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Northern Star (1837-1852), 23rd September 1848, Edition 3 of 3, Page 1, wrttsr nmeuifctiiKr

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    • NOTTINGHAM.
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      Nottingham.

      NOTTINGHAM .

      Mr O'Connor And His Constituents. Monday...

      MR _O'CONNOR AND HIS CONSTITUENTS . _Monday last presented a novel scene to the _-ggple of Nottingham—tbe miniature of the People ' s Charter * Perhaps in these dull times , when _dis-^ on is altogether prohibited , and tbe expression 0 f public opinion , whether in public or private , is suppressed by tbe law of the sword , or by the _perversion of the law of the land , it is something refreshing and novel to find the people still ready to meet , even in the open air , fearlessly to express their opinions , thus proving , beyond refutation , that

      however brute force may triumph for a season , the combined intelligence of a united people will yet overthrow its majesty and power . Cowed as the working classes now are—disappointed as they have been by the new parliament , from which so much was expected—and after the most protracted session ever known , and in which so much perfidy has been perpetrated—there is something sot only strange , but astonishing , in the fact , that the most abused of that house is—with the exception of Mr Sharman Crawford—the only one ef its members who would dare to base the tenure of his office upon the free and unfettered opinion of his constituents ,

      electors and non-electors . Onr readers were aware tbat it was impossible to secure a room , where this novel spectacle was to take place , not that we believe the inconvenience to have arisen from plot or contrivance , bat from the fact of the Exchange , and the other public buildings , being previously engaged ; and under these circumstances it was supposed that Mr O'Connor wonld postpone his visit until such time as one or the other of these buildings could be secured for that purpose . However , lie felt aware that such an excuse might have been put down to hesitation , and might have injured his cause ; and , therefore , he resolved to meet the people in

      THE MARKET PLACE , and now we shall proceed to gve an account of the affair . At half-past two o ' clock , the time appointed for commencing proceedings , Mr O'Connor , accompanied by a party of the Old Guards , mounted the platform , and was received with loud cheers and waving of hats . Mr Sassers was appointed as chairman , and , after commenting npon the novelty of the spectacle , and the honour which the proceedings would confer both upon Mr O'Connor and the people of Nottingham , he introduced the honourable member to his constituents . Mr O'Conxob , upon presenting himself , was again loudly cheered . He " said , —Mr Chairman , and

      electors , and non-electors of Nottingham—I have come hereto-day to discharge a most sacred obligation . I received your confidence and support upon the assurance , and with a knowledge of my principles—with a knowledge of those principles yon elected me as your representative , and I am come here to-day to ten you that , in spite of the reign of terror—in defi . asce of the odium sought to he cast npon those prinples , and of the persecution by which they are attempted to be pnt down—I am here , I say , in defiance of those dangers and threats , to say that I still

      maintain those principles in their integrity and entirety —( loud cheers}—and if you are not prepared to accept me as their representative , elect another to fill my place ; hut I will not sit in that assembly , to which you have sent me , if my voice , and my vote , and my principles , are not stamped with yonr unanimous approbation . ( Cheers . ) And I now present a novel spectacle . I stand here to give practical effect to two of the six points embodied in the People ' s Charter . I stand here—denounced by the Pressdenounced by the classes—denounced by some of

      the enthusiastic who would have jeopardised me , and jeopardised our cause ; I stand here as I stand in the House of _Commons—ALONE , ta give an account of my stewardship , to tender my resignation , if yon are dissatisfied with my services , or to accept a renewal of the trust of those services if they have met with your approbation . ( Loud cheers . ) And when I say that such is my intention , do not mistake my by presuming that I will resort to any mean or shuffling trick for the purpose of deceiving you ; do not suppose tbat I am going to take a show of hands , as a means of ascertaining the will of the majority , and thus hold my seat npon a puzzle . No ,

      if I cannot represent yon almost unanimously , I will not represent you at all . ( Cheers . ) And in order that this vast assemblage may be considered as a fair representation of your town , I tell you that if a very few hands in the front , or on the right , the left , or ia the centre , are held np against the renewal of my tenure of office , I will surrender my trust into your hands . ( Loud cheers . ) When I represented my native county in Parliament , and before yoa had established your Charter , and before I became associated with English politics , I carried the two great principles of Annual Parliaments and Universal Suffrage into practical operation , at the

      dose of each session of Parliament , by tendering my resignation to the people . ( Cheers- ) I satin the reform parliament in its infancy ; and I shall now proceed to give yon an account of its dotage . ( Laughter . ) Popnlar expectation waa roused almost to madness , hy hope raised , hy the assurance that much new blood had been infused into the emaciated and withered body of legislation during the last general election . Another great and boasted principle of reform was to have been realised—the Six Points of the Charter were to be rendered unnecessary hy sound legislation , and while those six points are repudiated by the enemies of labour ,

      there have been fire new points added to the English Constitution . ( Hear , hear . ) Yes , of all the savage and bloody enactments that disgrace the statute book , those which have stained it during the recent session of parliament , are the most atrocious and bloody . But although as the matter stands , perhaps in after time it will he more gratifying to the people of Nottingham , to know that their representative was the first man to resist them , and the last to abandon his opposition . ( Loud cheers . ) Yes , had it not been for me , the Irish Coercion Bill , which was No . 1 in the black catalogue , would have passed sub silentio , and without a voice being raised

      against it —( Shame , shame)—and the records of Parliament will tell yon that I opposed the whole five npon their introduction , until at length in my opposition to the last invasion , or rather destruction , of the remnant of Irishliberty , I was left alone , and without a seconder . ( Cheers . ) _Andastoall practical measures of amelioration , the voice of a single man was incapable of carrying any against the interests of faction . I stand alone in that house , hated by those opposite me , hated by those behind ae , hated hy those on each side and around me , because traffic in your destitution constitutes the stock-in-trade and profit of each . ( Cheers . ) And

