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Northern Star (1837-1852), 26th May 1849, Edition 1 of 3, Page 5

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      Parliamentary Review. Chartism Is Too St...

      one bound political emancipation , and extorting en masse those suffrages which they have been asking in vain for long years , Avithout taking hsart , and endeavouring to copy the example : — " The Teriest jade -will -wince when the harness -w rings So much into her hide , as quite to -wrong her . " And perhaps , in the long run , those "who are so anxious to maintain the status quo—who think that all political-wisdom at the present moment is summed up in resistance to the popular will—may find that wisdom to be , like the _rationaMy- ' of the " Times , " opposed to the deductions drawn from "history and philosophy . "

      2 It might La-re "been supposed that , having TOted themselves a holiday on the Wednesday , the members of the House of Commons would have no objection to -work , a -whole ni ght on Thursday . Or , had the question they -were invited to consider , after disposing of Mr . _"D'Etxcourt ' s motion , been a dry or unimpor tant one , there might have been an excuse for their " counting out" That , however , was

      not the case . 3 £ r . _Slaxey rose a second time this session to call the attention of the nominal representatives of the people to the condition of the working classes , and to propose the appointment of an unpaid commission , speciallv charged to watch over their interests—to consider and report from time to time on practical measures ( unconnected with political _changes ) likely to improve their condition—to encourage their indust _ry—andincrease their confentnient .

      Surely more laudable , more desirable objects than those could not possibly have been proposed to a body professing to represent the people of Great Britain and Ireland * The necessity for such a commission , it would have been imagined , might have induced members of all parties to unite in supporting Mr . Sla-XEY * S motion . The friends of the working classes might have supported it as one mode of achieving that industrial and political emancipation to -which they look forward . The friends of the present system might also have supported it , because nothing is so dangerous

      to , and subversive of , established institutions as wide-spread poverty , misery , and discontent among the people . These arc the true revolutionisers of nations , not the " good-for-nothing people" of Lord Bkougiiaji , or the "handful of vagabonds and foreigners" according to other equall y sage authorities , Avho march into capitals , dethrone monarchies , organise armies , fight pitched battles , and achieve victories over the well-disci p lined hosts of despotism . Thisslip-slop style of denunciation and deprecation is very injurious to the partics vrhosc organs are in the habit of using it .

      It shuts the eyes of those who are disposed to take it " upon trust , " to the real dangers which menace them . It diverts their energies into wrong channels , and , at the moment when they believe they are most effectually suppressing revolutionary elements , they find themselves swept away by forces , of the existence and power of which they had not tho slightest idea . Mr . Slasey ' s exposition of the condition of the producers of wealth in this country —though cut short by the House being counted cut—was enough to make the faces of our rulers and wealthy classes blush , and their

      ears thiffle with shame . The immense resources of modern machinery , and improved _inodes of creating wealth , have been absorbed by tlie non-producers . The condition of the labourer and artisan has not improved—in many cases it has deteriorated . Increased powers of production have been followed by increased toil and diminished remuneration to the labourer . Society , under the government of "the friends of order , family , and property /

      is a huge organised system of p lunder , which denies to the great mass of the people the enjoyment of the comforts of family or the _possesion of property . "Order , " _inthevocabularv of the brigands who p lunder wholesale , ander the sanction of the laws they have made and the machinery they have constructedmeans simpl y the submission of the producers to ho plundered in peace—aud when they resist they are reduced to obedience by fire and sword .

      Twice this Session have Mr . Slane y and the working Glasses been treated to a specimen of tlie interest "which the present House of Commons takes in this most vital and paramount question . "We trust tlie fact will be remembered -whenever the next general election may take place . It _vould be well that the members of the present House of Commons , who may again solicit the suffrages of the electors , shouldhe questioned why they were ahseut . when such a question was brought forward It is time that Labour—the foundation of all wealth—should find representatives for itself , and that the present mockery should be put an did to .

      Lord _StAxuev and the Protectionists have made another strenuous effort to substitute reciprocity for Free Trade iu our shipping _relatiuns with foreign countries . Either his ' whi p " was not so good as it Avas on his first resistance to the _Navigation Bill , or some of bis supporters were disheartened at their defeat « i that occasion . Though the division was in Committee—where proxies do not count—the _Ministers had a majority of thirteen , which , villi tlie majority of fourteen peers present against theni on the second reading , counts iwcutv-seven hi their favour . The House was ,

      as formerly , Avell attended , and many of the leading members of the House sat out the debate from first to last . There was not much of novelty in the arguments on either side , though Earl Giiey threw somewhat more than his usual bitterness into his attack upon the Protectionist leader . We imag ine that this ' _¦ aestion is now settled . It is possible that al-Knttions may be made in its details , but after the two defeats the Protectionists have sustained , it is scarcely probable they can _pres ent the ultimate passing of the measure with provisions _substantiall y those introduced by the t ' _ovemment .

      The Duke of Hichmoxb last v . eck made an outcrv about agricultural distress . It is , _perhajis / raiher early , seeing that for the last two or three years the farmers have been getting hi"h prices both for corn and cattle in _eofcequence of the failure of the potatoes . I _dually , high prices are concomitant with de-¦ _feS'ait crops ' ; but that was not their case in " hi * instance , they , at least , had good crops , _aiid therefore reaped advantage in both -ways . _Jhit though the Duke may have " given mouth" _somewhat prematurely , there can be no doubt whatever that a great change

      3 before the British agriculturist . In former periods when wheat sold at a low price , it was when crops were abundant , and the low price was in some measure made up by the laautity they had to dispose of . If they lost hi one year they could reckon on making it up the next , and upon an average of seasons could Jock to a fair interest upon the capital employed in carrying on their occupations . Under tlie _' new system this will be impossible . Low prices must rule the market . As soon as the Continent gets through its present political _houhles , and settles down once more to the work of production , it will pour in a to

      couthmous supply of provisions our market In addition , the United States n , a y be expected to increase rather than diminish their " exports of food . The consequence _"" _Jst inevitabl y be , that prices will be kept Per ma nently down . _2 _fc > doubt the fanner will , to some extent , experience the results of that _Auction by a corresponding reduction in his _pky for various items of his annual _expen-^ _oire ; hut there are numerous expenses to } _fliich he is subject on which no reduction * : ! at present likely , and the probability is , _^ t the present race of farmers will be _beg-&¦ " * < _£ by the period of transition which we _•^ pass through before the coantry can fhlly

      Parliamentary Review. Chartism Is Too St...

      and completely adapt itself to the new system whichis just beginnin g its practical operation . We do not wonder at the landlords taking alarm at this prospect , and scenting what must come in the long run—a great reduction of rent . One tiling is certain , that , in order to accommodate our agricultural system to the new commercial arrangements of the Manchester School of Economists , an entire _change of that system must take place . Game Laws will have to be swept away—new modes of culture introduced—and new and more secure and independent tenures granted to all tenant farmers .

