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g , THE NORTHERN STAR ¦ ----¦ .. - „
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013D FELLOWSHIP. [Actine on the good old...
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TO THE EDITOR OF THE SOBTIIEBS STAB. Sir...
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TO THE EDITOR OE THE XOB.THEMI STAU. Ila...
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Ihe African lloscius.—The statement whic...
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Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software. The text has not been manually corrected and should not be relied on to be an accurate representation of the item.
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G , The Northern Star ¦ ----¦ .. - „
g , THE NORTHERN STAR ¦ ---- ¦ _.. - „
013d Fellowship. [Actine On The Good Old...
_013 D FELLOWSHIP . [ _Actine on the good old English principle of "fair plav for all sides , " wc gave , last week , a letter from a Belfast correspondent , defending the course which ihe Executive of the - ( Mil Fellow ' s Institution liavc taken in reference to the matters of complaint _unjed against it lry thousands of thc rcewfars . This week wc give another letter of tho same character , to which the writer-lias had thc manliness to put his name in full . That letter will lie found to be followed by another , purporting to disclose tbe manner in which " public testimonials" of " gratitude for services performed , " arc maniifactuivd ; and then follows a pithy , searching , ami well-written examination of the whole question of dispute . Our desire is , in nil wc do in reference to that dispute , to hold the balance cveuly . To this cud wc snail next week allow the Directors of tiic Order to speak for themselves ; and shall also , if space permit , offer some remarks of our own . Till then , we commend toail Odd Fellows the several coiuiminieaticns inserted below . In tricw they will find much worthy of deep consideration and determined action . —Ed . iV . S . ]
To The Editor Of The Sobtiiebs Stab. Sir...
TO THE EDITOR OF THE _SOBTIIEBS STAB . Sir , —Having read in your paper for some weeks past , _strsnjre tilings in reference to ( he Executive power , « _fcc-., ofthe Manchester Unity of Odd Fellows , and feeling convinced from nir oun _knowledge that the Executive , < tc , arc unjustly maligned , I heg to offer _through the medium if vour paper something UUe a truthful statement of the tilings referred to hy thc dissentients of the Institution , who seem to mc to he quite reckless as to the amount of injury tliev are _« 5 oing to thousands , who appear to lie misled hy their false aud garbled representations . It is not my intention to enter the lists witli a desire to irritate the feelings of those whom I consider are hoth injuring _themselves and others , hut simply to lav the cause of dispute hefore your readers iu a plain and truthful light .
One complaint is , tliat the society lias been of late departing from Democratic to Aristocratic principles , and tliat the disfranchisement of the Lodges to send representatives to the Annual Committee , has heen a grand step to the investing with arliitrary power those who arc designated the "Aytoun-stiect Tyrants . " _Xow _. sir , I think I shall he aide to show , that instead of the society at present inclining towards an Aristocratic , it is actually progressing , as fast as prudence . will admit , to a truly Democratic mode of representation , legislation , and executive _jovcnraicnt . llemocracy admits the right of every intelligently qualified nicmher of a society to have n fair and equal share in the governing of that society , bat till witliin these last few years tlie whole of the executive hodv of the order was chosen from Manchester
clone , yet the Manchester district never cried out agaiust file possessing of tlie privilege , which , I think , as it _excluded all the other districts , was truly an Aristocratic privilege : in thesame manner thc whole of thc trustees for tlie investment of the general funds of tlie order were solely selected from Manchester , yet the Manchester people were not then so deeply imbued With _llcinoeratic principles as to come forward and disclaim all rights to jSucJi an unfair assumption of power and influence , and it was thc indefatigable exertions of the provincial deputies at the Annual Committees , aided hy thc continual calls of their _constilueiits , that deprived the _Manchester district of the unfairly assumed privilege , and conferred the right of serving in the Executive , and as investors of the general funds ofthe order , on every qualified member ol the societv .
The Manchester district has nearly at all thc Annual Committees possessed an unfair share of iufluence , hy its excess of deputies , as the following table will show . It is compiled from Ihe official reports ofthe order for tlie last four years of tlie old -r epresentative system—the system that is so much extolled by thc dissentient party , and with some few accidental exceptions , the Manchester _disiricthasluida preponderating proportion of deputies according to its number of members ; I give eleven large , if not tlie largest districts in the unity—their number according to thc last returns , and ihe number of deputies sen t ; as per table : —
To The Editor Of The Sobtiiebs Stab. Sir...
! i < I * * I . * - _ = U = s _^ -3 _•*> _£ if _xt-t-J .- _" _s - _Zn-pZZz Xame ofthe District . \~ J _~ B i ~ . _^ \ Z S ? . z . a _'~ 1 z - 1 _C — _.- _£ i _^ * ¦ ! * ¦ ¦ _" ¦ a— * 3 ' a _^ i rt | 3 _^ n - 3 3 " 33 " i % . "'<¦> _*; _, _fc _=-5 -Manchester _» 53 * i 52 j 27 24 J 19 _livcrjiuul .. . SS _23 ' 5 j « 7 1 -i _JCortli & South Xondoj ) A <» 7 S j 35 j 3 3 4 Birmingham 6102 i 3 S 3 3 > -ewcastle-on-Tvuc . 2143 _> 1 1 1 7 _itodidalc . ¦ mc i 11 C G 5 Leeds .... i 5567 'J Oil !) 3 ilaslingden I 2524 7 2 2 1 Stockport ......... j 2 i _? 4 13 3 3 2 Glasgow -5539 1 4 0 ! 1 Sheffield _i 372 . 2 27 7 * 0
To The Editor Of The Sobtiiebs Stab. Sir...
2 _Jow , sir , let any unprejudiced person tahc a fair view ' jf O 12 above table , and ask himself bow far the Manchester people are consistent in their professed love of Democracy . Compare the _influence they have had over the London districts ; compare the number of deputies witli those of _Dirmingliam , with _Jfewcastle-on-Tjnc , witli Glasgow , and with Liverpool ( except at _Wigan ) , Manchester in some instances sending as mauy as teu to one over a corresponding number of members . Agaiu , let the lovers of the old system look at the constant fluctuations that took pilace . Liverpool sending one year five , the nest fortytwu , tlie next seven , and tlie next four ; Sheffield sending two , then twenty-seven , then seven , and then none . ; Leeds sending nine , then one , then nineteen , and then three , and so on through the whole , more or less . But it may
be said that the preceding table does not aficctthe case ; that every lodge had tlie right to send one deputy , and might have done so if it thought proper . IVhy , such a proposition is preposterous in the extreme . There are 3770 lodges ; aud how , in tbe name of common sense , could such a number of deputies do business , or be accommodated with premises to meet in . Again , suppose * _ach deputy had but _i' 4 for his expenses , it would render the institution _UoMc to the expenditure of £ 15 , 0 S 0 per annum for simply making and revising its laws . Jfow , the . Manchester people should remember tliat economy is one of tbe grand essentials of a Democratic form of government , aud , therefore , what they profess to contend for is quite inconsistent with what tlicy pronounce it to be ; and , instead of being DeMockacy , is pure unadulterated Aristocracy .
Xuwr , sir , for the law as altered , which has heen so touch denounced , it says that every district shall have thc power to send one deputy to the Annual Committee , aud that all districts having upwards of one thousand members shall send one deputy for every thousand members ; thus , a district having upwards of one thousand member ; , can scud two deputies , and those tliat have upwards of two thousand three deputies , and so on in proportion _, yow , the above , I couteud , is strictly Pcmocratieal _, because it apportions , as far as at present practical , thc number of deputies lo the members tlicy represent und although some of tlie districts are small , yet the step taken at the _Xcncastle-ou-Tyiie Annual Committee was a most necessary , salutary , and extensive one , and has done much towards bringing the Order under the Democratic influence of equalisation , though much still remains to be completed .