      although the solution of tne Labour Qaestion now aonvnlses the world , yet are those , called your representatives , as hopelessly ignorant of the subject u the unborn babe . ( Hear , hear . ) Yonr chairman has truly told you that I was not going to appeal to those sta tely houses and shops by which we are surrounded ; as I do not represent the bricks , stone , and mortar , of which they are composed , hut the intellect of thinking man , I have summoned the mind and not the mind's extinguisher as the tribunal to judge my fitness , but although I may not represent those inanimate _thingsor their senseless occupants , and as it is my desire to

      explain the links by which all society is bound together , I will prove to tbe inmates of those houses that their salvation , their comfort , their prosperity and wealth , depends wholly upon the prosperity of the working classes . ( Cheers . ) Let me ask the inmates of those shops , whether the well-paid labourer , or the . degraded pauper is the best customer at the counter ? Let me ask them whether the man receiving 25 s or 20 s a week , or the man receiving alms , to wbich they are obliged to contribute , is likely to be largest consumer of their goods . ( Cheers . ) But they are blind , hopelessly blind , upon this subject . But to apply this Labour Qaestion to a higher grade of society , let me further ask the landlords , whether those shepkeekers

      would be better tenants , and better pay their rents from legitimate profit made by legitimate trade in the days of labour ' s prosperity , or in the days of labour ' s adversity ? and that brings us to the consideration of the great social question . And 1 will now show yon how every class of society is vitiated at the head and source , and I will prove to you that middle-class ignorance of tbe Labour Qaestion is the cause of their own ruin , and the depression of trade . ( Hear , hear . ) The middle classes , like the landed aristocracy , are linked together by social ties and class prejudices ; the little landlords , with small incomes , adopt the opinions and principles of great landlords , with large incomes and small intellects ; they fear to oppose

      Mr O'Connor And His Constituents. Monday...

      them lest they may be excluded from the festive table and the social boaid _, and lest thereby their wives and families should lose their position in society ; their cry is a social cry , and so is the cry of the middle classes . Those shopkeepers and traders who are now perishing beneath the withering influence of class legislation , are obliged to pis themselves to the skirts of laree manufacturers and commercial men , —the one class commanding ths competitive power which pauperises theshopkeeping class , the other commanding the credit which enables them to speculate in trade , —while both live upon the pride and destitution of the poor . ( Load cheers . ) Alas ' , itis too true ! and you find that

      the same reasoning applies , the same motives operate , socially , npon the middle classes as upon the landed aristocracy . The shopkeeper , like the little landlord , prostitutes his judgment to the fallacies propounded by manufacturers , lest he himself , his wife , and his family , should he excluded from the society of the more wealthy of their order . But let me illustrate the proposition for you . Can labour " now estimate its value in the manufacturing market ? ( Cries of * No , no . ' ) No , —wages are measured by the pride and destitution of the poor and not by any standard of the value of labour . Your children , may be , and probably are , as dear to you as the children of the Queen , and so base is the

      system , that hy the love of those children is the amount of wages measured . The employer goes to the destitute man and says , _< I employ you from charity , bnt you must submit to a large reduction of wages ; ' the destitute man , in his pride and desolation , reflects and looks around him ; he sees his wife that is dear to him , and his children that ought to be a blessing to him , —he perceives bis weakness arising from want of union ( cheers ) , and he says , which alternative shall I accept , —that of a pauper ' s fare , and separation from my loved wife and children , or the proffered pittance which is below the value of my labour . ( 'Aye , and that ' s it . ' ) Well , to his honour , he it spoken , pride and love of family

      triumph , he adopts tbe sad alternative , and becomes a miserable exister . Well , is his position as a customer to the shopkeeper improved ? Far from it . He but suffers individually , while the shopkeepers suffer collectively from labour ' s destitution . ( Cheers . ) Let us look to the other side of tbe picture , and I furnish it from the Land Plan ( loud cheers ) , ay , this plan whieh a lickspittle mercenary of the government—receiving £ 2 , 000 a year of your money for deciding npon the scratching of soldier ' s backsand the government itself , sought to destroy by destroying me . ( Hear , hear . ) Suppese trade is brisk , and that hands are wanted , and that the conntry must be scoured fer a supply , the employer goes

      into that free market , the husbandman rests upon his spade or his hoe ; here is reciprocity , —here they treat npon equal terms , and the husbandman says , ' I can earn 30 s . a week and good health , — -I can eat provisions that have not been thumbed in the market-place , —I can rest in my own house , surrounded by my own family , and I am my own master ! WHAT WILL YOU GIVE ME ? ' ( Cheers . ) The employer retires , he comes to the slave market , and there the labourer measures his wages by the destitution of bis class , —the shopkeeper becomes bankrupt from his poverty , and wealth becomes centra-Used in the hands of the few , who monopolise legislation , and which is applied to the degradation of

      labour " ( Cheers . ) In Nottingham and the other manufacturing towns , trade is paralysed , and you are at a loss for the solution , but I think I can show you why your fancy trade has suffered from the present continental convulsion . Men engaged in revolution and expecting death , do not prepare for the advent like the hero , or the bridegroom upon the stage , they are not like them attired in doublet aad hose , embroidered with point lace raffles , they go simply attired into the field of action , and cease to be customers foi your wares ; — then your labour ceases , its produce is not required , you cannot in return procure food , and yoa are deficient in the

      commissariat department ; and vulgar and contemned as the Land question is , let me call your attention to this startling fact , tbat the prostration of trade at home or abroad , does not deprive a pig of its value , or paralyse the in . dustry of the producer ; the pig is the commissariat , the feeder is the commissary-general , and although you cannot eat lace , he can eat his pig , and if his wife or himself require the produce of artificial labour , they will get more of it for the pig in bad than in good times . ( Hear , hear , and cheers . ) No man can control the labour of the free labourer , while the employment and wages of the hired labourer depends npon the caprice of the

      capitalist , more than npon the demand for bis produce . ( Hear , hear . ) In Prussia , and in France , and throughout the world , the solution of the Labour Question is now the one topic of all-absorbing conversation , and yet I defy you to point ma out one practical word , written , published , or spoken npon this all-important subject . True , a great theory has been propounded—the theory of Socialism and Communism , and that theory has been enthusiasti cally accepted and applauded in consequence ofits real and practical deficiency . It is a theory npon which the writer and the _spouter may excite the most lively enthusiasm , hut it is one which , in its practical result , must inevitably end in a war of the

