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PLEASANT NOTIONS OP JUSTICE AND LIBERTY.
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^¦n'^ttfal £orve$$on&ence.
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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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~~~ T 3 S CAUSE OP O'COKXOR . jO THS KDITOB OP THE 30 BTHKRK STAR . ¦» A Patriot is the noblest work of God . " Pope , -with a slight alteration , _ yor nine long months has the patriotic J * ' „ been icnnured within tht dreary dungeon ; nse ioagmoctla betas suffered everjindignity and _ ' - th&i * raeAa fcc *** * P ***/ could devise to crash b u ir sad n bU SP 1 " * - The ^ rJS ^ toeH ' sad beauty * ' ^ gaer psssed a-wsy , but they pawed tmenjoyed by - » rr * in his cell ; tbe cheerless irinter has been *" " . jja ^ j iB ^ oa its course ; it fonnd , aad it is leav-. ^ sor ceceroos and sincere friend an oppressed *^ loi ) B- b nt ' ' t ^ S * 1 t ^ a * 01 " 1 change , though ?\ $ & osvsrd , though mutations occur in the poli
^*^ ; - the cahxral irorld , yet O'Connor is found in tivS ^ i *^ ^ " ^ i % si ssal the same—the same in resolution and ^ ipa to his principles and his promises— > . -- « -II th * cause of right , and painfully anxious for ^ bat interests of the people . Sir , I bad the grati-1 t-Hoa of bssri ^ S ^ 0 Connor , when on his trial at fork for whit i * called " Libel ; " I there saw him j ^ erect in the dignity of truth , contesting , inch w inch tts disputed grcuad with the persecntaaa of Lj ^ naayitsn ; I heard him launch the thunders of ; *« doqnence against the corrupt minior . s of the crown , \ 'dp ^ t the ir thiTicttrs with such fidelity , that even ' aLrcck frcm his frowns abashed and confused ; I :
i o tad the pain cf seeing him in the prison of the ; ( hsez ' s BeEtli , trhsK he wa » suffering , mentally and KjdSy , fros ill health ; I hsard the opinions of hia j Esoical attendant * , and I saw their certificates , staking : ^ jir profession * reputation , declaring that it , « ld met probably be fatal to their patient , it he fa reacted to the col J and cheerless castle of York ; , I btt him cr 2 gjc « l awsy in spite of all these eircuni *! ^ jjfcj &sd ietrd his last sentimtnts before his \ cfiejsje , skofrixg ueaance and scorn for his merciless K'Sf&vni ^ 5 oTe " * " * aEliet y * k" dear country- 1 ca . 1 BSe ° ^ sr ^ 1 y ^ ^^ pleasure I hare since &--vT * d stiSsnd 2 tf .- from your truly valuable coiuniat , ; the
£ ii is hss f 1 ^ maintained same composure and . fr ^ zsa d aiac through the m ^ aj and severe trials * - vhiih be iss keen exposed . He bas shown himself t be viff » to szSiz as a martyr in a good cause , and b be edo'Std with a character , as Christian , and as jtSosophiesl , w it is truly patriotic Bat why do I tEst os tisse things ? It is needless , for the " High j ^ -st a Cbartltm" has been tried l-y every test , and > ss : ^ =: 2 5 «^ h pure from the ordeaL He is a ined gs- h ; u cndcTt ^ ood , and he Ls trusted ; for his in . > gj jr u ipprEcistea t > 7 the -mtsses , wno hare neTer ] fc nra tim to br- ^ ai hi 3 word , or to leare a pro- ' js cfEiiied . ^ sd , Sir , it is unnecessary to paint £ j t « = lkat q ^ a'ities of O'Conxor , when he is so j j-TETSilT acknowledged to possess them ; but yet it eTbenece . 53 ry to reEucd all of the fact , that one h '
£ t i ^ sy fr :-n \ tLem , who not only has the will , bat t ; . ih « tales : sad power to serre tatrn ; it nny be gjBBjr to remind them , lest there should e femd asy so apsihttic , or so lost to Vj trrz welfare , as not to reuse all his S 3 E 2 S in tie struggle we are about to make t tie restoration of oar truest friena osce more to our sis , once raore 10 fre&dora , and tie cause of justice Essppeal , which has appiared in year paper , and tii hi ? esii ^ ateJ from m ? s : i 3 ^ 3 asserabled on the C " s £ t , will not , I feel certain , be Uiirecarded . The ffc"pfes : e fKtsful to those who lire but for their tia , Kid an opportunity has new presented itself toi £ ss to display their most fervent grariinie . They est EOT de £ zre the falsehood cf tha a . 'sertioa thi . t feT sre icile , aaa sfeow tLat they will not des = rt their t 52 ii « ir ceed .
Wii rrgaid , Sir , to the mode we shcaM pursue fo ? tb deiraUe ecd of obtv . a ; -g O'Connor ' s libirty , it irrsas : o me tiiat there art two features , which Ehould bEtsptiaTvew , aid which , perbaps , you will allow E to lay before you , and jcur readers . ilnt , we miisl f&rjen ^ ra ^ otjt powers , and « nr eerdons , c : cm djt ; l a ! a '• :. > « . Tills is the C 2 : y way fcusin asy great end ; the human mind , if much CrMed in iii pursiiits , day ajTascs some way in each , h : seSdoni c ^ e 3 the wioie Ies ? ta in ^ ay . Atd so it is tti 'i& p « c-jle , ^ s with aa in dm dual ; if they propose te ¦ i n ; tranpLs of a-liftr- ^* . c ^ fare , ond rtquiring £ SjEi ; ffitsss at cse time , they probably fail in alL I . £ r , &a &s autioai ss acy one cin be to see justice
t ~ to ergry j-nfirer , and to beh' -Id the Vlessings of teEiia bestowed oa every political prisoner , acd ttsrF > lida 2 cjzric ^ But , a : xhs same time , I cant ? cscuLk from zsyself the fcet that we are not feet ? tie proper steps for the attainment of tkis ti ; 1 cs = 3 i bst feel that we should first gain fepr ? seri » of srii a cin as 0 "Coz : nor amongst us , t £ i i £ 2 , reinforced by Lis inast ; inab ] e assistarcs , gn cmd for -ie rssioration of th .-se whera seas diTidu fcs iei cvsitry . I adopt uiis opinion , Sir , after EK 3 S ctiToeration , atid I do so , first , because we can caa Mi release of the Tork prsoser , ia a shone : EiK cf tine , than we can possibly hope to obtain Sx c ?? rc * t , J .: n « and TTilUsics .
