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¦v^mmtmmmmmmmmBt^KK^^ THE NORTHERN STAR. SATURDAY, AUGUST 17. ?PTTT? 7flYVDTTTT?T*"Kr CT AH
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TO READERS & CORRESPONDENTS.
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BABirsurr.
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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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AGREEMENT OF OPINION . Is the coune aad di « eh * rge of our owm duty u , £ aolie monitoni , we pay little deference . U the ? pinions or example * of any when contrary to our on . convictions of right : we pin oar faith to tie sleeve of bo maa or « t of men . Bat we are aever--tfeeiess a-lwayi ^ lad to amd honestly and fearlessly — « rprese # d # entiment » borne oat ty the corresponding . sentimsnti ef honest , 'bold , xnd good men . For this retson we lure gre * t p ' . earare in directing the it-? ration of oar readers to the following spirited « r : icle from tht Wetlern Tindiealor , & ta \ snt « d ^ aper , edited , we believe hy Yikcbkt : —
" THE COMING STRUGGLE . * Pbofle , —The time for talking ii put ; the sime for . acrfwi i » came ; and ii i « nor tlie doty of € « erj BU , vamu , &ad child to reflect , in secret , tipon th . ej > ow * r po * sa «* ed by the people to carry out ike principle of Democratic Government ; the time ^ Sms come tor deeply reflecting on the power jx » - . aessad by the mxw-i to carry oat the recommends-< ionj ! of ( he Coareation ; the time has come when , by a bold and energetic display on the part of the
people , the power of the arotoerasy may be des-Proved for ever . The fint duty of the people ij to ¦ carry ont the MANIFESTO of the ConvsnrioiL . It ie in . vaia to nutko -mpty professio n * ; it is inT&in . to - ' threaten , ' or t * Qt ; ' ike people must DO . The -Convention has niggrfteda NATIONAL STRIKE , so eomstinct oa the 12 th of Aognzt ; but unless the ^ ea } Ae prov-, by their general conduct , to carry eut the ORDEKS cf the CONVENTION , that strike srast foil . Before mentioniiijt the *• Sacred Month , " let us ask . the following questions : —
"ARE ALL THE CHARTISTS OR-« AN 1 ZBD ? -DO ALL THE CHARTISTS ABSTAIN * ROM THE USE OF EXCISEABLE ARTICLES ? "HAVE ALL THE CHARTISTS WITHDRAW * THEIR MOJJEY FROM THE SAyiNGS' BANKS ? ' *• HAVE THE CHARTISTS CONVERTED ALL THEIR PAPER MONEY INTO GOLD ?
** These questions Hinst be answered hone # t ] y by die people ; hence the practicability of the ** Sacred Month" depend * , in a gr > at measure , upon t ' t . c answer . We are in favour of tha " Sacred Month , if the people are ' ready . ' The Convention Las nobly discharged ite doty to tit peopl 3 ; i : h&s expressed in readings to place iwelf at the head of tike people , and atths post of danger ; therefore ir Is now the dnty of the p * oplo to t * U the Convention zchat they are prepared to carry out . The best mode of coiiTincing the Convention of the readme * of the people to cwry out their wishes i * the immediate and unioersai adaption of the
Manifesto ; it Ls nsele * r lor the people to talk about ^ rhat \\ zj -will do on the \ 2 ± . August wilh ref zri to the " Hsiiday ; " we fearlessly tell the people , that aLstaining f < om excistable articles ; taking Vie ' tr money out of Savings' B-inks ; and providing thtaisdces teith constitutional arms , arc less sacrifices ikaM . the holiday ; therefore let the people make the Jets fir sacrifice as an earnest of their determination to make tie greater one . Prove yoaxselves , people ! The man who is now d * gr&d * 4 enough to W a -drunkard must become soberiz "d ; otherwise ie will ie a broken reed in the hour of necessity ! Tfc . e mm * rho will not throw down M » pipe , anl f tp his bxlaxe-i milk aud water , gives but poor evidence o ' his « icc ? rity & * a Chartuu We iusi * t that it L « note
the duty of the people to act ; and we call upon all reader * of this papar ; u ;> on all who lov » freedom ; npon all who respect Mr . Vincent , and have so otten Js « ie : ed to his thrilling eloquence ; we call upon every pitriotic man , woman and child to rigidly adojt the CONVENTION'S MANIFESTO . . ** Pdoplt , if yon ar * prepared to carrj- oat the National Holiday , pern are free . A ¦ week ' s stu > pea * ion from labour wouui destroy the power of oppr ^ sion ; but it will essentially involve a Blight sacrifice—P-tOVE TOTE DETEEMIXATIOS TO MAKE THAT SACRIFICE , pruTe your determination to undergo a Jittla diiScnlry to bring about a natioaal good . For a nation to b- > free , ' tii soScient that she wills it . ' Ba : v ' dl it she must .
** People , —Cease to talk , act , become sober—do all in joar power to band yoursvlves inois&olubly Xo-CT ? ther ; think deeply aboot the ' SiCBED Month . ' if yon resobv to adopt it , titll the Convention ! I ^ tju ca ^ oo : adept it , still telltueCo . nve . niion jOinotleins d-ce . vt ? one another . Th * ' Sicr . ^ . Month , ' if solemnly adopted , will free yon far eT » r ! Thiuk kbont it . "f he power is eow in your h « nds , * ueit ! DESPOTISM TREMBLES ! PEOPLE ,
STRIKE THE MORAL BLOW !" Th ;« nervous aad well-WTitten article reiterates the f enoiaent * we have again and again expressed on the same labjecti . Unless the people do shew thenvelrfcg able and willing to perform the lesser ; ibcur . it ia madneis to talk about the greater .