      industrious against the idle . ( Loud cheers . ) Do not mistake me , my friends , for while I am allowing the greatest latitude and toleration to the freest expression _, of opinion , and the most unbounded advocacy ot a principle , I am neither a Socialist nor Communist . ( Loud cheers . ) The principle is at variance with the ruling instinct of man , which is selfishness , self-interest , self-reliance , and individuality ; and decry that feeling or instinct as you may , I tell you that there is not a man in the meeting , or a man in this world , who is not governed by that ruling instinct , and above all—those who profess the principles of Socialism . ( Great cheering . ) The government of that instinct may be varied , one man may be selfish and sordid , another man may be

      selfish and generous . I am selfish , and , if I had five millions of money to-morrow , the bearing of my selfishness would be to expend it to the last farthing upon the location of the poor npon the land . ( Loud cheers . ) What ! tell me that any one set of men , with brains in their heads , will labour that others may live npon their industry—and such would be the real practical effect ef Socialism , or rather Communism . The state in which we live is one huge system of Communism : and it is only out of those materials of self-reliance , individuality , and co-operation , that a just system , equally protective of all , the rich and the poor , the strong and the weak , tbe educated and the ignorant , the hale and the cripple , the sane and the insane , can be moulded . Once

      establish the principle of Communism , and yon paralyse industry , you destroy honourable competition , you elevate the cunning , destroy self-reliance , and create a war of the idle strong against the weak industrious . ( Cheers . ) I ask yoa boldly , ia the face of this promulgated and extensively-accepted theory , if there is a man amongst you who does not prefer the principle of self-reliance , individuality , and cooperation , to that of Communism , which would at once destroy every one of those attributes ? ( Loud cheers . ) I am not astonished at a destitute people accepting any theory which promises them amelioration ; but , if I am asked to give a practical illustration of the power and the efficiency of employment

      upon the land , I point to Belgium , to Holland , to the Channel Islands , and other countries , where agriculture constitutes the staple of trade . Belgium is an agricultural country , separated from France by a gate , and from Prussia by an open arch . France and Prussia are both convulsed , while agricultural Belgium remains unshaken . In Holland , labourers receive small wages and small parcels of land for their labour . Holland is a monarchy , and has escaped the convulsion . ( Cheers . ) I think I hear the sceptic directing my attention to Ireland , and

      summoning that unhappy country as a refutation of my assertion—hut my answer is , that there is no tenure iu Ireland . ( Cheers . ) The serf who improves the soil is the bond slave ofits owner . There is a premium for idleness , and a discouragement to industry . If the small farmer , who pays £ 1 an acre for land , increases its value to 25 s ., the griping landlord gives bim the option of increasing his rent to 25 s . —thus taxing his own industry , and making capital of bis labour—or the alternative of letting it to a stranger oyer his head . ( Cheers . ) Thus I

      Mr O'Connor And His Constituents. Monday...

      show you that the state of Ireland furnishes no refutation . But , in God ' s name , where is the great difficulty of settlin ' gThis Labour Question if Labour was represented ? ( Cheers . ) I will show you two sources—the one a debasing fund , and the other a pauper fund—from the application of which , to its legitimate and proper purpose , the whole Labour Question and war question may be settled—I mean Tithes and Poor Rates . ( Loud cheers . ) Will any one deny that tithe—K at all sustainable—is not a divine charitable fund , from the proceeds of which the ignorant should be educated , the stranger housed , and the destitute fed?—and will any one deny that Poor-rates should not be most beneficially

      employed to the sustainment of the poor , instead of to the coercion of the destitute ? Well , those two unds may be estimated lowly at fifteen millions a-year ; and , if applied to the location of the poor upon the land of' their birth , would , in five years , locate half a million of families , amounting to two millions and a half of people ; would leave a large revenue to the Exchequer ; would promote pure religion and education ; destroy pauperism and degradation ; and reduce the taxation of the country by fifteen millions a-year—substituting knowledge Christianity , and wealth , for ignorance ,- prejudice , and poverty . ( Loud cheers . ) Then why is this not attempted ? Because it constitutes the fund

      for tlie ' ' propagation of blasphemy and the prostration of Labour through destitution .. ( Cheers . ) . Talk ef reduction of taxation , every year you are increasing it . This year you have increased it by two millions , and the generosity of Parliament will ever be measured by the resolution to suppress the demand of labour . ( _Cheefs . ) Perhaps , in giving an account of my stewardship , I may inform yoa that I voted against this grant of Two Millions . ( Cheers . ) But again I tell you , that an individual who stands up in that house to advocate the rights of Labour , i ensures but a sorry hearing from any section . I

      recollect Mr O'Connell was once arraigned for calling them 658 pickpockets—and when he became shy and overawed , and was about to retract , I pulled him by the skirt and said , ' Stick to it , and we will hack you . ' And , although Mr M . J . O'Connell , Lord Arundel and Surrey , and the Methodist Parson Drummond , frequently read the Northern Star in the House of Commons , and would make me responsible , not only for every word in it , bnt also for tbe quack advertisements —( laughter)—and although what I am saying here now may be flashed in my face , I will apply the words of Sheridan to that

      assembly' _Tants-rara-ra—rogues all , rogues all . ' ( Roars of laughter . ) My friends , if we could have secured a room uninterrupted by the passing of vehicles , as we are here , I might , and probably would , have delivered a more consecutive address as regards my stewardship , the present position of nations and the Labour Question , but while others would be but too happy to make the excuse of not being able to get a meeting-place as an apology for postponing their appearance , I make no such excuse —I prefer meeting you in this market-place under the canopy of the broad blue sky and where none can be denied admittance . And now let no man misunderstand me or affect to misinterpret the

      object of my visit . I come here to tell you that I maintain every point of the People ' s Charter as my principle . ( Cheers . ) I come here to tell you that if the most influential man in this borough said , ' Use your influence to secure me place , patronage , or emolument , and I will ensure you your re-election at the next contest , or , refuse it and my opposition shall ensure your defeat ; ' in such case my answer should be , * You are not my master I am not your servant , I was not employed to do your work and I will not prostitute myself to your service . ' I would rather maintain my honour and independence than maintain my seat in parliament at the expense of either . ( Loud cheers . ) Nottingham has given

