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'•Oaward.. tad we eorquer B-dcwaw. and we falL"
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"-' TO THE OLD;GUARDS. • mmmt^^ * Mt Fui...
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//> M> ikie
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* Hereditary boBdvaen, fcnoir je not Who...
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¦"' //> M> ikie&~ y& i-^~,,y%v>
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—*- . "M Rational toft iompanp
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Busby.—-Mr S. Kydd delivered ah excellen...
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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.
'•Oaward.. Tad We Eorquer B-Dcwaw. And We Fall"
' Oaward .. tad we eorquer _B-dcwaw . and we falL "
"-' To The Old;Guards. • Mmmt^^ * Mt Fui...
" - ' TO THE OLD ; GUARDS . mmmt _^^ * Mt _Fuiends , — The first act of that Parliament from whicii —from the amount of new blood infused into it _—so much was ; eipect « 3 , is alwut to close , and it now becomes my duty to analyse its _contention : I mihesitatingl f dedare , then , thatthe pre * sect is the most middle class Parliament that has erer sat in St Stephen ' s ; and , therefore , | he most hostile 16 the _^ working classes .
With few , very few , exceptions ; the House cons ists ef those who have a direct interest , indeed , whose profits and whose fortunes ' : de- * pend npon low wages , and , as Mr Bright very truly said , this Government is a middle class Government , The majority consists of Free Trade political economists and speculators in -railways , all of whom hare the most direct influence in paring wages down to the lowest
point , while the Government reserve consists of place-hunters , pensioners , officials , naval and military officers looking for promotion , anda section of the most , contemptible and . corrupt of the Irish party . Indeed , so powerful is the majority ofthe ¦ present-Government , that I can scarcely look B *» on Sir Robert Peel and his party as holding the balance of power between the ' Protectionists and Free Traders .
This strengthened position of Government would be cheering , if "Whi g practice was in accordance with"Whig theory , but when it is borne in mind that the strength of the government wholl y depends _^ pon the wiU ofthe middle _classes _aailihattheir will will he exclusively gpverned by the disposition of ministers to allow them the lion ' s share of- the produce of Labour , then Labour has nothing whatererto expect from _ttoG _^ renunent _yW * _- ¦ _Jjlow , I _\ 0 & c & downas a _^ elearT . 4 nd simple -58 * om for the most ignorant to understand
_:-gfpK repeat it , in-confirmation of my oft-re * _- _"peated assertion , that the danger to : the . _Workihg elasse 5 Consdsted , not so much in the adop ; - _iion of Free Tnide principles a 3 in the _adaptation of details to carry oat those-princi ples ; _^ nd I have told you , to surfeit , that the dang er _^ that Labour bad to apprehend , was so large a Free Tr ade . majority in the House of _Com--anons as would coerce Ministers to give to the middle classes , and those who make profit of Xabour , all the benefit ofthe Free Trade prin-•
ciple-Moreover , the presen ?; is the most insolent , _-Teckless , and impertinent Government that -ever ruled the conntry ; a Government that has no regard for truth , if falsehood will better serve its purpose : a Government that is -wholly regardless ofthe old Whig principle , that "Taxation without representation is tyranny , and shonld be resisted ; " a Government less liberal than any Whig Government that preceded the Refonn Bill . Now , I make this estimate ofthe Government , and its power in the House of Commons , in order to show the working classes that it is safe from the in-door lisp of opposition , but must be shaken by the thunder from without . "
No estimate is to be formed of its power with tte people , until the people and the Government come into contact ; and the respective strength ofthe Government and the people is tested , aud that cannot be efficiently done , until oar dear and loved friend and leader , Mr Duneombe , is so far restored in health as to allow him once more to take his rightful position , as leader of the working classes in the House of Commons . And . perhaps , the most welcome and cheering portion of this letter will be the fact , that he is ¦ rapidly recovering from a dangerous illness , -contracted by close and assiduous attention to
the interests ofthe people in parliament There is no man in this world who more longs for his restoration to health , so valuable to the cause of universal liberty , than myself ; and in order to cheer him on in his good work , and to prove that those for whom he sacrificed health and comfort were worthy of such devotion , let all now put their shoulders to the wheel , and be prepared to meet him on his return to the struggle with a MONSTER PETITION , -which will inspire him with renewed confidence , and bring the pressure from without to bear epon the corruption within .
I candidly confess to you that I see no hope of redress or relief for any man who lives by ihe sweat of his brow , except by the enactment ofthe People ' s Charter , which will give to all and each a Toicein the nomination of those representatives , whose greatest and primary duty it is to see to the proper CULTIVATION OF THE NATIONAL RESOURCES , AND , ABOVE ALL , TO THEIR EQUITABLE DISTRIBUTION . Now , although I have arraigned the venality of Government , yet the dereliction of duty upon their part is justly chargeable to the passive
obedience and non-resistance of the working classes , and is more especially chargeable to the truculency and subserviency of the aristocratic portion of the trades , who , under the influence of the master class , have hitherto kept the democracy oftheir order in base and _servile subjection . I have told you a thousand times that the next great struggle in this country would be between the democracy and the aristocracy of the several classes , and I am proud to find that thai war is no longer confined to the laity , buth * s been carried _ipto the bosom ofthe church : the curates , the ill-paid -working democracy of the clerical order , now
-protesting against the lust , the luxury , and njustice ofa useless and overpaid hierarchy ; : and it will be not a little astonishing tothe _la-Iwuring poor of tbis country to learn , that even I have received applications from more than one Hi-paid curate , to stand up for the rights of clerical labour . •' ,, ' ' ' - Upon tbe otber hand , the shopkeeping classes , between whom and the _working classes I have ever shown the most perfect identity of interests exists , are beginning to learn that an overstocked workhouse , and an ill-paid labour , _clas 3 , cause abstractions from their profits not p rognosticated by Free Trade _N _*^ fgj _£ mists , whose assurance of " HfGH . yvAAxt
CHEAP BREAD , AND PLENTY TO DO , " caused many to enlarge their tills , expand their hopes , and increase tbeir liabilities . _^ Upon this all-important quest ion of the influence of Free Trade upon Labour , I have written more than any living man within the list twenty years ; and , notwithstanding the _fassinating predictions of interested prophets , I _-. avenever once been induced to alter my opin ! _; is or desert my opposition . 1 have told you , over and over again , tnat r-. nopoly , bad as it was , had become thefkey stcne of the social arch ; and that , before it - was removed , those timely and _^ prudent concessions , so pompously referred to in the Kus-* oH Fdinhurffh manifesto _, should be made , else
wouIdLabouxbe annihilatedinthe ruins . 1 told you , that yoa should expect at least from three to five years of casualties and calamities , of -which Labour should bear the whole burden , if its interests , under the new state or things , -wre not dearlv defined before the whole state of society were ' altered ; and I told you , moreover that the men whose profits were made « i ) of low wages , were the very most incompetent parties to declare what those timely and concessions should be
prudent . EDid I not tell . yo uof thepresent state of _feisty ? Have I not a thousand times tola you that the _ma nufacturers would fiadihat they had _caughtVT artar _; that the _operative Wl * _starveiu-a _cookVshop-that cheap and -dear were relative _terms-that _m _pmoty till on a Saturday night would jnake , an ugly wife on Sunday m 2 rning- * nd that ; mechan _. cal power , which disinherited manual labonr , was ti . a _i _£ Q _.. _^ f . _a „ fm- to tha shooteeper and
to every branch of trade ? Did I not telLyou , that when Free Trade passed , hatters would suppose the people were born without heads , hosiers that they were born without legs , shoemakers that they were born without feet , ana
"-' To The Old;Guards. • Mmmt^^ * Mt Fui...