      To John O'Cosnell, M.P Twfa"?- 0 * Vaxva...

      to JOHN O ' _COSNELL , M . P twfa" ? _- * _Vaxva £ _^~^ . John O'Connell complained that in a newspaper called the Times , there had appeared what purported to be a report of the proceedings of that -House upon a former eTening , and he observed that in the report of what was set forth as his own speech on the occasion , all U 1 G " goodpoints" were omitted , and the strong arguments of his opponents were inserted ; he should , therefore , ohject to the presence of strangers , and the strangers , including the-reporters , were for thwith obliged to withdraw . —Weekly Paper . Giatiano speaks an infinite deal of nothing , more than any man in all _Venite . Ills reasons are , as two grains of wheathid in two bushels of chaff You shall seek all day ere you find them , and when you have found them they are not worth tlie search . —Merchant of Venice .

      Mr Dear Jons , —The injustice which the English have done to Ireland , through their Press , in curtailing and mutilating those models of patriotic oratory with which it lias been your wont frequentl y to edify the Imperial Parliament , and the highly characteristic retaliation which you have inflicted _tipon _ tlie offenders , have induced me to address you iu this public manner , and to offer my humble condolence to you , as a deeply injured man ! _Things have come to a " purfcy" pass indeed when the "dearest son of his mother , " and the worthy representative of tho "illustrious liberator , " ( God rest his sowl , ) is so treated by rascally Saxon Journalists ! "Sot only are your speeches abbreviated , but all the " good points " are purposely left out I "Thunder and turf ! " Sure this

      is more than flesh and blood can bear with ! enough , in fact , to provoke you to execute your threat of selfimmolation upon the floor of the " House—a threat which I have no doubt would long ere this have been carried into practice , were it not that your " hereditary disintemttdness" has suggested " that your services may yet be of use to your Heeding country J " Not only do the newspaper people leave out , intentionally , all your " good points , " but the House itself acts towards you as though it were utterly unconscious of the existence of any such quality in your speeches . 2 fo sooner do you rise and commence to pour forth your mellifluous brogue , than there immediately occurs a most determined rush of members towards the gangway , the strife among them for egress reminding the beholder of a scene at Epsom ¦

      on a JJeroy-uay , the outer door of the lobby being , to the competitors , an object of great contention—a kind of " winning post "—those members remaining behind seeming to be regarded by tlie deserters as the " distanced ones . " But what does this treatment prove , _Jonx ?—that your speeches are not worth listening to ? _"N o , John ; quite the contrary . It Li evidence strong as " holy writ" of the low grovelling taste of the Saxon members—the dogs!—since they have no appetite for the sublime and beautiful . What do they know about oratory ? —they have never graduated at Burgh Q _. uay ! Talking of Burgh Quay , John , the emotion which the mention of that hallowed place excites in me at this moment—but , tfeen , it is all over!—I have applied the lappel of my coat to my optics and nasal organ , ( you can imagine how they have been affected , ) and will face the subject like a man .

      The reminiscences which aro associated with the history of that now defunct establishment—how they crowd upon my memory ! The rents that have been received there—the reputations that have been slaughtered—the promises that have been made , and the coats that have been therein turned , all go to prove the ability with which the affair was conducted . God be with q \ jW Vvmcs , John , when at the " Loyal _National Burgh Quay , " you found an auditory -who were capable of appreciating real eloquence , and who , consequently , got speeches galore . It was not the dirty parliament you were talking to ther , John , but to men of '• " illigant " taste , as numberless noggins of buttermilk , at present not extant , could have amply testified . Those were the days when the Press _o'f Ireland , at leastdid

      , you justice . Some people say , but I don ' t believe them , that certain Irish editors were joint proprietors in the " brass" by which the "tin" was attracted to your mock senate , and which enabled you and them to do so _mtteh for your country , and so little for yourselves . At all events , of the utter unselfishness of all bearing your revered name there can be no question . I was in the gallery of the House of Commons on Friday evening , when you enforced the rule for the exclusion of strangers , and heard the derisive laughter with which the stupid Saxon members treated you for your worthy and heroic conduct . "But , " thought J , ' " he -will yet be able to take ample vengeance upon them for that laugh of scorn * " I communicated the thought to a friend who was at my side , who asked me , " What I

      supposed you would do ? ' "Wh y , replied I , "he will give _notice of motion upon some Irish question , perhaps the ' godless colleges / and will make a speech of two hours upon its introduction !" " True , " said my friend , " he can punish them that way , and if he does I shall pity them . " i'he _Times , being the newspaper against which you have directed your complaint more especially , has had the conscience to require of you to speak " common sense , " as a condition to tlie . publication of your speeches at length in that paper ! Was there ever before such a monstrous absurdity put forth , even by a Saxon editor ? " Wanting—an Irish M . P . to utter ' common sense V " And , as if to cap the climax , and to make the fellow ' s absurdity more complete , this conscionable overture is mixta to the member for _fhn " Citv of the violated

      treaty , who , of all other Irish members , is the one who would scorn compliance with such a demand ! Is not this very requirement an additional reason for a repeal of the union ? Requiring " common sense" from you , dear John , —and this is called " Justice to Ireland I" Is not such conduct on the part of the Times , proof that we Irishmen will never get "justice" from England—no , not even an "instalment" of that "justice , " the obtninment of which was the main object to which your lamented papa devoted his useful public life ' If the shades of the departed dead could look down from above , and exercise any influence over us poor mortals "here below , " that of your departed sire would , I am sure , be found hovering over Printing house-square ; and if it were permitted them to assume the shapes they graced when upon earth , would not the Editor of the Times he honoured with