STAMP BETURN : A return hasbcen pnVlishtd of the number of StiBiDS famished to the sereral New ? paper ^ wi thin tils moslh" of April , ilaVj and June . We ba ^ e selected from the List the mo » t extensively circulaaed of the London Daily and "W eekiy Press , and tie Leeds Papers , as affordice to oar readem an opportunity of ascertaining wits ctriainty the exact po ? itioE in waich their faveur S . EC the farce of honest political coBR . » tency has ¦ p laced the people ' s psper , the Sorthtrn Star . LUiLY P . \? E&S . Slxmps fami-hed it D * ily ih » tcree icoctlxs . Avf »;> . Thf Ti = i »» 1 , 090 . 00-1 M . ^ i i 5 "rii ! Ei ! Chronkle 53 " , > 'i-0 5 . T 9 i > Jsraing Uenia 4 i 5 , ( XO i t : fl Tiie Sai 32 i . 0 » - "> V--S T-, * S- » n 3 iri 2 : 4 OO ? 5 . 3 m JJ ^ iac Pos ; 255 , 0 " ? 3 , 2 £ 9 TkiGujbe i 3 i , COJ 3 * 3 WZEKZ . I P ^ FLKS . Stamp * : '« Tnis ' aei in WeeV ) r th * * thr » e 2 inn : hj . irerxge . T <*> Yj I > : « p » teh oSO . WO 53 . O- -0 ^ ORTHESX ' 3 TAR W 7 , ' . <« .. 42 . 077 We-klr Cbronieie 2 o 3 , 0 i « - " ' 2 j . 7 d 9 ls * l » ilercury 125 . 500 P : " l . e «^» luteVuB ? nc « r 44 00 ^ .. ...... 3 , 3 « L ** d » Tin . e » .. 24 . 000 l . Mo
From the above table , it will he seen that the S ' l-rihern Slar net only maintains ita position su the head of the Provincial Press , bat that , with ; * - > ne single exception , it is the leading orgaa of the empire . It is * ues a greater number at each period of publication than all the above Daily Papers put together . Its respective iwnes are ceaijj se" \ eo-ib \ d greater than tiio * e of the Morn- :.-g Chronicle , snd more thas fcrurteen-fold greater lias tbo . ^ e of tie Globe , the two official organs of the G ; remises c !
Its circulation greatly exceeds the whole circu Itv ' on of a" 2 y Daily Paper bi ? ides The Times Aiaong We ? kly Paper ? , it is second only to tk < WetX- ' t / D spatch . It ha = nearly doable the cir fclanon of the Weekly Chronicle , aud considerably more than four times that of the Letdt Mir rury . It circulates about thirteen times the UBm brr of ibe Leeds Intelligencer , aEd almost three * nd-twenty times the amount of the Leeds Times . Tiiis is a position which may well maie th Northern Slar aa oV . ject of fear aud trembling t - ¦ all the ea = mie « of righteousness . To him who looki at ' . eativelv at this positioi :
-attained in an incredibly short period , and eteadily kept cp , without any artifi . ee or sacrifice , by the ixTdeit : uid niost Democratic paper ever known ia chi » country , it will be no matter of surprise that a -Cabinet Minister should be required , as a portion of - Jiis o&ciil daty , to read the Northern Star carefall ; through , every week , and report its csntent * to ..-aia colUagses ; tor that the minions of Gevern-. aent , acting no doubt ia accordance with the cue " -which had been given them , should point out so obr e a > f ..
,..-aoxiea « l- porerfal an eneray to the whole race of . -e * ii-ooers is a fit object en whic ' a to coceentrate - Ibeir powera of annihilaang wrath—an oSjectwhoM ~ ae ? t . rsction would be cheaply purchased at any cost—e ?» n though new laws should require to bt * nac : ed for the purpose . The power of the Korthtrr Star to coacentrate and give effect to the opinion ! - « f tbe masse *—to assert their rights , and to des . . « rittf ^ he oppressor ia the grand secret of the ver ** ? $ b&y speech of Mr . Chablss Bxtllsb a fev jiidai ^ o ia the Hoaae of Commou .
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M H » » greei witk Mr . Home , that ParSameiU * onU hoe dsnu ktU « tmaU part if itt dutf * k * n it had provided iht mean * * f putting detr * the present ditlurhaaeu . Ht *» w tie { ollict of tb « CbirtuU , Kill he ? pprehemie& bo l *» tinf jdueKief from ft roorement » ill-dirteted a . nd illcandncted mm the frmmemt . But tbe dmneer , which be did sot » pprekeni from CVwtMBn , lie iii Mfpteh ^ ni irom tke c » oar * * f Cbaniun , waieb * M& * d to him to be permanent , and to be iahersnt i « the tiered it » t « » f wdetj , ana ekineter of tin Englkh people . Tbcj malt sot shut their eye % to the ( act , OmI thev had sow t » itt \ with k people for otherwiae dweoateated , aad far otherwiu espaUe of maaifeitinf that diMootest , t £ as prtriou * GjTrraiBtnU h&r * erer had to cope with . Thrr , "J ? . ' *^ -V ± * l ^?^ A u ™ ?} a ? '
irert nuir £ mc to face with th * firtt g * nerttioa of working men ia Kojtlmd « b whoa dneaUon had l > e « nn to tell ¦ rattj je » enil !/ . Ih « first t £ f « U ef this eixajre » ig ^ t be obnerred In the rite of % prew a 3 dr *« Md to a&d lopported by tfc « working : tliun . Fomerij Cobactt wroU wf * klf eaaar * , and other demagogue * wrote otiCB »> nn » l ptrnphlet * , which hsd m Urg « , bot temporary circulation and effect Bat B . 0 W , there is established aa immen »« weekly yrt— , cont * iaiB {( tfa * ax me atcrsctioiu of general a » w » as ther newsa * pen , which diffdae * iti
Tit * « f piting eenrrecee * from on * aao ol the uiaad to the other . Thia is a preat , sot occaaiooal , bat p * na * nent—not dependant on the p ipularitr * f a pvtiemlar writer , or the expenditure bj which the fnthnaaam of a partieol * Udiridoal er body tA men { rirea it * prodoct fT » . toitoM tirenlatMto , Vat a the Riparior laeratiranM * of that partiealar kind of yreat , and oa taeseDersl appetite for new * . This ii the largevt , and it u , -with two « r three eioeption » , th * m » it Incratire are « in Knglasd . * * la thi . prrM , thai adrocatisg theae doetrinei , ia th * ooMonaact of lh »« e dsetrioe * to th * spirit * f aa » £ « , and ia tie offerittg of tha m . aaa «* , U the petraaul aooroe of Chartiaox . "
Mow there is no difficulty in seeing that the drift of thi * portion of Mr . Bullkr ' 6 speech is intended , under pretence of directing attention to " the altered state and condition of Society , " to point out the Northern St * r as game that must be run down at all hazards . The go « d will of Gortnment to break it up upon any , the slightest pretext that could be laid hold of ha « been as amply masife * ted as coold be wished in the two precious Government prosecutions which
in toe persons of its proprietor and publisher it has already endured . The troth is they are " dead btat , "—their limbs treable and their mouth * water with anxiety and vexation , and they know not how to accomplish the object of their desire . Many as are the devices of the law—uascrupulous u are Whig functionaries in its construction aad application , and rscpant as they evidently are to " hug u « in the close embrace" of power ' ul a . ad successful vjllany , we smile at tbeir ingenuity and deride their
lapotesce . Hence the concerted hint of tbeir wb-rubaltern , that " Parliament mould have dont but a small part of its duty , " unt il it had provided the means not bow in existence of potting down the Northern Star . Let Parliament accomplish that "duty " whenever it pleases . We def y its power . The spirit of liberty has gone forth , and , like the dove let looje the third time from the ark , it will re'urn no more to its priissn house . If the Northern Star were ruined by prosecutions , and iu < conductors immolated to the main erg of political revenge tomorrow , from its ruins would spring up an organ .