S - * _% _•*«? were born withont back , _SL _? " 8 ldes _^™ % t ,. that the economical generation would be a population of ghosts > «„„ p _T pred _i * y ° the Present cbsdi tion _. _or the agnculUral ; labourers , both in England and Ireland ? Were not tny _wonfe , that before the close of 1847 , the farmers would become paralysed , and the landlords pauperised by an inundation of destitute unemployed agncnltural labonrers ? and have I not incessantly shown you the effect that such n state of things must inevitabl y have upon the money _ulora Hint ftnm -. _!_ .. _i- _
_Well , then , having established my title to counsel you , I now tell you that a full , free , and feu- representation of the whole people in the Commons' House of Parliament , is the only way by which . Free Trade can be made a natural instead of a class benefit-by which the national resonrces can _^ be cultivated by task work , for "the benefit-bf tbe _febonrerand hy which ari equitable distribution of the p _*^ u _(» can be secured . " " ¦ _.-. y _! . . . I , therefore , _junhesitatiugly-ded-ite , _thatUnless the head and tail of society—the landed aristocracy , and all who ; liye . by-their _labqpj-
combine against the _middle jriSte . _' of idcietv , fiotf ; In' which au willbe turmoil and . confiscation . The landlords of -England can have no _^ po ssible grounds for resisting the enfranchisement of the whole people , as I am , pre ? pared to prove to demonstration , _thatitheresulfc wonld be the reign of perfect ' . anil , unbroken peace through contentment , and an inconceivable rise in the value of their estates , transferred fromthe wholesale to the retail market ; while it should be borne in mind , tbat a pauper population , now daily pressing upon the means of existence , will not . calmly and submissively starve while ther are impressed with
a just and irrefutable conviction tbat their own country furnishes more tban ample means for double its population , if governed by a wise and parental system , in which the support of the poorest ofthe poor wovid have a defined and never-ceasing interest ; and when the landlords of England discover that bringing the comparatively small amount of four million acres under profitable spade cultivation , the husbandman being the first partaker of the fruits of the earth , would double the incomes of the holders of these four million acres , and wholly relieve their class from the payment of the tax of poor rates , they are highly culpable if they allow the present opportunity of doing justice to the poor to escape . '
- Thousands of the working . classes are still in possession of my six letters written to the Irish Landlords , written from my dungeon in 1841 ; and I ask them to read those letters now , and to say whether or not they were prophetic ofthe present times . . Did I not tell them that the consequence of their dereliction of duty ; and their adoption of Free Trade , would cause tbe confiscation , of their estates ? Did I not tell them that when
the Minister had used them he would desert them , and tbat tbe affections of a grateful people would be a better protection thau a barrier of bayonets ? Did -I- not / oretell the inevitable effect upon the labouring population ? And although the sceptic and apologist may now endeavour to palliate the consequences of Free Trade , upon the plea that a scarcity of food demanded it , I tell you that the operatives ,, artificers , artisans , and agricultural labourers , will not feel the full effect of tiie blow until you have a luxuriant and super-abundant harvest generally throughout
Europe and the world ; when the glut from abroad will be the standard of value for homegrown corn at home ; when in the sack in Mark-lane will be found the Poor Law Commissioners and their staff ; the church cess , ( he poor rates , the parson , and the bishop , with their numerous attendants , and the long list of innumerable tuxes paid by the home grower . Andif lam told tbat these are all incipient items / deducted in the first instance from the stipulated rent , then , I answer , that
it but transfers the burthen from the shoulders of the Tenant to those of the Landlord , and that like case like rule , their estates , like those of their Irish brethren , will be subjected to confiscation , and like them they will have to apply to Parliament for means beyond the ordinary law , and which , like them , they will find less graceful and efficient tban the timely performance of those duties consequent upon , and legitimately belonging to the possession of property .
Up , then Old Gnards ! for " thePeople's Charter and Ne Surrender !" Let every man , woman , and child who lives by Labour , begin at once to sign the Monster Petition for the restoration of their rig hts , and let it go on continuously , and let the knowledge of its weekly increase be a balm to the feelings of onr suffering leader . Ever jour faithful Friend , Feargus O'Connor .
//> M> Ikie
* Hereditary Bobdvaen, Fcnoir Je Not Who...