      the apparition of the "Liberator , in his favourite and formidable attitude as a Tribune of the people _, with the tip of his thumb p laced " significantly " upon the most prominent point of his proboscis , and his four fingers pointing to the skies I Such a visitation as this at the hour of midni ght , would not only bring the offending' Editor to his senses , but would furnish some future Irish Shakspcre with excellent material for a Milesian tragedy ; and you , sir , if not exactly a suitable "Hamlet , " would make a most proper " Grave-digger , " especially as you arc already provided with divers yests , to wit : that of the ' 82 club , and the one in which yougood , loyal Irishman—appeared last Saturday at the Royal levec . And then how suitable the character of _grave-diwer , at this time , in the present

      state of your "beloved Erin , " for which yourself and your venerable dad , Dan , have suffered so much ! And then , should vou drop across a skull—say of Emmctt , or Fitzgerald , or that of any * ' miscreant rebel of 'OS , " what reflections would it not suggest to you , good , loyal John ! But there—I will not _sav more at present : I might say much more , but I refrain lest you should think me intrusive , and turn a deaf ear to my consoling voice . Should the Saxon dogs again speak slightingly of your eloquence , I would recommend you to follow the example of the famous Athenian orator , who , placing pebbles hi his mouth , harangued the angry waves ; and you will have this advantage over the Athenian , that the waters that surround the " Emerald Isle " are not angrv , but green 1 I am , my dear Jons , your Countryman , Hibbrxicus .

      Reporting Alone Costs Each Paper From £0...

      Reporting alone costs each paper from £ 00 to £ 100 a _wecE ; and it is much doubted whether such expense and such space are at all repaid by the interest which the public take in reading these debates at length . —Daily Sews . UxivjmsiTV Coixege , _LoxDox . —At a recent session of the Council the following legacies were announced : —For the College , £ 100 , duty free , by Mr . Thomas Dyson , of Piss , " " Norfolk ; for the hospital , £ 500 , by * Mrs . Kennedy , of Pennsylvania , near Exeter ; £ 250 , by Mr . Charles Filicia , of Park crescent ; and £ 500 , by Mr . John Curties ,

      ofPevonshire-place . Mr . Dyson ' s legacy has been paid by his executor , Mr . Thomas Lombe Taylor . The £ 300 bequeathed by Dr . Fellowcs , "to be added to the permanent endowment of the hospital , " has also been lately paid without deduction of duty . Thomas _Sijscsbt Duncombe _, Esq . —We are happy to announce that Mr . Dunconibe took bis seat in the House on Thursday evening , shortly after Mr . Berkeley had commenced his speech on the ballot . The hon . representative for Finsbury , who has not been in the House since the swearing in of the new parliament , appeared in excellent spirits , thouffh he bore about him the traces of ill-health , and coug hed a little . Hewas shaken most cordially by the band by several members , —Sun ,

      Letters To The Working Cusses. Xlv. " Wo...

      LETTERS TO THE WORKING CUSSES . XLV . " Words are things , and a small drop of ink Falling—like dew—upon a thought , produces That which makes thousands , perhaps millions , think . " _BYHO . V . PATRICIAN RULE AND PLEBEIAN

      SUFFERING . THE FRENCH ELECTIONS . Brother Peoletarians , In the name of Humanity , what is to be done for the unhappy People of Ireland ? How long do our rulers mean to stand by unmoved , while thousands and tens of thousands are perishing of hunger ? How much longer do you intend to allow those rulers to continue in their present state of criminal apathy ?

      I may be told that I libel the Government and Parliament , in charging them with criminal apathy and heartless indifference to the sufferings of the Irish people . I may be told , that the Rate in Aid Bill of the present Ministry , the sums of Money voted by Parliament , and the speeches of " honourable Members , " all testify to the sympathy and . earnest benevolence of our rulers ; that they do all they can do , and , that if in spite of their sympathy and benevolence the Irish are , nevertheless , perishing of hunger , it is because it is not in the power ol mortal men to successfully struggle against the terrible dispensations of Divine Providence .

      Sham and subterfuge , mockery and lies . The Irish famine is not " a dispensation of Divine Providence ; ' but is—as every being possessing common sense well knows—the natural consequence of land-lord usurpation , and British injustice . Ministers and Members of Parliament have not done all they might have done to have stayed the progress of the famine ; and they have done nothing—positively nothing—towards laying the foundation of a new * and ri ghteous order of things , For all that the speechifiers and law makers havo done , or are likely to do , the Irish peasantry may perish to the last man , and the country become a -wilderness untrodden b y human beings .

      Read—and shudder , as you must , while you read—the horrible revelations from Ireland in this number of the " Star . " Read the Ballinrohc Protestant Rector ' s account of the starving man turned Cannibal , feasting himself and family upon tho heart and liver of a ship wrecked human body ! Read of other horrors almost as frightful ; and then read the Mowing addressed to the " Freeman ' s Journal : — A famine of four long years and the agonies ef hunger , unprecedented in theauualsof our Irish history , together with fevers , dysenteries , swellings , cold , and nakedness , and , to crown the climax of our misfortune , a raging cholera or plague has set in for the last fortnight . The

      people are withering with fear and'd ying in multitudes . Deaths numerous , hut coffins few — buried without coffins in dykes and ditches , and many—many disfigured and destroyed by rats . In this doomed and mountainous parish ( Partree ) upwards of 1 , 1100 of God's creatures feU _rietims to this devouring famine—more than 700 families arc wan . dering without a . house to put their heads into . They are seeking shelter in dikes and ditches . This is the effect of the Gregory clause . Five years ago there were 1 , 500 cluldven attending the several schools in my parish ; now there are not ten children . Where are they gone to ? Famine and eternity can tell . For the last week 1 witnessed many a disconsolate heart . At Bornahowna , Peter _l'lnnngan , wife , his two daughters , and two granddaughters , died witliin one hour of each other . A poor sight—four corpses leaving one house together ! At Gortmora , ahout the hour ot midnight , there were seven corpses in the same

