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April 29, 1848 . THE NORTHEHr STAR. 5
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GRAND SOIREE. In the evening a splendid ...
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Radford, nbab Nottingham.—The Chartists ...
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Ipswich.—A meeting was convened in this ...
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GREAT CHARTIST DEMONSTRATION IN GLASGOW....
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Transcript
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Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software. The text has not been manually corrected and should not be relied on to be an accurate representation of the item.
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Fea.Rgtjs O'Connor. Esq., M.P., A.T Nott...
Mr _HiBBKes _secdaded the _me . _ioa , wbich was carried UH & _nimously , Mr O'Connob , on presenting himself , was greeted _^ ri th three tremendous cheers . He said—When Mr Daniel O'Connell was addressing a monster meeting in Ireland he reminded his audience of the motto under tbe touch-hole of the volunteers' guns , and then lie put his finger to his nose , so . ( Loud eheers . ) Now , it " would be , perhaps , the best thing for me to remind you of the motto under the touch-hole of Lord John Ruisell ' s bomb , that is to blow ub all to Van Diemen ' s Land , and put my finger on my lips . ( Loud laughter . ) But , however , notwithstanding that that trap had been baited for the red cat of
_Cbartiim , I tell Lord John Rnssell that he is too cunning to go into it . ( Loud laughter . ) It is now pretty nearly nine months since I was honoured with your confidence as your representative . I think that within those nine months I hare been brought to bed of s very numerous family . ( Laughter . ) I rejoice to think that after so many who have been honoured with your confidence— certainly in return for their money—that I have acted a part different fcom those who purchased that confidence in . order to fill their own pockets out of yours . ( Loud cheers . ) I thank you for the resolution you have paised ; but I object a little to the tender of yeur sympathy . Yon should have expressed your sympathy for the House
of Parliament , for I gave them as good as I got . (' Hear , hear , ' and laughter . ) I require no symp athy ; and the more I am pricked , the more I am goaded , the more I am spurred , the more I am put upon my metal- ( Cheers . ) But , my friends , I ara happy to find , from your resolution , tbat in these days of dagger and dismay , when the rampant Whigs have kicked down the ladder by which they ascended to power , you think that 2 have fearlessly and honestly discharged my duty . ( Cheers . ) , I venture to say that there are few , even of the liberal _members , who are willing again to test the opinion of ibsir constituents . However , in order to show that I think the popular voice should be as unanimous as
_possible , if there are two hundred here in this vast j meefiDg whe are dissatisfied with my conduct , I will not continue to hold my seat . ( Cheers . ) I dare say the newspapers Trill state that there are about 200 or 300 at this meeting . ( Laughter . ) The virtuous press always has one eye clouded and the other shut . As we say of the cooks in Ireland , when the soot fells in the broth , they hare one eye up the chimney and the other skimming the pot . ( Laughter . ) Look at what they said ef the meeting of this day fortnight . The most glorious meeting I ever saw . one paper said consisted of 4 , 000 and another 10 , 000 . On Tuesday , hewever , after the Commissioners of Police had sent a private letter to every one of the
proprietors , there was an extraordinary coincidence in their dreams , for they all came out with 15 , 000 . ( Laughter . ) That was the meeting which the government proclaimed should not take place . That was the meeting which I was warned , by policemen and by members of Parliament , if I attended I should be shot . It was , however , held in defiance of -the proclamation ; I rode on the front seat , and , thank God ! I myself was the cause that no blood -was shed . ( Cheers . ) I told that meeting , whom I addressed , as 1 do this audience , as my children , that I had too much in store for them to spare one single man from nature ' s feast , when nature ' s feast . day shall come . ( Cbeers . ) We Snd all ths
continental countries bubbling with the new genius of the -fame . We find despots giving constitutions where a few years ago they wonld uot have made tbe slightest alteration . We have seen countries placed in the possession of their new-born liberties who are not so well prepared to use them as we . And why ? Because they havenot had the power of speech ; they have not had the power of meeting in pubiie to confer together ; and they have not , as we have for the _^ rst time in the history of nations , a good solid system to replace a roUen system . ( Cheers . ) In Trance the errors , or rather the position of the Provisional Govenment is not their own fault . If they are obliged to sustain 100 , 000 of the people in idleness
it is not the fault of the government which has now taken the command , but the fault of the tyrant despot who would not allow the people to confer together in order that they might have been prepared to propose a better system than lhat they were ahout to destroy . ( Cheers . ) But I have proposed a better system ; and what I assert heie , as in the House of Commons , is , that if to-morrow we had , even for purchase , the land ef our birth , I would not leave a man idle who was willing to work ; I would put eTery man to work . ( ' Hear , ' and cbeers . ) It is something for England to say , that , unlike all other nations , her agitation has been made in a quiet , peaceful , and
constitutional manner . ( . Cheers . ) They may complain of idlers . Sa do I—cf the idlers who live on the sweat of industry —( cheers)—and to-morrow , if I had the means , I would find labour for those who are willing to work , and every unwilling idler I would have whipped through your streets . ( Cheers ) But I have now a great regard for the unwilling idlers , and their wives , and their children—they are made so by class legislation—as much regard for them as I have for the man who works sixteen hours a day , because they are not allowed to win an honest livelihood . ( Cheers . ) They have passed the Gagging Bill , and much good may it do them . ( A laugh . ) I told the government , and I will keep my word they may depend upon it , that if they did pass it , I
would traverse the length and breadth of the land , by day and night , and tbat my cry should be ' Down -prith the base , brutal , and bloody Whigs . ' I told them that the existence of three political parties in the state is incompatible with peace , law , and order , and told them that public opinion would compel Sir Robert Peel and Lord John Russell to unite , and then we should have only two parties in the state—the rich oppressor and the poor oppressed . ( Great cheering . ) I reminded the noble lord and his colleagues that what had produced the French _Sevolution was what they had been doing the whole session , namely , extracting taxes from the middle and working classes for idlers to live upon . I _re-Eunoeu the Prime Minister—pushed and bowled on hv those tax-deveurers who sat behind him on the
Treasury benches as he was—that this continued draw upon the pockets of the people could not be maintained ; and I asked what was the reason so great a number were starving when the land of the country was capable of supporting five times the papulation ? If I prove , then , that the land will produce enough forthe maintenance of those placed upon it by God , where is the infidel who would compel the land to be sterile ? ( Cheers . ) Why should we pay £ 10 , 000 , 000 a year to tbe shepherds while the flocks are starving ? ( Cbeers . ) Not a word has been said by the government of reducing the incomes of the idle parsons . ( Cheers . ) Why should a parson have £ 3 , 000 a year , while he allows
only - £ 120 to the joarneyman parson who saves your souls . ( A laugh . ) Your souls are all saved by - journeymen . ( Cheers . ) AU the master soul-savers go—not on the Continent now ; it is too hot for them —( a laugh)—to watering , and other places , and go to hear themselves the journeymen of other neglectful master soul-savers . ( Cheers . ) This Church Establishment cannot stand . ( Cheers . ) I say that the working classes , and the middle classes , and the Bissenters , will not allow the Church Establishment to stand . They will not allow £ 18 , 000 , 000 to be paid for the Army , Navy , and Ordnance , nor £ 4 , 000 , 000 to be expended under the bead of miscellaneous estimates , which means for the support
of idlers , lickspittles , and prostitutes , while the £ aces of old age , which I see before me , are pallid and careworn , and those of tbe young stamped with the marks of premature old age . ( ChecTS . ) It is not according to nature , reason , or humanity . ( Cheers . ) But however I have suffered in my constitution , and though I look five or six years eider than I did nine months ago , when I came before you as your earnest , honest servant—{ cheers)—I again feel the blood trows young again , Iiowever pale my face may look _^ ( Cheers . ) This atmosphere is rather more wholesome than tbat of St Stephen ' s . ( A laugh . ) I love to hear those hearty cheers , asd see those smiling countenances .