* Hereditary _boBdvaen , fcnoir je not Who wauld be free , himself mast strike the alow . ' TO THE IRISH PEOPLE . Mt Beloved Cohnt & tuei- — After an absence of many years from my own country , and during which time I have established a better feeling between the English and Irisb people tban ever existed before , I have , tbanks to tbe courage , zeal , and confidence of an English constituency , been
. once more placed in a situation to give my own , my loved conntry , the benefit of my poor advocacy of its rights in the Parliament of the foreign oppressor , and , in the _onsets I must answer an observation in the Nottingham Review , to the effect that I was sent to the British Parliament , not to waste its time in the discussion of Irish grievances , but to aid in English legislation . —To this I answer— y _. < _-y ¦ : . tbe
If such were the conditibns , take back , trust , whicti I wiU resign to _* mdrrow , rather than hold it upon so base a tenure as the stipulation that I am to be a passive observer of my country ' s ruin . Nor can I discover the bearing or value of tbe argument , which in its entirety , goes to this , that while an Irish debate was . nn * der discussion I was to remain a listener with sealed li P s _, because the writerhas wholly overlooked the fact that the question under disit
cussion was a ministerial question , and that would not be competent for me 'or any other member to introduce other or irrelevant matter . But I should despise myself if I thought it necessary to make any apology for the defence of my conntry ' s liberty . If tbe attempt had been to coerce England , my opposition would bave been as consistent , determined , and continuous , and then , perhaps , my censors would have found an apology in the change of circumstances . le rest assured
Let ihe English peop , however that every successful blow , aimed at Irish-liberty , but emboldens the oppressor and serves him with a precedent / when needed , to take vengeance upon the oppressed and complaining people , of England } _^ My countrymen ! I _never-will forget the ties by wbicb I , ara bound to- my * nativ _ land ! 1 never will forget * that though tbe world is my republic , vetlfeland isjny _^ country .. ! and r I say it , not bombastically , that , mv life should'be cheerfully risked to-morrow-to rid her < oi the tvrant power of the oppressor . While l _thus _' djjctere my firm _resolve p . evei
_-Hrlj 1 - N - 530- _LOTOON . _^ ** vm _™ _™ * ' - : . ' _^ T _^^*^ Q _? 10 _*'• W Vive _Skming * and Sixpence per _QnarM 1 _¦¦ : ¦ _!_ .- -- ¦ ¦ ' ¦ ¦ — ¦ _—^— ¦ _'¦/' ¦ ¦¦¦ •¦ ' " ¦ _- . " —
* Hereditary Bobdvaen, Fcnoir Je Not Who...
to abandon the struggle of the Catholic people ourelandto rid themselves of tlie oppression ot a tyrannical law _choreh ; to restore- to them their native Parliament , ELECTED BY THEMSELVES , and iff guarantee to them the indisputable and _undtspated right to cultivate their own ; soil for their own benefit , without the terror of a Poor Law bastile , orthe compulsion to leave their native land in sea ** of slave labour aU over the worid— -that , nevertheless , I wfll confine my straggle for my country ' s regeneration to this country- where I haveestablished a great social principle , which I
would consider it the basest of treason _todesert or _postpone in search of ot _^ _er popularity I look upon the co-operation « rf" the brave , the hold , the generous , and unselfish Saxon , as Ireland ' s greatest auxiliary ; and I have to re * quest that those who speak disparagingly of the . English character , will -learn to make the distinction between the oppressor-and the oppressed , as I assert , without fear of contradiction , that ' , the English working classes and the Irish working classes in England are better and more consistent friends of Irish liberty than the Irish at home . _^ n _& without ripping up the _pastj " _whichicanOtiiy * - lead to the perpetration -of dangerous and damning feuds , I would now implore thelead _*
ers ofthe Irish party to marshal their forces , as well as theEnglish Democracy is marshalled , forthe assertion of right , and the citadel of corruption must fall before the first assault . My countrymen , as my character is dear to me , and dear to you , and ' dear to your English brethren , and as 1 allow no man the privilege of assailing that character wantonly , and as I feel that silence in the outset' leads to growing misapprehensions , which may require much dis * putation to correct , I embrace this , as the first opportunity afforded me , of _refuting the gratuitous , the . wanton , and untimely attaeks that have been made upon me by the Irish party .
. Good God ! my countrymen , will the time ever arrive when singleness of purpose shall be the ruling principle of agitation * , when all thought of self shall be merged in thought of country , andwben self-devotion , regardless of the coantenance of the minister , the patronage ofthe Crown , and of an ephemeral popularity , shall be sunk in the love of fatherland ? Who , let me ask you , under the present discipline , can serve his country like a patriot , if he is tobe held up as the disturber of her councils , and the envious destroyer of her concentrated strength ? Are you not aware , and are
my revilers not aware , that public opinion is the shield of tbe honest man's fame , and will be the sure avenger of any unjust criticism to which he is subjected ? and , even now , though character is dearer to me than the wealth of the world , it is painful tobe obliged to defend it , when the course may subject me to the narrow animadversion of the weak-minded apd the prejudiced ; but , as the task is one ofwhieh honour demands the performance , I shall discbarge the duty mildly , but firmly . A portion ' of tbe Irish press bas undertaken to revile me for bringing forward the question
ofthe Repeal of the Union , while all , with the exception of the Freeman ' s Journal and the Cork Examiner , have given garbled extracts from my several speeches upon the Coercion Bill , giving unconnected and broken sentences , in the forlorn hope of turning my opposition to that base , bloody , and brutal . bill into ridicule ; but I defy them , as I have defied the English press-gang , and I tell them that ! will live down and brat down their poor , paltry , pitiful , despicable , and interested misrepresentations . I shall now proceed to lay before you the charges brought against me with regard to my motion for Bepeal .