      house . There is waUing and crying almost in every house . AtBanyhamme , "William Walsh and his son were found dead , entwined in each other ' s arms and both licaily eaten hy rats . Martin Walsh , in the same village , _together with his father and mother , were also found _deud . Anthony Derrig , in the next field , dead under scraws . At _Drimegg-y I foundJIartin Walsh and his wife dead in a sawpit , and near to the place his little child drowned in a stream in the same village , hut now there are uo village ? . Pat . Shauglmessy's two daughters , his mother , aud his wife , were found in a hut dead together . There are many similar and equally distressing cases . They are now complaining hefore their God . On whom will we call—to _w horn will we make our sad complaints ? Our gardens arc turned into graves—our fields strewed with tlie sick and with the dyiii _£ —our homes mouldering in dark ruins—our people naked , shivering , wandering , and craving for a grain of meal or crust of bread .

      Yon have often heard of the " reign of terror , " but did ever the wildest excesses of popular vengeance create any such misery , anything approaching to such horrors as are indicated in the above appaling statement ? Yet where are the lightnings and thunders of the Press-gang , so readily launched whenever the people have recourse to " the wild justice of revenge ?" Alas ! my friends , those lightnings and thunders though often hurled against you , are never employed for you , or for your order , your interests , your rights , or your friends , by the Press of this country . When Latour , the Austrian traitor , " —perishM by the justest doom , That ever the destroyer yet destroy'd ,

      and again , whenRossi , the arch-intriguer , hit the dust ,

      " Amidst the roar of liberated Rome , " there was hardly any termination to the sympathetic howlings of the English Press-gang . But these precious moralists have no bowels of compassion for the victims of privileged assassins—assassins who have not the mercy to slay with the sword or poniard , but who condemn their victims to the lingering tortures of death by famine . Oh ! unhappy people of Ireland , how much less heart-rending would be your doom would your lords and masters onl y deign to shorten your sufferings hy the speedy execution of the sabre , the cannon-shot , and the rifle-ball .

      "What has become of our great regenerator , Peel ? Where are his healing measures ? Tell ine not that hois out of office , that hois powerless . Were he an honest man , and a statesman worthy of the name , he would never rest until he had forced upon Parliament the adoption of measures calculated to put an end to the horrors above detailed . Rut suffering is not confined to , the people of Ireland . On Tuesday evening last , Mr . _Siase y brought , or , rather , attempted to bring , under the notice of the House of Commons the condition of the working classes of this Island , in support of a motion for " the appointment of a Standing Committee or

      unpaid Commission , to consider and report , from time to time , on practical measures ( unconnected with political changes ) likely to improve the condition of the working classes , to encourage their industry , and increase their contentment . " The motion was moderate enough in all conscience . But then "he wished to show the House that whilst the rich and middle classes of this country had been going on improving , tho condition of the humbler and most numerous orders of the population had undergone no corresponding amelioration . " Mr . Slaney was proceeding to develope the facts on which he founded his motion—facts illustrative of the miserable

      condition of large masses of the industrious classes —when he was suddenly interrupted by " an Honourable Member , " who moved that the House be counted . The counting took place , and of six hundred and fifty-six members it was found that only thirty-four were present . The House was thereupon adjourned till Thursday . Now , observe that the House was not so thinly attended at the commencement of the evening ' s sitting—on the contrary , there was at one time at least two hundred and fiftyseven Members present . That was when that

      precious " Protectionist , " and " friend of the British labourer , '' the Marquis of Gkanby , moved that the House adjourn , at its rising , from Tuesday till Thursday , to allow the members to attend Epsom races on Wednesday . One hundred and thirty-eight members voted for the motion , and one hundred and nineteen against it ; m ajority for going to the races , andleavingthe English to suffer and grumble , and the Irish to starve and perish - ¦ nineteen " The announcement of the result was received with loud cheering !!! " The _^ allimportant question ot the "Derby-day having been disposed of , mostof ttie " honour-

      Letters To The Working Cusses. Xlv. " Wo...

      able members" bolted . Still there remained eighty-seven members to voce on that sham D'Eyncotjrt _' s sham motion for sham reform . But of these eighty-seven hard-worhinq mem bers , fifty-throe ran away the moment Mi _\ Slanev attempted to bring the condition of the working classes under their consideration . It wa » not likely that " hon . gentlemen" could allow themselves to be bored with statistics of the condition of tailors arid tinkers , weavers and labourers ? The clubs , tho theatres , the opera , and the forthcoming

      races presented attractions not to be thrown away for the sake of "greasy rogues" of artisans , who , if they are starving , are hut fulfilling their destiny . They " are " surplus , " and there being no room for them at Nature's board , it is their proper duty to hunger , pine , and die ! Such is the comfortable creed of your rulers and lawmakers . The fate of Mr . _Slatsey's motion , is another lesson for you that no good thing can come out of that political Nazareth—the House of Commons , as at present constituted .

      The French Elections have terminated inall things considered—a glorious victory for Democracy . The accurate final returns have not yet reached this country , hut it is certain that from two hundred to two hundred and fifty Socialist-Democrats have been elected to the New Assembl y . The party of the Mountain is quadrupled ! It is true that the intriguers , reactionnaircs , andKoyalist conspirators will be in the ascendant in the new Assembly , and , if united , will have a large majority . But that union is not very probable , and , under any circumstances , cannot be _lastinsr .

      Oil tho Other hand , the union of the Mountain phalanx is well assured ; the growing public opinion on their side is also assured ; and last , not least , the Army is rapidly hecoroing Red Republican . Indeed there is no longer a doubt that , in the event of a physical force struggle between the friends and the enemies of the Republic , the soldiers would join the former against the latter . The enemies of Democracy havo hitherto calculated on the Army , to subserve their impious designs against the Republic , but the electoral urn had made manifest the foll y of that calculation . -

      Amongst the traitors , trimmers , and sham Republicans who have been ejected from the National Representation are _Maubasi and Lamartine . Every true democrat , every honest man , will exult over the fall of these two men—the two worst enemies of the Republic . The War of Principles is extending . Bologna and Leghorn have been added to the number of martyred cities for which a terrible

      reckoning must and will be enforced . Rome still holds her own and defies her banded assailants . It is asserted that the Hungarians have already beaten the Russians and carried the war into Poland . The Republican insurrection is gaining ground in Germany . 'Ere long the French Democrats will measure weapons with the slaves of the Tsar on German soil ; and " France will break the sword of war in the breast of the last of the Kings 1 " L'AMI DU PEUPLE . May 24 1849 .