or majhap a hucared , more taleated , more powerlul , aad more &ano \ ing to the harpies than the one thev had succeeded in destroying . There is one senttace ia Bclleb ' s speech wortk all the rest , which is that the Democratic press , of whick the head and front ia the Northern Star , does oot pow depend on the talent or popularity of any particular writer . It is tbe legitimate oSVpriag of the working classes , who , knowing their own wants , feeling their own hardens , and being aware of the grievances under which they labour , minister support only to
that pre ? s which maintains their cause . Their cause il the cause « f righteousness -the caase of God . That eau !« e we bave ever yet maintain *! with such power as we possess , and with a zeal equal to that of any wh « lose no : si ght of prudence . H * nce the secret of the success which has crowned our enterprisewhich hw made the establishment of tbe NortAer / i &tnr an epoch in tbe history of newspaper literature . " The battle is not to tie swift ; nor the race to the strong . " 'Tis not because of aDy peculiar advantages either of talent or circumstances to
. whica we can lay cliim individuall y , that we owe j the untqualied political influence of our paper ; I it is simply becaa * e we kave faithfull y j !" . held up the mirror to tbe times , " and j given cf . ericce to the truth . We have not : sought the advancement of either personal or party ; interests ; but we have laboured for the dovrnfal of i tyranny , thi uprooting of injustice , and the esub-; iishment of ri ght . Pursuing this , we have met with ! tbe reward which we had aright to look for—the ' reward which , if snatched from us , by the uand of j public iDJo- irJee aad legal robbery , to-morrow , will ; be awarded in > tili further tale to some new
advei-I turer who shall dire , despite of riilanT , to speak the ' , truth . ! J Let not , then , either Government or Parliament , or both , Tec ' toa on the issue of putting down the ! Northern S'ar . Y » * e see the drawn dapger in j their hand , ha * , we defy its point . To them and | their supporter * of both factions , who persist in j denying to the people the redrestal of thtir wrong * ; And restitution of their rights , we owe nothing but that w&icb , by God ' s help , we will pay , to ; the full extent of our ability , an hostility which « hal ! never eea e but with our lives , er with the '¦ destruction of the inrgtem which ha 3 enabled them
| to become the villains that they ire . To th « i people , by whom we hare been placed in the I pr ^ ud position which we ocenpy , we owe just j as nmeh as they owe us , and no naorp . ! We have do-De our duty in the assertion I af their rights—they have dose their duty i in giving effect to that assertion . B y God ' s help , and theirs , we ehall go forward—till oppression shall yet learn to hide its head for ohame , and the glorious > ma of freedom shall warm and animate enliven and illuminate , the whole land .
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^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ aBMBHBHIBHi » BBHB 8 HHaBBMBal »^ HBM he commit them er n « t , a few well-informed « eltarhtaded ratcaU" « oold endeavour to persuade the people , and especially those of Birmingham , that 0 'COKHOB . hu declared in fcroar of tbo J 3 allot . The foola ! Wher * are their fpectaclei ? In what single line of the article do they find any recognition of the Ballot principle eoupled with a restricted franchise ? On what single line of the Northern Star , or be commit er n « t , a few well-informed " elear-
on what single sentence of Mr . O'Connor ' s nunerou * speeches can inch a charge be founded ? We defy them U point ont one . The article of last week had do reference whatever to our opinion * , but to the oomUteacy or inconiuteney of Lord John Rosskll ' s practical , with his theoretical , polioy . The enemy most be pat to sad shift * when he stoops to a devioe like this 1
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~ ^ ^ GRATULATI 0 N AND CONGRATULATION .
The Weekl y Chronicie , poor thing ! in iU agony of tpitefnl Mwjr , induced b y the Stamp Returns , catchea at the small ray of comfort contained in the faet that , en the face of the Retonw , the number ef Stamp * furnished to us is the two latter months of tbe Quarter teem to have been less thin in the preceding month ; and this he argues to be " consolatory" proof that oar Circulation ia declining . Poor fellow , hew we pity him ! It alwayi gites ub pain to be obliged to pull the mask from an ngly face ; but where the feat « re « sit under it to uncomfortabl y , it is an act of charity .