Mr John O'Connell has written a letter , which appeared in the Freeman ' s Journal , stating tbat he had a motion upon the same subject _, on the motion paper , on the day on which I gave notice of my intention to bring on the Repeal debate j and I take the following extract from a letter of . his , which appeared in the World newspaper of the llth December . He
says'BEPEAL'is to be _arj-ned on Tuesday . Tbe chances of tiie baUot have g iven Mr F . O'Connor priority with hie notice for a committee . I like not the cumbrous shape in _wldch he puts it , and least of all do I like tbat one stained with the violence of Char ' ism should broach thesubject . Now I will dispose of this part ofthe indictment first , and here is my answer— -Upon my honour , Mr John O'Connell had no notice of the kind on the motion paper ! I had learned from some of the Irish members the fact , which I shall presently corroborate from Mr Maher's
own words , delivered at Conciliation Hall on Monday last , that it was not Mr O'Connell ' s intention to bringthe Repeal question forward till a later period of the Session . N _» w , though my own character would justify the strongest criticism upon this wilful misrepresentation , I shall not offer one angry comment j further than to request the reader , ' to bear in mind , that I am the party wantonly and unjustly assailed . Further , with ' regard to persevering in my motion , Mr John O'Connell should have stated this fact , namely—that on the very day on which my motion was to come on , Mr John
O'Connell came up to me in the library of the House of Commons for the first time , and said , "Mr O'Connor , is it your intention to persevere in bringing on your motion to-night ? " I replied , ' O'Connell , I am very glad you have spoken : I could not make the _first _' advance , but I now tell you what I told your brother Maurice and Mr Maher , after Igave the notice , that if even now you think it prejudicial to the question , or likely-to disturb tbat unanimity which , above all things , is necessary , or if they wish you to bring it forward at another time , I will , without a murmur , withdraw it , and
leave it in your bands . " His answer was , "No , no , Mr O ' Connor , lam very glad you brought'it forward , and I hopeyou'll persevere , as it may be the means of throwing the Coercion Bill over the recess . ' I rejoined , •¦ That being the case , and that being one object I bad in view in giving the notice so early , 1 will persevere . " We shook hands , and I continued , "Now _O'Gonnelly when I tender support , I tender it generously , and I now tell you that I will assist you on all Irish questions with any power that I possess , and if I should take a course
not approved of by the Irish members , you have only to communicate their wish , to ensure my compliance . " Now I most solemnly swear and declare , that that is not only the substance , but tbe literal version of what occurred . So much for the time of bringing on the motion ; and now for ; its cumbrous shape—tliev were the identical words , without the alteration of a letter , ef his father ' s motion in 1834 , and which I adopted for the sake of unanimity , so I think I have removed the cumbrous shape from my own shoulders .
As to thejtain of Chartist violence , I will not condescend to , defend so noble , so holy , so Godlike a principle against so weak an assault . Now , as to Mr Maher , _andhis apology for absence . That gentleman * is reported , in the Freeman ' s Journal ofthe 14 th , to have spoken as _follpsvs ' at Conciliation Hall . He says •—But , I will say this , that however urgent ' _ihe necessity of mv oominc here . w & s , notliinc could have induced me to
le . aveLondon , "" _* I _supposed that . the _discussionon the _-great'qaestion'of Repeal would have teen brought forward ia my absence . - ( Cheers . ) But thc fact is , andi tainb . it right _towplain- it here , Mr Feargus O'Connor , who ' Rave-notice ofa motion foran inquiry into the means by which the Union was carried , enme up to where Mr Maurice' O'Connell and I were dining , at Bellamy ' s Coffee House , and I asked him ' Are jou really sincere in going oa witb jour motion '« Jf jou persist iu it you win
* Hereditary Bobdvaen, Fcnoir Je Not Who...
embarrass the _Irfsn Bepeal roe _* nbett , vivh 6 are not _preit 5 * 'P" ««* tiro ' 1 ' some of them are absent iri lreRina , and we are- not as fully prepared as we ebtdd ¦?™ _"T « _ai-cussiot * Bt present . Mr John O'Connell has _plea-tetihimself to _TwSn _^ the question _before the house r cI { f _^ _- 0 n "luring _tlitrpresent session _^ and we—meaii-* o { - the Jrah Repeal _-nemlers-are determined to have a dueussio » on it every session . ( Cheers . ) Bt » if _ybtffress , 0 _5 , 5 ? ° " _- oa no _**' i jou wiU embarrass the Irfth memtfera , _anainjnre-ae : _cauBe you sewn , to have _arSeart _/' _-Mf 0 , Connort _ropiy _was- _'If th-rt be the fact / _arid'ifltbe tte mah of t & _Jrlsh _Kepenl'iarejhbeTa that _tijgf queBtloh shonianotbe _Twought forward ' . at present . : I .: wilt _withrtrVw _"W * _- ' : * ¦ _* _' «*' . 'therefore , _confldeot _' _taat Mr _$ _?*¦ n _"SJi w , * _"W » ot follow up his * notice of ; -notion / If I did not think so , I would have ! remained ? . nt-anvrfck to
_Asrossion-letme-eorrectinyself-ferthe course I wauld _jerttte , and the coarse I would ; urge on _^ my _brotherSc-K ? Vv ? _PA _W' . _WuW be to . w-ik _ota-of the house when " _2 _Mi ? , ° _W ? _. A' 08 ?* - on hig ; motion _^ nnd leave it _altol-W " . * , s own hands ; and in worn bands Itcoul a nut _% l _& _lVt- _^ W _^ -rm eut . ( _HeahJ 80 far I haVe ' aei coTOted . formy _conduet relative to this ** a * tter . - _•¦'¦ v " _^ ;; _-IshallhotieriticS" * _- * this gentfem _' an ' _s-taste ; orbra blundering and _langhablefapology for his absence , and his- mode of supporting' the questionI _ofllepeal- —I have only to deal . _^ ith his _C'inaccuracies , : and , _junfortunatelyi •; ' i J & r Maher has . _suppreseed the pith aud marrow of the eoni _$ _^ hte _^ byi | k _|^^ _^](^^ _Kls _^ _iKS _^^ _lSi _^ _liiiMd'ith ' _eK _& re
/ Mr Maher asked ihe , " - If 1 would persevere in my motion if the Irish Members'decided that it was impolitic to have so early a discussion , and decided upon a postponement V and my answer was , "My dear Maher , you ought to know me well enough to know that I _^ am no mischief-maker , and that my object in having an early debate , and in giving such an early notice , was twofold—firstly , to take the very earliest opportunity of testing the ' new fledged Repeal Members—and , secondly , to arrest the progress of Coercion ; but "—and this is what Mr Maher has omitted— " if , notwithstanding , the Irish Members are opposed to so early a discussion , THEY HAVE ONLY
TO WRITE ME A SINGLE LINE , STATING ANY VALID REASON , AND I WILL INSTANTLY COMPLY . " Now then , what will the Hon . Member for Tipperary say to his absence ? when itwas his duty to have ascertained that the request for postponement had been made . As to his absurd declaration of leaving the House if 1 brought it forward , I will merely say in reply that ,, perhaps , it would have been the most
efficient support the -Hon . Gentleman could give it . But how does hi . i version square with Mr John O'Connell ' s version > Mr O'Connell says , "that his notice was on the motion paper ; " while Mr Maher says , " that the Irish Members were not prepared for the discussion / ' But Jet us have his words . Again he says , — Mr John O'Connell has pledged himself to bring the question before the house for discussion , during the present session .