» : ii : y , t ^ Kise the litter o > j-cl , as we all know , ekes rriEj more diffictltia than the former , and T : $ s fc -a ^ r : ; cf the aid cf such a fri-32 d , as 0 'CoHHOT , tn-jtc ^ iham . Aad thirdly , becausa 1 know we 5 = n isxzz cce of these rabjecta for our flrat attack , c : tfcja tsTisg net ¦« ith niccess , go on to anotcer . I ^ ss , thersfore , that onr yvwers siould be collected ^ i ks ? -L » e ^ , ird TrithoTii ccTjatiug to the right oi Wic ^ -iJ u ^ i be s . t once directed ia latir oTe rwhelm
^ -2 K iibsnzioa O'Cjna ? r . Tills adractage * ? i Jnoifcdiauly , if we Srt about it in real « ce- -, ii ' u do not weaken oui ^ eiv-js by h 3 Ting toa —jpsits in view . When hs is 02 ' ,. th-n let as do feixse rj = f ., r otieT ce ^ r , ' . Locga iuferlng friends . " ¦* - ' -- " . 2 lr , that petitions for O'Connor must *¦ "_ — - ¦ —* - "Cuse cf Cjiiunens from cTery quirier ; " ^ t » ^ fet , aad S nth , must nlly in pood S : = s , i : asythirg is to be Ecsompi-iheC And this ^ as to tie si c . jsd pobt , which is the m-vde ol —* -I -J . obt prtirions . If , s j , the ciuse we are en-^ ia be w ^ riy of oar exertions , it is also ^^ g c : sctl s trocble to p .-tTcEt these ex-rtions ^• jasg f nstrat-. d . TTe caraot Ksw hot ami cold ^ BEfi . ~' lfct cs : naio CQr ^ ce- H we ^^ ^^ dtrSire t 0 ^ ^ -3 , what in the name of r ~ --2 SK 1 K ^ ^ ° - framics osr prtition sy that ^ - - > - ' ' hi hea-a ? TTly fill it -with vsin aud foolish '* ^ " : t : i P ^ f £ ^ t asy good arisirg from it ? We ^ •^ Te o ^ r cpinicr . on the capacity and honesty ¦ t *^*" ^ = keat : W * them ka 0 W lt rafficient 1 ?' U ± ~ ""/' - ^ i ! i t 30 " 5 t ) bat i { does SPP ^ ^ e jT " ' - ' ia us , tc choose the moment cf petition-(^ , 'T ~ : 0 : a ' : lt ° - ay - lEse . The result is , that we ^ . '" T * " r' car ^ "ble , for the appeal is imme-5 ^ ' ¦ - '" ¦ -- «^ - Let us be prudent in cur actions , and „"" " *¦* ^ fccdeaTotirs . t ^« reaat £ 5 ] Sir , 1 Ttntare to offer in a true and E * v *?^ t ' iaTi : l S ^ y oar common good at heart . ^ Cjj" ' " ^^ itn 2 of ^ y Ta ' ue , ptrhips you will ^^^ » P ' aca in " the organ of Ciarusni / ' My W « r' T ° " per : iSe th €£ e -R-ords , I need fc >! - ^!' ^ ^ ° ' " dutr ' Jt UfcS P ^' -nJy marked v _ "' ^ -7 hiTe but to follow it , cnJ all will j ^ * ^ ^ them remember that one who hs . s ^ * - ^ v ^ * fCr tLem ' " * ° ^ eroted his * sar » . Vj "' li : e t 0 them ' " " ^ *?» well-tried , 1 ^ -7 ^ - ^ 'y adTocate , is now seclndcd from their
^ be k *" " * 5 eTTlce b ^ ti ' - ^ gson wall . Let them ^ ja to- ? he has slaved for them , and how he is ki -= rto € Tote to begt enfcrgifS frj ^^ ^^^ ?* 4 It ^ . iaibel ^^ ^^ SS , and if they hare one ^ a . t ^ > rae fediDg of rtmsiLiD S ag- ection i * se- ,, ? r * ' ttsf ^ 21 eagerly rnsh forward to a fa « acd a yalaed friend , I remain , Tour tincere admirer , and Constant rester , ^¦^ esnary srih . uu . i 0 X AyD
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^^ " ™ DLE * -LAis PERSECTTIOK .-j , ^ , ^ ^ ^^^ arsh , Ffcbruary . 22 , 1 B 41 . W ^ «* . paUawT ; - ^ conturaaSon of Ma 2 £ V * ri ^ ft ^ ^^ Psper . I have had anow * * vrj , ^ J 0 ^ , L - - ? oar readers weigh ti ^ ir ^* * " tfe « kj ^ b ^" ' ttd tbvn Eay whether the T ^ tet the tva duse > be a « iL ' 83 f-A . 31 .
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MY DEAH'M , —I was obliged to close ter last letter so abruptly , to be in time for post , that I it ft much luisaid in connexion with the Leads affair which I was desircas of saying ; and -what I did say was written so hurriedly , that I ftar you will either hare misundersUod it , or at least haTe drawn some erroneous conclusions , . unless I explain myself further . Well , then , let me resume the subject , that we may the better understand each other .
I ahould net be opposed to a union betwixt tho middle and working classes , if I taw any likelihood of a real and honest union . Bnt I see no such prospect ; nor is there , I am persuaded , any » uch intention on the part of the originators of thia scheme . True , their otttnribie object is union , but their veil object is dinmion . In pretending to unite with the working classes , they only aeek to disunite the latter among themselves . Indeed , they hare , to a small extent , done so already . They haTe detached some of our leaders from the ranks Others are eridently " on the moTe . " Thesa last haTe not , at yd , openly joined the fcambags , but they are smoothing the way . I can see this in their every act
and speech since the Leeds demonstration . Truat me , M . yon 'will » ee , before three months have elapsed , one half 0 / the old Convention sitting cheek by jowl with the humbug * , twzESS tbs people SPEAK OUT , AKD THAT BIGHT EAR ?< ESTLY , A >\ D AT ojjce ! Fear alone deters the traitora for the present But give them a little time , just sufficient to sound one another—to form a party—to provide themselves with a popular organ or two in the press—and to agree upon some legerdemain definition of Household Suffrage that may appear to be Universal—just give them time to do this much , and you will see them desert in a body to the enemy ' s camp .