If monthl y « applie « from the Stamp Office be held to demonstrate the Monthly Circulation , we suspect the Chronicle , so Bear tbe Sump Depot , thought it bettttr to let oat the secret in reference to us , than to allow the public to discover it in reference to himself . Let us try the Weekly Chronicle by his own rule . In May , a a four weeks' month—he eeemi to have had 104 , 000 Stomps , but in June , a five week * ' month ; that is , a mouth in which there are five Saadayi , and in
which , therefore five Weekl y Chronicles would appear he seems only to have had 90 , 000 which would give an average of 26 , 060 weekl y for May , but of only 18 , 000 weekly for June . Will the Chronicle like this mode of measurement ? We fancy not ; nor 1 >« ™ we any wish to confine him to it . He known as well as we do that the Stamps are i ** u * d from the Depot—not to us , but to the paper manufacturer who gets them in quantities to suit his own convenience : so that though the to suit h : 8 own convenience ; so that though the
Stamp Return doei exhibit the actual number of stamps issued to each paper during a given period , it does not always correctly show the monthly proportion * ; of the gross amount , and he will probably find , it somewhat " consolatory " to learn , which he may , on application to Messr * . Hilton and Co ., o » r j p « per makvrs , that our supply for the two last irin * hi of this declining quarter , has beeH nearly equa . 1 to the whole of tbe last quarter .
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THE DEVIL GOVERNMENT . " The worst we know ef the Devil is that he first prompts to crime , and thea betrays to puniahm « nt . " Tbi * observation was applied , by aa excellent writer , to a character which concentered ia itself no small amount of bapecea * . Stro-ag , however as the expression is , it in inadequate fully to pourtray the baseness of the wretches by whom the more thoughtless and inconsiderate among the Kuffering people are goaded to distraction , and bloegeoned into crime ; and who then , with truly Devil-like atrocity , Bot merely betray to
punishment , but themselves inflict the punishment upon their hapless victim * ; gloatiug with hideous satistac : ion upon tbeir murderous pastime . Such in precisel y the position in which we contemplate them at present in reference to tbe three unfortunate men left for execution at Warwick , for the crime ot suffering themselves to be made the dupes of a raaligaant and blood-thirsty faction , who hope , by the pouring out of their blood , and that of a few other like simple innocent * , to quench the mighty fire , which , flxmiog through the land , threatens the stubble of oppresMon and injustice with irretrievable destruction .
All ikflection upon the subject , and every incident which has since transpired , confirms us more strongly in the conviction , which at the time forced iwelf upon u « , that the riots and fires of Birmingham were no accidental outbreak , but a deliberatel y concocted conspiracy against the people , p lanned and executed for tbe purpose of making a pretext on which to call into exercise brute force and shameless
vilUny under the sacred garb and colouring of Ifgal and constitutional procedure . The villain * knew that th ; Charter , which is the day-star of hope to the millions , would be the death-warrant of their multifarious modes of plunder . The Struggle was perceived to be for life , and hence the Charter and ita supporters were relentlessl y doomed to immolation , even though blood , and that too of the innocent , should deluge the whole country .
The plot has s > o far succeeded as tbat"three nnfortUBates are within their toils ; and the merciless Whi g pres « is exultiDg over the approaching execution aa if it were a thing for which the bell * of the several churches should be set riDging , and the thanks of the congregations inside officially offered by tbe priests . And why this rejoicing at tbe thought of three fellow- mortals being prematurely hurried out of time ? Because we are told that the whining hypocrites
"trust that their awful fate will be a warning to other * . " So gays the villauoua fool who has been ? tupid enough to perpetuate an article upon the subject in the Liverpool Times of the current week ; ic one sentence of which the men are described as " unstained by crime , " and another sentence of which say ? , " the execution of these unfortunate and guilty men will , we trust , act as a warning . " The scoundrel goes on to say : —
41 Their death lie * at the door of the National Convention , by wkich body they have beea lured , to destruction , and as inach murdered u if the ; had fallen under the daggers of the wretches who compose it . They were in tke very flower of their age , unstained by crime , and might in a ll probability h&ve paiged long and useful lives , hkd it sot been for the inatigati « B of tbe villains who goaded ( hem on to outrage , and then abandoned them to destruction . " Now what proof doeg this villain adduce of thegrave crime of muTder which be here charges upon tke Convention ? "What evidence does he offer to substantiate this horrible accusation ? Not one jot . Like hi ? whole tribe of brother rascals , he contents himself with asseveTafiDg what he knows te be a lie , in the hope that he may cause " more murders yet to follow after this . " This has been tbe conduct of the whole press , both Vfhig and Tory , during the whole period that has elapsed « nee these villanous riots were effected . The rioters hare never Wen otherwise upoken of
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than as Chartists ; when it was known to all the world that the Chartists had no mare to do with the riot * than had the man in the moon , and that the onlj part taken by them , in the disturbances of Birmingham , was the exerting of themselves to the uttermost to still the oqtrage * whieh the magistrate * and the infamous middle class faction had began . Not a particle of evidence , director by induction , has any one of them adduced to show that the Conthan u Chartists - « ho « ir ^ . « k « n . 11 th «
vention as a bod y , or any of ite members individuall y , er any Chartist whatever , toqk any part in the riots of the 14 th ef Jul y ; and . j « t the wretched ¦ camp who writes tha Liverpool Time * ohdrge * the ontragf , for which these men are unjustly condemned te suffer , upon the Conven' . ioH ! We « ay unjustl y condemned to suffer , because it U aa clear a maxim of British law as it is an axiom of common honesty th * . ta man ought net to be acensed of one crime in order to hia beingpuaiahed for Another ; much less ought any man to be punished , not for hi * own crimes specificall y , but for those of others , or bet others should become
gHilty . Yet this it the greund upon whiek the execution of these men is justified by the press . It is necessary forsooth that « warning should be given ! Whom would the wretchet warn by this legal murder ? the Chartists f They need no such warning , for they had nothing to do with the offence into which these unfortunate men were decoyed ; lor widi the horrible treaohery by which they are sacrificed . Would they warn the victims of their ows infernal villany ? If sincere , why not render the warning
unnecessary ? why not cease to practice on the unwary and to \ e&d , innocent men to death ? Would they warn the workiag clawes generally ? Tke working classes laugh at tbeir simplicity . They have no desire for the destruction of property , property whick they themselves have brought into existence . They will never lift the torch , in defence or in despair , unlew driven to it by the insanity of the executive , exhibited in a succession of such " warnings" as : his threatened execution and the
circumstances out of which it arase . So far then as thq warning is concerned , no practically useful purpose could be accomplished thereby : if that , therefore , be the object for which the men were condemned , they were not merely unjustly but foolishly condemned . But they were unjustly condemned , because they had no fair chance nor opportunity of defence afforded them . They were committed not for a felony but for a misdemeanour , and had no idea of the nature of the charge to be brought again « t them until the moment of their appearauce in the dock .