The next ground of complaint is that of the Annual Coimnitttee taking it upon itself to interfere with the iinanejalarrangeincntsof tlie Lodges : aud the strange _opinion is put forth , most triumphantly by tlie dissentient parly , that thc Annual Committee had , nor has , no right to interfere with Lodges regarding their financial arrangements _, yow 1 would here ask , what does the Annual Committee meet for ? It is not for the general wellbeing of the Society- as a whole ; and when the Committee saw that there was a great increase of begging petitions from distressed Lodges , and an increased number of Lodges breaking up for want of funds , was it not their province , nay , their bouuden duty , to inquire into the cause of these things , aad having inquired and found that tier arose from an inadequate contribution to meet
the expenditure iu some cases , and a reckless aud extravagant squandering away of inoucy that had been contributed , in others , was it not then their duty , as tbe duly authorised legislators , aye , as tlie wellwishers of a society in which tlicy had a common interest , as members , to do what they could to rectify the erils and correct tlie abuses which were working such disastrous consequences 1 Most assuredly it was ; and what did tlicy do * Why they agreed tliat every Lodge sliould have a fund devoted solely for relieving the sick , and interring the deceased members and tlieir wives ; that this fund should be touched for no other purposes , and should be contributed to at a ratio that would ensure the youngest members the benefit of il when they became old . This was the intention of tlie Annual Committee , and to guide them they took thc tables which had beeu drawn up by men who had
devoted their time and talent to ascertain how far certain contributions would sustain certain liabilities , and I feel convinced tliat tlie lowest scale of payinentshas been adopted for realising the benefits proposed . In proof of tlie assertion , I will here give the basis of the scale . A Lodge , in which ihe members contribute ' one shilling and eightpence per month , they shall receive when sick ten shillings a week for twelve months , and five shillings per week afterwards , so long as they may continue sick , together with ten pounds at the death of a member , and five pounds at the death of a member ' s wife . This may he called thc basis of the scale , and all Lodges contributing less must pay sick gifts and funeral donations less in proportion , according as they contribute , allowing the agricultural districts thc benefit of twenty-fire per cent _, on account of their being less liable to sickness than fhe manufacturing .
Xow what , I would ash , is there so monstrously bad in the above arrangements as to cause all thc disturbance , dissevciation , and vituperation that has taken place ? I believe that no disinterested and reflective person can bc found who will say that there Is anything bad in the _arrangement and particularly when he is informed that the law was not made hy the Jledes aud Persians , but if found inoperative , or not conducive to the well-being ; of the order , it could be improved or repealed according to the circumstances arising out of its operation , and the collective wisdom of those brought to bear upon it at any ¦ _ensuin- Annual Committee . That such would be tilt _^ _uuon of a _disinterestea an d reflective person I fully Ji _^ ve , and that many such 1 , 3 _^ aedared fte arran mentpra _^ _ana higbly necessary for tho safety aid _wdUHmuj ofthe Institution , I feei certain
To The Editor Of The Sobtiiebs Stab. Sir...
Thc dissentient party also rail most loudly against the spending of money in tomfoolery , gewgaw , & e ., ' as they term it . Now if they are really sincere in their denunciation , it is certainly most strange that they cannot see thc excellent adaptation of the new arrangement for putting a stop to the foolish expenditure of Lodge iunds , for one of tho principal objects of the new law is to put a stop to the reckless expenditure of Lodge funds ; and thus it makes it imperative on every Lodge to keep the general fund solely for tlie relief of the sick , and the interment ofthe dead , and for each Lodge to have au" Incidental Fund" to meet the other expenses , thereby giving the members an opportunity of knowing for what _tlieypay their money ; for while members may be found who would vote money from the fund for such purposes , they would not so readily pay it extra iuto the incidental fund for those purposes , therelorc a more effectual way of curing the evil complained of could scarcely be adopted .
But I am quite at a loss to know why such a vindictive feeling is displayed towards those who serve the order with goods . They certainly have a perfect right to sell their gauds to those who order them , nor can it be supposed that they know two thirds of thc parties who purchase , or in what way they raise the money to pay for them . They compel nobody to buy—1 myself have been auicmbci eight years , and never spent a penny with the board for anything of the kind . There is no compulsion , and , therefore , it is most unfair to upbraid aud abuse gentlemen for coudueiing their business in thc usual way , and to tax them wilh receiving the money of tlie order , when they actually supplied goods for tlie . same , to the voluntary orders of those over whom they had no controul .
The almost overwhelming share of misrepresentation aud abuse which falls to tlie lot of Mr . William _liatclifiv , calls in common honesty for something to be said . It is stated that he receives £ 309 a year as a salary . This is false , and the parties who make the statement are _highly culpable ; for if they know anything about it , they know it is uot true—ana if they do not know , they have no right to make such statements . Tlie truth is , £ 300 per annum is paid for doing tlie work of that department of which Mr . Jtatclifl'c has tlie management , and it is well known that Mr . 11 . is compelled to have an assistant regularly , besides other aids ; thus materially reducing the £ 300 . And to show the amount of labour performed , let tins single item be taken . In one year the C . S . received better than j . jiii ! thousand letters , and had to answer upwards
of six thousand of them . It is also stated that he is a notorious gambler . This is not only an aspersion on the character of Mr . llatclifie , hut also on those who sustain liim in his ofliee . At the Dradford Annual Committee , when he was called to an account , he made such a straigh tf onrard aud manly declaration , that nearly the entire _ommittcc , hy acclamation , expressed tlieir confidence in him , aud that committee was composed of 20 a deputies from different parts of the country . At _Seivcastle-on-Tync lie was again privately assailed by large placards on the walls , aud the committee , composed of 194 deputies , agaiu expressed themselves as follows—a very respectable
aud highly efficient person was brought forward as an opposing candidate ; and out of the lOt deputies , only 19 voted against Mr . liatdiiTe . 2 fow , when it is taken into account that both these committees were composed ot members elected according to tte old system , and called together from all parts ofthe couulry _, is it to he supposed that they would have been so duped as to allow such a character as Mr . 11 . is represented to he by his _maliguers , to hold the responsible office to which they re-elected him ? 0 , no ! nothing could have sustained such character in either of those committees , and he most certainly would have fallen if he had been what bis enemies state him tobe .
I believe it would be very easy to show that the vmehctiveness displayed towards Mr . ItatelhYe arise 3 from other causes than those stated , and that the parties who are most malevolent have suffered some little disappointment from Mr . Katcliife ' s lynx-eyed mode of looking after certain things ; but , sir , you ask for facts , and , therefore , I have endeavoured to confine myself to facts alone : besides , I wish not to widen the breach that at present exists , aud would therefbra say , in conclusion , if the dissentients are really sincere , why do they not ask for their proportionate share of the funds , and retire in a friendly and peaceable way . and show to tbe world that what they contend for is right and just . For my own part , I would never succumb to those iu office , nor would I submit to factious and _desiunmg men . In a large institution , like
tlie Manchester Unity , it is utterly impossible that all can have their wishes gratified ; but if things are wrong , there is a proper way of rectifying them , and that the dissentients know . There are many other statements to which I might refer , and could prove them cither to be garbled , or false altogether ; but I find I have written to as great a length as 1 can expect to be inserted , and shall close with sincerely wishing that the Order may still continue to prosper , and render that support , consolation , and comfort to its members , which I feel confident it is the wish of those who have recently amended its laws , that it sliould do . Sir , I remain , yours obediently , lloiiEitx Glass . _Xilc-strcet , Burslem rotteries , Aug . 10 .
To The Editor Of The Sobtiiebs Stab. Sir...