" Bnt what harm in this , " you may say , "if those you call the enemy come oTer to Univeral Suffrage ? " Not the least , I admit , if , if , if ! but in the if " lies the rub , " as Shakspeare has it . J / the enemy realty meant to come over to Universal Suffrage , there would be no harm in uniting with them ; but that is precisely what they do nit mean . If they did mean it , they would have joined the Chartists , instead of asking the Chartists to join them . If they did mean it , they would n Jt try to split the Chartists into two distinct bodies , by calling one portion of them " rational , " " sensib l e , " ic , and the rest " physicol-force-mtn , " and by pay ; nj ?
court to one particular set of Chartist leaders , while they incessantly calumniate better men in tho persons of other leaders . In short , if they really did mean Universal Suffrage , or anything calculated to produce the results anticipated from Universal Suffrage , they would , instead of setting np for themselves , have gone among the Chartists ( attended their public meetings , for instance ! , and then and there told them franfcly What they w&nted , and why and wherefore they had not sooner joined the Chartists ranks . They would have beard what- the Chartist * had to say , the Chartists would have heard what ikey had to say , and if an
amicable understanding or agreement was the result , then , but not till teen , would be the time to propose a union "with the middle class ** , or rather with that small portion of tbi ? in who have not altogether renounced Goil and humanity for the mammon of unrighteousness ; for as to uniting with the middle classes prnerou ' I cannot view the proposal in any other light than as a gross and wanton intuit . How the devil are we to " unite" with men who shake a ha ! t * r in our faces the moment we talk of equality of rights , and whoss only arguments are the bludgeon , the bayonet , the domiciliary visit at midnight , and the iron-doored
dungeon ! Talk , indeed , of " unities with the middle classes against , the Government ! " of " uniting , forsooth , with the creator against his creature ! with the tosl-mater against his own handiwork ! Why . if the people are not absolute fools , they must know that it it is not so ranch tba protection of the middle classes arainst the Government that we want as the protection of the Government against the middle classes . What had the Government to do with the numerous cases of individual persecution aliu < ied to in a former letter ! What has the Government ( meaning its present cembers ) had to do with the innumerable
cass 3 vl hardship and rnin with which masters have visited , working men since the commencement of the present movement , and with which middle class magistrates , brewers , and house lores hnve visited pnbiica-as , cyfftte-houso keepers , and various other descriptions uf small tradespeople , wholly and solely on account of their C ' oirtist principles ? I hardly know a Chartist licensed victualler find I hsve known nianyi who was not p ^ rs-cnted during the late movement . The same of eating-house keepers , news-agents , pork-butch-rs ; in short , every description of tradespeople , if they ha " 1 shown themselves Chartists . Their credit was st * pp < : d
—thtir shops were deserted by the middle elasststheir landlords came down upon them for arrears , whfcre they could , and whera they could not , gave them notice to quit , or refused to renew their ltasea . > 'or was p-. rsecntion cosSned to small trades-peo ; . le . I kr , ow oce Chartist landlord , who had three houses to let in ore of the best streets of a fashionable town , but eouM not £ nd a tenant ! His business , a few years a ^ o , was worth £$ 00 3 year to him ; last year and tbe year before it ¦ n-as not worth £ 150 ; and had he not " made liay while the son shone" 'alias , placed himself beyond the vicissitudes of trade by the purchase cf some freehold property in better times-, be would , ere
now , ruoit probably have figured in the u- jsette . As : it is , he has been obliged ( having a large famiiy to provide for , ) to accept a li > cal appointment under '' the ' powers that be , " and of course to retire frum Chartist politics . A more benevolent and bitter msn r . evtr : existed than tb . 9 individual I allude to , and I Lave cited his case only to show you that even men of wealth csnnot escape persecution if thay are Chartists , and that the best of men are sometimes driven , to fly into . tbe arms of the enemy , & 3 the cniy refuge from destruction . "Was ever tyranny more horrible than this ? Tct I find it the sam « all ovtr the country . I cou ] j name to you not less ! than forty honest tradesmen , and more than eighty ' honest and skilful wcrkiT . in , of tie best character , who have been literally ialf-s ' . irved since I c . me here , through the system of P . iidd' io-ciaE 3 persecution I allude : to . I know oi : e poor ftllow , a publican , who ha * : spent nearly £ 300 in fitting np his house , and making the addition cf a large room to it , to accommodate Churtist meetings , &c Tiiis man was doing a flourish-, ing business jest before my trial : he is now houseless , ; a wanderer 2 Lke Cain , and that after six months' imprisonment in a debtcr ' 3 ga < jl ! . ' Poor Butterwortb , ] who left this place at Chii'tn ^ as , has been starving ever j since . He has had but £ 2 . 'given him by the Manchester Chartiatst to live upon for six weeks , so that , were ' ¦ it not for the bounty of his fellow wcrkaien , his liberty vrould but hs . ve proved his death ! Kot a niiHoirner , ' not a mister would employ him ! He tried a hundred of them in and about ^ Manchester , but the answer of j tbe overseer invariably was , " Mr . So-and-so will not allcw me to employ a Chartist . " Sometimes tks felj lo ~ s ire prudent enough to conceal their real motiv- s , and to pretend that they are full of hands . And to such ext-tLt i 3 the perfidy of thoBe modern depots car-; ried , th . it they have actually secret marks by which , ¦ under the appearance of giving a man a good character ; in the shape of a written recommendation , they render i it impossible for him to get any employment at all ! I I could tell you instarc :-s of this that would perfectly ¦ horrify you . Apcor fe-Jow applying for work with one' of these rcctmaier . dUiiions , imagines all to be right , ifcr i :
; gives him credit for being " steady , " " tooer" " indastrioos , " and so forth , ) out then there is the damning : SECEET mark , by which the conspirators rcccgaise a ; Chartist or black ih ^ ep : * * * 1 I know a poor felloe vrho belonrcd to an hotel or ! bathing establishment , ss head waiter or chief atlen-J ilant He was many years in the situation , and was a i great favourite with hifl nuster , en account of his excel-; lent character and amiable disposition . But , then , 1 M , he was a Chartist , and no sooner was it known I he h * d attended some Chirtist meetings , than his master was waited on by several " Eentlemen" in suc ! cession , who gave him to understand that unless he
1 instantly dismiased the said favourite servant , they would ad the establishment ! Bnt I might fill fifty sheets of paper with siinilar occurrences ; and , afteT all , ' what signifies all that has fallen ander my notice , in | ! comparison with th ' s sum total of suffering resulting ' from this dark and malignant system . Look to the case of my dear old venerable friend , William Flowers , of ; Brighton . This old man is upwards of seventy years of age—bus been forty year 3 a Radical—was c : nnected : witi evejy movement in tie country since 17 . 94 ; and I throughout ha 3 borce the reputation of incorruptible
i honesty and unblemished manners . He was once m ! go ^ d circumstance ; bat in latter y eara has been in-; debted fcr a slender subsistence to a little millinery
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, establishment , snpcHntencieii bj his wife . He has been under one i&xvHora-fsr the last twenty-eight years , and never was behind with his rent . So epportunity or excuse , you will say , for falling foul on euch an old man as this . Tea , M , there is t A base , Woodsucking landlord will never fail to find an opportunity of wreaking vengeance on the tenant that Bhall dare t » be a freeman ! The course adopted by poor Flowers landlord , U to tetup another party in Pie tame business nerl door to him , which , poor Flowers tells m » , will bavetbe tffect of breaking np his little establishment He has loid me much more ; but you have beard enough . For the wise , verbum sat ( a word is sufficient ) ? • Poor B . ol R -wan literal !* into davt
- without food when I last saw him as I passed through Preaton about a fortnight before my trial . He told me a horrid tale ! * ? * In fact , no good man who remained true to his principles , has escaped middle-class persecution . Youth , beauty , innocance , or old age , has sometisies melted the heart of a Sey of Algiers , but nothing , human or divine , can touch the heart of a thoroughbred middle-class Yamptre ! Several of my old London Chartist friends haTe gone off to America—others are preparing to follow—some are in gaol for debt—others have just gone through the Gazette—in short , I could never tell you a tithe of a tithe of the cases of individuals Buffering that have fallen within my own cognizance ; and , as I haTe Just remarked , what signiCes all that has come to my knowledge in comparison with the sum total all over England . Scarcely a single one ot my London , Brighton , or Manchester friends has escaped .