Now I ask any man of common sense , { if this is not a flat contradiction of Mr John O'Connell ' s assertion , " That he bad put a similar notice on the motion paper , " and especially when it is understood , that by tbe forms of the House any motion , of which notice is given , must be brought forward within fourteen days from the day that the notice is given , and I gave fourteen days notice of my motion , and the Irish Members fourteen days for consideration , and during the whole time not one single application was made to me for postponement , while upon the last day Mr John O'Connell urged , me to persevere . -
In point of fact , the only appeal for postponement that was made to me , was made by Mr Reynolds , in the House , five minutes before I rose to bring the motion forward . Now , without comment , I would ask , if ever a more clear refutation was given to what I must call a most ungenerous and untimely attack . The fact is , and I was aware of it , that no stone was to be left unturned to destroy my influence upon all Irish questions ; but I wns resolved to stand like a rock , unshaken by the buffetting of faction , and I now assert , without
fear of contradiction , that but for myself and Maurice O'Connell , the Irish Coercion Bill would have passed without a shadow of opposition . And while slightly touching upon this subject of Coercion , witli 1 regard to which I mean to analyse tbe conduct of the degenerate Irish members next week , I will say , that the best speech , without exception , that has been made during this Session , was the speech of Maurice O'Connell against that violent abrogation of the ordinary law—a speech , which of itself must bave carried conviction home to
the minds of an impartial jury—but was thrown away upon a packed and predetermined conclave . I do not mean his speech upon the first reading , in which he mangled poor Dillon Browne , but I mean his able speech against the second reading , which , to have been properly estimated , should have been heard , and which I shall analyse next week . Now , a word as to Repeal , and I have done . I require no apology for bringing that question forward . I was the first man who _ ever gave notice upon the subject , which I did in 1833 , in the following terms : —
That it is tbe opinion of this house , that tho Legislative Union between Great Britain and Ireland bus been proved by an experience of more than _thirty-two years to to be a measure of bad policy ; that all the conditions upon which the said Union was established havo been violated ; that the Irish people looked with intense anxiety to the forma . tionofa _Whijf Administration , _hoping to receive from them someof tho promised benefits ot reform , fiat they now consi _'" cv them tobe the most dangerous enemies to civil liberty , inasmuch as they held out promises to the people whieh . they well knew they . cpuld not . reali . se . and I admit no right of priority to any man living , as regards this question . ¦ I have been a fearless and consistent . Repealer when the
question has been allowed to remain in abeyance—and I will be a Repealer until I see the Irish Parliament sitting in its own capitalelected by its own people , and legislating for its own country ; and no power on earth shall ever make me accept any terms from the invader , until I see my country ' s liberties restored , whole and entire , and guaranteed in its integrity by Universal Suffrage . ' . '' Moreover , I know the history of mycountry better than any man in the House of Commons , and , I say it without vanity , that I describe her wrongs , and demand the proper redress , with the proper beariug of " an insulted
Irishman . As tothe debate , the Irish members could not- force -the ministers to take part , who , through the instrumentality of their whipper-in ; placed tlieir servile adherents under the ban of silence j and yet Hie debate was not without its interest—as I say with pride , that every Irish member who spoke to me , and not a few English membersj complimented me in the hig hest terms upoa my speech , of which the English press has given a much fairer report than is furnished by those garbled extracts purposely selecte d ; by a portion of tbe Irish journalists . ¦ The- report of the speech was furnished by a
shorthand writer , specially retained tor the purpose , and now remains in the Northern Star newspaper as a compendium of Irish history . In that speech I p laced the question of Repeal upon hig her grounds than the mere falling off of imports and exports , or the decline of _manufacturf s . I placed it upon the hi < _-h constitutional principle , that a conquered people had at all t ' . _mes a perfect right to regain their _liberty , and th at no statute of limitation _operated against that right . Next week I shall ar _. alyse the Coercion Bill and the votes ; and fe _/ v the present take my leave by assuring yg' _- _j-mylcount vymen , that by a union
* Hereditary Bobdvaen, Fcnoir Je Not Who...