JJEMA 1 UCS ON THE rilESK . _N'T _COXWTIOtt OF TIIE _IJiDEL'ENUENT ORDER 01 ? ODD _1 _'ELLOVfS . _nv _troiie . " I will ( although I ' ve done't before ) Demonstrate to your sense once more , And draw a 1 ' ievim that shall tell you , What you perhaps forget , befel you . " —Hummus . The violent and illegal dismemberment of the unity , which has recently been committed by thc officers of the Order , in suspending the Manchester nnd Salibrd districts , calls for an investigation into the causes which have led to such it very extraordinary and unconstitutional result As those causes , however , form but a part of an extensively organised system of corruption , which debuses the administration , and wars against the best interests of the Order , we shall not confine our observations to them slonc , but apply our remarks to the exposure of abuse , in whatever department of the executive it may be found to exist .
It is greatly to be lamented that a society so vast and extensive as the Independent Order of Odd Fellows now ia —a society founded on the principle of "charity and good-will to all men , " possessing in its own resources , almost unlimited means of affording to its members suecour and relief in the hour of sickness and distress , should , under any circumstances , he placed in a position which seriously cripples its usefulness and threatens its very existence as a , _co-operative body . How much more , then , is it to be regretted that this Order , which has so
often bounteously administered to the wants ofthe family in distress—softened the hard pillow of afflictionassuaged the agony of death;—paid the last tribute of respect o'er the grave of a deceased brother—yielded comfort to tho disconsolate heart of the widow , and supplied bread to tbe destitute orphan—should not only have its existence perilled by the wanton and illegal acts of unscrupulous men iu power , but that those God-like blessings which have hitherto been its pride and its honour to bestow so liberally on suffering humanity , are henceforward to bo sacrificed on the base altar of Mammon .
Theoffieers of the order having despotically andillegally suspended the 3 Iaticliester and Salford districts , without trial , and without even a charge of offence , it will be necessary to inquire how far they were justified by General Law in taking that course , and whether the reasons assigned by them for so doing were satisfactory explanations or not . We apprehend that "the Laws of the Order are equal andjusttoallits members ; governing alike the highest officers and the youngest brethren , " as no . difference , or exception is to be found whereby it is provided that any one shall have a right , privilege , or exemption which shall not be participated in by all . Hence- thc General Law is binding on each—none can c ? . capc its impartial effect . The Order is ( or ought to be ) governed by the General Laws alone ; consequently it is by them solely that offence can bc condemned , and punishment inflicted . There can be no breach of a law which has no existence ; neither can there be a legal exercise of power which has not been created or defined by General Lair .
That there is no General Law which deputes to , or authorises the G . M . and Hoard of Directors to exercise arbitrary power , or to suspend the operation ofthe General Laws , is most certain . To appeal to any practice which hitherto may have obtained , is to appeal to a corruption , which ought never to have been permitted . That such practice may be found to have existed is not to be denied , inasmuch as corruption has , for a long time past , thoroughly tainted the administration of the Order in every department . The whole tenor and economy of the General Laws proclaim our indefeasible right to "Trial by Jury , "'for by the 51 th , 55 , 5 C , 57 , 59 , CO , Gl , 72 , 73 , 75 , 76 ; 77 , 78 , 7 » , 80 , 81 , 82 , 83 , 175 , 179 , 180 , 197 , 205 , 223 , 266 , _26 SY 2 H , 275 , and 276 th General Laws , not only is Trial hy Jury ( in
committee ) strictly enjoined , but the forms are specified precisely in which such trial shall be enforced , in-order to render punishment available . By these laws it is mpst clearly defined that unless " the party or parties complained against shall be summoned to attend ( the committee ) , and be furnished with a copy of thc charge at least fourteen days before the case is heard , " no tri . _'il can legally take place , nor condemnation be carried iuto effect . Yet , in defiance of all these laws , the G ; . JI .. and Hoard of Directors , agreeably to their arrogant assumption that "they were superior to the law , " havo dared , without a trial , without a charge , and without a cause , to suspend live members of the Manchester district , by the impudent and dishonest exercise of their own despotic will .
That the laws of the Order did not recognise the exercise of despotic or of tyrannical rule is most certain ; and that reason , justice , and equity repudiate this barefaced robbery of rights andof privileges which have been paid for in hard cash , is quite as undeniable . Upon what ground , then , it may be asked , do these unprincipled rulers take tlieir stand ? They have entrenched themselves in the position of private pecuniary interest alone ! They have foraged our resources , and stored them up in their stronghold , for their own use . They have raised up the Black- Flag of annihilation and imprinted on it thc words "No Quarter . " They have declared war to to the knife against our rights , our privileges , ourliberties , and our very existence as Odd Fellows , couched in the usual language of marauders , while endeavouriiuxto cloak witli a plausible excuse a grievous act of base robbery aud wrong .
These aro their words : — " Thc Board view with regret the attempts that have been made in the Manchester aud Salford Districts to excite the members into acts of insubordination , therefore , with a view of effectually putting a stop to such practices , the Directors herewith instruct thc Officers of the Manchester District to suspend , until the next A . M . C _, B . C . Hullcy , Joseph Taylor , Benjamin Stott , Robert _Wood , andH . 3 . Richardson , or any other person who may be found guilty of pursuing a similiar course . " It may be understood by thc ignorant from the wording of this decree that the five individuals mimed therein had been "foundguilty" of act ? of insubordination , or breaches of _thclaws of the Order , and that thepimisliment of suspension for eleven months had been awarded to them in
accordance with the verdict and thc evidence given on a charge preferred against them before some legally _constk tutcd committee of the Order . No such thing ! It is a fact hardly to be believed , but never to he tolerated , that such verdict was never given , such evidence was nevor heard , such charge was never instituted . Itis , indeed , a disgraceful truth now on record , that the Board of Directors have so far forgotten their position as administrators of the law , as to contaminate and pollute the stream of justice at the fountain from whence it flowed , by bringing it into foul contact with corrupt and mercenary private dealings . They havo dammed up the pure and placid stream of justice , and diverted its waters into a narrow , crooked , and filthy chanucl . Ami they have placcd . inalice on mercy ' s scat !
It is obrious that the G . -U ~ . and Board of Directors , in order to " put a stop" to thc rapidly spreading inquiry into the abominable abuses in the Executive , which had already become notorious to numerous members in the Manchester and Salford districts , resolved to put into practice an appropriate ' * custom amongst the Malays , " who , as the honourable and independent-minded Editor of the truthful "London Journal and Pioneer" so graphically describes , " after indulging in a course of intemperance , rush into the streets , knife iu baud , ami kill and wound every unfortunate passenger who may chance to oppose himself , however innocently or unthinkingly , to the
mischievous progress of the maddened drunkard ! " In like manner did certain infuriated Directors , drunk with the successful pursuit of pelf , from a long-continued course of profligate administration , foreseeing that public opinion would soon stop tlie unhallo wed tap , rushed forth in rage and desperation amongst the mombers , regardless of wrong and reckless of consequences , cutting down indiscriminately , to thc right and to thc left , the innocent and the unthinking : The spirit of the coming storm ' must needs be exercised by human sacrifices ! Victims must be slain and held up in terrorem to those _free-minded men who dav ' o think for themselves , or give utterance to their honest sentiments .
And by the following mode was this righteous resolve carried into effect . A certaiu man , wise in his generation , at the instigation of thatportion ofthe Board of Directors who have an enormous private pecuniary interest in the corrupt practices which have been introduced ,. through their means , into the working of the Order of late years , tendered a secret accusation agaiust the five individuals hereinbefore named . The secret spy was listened to , ami without thc Board taking upon themselves the trouble to investigate the truth or otherwise ofhis statement , they at once and " unanimously resolved" to rob those five members of their rights aud privileges as Odd Fellows ! And to heighten the iniquity ofthe deed if possible the more , the Board subsequently refused to permit one ofthe parties so unjustly and illegally suspended , to bring evidence hefore them to prove that he had had no participation in the "insubordination" of which he had been thus accused !