( Cheers . ) But you have no more idea of what the House of Commons is , than a cock of a holiday . ( A laugh . ) I wish you were a few nights in that gallery . ( Cheers . ) But the press never tells the real slate of the house . It did not mention that on Priday night every member of the government was hoated and groaned down . They found there were other groauers than the honourable member for Nottingham . ( Cheers . ) Never were there such volleys of groans as those the government got from those who formerly were their supporters . ( Cheers . ) The
government will soon find out . that they are in ihe wrong box . I am receiving letters every day from the shopkeepers , formerly our bitten st enemies , -who are beginning to find ont that an empty till _SJakes an ugly wife on a Sunday morning . ( Great laughter . ) These are the principles I have advocated and will advocate in spite of the Gagging Bill . ( Cheers . ) These are the principles I have advocated during an agitation of thirty-five years' duration . My resolution now is that no man shall make a fool of me , and that I will not make a fool
Fea.Rgtjs O'Connor. Esq., M.P., A.T Nott...
ofmj 6 elf ; and I think you will allow that I have shown both prudence , courage , nnd wisdom-in my eareer . ( Cheers . ) I will give them no excuse to put me on hoard the hulks , but I will confine my speeches to the House of Commons , and utter them regardless of Gagging Bills , and see if the press will report them . Lord Brougham says that any man who reports , prints , or publishes sedition , may be transported by this Bill ; but I will have a reporter of my own in the gallery , and they shall be printed
in my paper . I was told that if I went to the mealing or ? Monday , the 10 th instant , I should be shot ; hut 1 went in the foremost rank upon the car , and I was the means of preventing blood being shed that day . ( Cheers . ) But suppose I had heen shot , and the news had come down to you , what would you have done the next day ? ( An indistinct murmur arose , of which we did not catch the purport . ) That is my protection , because the government knows that if I am touched it will not be
because I shall do anything feloniously or illegally , for I always stand on the constitution of the law . But the government are they who act unconstitutionally . ( Cheers . ) Throughout the whole of my life of agitation I have never caused a drop of blood to be shed , but I am determined to go on . If the middle classes do not go on—if they : do not go for the . whole hog , bristles and all —( a la ' agh )—they will-never find me for less than the People ' s Charter , name and aU . ( A laugh . ) I shall ' call on thera to proceed . In the olden time , wheH danger was abroad , men would shrink back , but if I find them skulking , I will strut out before them . ( Cheers . ) I do not think anything short of inspi .
ration could have induced me to speak so long in the open air . You know what Mr Duncombe bas suffered from his devotion to the people , and I was attacked by just the same symptoms . But I have a good wide chest , and a good pair of bellows inside it : I shall keep a good deal in till I see how the middle classes come out . ( Cheers . ) The government , however , have met with their match in rae . ( Cheers . ) In 1845 , Mr Fox Maule told Mr Disraeli that a commission was sent down to Scotland , to see after the state of the crops , and also to report upon the state of O'Connor ' s speech . ( Cheers . ) This Gagging Bill is a trap for me ; but they will not get so old a fox inside it . The honourable gentleman
then made an attack upon the reporters , saying he had no doubt one or more were spies of government , and then continued as follows : —At a meeting at Oldham Edge , at which a quarter of a millioR were present , tha press gave us 8 , 000 , and not had either . ( Laughter . ) In fact , this is the rule I recommend . If there are thirty newspapers , wbich give different accounts , add all the numbers together , multiply them by two , and you will get about half the real total . ( Laughter . ) At that meeting a gentleman said , ' Mr O'Connor , you are Irish ; you must come back to your own eonntry . ' * Nay , ' was the reply of an old man who stood near , ' Nay , he ' s our feyther , and we canna part wi' bim . We'll lend him yer , but yo mun send him back agen . ' ( Loud laughter . ) I shall continue this agitation uutil I
have been the means of placing every man who wishes to go upon the land , in a cottage , with land to support him there the remainder of his days . ( Cheers . ) If there be then any who do not wish that , the artificial labour market being freed from the present amount of _competitien , they will receive twice the amount of nrages they now obtain . ( Cheers . ) Now , I have to address the tea meeting to-day , and therefore I will not keep you any longer , as I shall then be able to enter more minutely into detail . I have only to thank you once more for the confidence you have reposed in me in having returned me as yonr Member , and to assure you that I will not cease my exertions until the Whigs are driven from office and the People ' s Charter the law of the land . ( The Hon . Member then retired amidst loud cheers . )
Dr M'Douall and the Rev . Thaddeus O'Malley , were unanimously elected members of the forthcoming National Assembly , which is to assemble on the 1 st of May . Three times three cheers wera then given for Mr O'Connor , three for the Charter and Repeal , and three groans for the Whigs , and the meeting dispersed .
April 29, 1848 . The Northehr Star. 5
April 29 , 1848 . THE NORTHEHr STAR . 5
Grand Soiree. In The Evening A Splendid ...
GRAND SOIREE . In the evening a splendid tea party took place at the Exchange Rooms , about 700 sat down to tea . After the tables were cleared speaking commenced . Mr Mott was unanimously called to the chair . The _CHAiRMAi *; briefly stated that the Chartists had met on a previous occasion to celebrate the election of Mr O Connor , and that the present festivities were for the purpose of driving the last nail into the coffin of the base crew who had presented a petition against Mr O'Connor ' s return—a section of the most tyranical set of men that ever existed—the base , brutal , and Woody / Whigs . ( Lond cheers . ) It would not be in the power of Lord John Russell to gag them with hia Bill ; for if he ( the chairman ) _sere in the situation in which thousands were , with their wives and children crying for bread , he should think himself a wretch if he tamely submitted to be thus deprived ol the right of complaint . ( Cheers . )
Mr Robbrt 3 read the following address to Mr O'Connor . TO PEABGrs o ' COHNOB . ISQ , M . P . Sir , — -In presenting to you this address , _expreBslve of our confidence in your integrity , and our admiration for the indefatig & b ' ility with which you have pursued the political course yon advocate for the regeneration oi mankind , we cannet bnt express our sorrow that those labours and exertions have not met their just reward . V ? e , along with yon , deplore the _unconstitutional law passed by the Legislature , at the instigation of government , for the suppression of public speaking , snd , consequently , tho freedom we have hitherto peaceably exercised , of advocating our political rights—tights which are founded in justice , in accordance witb the _coBStltotion of these realms—which we advocate solely for the purpose of making better the present bad system of
legislation _. The Legislature , in passing this unconstitutional law , bave disregarded the g _.-eat principle , tbat all government is meant for the protection and happiness of all . The abuses we complain of have some of them been transmitted to ns from past generations ; and yet it has required the labour of twenty-fife _consecu _-. ive years on your part , to convince the middle and working classes that tbey are both inseparably connected with the exten . sion of the franchise—that it is to better ths condition of both , and remedy the evils tkey jointly declaim against , that yon advocate the _People '* Charter . We glory in your advocacy , and all men ought to protect and shield you from all attempts that are made to sacrifice you to despotism— -the faint _glimmmngs of light wbich were a few years ago to bs observed recalling reason from her darkness , wbich then obscured the whole political horizon , now blaze forth , equalling the majestic splendour of the sun at noon day .