      England a Chief Justice and the Board of _Controul a President , and it shall be the boast of the constituency that Nottingham _^ has obliterated those stains from its history by giving labour an honest representative . ( Loud cheers . ) Again , if any man in this vast assemblage and belonging to the constituency voted for me in the hope that I would recommend hira as a policeman or an exciseman —( laughter)—or that I will do so , let him now vote for the accepting of the resignation of my trust as I will in nowise prostitute myself to his debasement . ( Loud cheers . ) I will make an honourable contract with my honourable colleague , to him I leave the patronage , if he can get it . ( Laughter . ) I

      will reserve my independence . I am your servant but not your slave . If I hire a servant upon the presumption tbat he will faithfully discharge the required duties , I would consider it an act of the greatest tyranny if I was compelled to retain that servant after he had proved himself inefficient or not trustworthy , and I look upon you in the same po . sition ; I should consider that I had committed the greatest act of tyranny towards you if , having employed me from a belief in my efficiency or reliance upon my honour , I had deceived you upon both points but still had recourse to the flimsy technicality of hiring for a certain period to secure my place . ( Loud cheers . ) I am not like the hon .

      members for Sheffield , who , when requested to resign hy the very voters that elected them , urged their seven years' tenure of office as a justification for continuing in their dishonoured trust . ( Cheers . ) There may be some men who attach paramount importance to a seat in parliament , but it is my pride to say , that I believe there are only two members of that house , and they are both Irishmen , representing English constituencies , who would have the manliness to face the electors and non-electors in their respective boroughs and tender their resignation . Of course you are aware that I allude to Sharman Crawford —( tremendous cheering)—the hon . member for Rochdale , who may , with

      confidence , stand before his constituents and non-electors and give an account of the zealous , the faithful , and independent manner in which he has discharged the duties of his office . ( Loud cheers . ) I tell you , electors and nen-electors , that I did not buy you and I will not sell yon , and as you did not buy me you shall not sell me . ( Great cheering . ) I may make myself as serviceable to your cause out of parliament as in it , and your rejection of me to day shall net damp my ardour in that cause , ( Cheers . ) No , although its death is again pronounced by the Press and our enemies , as of yore , % am going to make another tour of resurrection . ( Cheers . ) The little minister is gone to Ireland to

      settle the question of that conntry . What a subject for a _puppet-showl ( Cheers . ) If , instead of extracting two millions from your exhausted frames , he had placed himself at my disposal , I would have made more money of the raree-show , as the menageries dr exhibitions of Batty , Wombwell , or Van Amburgh would have been as nothing compared to the exhibition of the smallest Saxon you ever saw for nothing . ( Great laughter . ) I think I hear the keeper crying out : 'Ladies and Gentlemen—Vont yon valk up and see the smallest Saxon that vas ever seen for nothing ? ' and I think I hear Peggy _Muldooney say to Nelly Mulligan : ' Wisba , my God , Peg , his ' nt be a poor little crater—the devil

      from me , but he'd fit in Jack Regan ' s belly- ( Roars of laughter . ) Well , but he is to go over as a witness upon Smith O'Brien ' s trial , and the Times says , and the Chronicle says , and you know those papers never tell lies—( great laughter)—however , they say , and upon authority , that letters written by the Prime Minister of England , ' will be put into his hands at those trials , and that those letters recommended the Reformers in 1832 , to make a moral display of their strength , and that if that'does . not sueceed-tbey MUST MAKE A PHYSICAL ARRAY . ( Load cheers . ) Now I do not vouch for that , but the Times and Chronicle do ; and I should not

      be astonished , as the old adage says—* Times change and we change with them . ' Now so much for Lord John ' s tour in Ireland as a means of _pacificating and regenerating that country , and a word as to our own movement , and I have done . I stated in parliament as your representative , what I never stated bat what I always opposed on the hustings and upon the platform , namely—that if the Constitution was violated by the suppression of public opinion , which is the safety . valve of agitation , the bulwark of the Constitution , tho preserver of peace , and the magnet of sound public opinion—I stated that if that unconstitutional measure passed the Commons , I would from that moment avow myself a Republi-

      Mr O'Connor And His Constituents. Monday...

      cans . ( Tremendous cheering . ) I also stated tbat the _& _uppressum of public opinion would lead to the _estSjishment of secret clubs . and societies , and thd \?; thoBe clubs and _societies _ would be the focus of sedition , conspiracy , and treason , fomented by _. _spies and informers , andthat the result would be , that the enthusiastic , the honest , and the destitute , would be entrapped by the wily , the cunning , and % viUanous . ( Hear , hear . ) Well , such has been my warning to the people for now nearly eleven years , and see how my prophecy has been fulfilled byTecent occurrences . In London we have tbe informer Ppw ' _eU . _~(^ rh } y upon it yeu will have others . In . Ashton we have Williamson and

      Winterbottom . lit Oldham , Gifford ; and in Halifax ,, Robert _^ Emmett , the most trusted from his name . (' Oh , oh , ' and groans . ) Andinark , that in every locality those men professed the largest amount of enthusiasm , while their own sworn testimony establishes the fact that they were the prime instigators in those several conspiracies . ( ' Oh , oh , ' and Shame . ' ) Well , would Ihaveheen justified in jeopardising your cause by jeopardising my own liberty , in obeying the injunctions of those villains . ( 'No , no . ' ) No , but mark the difference , if all were allowed to speak openly ; the folly of the fool would . be checked by the wisdom of the wise , our cause would have been savld _frooi the ignominy that those ruffians have cast