Did the secret and once dreaded Star Chamber in days of yore ever exceed in atrocity or foulness of intention this oneact ofthe Board of Directors , levelled , as it has been , agaiust law and justice on the ono haud , and the rights and privileges of members on the other ? Who can respect men with principles so depraved ? "Who can hold them to be infallible in word , or immaculate in deed ?
To The Editor Of The Sobtiiebs Stab. Sir...
Having disposed of the mode in which the Board thought fit . to victimise innocent men , wu will proceed t _3 examine into the gravamen of the accusntion itself . . A public meeting of members ofthe Independent Order of Odd Fellows , M . U ., was held in Manchester , on Saturday evening , June 21 , 1815 , P . P . G . M . Ball in . the chair , to take into consideration the merits of _llatclinVs " Slidiug Scale" oi contributions and donations , which had been ordered to come into operation on the 1 st of January , lSIC , and at which meeting many hundreds of past and present-ofiicci' 3 and brethren attended . The live past officers who were suspended by the dictum of the Board of D irectors were amongst the company assembled , and it was for being present to hear opinions given on that most important- measure that their suspension afterwards occurred , and not , as the Board have falsely alleged , for ' exciting members into nets of insubordination , " inasmuch as it . can be proved incontestibly hy scores of witnesses , that three out of thc live individuals , neither took part in promoting that meeting nor in ihe proceedinwhich'occurred thereat _.
gs Who , then , can support the Board of Directors in their impudently mendacious assertions that they have been !< strenuously and conscientiously endeavouring to carry into effect Ihe laws , in strict conformity with the constitutional usages of the Order , " by thus illegally suspending individuals for simply'inquiring , iuto the truth of their assertion that" the opponents of the proposed change-did not attempt to disprove . or impugn the accuracy of Mr . Smith ' s statements and calculations _?' ' Xo independent man , with the powers of reason at command , would support such n proposition . None but a fool , or a truckling interested knave , will bend , for one moment , to the decree thus sent forth by the Board , that the right of private judgment is abolished and withdrawn , and that intercommunication will no longer be allowed amongst the mombers of the Order .
Itis to be . borne . in mind , that the public meeting alluded to was held on Saturday , June 21 , 1843 , and that two days afterwards , viz ., June 23 , the first day of thu meeting of the Board of Directors , the five past officers were suspended . After transacting business durteg the week , the Board broke-tip . on the following Saturday , viz ., June 28 th . " On Monday , June 80 th , the Quarterly Committee of the Manchester district was held , when a very large number of deputies- were present , amongst whomappeared F . G . Benjamin Stott , ami I ' . G . Kobcrt Wood , both duly appointed by their respective lodges . On
tlieir names being read over , they were , _oljectod to by the G . M , of thc district , ns forming a part of tho individuals suspended by the Board on that day week . Upon which the officers ofthe District were called upon to explain by what authority those deputies had been suspended , and to produce proof of the fact of such suspension having occurred . ' They answered that the Board had thought tit , for the reasons we have already assigned , to suspend the parties named , and that the & S . af the Order had communicated tho fact ' in writing te > the C . S . of thc district .
The . communication from C . S ; Riitcliffe was thereupon produced , and found to be , not a notiee from tiie G . M . and Board of Directors , or from the officers of the Order to the officers ofthe district , but , simply a note from C . S . llatcliffe himself , _unauthenticated by tlie official seal , and consequently informal . The committee ,, therefore , positively declined' to acknowledge it as a-legal document , and they also peremptoril y refused to recognise the illegal and unconstitutional exercise of power assumed hy the G . JU . and Board of Directors in despotically- suspending members without trial , as required by general law . A
resolution , embodying those reasons , and declaring the two objected deputies to be eligible to sit , was duly moved and seconded ,, but which resolution thc 6 .-M .-ot' thc district refused to put to the committee , whereupon- another resolution was proposed that the G . M . do leave the chair , . mil on which he immediately adjourned tho-committee to Monday ,, the 7 th day of July , 1845 . Before , however , thc committee could again meet according to-the time specified on tlio adjournment , the officers of-the Order , in the absence ofthe Board of Directors , took upon themselves the further responsibility of illegally suspending the Manchester district itself .
On the following Monday , July 7 th , the adjourned Quarterly Cuamiittee of the district again met , when deputies from seventy-five lodges were in attendance . The district officers not appearing , P . G . M . John Kichardson _IVhitc was appointed to the chair . The resolutions passed at the general meeting on the preceding- Saturday were unanimously adopted as the resolutions of the Manchester district , and an address to the several lodges in the unity was ordered to be drawn up , in conformity therewith . That address has been . circulated , ' , and has tended in no small degree , iu spite of tlie endeavour of the Board to suppress its being read in lodges , to en . lighten the minds of distant members as to the present condition of the Independent Order . The new Manchester district at this moment consists of eighty-three lodges , containing considerably more than nine thousand members ; while the influence of the officers of the order , combined with the _old-stock officers of tlie district , can only muster in their ranks , and awkward-squad of four lodges , with less than four hundred members !
The Manchester district having been suspended , a nnmcroiis meeting of members was held at the England's Glory Lodge House , ou Thursday evening , July 3 , 1845 , P . P . ft . II . Joseph Hardy in the chair , when it was unanimously resolved— " That thc Board of Management be requested to call ageneral meeting of the members of the district , on Saturday evening , the 5 th instant . " In compliance with this request , the Board of . 'Management culled a gcueraUneeling for the said purpose , in the Corn Exchange , Hanging . Ditch . At the time named in the requisition , this great aggregate meeting was held , P . G . M . John _lttehai _' uson White occupying the chair , when several- , excellent and spirited resolutions were passed unanimously , by an enthusiastic assembly of _betwcea l , m and l _. _oOWOdd Fellows .
Knowing well ihe men with whom it hud to deal , and tlieir reckless disregard of the rights of others , the Manchester district was quite prepared to expect the consummation of this rash act , for the same men who were guilty of this atrocity , constituted the " Manchester Board , " ' which , "to tlieir eternal shame "—so says ths London Journal— " ruthlessly , heartlessly , used this power for years to prosecute , to discountenance , and destroy evory attempt at the enlightenment . of their serfs , through the agency of literary productions . " And it further says that the- " charges ' affecting the character aud integrity of the ruling powers are so serious in their nature _,, and so revolting in tlieir general features , that unless disproved at once , the blackening stigma will leave au ineffaceable stain upon all connected with the administrative department ofthe unity . " Bravo ! "Pioneer / " This is speaking out ! Yes 1 this blackening stigma does indeed leave an ineffaceable stain on nil those who assented
to the exercise of illegal and oppressive power at . the period ulludcd to . As , however , the Pioneer neither disproves the facts , nor attempts to do so , wo must . ta _' . _c-c them as admitted and established by all parties . Very well . But thc Journal asserts that" friend Hardy" satas a' member of the Board when suspensions of Lodges were rife , ' without trial or arraignment , " for independently taking u portion of their own funds to support them from starvation . ' ! Unfortunately for the Journal , any one who will turn to the quarterly report ofthe Order for January , 1845 , when those suspensions occurred , may ascertain that " friend Hardy" was not a member ; of the Board at that time ! . Dut _, on the contrary , they , will find tliat the names to whom this " eternal shame" attaches , are George Iliclimond ! James Mansfield ! 'William _llatcliflb ! Henry Katdiffo ! John Peiser ! Thomas Jeffs ! B . K . Davis ! Kobcrt R . Elliott I and William L " . Burdett ! This precious hireling Journal has thus tarred and feathered its honourable employers with a vengeance . ' .