Now , M , the Government has had nothing to do with this slaughtering system of proscription . It is wholly and solely tho work of landlords , cotton lord * ,. iron masters , brewers , lawyers , et hoe genus omneC Yet these are the parties with whom the Leeds impostors ask ^ us to enter into alliance ! Why , the vagabonds might as well ask us at once to unite with death and damnation . ' Even in respect of the goTernment prosecutions , is it not notorious that the Ministry were driven to institute them by the magisterial dogfeerries of the province * , and these dogborries themselves only acted in accordance with the private solicitations , and everlasting remonstrance of the local sbopocrats throughout the country ? Is it not notorious that these parties had been calling out for " military protection , " and abusing
the Government for non-intervention for several months before the prosecutions began ? Is it not equally notorious that the middle classes of Bradford raised subj scriplions in support of subsidized spies and informers , whom they had sent amongst the Chartists » Was it not at tha urgent reqnest of tho " respectables" that the Birmingham magistrate * first came into collision with the Birmingham Chartists ? In short , . does not every man with a grain of common sense know right j well that all the tyranny and cruelty exercised against I us during the last two years by the Government were I nrgedepon , enjoined , dictated , and virtually commanded j to them , by the iniudie-classes ? Yet , the Leeds ! " Reformers"' have the modesty to ask us to unite with the middle classes against the Government ? I will resame to-morrow , and meantime , &c . James B . O'Brien .
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But what do yon think , ray dear'friend ? the poor fellow , though not sentenced to bard labour , 'was compelled-to work on the inurderingmachine the following morning f and poor Daffy could not have Jived , had he been forced to perform hard kbonr two months longer . His sufferings were great He wa » troubled .. ¦ with * ' - violent expectoration , and frequent vomiting . I ask now , my friend , do such fellows care about the lives of their fellew creatures , who have ' been treating poor men in the manner I have described ? With what consistency can the Magistrates of Northallerton add reproof to . a penalty of forty shilling * tar > the worrying or killing of a cat , while they themselves permit * men to be tortured to death ? Or , how shall the Whigs , at-a future election , reprobate the bad Government « f the Tories , when the people have been treated worse by them than by Sirtmouth and Castlereagh ? . - '¦'•
William Brook , Duffy , Holberry , Wells , William Booker , and myself , were put on the tread mill , contrary to law . I was removed to Lancaster , in consequence of the moved tyranny of the Governor ' s son . You must put ail this in your petition . I could fill a doaen sheets with their cruelties ; but I hope this letter will suffice , until 1 am at liberty . I am , dear Sir , You ' r ' i faithfully , William Mabtiji . 1 <^ 1
Pleasant Notions Op Justice And Liberty.
PLEASANT NOTIONS OP JUSTICE AND LIBERTY .
TO THE EDITOR OF THE NORTHERN STAR . We give the following communication aa we received it : — Sir , —I am a working man , and have had the misfortune te be out of werk for a long time , having had only eight weeks for the last ; twenty-three weeks past On Friday week , I got work at Pontypooj , After working eight days , I went into a public-house with a enopiuntc , where we had four pints of ale between us , and no more . A soldier comes into the ' heuie , and begins to insult the whol « company , and to threaten to blow holes ia the coats of some of the company . At length I ventured to beg of him to hold his tongue , for a soldier was no more than & man , and I feared and thought he was something less than man to disturb the company witheut provocation of any kind . Very . few hontst hard-working men fever entered tbe army , but
it was a kind of place to run to when all others failed . Ho Baitl he had taken the Queen ' s money , . and would not hear her name blasphemed . Now , no one ha > . l blacphemed her name ; but I told him the Queen would Lave no money if I and others of my class would give her none , at which word he runs off , and brings some mun , and takes me off before a Mr . Roberta , inspector of police , who looked very wise , and told me it was a serious charge . I called for my accuser to know what the charge was . The man came forward , and accused me of speaking blasphemy against the Queen . He could not repeat any words , but ho knew it was very bad . On this charge I was locked up fur four hours in the guard-house . The great man , Mr . Huberts , told me lie had power to discharge me ; but for the future I must uiind what I said . The Soldier was very drunk , or perhaps the caaTgo might be a very serious oue .
Now , Mr . Editor , I was token in custody , and kept far four hours , on the word of a drunken fellow , with & green coat , who could not even give the charge , except tbe vague cbargu of blasphemy ; could not even ttll the words of blasphemy j and then discharged by a policeman , without any other authority . If I had any cash , who could I bring an action against ? Noither policeman nor scikHera are worth action ; so I must report it to the world by means of your paper , and let it rest . George Eclinton . Pontypool , Fob . 23 d ., 1841 .
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TO THE EDITOR OF THE HOBTHEttN STAB . Sir , —For reasons , with the repetition of which I will not trouble you , but which are to me important , I request your explicit and decided answer to this plain question . Have all monks received by me from yuur agunts , tiuring tbe time I have been collector for the Star , been paid over hy me , at all times , in my ntxt Btttleuitnt of accounts after having received Uivui T Yours , respectfully , liouiiRT Wilkinson . Halifax , March 2 , 1841 . [ Decidodly , Yts . —Ed . N . S . ]
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TO THE HONOURABLE THE COMMONS OF GHEAT BiUTAIN AND IKELAND IN PARLIAMENT ASSEMBLED , The Petition of Robert Peddit , late Manufacturer and General Apt'ht , Edinburgh , present Prisoner in the House of Correction , Beverley ; Humbly Shewetu , —That in the month of August , 1 S 4 'J , & petition was presented to your Honourable House from your petitioner , containing statements relative to his apprehension , trial , and conviction , upon a cii . irge of beditiou , conspiracy , and riot , at Bradford ; and cwnplaining , but iu very moderate tenuB , of the lieaiment to which he had been subsequently subjectci in consequence of tho severe sentence of three yeats ' ii . 'ipi . v > n > uent , passed upon him at tho March Assiz-.-s , helil at York , in 1840 .