We disclaim destruction of property or the sacrifice of life , and will use our united exertions to prevent both . In conclusion , we repeat onr confidence in your integrity , we promise to support you in all your political _strugjles for the redemption of man , and victory , advocated peaceably aud morally , is eertain . Mr Harbison then addressed the meeting , and informed them that he had been dead fourteen days , for thatthe _DsHBr Mercury , in reference to tbe _memorable 10 th of -April , had said that he had had a small sod thrown at him , and that he had never been heard of since . _Notwithstanding that , he had , however , been preaching liberty in Derbyshire _ev & r since . In allusion to the Chartist petition , he said tbat the introduction of obscene signatures was the work of Government ' spies' to fling tbem into a disgraceful position . The Whigs had shown themselves capable of such a trick . One circumstan . e marred the
pleasures of tke day ; and tbat was , that Mr O'Connor was so unwell , ' and looking ten years older . nan he did one year _ago ; but if he did lock ill , it waa the treatment he had met with in the house which had caused it , for it was no more like an honourable house than hell was like heaven . ( Cheers . ) He ( Mr Harrison ) had been in the Ilouse of Commons , and the conduct he had Been there would have been disgraceful to pigs . ( Cheers . ) It had been said in the Ilouse that the people would ontwine their affections around the constitution like the ivy around the _osk . The people had been trying to do this , but such was the rocky , flinty nature of the soil , that it was net possible to do it . Feargus O'Connor , in the words of the old saying , was as sound as an acorn . He waa the Irish acorn , transplanted into English soil , and he had grown up into a large and _majeitic tree , the real oak around which the people of England will entwine their affections . ( CheerB . )
Mr O'Coknob , who said , Mr Chairman —( Thundering applause . ) My friends , in confirmation of what has fallen from our veteran friend Harrison , I beg to remind yon of the words of Sheridan , when he said that the children of this _eeunlry were governed by the mammas , that the mammas were go * verned by the papas , and tbat the papas governed the country . ( Deafening cheers . ) I do not think that he was much out when be said that it was from all male attempts and support that the females ol this country would now be able to carry theCharter . ( Sheers from the females . ) My friends , it is net at all unlikely tbat if the mouth of man should be gagged , and if his tongue shonld be stilled within _biB lips , that tbe unruly _instruments of womtn , perhaps , will intimidate the _government more than tbe violent lanf uage of man . ( Tremendous cheering . ) I am also betier pleased to be surrounded by women contending for their righta than by emb ; and I never felt more proud than when the assailants of the natienal petition declared that it was signed by a great number ef women . Would , tc * God that it
Grand Soiree. In The Evening A Splendid ...
was _signed exclusively by women . But , mark the growth ef mind , and the causes which have led to this change . In ' 39 , when we contended for our po-Iitical principles , without the social principles _attached to them , it was to make woman the mistress of her own home , and the mistress of her own ca * t ! e . ( Great _cheering . ) Then the _mothera were nothing to compare with their protectors ; they were not political agitators , because they could not see ths social benefit that could , arise from it ; but now that I .: have shown that woman ib no longer to be the slave of man , and that the babe is not to be turmd frem the mother ' s breast and given to a stranger ( Cheers ); and when we see the women foremost in contending for their rights and liberties , we must
_heargthem . One veteran has told ua that he to dead , I have had the new birth unto [ righteousness . ( Thunders of app ' ause . ) Men tbat never asked of the Charter before the 10 th of April , now talk ofthe Charter , and only the Charter . ( Cheers ) Well , then , is not this something to have accomplished ; and while oar friend has told you that the middle classes must either go onward or take their rubbish out of the way ; I say I am not afraid of death , I would rather be found amongst the vanquished contending for liberty , than among the victorious who destroy it . But although the Gagging Bill has been passed . it does not apply tothe House of Commons ; and I have always told you of the value of an organ in that house . I will have a reporter to repert what I
tay in that house . I hare always told you that one man in the house is worth a legion out of it ; that the voice of honour , the love of the Charter , the indomitable adherence to the principles of liberty have gone further throughout the world than they have for centuries before . ( Great applause . ) Well , what now is the principle that should guide me in your confidence in me , and your leve towards me ; mind , when I tell you I would rather die than betray that oor . fi fence , yoa are not to look upon me as a demagogue , or trafficking politician . You are yet my disciples—you are my children—( cries of' We are , ' and cheers)—you _mustlaok upon me as one not wishing to destroy the families more dear to me tban life . Where could I find to ' ace , where
csuld I find refuge , if I disappointed tbe males , the female ? , and the childrea of thia country ? It i « not for you I feel , it is for the women , who have performed so much that tbey ought not to be worked as they have been . It is for the innocent babe condemned unconsciously to slavery . But , my friends , a new day is beaming upon us ; and if tbere is one _destription more than auother of courage and resolution , it is tbat whioh ia required by tbe general . ( Cbeers . ) How foolish would that general be who was forced by the tactics of bis opponents into tbe very position into which they had _seeked to force him . ( Cheers . ) I have my own resolution , and I have sworn to myself , before God , that you 3 hall have the Charier and the Land . ( Protracted
cheering . ) I have not joined the movement yesterday—I am not like those men who joined it on Monday and told us en Wednesday they were quite tired of agitation . My friends , if I were tired tbe cause would have been lost , but I have so organised the mind , that in a great measure must be left to me the carrying out of the principles which I have propounded . ( Great cheering . } Do you think I ara so silly , and so foolish —( ones of 'No , no' )—aa to allow recruits , to force me into collision witb an armed force ? No . You might dishonour me il I were to declare myself with enthusiasm which
would not be warranted of me _again ; but I would lose my self-respect , and if once 1 lost that , your confidence would spesdily folluw . ( Cheers . ) It does not require a man who will talk loudly , and th . n cower before the first cloud of danger . ( Cheers . ) It requires a man that will go for universal liberty . ( Hear . ) Well , now , the middle classes , to a certain extent , have joined us . But do you suppose that I am going to march ia the rear of that class ? Do you _Rupppss that I ara going to give up one bristle ef the bog ? Do you think that I am going to pander to that class ? No , my friends . ( Cheers . ) My
motto is : — OnwaTd , and we _coaqoerl Backward and we fall !