The prosecution , of course , knew the course of proceeding they intended to adopt , But they gave ho intimation of that course to their victim *; they were allowed to aolace themselves with the idea that should the worst come to the worst , being only charged with a misdemeanour , a few mouths' imprisonment was all they had to look to . This was , of course , calculated to make them and their friends more remiss in preparing for their defence than they might have been , had they been aware that their lives were aimed at .
Gracious Heavens ! how noble a triumph did a powerful Government achieve ! how gratifying most it have been to the ingenuity and legal tact of the Attornkv-Gknekal to have witnessed the amazement and the horror of three simple , uneducated , and very poor mea at finding theranelveu utanding with a halter round their u eks and unable , from the address with which they had been surrounded by the murderous toils t « make even that small effort for escape which the serviees of a legal adviser might have
afforded , and with which the humanity of the country would doubtlei >« have provided them , had not the aBsasuin-like caution of the fell prosecutors concealed their purpose until the fatal spring was made ! Poar , they had bo means of defending ihemselven ; tHe charge against them being trivial compared with mauy who had to be defended b y tbe public , their case haH been partially overlooked ; abundance of wun « s- > e « were in readiness to prove their innocence , but Wing of their own order , they
were all too poor to lose their expenses and their time , while the prisoners were too poor to pay the expenses . Yet these were the circumstances under which the Attorney-General of a mi ghty Government thought proper to as >; onish these poor men , ia a moment , with the information that the charge of mUUsmeauor was transmuted into a charge of capital felony ; that they were instantly te answer for their lives to the allegations of witnesses with whose depositions they were unacquainted .
Having been committed within the period of twenty days from the assizs ? , they had a right to traverse , that w , to postpoue their trials till another year , when it might be expected that the excitement of public feeling would have , in some measure subsided , go as to afford a tatter hope of their being tried hy a dispassionate and clear-headed Jury , the poor in ° n seem to have been ignorant of this , to them , favourable circumstance ; they had no counsel to advise with ; and , for anything that appear * from our report , the " liberal" Attorney-General put them on their trial , the Judge permitting him to do so , without informing them of the privilege to which they were entitled .
They were convicted od evidence upon which no respectable man would hang a dog . One of the prinoi p al witnesses against them is a ruffian a prize-fighter of notoriousl y bad character , whose evidence iri anntker case wta discredited by the Jury . Aud yet , though this was tbe sort of evidence on which his caw rested ; though he knew that the unfortunate prisoners were taken b y surprise , and were undefended ; though he had heard the
heartrending declaration of Roberts , that he had plenty of witnesses who could prove his absence from the scene of riot , but was too po 3 r to bring them to Warwick ; tbe Attorney-General , in full keeping with his "Liberal" character , and that of tbe despicable Government wh-ise vile tool he is , meanly condescended to use bis privilege of repl y , in order tVat a last effort might not be wanting to bias the Jury against the selected victims of his master * .
It is a most unusual thicg in Criminal Courts , when a felon is undefended , for the prosecuting CoiiBSel to repl y ; but the ATTOKNEY-GENEIUL of a Whi g Government , in a crusade against popular liberty , can afford to lose no advantage . These men were doomed to be exhibited as scarecrows to the country . They mig ht be innocent . That was a matter of small consequence . They were poor afcd friendless , and therefore fit to furnish what tke fiend of tbe Liverpool Times calls " a terrible proof of the power of the lawn . "
Had these men being guilty of the riot charged against them , and of much greater crimes in connec tion therewith , the punishment of these crimes would have been eminently due , not to them , but to tbe fiends by whom they had been entrapped , urged » n , and sacrificed ; the very fiends by whom , in reality if not in name and appearance , at whose instigation , and for whose benefit , they were
prosecuted—the fiends who planned the riot , who have p lanned an abundance of other rioU , and who in divers parts of the country , are now leaving no stone unturned to goad on the people to like ill-eonsio ' ered acts of violence , in order that their thirst for blood may be satiated , and the throne of their domination established upon tbe continued plunder and increased alaYHT of the people .
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There !» however , erery reason to Relieve , that these individual men , or at least two of them , we a » perfectly innocent aa , to render perfect a Whig sacrifice to Liberalism , it is requisite they should be . Tk » Birmingham correapendent of the Timet tell us that" A ( M « haa bnen sent « p to Lerd John Russell which Hl *^ ?? ^ I " * , ' H ** " •® d * » of *• deponents are t » be believed , that § o far from taking any part in tho riots on th « Bfekiofttu 15 th , he ( H * M U ) w M \ t theWaelwSSnAfc distance from tho « pot . There » re eight wilnpwea uaw forthcoming who » wear , in the firrt place , that Howell wm not m tho Ball Riu £ on tho night in quwtion ; » nd , in the second that themma wuh one leg , whosetu » Uy took partin tht ) rietn wai a different person . Ten wiUeue * have also now come forward to establish an alibi en tha part of Robtrta . " TkM . v . , . ___ . _ ¦¦ , «_ -
The Correspondent of tfce Morning Chronicle confirms the statement . The Times Correspondent gay a— " It is strange , that out of these ei ghteen witaesaes on bshalf ef the prisoners , not onr tendered hi * evidence at the trial at Warwick . " The » trangentsa vanishes at once when it ia known that three of the witnesses for Howbll , two of then his brothers , were actuall y in Warwick at the beginning of the Assizes , but that being poor men , withoat the means of subsistence in a strange place , and he having no m # ans of sustlining them , they were compelled , by sheer poverty , on his trul being postponed for two or three days , to leave hiia to his fate . RoBKET * obviated this surprise by telling the Csurt , —
" Where Justice , not unmixed with Mercy " ever should preside , that he had pleaty of witnesses but was too peer to bring them . A Court of savages would ba ^ e been moved with pity at such a declaration , nor de we believe it could have be # fc made vainly to any but an English Whig Tribunal bett upon wresting incidental matters to the furtherance of political ends .