That the said petition was presented to your Honourab ! o House , by Joseph Hume , Esq ., but not pressed to a division , in consequence of a piedge from the Honourable Fox Maule , Under Secretary of State , tlJ . it he would institute an inquiry into tho truth of its allegations . 'i'hut the petitioner was grieved to learn that the Secretary of Suw for the Home Dityurtnicnt , had retuineil for answer to your petitiontr " s friends , relative to this petition , th ; it certain allegations were not borne out i > y f ^ cts ; but that those which related to impai re d heiith should be referred to ths prope .- officers . In regard to the first of these allegations , which were relative to his entrapm . nt and condemnation through tho a ^ ticy and eviatneo of paid aud acknowledged spies , he ia pvtparod to prove thorn at th 3 bar of your Honourable Hoiwf , should ho be allowed tho means ; and , in regard to tbe fiecend , a dangerous illness of twentyeight days' duration , laid the officers of the ostablishmeut upen to conviction .
That it is further in the power of your petitioner to make clearly manifest to your Honourable House , that the principal concoctors and agents of that conspiracy , ( as cetailed in hia former petition ] were persons einplojed by one Beings , a constable at Bradford , under tbo sanction of the magistrates , and who , in all their doings , li . vl this nan ' s concurrence and approbation . Jn short , that this person was the life and soul of that wickt-d and disgraceful system of spy entrapment , which endangered tho property and peaca of the inhabitants of Bradford , and now crowds the prisons of Yorkshire with victims .
That your petitioner , who was at Leeds on business , was invited to attend a meeting at Bradford , in favour of John Frost aud others , then uuder sentence of death , which , out of a motive of humanity , he unhappily foi himself , attended , Jiud which whs tho first connection he had with the Kad ' . cais of Yorkshire . That previous lo this pariod the uingifilrates , through their emissaries , ha'l information of tha farco of an insurrection ut Bradford , and were prepared for it accordingly . That the petitioner was iuveigled by one Smith , in conjunction witti Harrison , or rather compelled by an armed force , assembled in hifl house , to attend a meeting iu
the Markft-p ! aca , where he was the means ( under Providence ) of saving much property and life 110 m the destruction of a lawless multitude ; and , on that account , had he no other claim , feela himself entitled to the clemency of your Honourable House . And ho may here be allowed to state , as a proof of his innocence , that the inhabitants of Bradford have held a meeting , ii tUey have not already petitioned in his favour . So conscious , indeed , was U 10 petitioner of beariog a conscieEc © void of . offence , tlwt he went about hia public business us usual , for soiuo days previous to his being apprehended .
That } our petitioner on his appr . hension was committed to York Castle , on the serious charge of high treason , which was afterwards abandoned by the Attorney-General , as too ridiculous to be entertained ; but to the injury of the petitioner ' s case this charge was kept up against him until withiu a few hours of his being placed at the bar , upon the minor charges © f sedition , conspiracy , and riot . That by such conduet on the part of the Attorney-General , your petitioner was compelled to go to trial with his arrangements incomplete ; and thereby both ho and 2 ns counsel were prevented from doing that justice to his case which they otherwise might have done . That , us a striking mark of how little he had to do with the Bradford affair , he was not only considered by the Ciiartist party , as a spy himself , employed by Government , but vilified in their public journals while his trial was pending , and even denied the benefit of their most approved cnunseL \
That upon the uncorroborated testimony of two accredited spies and two policemen , the latter of whom he can prove to have bcuu dect-ivod , in a very material point , and one A-shton , v / ho was absent during part of the proceedings , your petitioner was convicted of sedition , conspiracy , and riot ; and although upon the charge of sedition no evidence was offered , yet had he passed upon him the cruel , severe , and , in his case , most undeserved sentence of three years' imprisonment , hard labour , and to find security ; a sentence of unprecedented hardship , the parallel of which was never passed upon a political ofll-nder in Britain , and which he liurubly submits to your Honourable House , that no act of his , npen the most strict inquiry , -will be found to warrant .
That in pursuance of bis inhuman sentence on the 23 rd of March , 1840 , he was conveyed in tbe-mobt ignominious manner to BevcrJey , chained to three robbers , one Chartist , and ene woman , and there subjected to the state , condition , and treatment of the moat depraved , and worst of felons . That ha was immediately subjected to the severe , painful , and htaltk-destroying labour of the tread-mill , wi-iich to him has proved pusitive torture ; and , as much igncranc 3 txists in regard to the work ing of this accursed machine , your petitioner may be allowed to state , that the prisoner is compelled to keep ascending the wheel until he has accomplished an ascent of 1100 steps , -which , generally .. occupies twenty minutes
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when . . he 13 permitted to rest for ten- ' minutes , and is then put on again , and is thus continued for about nine hours a day . By the time your petitioner has accomplished tbe third or four hundredth stop , his body is coverod with the most profuse perspiration . Every article of dress he wears ( aud even in winter be wears as little as decency will permit ) is wet through , and bis shirt drenched as if taken unwrung from a wasUng-tub . Tliat by the time he has accomplished 800 steps , he is uniformly seizad with giddiness in tbe head , dimness of vision , nausea , and not unfrequently vomiting . That by the time he has gained the one thousand one hundreth step , his state of body , from excessive svjfibring anil fatigue , ia past the power of language to describe- ~
That the consequence of his subjection to tbe painful operation of this cruel machine has been already most disastrous ,-to hia health , so much so , that for many weeks together he has been under the care of the surgeon ; and that he entertains tbe most serious but too well-founded apprehension for tho safety of his life , as the baneful effects already produced upon his constitution , by the operation ef the tread mill , are such as to warrant the assertion , that if the sentence is pressed to its full extent against him , death , from general exhaustion and . loss of appetite , must inevitably follow . That such being the true state of the case , your petitioner would hare considered death , by the hands ef the common executioner , decidedly preferable to the more tedious but not less painful one of the treadmill , in his present deplorable situation .