      Public Meeting. Parliamentary And Financ...

      PUBLIC MEETING . parliamentary and financial REFORM . The first public meeting called by tho Council of the Financial Reform Association was held on Tues . day , at the London Tavern . The meeting was convened for one o clock ; but long before that hour the large room of the tavern was densely crowded , as also was tlie gallery . On the platform we noticed Arthur Anderson , Esq ., JI . 1 \ ; It . 13 . Osborne , Esq ., M . P . ; J . Williams , Esq ., M . P . J . Wvld , Esq ., M . P . ; B . M . \ _yihcox , Esq ., M . P . ; Colonel Thompson , M . P . ; L . Heyworth _, Esq ., M . P . ; George Thompson , Esq ., M . P ., and others .

      The chair was taken by Sir Joshua Walmsley , M . P ., who briefly opened the meeting , and called upon the honorary secretary to read the report . Mr . II . T . Atkinson then read the report , which stated that— " The council , upon mature consideration , have decided upon advocating such an extension of the franchise , as will give to every maleoccupicr of a tenement , or any portion of a tenement , the right to be registered as an elector ; the only condition coupled with that right hcing , not the payment of rates , hut the fact of being rated , or having claimed to be rated for the relief of tho poor in rospoet of the qualifying premises . The effect of such a measure in strengthening the popular voice in the House of Commons

      may be inferred from the fact that the present constituency of the United Kingdom would be increased by the addition of upwards of 3 , 500 , 000 voters . The council seek to invest this extended right of voting with the shelter of the ballot ; and , in order to keep actively alive that sense of responsibility , which , in the public business of the nation as in the private affairs of life , secures tho faithful exorcise of a power held in trust , they advocate the return to the old constitutional system of Triennial Parliaments ; while another and not less important change sought for in our representative system will be that which will give a more equal apportionment

      of members to constituents . District and periodical aggregate public meetings will be held , tracts will be distributed , aid will be imparted to the various metropolitan registration societies now in existence , for watching over the interests of liberal voters , and important facilities will be offered for the acquisition of freehold qualifications in the surrounding counties . " Tho . CiiAiRMAN said that meeting was an answer to the taunts which h ; id been thrown out , that the middle classes of the city of London did not sympathise with tlie movement for tho extension of the suffrage . There were those amongst them —and he hesitated not to declare himself one—who

      looked even beyond the principles contained m the report . ( Loud and protracted cheering :. ) They had , however , adopted what they considered the best means of carrying out tho great object they had in view ; namely , the greatest extension of the suffrage . The hon . gentleman , after stating that each speaker would be limited to twenty minutes in his address , called upon Mr . It . Taylor , who moved the first resolution : — " That , in the present contest between the advocates of a searching reform in the national finances

      and the parliamentary representation , on the one hand , and the upholders of a system which favours the few at the expense of the millions , on the other , it is important to strengthen and g ive effect to public opinion through the medium of an organised body , uniting reformers of all grades ; and that tho establishment of the Metropolitan Financial and Parliamentary Reform Association __ is , therefore , a matter not only of expediency , but likewise of paramount necessity . " Mr . TV . J . Hall seconded tlie motion .

      Mr . Elliott , who stated that he was a working man , then came forward on the platform , to move an amendment , namely , " That the association be called the Metropolitan Parliamentary and Financial Reform Association . " He strongly advocated the adoption of Universal Suffrage . Mr . Osbokxe , M . P ., said he could have no hesitation in seconding such an amendment as that which had'been proposed , and in doing so ha could not but exclaim" Strange that such difference should be ,

      _"Iwixt tweedledum and twcedledee . " ( Laughter . ) He ( Mr . Osborne ) could not forget that the last time he sat in that room was to canvass the electors of Middlesex , and if he had not been so much amongst them as probably they had aright to expect , it was for the reason given by the mover of the amendment , that he was essentiall y a working man ; and though he did not work by day , he attended to their interests by night , and ho could add that he had not yet acquired that art of political legerdemain by which a man was said to modif y his opinion . He had not modified the opinions upon which he had been returned to parliament ; and , from all he had seen of the constitution Of that House , he was not likely to modify them while he had a seat there . He grieved to say that there was a lamentable want of feeling on the subiect of

      reform in that House of which he was a member . It would hardly bo believed , that in the nineteenth century there was no such thing as a popular party existing in the House of Commons . There were certainly true and good men in that House , but he frieved to say that among them sickness and disease ad been busy . The great patriarch of reform , Mr . Hume —( cheers )—he was sorry to say , was grievously ill ; the two members for Finsbury , those honest and independent men , were not able to take their _isats ; and the hon . baronet , the member _ft-r Marylebonc , ho understood , was also ill . There was great apath y and distrust among Reformers themselves , and he repeated again , that at the present time there was no popular party , no leader , and no popular principles will be expounded in the House of Commons . ( Hear , hear , and cheers . ) He who

      Public Meeting. Parliamentary And Financ...