      _uupa it , _£ » d its advocates would have been saved . $ 8 _nn _^ * areary dungeon . ( Cheers . ) My friends , I am not come here to flatter you you are the manufacturers of your own misery ; you spend _yoar money in drunkenness and dissipation —( loud cheers)—which , if applied to your reformation and organisation , would make you too powerful for your enemies . ( Cheers . ) I bave told you a thousand times , and 1 now repeat it , that your principles are within your grasp at any time ; that you can make Peel and Russell bid the six points of the Charter for your support , when it is worth having ; and , ai I have told you a thousand tim ' es before , you have no right to call upjn me to violate one single law that would

      jeopardise my liberty , until you have all worked as I have done , within the law , for the accomplishment of your principles . ( Loud cheers . ) Let all work for a month as I have worked for _twenty-six years , and your Charter is carried . ( Cheers . ) The men who inhabit those houses now consider me a destructive and a firebrand ; but 1 tell you that I will live down their prejudice , and they will yet adopt my teaching . This class would draw lots for the honour ef hanging and gibbeting me ; but so averse am I to cruelty , that when saved from their fangs , I would not hurt a hair of their heads , but would reclaim them by kindness . ( Cheers . ) I hate cruelty , and though branded as a destructive , it is my greatest

      boast to be able to say that I never committed or tolerated a single act of cruelty , even to a dumb animal , in all my life . ( Cheers . ) Cruelty is the greatest of all vices ; you may reclaim the drunkard , the idler , the liar , or the thief , but you never can reclaim the cruel man . Before the question of my resignation is put to this meeting , I must arm you and myself with an answer to any charge of partiality , or of this being a packed or one-sided meeting . I must remind you that the electors as well as the non-electors have had ten dajs notice of the abject ; and I must again , in order to place you and myself in a proper position , repeat and impress upon your minds . that if a mere fraction of this meeting , an insignificant

      fraction , shall manifest disapproval of my conduct by voting to accept my resignation , I will at once resign , as the honour rests in representing all , and not in representing part of the mind , the will , and the intelligence of Nottingham . I have now done , merely observing tbat nodoubtthe young gentlemen of the Press , who are numerically strong here —( cheers)—will assure their readers on Saturday next , that Mr O'Connor made a long and rambling speech , without beginning , middle , or ending , to three or four hundred tattered ragamuffins—( great laughter )—and that the motley assemblage did not represent any portion of the mind of Nottingham ; while , if a Whigling _, or a Tory representative , had placed himself in the same honourable position , and spouted unconnected balderdash for ten minutes , bis speech would be represented as the sublimity of eloquence ,

      and his conduct at well worthy of imitation . ( Great cheering . ) But as my popularity never did—and please God ! never shall , depend , upon the hired praise of a prostitute Press , I now submit myself , as your representative , to the most searching examination , not into my stewardship only , but , as trust should be based upon character and honour , I court , I invite , and challenge the most rigid inquirry into every act of my life , and from which , notwithstanding the denunciation of the Press , I shall be able to prove , before an impartial tribunal , tbat I have never committed a dishonest , a mean , a dishonourable or _ungentleman-like act throughout my life . ( Loud and tremendous cheering . ) Now I am here ta answer any question that may be put to me , not only upon my parliamentary , bu t Up 0 n my general conduct .

      When silence was restored , a person came to the front of the platform , and asked Mr O'Connor why it was he had not supported Sir Henry Halford ' s measure with regard to the Framework-knitters ; Mr O'Connor repeated the question , so that aU might hear and understand it , and gave the following answer :--pI shall first answer the question unequivocally , aud I shall then ask another . Sir Henry Halford brought Im measure forward upon a Wednesday , when the sitting of the house is limited from twelve to six o ' clock . I remained in the house

      till half-past two ; there were other questions to come on _' after that uuder discussion was decided , and it was thought impossible to bring on the Framework-knitters' question on that day : I left the house to meet a deputation . I was returning at half-past three , upon the presumption that the question might come on . I met some members coming out , who told me it was impossible it could come on . However , that question , that onght to have taken a long time in discussion , was not only brought on but disposed of in about an hour , And now I come to my question . Determined to discharge my obligations fairly to my ' constituents , I came to Nottingham before the session , to consult with the several classes and trades , upon , questions of importance , without any reference to politics ; I came to receive

      instruction , and to act upon my instructions ; I remained here three days ; not a question was sub . mitted to me , except that of theirame-work knitters . I discussed their case with them ; I told them the impossibility of instructing me upon so large a question in conversation ; I asked them to submit their opinions in a plain and simple form in-writing , to state distinctly their grievances and proposed remedies , and that , at my own expense , I would secure ihe ablest counsel to lick them into parliamentary shape , embody them in a bill , propose it to and support it in parliament . ¦ . ( Loud cheers . ) And _. aai we say in Ireland , ' It ' _sabad dog that ' s not worth . whistlingafter . ' I never received those instructions from those frame . work knitters , and , as in all cases , they would now charge me with their own neglect of duty . ( Cheers . )

      The person who , asked the question , replied , that : he did not put the question with any the slightest ill-feeling , but that he wished the trade to be acquainted with the facts . ' ( Hear , hear . ) Mb . O'Connor . —Are there anymore questions ? Here a person stepped from the centre of the meeting to the platform and said , 'I wish to ask Mr O'Connor why he did not vote upon the sugar question ? ' , . . Mb O'Connor . — -I voted upon every question connected with sugar until I started at a sugar hogshead , and fell into fits at a grocer ' s shop , and upon that question 1 always voted against slavery and in favour of freedom , without the slightest reference to the price of sugar . - ( Cheers ;) Any more questions ? .. ,

      No other question being put , though ample time was allowed , ' . Mr Sweet , as an elector , moved * That Mr _O'Connorhad faithfully discharged his duties to the electors and _non-electorsof Nottingham , andthat he . be re-elected as their representative in parliament / _Loudcheers _. ) . , , . .. . _; . The veteran Geohge Harbison , with bis . nowwhite head , came forward , as-a _non-elector , to secondtbe proposition , and which , when | iut by the chairman , elicited _sueh a show ot hands as we believe was never before exhibited at a . public meeting as illustrative of unanimity ; and upon the con-