That besides the amount of bodily suffering he has now endured for about twelve months , he is subjected to the mental agony and operation of the silent system , which is here rigidly enforced . That he is denied the use of pen , ink , and paper , except for a single monthly letter . That he is prevented from receiving visits from either friends or oven tbe members of hia sorrowing and afflicted family , none of whom ate , by the rules of the prison , permitted to see him during the three years of his imprisonment . That by the rules of th 5 s house , to which in common with felons he is subjected , he is only permitted to receive and writo one letter a month . The extreme hardship of this arrangement will appear , when your
Honourable House is informed that your petitioner is engaged to a considerable extent in trade . That owing to his unexpected and unaccountable apprehension , be was withdrawn from his business at a moment ' s notice , leaving his affairs in a state of confusion . Thst he is , moreover , a married man , with a family . That bis wife , on whose exertions they now depend , is a woman of extremely delicate health , which has been much aggravated by her anxiety for her husband . That his mental suffering , on her account , is painfully great , more especially as the poor privilege of a monthly letter has been , by one restriction or another , as unmeaning as thoy are , in his circumstances so frittered away , as to render his coitespondcnce with his family almost useless .
That the magistrates of this place , acting , as the petitioner eonceives , under a mistaken knowledge of their instructions from the ffetno-office , have kept from him hia * wife ' s letters , so that be haa only rectivrid one letter for a period of nearly sewn months . The reason assigned for this cruel conduct is , that these letters contain accounts of what exeitions have baen made , publicly and privately , in the shape of getting up memorials to her Majpsty in behalf of your petitioner , in order to procuro a mitigation of his sentence . His present interest , according to their opinion , not beintf concerned in these proceedings , ho is considered as not entitled to receive these letters : your petitioner is thus deprived of tka comfort of receiving his "wife ' s monthly letters—a privilege secured by law to the very worst of felons .
Your petitioner will not occupy more of tho time of your Honourable House at present , by disclosing all the horrors of his situation ; but trusts that he Las said enough , both now and formerly , to shew your Honourable House the base , artful , and wicktd moans by which he has been entrapped into his present unhappy situation , to which he considers transportation would have been a mercy ; and he trusts that what little he has said of his bodily aud mental sufferings will prove sufficient to interest tho humanity of your Honourable Kouse in behalf of himself and afflicted laiiiily . That , in addition to these sufferings , yeur petitioner lias suRtaiued a losa in business , credit , and otherwise , -which one thousand pounds would not compensate . That the health , comfort , and prospects in life , of himself and family , have been , by his imprisonment , already nearly ruined ; and that he would fain hope that the ends of justice may now be satisfied without dying her bands in blood , or at tho txpuiise of the life of the petitioner .
Your petitioner , therefore , throws himself , with full confidence , upon the justice ami humanity of your Honourable House , trusting that , iu your wisdom , you will so address her Majesty , aa will rescue your petitioner from his painful and degrading treatment—a treatment which throws negro slavery into the t , hado , and is repugnant to the spirit of the British Constitution ; fraying that her Majesty may-be pleased to order the removal of the prisoner ( as has be « n done in some cases to others convicted for political oflences ) to a place of confinement where tho rules are less rigid—where the torture of the tread-mill is unknown , and where his communication with his frieuds and family ir . ay be uninterrupted . And your pstitioner will ever pray , &c . liOBEKT TEDDIE . BevcrJey House of Correction , 12 th February , 1841 . ^ K .
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Mil . COLLINS . TO THE EDITOR OF THE NOKTHEE . V STAR . Bread-street , Birmingham , Feb . 24 th , 1841 . " I concluded my remarks by observing that ' no union would befcff cted without such a definition of the term Household Suffrage as should include every man of mature ago , and sound niin-1 , &c , who had a resiilenco in a hou 3 e , or a ; , ;/ yurl of a house ; ' tmd further , that , untess npon such lci-ius , a union ought not , and , if I could prevent it , should not take place . " —Letter to Leeds Times .
Sin , —You have occupied noariy four columns of your paper i >\ poivitiug out the difference between the . Chatter Suffrage and the Household Suffrage , which would not enable more than " one person to vote out of . 1 house , be it . never so large . " I need nc . t say that I oppose as mnoh aa you can such a franchise . That tho term " Household" can bv no art be made to include more than one I totally deny , for if you have over visited Scotland , you must know that , even under tho present exclusive system , seven , ami even ten votes are obtained from one house ; and , moreover , that tho majority of £ 10 electors m the large towns hold the franchise solely on this footing . . . . . .
I / ad yoa taken the above quoted sentence , and shown that there was any difference between it and the Charter Suffrage , you would have complied with my request ; and I have yet to learn that any man who reads the above sentence , can see any differonco . It ia exactly the Charter Suffrage , or to use your own expression in the fourth column " Universal Suffrage qualified by residence in a house . " If any parties or persons agroo to this extension of the franchise , I shall be most willing to receive them , as brethren , from whatever class they come , and I neod not say that J shall bo the last man to join any class or person , who do not espouse it and the other fundameutal . points of the Charter .