with 'the EngM people alone can you ever hope to regain your liberties . They are with ' you . . to ' a man ; , therefore court so honourable anlalh ' ance , which will at onee cement the bond of union between _theEngBsh people and the Irish in England-= a union which , of itself , will nnrivet your chain ** - and set yon free . ¦ ';' ¦ ' 'l _* fert ;' week I shall pnl _> lish an address-to tbe Irish people , pointing out the simple mid inexpensive policy by _whisH they ean insure at least _ai'styYniembers in Sne Honse-e _£ ' Commons , who , if pledged to reject plate , pension , _emolument , and patronage , and to resign their
seats at . any moment they may be-caked opon by a committee of thirteen _pfersorisj appointed from their _"teveral constituenwiss-, consisting of electors _arid-noin-electors ; and to _sitiwIKihlcB during the recess , framing short nnd _undeF " standabJe _bilfey _toibe submitted to the consideration of their several - ( 56 n 8 _titii _^ heies > _and devoting themselves heM ahd _, _*^ ¥ to country _and . _-Yeed _^ or the _despof a ; fi _^ n _^ tiiey : v _* _ultf . soon- mafte ; _Ireland , a country ., woijth : living . forandwerili dyin g _^ pr . _;^ _.- ;; _^ _-- _^ einaihr : _* _" _' _- ' ' _¦ _£# : _«• '¦ _W Ypu % ver faithful friend ' arid : _counp _™ an _| _£
_•;^ _r . ' i _(^ o _* rnWHotel _,--AtteipM / _''' ,. Dec . 14 , 1847 . My Deab _Mottj—Your letter , addressed to Minster , I did net receive jtill yesterday morning , and , in answer , I begto . _sijy , that ; I , 8 houldvhaYe thoug h _* it an act _of-high treason against the electors and non-electors of Nottingham , and the whole people of this ' empire , if I had offered myself for the representation of Nottingham witaout such a . qualification . as would secure me and them against the possibility of being unseated
upon a petition ; and I now tell you , and I wish to communicate the fact as widely as possible , that there is not one single member in tbe British Hottse of Commons , who can show a more legal , equitable , complete , and unexceptionable qualification than I can ; and , as I have ever thought that a public man should be straightforward in all his proceedings , it was my intention to have proceeded to Nottingham and to have laid my _qualification before the people in public meeting assembled-, but tbe , perhaps necessary , caution of my legal advisers alone prevented me from adopting
this course , upon the prudent grounds of not arming tbe enemy with a knowledge of my case . Four days before the petition was presented I had an intimation from a source upon which I could rely , that the vagabonds , whose slanders and objections to the Land Plan I had demolished , were endeavouring to get up this petition upon the supposition that I had qualified myself out ofthe property belonging tothe Land Company . BUT I HAVE NOT DONE SO , as 1 bave ever held that " to be a sacred fund , from wbich , although J would not make a personal use of it , yet I would
willingly and cheerfully have adopted tbe resolution of the Manchester men by qualifying Chartist candidates—thus making the distinction between individual convenience and public duty and principle ; In conclusion , then , my dear Mott , I have only to give you the assurance of one of the ablest conveyancers , and one of the most profound special pleaders at the bar , and my own assurance as a barrister , that my qualification is as perfect , complete ,, and unexceptionable , as the qualification bf man can be , and the only cause that 1 can assign for the petition , is the expense to which
such proceedings must inevitably subject me ; but , as I have burnt the candle , I will burn the inch , and fight villany to the death , until I establish in this empire an independent footing for labour , which shall defy all the assaults of the oppressor . The costs I have been put to within the last few months are utterly unknown to those for whom I am struggling . Mr Joshua Hobson ' s libel upon Mr W . J . O'Connell cost me _^ between 200 / . and 300 / . ; while , in the action that Mr Hobson brought against me , Ihave paid over il ll . —761 . to him and 335 / . in costs . I put that trial off , in
consequence" of the illness of a witness , in January l ; i 3 t , and the costs of that one day were 101 / . 15 s . 6 d ., while the remaining costs , and Mr Hobson ' s 76 / . amounted to 309 / . Us . 6 d . Now , add to these amounts the sum of 718 / ., received by Mr Cleave , and acknowledged in the Star , on account of the Victims' and Defence Funds , and which Mr Cleave and Mr Hobson sit before the arbitrator and deny the receipt of one fraction of , and you will . be able
to make an estimate or the tax which villany , dishonesty , and rascality have imposed upon me . I do not refer to Mitchell ' s prosecution of me , in consequence of Hobson's published libel , nor of Hill's published libel upon the Rev . Mr Anstey , which cost me nearly 400 / . ; nor to the action brought against tbe Times to gratify the pride of your townsmen , nor do 1 refer now to the numerous Government prosecutions to which I have been subjected upon the Melbourne principle of
"RUIN HIM WITH EXPENSES ;" I merely refer to the transactions of a few months . ; , I remain , Dear Mott , ' Your very faithful friend , Feargus O'Connok .
¦"' //> M> Ikie&~ Y& I-^~,,Y%V>
¦ "' _//> M > ikie _&~ y _& _i- _^~ ,, y % _v >
—*- . "M Rational Toft Iompanp
—* - . "M _Rational toft iompanp
Busby.—-Mr S. Kydd Delivered Ah Excellen...
Busby . — -Mr S . Kydd delivered ah excellent lecture on the Land Flan , in the Presbyterian Church , on tho 3 rd inst . At the CDnolnsioB , a vote bl _CDnfiuiaice iu Mr O'Connor was uiianinioubly adopted . Hawick—At the regular monthly meeting it was resolved , * Owing'to the great depression ol" trade , that tbe subscription for the prosecution of tho Ma » - _ohksiebExamisisr be postponed till after the new year . ' The branoli meets every Saturday evening , at the Chartist store , at eight o ' clock . Tbe general monthly meetings ofthe members are held in the same place on _^ he first Saturday evening oi ' each Month . at seven o'clock . . -
Saipord . — Oa Tuesdaf week _MrlLeacbaeln'ered un excellent leefcre on the Land PJan , in the Cattle Market Hall . At the conclusion ! of the Lecture , the following resolution -was passed : — " -That thismeetii _*^ returns its best thaaks to Mr James Leach , for his able and instructive lecture , and that it ia with feelings of pleasure w & view Mr Leach takio _* - that position to which his talents aud abilities entitle hina . _SaErHWiiiK . —On Monday evening , a tea party was held at the Boot nnd Slipper _^ w this village , to celebrate thefirst anniversary of tke Ghartkt Cooperative- Land Compaay . The largo room at the abovo inn was tastefully decorated with eves-greens and portraits of celebrated friends of the peeple . A respectable and _nnmeifoiis compaay sat down to the good things provided ,, and after atapla justice had been done to the entertainment , the tables were cleared away and Mr W . _Uaekett was called to tho chftir _. —Mr " T . Williams , the secretary , in a clear , lucid , vet brief speech , stated the success attending
their -ifibrt-j , showing that over two _h-audved of thc inhabitants had become members , and about £ 250 . had been remitted to the company ' s treasurer , and remarked on tbo benefits that would qccruo to the _aharehuldeia ; and strongly recommended to tliose present the necessity ot thoir becoming shareholders ere the present year expired . The chairman then gave the following sentiments : —• F . O'Connor , Esq . M . P ., tho founder of the Land _Comsanyi may he live to see his labours rewarded with the sympathies of a _^ free , happy , and contented people . ' ' The directors and officers of tho Land Company , mav ther co on hand in hand , haviw * truth , reason _, and justice for their guide . ' 'The _Walional Land Company , may it go on and prosper , and _«" . _¦»» «>«• _mies' speedily become converts to tne princip . c . 'The people , tlio truo source of wealth and political power , and may their rights be speedily conceded by the enactment of tho People ' s 'Charter . ' 'Frost , Williams , Jones , and Ellis and aU political _exden _, and a speedy _r-jtura to their u _» Uv « _hQUioSi Our m
Busby.—-Mr S. Kydd Delivered Ah Excellen...