THE PEOPLE'S CHARTER AKD HO SURRENDER ( Cheers . ) Why are we in advance of all other countries ? Beeause wa have had the freedom of speech ; and by that freedom of intelligence and opinion , we have come to one unanimons resolution . It is , that the idle shepherd should not live luxuriously , while all the flook were starving . There is more than sufficient for all God ' s family . ( Great cheering . ) All that is possessed by the idle and luxurious Church belongs to the people , and that people are determined , ' Come weal , come woe , ' come Gagging Bills , or what may , their resolve is to have that property restored to its legitimate place . ( Loud and long-continued cheering . ) If the Land were locked up frora the Charter , I would not give you
that for it to-morrow . [ Here Mr O'Connor snapped his fingers . ] You muBt understand that this is a knife and fork question—that this is a question ot life and death—aa to whether a man , hia wife , aud children shall have a good breakfast , a gojd dinner , a good tea , and supper , or whether he shall be a pauper in the bastile , or a beggar at the rich man ' s door . Never lose sight of this question—that the middle classes , who have joined us in our strength _, never asked to unite with us in our weakness ; but now they ask to join us , proving that we are tbe power iR the ascendant . It required no power in persecution to place yon in tbat position . I told the shopkeepers that an empty till on Saturday night , would make an ugly wife on Sunday morning . I
told the manufacturers they would not find sale for their good * . My friends , four outof every ten shops in Nottingham , are now closed . Why ? Because the pauper is a bad customer atthe counter ofthe shopkeeper . Because the pauperis a bad customer at the counter ofthe manufacturer . ( Heir , hear . ) 1 ask no more than a ' fair day ' s wage for a fair day ' s work . ' ( Tremendous applause . ) Then I will consent to whip the wilting idler through the _streets . ( Cheers . ) I will not consent to treat with degradation the unwilling idler , who cannot obtain work , who cannot obtain labour . My friends , sympathise with those who are beaten . Do not sympathise with those who have triumphed . I have triumphed . Sympathise where sympathy is due—with the House
of Commons—with tho government . ( Cheers . ) What is the reason we have triumphed ? Because we have been on the side of liberty . Because we have been upon the side ot _justice—because we have be _.-n upon the aide of labour . ( Great applause . ] Many a thousand , many a hundred _thousaad men , who _scoffed at us , are now beginning to think thatthe People ' s Charter should be _considered . It was only ob Saturday ni ° ht last , Mr Gladstone attended a meeting , and proposed a humble and loyal address to the Queen . A _working man get up and moved , as an amendment , the People ' s Charter . ( Great cheering ) But we must not forget that when WC adopted the Charter from principle , that the principle then was the same as now . That these
persons then were amongst our greatest revilers , and yet , mark our kindness and wisdom . We are prepared to forgive , but we are not prepared for the retrogade movement . In the present state of Europe , when crowns are trembling , sceptres falling , I am not prepared to aee an aristocracy living upon tbe industry of this country . I am net prepared far the terms of ' peace , retrenchment , and reform , '' cheap bread and plenty to do . ' _^ I am not prepared to see the same amount of taxation wrung from the few who are now employed , as was wrung from the nation when it was supposed to be entirely employed . I am not prepared to acquiesce in that , and I am resolved , if I stand alone in the Ilouae of Commons , my cry shall be' for Labour , for Labour , ' -
which is the source of all wealth . I told tha Ilouse of Commons that ibe working _classea of this eountry would not be represented by soldiers , Bailors , captains , colonels , railway directors and chairmen ; by bankers , merchants , and manufacturers , idle placemen and pensioners , who aro hanging on the nation . ( Cheers . ) Mind , I do not say before you what I dare not say be / ore _tht-m . They did * ballon-, they did 'boo , ' and tbey did 'bah , ' and 'groan , ' and ' laugh ; ' but the more resolute their voices the more resolute my courage . I stood it bravely . ( Cheers . ) I waa neither unnerved nor intimidated ; and I would not be deserving of your _ce-nfidenco —and I have had many proofs of it—if I were prepared to cower before the groan of faction . This
has for me great charms . ( Cheers ) Ibis is my teaching ; that moral power 8 the deliberative quality in man ' s mind , and should that fail to secure for bim those rights to which an a man he is justly entitled , should physical force be required , it will come to hiB aid like an electric shock ; buttheman who advises it is a fool and a traitor . ( Cheers . ) To be forewarned is to be forearmed ; but aa the Gagging Bill has been passed , I would rather diei * freeman than live a slave . ( Laud cheers . ) My friends , mark me well , and take this home with you—that wherever there is physical revolution , labour will be the first to suffer . ( Hear , hear . ) But when a moral revolution takes place , labour establishes its own system out of the system that it has broken down . ( Cheers . ) Don ' t do as they have done _inPrusaia . I told yeu that the king had thrown off the Prussian plume , and that he haB taken the peacock ' s plume for a moment , to gain a larger array ;
and we now see that the King of Prussia has established a National Guard of the middle classes ; to keep down the working _classst _* . ( Hisses . ) Now labour strikes the last blow ; but as boob as tbat blow is struck , and he ia not prepared to receive it , he will be struck down . ( Cheera . ) My whole life has been devoted to the interests of labour . Not an hour , aot a minute , not an instant , do I devote to my own affairs—leaving them tochanee . ( Cheers . ) Well , then , am I to be led by every-day supporteta ? No ! Let them follow me . I will take two steps for their one , and they shall be forward . ( Cheera . ) The man who is toast forward in proclaiming his valour is tho most resolute to win . ( Cheers . ) The middle classes have joined ua now—the Irish- have fraternised with us . ( Cheers . ) But this- Gagging Bill is a violation of the Bill ef Eights .. Itis a violation of liberty —of freedom ; and wherever tyranny tries to travel upon the _gfaaada , ofi liberty—Sbe ** ty is sure to ob-
Grand Soiree. In The Evening A Splendid ...