I remain , yours , < fec . Joim Collins . [ We re ^ vot that our reply to Mr . Collins ' s letter was too long for him ; but we should have regretted still more to weaken its force or perspicuity by shortening it ; and yet it appears that long as it wus , we may with s ? reat propriety adopt the foregoing of Mr . Collins as an appropriate postscript , whorein lie most forcibly illustrates our position by hia reference to the Scotch system . We lure always Eaid that such a definition of Houstfio'd Suffrage as would satisfy the owners of property , would make houses more stables for holding human beings , and that to whomsoever the housa belonged to him also
• would belong tbe vote ; Mr . Collins knows full well that the voters to whum . he refers are all nianufactnred voters ; urban voters qualified out of small allotments of land , and not as he states qualified out of one house . But , does Mr . Collins suppose that the power which the present system veaw in tho hands of toe privileged order for protecting their voting serfs , would , if the vote belonged to the serf himsalf , be exercised by the master for the benefit of the slave ?—We thank Mr . C . for his confirmation , and now we will ask him a short question . Will any-of the Scotch houses full of voters , be found voting for a -Chartist candidate ? or even further , are not Whig houses filled with Whig voters , and Tory houses with
Tory voters ? and doer Mr . Collins presume so far upon his strength or upon middle-class forfoibearance , as to suppose that a like Bystem would not prevail in England and Wales ? If bo , we beg to refer him to the seven thousand and sixtieth clau » e of tbe new alliance Household Suffrage Bill which is to be ; for to that , or even greater length , would the details run , rather than commit the blunder of allowing Chartist voters to stable themselves on a qualification . We imagine that if we had merely said , " Then , Mr . Collins , as there is no difference , satisfacto
call the Bpad « a spade , " we should have - rily ' replied * to his former question . Again , we tell him that so loug as one inun ' s property constitutes another man ' s vote , so long will the owner have rent and vote ; and we heartily thank our friend for having furnished hi 3 Scotch case as the moat trite and happy illustration of the position . If Mr . Collins ia sufficiently omnipotent to bave his Household Suffrage just as be likes , then let him call us brethren , but till then , we Bhall remain related to the fundamental points of the Charter , —Mr . Callins with wj if he -will , without biw if y > 9 must—Eo- }
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-d » - We learn that tho house of Monttfiore Brothers , coiineotcd chiefly \? vh the Australia trade , have corno to -the determination of suspending payments , it is confidently state . ! ,-however , that ihe suspension will bs but temporary , and'that before the termination of the present year the firm will-bo able to discharge their engagements . Falling of two Houses in Flket-stkeet . —One of the moat awful casualued tnat can ptwsioly occur in a crowded city , occurred ou Saturday night at ten o ' clock in Fleet-street . A few nights since a fire took piace at the house of Mr . BunWy , a truiikmaker , nezHioor to tw office of tho Weekly Dispatch , a , nd the ruins were left , a ^ was imagined , in a state of perfect seciirity . This , however , by the
event that has occurred ,, appears , too awiuJiy , to have been an error . On getting into the street , the scene that presented ir . sdf to tho spectator was frightful iu the extrenur . There waa a wide and fearful # apof faliiDg bricks and timbers , supported by gable ends and rickotty boards , rendering the approach of aid a matter of the Rreaiest danger Soon after the accident , Mr . Harding and Mr . Ward , builders in the neighbourhood , were sent for to examine th © premises , as was also Mr . Elmea , the City Surveyor , who sent for a number of builders but without bein ;; able to obtain their co-operation
A man , named Win . Meg . son , a journeyman tailor , was let down by ropes irom the back room on the third floor of Mr . Do . bson ' s house , and which house also fell , with a tremendous crash , at the same time- he had been iu bed upwards of an hour when he heard the crash of th * timbers . He instantly jumped out of bed , and endeavoured to open his door , but , finding it impossible to do 60 , he ; . lighted his candle , and dressed himself , and remained standina upon half a foot of boards for nearly three quarters of an hour , until he was released by the police , in the way just mentioned . He also said , that findinir his room-door going out oi the level , he
fnqueiitiy warned Mr . Dobson of tho danger , wno , however , lathed at his fears . Etery precaution was taken to . arouse the inmates of tba wijonung house to the perilous situation in which they were placed , aod the police having made a communication to Mr . Dubson , a hackney carriage was obtained , and Mrs . Dubson , with four or hve cmldren ( the statements vary )/ were placed . in tfafl vehic ^ and drove to tho residence of a inend . At-thu ^ time loud erackias of the tottering walls became moie loud and fearful , and the polioe observing the upper part of the ' houses bending forward , ra . sed a shout of "It is coming . " The constables took to their her fst and a cab . which had just set down its fare , to * peremptorily a- few minutes before ordered off . The dr iver happily took the warning , and acting upon it , lost no time in leaving the epo-, » -which , in a very brief space of time , prosented a melancholy instance of the desolation thus unexncctedlv created . Dalton , the officer , a&d a
narrow escape , his clothes being completely covered with flying dust , which , but &HPWld » fe $ & ?' » £ aT < 9 notice of the fall of the twoJMwsBUalPWfftjJto casualty occurring , a la ? ge / 'irah « m Ki ? M Aj 9 y Police Force were in ai tf >^ ii ^ i ^^^ ik reckless females with ^^ 'IftjCT ! ' ^??^ 3 *?^ B !*\ fare is thronged from me& « W ' i ^^ : ^ ^^^^™^? J in all probability , would nv ^)^! M'i ^! fVH | iU rifcy iu approaching Un -Wk ><^' - ^ TSn ^ uSk
^¦N'^Ttfal £Orve$$On&Ence.
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REVELATIONS PROM >' 0 RTHALLERT 0 N HELL-HOLE . [ The foJl iwirig revelations from tbe hell-holeof Northallerton dii- 'pl&y some of th « horrid and atrocious cruelties and indignities to which the Chartist victims are ! subjected by Whig tyranny . They were written by j Mart : n to hts friend , who has forwarded them to us for insertion . —Eb . ] I Lancaster Castle , Feb . 12 th , 1841 . j Mr DeaH Friend , —The Editor of the Northern ! Star very truly observed that poor Clayton went to j N orthailurton madhouse a hale man , but leaves it a I corpse .
The following summary of his treatment , and of the treatment of the other Chartist * , will enable you to judge of the cause of his death , and of wh : it will be the rtsult ,. if the other poor fellows be not immediately remove-1 from their horrible dungeon . Thursday , the 26 th ef March , was the day on "which vro wtrts tivken from York to Nortb , i ; jc ? rtoa . Thy pjison van having stopped ut an inu ou the read , bunu of the prisouers ordered drii . k , pipes , and Uibicco , which gave rise to a conversation on tt-t-U abstinence . C . ft } tun a < nde : uned the practice of drinking and smoking . He taiJ ths » t aa he had been without for some tirm-, and h ' id fuund the dt&usa of thttn had not impair ^ . 1 bis hwiiui , - "fchick be then rtinaikvd "was very goixi , he would never again }; ave rec ) ur 3 « to such bad habits .
As he and Marshall , Ptruaorpe , Jknuon , and Paul Oldswo : th , had been seut . nced to hard labour , the ouly opportunity I had 01 acquiring any knowledge of their treatment laftcr my removal from the mill ) was when the visiting surgeon ca : a . e into the mesa-room , in ¦ which all tbe prisoners , felons and "misdemeanants , were indiscriminately arranged ; but his visits to that quarter were few , as he generally called at the workshops . 1 once heard him ask Ciayton how ho was : Clayton complained of a pain in Lis back , &i ; d of the bar . ! labour of the mil ) . He utu-mpted to say something to iuiiuce tbe surgeon to alleviate hia siiti ' eriugs , by
re' ; : ioving him from the torturing wheel , whtn William j Shepherd , the governor ' s s- < n , in his unial pen-niptory I manner , crUt-red him to ait down . On tho name day I 1 heard John Marshall m ' ulretf the kind y . hysicisn ; j but tfce worthy doctor , wiio appeared to be a £ ii ; ry , toid I inm be ¦ would fee Lim ntxt iUy . IJov . civtr , this paragon > of humanity changed hia mind , and toek the troub ' e j to examine him , aud af' . er he had done bj , he told Marshall t ^ ho is a "We : ik , debilitated old man ) there was nothing the matter with him , I Woa at the heels of this cughl-to-ih .-prtservcr 01 lif-j and health . He ¦ w as going into ibe tillce "wlen I beard him say , " These Chartist * are always complaining . "
I will now proceed u inform you how the other Chartists , not sentv-oced to hard iabour , were trtateti . UpfC our arrival at the ynsuc , as soon as our cbuins -vfcra rtii . oveii , i v . w * put iut » a cell with one bedin it . wiih a strict iiijuiicti . jn nut to m ^ ke anyiioue . There Were some other p ; "iEoners in the adjoining celis , but I had ne idea who they wcte . I About , two hours mi jiit havo elapsed , when I was j taken to the robiiig-room ; HoUoiry and Wells came in immediately afterwards . As soon as wo were titted out in our prison gavb , we were plac : d with our backs agaiudi . tb >; wail , in the pa--saj ; o -where the cells , in ¦ : M-hi-. h we fca'i teen placed , we sit-jared . The gover-! nor ' i ion stood on tue st-urs , ar . d read a fow of the ! j . ii . 1 . 1 rules , a-cjmtj ^ nied with violent threats of how Me siuuiU bw tre 3 Ud it v / a attempted to JlloVt-OUf i ' . nuds j ubuiit , r < .:-ptH ; tii > r vLicb thtre is not ono word to be I found in t : ie whole rocabulary of the silent syttc-m .