      was behind the scenes knew that there was great difficulty on any occasion in scraping together members who had been returned on what were called Liberal principles , and he did not not hesitate to say , that many of the cightv members who voted with Mr . Cobden , if they had thought that the vote which they were giving would have turned out the government , would havo stayed away rather than havo voted at all . ( Hear , hear . ) Therefore , he said they should never rest satisfied—that those members never would do their , duty until they had applied to them that gentle pressure from without which had not only influenced indvvidufil members , but even ministers iu this country . The want of a popular party in this country was mainly

      owing to the conduct of her Majesty s present Ministry , for that government which had climbed to power on the shoulders of Mr . Cobden and Mr . Bright were the first to throw cold water on those men , and to make tho Cabinet the prerogative of the oligarchy which rule this country . ( Cheers . ) He hail great respect for men iu high stations when they exhibited ability and principle , hut he could not see wh y they , the middle classes , could see no wisdom except in a lord ( cheers ) , and no probity except in estatcd gentlemen . He thought the tendency was to make the House of Commons a great burrow for titled rabbits . ( Cheers and laughter . ) The House of Commons was inconsequence nothing better than a taxing machine , by

      which a minister was enabled to raise a greater amount of taxes than ever was imposed by the most despotic monarch of any period . What was the conduct of the "Whigs in 1 S 30 , and what was their conduct in 1848 ? The two periods were very similar , and each year had produced a revolution in France . In 1830 the Duke of Wellington ' s Ministry was turned out on a Whi g motion for Financial Reform ; and it was well worth while to ask what had been the experience of the last nineteen years with regard to public economy . In 1830 the public expenditure was £ 54 , 000 , 000 . But there was a surplus of £ 1 , 711 , 000 . Let them mark that 1 In 1848 the public expenditure amounted to £ 5 S , 000 , 000- _^ _- ( shame , ) and tho excess of expenditure over revenue

      —spenuuig more tnaii they got—was £ y , uuu , ouu . ( Shame . ) Yet the interest of the debt had been reduced in the mean time . , What else had they got ? An income-tax ofJE 5 , 000 , 000 , which had been laid on on false pretences —( laughter , and hear , hear ) ,- —for they were told at first that it would only be imposed for three years . ( Hear , hear , hear . ) But the tax was opposed by the present government , —( hear ) , — yet when they came into ofhec they turned round , and coolly prepared to increase the tax to £ 5 per cent . last year —( laughter );—and if the people had not , on putting their hands into their pockets , and finding a deficit , instructed their members to speak out , they would have had an increase of the income tax . In 1830 the estimate for the army and navy , ordnance and miscellaneous , which nobody could

      explain , and nobody get at — ( laughter ) , — was £ 17 , 500 , 000 . ( Hear . ) Those estimates , however , included agate at Buckingham Palace , £ 80 , 000 , and £ 000 for taking a bishop to Jamaica . It was a gross delusion to tell the public that their representatives in the House of Commons were able to control the public purse under the present system . In 1830 , when the Whigs came in , of course they thought they must do something , and they reduced the item of tho expenditure to which he had referred to £ 14 , 000 , 000 , taking- off upwards of £ 5 , 000 , 000 . But what was it last year ? Why , they would scarcely belivc that it had increased £ 9 , 000 , 000 —( shame , shame ) , —and the present estimate was £ 23 , 315 , 852 . ( Shame . ) But the government said " We are retrenching now , "

      and they began by reducing the number ot poor clerks , who had , perhaps , wires and families—they caught the small tlies and allowed the leviathans to break through . They had saved a few thousands by reducin g the number of clerks ; but if they were sincere in what they did , they must begin at theheads of the departments . Then , with respect to their diplomatic expenses , it was enormous , but no one had a chance of being employed in the service unless he wore connected with the Lord Tom Noddy family —( laughter )—no man whose name was cither Smith , Jenkins , or who possessed the patronymic of Buggins . ( Laughter . ) It would bo . next to impossible to send a man with such a name to a foreign court . The diplomatic establishment costs £ 1 S 0 , 000 ; and what did they get ? Tho work could be done

      for much less . ( Hear , hear . ) For upwards of a year they had had no ambassador at Madrid , who had received £ 0 , 500 a year . He was a very amiable man but he was withdrawn ; and it was notorious that their affairs were going on there much better because they had no diplomatic interference , and saved at the same time £ 0 , 500—( cheers ) , —hut if they must have ambassadors let the Smiths , the Jenkinses , and tlie Bugginses have a chance now—they , he thought , would be satisfied to do the work for £ 1 , 000 a year ! ( Hear , hear . ) The Prime Minister might come down to the House and say he had reduced the number of the IIovso Guiwds , saying , " See what I have done—I have taken off some of the dead weights . " Why , the Horse Guards cost

      £ 190 , 000 . Tho present commandor-in-ehiet received £ 3 , 700 a year , with perquisites , whilst Lord Amherst , when commander-in-chief , received only £ 1 , 000 . ( Hear , hear . ) And with respect to the perquisites , they were as much looked after as a cook looked after the perquisites she possessed in the suet .- ( Laughter . ) " 'i'is from high life high characters are drawn—A saint in crape is twice a saint in lawn . " The honourable gentleman concluded by urging the necessity of the middle and working classes possessing themselves of forty-shilling county franchises by the means proposed by the council . Mr . Thomas Clark said : Sir , as the resolution now before us is an invitation to all classes of

      Reformers to co opcrato with the promoters of this meeting , in carrying out the objects of the association over which you preside , and , as I have the honour of being a Chartist myself —( cheers)—and of belonging to tlie Chartist party—( loud cheers)—than whom no body of men have , by priority at least , so much right to be heard upon this question of the suffrage . ( Hear , and cheers . ) I am anxious to oiler a few observations , not only upon the resolution itself , but also upon what has fallen from the preceding speakers . The Chairman , in opening the business of the meeting , seemed to me to have

      had some dread of opposition and therefore ventured upon a caution , bidding you to bo aware of the influence of " Tory gold , " which , as he said , had . been employed in causing divisions at other great meetings in different parts of the country . He appeared to me to have insinuated this remark against the Chartists , owing to the opposition which they at one time offered to the Anti-Corn-Law League , when the same unfounded charge was made against them . ( Hear , hear . ) But , Sir , my objict in speaking here , is not to foment disunion nor to create derision . ( Cheevs ) I therefore _repudiate the insinuation of the Chairman .