tain its ri ghts . ( Great cheering , ) Let us «* k wnat isthe government doing ih Ireland ? Thsy afe a if lII , k nc ! l ° PP ' ° '' against the poor oppressed ; but I hava never said arm , my friends _, lhe mud is a thing that nothing ean check ; the tongue and the pen are the means of expressing that mind . ( Greateheering . ) What ! the mind of England te- be gagged ! but they cannot do it , as I told the ? i i Utel ? ,. ln ffiy Plaoe in parliament , that all the bulks of he * Majesty would not be large enough to C a V ° J j treaoilerOB 8 ministry , who now sit upon and behind the benches . I say the ministers have committed _troason against the crown—againBt the people , and against the constitution . Well , who can go further than tell tho government that they are
traitors to _tfeeirfaees _, and to repeat it to my constituents . ( Loud cheering . ) We marched throHgh thecannen , _through the soldiery , through tbe armed and unarmed , when we dispersed , showing our love of life , rather to sacrifice our life to liberty , than to sacrifice the people . ( Cheers . ) But now even _sol'iers , sailors , and policemen are inquiring what does the Chartpr mean ? ( Greateheering . ) According , to the lying press of the country , the whole of tbe Protective * , armed and unarmed , amounted to 250 , 000 _rnen . What were they to be alarmed at ? ( Loud , "'•} ., . Now > _m J friends , I have shown you tho value of . this ; to-morrow I leave vou to go to my ' cold , quiet home ; I go to receive fresh vigour—to plant beans and _ptai fpr those who never had one of their
own before . I go for the next week , tbat I may renew _f ™ th and vigour . ( Greateheering . ) My friends , 1 told them if the rain lasted ten days longer , the effect would be awful . The wheat is now rotting in the ground . I have seen it in many counties . ( Cheers . ) Canyoulongercheer—can you pay £ 30 000 , 000 for lood to foreign nations , as you did last year ? _(« No , no ; ' ) But if you had the lind , you would have more than would supply you . If the wheat rotted , the carrots would not ; if the carrots did , the turnips would not ; everything would not rot . ( Cheers . ) 1 contend that wheat is eulogised far above its worth . I contend tbat a good baefsteak with a aelvidge on it , and some
good cabbage , is better than a crust of bread . ( Cheers . ) Good God ! what can be so _btantifnS a » to tee the father going out into his own labour field to _gather vegetables . They cannot grow bread , but they oan grow vegetables . ( Great applause . ) Ibav » _struggled long , and incessantly , and honestly , I hope , tor the success of this great eause ; and ' Come weal , come woe , ' although I may be a _naartyr to the Gagging Bill , 1 will _Bmile tyranny out of countenance , and I will die aa I have lived , a pure lover ot liberty . ( The honourable gentlemen thea sat down amidst the mott deafening applause ever heard within a building . )
Mr O'Connor then proposed a vote oi thanks to Mr Mutt as a sincere ChartiBt , and aftor three cheers each for the Charter , for the voters for Mr O'Connor for the return of FroBt , Williams , and Jones , and for Mr O'Connor , and three terrible groans for the Whigs , Mr O'Connor retired . Tho reom was then cleared for dancing , whioh was kept up till late .
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Livbrpftoi,.—An Immense Meeting Took Pla...
_LiVBRPftoi ,. —An immense meeting took place on the North Shore , a little way out ef Liverpool , en Good Friday , for the election of delegates to the National Assembly . The chair was occupied by Mr Matthew Platts . — -Mr H . Smith proposed the first _re-olution . He recounted the steps taken by the Chartists daring the last few weeks , and said the government were about to give the people a bill to stop their months ; but as the people hud mouths aBd brains it waa impossible to cheek the march of intellect and the progress of knowledge . Would it _suppress the Chartists of England or the Repealers of Ireland ? ( Vehement ories of No , no . ' ) The Chartuts were about to memorialise the Queen , and to elect two properly qualified persona from Liverpool
to _represent them in the Natienal Assembly in London ; aHd in addition there would be other measures adopted , with a view to the making the _People ' s Charter the law . He eaid he _stosd before them as one of the 49 delegates now sitting in Lindon . Thia was one of very many _meetings which were taking place on that day throughout England . The people were now engaged in a tremendous struggle , and never were tho peopio of England and Ireland more thoroughly united than they were now . They had _fraternised , and every effort would be made to achieve the liberty of the working classes . He was happy to state that the proceedings in _London on the 10 vh inst ., were characterised by moral force ; for there , in spite of a base government , tbe Vhnrtiah met in
their Convention-rooms , and proceeded to Kennington Common , headed by thut noble-minded man , Mr Feargus O'Connor . The horses and the band both belonged to the people , and no money had to be paid for either . The shopkeepers cheered the populace , and hundreds of thousands met on the Common , and such a meeting had never been held in England before . The right to hold public meetings had been established in London . If , however , the _Gagging Bill passed , the rkht of public speaking would be mado a transportable tffence , and he and others would ba pounced upon by the minions of the law . Were they determined to support the National Assembly ? ( Loud cries of ' Yes , yes . ' ) He cenoluded by moving the first resolution , as follows : — ' That
this meeting views with feelings of disgust the conduct of her Majesty ' s government and the Petition Committee in their unprincipled attempts to damage the People ' s Petition ; and this meeting feel that that they have nothing to expect from a Parliament based on any other principle than universal suffrage . ' —Mr Maolean seconded the resolution , and in doing so , asked what was to he expected from a parliament which numbered 200 persons , who lived upon the honours and emoluments earned upon fields of blood ? Titles he looked upon as nicknames , and the true representatives of the people were the men of mind , intelligence , and industry . Was England to remain quiet ?—was she to lie down in her ashes when the whole continent of Europo , frora Rome to France
was successfully struggling to obtain liberty and independence ? ( ' jNo , no ! ' and cheers . ) Did they expeet any better treatment from Parliament than they had recently received ? Could they exp * et others to do their business for them if they " failed to do it themselves ? He called on them to aid the great cause of freedom by every constitutional means in their power . The resolution was put and carried amid great applause— Mr T . _Jor-es proposed the second resolution , as follows : —' That this meeting agrees to memorialise the Queen to dissolve the present Parliament , and dismiss those ministers who have si long abused the power they possess , and call to her councils such men as will make the People ' s Charter a Cabinet measure . " Would the people _Iosp if Lord John Russell got the sack ? Rather , would they not be great gainers if honest Tom Duncombe were called to her Majesty ' s Councils and installed iu
office t ( ' Hear , ' and cheers . ) Let the people give a helping hand to raise a superstructure of freedom , and to elevate the working classes to that position which God and nature intended them to occupy . Let them , like tbe receding tide , gather fresh strength at every flux and reflux , and wash away every foul and filthy corruption from the face ol the earth . —Dr Re ) _nolds seconded the resolution . He would nerer be gagged by Lord John Russell ' s bill , and ho believed that in England and Ireland the Gagging Bill would fail . ( Cheers . ) He rejoiced that he was an Irishman . The world never contained such a body of men as were now in Ireland ; and if tbe people of England turned cowards , he would go back to his own country , where there were no cowards to be found . ( Cheers . ) Several other speakers addressed the meeting and Messrs Thomas and Edmund Jones were eleoled delegatea to the National Assembly .