      Mr O'Connor And His Constituents. Monday...

      trary being put , not one single solitary hand was held up against the motion , when the announcement of Mr O'Connor ' s re-election was received with deafening cheers , followed by waving of hats and clapping of hands . When the cheering had subsided , Mr O'Connor again presented himself , and said : My friends , I thank you . I accept , the renewal of my trust with pride and satisfaction ; the more especially as all were summoned , and the jury has been unanimous . And now , without vanity , I think I may say that I , in my own person , must present , to your minds the most extraordinary recollection . Here I am , abused

      and-denounced by every newspaper in the empire ; reviled by every class , save Labour , and by some even of that order , and , nevertheless , accepted as its representative by a most enlightened constituency ; and , to convince you of the importance tbat I attach to short accounts , I am here to tell you now that I do not base ray tenure of office even upon its sessional duration , for if , during any session , I should fail to discharge my trust faithfully , and not according to the principles upon which you elected me , 'I shall not trifle with pledges or opinion , but whenever called upon during the session I shall be prepared to surrender a trust if but a small minority shall demand its restoration . ' ( Loud cheers . ) Again , I say , look at the novel spectacle of a man attempted to be crushed by the whole Press of the empire , and whose honour was to be destroyed by a

      Select Committee of the House of Commons . ( Loud cheers , and'They can't . ' ) Look , I say , upon that man who alone for his associates dares , in such stirring and troublesome times , to appear before bis constituents and settle his accounts with them . ( Great cheering . ) Take it home with you , —think upon it—reflect upon it—dream upon it—and your wonder will be that the man , whom those bloody acts were principally framed to entrap , is still at large , and fearlessly defends his principles in the Market-place , and then , I think , that instead of reviling yeu will honour me ; while you will agree with what I have before stated , that one tongue at large is worth thousands that are incarcerated . Again , I thank you , assuring you that I shall now resume my seat with more pride and more force when backed by the renewal of your confidence . ( Loud and long continued cheering . )

      ^ £^^ ^Ltd^A^

      _^ _£ _^^ _^ _Ltd _^ A _^

      And Mtiqnal Teades' Jourml.

      AND MTIQNAL TEADES' JOURML .

      Vol-Xi. No 570- London, Saturday, Septem...

      VOL-XI . NO 570- LONDON , SATURDAY , SEPTEMBER 23 , 1848 . rw _JgyfflgS _^ . _'U _,

      To The Members Of The National Land Comp...

      TO THE MEMBERS OF THE NATIONAL LAND COMPANY . Mv Friends , You must naturally suppose that I , of all persons connected with the Land Scheme , am the most interested in a decision upon its future workings and efficiency ; and in order to secure a speedy decision upon the propositions that have been submitted to vou , I , together with Mr Dixon and Mr Doyle ( our brother Directors , being on their mission ) , have decided upon holding a Conference at Birmingham , on Monday , the 30 th October , and I am the more anxious for the adoption of this _course , in consequence of the declaration of

      several of the Midland Counties Secretaries , whom I had the pleasure to meet at Notting . ham , on Monday last . They urged—and I entirely coincided with then—the indispensable necessity of convoking the Conference ; and they further urged the necessity of each district paying the expenses of its own delegate , and you may rest assured that 1 cordially acquiesced in that proposition . We have named a day sufficiently remote to afford the members of all districts maturely and dispassionately to consider the propositions to be discussed by the Conference ; and every

      thinking , man must see and understand that thiscourse would be just as necessary after the tour of Messrs M'Grath and Clark , as there is no other possible means by which the opinion of the several districts could be ascertained . As far as I am concerned , I only gather from mere rumour and from letters from individuals in the several districts , that the propositions have been received with all but unanimous approval . Of course there are and will be some objections , and some amendments , as the propositions are merely to elicit discussion ; and by the time appointed for the meeting of Conference , I hope to be enabled to present such a set of rules as will bring us within the

      Friendly Societies Acts , and enable us to procure enrolment . However , whatever you may think of the probable and ultimate success of the Plan , lam determined to struggle to the death for its realisation , as in my soul and my conscience I believe , scoffed at as itis , that it must and will constitute the basis . of social and political regeneration , and be the adopted of all nations . I trust thatthe members in the several districts will elect shrewd and trustworthy delegates , whose chief aim and object will be to do the best in their power to secure the efficiency of the Plan . I remain , your faithful friend , Feargus O'Coknok .

      Fatal Acoidbhi Ok The River.—On Monday, ...

      Fatal Acoidbhi ok the River . —On Monday , Mr Baker held an inquest at the Town of _Ramsgate , _High-street , Wapping , on the body of William Far * ey , aged forty-eight , captain of the eoaating vessel , the Ferrand , of Glasgow . It appeared that on Saturday evening last , the vessel was lying off St Andrew ' s-wharf , Wapping , and that while the deceased , who was sober , was stepping from the wharf into her , he fell between the vessel and the wharf into the mud , whieh was some feet deep . He was promptly removed , and placed in a bed in the ves * Bel . A medical gentleman was sent for , who fbnnd lifeextinct . Verdict— ' Accidental _dtath ft _emsuftV cat on . '

      _WiBBOBB-STBEBr . —On Sunday sight at eight o ' clook another fire , attended with a serious destruction of property , broke out upen the spacious pile of premises , Known as the Ship Tavern , situate in Wardour-street , Soho , the property of Mr Robt . John Pearce . There waa aa immediate supply of water obtained , and several engines having been set to work , the flames were by nine o ' olock extinguished . The damage done , however , to the premises and their contents , ib very considerable . Mr Pearce waa insured to tbe extent of £ 1 , 600 . _CoHvmwx of Cou > BATH * razj > s Pbison into a Babrack . —It is said to be in contemplation to convert the House of Correction , _Coldbath-neldB , into a barrack , and arrangements are . in progress for the erection of a new prison on an appropriate site not far removed from the present building . The new prison will be adapted for the separate system . The fate Chartist _emeutet suggested , it ia supposed , the necessity of ClerkflUffell being made a military sta * tion , —John Bull ,