We will now proceed to comment briefly on the tables of "suppositions '' drawn up by the sapient _W-. B . Smith , of Birmingham , and published by thcofticers in the recent A . M . C . report .. This rule-of-three gentleman is himself one of tho Board of Directors , and while acting as thc self-elected actuary of the Order , has , as we presume , been " cutting his wise tooth" on the occasion . ' . It appears - that this individual , while acting as the chosen instrument for moving at tlie Glasgow A . M . C . the lirst of several resolutions , having for their object the laying of an embargo on our property _, introduced the subject by " admitting there was no kind of information at present in existence by which the average ( age ) , of the whole unity could with certainty tc obtained ; " he had therefore taken the present average age of the Birmingham District for his guidance , " and assumed thc present average age of . the Order at thirty-two years . "
This is an important admission .. The present average age of the-members in the Birmingham Distriat may be _thirty-two years , but that is no indication of tlieir average age on initiation . Some of the Birmingham lodges have now been in existence fur sixteen or eighteen years , and numerous old members have imported cards and clearances ' from other districts . The " supposition" tables positively assume it as a fact , that the average age at initiation throughout the Order is thirty-two years , and at that age bring in with the members the initiatory guineas . Now we totally deny the accuracy of this position , and , on the contiary , asscit-inost distinctly , that the average age of initiation falls far short of thirty-two years , Although there is no kiad of information in existence by which the average age of the whole unity , either on initiation , or at the present moment , can bo accurately
determined , yet there arc sufficient means at hand to show that thirty-two years is not thc average ago at initiation , as represented by those tables .. "Every facility being afforded Mr . Smith by thc Birmingham District , " in his endeavour to ascertain the correct average age of members , we will coatest him on his own ground , and challenge him to show , from the _proposition-book of any one Lodge in that district , that the average age at initiation _, amounts to thirty-two years . Nay , we will venture p _, step further , aad defy . him to prove such to be the fact from the books of any Lodge whatever in the entire unity . If he cannot do this , then the wholo superstructure founded upon the correctness of his supposition falls at once to the ground . And if the fact should ultimatel y show that the average initiatory ago is somewhere about twenty .
seven years , then the competency of Mr . Smith to enunciate " suppositions" on which the least dependence can be put , aud on which legislation should be based , will be finally disposed of . The next obvious error in tho tables is the assumption that every individual who enters the Order is a married man ! Ridiculous as such a proposition really is , it is nevertheless gravely advanced by Mr . Smith . He allows funeral donations for fifty wives in everyone hundred members . Now as women live longer than men , we should be strongly prejudiced in the notion that for every fifty dead wives there would uo , at the least , fifty living widows , and , consequently , that oyery member in the one hundred must have been a married man ! Then again it is assumed that every member receives siek pay , and that he ultimately dies in the Order ,
To The Editor Of The Sobtiiebs Stab. Sir...
aud to add , as a climax to all this mass of absurdity and error , it is gravely supposed ! that the Order is absolutely limited in number to those wlio- are now actually recorded members of its , body . We say , on the other hand , and confidently appeal to the test of truth , 1 st . —That tho average age a t initiation is ( near twenty-seven years , and ) not tiiirty-two . 2 nd . —That the members of the Order are not all married men . Srd . —That _tli-J married membars do not all receive funeral donation on account of their deceased wives . Jth . —That all the members of the Order do not receive sick pay . yth . —That all the members do not die in the Order , ( ith . —That funeral donation is not paid to the relatives of all who have entered the Order . And 7 th . —The number is not limited to the present members . Besides these inexcusable errors , we cannot overlook die circumstance that all deficiencies as to number of
members , whether arising irom deaths , arrears , or expulsion , are supplied by the importation of new members , younger in age , and in good health , paying a guinea ibi the privilege of putting- tlieir feet in the other ' s shoes , having to give sU mouths' servitude , and pay six months ' contribution , before they become entitled to benefit ! Inconceivable as it may " appear to be , it is a fact , nevertheless , that not sue single allegation contained in those much vaunted " suppositions" of our Birmingham Solon , is correct . They are , without a solitary exception , gross and unpardonable misrepresentations ! There is another point yet , which we must allude to , and although the last , is not the least , in this catalogue of ignorant blunders . It is thc principle of selection—a principle which appears
to bc unknown to our sapient ready-reckoner , or some notice would have been ' _inkim by him , of a consideration so very essential to accuracy , as it certainly is—That the members , at the time of their initiation , as well as the wives of such of them as are married , are select lives , is beyond any doubt , as none arc admitted into the Order unless they are at the time in perfect health . That there is au important difference in condition between a given number , of men in perfect health and a similar number _labouring under the common average of _^ _djaease , we should have thought would have been perceptible even to the obtuse faculties of Mr . Smith himself . What a " vast mass" of stupidity and ignorance , ' then , is there condensed in those celebrated _r-ule-of-ihrce results ! What
a disgrace they are to the learned nincompoops constituting that self-sufficient cabal , the Board of Directors Oh ! how they rejoiced over and trumpeted forth the astounding facts enunciated by their "learned brother J " How proudly they ensconced themselves-under the ample folds of his erudite mantle ! How boastfully they strutted in tho false plumage of this arithmetical turkeycock . !' - We havo no hesitation in admitting the fact , nay we avow _itj-tiiat carefully collated statistical returns , touching tho liability to sickness and death of the respective Lodges , are not only expedient , but really necessary to tho well-being of the order . But while we approve of duo inquiry being instituted into those liabilities , we record our condemnation of the manner in which thc officers of
the order have chosen ' to carry their crude notions into effect . Not only have thc feelings and honest scruples of members been invaded and offended , but random demands have been _mndo on them , widely apart from the proper object , and with a boisterous precipitancy , which indiscretion mid ignorance combined can only account ior . It is , hence , demonstrable that the officers of the Order and Board of Directors were incompetent to the task tl _' . ey so rashly took upon themselves to perforin . Had it indeed been otherwise , they would have known how to have avoided irrelevant interrogatories , and to have rejected inapplicable reply .- Their _inipiiry into the amount of Lodge funds was not only vexatious aud unnecessary , but exceeded the power deputed to them by the Newcastle A . M . C , which resolution authorised them to call for all information necessary for the purpose of ascertaining the financial condition of-the Order , in such form as to them
might seem most convenient for classification . ' We allow that Lodge funds-are to a certain extent connected with thc financial condition of the Order , but we cannot admit that they form necessarily a part of it , inasmuch as "finance" implies a given income and expenditure , combined with a profit or loss on the transaction . Now , Lodge funds arc allowed ou all hands to be no indication of thc amount of profit hitherto accruing from the income of Lodges , exceeding their liability to sickness and death ; hence their amount could not be considered " necessary information , " neither were-Lodges " compellable to furnish such information . " That the Order did not approve of the amount of Lodge funds being called for , was fully proved by the 135 th resolution of the Wignn A . M . C , which declared "that the UhM . and Board of Directors were not justified in sending for thc returns of the amount of Lodge funds . " '¦/¦'" .