_GaEii Chartist Mbbtisg on _Runcorn-hili , Cheshire . — On Good-Friday iast , a Chartist meeting consisting of about three thousand persons , was held on Runcorn-hill , _Chesire . The speakers on the occasion were , Doctor Reynolds , Mr Noon , Mr Taylor , Mr Bailey , and Mr Forest , all of whom were listened to with the utmost attention , while enlargingon the merits of the Charter , and showing tho benefit * that would be derived from it . It is the first meeting of the sort that has been held in this locality ; and several of our working men weie threatened to be discharged if they would be present at it * , but these
spirited men despised the threats of their imperious masters , and swelled our number . The meeting was conducted in an orderly manner , and it was evident from the show of hands , tbe continued cheering , and waving of hats , that all of them were thorough Chartists . We are determined to hold Sunday meetings for the future ; and we wish that some able delegates should _buBentto Runcorn , for the purpose of _having us properly organised . Their coming should be announced through the Stab . Let them honour us with a visit , and I will venture to say that they will find us as determined to struggle for independence aa any other men in the nation .
Sheffield—On Sunday evening , the Council of _fee National Charter Association held a meeting in the Democratic Reading Room , 33 , Queen- street . Mr _Jaraes Senior in the ohair . Mr Councillor Briggs read from the Northern Star Mr O'Connor ' s letter to the Old Guards , which save general satisfaction . On the reotion ol Mr Cavill , seconded by Mr Briggg , the following resolution was agreed to : — 'That the best thanks of this Council be given to Mr O'Connor , f jr his manly conduct on all occasions , and more
_capeoia'ly on the 10 th of April last ; likewise we recommend to tbe consideration of the Convention , tbe propriety ( if necessary ) of postponing the meeting of the National Assembly still further , believing as we do , thai the cause will be best served by such a course , ' The latter of our Ashton friends was read , and gave the utmost _satisfaction . A pubiie meting is talked of to forward its objects . A very animated camp _meeting took plaoe on Atteroliffe Caramon , on Sunday afternoon , whioh was _adjourned to next Sunday , at the same place .
Shb _!?? iejid . —On Sunday week a samp meeting waB held on Atteroliffe Common , whan _* 20 , 000 peo » pie pledged themselves to the following resolution : — 'That this meeting views with « iBguatand eAarm , the hill brought in by Sir George IfiVey , known by the name of the ' High Treason , _oi ; _-Ghgging Bill ; ' aBd _Itbj & _msetiDg pledges itself to £ 3 _&> iiBlo its exertions
Livbrpftoi,.—An Immense Meeting Took Pla...
• or the overthrow of the said bill , likewise to make the People ' s Charter , the law ofthe land . ' —At another large and enthusiastic public meeting , held in _Paradise-tquare , on Monday week , Mr Ironside in the chair , the following- resolutions vere unanimously passed : —Moved by R . Otley , _seconded by T . Willey : — ' Thatthe people of _Sheffield , in publio meeting _assumbled , not having received any answer to their _address to the Queen , resolve to elect two members to the National Assembly ,- and inasmuch as that assembly will represent the feelings ofthe united nation , they _plcdgo themselves to be guided by its wisdom and councils , in tbe obtainment of an
act embodying the People ' s Charter . '—Moved by J . T . Grayson , _seconded by S . Jackson : — 'That Mr Councillor Thomas Briggs , of Sheffield , and Mr Thomas CIntk , of London , be and are hereby elected meabors of the National Assembly , '—Moved by G . Cavil , _s-econded by II . Tayhr : — 'That as Messrs _Pa-kfr and Ward have not _compli . d with the unanimous resolution of a late public meeting , calling on them to resign tbeir sea's , and as their eonduet is daily becoming more obnoxious to the town , they be again _requested to resign , and that Messrs Briggs and Clark , be and are hereby appointed to wait on them with this rpsolution .
Roohdalk —At a pub ' . ie _meeting held on the 17 ih , Mr Livesey in the chair resolutions were adopted denouncing tbe Gaggiag Bill , and demanding the dismissal _« _'f the Whig ministers ; declaring the union of the English and Irish democrats , and voting confidence in Mr O'Connor and the Convention .
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Radford, Nbab Nottingham.—The Chartists ...
Radford , nbab Nottingham . —The Chartists of this place have collected the sum of 10 s for our Irish friends , to be disposed of as they may think well . We think it would soon convince that sapient legislator , Sir George Grey , that wo do sympathise with chose victims of oppression and mUrule , it other localities would do the same . Nottingham . — Messrs West and Linney addressed a large publio meeting in the market pisoe _, on Thursday evening . Tho weather was very _unfavourable , the rain falling iu torrents all the time ; nevertheless the most enthusiastic _devotednesa waa exhibited for the Chatter and the Convention .
IIahlkt —A public meeting , held _. in consequence of excess of numbers in the open air , took place on Tuesday evening , when the celebrated Joseph Barker delivered a _mos '' admirable leoture . At least 5 , 000 persons were present . Bbdworth , bear Covbktbt . —At a meeting held at the Nottingham Arms , Calljcroftroad , on the 17 th , the following resolutions were adopted : — ' That this meeting views with disgust , the attempt made by the editors of the News of thr World , arid the editors of other of themetropolitan newspapers , to cast
_ odium on Mr Feargus O' & _innor _, M . P ., and the Chartist body generally , relative to the signatures attached to the National Petition ; it being the opinion ef this meeting , that the alleged fraudulent ignatures have been penned by some enemies el the Chartists . Also this meeting resolved to unite with the Chartist body to rally around the great Father ef Freedom , Feargus O'Connor , being determined not to rest satisfied until tbe Charter becomes \ iw . ' At the close ef the meeting several new members were enrolled .
_Lowhahds . —The Chartists of this place have _adopted the following _resolution : —That an arms club be formed forthwith , and a committee of five persons appointed to carry out the same . The proceedings of Monday the 16 th inst ., were highly approved of .
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Ipswich.—A Meeting Was Convened In This ...
Ipswich . —A meeting was convened in this town , by a Mr Everett , a member of the middle classes , on Thursday , April 20 th , for the purpose of considering the propriety of petitioning Parliament for an exten sion of the Franchise , so far as to give electors under the Municipal Corporation Act , a right to vote for m . exabeca of Parliament . The mom ( a large one ) was full . Mr N . Whimper , a town councillor , occupied the chair . Mr Everett strongly incited his hearers to lend their aid towards tbe _execution of his plan , as one more practical than the Charter , whioh he described as a mere theory . Mr Booley ( Chartist ) having given an elaborate reply to the remarks of Mr Everett , concluded by moving an _amendment to
the effect : — ' That the Charter being theonly means ( or the attainment of the full measure of justice to the people of this country , this meeting determine to agitate for nothing less . ' Mr M'Pherson having seconded the amendment , Mr John Cook having supported it , and Mr Everett replied to tbeir remarks , the amendment was carried amid three cheers tor the Charter , with only one dissentient . A public meetkig was held on Corfihill on Good Friday , when Mr Francis , our delegate , gave in his report from the National Convention , which was adopted , together with the memorial to the Queen , amid the acclamations of about 1000 persons . The chair was occupied by Mr Joseph Bird , and the meeting was addressed successively by Mr John Cook , Mr Rushbrook , Mr Booley , and Mr M'Pherson .
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King's Ckoss.—A Meeting Was Held At Mr J...