      Child _Sibalino , —Glasgow Autumn Assizes . — The Glasgow Autumn Circuit Court waa opened on Tuesday by Lords Monorieff and Cockburn . The only case of interest tried during the day was tbat of Margaret Park , accused of child stealing , or ' plagium , ' as the offence is termed in Scottish law phraseology . From the evidenoe it appeared that the prisoner picked from the streets a little girl , the daughter of a Mr Morrison , a pattern drawer ; that searoh was afterwards made for her in every direotion ; andthat many _daya afterwards the child waB found in a state of nakedness in this woman ' s possession in an obsonre

      part of the oity . ; The prisoner waa convioted and sentenced to fourteen years' transportation . A CoNBCiEsiious Murderer , —The Illinois papers bring an account of a deliberate murder in that state , of Dr J . Dullenger , by Edwin H . Herreil , a lawyer . Cause : slander of Herrell ' s wife . The murderer was too conscientious to kill his viotim on Sunday , having met . him on that day and told him that if it was ' not Sunday he would kill him then , but he would do it the first opportunity after , and shot him from a covert the next merning . — New York Haringtr . .....

      Death of Loud George _Brsiikck . —His lordship left' Welbeok Abbey on Thursday afternoon , on foot , with the intention of walking to Thoresby Park , the seat of Earl Manvers , about five miles distant from Welbeok , his lordship having engaged to dine with the Noble Earl . Not arriving at the hour he was expected ; searoh was , made for him in the neighbour * hood , and about nine o ' clook in the evening the deceased was _found , by his own servant , quite dead in a field through whioh his path to Thoresby lay . There Beams great probability that he died from _disease-of the _hearts •

      Wrttsr Nmeuifctiikr

      _wrttsr _nmeuifctiiKr

      Finsburt.—At A Meeting, Held On Sunday L...

      _Finsburt . —At a meeting , held on Sunday last , the following resolution waa carried unanimously : — Moved by R . _Fuzuran , seconded by Mr Dicrey , ' That we , the members of the council of the Finsbury locality , feel oalled upon to express our profound gratitude to F . O'Connor , Esq ., M . P ., for the generous and liberal offer he has made to _seoure counsel for the defence of the men awaiting their trials in Newgate aad we further feel that we should be wanting in our duty if we discontinue subscribing and collecting , until he be fully indemnified from any pecuniary loss by the advancement of monies for that purpose . ' _MmaopoLiTAN Cbmtbaii Victim and Defence

      Fund—Receipts from September 10 th to September 17 th—83 , Dean-street , Soho , ii 51 ; for Defenoe , 2 i 2 d ; Carlisle , per J . _Gilbertson ; for Defence of Cuffay and others , £ 1 ; Green-gate , 6 _i 3 d ; Stallwood , 2 a Id ; Globe and Friends , 7 * l Cigar makers , Two Sawyers , _Minoriei , 5 s ; Cripplegate , per Mrs Gill , 10 . _i _lOJd ; _MrKetidrick , Globe and Friends , 53 ; A Friend , por Mr Sumner , 6 i ; Mr Rider , as per Star , £ 2 0 a 4 d ; Land Office , as per Star , 15 a 5 d . Mr Kydd , per Stab , 7 «; _Djptford , per Mr Floyd , 53 ; for Defence , per Fioyd , 2 i 6 d ; _Wootton-underedge , per R . Lorn * , 5 s ; Nottingham , per J . Sweet , 6 s 3 d . —Total , _dE 7 4 a 9 _Jd . James Gbassbt , secretary .,

      Great Meeting Of The Masons And Building...

      GREAT MEETING OF THE MASONS AND BUILDING TRADES . On Wednesday evening the above body met at the _Tempsranoe Hall , _Waterloo-road . Shortly after eight o'clock Mr Roger Grey was called to tbs chair , ond said , It was very cheering to find so roBny of their brethren rally round and support them on the present occasion , Mr Trego might think of putting down tbe masons by a suit at law—but he would bo mistaken ; If Imprisoned , the men would bsar that imprisonment firmly for principle ' s sake , and come oat as determined as ever _. If a jury should be so mistaken as to convict them , they would go te _duranoe with the firm persuasion . that the ) - had tho sympathy ot the whole ualted trades of Britain . ( Load cheers . ) Mr TOBNiB moved the first resolution , as follows : — ' That it is , the opinion » f this mooting that the pre .

      sent position of tho masons is a critical one ,, and calls for their utmost vigilance and enorgy , to repel ' the bass attempt that is now being made to crush tho working man ' s best institution—his trades' union ; this meeting therefore pledges itself not to forego the present agitation until the rights and privileges to whioh the masons in common with the working classes are entitled to , afaall be _conceded , ' He said it might be a long tims ere some of thorn should again have the opportunity of standing oa that or a similar platform—but if _e « _, equal or better men wonld be found to fill their plaees . Tho ' four o ' clock' was their right , and must be maintained . ( Loud oheers , ) N 9 doubt our _proBecators thought they would incarcerate tbe leaders , and put down tba trades unions—but

      lot them not be deceived . Ho cared not for tho punishment that might be inflicted on bim , all he asked at the hands of his fellow men was , that the families of the victims should be supported . ( Loud oheers . ) Let union exist amongst tbe operatives , and tbey must sue oeed , short hours of labour was the best means of giving work to those whs were now starving ( or want of em . ployment ; it would be far better that the men . left work ever ; da ; at fear o ' clock ' , than that thousands should be ( talking about In a state of _starratton , ( Great applause . ) He' conversed with a capitalist the other day , who had declared himself'decidedly opposed to the union , ' Why should ho ? simply _because ' _nnlsn was strength , ' and were the men thoroughly unites * , the dictates of humanity might whisper to them , limit the boars of labour to eight per day . ( Loudcheers . )

      Mr Q _oaBiLL _, in _seoondiog the resolution , recommended a call of the trades ef London to bo made , and that the assistance of Thomas Wakley , Feargus O'Con . nor , and other Liberal numbers should ba sought in , disseminating the prlnoiples of the rights of labour . ( Loud cheers . ) The present moment was indeed oriUr _cal , Bnd he believed that out of the twenty . one about to be tried at the Old Bailey , not one had ever yet stoot before a magistrate . ( Loud cheers . ) True , tho jury _olasswaBamBBter class , and therefore might convict them , but the world at large and their owa consciences would acquit them . ( Laud oheers . ) He had never seen either Trego or his men and sure he was that were his case submitted to a jury of his peers , tbey would hold Sun guiltless , Mr GurriU hore reoited the manifold blessings from the Masons' Society , and asked was it right that such a noble institution , should ba destroyed ? ( Loud oheers , ) The resolution was put and carried unanimously _.