It was made vainly :-the men are condemned ; and their lives are now at the mercy of the Crown , the Crown being held ia leading strings b £ tthe political villains who procured their condemnation . If any thing can exceed the atrookr ef Government in this most despicable of all their despicable and most ferocious of all their ferocious exhibitions , it is the meanness , the truckling servility , and the disgusting hypocrisy of the Judge , before whom this
case was tried . Well indeed does a talented contemporary observe that the following passage reported from his speech seems incredible from its absurdity : — '' The Learned Judge having put on hia head the black cap , said— ' You , Jeremiah Howell , Francis Roberfc , aud John Juaei . havo b « en convicted , of a capital felony . An Act was passed about two years ago abolishing tbe capital punishment in many case * , but this , I regret , did not form one of the exceptions . It still remains a capital offence . I gee no { CroondK upon which I c » , n recommend yon to mercy , and I hops the exainpU I am about to make will produce bonencial elleetn . ' "
The glaring hypocrisy and conspicuous meanness cf this sentence of Jud ge Littlkdale ' s are fully equal to ite absurdity . The Learned Judge regretted forsooth that the offence of which the prisoners had been convicted waa still capital . His gentle heart o ' erawam with feeling that Englishmen , should be yet liable to be hanged for beginning to pull down a dwelling-house or stable ; but so it was ; and he eouldn ' t help it . The Jury had said thit these men had begun to pull down Mesgrs . BouraeV shop , and the law said they must be hanged for it . ^ at there wa » yeta power above the law , b y whose merciful intervention the execution of the law might bs averted . In casts
where palliating circumstances ceuld bo found , it wan his duty , as a Judge , to recommend to that high power the tempering of the law ' s severity by mercy but he saw no ^ ground upon which to recommend these prisoners to mercy ( What ! was there no ground for mercy in the fact of the poor men ' s having been cajoled , outwitted , and betrayed—tricked out of their lives , committed for a misdemeanor—and then tried for a capital offence P Was there no ground for mercy in the sorrowful appeal of Roberts to the mercy of Court ; he having plenty of witnesses , but being too poor to bring
them ? Was there no ground of recommendation to mercy in the fact of their being convicted under an act which he regretted was in existence . Bah ! The varlet ! Why thus gratuitously insult his victims P Why not cast aside tbe flimsy garb of coarse h ypocrisy , and , putting on the proper front , have said , "You , Jeremiah Ho well , Frances Roberts , and John Jones , having been committed at the instigation and suit of a faetion for a misdemeanor , and having been by the artful wiles of that faction prevented of the due means of making your defence , have been by the further manoeuvres
;« nd contrivances of that faction convicted of a capital otfence , whereby your lives are forfeited to the operation of a law which ought to hive been long since swept from our statute book , but which has been permitted to remain thereon , in orce that iU aid mi ght be sought upon occasions like the present one . I think yonr ea « e a very hard « ce . I think that you are cruelly aud unfairly dealt with . 1 could save you by a word gpeak ing to the Sovereign ; but the Government ne ^ jd a few scarecrows at this time , and you bein » poor and frieadlesj man will suit admirabl y for that purpose ; therefore , as I owe them some gratitude for having made me a judge , and as the pickings of
the privileged orders , to which I belong , can onl y be upheld by the suppression of popular liberty , to the effecting of which your immolation is thought necessary , I shall certainly not recommend you ti mercy . You are doomed victims , and must prepare yourselves accordingly . " This would have been a proceeding infinitely more manly , to say the least of it , than the odious whine of regret coupled with a wilful blindness to the ground on which mercy might be extended . What , however , is the duty of the people ? Will they suffer the " example" to he made without making an effort to prevent it P Will they crouch while the truncheon of oppressive despotism cleaves the air and light ? with fatal energy upon their brethren in successive order ?
We feel assured that we know the people of England too well ; they will not Buffer this Whi g gibbet to be erected without putting forth their energies to devpoil it of its trappings . The men must be saved , if human power and energy can save them . We are sorry to observe too much disposition to put trust in Whig lenity . There seems to be a general opinion that the Government will of itself mitigate the sentence . Let not our friends believe it . It will be the first time that a Whi g
Government ever spared its own victims . Let them remember the Whig riots and the fires at Bristol , the executions for which were not expected , yet they came . And these will come unless prevented by the people . But how to prevent them ? Do we recommend , as some are mad enoug h to do , physical violence for that purpose ? Would we have the gaol fired and the prisoners rescued— the law defied and society disorganised ? Certainly not ; for that would merel y pave the way for the repetition of like 3 cenea upon a larger scale .
We would have the peoph act boldl y , energeticall y , but oe icefull y and constitutionally . Let them addreaa the Queen , Let memorials , couched in the strongest but most respectful language , be poured upon her from all parts of the eoantry . Let all the circumstances of the ca ? e ; the poverty ef the met , and tieir coasequen : inability to rebuk the legal talent , ouaniag , and subtlety , employed against them ; their being committed for the minor offence and tried for the major one ; and , above all , their innocence , as attested by the witnesses who could have proTed it at the trial if permitted;—let all these be laid refpeetfull y before b « t Majesty , in memorials signed b y huadreda of thousands from all parts of the
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country , and let the Miniitry , if they dare , oppost their dictum te the influence ©* these memorials . The responsibility will then rest with them , and a fearful responsibility will iv be j for if they do but once succeed in convincing the incredileus people of this whole conntry that the reign of terror has indeed begun ; that there is indeed no security—no protection—for labour , liberty , or life , they will certainl y find that this insecurity tends not to enh ance the security of property , and that their experimental precedents upon a small scale may be followed ia « no * t fearful earnest . - __ x _ -j _ * ,. .