King ' s Ckoss . —A meeting was held at Mr John _Stowe's house , at eight o ' clock , on Monday evening , the 24 th inst-, which was addressed by Messrs Horry , Clark , Donovan and Mauder . Towbr Hamlrts . —Another monster _mfetingwas held at Bonner ' 3 Fields , on last Sunday afternoon , at three o ' clock , Messrs Ivirby , Sharp , Williams and May , addressed the assembled thousands . _toa > o _^ oa » _M-d < n w w s ! _abl a < n _?»»« « » « _Jq » _- _' !? ll S « _* 3 _JSo |» » _s-f _. _SBS _.- 5 * 2 _w o O tt _? i _< n 8 o 2 S ? 5 . _^ - _?« la _? S : « Ia . 3 _S-a H 5 ioKg 8 _? _s 2 " S 1 B . e . SB * . a W a . 3 * •¦ _Z _<*? - ' ' ' B - J- » s- En- _S - - - - " " ¦ Br 0 fr £ B I "" W _n _" 2 ::: _o : g :: g B : ; ::: : " 2 £ _*• g . •• _ 3 g g w i w 5 _e " ¦ S ; ... n ... . Z _V _> . ..... . . M ... ... e SI g . 3 5 B a S" " < w ¦ * 3 " ¦ * B 3- S to - 0 \ OO OOO © O o _< = _> _OMoOOOOOMn-4 M HMHHK H ™ H «• c * c » - » 6 i otueo _-joocnooioenw . 3 r , _" ! - _* _( _AOH © _OOff > _CJOOOOOOOo . w _WJsgKSKgSggga g _"" " sawBtJifW _^ S 2 _§^ ? H _° _^ 5 S « S : | : W » _-S _3 _fS _* r J * * _j _' _-5 SS 2 . : _|* : Sg a *« o _^ bs " * 55 2 • • * g- * . a : : \ : JJ 2 a 2 * g 2 3 I ! : f I : 3 : i : : : S So g 3 . _w : _' : _S * : ::: :: _" ¦•¦ ::: : * s V I * P 9 » ooo _» - _) ii > oh ? -j -joo > © no >© oo >© _ooP"W . C . Wants , \ , ... T . M . _Wheelee . ; _^ - _" James Guest , Treasurer , _Jfl _3 N A * J » nTT . _S-firfltnrv ——
- , --.-.. j . _Metropolitan Delegate Council . —April 24 th . — Mr Fennell in the chair . Messrs Lucas and New-Bom moved * That we recommend cur respective localiiiea to aot in conformity with the decision of the Convention respecting the meeting of tbe National Assembly . ' Amendment moved by Mr Allnutt and seconded by Mr _Coyonton i ' That we recommend the Convention to putoffthe raeetingofthe National Assembly to the 1 st of June . ' Motion carried . C . Keen , ( Pentonville ); T . Jones . ( Wallace Brigade ); presented credentials and took their seats on the Council . NotieeB of motion for nest night of meeting— ' That on our next assembling we take into consideration the subject of enrolling a National Guard . '—Brewster . ' The Council to take _jh to consideration what inttructions are necessary to the Chartists of London , in the event of the middle classes coming out with any new political project . 'W . II . Law . Subscriptions . Green Gate , 5 s 6 d ; Sir Walter Scott , 3 s Od ; Pentonville . 5 a Od ; Wallace Brigade , 5 s Od ; Limehouse , 5 s Od ; Westminster . _£ 2 _? _s 6 d ; Globe and Friends , fa Od . TotaJ £ 3 19 s Od . Adjourned to Thursday , May 4 th , at eight o'clock . —W . Tam ? , seoretary . Westminster . —Mr Vernon delivered an able lecture on Sunday last , at the Charter Coffee-house , Strutton-ground , to a numerous audience . Mr Churchill will giro a loot-ire at the above place on Sunday next . Walworth and Cambbewkll . —The following resolutiun has been adopted by the members of this locality ' . — 'Resolved , that we accord our unqualified approval of the sentiments which are contained in Mr O'Connor ' s letter , and that we are determined to adhere to the advice whioh he fo faithfully and zealously gives ; further , we entirely disapprove or the violent language used by those men who are but young ia tho cause , and earnestly advise the Via i Guards to closely observe their movements . A _Mbbxinq was _feeld on Monday evening , the
King's Ckoss.—A Meeting Was Held At Mr J...
j 24 th inst , at the North ttoad , in a plot tiB _; d , whei about S 00 to 900 persons attentively listened to a I eloquent address by Mr May , who was loudl ' cheered . Messrs Jones , _Dupgins _,. and Martin ad dressed the meeting , and Mr Harm announce that a monster meeting would be held on Sunda < afternoon , at three o ' oloek , in Bishop Bonner t fields . Tin promoters of the meeting then _retiret tothe school-room , wbere they presented Mr Ma with a neat silver snuff box , purchased by the penoi of the Chartistsof thia district , as a slight token a their regard and estimation of tbis gentleman ' s services in the advoeacy of the glorious cause of Char _tinrn . Within tbe lid is inscribed the following :-'Presented to H . Maunder May , E _.-q ., thia trivial but earnrst gift ofa few humble Chartists , in token of their regard and esteem , 24 th April , 1848 /
Wkstminsteb _LocALiir . —At a meeting of the member * Gf the abovo locality on Sunday , April 23 rd , itwas agreed : — 'That the best moans _ofas « _Bistin _^ the speedy issuing of the Democrat paper , was to take out shares ac Is . each . ' Ninety-threa shares were immediately taken . Payment of shares to commence on Sunday next , April 30 th . Public Mbktiko . —A numerous meeting was held atthe Farringdon Hall , King ' s Arms Yard , Snow Hill , on Tuesday evening , April 25 th , to furnish an opportunity for the _delegates frem the country and tbe city Chartist ? . Io fraternise with their Irish
brethren . Mr Vernon waa unanimously called to the chair . Dr M'Douall , Mr M'Crae , ( frora Dundee ) , Mr _Pasamore Edwards , aud Mr M'Grath , delivered eloquent speehes in support of the following rpsolution , which was unanimously adopted : — ' That this meeting fraternises witb its Irish brethren , and in sympathising _wi-. n them , resolves to agi ate for our common rights , and the immediate abolition of vur common wrongs . ' Mr Churchill moved tbe adoption of the memorial to tbe Queen , wbich wai sup-[ 9 -fd by Messrs M'Carthy and DancaD , aEd c rriel li animouBly .
South London . —A great publio meeting was he & on _Thursday evening , at the South London Cha _.-ti : i Hall . Mr Ttiomas Wheeler in the chair . Mr Steveneon moved the following resolution . — 'That in the opinion of tbis meeting , tbe Gagging Bill passed by the present _despotic goverdment , is an infringement of _tiio _rifiht * of British subjects , an insult to the _intelligent aud peaceably disposed working class , a disgrace to the minuter who proposed it , and to the sycophantic majority of the House of Commons who adopted it , nnd that it is the duty of all liberal minded men to unite together in opposition to its being brought into actual operation . ' Mr Vernon seconded the KBoIntion , which was ably supported by Mr J . M'Crae , Mr Candelet , Mr Cochrane , and Mr Side . The meeting separated with immense oheering for the Charier .