Instead of carefully entering upon a legitimate inquiry , and collecting and publishing to the Order at large the valuable financial facts to be obtained by such investigation , tlie O . M . and Board of Directors issued blank forms , calling on Lodges to answer queries , some of which were not only offensive and suspicious in appearance , but foreigii to the subject , while others most essential to the _clieitinjjof necessary information , were totally overlooked or discarded . Nevertheless , those returns , inefficient as we declare them to be , " contained , " according to the testimony of P . G . M . Whaite , at Glasgow , " a vast mass of important statistical information relative to the financial condition of the Order . " We confess we have but little faith in the opinon or judgement of Mr . Whaite
on this matter , yet we are ready to imagine that , amidst this " vast mass" of chaff ,, some really good corn could havo been _separated , had it been placed in the hands of men ' able to-sift it . Thc corn and thc chaff , however , yet lie blended ,. _atid entombed with other lumber in the vaults in . _Aytoun-strect . Vainly have we strained our vision , while looking out in anxious expectation for a sample of the promised seed . But if the article produced at _G'lasgow-by the sagacious Smith , and subsequently distributed _to-the Order in the A . M . C . report , bu really and truly the sample spokeu of , then indeed , do we pronounce it the most worthless and unwholesome food for the use of man over produced even by the most barbarous and ignorant nation upuii earth .
If thc _O . M . and Board of Directors "had succeeded in obtaining a vast mass of statistical information relative to the financial condition of the Order , " and if 0 . M . Dickinson—whose intellects were brightened up by the good things at a Scottish _feast—sijokc truth when he asserted that " the Order showed a body of men anxious to promote their own social condition—to manage tlieir own affairs , and find out the best mode of doing so , " then , do wc ask those consistent gentlemen , why those returns were not published to the several , lodges in the Order ? Why were they withheld from , . the test of public scrutiny 1 Was it because they contained-matter unfit to meet the public eye 1 We dare say they would have betrayed some unseemly facts—we dare say they would have proved the unpalatable truth that lodges-huve paid more money in the purchase of regalia , itc , to certaiu members of the Board , than the aggregate sum of their sick and death
donations amounted to ! They must not tell us that they were restrained in honour from publishing thc amount of Lodge funds by their promise to . abstain from that act . No ! that subterfuge shall not serve them , for . we arc in possession of the fact that " Archibald Alison , Esq ., Sheriff of Lanarkshire , and Lord Hector of Marisclial College , Aberdeen , " while presiding at the " dinner in the Trades'Hall , "Glasgow , " supported on ' the right by Mr . IL Whaite , Grand Master , Mr , J . Dickinson , Deputy Grand Master , Mr . William Hntcliffe , Corresponding Secretary , Mr . J . Mansfield , Past Grand Master , Mr . Gray , Past Grand Master , —all of Manchester , —said , " The fundsof the society , derived from small weekly contributions _,, amount to £ 275 , 000 a , year . ( Cheers . ) The aggregate amount of money belonging to the different lodges being upwards of £ 700 , 000 .. ( Cheers . ) . The sum distributed in the way . of charity annually amounts , I believe , to . nearly £ 250 , 000 . "
If , however , those- returns do contain " a vast mas _3-o £ ' important statistical information , " why is " a body of men who are anxious to find out the best mode of manr . i ; 5 ug their own affairs" - to be debarred thc right of applying _., such information to the furtherance of tlieir own . best interests ? Why are they thus to be kept in-utter ignorance of that . which most concerns themselves % _¦¦ Is it because the general body ,, consisting of 255 , 000 men and upwards , contains within its ranks no man of education , talent , or habits befitted to grapple with those returns and their results ? . Or is it because tho 0 . M . and Board of Directors constitute the centralization of talent , as well . is of influence and power ; . and arc men of _mtc-lcetual attainments schigh , and so peculiarly adapted to the prosecution of this tedious and intricate investigation , as to entitle them , to the prostrate confidence of . that body , whom they , are pleased , magnanimously , to . desiguate " the _scum-. of the Order ?"
Wc treat as idle breath the notion which some have promulgated , that the _office-rs intend to make use of the returns for " government purposes . " They intend no such thing . They know better . Their , game is safer , surer , and far move profitable to themselves tliiYa . that . They care little about government , yet take heed to . _thcmsclvcs . They intend to make use of those returns for _purposes , of their own only ! What possible protection can we have against paid spies being maintained amongst us in such situations as would enable them to communicate any official information , at any time , or in any manner required ? But this is not thc danger . One of far greater magnitude , of infiniicly superior importance to us , as it regards the rights and privileges of individuals
and the best interests of our commonwealth , now threatens to overwhelm us . . A dark , dense cloud has gathered ou the horizon of Oddfellowship , and is already obscuriiig its fairest _pvossocts—its merciless thunders have been heard , audits _victims have been chosen . The demon of Centralization , has ascended , and asserts his right to . rule over us . He 1 ms already seized on nr-d centralized influence and power iu his own person ; _lyul while spurning justice and equity , and law and charity , claims for himself tho uncontrolled exercise of despotic will . But ho resta not here . Emboldened with success he has taken from us the control of our own property and now hastens , with giant strides and uplifted arm , to wrest it from cur possession .
Further still , he seeks to extend his " power , and teasfrom us the last shred of our independence . In honied words he bids us to " abolish sub-committees to hear appeals , aud leave such appeals to the consideration ofthe Appeal Committee only . "—( See P . G . M . Mansfield ' s speech at the Glasgow Dinner , reportedinthe Odd Fellows ' Cftronwlc , p . 135 . )—This , indeed , is the grand ultimatum We have already lost our enfranchiscment _j- _^ we have already lost the control over our own money and expenditure , and are now told , when systematicall y robbed of our all , to appeal to the robbers only for redress ! Tho Board of Direotors have succeeded , at an A . M _, 0 . whero "the deputies were not so numerous as on some previous occasions , on account ofthe great distance from
To The Editor Of The Sobtiiebs Stab. Sir...
many of the largest English districts , " in carrying , b y a jnltry majority , a resolution declaring that tho " Con . _triboMos Fund" shall not be . under , the control of the members of the respective lodges . And , by the aii _t of other resolutions , it is so arranged that in tliat fund a vast amount of unrequired capital must necessaril y be accumulated rapidly . It is obvious that , although the Contribution Fund is no longer to remain under our own control , yet it must , of necessity , be plated under sonic controlling power . If a doubt should arise as to ' the parties on whom that ' power ' should _det'olre , it would readily be disposed of at the next A . M , C . ' The aC . cumulated "General Contribution Funds of Lodges" lmve only to be recognised as forming part of one Grand General Contribution Fund ofthe Order , whe _, that doubt will be settled for over , and the control ami the easli will be centralized where our independence and our iwh _* are already deposited . » « m nguts
Another point ot no small importance must now _breferred to . Wc allude to thc _moTi _' _dym-. ; fact so often recurring of late in the Banl ; ruptcy , iui " d closi ng of _Lod-es in Country Districts . Young and thoughtless members have wasted the funds and plunged their lodges in debt for the useless and stupid purpose of bedizening _tlit-in . ' selves with what are absurdly enough _ealle-l llcalia -t circumstance which would not have been allowed to occur were it not that too many of tlioseou the Board ol'Hirector- _" have an immense private pecuniary benefit in that folly ! To enable those Lodges , however , to continue in then * reckless indulgence of an expensive _weaklicas , the 6 . M and Board d Directors , while tethering them _d- . > wn to the preservation of a sufficiency of funds to _im-ft ; , H their
liabilities from sickness and death , have _tnlten care provide pretty liberally fur what are hereafter to come under the head of '' incidental Expenses . " " This , indeed is the item of nil others , which requires the fostering ear * of those tender _Ouardiaifs . And as an encouragement to the rustics to bleed pretty freely for Incidentals , twentv . five per cent , discount is to be allowed them out of their payments to the " Contribution Fund , " which by the Tables of " Suppositions , " by the erudite Smith , were declared to be absolutely necessary , to meet their obl _fy ,,. tioiis , on account of sickness and death . The claims therefore , of the sick and the dead must succumb to _tlw more important private demands of aclique of rapacioustradesmen !