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NATIONAL DBFBN 0 B FUND . We hvre received from the Neltingham Treasurer the follwr . ing amnu ;—Quinum'a CW oia Wort , by Wm . Hemingway oV } No . 14 , Broad Marsh Facto ry .. .. 7 T ^ 0 4 0 I *™ Gre «» b y John Stoke / .. .. .. " . o 6 11 ^^^ li ^ SV-a . Vt x ^ : ^ i ? fc ^ :: :: :: :: H Mr . AtkintVi . hop „ " .. o l S Mr . Jo « epu Simmon * .. " ' ' * " k i I NewBa&rdbyJ . Beardaali :: ' / . . V ;; £ , 5 ? , I-o n ^ rwn , by L < , T « tt . 086 c » iwto * .. .. .. ; ion BiddleandBirkia' 8 Factory , NawBiiford . ' . * . 1 0 « Charles Robert * o 2 loi Mr . J . Sweet .. .. .. X i , *
Book * , pens , pencils , *« ., 0 6 18 * 9 14 9 Frem the Radical Asa » eiatiom Derby £% 10 0 . From DuBfermliBe Universal Suffrage Association 2 0 * Xrom the Kinrwt Radical A * oeiaiio » 10 8 A tew Boot-makers at Liverpool .. ; O 18 0 Liverpool Working Men ' s AwoeutioB . " . " 0 12 Frojn the following places in Perthshire : — T 11 » ¦ £ i ' Tolloeh 0 11 0 County of Aligns ... » .. ! ....... * .. 10 0 Dunblane .........................,... J 2 10 0 Callander ••••• j i q Methven " .. . ' . ' . ' * . * . ' . ! 0 10 0 Doune 10 0 NewSeone .. 10 0 Radicals in the Cars * of Gowrie . . ! .. ' . " . *! " 2 6 6 Collected at a Fishing Lodge , by Archibald Pome , Dike of Murria 0 9 6
jflO 8 0 From Manchester , per A . Heywood 0 6 6 ,.. do . by aa Operative Tailor 0 1 0 „ do . by a Friend to the Defence Fnnd 0 10 Krom Halbeath , Cross Gates , Fordell . and Deinbreatle Association * 6 8 0 ¦ £$ . Ii oa . of the abeve munis for the National Defence w-m . u *• for tbe Conventi 0 H Fond froa Halbeath . wm the parties please to say what the other amounts from Oresa Gates , Fordell , and Deabiestle are for . Ma . HEOKN , Soffalk , wovildget the woiks he writes . bout liner trom Mr Claave , London , or Mr . Darken , Norwich . * Milton , Kent .-W . Norman is Misapplied from our officehe ru < i « apply to tho Agent who sends hi » Paper . D . SCOTT .-The Papers were sent by past , and , if chsraed . it was a del rand of the Postmasters . *^ A . HEywoOD — His papers were the last that were postedtherefore Cook ' . < mght to have been delivered m W ^ a Hevwood ' s at the leaat . to fr
SPECIMEN * havfe thi , w « k been forwarded for Metcalf ffi- ^ , ^ 3 ar % S £ r ' A 8 % ? nrnd ? h E o ° t ^ a 7 iw w ^ . ^ ** ^ Henry SHERWOOD . -He « annot have them at any price LEAMINGTON WORKING MEN mast excuse bs . W « cmfn ° ' v a ! tte *'?* " " . * ***** on th « contemptible driTe ! ie to whotks rarmgs 1 hey have pointed our attention . Let the poor wretch die of hU own nothinaaew : whv should , we give , him importance ? B wuy Baouul THK HUDDERSKIELD AND BRADFORD NEW 8 PARCEL * were bah received aft r n * & on Thursday ; not a woM » ° » ^ ellaer of'hem can » PP « M . Oar friends if they intend their their communications te be iBS » it'd must attend to the rnle . we have « . often pabuhed . and which ue are compelled U , attend to . * Ve cannot cake budget , of news , extending over ^ ih ^ A i > on Thursday . We cin take nothing w dTsd m * tter " * y We oc * nrred °°
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Foresters' Court . —On Sunday week , at Barnsley , two very impressive germong were preached b y Mr . John Arran , of Bradford , in aid of the National Defeace Fund , when collections were made amounting to £ 2 8 s . The money will be forwarded to the West-Riding Fund . Glorious Demonstration . —Never in the annals of our town has there been such a moral display of noble-mindtd men , determined to burst the unholy chains of tyraany wbioh fetter them , as there have been on that erer-to-be-recoried day , the National Holiday . Early in the mining , though apparently dull and gloomy , the people were seen
movm g to and fro , and all impatient for tht appointed time-eleven o ' clock ; which was to present to their taskmasters their moral display . As soon as the time arrived the people , amounting in number to twelve thousand or upwards assembled on May-day Green , when Mr . P . Hoey wag called to the chair amid loud acclamations . He briefly stated the objeets of the meeting , and requested or the fnends assembled to return to their homes peaceably . The meeting waa addressed b y Mr . Joseph Wilkinson , who proposed the fellowine resoluuon , which was eeconded by Mr . Wm . Donvil : —
That this meeting do memorialize her Majesty to dismiss her ministers , and call to her councils ministers who will make the People ' s Charter and a Kepeal of the Union between Great Britain and Ireland Cabinet measures . " Carried unanimously . The memorial recommended by the Council of the Convention was adopted . The attention of the meeting was called to another memorial , which was to address the t ^ ueen to mitigate the punishment of the Birmingham criminals , when the following resolution was moved by Mr . Amos Maudaley , and seconded by Mr . James Murphy : - '
That we , the inhabitants of Barnsley and its environs view with sorrow the late convictions in Warwick , and do hereby petitioa her Majesty to grant those poor mea a mitigation of capital punishment . " The memorial of the Council w&s then adopted aa in the former case , and tables were placed in the various parw of the town with petition sheets , which are signing with cheerfulness . The chairman then commented on Lord John Russell ' * assertion in the Commons' House of Parliament ¦ hat the Chartists only wanted to chan ge the places with them on account of their property , and protested that if h « thought any such idea existed , he would not be a Chartist one moment loDger . He thtm asked the meeting if such were their ideas aud if not , to deny the assertion b y a show of hands , wbieh was unanimous . Notice was then