_Finsbubt Locality , Providence Coffee-house , St Peter ' s Terrace , Saffron-hill , April 23 rd . — Mr Cater moved , and Mr Marshall , seconded a motion recommending the Assembly to call on the country at large to abstain frnm all exeiisable articles . An amendment was moved thereto by Mr Fuzzon , seconded by Mr Sims . After a _lengtheneddiscussion between Messrs _Hopkinson , Nobbs , W . Salmon , Overton , Fennell , and the veteran _reformor , Thomas Preston , the amendment was carried . A vote of thanks to the _demonstration , committee waa carried * and the memorial to the Queen adopted . Mr Nobbs
moved , and MrT . Salmon seconded , 'That we recommend the Convention to postpone the assembling of the National Assembly to the 1 st of June . Motion carried by a large majority . Mr Nobbs moved , and Mr Bagnall seconded , ' That each new member be supplied with a copy of the People ' s Charter . ' Mr W . Salmon gave notice tbat at the next meeting be would bring the proposal of the Ashton Chartists , relative to the issuing of the _Democrat in shares , before the meeting . Several new members were enrolled , and the meeting adjourned to Sunday , Anril 30 ; h .
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Great Chartist Demonstration In Glasgow....
GREAT CHARTIST DEMONSTRATION IN GLASGOW . On Monday week a great Chartist demonstration came off on tho Green . The hour of assembling waa announced to be two o'clock p m ., but previous to that time a large number of individuals had already taken up their ground . In obedience to the proclamation of the authorities , there was no attempt at precewion _\ with the exception of a body of men from Parkhf ad and the vicinity , who came in at the east end ofthe _Gaiiowgate _, with _music playing and baaners flying . From _twa till three o'clock , the crowd on the Green received immense accessions to its num . bers . The number on the Green was calculated at 100 , 000 , A few _coastabks were drawn up on the Green , more apparently as a guard to Captain Miller than for any other purpose .
The bu 3 incas of the day commenced about threa o ' clock , by the different detachments falling in near _NehvMi ' s monument , aEd forming into line . They then marched round the Green , playing , in ranks about six men deep , displaying the flags which they wete carrying to as much advantage as possible . The inscriptions on the fogs , which might _amount to from twenty to thirty altogether , _consk-ted of such mottoes as ' The Charter and No Surrender , '' Universal Suffrage , '' We know our Rights , and we will have them / _dsc , & e . A number of tricolour flaga formed part of the display , with the werds ' Liberty , Equality , and Fraternity . ' After completing the circuit of the Green , the procession took their station , according to previous arrangement , around tha hustings , which was decorated with _fuIIJenith portraits of Feargus O'Connor and Mr Duncombe , besides a tricolour flag .
About half-past three o ' clock , the pr ncipal parties ascended the platform ; and on the motion of Mr J . Cameron , Mr James _Moir was called to the chair _, fie said he rejoiced ta see so many persons assembled together under the banner of peace , law , and order , to assert their rights as freemen . ( Cheers . ) Was he to _understand that they appeared there aa attached to the Peoples' Charter ? Were they doter . mined legally and peacefully to persevere until they obtained it ? ( ' Ye 3 , yes , ' and cheers . ) He was exceedingly delighted to hear them say so , for he had a bit of advice to give them before he stopped speaking . No doubt , that meeting would be as variously estimated aa to the numbers attending it as was the meeting in Londen on Kennington Common . He
daresay some liberal gentkman would give them the credit of having assembled there to the number of 5 , 000 ; others would go as far as 10 . 000 ; whilst he had no doubt that some would declare th ? ir numbers to be above 50 , 000 . He w _« 3 exceedingly sorry that after that demonstration had been held , the number of _persans present attached to the principles of the Charter would be just as much a matter of dispute as it was before . That woek there would b 9 two associations formed for obtaining the People's Charter , and his advice was , that instead of further wastin _? their time in assembling in that manner , which still left their numbers a matter , of dispute , they Bhould enrol themselves universally as members
sf one or other of those associations . ( Cheers . ) And let him tell the effect of it . If 50 , 000 of them appended their names to one or both of those associations , and subscribed Id eaoh , they would establish the fact , that there were 50 , 000 of the industrious people of Glasgow favourable to the People ' s Charter , and enrolled for its attainment . ( Cheers , ) But besides establishing that faot , they _wsuld leave behind _th-m the sum of £ 208 6 s Sd ; and if they oame forward to the number of 100 , 000 , they would have a sura of £ 41613 s 4 d , which would enable their Executive Committee to put a legal gentleman flfc their head , to conduct their affairs in che best manner , and that without it being felt as a burden . ( Cheer 3 . )
:: Mr D . Paul , victualler , said he was proud to see so many persons assembled on such an important occasion as this . He hoped they would all do their duty like men , men _viorthy of the great object they had in _vitw , namoly , the enfranchisement of the present united kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland . ( Cheere . ) The motion he had to propose waa as follows : — "We , the cit ' _zeni of Glasgow and tho surrounding dis . tricts , iu public meeting assembled , having experienced the ruinous tff _^ ct of class legislation on our moral and 8 nui . il position , are convinced the time is now arrived whin a great organic change must be made in the constitution of these realms ' , and _K is our decided opinion that tbe surest and best wav to effect that object will bs to continue tbe agitation for tbe principles contained in the People ' s Charter , until they _oreenaoted as the law oftho land _.
Mr Gbokgb Adams seconded the resolution , which was carried unanimously . r Mr Rohkrt _Wingatb moved the next resolution *—That we , the _cit- ' z _^ na of Glasgow and tbe surround _, ing districts , in public meeting assembled , vieiv with _rtgrot the very great amount ofpoverty _, and consequent _dUcontent _, whicb baa _M-Aated among the people of Ireland for tbe last twenty years , and la daily increasing , and wliich is principally caused by the unnsturol union forced upon them ; and we hereby _pledge _ourselvas to uso every lawful mt ana In our power to _BBsist them _« _b far as possible to obtain a Repeal ef tbe Legislative _Usiwi httween that country and GreaS Britain .
Mr _Asdbbw _Pvw an seconded the resolution . In a » ithv speech , he contrasted the condition ot Ireland before the Act of Union passed into a law with what it now was , forty-eight years afterwards , and cautioned the British government not to drive the people p & _at endurance , or they would be answerable for the _oonsequenees . The blood of a million of his countrymen lay at the hands ofa Whig government ; but the people of Ireland were now determined to get their rights peaceably , and he asked the eitiaena of _Glasgow to aid them in contending for their just demands . ' Toe resolution was carried unanimously . Mr Thomas Fhashr said he had come therefor thy purpose of proposing a resolution upon that _maat inf . _imous bill that had been brought into _theHwsa of Commons by the most infameua government thee
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Citation
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Northern Star (1837-1852), April 29, 1848, page 5, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/ns/issues/ns3_29041848/page/5/
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