . ) We are all born free and equal , The People ' s Charter is our right , and will be ours as soon as wc demand it , with a determination to be its possessors . ( Hear , hear . ) Oh , said some , its possession would injure the presentstate ofthe money market , but he . said , if it is our right , let us have it , and if the present system is so rotten that it will not bear the approach of right , let it fall , and we will build up another better suited to the present age . ( Loud cheering- ) The Petition was then unanimously adopted . Mr . _StALLwooD rose much applauded to move the following resolution
;" That , in the opinion of this meeting , the return to Parliament of a few patriotic individuals to act in eoncert with the small band of noble spirits already i n the House , and farourable to the democratic cause , would materially strengthen the efforts of the people for freedom . This meeting therefore approves of the principles and objects of thu Election and Registration Committee , and with a view to render it all the support in their power , hereby elect the following persons to act as a local committee , iu co-operation tliereivith : —Charles Edea Wagstaff , John Hornby , Charles Page , Charles 3 ) uddridge , Alfred Pettit , William Perry , John Harris , William Ferris , Charles Hall , and John Arnott . "
He said , the remedy for our political evils , the Charter , had been adopted , the means of accomplishing the remedy was now before them , and he thought it was indisputably the best mode ofprscedure , and fortunately , in this district of the metropolis , they would not have much difficulty to contend with . He recollected attending sonic times since a meeting at the Exmouth Arms , Exmouthstreet , at which their respected ohairman was present , surrounded by bis colleagues in office , wben they offered to place all persons coming within the
meaning ofthe Reform Act on the ratebook , and sec them duly entered on the electoral roll , and he did not believe they had become less liberal , ( hear , hear , from the chairman . ) Hence , if they had not the votes and they were legally qualified , the fault would be their own , and let them bear in mind , that being on the rate books qualified them to act parochially as well as nationally . He trusted they would adopt tho resolution he had the honour to submit , and act on it , with promptitude , vigour , and determination , ( Loud applause . )
• Mr . John _Gathard seconded the motion , which was unanimously adopted . Mr . John Hornby moved , That the best thanks of . this meeting are due and are hereby given to the Vestrymen , for the use of tha Rooms _, which was carried by acclamation . Mr . John Arnott moved , The thanks of the meeting to the Chairman , for his impartial conduct in the chair _. Which was seconded by Mr . Harris , and carried unanimously , amid the loudest applause .
Ihe Ciuirman said he should be unworthy _tkair esteem did he not highly appreciate the compliment just paid him . Tho working men had decidedly taken tho right road . In 1833 , they were told the people were not intelligent enough—however that might have been then , it was not so now . If the people of France had lost their rights after manfully gaining them , from want of the knowledge of howto use those rights , it was quite evident tlio people of England _were'botter informed . ( Hear , hear . ) As an elector , so far- as he was concerned , he pledged
himself never to vote for any man unless he promised to extend the elective franchise . ( Loud cheers . ) He was happv to find the working classes would act with thorn at last iu the matter of registration , and quito sure ho was , that his brother officers would render them every assistance . ( Much applause . ) He was delighted to find the working classes so zealously cultivating their intellects , and ho believed it would bo found the surest way to political power . Tho Chairman then announced the meeting dissolved , and left his seat amidst rapturous applause . A largo number of signatures were obtained to the Petition , as the people passed from the rooms .
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Citation
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Northern Star (1837-1852), Oct. 17, 1846, page 5, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/ns/issues/ns3_17101846/page/5/
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