      Sir , Joshua Walmsley here rose and protested to the meeting that the speaker was quite mistaken . He did not mean the Chartists—he _repeated _th--t he did not . This announcement was received with loud cheers . Mr . Clark continued : 1 am now perfectly satisfied , the Chairman having assured the meeting that lie did not mean the Chartists . ( Cheers . ) I would have been much better satisfied with the objects ef the association , had the suffrage been set forth therein as a right to which all men are entitled , and wholly untrammelled with rate-paying _qualifications . i , Cheers . ) Still , I cannot deny that the enfranchisement of three millions and a half of the people is a most material consideration , and whilst I uphold the

      right of suffrage to man , not as a registered ratepayer , hut as MAN , I am not disposed to quarrel with those reformers who are not prepared to go the entire length with me . ( Great cheering . ) I do not only not think it advisable to stop upon the way to quarrel with them , but , on the contrary , I wish them success . ( Loud cheers . ) I wish it , however , to _ba most clearly understood , that myself and those with whom Ih ive the honour to be allied , will never cease t'i struggle until all are admitted within the pale of the constitution . ( Loud cheers . ) And it is hecause I think this association will accelerate that grand and paramount object that I wish it God speed . ( Cheers . ) The report which has been _read by tlie honorary secretary sets forth that the

      mam intent of this association is to abolish class legislation . ( Hear , hear . ) But , gentlemen , whatever the intent , that object can never be realised so long as y ; u permit the _present propertied qualification for senators to remain in force . ( Hear , hear , and loud ch ? ers . ) The rules of this association will remain radically defective until the abolition of " Property Qualification" shall have made one of them . ( Hear , hear . ) We of the labouring classes have as much objection to being excluded from the House of Commons as from tlie political franchise . ( Cheers ) Surely the toiler is as fit to make laws for _thisgreat industrial community as the idler ! ( Loud cheers ) The industrious only can legis l ate honestly for industry ! ( Hear , hear . ) We have been informed to-day ,-how advisable it is that the middle and working classes should n » t quarrel , aud their past differences have been lamemed . But , Sir , what have we learned from the facts so eloquently

      set forth by the honourable member for Middlesex ? Why that the Reformed parliament , which has been in a great measure the representative of the middle classes , has been more extravagant in expenditure of the public money , and more tyrannical in its conduct generally , than were the _o'd boroughmongering pa- _liaments , and that Russell , tbe pet of the middle _clasies , has b en a greater spendthrift than Wellington . ' ( Hear , and loud cheers . ) Will not the evidence of the honomable member for Middle-Bex , as to the conduct of the reformed parliament , furnish some reason for the feelings which the working classes have hitherto entertained towards the middle classes ? ( Hear , hear . ) The middle classes have been known to the working men only through the perfidy and tyranny of tlie representatives of the former in the House of Commons , and therefore , I repeat that the feelings of the working classes have not been ground ' _ess . ( Cheers . ) I do not however _mention these things in a spirit of

      Public Meeting. Parliamentary And Financ...

      angry Vindictiveness or for recriminator ; - purposes —( _lihoers)—but simply as a defence for my own order , and as preparatory to a betcer understanding in the future ( Loud cheers . ) I will , however , add , that it anything could tend to keep alive tho doubts ol tlie working classes as to the _desisns of the middle classes , H is such conduct as was _pursued the orher evening in the House of Commons , hy uiauv oi tho most lnflueiitial of the liberal membvrs , on " the motion ot Mr . Diummond , for an inquiry into the sys _* tern and apphca _' _i-m of our enormous taxation . ( Hear , and cheers . ) I confess , that I was not _onlr surprised , but I was much disappointed to find as . ' Tellers " for the government , for in that instance

      such they were in ifleet , the names of Mr . Cobden , aud Alilncr Gibson . ( Hear , hear , and ' ' Shame . " ) I am aware that there were some things said by Mr . Drummond , with which 1 would not identif y myself , but yet he said many good things , and , as Air Gibson himself said , the motion of Mr . Dnniinioud was quite '' unexceptional . " Why not , Ih ' . refore , take the motion upon its own intrinsic merits , and not taUc vengeance upon the motion instead of tho proposer ? ( Hear , and cheers . ) This , too , hringi me to what . has already been said by the honourable- member for Middlesex , who , in the course of his able speech , pointed out the little union there is at pre * s nt among the friends of the people in the House . 1 hare no doubt but t e honourable gentleman spoke

      feelingly—spoke from experience , when he deplored the want of cordial understanding that existed amongst the few men in Parliament who arc , one _« ay or other , identified with the cause of progress . .. As in the case of Mr . Drummond , it appears to me that there is a childish jealousy as to who shall do the peop _' e any service , —( hear)—and , therefore , one will not unite to hel p the other . ( Hear , and chetrs . ) Now , sir , upon this platform at the present moment there arc six members of the House , including yourself , ' « _'l of whom profess liberal opinions , aud I put it to the meeting , whether this recommendation iVoin them to us to unite with each other , w uld not appear more consistent and have greater weight with us if

      they would themselves set the example of _utiiuit by acting together upon all occasions iu parliament , and opposing every government , no matter whether Whig or Tory , in every instance , when th ? . interests of the people require such opposition . ( Cheers ) The enemies of the people iu the House aro strong through their union , and so would our friends also be strong were they equally united . Mr . Clark concluded amidst loud cheering . Mr . Joseph Stubgb regretted that physical force princi ples had too often been associated with the name of Chartism . _Xo doubt many who had professed Chartism bad been guilty of violence ; but as well might they charge Christianity with the evils

      of the Established Church , or the horrors of the Inquisition , as to condemn Chartism because some of its supporters were mad enough to resort to physical forc % ( Hear , hear . ) Chartism was founded on Christian principles , and all that was wanted to secure its success was a . revival of the motto of " Measures , not men . " . So soon as good and honest men _Avcre found to carry thorn out , Chartist principles would assuredly triumph . ( Hear , hear . ) Mr . _PniLLiMORE remarked that the object of the association was to obtain the suffrage for no less that 3 , 712 , 070 of the people , and surely such ' a boon was worth struggling for without objecting that it did not go far enough .