friend _Daridy'Ricbarua _re-pouded'to" the second ani third- ; sentiments ; iin : ; a * " _apeech replete with sound argument—Mr Mantle of Birmingham , reyponded / t 0 * n ° third iii a mo 9 t eloquent and masterly manner , —The old Daddy _briefly _responded to the fifth . . renti- n _- eDt * _•& V . ¥ ., _$° i ! - » a locality of the National Charter Association was formed , a . ' council established * and many persons enrolled . _MrJVlanfle and other of thi Birmingham friends pledging ' . ' themselves toas « sist tba new association with lectures and _evaty other support in their power . _'
. ExaxaB . —The members of the Exeter branch of the National Land Company ' are _requfestefl _toraeefr at Mr O ' Brien ' s , " _491-Holloway . 8 trect . ; on Saturday . 18 th December ,, and Monday , 27 th December . All -nembere indebted for levies , are requested _topsy up _thesame before " the year , closes- .. Paid up _shnre _.-fhoWerswill please observe that the levies for 1848 , ought * to be paid in time for the next drawing . f _But-DVOBO . —A publio lecture was delivered hen iffthe Assembly Rooms , on Wednesday . evening , Ite- ' _cefe _6 _er 8 , _byMrThomasCtofcdneoftheDiiectOMr _,. ' Off the rise and progress of tbe Land Company , anet ihe Benefits to be derived by tbe working classes who _> _^^ _areitsmembers . ' A charge of twopence was _mada _t fo ** _ad-session . - ¦ Atthe appointed time , eight o'eloclry < the larae . room was filled ' , ' more than' 400 _persena
_beingpresent . On Mr Clark _antf his friend * _entwinf _* _, it _wasevi _& _nUhatabiWid'of' _retpeetaMe' iJInckgirard-J _^ S had assembled , headed by some of tlie' Blandford _^ y building _committee , wfio- are pur defenrijned eppe _* - x _nents , and _vrtw do riot scruple _to-ealuraniste onr glorious _LandScheme , by ean ting , hypocritical means _. On mounting t * » pktform roar committee elected Mr Saunders , the _stA secretary ,. t _") the chair Upon wbicb a Mr Alfred _Pej-Isr rose , _and-proprsed a Mr Rce , tbe _> Manager of the BhildingSocfety . On its ' _. bein _*' put to tha ' _ti-jetiBg , Btven to oner were in favour of Mr _Saunder * , but our ' opponents wished Mr Hoo fo pre ' side , as they _wante _* " " to . put _soae questions ; on tbaadvioeofMrClark , J { r Roe w , _** ' _permitted to . take _« thechair , who just-named Mr C _^ . tq ; the _^ a _** dieiice , Mr Clark then _rose : shd said— -Ifa diu ' nofcearty
_whovras chairman or who _fltts ' tloti whether' theM ; was anv chairman : or no cbaii ?* aap , for ho doubt _tfifey wbiili set likti _EriRlishmen _. _a-TtJ-pay him _th-jtcourtesy . _whwk :- ' _--Y . » . doe to strangera _^ dhthat * he wanted , _^ ' 4 'fair - _beanBf- _. and _h- _^ woijlcrgive the ' _sarae 'taJnp _£ e' ; wS _^ :: ' ' eloquence , . | nd _gentlem-mly _. _iHianner , drew _tojttli thunders of applause _frbmour members' and friends ; felt the ' respeetablo * _blacJciguards _endearburrd to annoy bim , especially the aforesaid Alfred _Pegler , bnt the volley of satire _hur'fedby Mr Clari * upon him and bis clique , made thenr writhe ia torments * r towards the close , a Mr Vernoav noted forhiscautinir ;
opposition , asked a question or two _respecting tho practicability ofthe scheme , -which was nobij replied to by Mr dark . Mr Vernon wanted to prove that a > man _eenldnotsupport himBelf andftmily off two _. three , or four acres of land , and pay rent ; upon which two of onr agricultural members came on the platform , and demonstrated the _practicability ; , which appeared to make the ' respectables ' mad . Bein ** beaten in every way , the Pegler , named above , asked several questions about the legality of the Company , which Mr Clark satisfactorily answered , nobly ohallen » hig contradiction from tbe knobstick lawyers . When the - contemptiWea' found thev were beaten , thev
commenced making an uproar , which incensed the members to snch a degree , that they wanted Mr Clark to give the word , and they would have hurled tliem out , but Mr Clark would not consent ,, as he considered it wonld be like beating . 1 man already beaten Three cheers for O'Connor and tbe _liand were given , which made the building _rinj > * three chrcrsforMr Clark , with a *)© te of tbanks i ' or hia _splfcndia lecture j a vote of thanks was awarded to thc _chapman , who endeavoured in the onset to dictate to the speaker , but finding it would not do , he was obliged to act as fair as he did , which was a forced impartiality . The meeting then broke up .
Djiikino . —Ernest Jones delivered a spirited and truly brilliant lecture at this place on Monday evening last . The lecture room was filled . Thesubject was— ' Ireland , the _. _onuse of its misery r and the remedy without coercion . ' Mr Ilawkins ,, achoo ! master r in the chair . Mr , Jones spoke for above two hour ? _,, amid the enthusiastic-. plaudits of his _delighted audienco . At the close ofthe lecture tbe followingresolution was carried by acclamation : ¦— ' That thi * meeting is ef _opision that the wealth-producing classes can never obtain their just rights until they are in full enjoyroent . of the franchise , an *) _possession of the land ; and tbis meetin' ; pledge themselves to use every legal and constitutional mean for tbe attainment ot the same . ? Prejudice has been very * _strojtg here , but from the way the address of Ernest Jones was received , and . the enthusiasm of his-audi--tence , great good is expected to result .