that the " closing of Lodges from want of funds" lias not beeu occasioned by the excess of their payments on account of sickness and itailh over their income , may easily be shown , notwithstanding the assertions of the G . M . and Board of Directors to the contrary ; and it may also be demonstrated as readily , that the insolvency oi Lodges has been brought about by tlieir extravagant expenditure in mummeries of-various descriptions . The former part of this proposition is borne out b y the fact that , although the Manchester district is the oldest in the Order , and its members consequently move aged on the average , and therefore more liable to sicUnesB and death than the members of districts are elsewhere , yet never since the establishment of the Order in that town has any one of its' numerous Lodges been closed from want of funds . And the second part , by iho fact that a wry great number of Lodges , especially thoso opened in new and remote districts , have been ruined and broken up by fhe
nefarious practices ot men who , while acting as theii oflieers and directors , to serve their own private interest have plunged those Lodges at once into irretrievable dilli . culty and debt . Hundreds of Lodges ,, too , which have been opened expressly to gratify the craving rapacity of the host of the " Woolpack , " or he of- the "Lamb and _F-leeee , " have found , to their mortification , not only that the new Lodge was not required by the wants of the district , but that the entire amount of their initiation and contribution money for months afterwards , has been swallowed up by the modest demands of" mine host , " fur fitting them up a room to drink in ! Thus , between the harpies of the silk scarf and leather apron on tha one hand ,. and of the beer barrel and tobacco on the other , the members have been plundered of that money which would have met all their present liabilities to sickness and _ik-.-uli , and left a surplus amply sufficient for their increasing no cessities hereafter !
With charity and benevolence on their lips , . iwl cupidity and profligacy in tlieir hearts , the managers of the Order have taken from thc " widow"and the "orphan" _thsir little pittance in destitution , and have narrowed ihe means of " wives" and of "families" when suffering under tlie calamities of sickness and distress . They have lowered charity , from its nobler and elevated position of hide _peiideiice down to the meaner and degraded rank of beggarly pauperism ! They have boastfully spoken of "friendship ,. love , and truth , " yet , with enmity and inalioe aud lies in their souls , they have returned amongst us ; and , with a flaming sword of annihilation , sought to de . stroy us iu thc sight of our brethren !!
All this they have done ; but the day of retribution is at hand . The hour approaches when the elastic force of common sense , and an extended perception of right , ' shall hurl them from tlieir usurpation ; when the combined energies _of-the insulted many will no longer bend to tho illegal exercise of despotic power , aud when , corruption and nepotism shall be expelled from tbe Council Board for ever .
To The Editor Oe The Xob.Themi Stau. Ila...
TO THE EDITOR OE THE XOB . _THEMI STAU . IlatcUffe'srieceofPlate , icithalhtofthesithscribers ; 31 ectings of Vic Soard of J / irectcrs at Gray ' s , the Olympic Tavern ; ltcasons ulty tley mtet theee , and not at tiie Foard lloom of Vie Order _; _JJescription of « Tradesman ' s Dinner at Old Gray ' s , with oUier mils worth cracking . Those Odd Fellows who live at a distance from Manchester know little of the freaks that are frequently played by the Executive of the Order , in the Olympic Arena , Stevcusou's-square ; but it is nevertheless true , that from thence have proceeded m-st of tlie schemes and plots that have caused the present rupture : and a few remarks on the actors and their scene of action , may be edifying to the Independent portion of the Order .
About a month since there appcaredin the "Managers '" newspaper organ a long account of " a dinner at Gray ' s , " whereat a piece of plate was said to have been presented to "William llatcliffe , Esq . !!! " "for his seven years ' services to the Order . " Ou that occasion there were an unusual number of speeches made , and toasts drunk , and compliments bandied , between " men and Christians , " as they dubbed themselves . In several provincial newspapers a paragraph was inserted , recording the said presentation ; and as , no doubt , the next number of the " ilagazine" will be full of the whole affair , it becomes a matter of interest to all Odd Fellows . Sow , in all the statements put forth , not a word have wcheard of who Vie subscribers were to the " princely present ; " hut from the inueudos in thc " official" report , the impression sought to be conveyed is , that the members of the Manchester district generally have been the donors . Now , it so happens that those members know Mr . 11 . too well to present
him with anything but their supreme contempt ; and a more barefaced imposition never was practised , upon the public than the said "presentation . " Itis well known that nine or ten individuals , tc 7 ( 0 do business with , the " _managers , " were the Wild souls who subscribed the whole of the amount—upwards of £ 100—to buy Mr . It . his piece of plate ! ami as there is a list of tlieir names going round the Manchester district , I here present it to the Odd Fellow public , that thoy may know how such matters of " business'' are " mauuged : _"IlExnv W x , Framemaker , £ 25 ' Jons 1 )— -s , Bookbinder , 15 AU P . G . M . _'s John l _'—r . , Sashing-scllcr , 15 { except the _Geokoe 11— -d , Printer , 5 Silversmith ) , James M d , Sashing-scUer 1-5 ' and traders _AVinuJt G ., Publican and Sinner , 5 with the Or-Isaac S S , Silversmith , 5 der . I ) . C- -, Taper-seller , IU
There arc one or two others ofthe clique , whose names have not as yet transpired . So much , Odd Fellows , for the plate " business ; " so much for ihe gross imposition of lauding " tlie man . and the Christian" for his virtues ! so much for the " emblazoned tickets of admission" to admit the select thirty to the feast ; and so much for the O . M . ' s impious talk about" Tommy Armit _' s being translated into Abraham's bosom . " The whole exhibition was a {( 6 « ii < jr lie , which will soon cover the actors with confusion and disgrace . And now to expose tbe shameful system of tbeBoavd oi Meetings .-it Cray ' s public-house . The men , who are the " •' Executive of the Order , " meet once a quarter in full Committee ; and although the Order pays i ' _lii ) per annum fur spacious premises in Aytoun-strcet , yet , forsooth , the Executive must meet at a public-house , and coin » el « H
op-2 _> eal cases , wiUi plaintiffs , defendants , and _tcitnesscs , in scores , lo come to thc said _puUtcJwuse "for justice ! " To show the infamy of this , we have only to say that during these sittings ( which generally ' . last a whole week ) the Olympic Tavern is like a court-house at a petty sessions , witli this disadvantage , that driiifcina is coiiltiuiiil ! jf _ooino on among the parties wailing for the sapient decisions of tlie Sulons above , who themselves are not proof against the _stronij temptations of the "pipe and pot . " During these sittings the " worthy host" reaps a goldeu harvest . It is worth putting on record that at the Isle of Man A . M . C , the same "host" was appointed one of thc Appeal Committee ; and during tlie four ensuing meetings lie received 12 s . Cd . per day for sitting , and occasionally waiting iu his own house , aud finding his colleagues accommodation . Well done , Odd Fellowship !
Another branch of the tree of corruption that has grown out of the system of patronage is giving Gray the benefit of all the feasts that frequently occur among the "governors" ofthe Older ; one of the most prominent of which is a tradesman's dinner , which menus a great deal , and brings grist galore to the Olympic mill . The way a dinner or this kind is got up reflects disgrace upoil the C . S . and all concerned in it . It is downri ght forced bribery , on the principle of— " there is no compulsion , only you must . " An affair of this kind is got up after this fashion . Those " suppliers of goods" who are iu the thick of the honey-pot , are _j-eniinded by the- C . S . - every time occasion serves , that " the Board of Directors are _aotc in Manchester ; " and sundry hints about" cultivating
their acquaintance-. "' Then it is stated that" Mr . So-and-So has given £ 5 towards a dinner at Gray ' s ; how much shall I put you down ? 0 , let me see j say £ 5 . " Another honey bee comes ; and then another . Among tUtm a . decent sum is soon raised , say £ 30 . Then comes tho feast . Of course all the Board is invited . The stuffing over , Champagne is introduced ; and the " generous tradesmen " begin to vie with each other as to who shall pay the most The wine begins to operate ; and "you tickle me , and I'll tickle you , " is the order of the day , or rather night . The debauch concludes with mutual promises betwecn the _iNcoBiinrTiBLE Executive and their worthy tradesmen to support one another through thick and thin . This is a faithful description of these men and their doings ; and they know it well , " However , the days of
corruption are numbered . Among the independent members of the Order , Katcliffe aud bis myrmidons are condemned beyond all redemption . Gone for ever is the age of sashing and rosettes ! _Tomfotlii-y is dead ! The few cringing tools of the faction are dressing for the funeral In the words of a great writer , thi " C . S . has outlived his reputation , and is walking about to hearken to his own reproach , lie has written an ' Here tyeth' upon his character ; and what ' s left of him may die at any time . " His only remaining crutch is a ricketty Journal , of which , in conclusion , I will give a specimen . last week but one , that print gave an account of a dinner at Stepney , whereat a speech was made by a Mr .