given to tae people that a procession would take place at four o ' clock , which took place accordingly ; but to give any account of the numbers would be impossible . Safflc * it to say that the procession wag upwards , of a mile long , eight deep ; after which the people assembled oa the Great ) , forming themselves in a solid ring round tha Green . They then closed together , and heard a portion of the debates in Parliament read . The chairman then dissolved the meeting , requesting of the people , ( who were perfectly sober throughout the day , for not one drunken person could be seen , ) to return to their homes peaceably , and by no means to disturb the peace of the town , which was accordingly done . The Barnsley band , who have attended an all
occasions , gratuitously made their appearance « ariy in the morning , and enlivened the cheerfulness of th » day by patriotic airs . When their meeting dispersed the cavalry made tbeir appearance on the same ground which was previously occupied by the meeting , headed by Mr . Thorneley , one of the magistrates . The army and specials were also in attendance ; after which they patrolled the towD , cleared the public-houses , and all passed over as if nothing had ocourred . —We have received per Railway Labourers £ 1 10 s . ; and also from Dodsw » rtb , 15 * . 4 < j ., which please to acknowledge as received by the Barnsley Union . BIRMINGHAM . Defence Fund . —We hare been requested , by a few friends at Birmingham , to notice the following sums received for the defence of Messrs . Brown and Fugsell : — £ s . d . Our Walsall Friend ? 12 5 The Socialists of Birmingham .. 1 13 10 Friends of Dudley 0 13 9 Received from Stourbridge .... 2 0 0 Paid to Mr . Brown , at Stourbridge . 0 W 0 Receive * , including tbe above gums , at various times 19 15 » Expended in promoting their Caw ......... * ... !?! l * JJ _ Balance in hand ' 10 3
¦V^Mmtmmmmmmmmbt^Kk^^ The Northern Star. Saturday, August 17. ?Pttt? 7flyvdtttt?T*"Kr Ct Ah
¦ v ^ mmtmmmmmmmmBt ^ KK ^^ THE NORTHERN STAR . SATURDAY , AUGUST 17 . ? PTTT ? 7 flYVDTTTT ? T * "Kr CT AH
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! i j '; \ j ! i THE LEEDS MERCURY A 2 sD MR . JAMES j IBBETSON . j . V > e fead prepared an article on the rigmarole ! * op b . i * iry of our nei g hbour Mercury addressed to \ Mr . Ibbetsox , but are obliged to displace it for : other matter . We are not much concerned , as it ! may afford us as opportunity of teeing wheiher there ; is yet another " letter" in the editorial candle .
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: \ MR . STEPHENS'S TRIAL . "We Lave waited till the last moment of going to ¦ press , dui have reeeivsd no intelliicence , except that ' : the Cut of trial bas beta altered to this daj ( Thursday ) or Friday—we know cot which . "W e ihail , " : therefore , g ive the report a : full length in our next . t ~ " ~ J * -r-1 -r- ~ " - ' - | -1 - " ^¦»—^ fl ^ V i ~ 'j ~^* - ^ r ~^ w ~* - ~ r- ***
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][ WILFUL MISTAKES . It i > as o ! d proverb that " soue are so blind as tbo * e who -won ' t see . " In tbe true spirit of this proverb , none are eo apt at misunderstanding anything as tho « e who wi * h to do so . We are not less . amused tbaa astonished to learn that an article is our last wetk ' a Paper baa been made tbe means of trying to persuade tbo « e who don ' t know us that we , advocate tbe Ballot .
, Ia our article of last weel , beaded The Paneh 1 and Jnd y S- *? ion , we amigned Lord John Russell I cpon big reasons assigned at Bristol for opposing the , Ballot , namely , tbat the non-electora would be , thereby deprived of their legitimate influence over ; tbe elector * , we then went on to show tbat the same 11 Lord Joh * bad , when tbe people were , in the ex-| ercise of tbat legitimate ri ght , imprisoned , bludj . | geonsd , cat down , and trimpled upon them . This i ; we charged , and still charge , upon tbe Noble Lord 3 , as an incensigten cy , disentitling him to any amount 1 j of popul&r confidence ; and for thus arraigning little f ' Lord John , we are asked why we support the Balr let ? and inasmuch as Mr . O'Conkob must , of course answer for all the bu of the Star , whether
To Readers & Correspondents.
TO READERS & CORRESPONDENTS .
Babirsurr.
BABirsurr .
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TIE IRISH MISSION . Oar re&djre are aware that , in consequence of a communication from our brethren in Dublin , the Council of vbe Convention sent Mr . Lowry and another Delegate as Missionaries to Ireland , to endeavour tl establish a union of sentiment and action between tbe ChfirtiHts of both countries ; and we are happy to mate that kttern have been
received from Mr . Lowry , containing the mos : cheering account of their reception in the Irish capital , and a well-fouadei hope that by perseverance the opprewed , intuited , and iegraded serfs of the Absentees and Aristocracy of that unfortunate oanntry will » e 1 . 'ought to a sense of their true interest , and join hand and heart wi : h tbeir brethren on this side the channel in the grand efFort ^ o recover the long lost riohu of both .
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* tHmmmmimmmKmmmmmmmm 1 THE NORTHERN STAR , August II , 1839 . ]*^? the « to ' ' t \ ' « i J ^^ T ^^^" " ^ "
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Citation
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Northern Star (1837-1852), Aug. 17, 1839, page 4, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/ns/issues/vm2-ncseproduct1070/page/4/
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