Hammersmith a Borough —TnE I _ako an _6 ths Charter . —A most enthusiastic and crowded publicmeeting was held on Thursday- evening , December the 9 tb , in that spacious , and elegant building , the Temperance Hall , Bridge-road , Hammersmith . Mr _JamevMillwood was unanimously ' ¦'¦ called to the ? "hair . Mr E . Stallwood in a speech tbat met _witlt _great applause , showed that lnrge constituencies wero alwaya the most liberal , and that the most useful and patriotic members were returned by snch constituencies ; and'instanced the late division on the Coercion Bill for Ireland ; as a _prouf of this . Dad not the parishes of Hammersmith , Kensington , Chelsea , Fulham , and Gliiswick ,- had t ' : ey not all those great requisites for a parliameiitarv district * -
numbers , intelligence , and wealth—were they not m numbers more than one-hundred thousand souls—» and did not poets , dramatists , " authors statisticians , economists , eminent _physicians ' lawyer-, and divine ? , reside amongst them ? - ( Loud cheers . ) _Andnbovo all , were there not nmongst'them the designer- * and builders of mansions _^' ehurch-iSj colleges ; -and palaces , with the fabricators of clothing—in brief theproducers of a world's wealth , without whom , - the * rich , the great , tbe powerful , would be as nought ? ( Immense _applause . ) Mr Stallwood summed up the arguments used during his speech , nnd fat down greatly applanded , hy moving the adoption ofa petition , praying that tho parishes above mentioned be constructed into a parliamentary district , and have
the power of returning two members to parliament in lieu of Sudbury disfranchised . Mr W . Chance seconded the motion , which was carried by acclamation . The petition was then signed by the chairman , and ordered to be transmitted to Mr Osborne for presentation . Mr Stallwood again rose , and moved the following resolution : — ' That this meeting believing the land to be .- the source from whence the weahh ofthe wotM is drawn , hereby resolves to aid and assist the 'National- Land Company , by every means-in its power , to place tha working classes in possession ot their share ef our fair and fruitful soil . ' Mr L . F . Brawn _seconded the motion , and Captain Glarkor of the Il . EJ . C . S .,. rose , aiid condemned the conduct of the- Weekly ¦
Dispatch—eulogisedthe- conduct of Mr I ' _eargna O'Connor , whilst residing at IlBmmersraith , as welt ai the ability with which be had defended the causa of the people in parliament . ( Loud cheers . ) lie had not one word to say against tbe _resolution , he , on the contrary , was glad to find that the people were endeavouring to better their ' social condition . ¦ ¦• ( Loud cheers . ; Mr Thomas Clark now rose , amidst great applause , and in a caustic speech delivered a severe castigation to tho _Wbeklt _DraPATGu ; and in glowing terms , observed tbe prosperity oi the Land Company , its means of working—tbepraeticability ofthe Land Plan—and the great benefit * that it must confer on the labouring population of thia eountry—and sat down amidst shouts' of applause- The resolution was
carried unanimously . Mr John Cowling _movjed the following resolution-.- — That this _iseeting beBevin _* f every man of sound- mind ,, of _dwenty-oae years of age , not being under conviction tor crime , to be'dnly and truly _entitled-to a voioe in electing those Mho mako the laws he iscalled on to respect and obey , and also , believing the other five points of the People ' s Charter " -admirably , calculated to work out the _(* reat prinoiple here laid down ,- do hereby resolve . to aid and assist in . a _^ itatim _* : _fos _i-hat measure , until the principles contained- in ¦ ¦ : the People ' s Charter shall-: be enacted- as a law of this realm . * Mr Ernest _Jbnes rose amidst loud cheers , and , in a most powerful _,. elrquent ,. andi argumentative spf ech _^ Bhowed tfeo malpraoticea . that : had arisen both in England and Ireland out of _classlegislation , and _tbenecessity for its abolition , and tho necessity and
thojustioe of substituting that ereat practical nieasurev the Pee" * le ' a Gharter _. asasubstituto ; and after _ele _^ quentlj ; expatiating on ita six points , sat do _» a _amidstaperfeot / Uro _/ cof applause . Tho resolution was uaauimously adopted , and the following persons _apposed a council ,- to meet every Sunday raorning ,. at ths district _ofiico , % , little Yale place : —Messrs E . Stallwood ,, L . _F . Brown , "W . Chanco , i . _Dodnian _, J . Sewell , G . Eii . Cook , J . Millwood , It . Dowling , J . Dttwling ,. — ' Swinsoij , E . Oliver , F . _Wiutinsr , J . Perry , _~ Long , Ji . Royalance , W . Dann , and W . _BuIUot . A vote , o _\ " _tlvMika was then given to Messrs . Clarke nnd Jones fur their attendance , which was responded ; to by Mr Clark , who moved a . v _«) te ot thanks to the chairman , which was secom ed by Mr E . Jones , and carried by acclamation , alter whioh the meeting separated . '' .
. , „ . , Nomk Sn-iiww— At a meeting of t * is branch , _nitw _^ tirfS w report by the auditors , tho foU ™? ul _? Pratt , scrutineer ; MMBra _Ilsll and Bartlett _. auditors ; J . L . Rawling , _^ cretary . . _Mem-Srs in arrears for their local and general levies are requested to p » y the same _befoau the close of the year . Sheffield . —Dr M'Douall _jlclivered a lecture in iho Town llall , on Monday rj _-wuing , December 13 : h ,
Mr Jackson in tho chair ; _subject : ' The National Land and Labour Bank . ' At the _gIojo of the lecture a public meeting was held to petition Parliament against the Irish Coercion Bill . Tho petition was unanimously adopted , and it was agreed to be entrusted to Feargus O'Connor , Esq ., M . P . for presentation , signed by tht * chairman of the meeting . A ! Ur this usual thanks the meeting separated . A soiree will be held iu tlio Hall of Soience , on Wednesday in the Chvistmas week , towards defraying tba espeusi a of the late , _municipal _clMtfeua ,
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Citation
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Northern Star (1837-1852), Dec. 18, 1847, page 1, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/ns/issues/ns3_18121847/page/1/
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