Ashdowne , one of the Board of Directors , and _sub-editoi of the Journal . He is there made to say that "friend Katcliffe has left off betting for ever ; he has buried all his turf transactions in oblivion ; and become quite moral . " Will it be credited , that while Ashdowne was spouting this balderdash at Stepney , Jtotcliffe was aetualbi on Newton race-course , wilh a roll of notes in Ids hand , calling and vetting wilh everybody around him , as can be proved by scores of witnesses . So much for Ashdowue ' s vevacity and his reformed friend ' s "improved morality ! " Odd Fellows , the movement for freedom gains ground . Up , then , and declare your emancipation ! Yours , in the bonds , itc ., ¦ As Old Odd Fellow .
Ihe African Lloscius.—The Statement Whic...
Ihe African lloscius . —The statement which has appeared in most of tho London and provincial papers , that Mr . Aldridge , the African Itoscius , was killed iii- the neighbourhood of Llanidloes ,. by his carriage fall in jf over a precipice 121 ) feet high , is not true . The gentleman /«» H * c // _fiiriiislies-tlio-following contradiction : _>—Having to travel across the country by an unfrequented road , where 1 could not obtain post horses for my carriage , I was compelled to uso n . pair ofmyown , unaccustomed to the work . One of them , in . descending a slight declivity , became restive and ran into ' a hedge , but without _causing . any alann or doing the slightest injury to person or property . This trifling incident , it seems , _originatcd-a report of my death , and that of a servant , in-a most melancholy manner , which I led great pleasure ( 1 assure you ) in contradicting .
l . vsAV .. _CoiAanat _Accidext :. —One- of ihosc _explosions ,, which are of almost _every-dny occurrence , took place on- Thursday , August 14 th , at St . Helen ' s Auckland Colliery , in the county of Durham , which colliery _is _> thc property of Joseph _l'easc , Esq ., and Co ., by . wliicli two brothers named WilJiani' Uriddick and Joseph Briddick , tho former nineteen and the latter eleven years of age , lost their lives . What makes the case more distressing is that , their mother is a widow ,, and was almost wholly , dependent on them for support . On Friday an inquest . vas held on tho bodies before Mr . Thornton , deputy-coroner for the Bishop Auckland district , when the following evidence was given . —Richard Drown deposed : —i ara . overman at St . Helen ' s 'Auckland Colliery ; the
accident occurred about seven o ' clock _iirthc uinriiiiis ofthe 14 th inst . __ ; the pit was oil' work ihat day ; I was not iu the pit at thc time the accident happened ; if _I-had been ,. I did not apprehend any danger ; . that part of . the pis is not working at present ; I have scon " gas" in that part of the pit , but not lately . ; I . wns in that part of the pit three day 3-previous to ' the . accident ; . ! did not taken Davy lamp with mc , as I thought there was no need of . one ; William . _Drilliliclc-and his brother were at work instead of tlieir _grandfiitlum ( wlio is keeper ov inspector ); the deputy overman ordered them to go and i ' oteh some- plates from thc place where thc explosion took place ; . would havo given tlie same orders myself if I had been there ; . X cannot account , for tlie accident , as _t-Jis
stopping-doors , and brattice were all right . "Jamas Scott _. dcposed : —1 am duputy- overman at St . Ik-lea ' s Auckland colliery ; I was working with . Edward M'Ntvy ;; weseivt the boys forthe pkvics ; I did not think of any danger ; wc were working , about 150 yards from ths place ; if the bovs had nothccn there , I . would have gone myself j if there had been a lamp I . would not have taken it , as I did not think there was-any fire in the place ; the tovs liad left us senrecly live- minutes , when we heard tbe ' report of ths explosion "; said "what ; is that ? " and M'Nay said "itis lire ; " M'JS ay then crept on his hands-and knees , in search of the bodies in the dark , as the report put our lights out ; he was soon obliged , to return _,, as the after-damn was so strong ; . li 3 was like
to . lose- his breath ; 1 had not been in that part «' the pit for a . mouth previous to : the exp losion ; before the bodies wore f ound , 1 was taken home in » cart , I was so ill , from thc after-damp . —Edward _M'Kay , deputy , g _^ vc evidence to the samo effect .--John _Hindmarcli deposed : —When I . heard of the explosion , I weni-to the pit . I . did not intend to go down the pit . L have work ed at the above collier )' nearly eleven years . I thought the pit pleasant and safe . I have not worked ni the colliery since iMami , _IS-14 . I would not have gone down the ' ' pit , but 1 heard that the men that were down were all exhausted with the after-damp , and ' others ' were reluctant to go down . Tho dead both of _WiUiaw . Briddick was brought to bank before ' 1 went d o » 'ii thc pit ; when 1 went down , tiic men wore busy _putting tho _stoppings _richt . I nevor worked in tns »
part of the pit , as it has been worked since 1 icit . jcannot tell how tho accident occurred . I would i > _a * have taken a lamp , if I had not been ordered io *> so , us . I think the overman has a practical knowlslg 9 of colliery working , audi would have depended on that for my safety . Tho jurv retired , and in _ateft miautes returned a verdict " of—Accidental _# i' « _' To this account our correspondent adds : —It _« im * possible to describe the state of the public m iad lief _, as almost every one believes tliat the deputies vvre aware that the place was dangerous ; yet none ol t > men that have worked in the place had . the manliness to go and speak the truth . The Mowing hnt « has been sent to Joseph Pease , Esq ., since the inquest on the bodies : — " West Auckland , AUS J V _* 184-5 , Sir-You will no doubt _hav . eheard oH _* calamitous explosion which has taken place at _»?•>' . _1-Tfllnn ' e Aiinlrland _nnlllnw V /»» will ol « : n h , 1 VC _IlK " . iiiviiuuu _buiiivi 1 ti 4 _iw - ¦ --
....... a . . _; _. UU .. .. « . . ... that the witnesses that were examined atthe _ni'l" _^ were quite inadequate to throw any _ligM a " _,, affair . Since the inquest several of the « orm ) - say thev can ' prove that the deputies and oven < knew that that part of tha pit was in an uw _> v state . It is , therefore , _;/ oot dutv to have the » ' ; « thoroughly investigated , and if the r eports _; ue n _^ no doubt some party will bo criminated . It } ° , | not appoint some person or persons to cxa J ? n . mo pit , and report thereon , it will be a blot on tne « . « f iho colliery forever . " . _^ , j 4 « The _Modkrs Cubvaiier _n'Eos . -On _VcJ _»» _g week was found dead , in Paris , a person wm the namca of Howard and Douglas , _vm _, _*"' _. _^^ in the humble ranks ef literature , who always pn » as a wan . but who turned out to be a wwuaR «
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Citation
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Northern Star (1837-1852), Aug. 23, 1845, page 6, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/ns/issues/ns3_23081845/page/6/
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