      Mr _Josb _» h Wood came forward to move tbo second resolution : — 'That it iB the opinion of tbis meeting , in [ order to oarry out the present struggle , we should Tally round the masons indicted , and contribute liberally towards their defence , aad that in the event of a convlotlon , we pledge ourselves to take oare of their families , and determinedly carry on oar glorious cause . ' His wife asked him the otber day—la the event of hia going te prison , wbat should she do 1 he had tald her bis fellow workmen would provide for her . ( Loud oheers . ) He thought the present state of society was bad from beginning to end . Since the world began the few had lived on the _msny , but he thought the time had now arrived when the many shonld keep themselves only , and allow the few to produoe for themselves _. It bad Been said their society ' should be put down / I Why should it ! simply beoause unitedly tbey oould

      protect labour , and deprire oppression of its sting . Should the twenty . one indicted be sent to prison , be trusted his fellow workmen would keep up tbe glorious fight of ' right against might / and that on the day of tbeir liberation , a glorious gathering would be prepared to bail their friends and brethren . ( Great applause . ) It might be said , what could a few working men do ; but let them remember that the mighty Thames flowed from its source over a few pebbles , trickling along , deep * _enalng bb it went , until at length joined by many a _trlbutary stream , it became a powerful current , bearing oa Its deep bosom the produce ef the world ' s _wsalthj and se it might be wltb them —« they might commence with their shillings—thence to pounds , and thousands of pounds , until at length by union they formed a monetary power tbat would be perfectly imsistlble . ( Tremendous cheering , daring wbich Mr Wood resumed his seat . )

      Mr A . Campbell supported the resolution , which was then unanimously adopted , and the meeting dispersed .

      Death And Borul Of James Boyd, Sit* I-T*...

      DEATH AND BORUL OF JAMES BOYD , SIT * _i-t * - * _- _" _* " _* _- _*^ —•—

      ' _QFGREFNOOK . IO THE EDITOR OP THE N 0 BTHKRN STAB . Sib , —It is with feelings of no ordinary description that I have to announce the death of one ' of the oldest and moat staunch friends of the people , en Wednesday , the 13 th . The following are the partioulars . James Boyd , a foreman carpenter , ia Steel and Co . ' s shi _p building yard , while stepping from a vessel lying in the dry dock , under repair , missed his footing and fell to the bottom . When taken up he was quite insensible , and was conveyed to his owa house , where medical assistance was promptly in attendance , but without effeot ; he lingered a few short hours and expired . For upwards of twenty years he had been embarked in the cause of Buffering humanity . He was

      conneoted with the Reform Bill agitation , and sinoe the beginning of the Chartist movement he had been a _sinoere and devoted adherent . On Sunday the 17 th he was borne te the grave , on the shoulders of the apprentices employed in the same yard , followed bj nearly 800 persons , of all classes , a sight bo striking in itself , and one that never before had been witnessed in Greenock , that it called together a vast number of spectators , eaoh and all speaking of the good man departed . His remains were interred in the West Churchyard , a few paces from tho grave of _Burns ' s' Highland Mary . ' James Boyd ( aged fiftytwo years , ) was faithful to the prinoiples of truth and liberty , until death ; a loving father and a tender husband ; he has left a widow , and sis of an offspring , to lament his death : J . Peacock .

      Lines On The Death Op James Botd, Who Di...

      LINES ON THE DEATH OP JAMES BOTD , Who died 13 th September , 1818 . Be Bweet and solemn , thou , my plaintive lyre , for sighs will mingle with thy every tone—A Nature ' s Noble and a Patriot sire is gone!—Yes J sorrow echoes , _Boyn is gone ! Friend after friend , as flowers that fade away Beneath the winter ' s ohilly blighting breath , Live but to bloom , and shed a genial ray Of truth round Die—then slumber into death ; And Buob was Born ! bis name brings forth a sigh , His deeds are thought of with a grateful tsar That _stampB the soul ' s soft language on the eye , And speaks of bim our bosoms beld bo dear . He loved mankind of every oaito and cllmp , Nor bore he hate—not even to bis foes ; His aim was Lovo and Liberty divine _.

      Te cherish truth , and banish human _woob . For twenty years he straggled to redoem The human race from slavery and wo a , Nor _oeased to struggle till tbe last sad scene Of life bad vanished in lUaih _' a final blow _. He keenly felt for slaves—himself a slave Wbo toiled through hardships o ' er life ' s narrow span , With heart unchanged he passed into the grave , A worthy Patriot and an Honest Man I Greenock , Sep . 18 th . Johk Peacock ,

      Sibanob Accident.—A Singular And Somewha...

      Sibanob Accident . —A singular and somewhat alarming acoident occurred at the Churoh of the Holy Trinity , Biahop ' _s-road , Paddington , on Sunday morning , during the time of divine _servioe . By some means or other , a child fell over the baok rails of tht gallery , in the recess of the window , on the head Of ft lady below ; but , fortunately , the violence of the fall was so broken by the projection of the wall about midway , that neither party was muoh damaged , though the lady was tbe greater sufferer of the two . Tut officiating minister was not aware of the accident until informed of it after service ,

  • Citation
    • Northern Star (1837-1852), Sept. 23, 1848, page 1, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/ns/issues/ns3_23091848/page/1/