      The Ciiaikmax then intimated that the amendment proposed to the resolotion was of so trivial a nature , that it had been determined to embod y it in the resolution itself . The resolution having been accordingly amended , it was put from the chair and carried unanimously . Mr . William Williams , the late member for Coventry , was then introduced to the meeting as the mover of the next resolution , which was as follows : — "That , in the opinion of this meeting , the expenditure of the state is characterised by an extravagance the most reprehensible ; that to sustain this reekless waste an enormous amount of taxation is required , which , as now levied , presses most unequally upon the different sections of tbe

      community ; that so large a proportion of the taxes is imposed upon the necessaries of life , that no economy nor self-denial on the part of the poor man can enable him to escape from those burthens ; that the effects of such a system aro not only cruel , arbitrary , and pernicious towards the industrious classes , but are calculated to produce the widespread demoralisation and those flagrant crimes which are the offspring of poverty and distress ; and that , therefore '' tho whole framework of taxation should be so altered as to adjust its burthens to ' tbe respective means of those who are to bear them . " They were told that one of the effects of the Reform Bill would be to reduce taxation ; but what had been the case ? Why , since the lleform Bill was

      passed , tho taxes had increased no less than £ 4 , 000 , 01 ) 0 , and the expenditure £ 7 , 000 , 0 ( 10 . The productive power of the people had been fearfully reduced , mid the consequence was that last year 0 , 500 , 000 received parochial relief , and 100 , 000 were committed to prison for crime . Surely , then , if something were not done to stay the further pro . gross of this downward system they mi ght live to see a prophecy Sir James Graham ' published in a pamphlet thirty years ago to the effect that " whenever the country presents the spectacle of millions wanting bread , then would the people sweep away titles , pensions , and honours . " The only remedy for this complication of evils was Parliamentary Reform ; it was useless to expect Financial Reform till that had been attained . "When Lord John Russell

      introduced the lleform Rill , he made use of these remarkable words : "I propose by this bill that the people shall send to the Commons House of Parliament their real representatives , to deliberate on their wants , to consult on their interests , to consider their grievances , to hold the purse-strings of the nation , to lay the foundation for salutary changes in the well-being aud comforts of the people , and that laws shall not be passed for the benefit of classes b y men roused from their slumbers at twelve o clock at nig ht to vote for what they knew not . " ( Laughter . ) _I * ow , he hoped when Lord John Russell saw the report of this meeting in the public press , he would lose no time in sending a subscription to qualify him a member of the

      association ; but , at all events , they wanted no more than what was hero promised , and with loss they would not be satisfied . ( Cheers . ) Mr . Samuel _Moklev , in seconding the resolution , said he was connected with a house in the City that employed upwards of 2 , 000 men ; and its ho had learned from experience chat tiie w « £ i' 3 of iabour were hi g her when bread was cheap _ilian when it was dear , he was somewhat surprised to find that Mr . Roebuck , at a-meeting in Sheffield , hud asserted the contrary . In several districts , doubtless , wages were regulated in soma respect by the price of bread , but in manufacturing neig hbourhoods wages were regulated by the demand for labour . Dr . Lo . _vosxatp supported the resolution , and advocated a system of direct taxation .

      Mr . Lawhekce Ufa-worth , M . l ' ., did the same , observing that at present £ 35 , 000 , 000 were extracted from the pockets of tho poor man in the shape of direct taxation , which otherwise would he appliedat least a great portion of it—to the purchase of articles of consumption , and thus add to the _nroductive powers of the country . If a direct tax often per cent , were adopted , it would induce all parties , from the nobleman with an income of £ C > _i ) u , _000 ayear down to tho poorest operative , to sec that the money was _propei-Jy expended for the benefit of the state . Ko sinecures would exist under such a system _,. _ns it would have the etlcct of making every man a watch-dog upon the acts of the _frovcriimciit . ( A laugh . ) . The ' rusolutiou _, like tho other , was then put from the chair and carried unanimously .

      Mr . I ) , UinE proposed the third and last resolution , as follows : — " That in the opinion of this meeting , the Commons House of Parliament , as at pre , sent constituted , represents neither the populationthe property , nor the industry of the country ; that the election of its members has * in numerous instances been the result of bribery and corruption , coercion and intimidation ; that the electoral distributions present the monstrous anomaly of a few hundred voters in some districts returning as many members as several thousand constituents in other districts ; that the Reform Act has totall y failed to realise the expectations of the country , or-to harmonise with ' tho spirit of the age ; and that therefore a large extension of the franchise , a complete independence in its exercise by mears of the ballot , a more equal apportionment of representatives to population , and the limitation of parliament to three years , become not onl y measures of common justice , but also of prudence or safetv . "

      Mr . G . W . M . Reynolds , the editor of a cheap periodical , in seconding the resolution , announced himself to be an ultra-Republican , and in a violent strain proceeded to insist that every man who conformed to the laws had a ri ght to be represented in the House of Commons . After protesting , amidst much impatience on the part of the meeting , that the aristocracy were more tyrannical and despicable than any in the world , and that ono-half of thorn _, had obtained their possessions by the prostitution of their female ancestors in the time of Charles II ., he recommended his hearers to study his own writings , where they would find all these political questions treated with freedom and liberality . Some confusion arose out of the intemperance o £ Mr . Reynolds ' s language , but it soon subsided , when the resolution was-put to a show of hands and carried unanimously . Thanks were then voted to the Chairman , who briefly acknowledged the compliment , and the meeting broke up shortly after five- o ' clock .

      An Official Communication Was On Thursda...

      An official communication was on Thursdayjnade * *" _- _^!^ that the sentence of ten years' transport _^ c _^ _f _^ _dS _^ r _/ S _^ i * be carried into effect in the case of _Mr-glf M _^ ifi _}|^ i _£ _-. _i ofLoughorne . —Times . _g ? _v _& a / $ < _***¦ _" _" _& ' £ 3 ? The Guestliko Poisonixg Cases .- ! _Pff _^ X _^ p & _Zp _* . _iM verdicts of wilful murder have been return € d [ ft _^* p _^ fcxV _^ 7 * 2 _; - 1 * 1 Mary Ann Gearing . & IP ? ' < Ml Li _# _* ? tfi W S _& _h _fc _$ mi & m _^ " _£ _iv _£ * ! k $ _V-l'Wcis _& _-0 _** * .

      Ar00510

  • Citation
    • Northern Star (1837-1852), May 26, 1849, page 5, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/ns/issues/nss_26051849/page/5/