I At tLe clo = e of this harangue , we wtre taken to I another pan of the prison , aini iocLed in celia similar to the first , lt was then about throe o'clock ; at five o ' clock ou-3 of the officers threw a black ivnf on tbe bed , aad a prisoner placid a tin can of bkiily on the fljor . It was the worst meat I ever i hid in ttw whole course of my life ; and surely no ir . dij viiiuil can be a belter judge of coarse food than an j lr sfciuan . The monster hunger compelled me to s wiiilow the do ? e . No threats were necessiry te induce jne ;¦ - > obey ; for my stomach had been already subdued in York Cast . e .
Oil the following morning , the Governor came J round to inform tliosa who had not been sentenced i to hard hibuur , that they must work upon the treauiuhl . j i rai > ed an objection , and told him that the Judj ; e said j tLe iuvr wouid no ; allow me to be put to "bard labour . ' jiut he told me he had tho Magistrates' orders to do so , 1 aiid must obey . 1 thought 1 would try it before I i ottered any resistance . 1 did do so ; but , so grsat "were ! 1 : 1 V fcuifcrinfes , that I felt as I never feic before . G'd ! iuuwi what my thoughts were , but mortal never : shall r j About five o ' clock -npon the evening of the first day , Tvhicii was one hour sooner than the usual time of luav-1 iii ^ r work , I refused to obey the signal for me to ascend
the wheel , for which I wa 3 arraigned before the Governor ' s son , who treated me with the greatest scurrility . But my fat « was not decided until tUe following morning , when 1 was taken to the office . Tke Governor ¦ was there ; he asked me if I irou . d go to work . On my answering in the negative , he oruered his son to take me to solitary coudaement . Tho countenance of the barbarous boy brightened , and he ordered me to l ' oilow him . Thd youthful monitor called for an officer , and , with a tnppressed laugh , commanded him to put me in a cold , dark dungeon , with double doors , where I was fed on bread and water—having fit-st been deprived of my cravat and pocket handkerchief . This was on the morning of the 28 th of March .
On the following day , which was Sunday , the Gtvernor came to see me . He said he would release me from this belly of hell , if I -would promise to go to work on Monday . I consented , for I thought it would be better to die in the workshops , in the presence of some of my fellow priseners , than in a horrible dungeon , whire no persons but my as $ aisii : » could tell how 1 came by my death . On the ensuing Wednesday , the visiting magistrates came round . I applied for my removal from the mill ,
and told them what I had told the Governor , viz . ;—that tbe Judge , -vrhea passing sentence , aiid that the law -would not allow me to be , put to hard labour , aud I did cot ferget to tell them I bad been to " solitary . " William L » ent , then chairman , informed me that the Governor had been ordered by the Magistrates to scud me to solitary confinement ; and he likewise told me , that I should not be removed from tfce njiH , unless an order came from the Home Office to compel them to do so . The first heart-Tending scene I had to behold was William Brook , of Bradford , who had fallen from the mill , stret-.-b . ed , to all appearance lifeless on the floor .
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V O'CONNOR ON ELECTION CLUBS . In our last number we reprinted a letter of Mr . O'CONNORS , from the Northern Star , Sop . 28 ' , 1838 There happening to be two letters of hia in th . it somber , tbe printer mistook our directions , and extracted the wrong one . The following is the letter we intended to haTe given last week : — ;
TO THE WORKING GLASSES . * . ;' Brother Radicals , —For the note reason that' * Serjeant ' s guard of disciplined and aimed troops will be » t and pat to flight a squadron of raw and unarmed recruits , hvre we been beaten by factions disciplined in the arts of treachery and deceit We must discipline and remedy this evit _ We nrest meet them on their p « m ground , and with their own weapons . We roust organise , and show the front of freemen . In order to effect it , then , I submit the fallowing suggestions for your consideration : —
P « sel says " Register , register , register . ' "—O'Connell s » ys " Register , register , register !"—the Whig prew and the Tory press say " Register , register , register !" and , therefore , there mast be some magic in the word " Register . " You cannot register , but you can " Unite , unite , unite ! " and Russell says it is your right to exercise influence over the elector ; while O'Connell says that it is your right to use gentle coercion toward * the Plecfcor . let us , then , place ourselves in a position to be prepared whenever the struggle may corte ; and , btlieve m » , it is at hsnd , else would not our enemies be loading their pieces . Let a committee be established in every town and village throughout England , Scotland , and Wales , according to tho following form , and for tbe performance of the following duties : —
THE FORM . Let the electors and non-electors instantly form county , city , and borough election clubs . Where the clubs consist of several hundreds , let them tie divided into hundreds . Let each hundred appoint a chairman . The hundreds should then be divided into tens , and each ten ahould appoint . a chairman . The ' chairmen of the hundreds should constitute the General Election ConuuUtee . The chairmen of every eleven tens should , according to convenient locality , constitute the district or ward committees . The committee of tens should report on every Monday night , to the General Committee , tbe state of the public mind in their several districts ; after which , a compendians report should be submitted by placard , handbill , or through the medium of the press . The terms to constitute membership to be one penny per week . Tho funds to be appropriated as a Finance Committee , appointed by ft allow of hands at a general meeting , "bhall liirect .
TUE 'DUTIES . The duty of the Election Club will be to select a fit and proper candidate , who Bball bo vigorous and active in laying befoTo his constituents the principles upon which he claims their support—to read at public meetings , as often as opportunity affords , tho reports aud resolutions from the several committees . Every candidate should be pledged to support Universal Suffrage and a repeal of the Legislative Union between Great Britain and Ireland , to take his seat if returned by a majority in the house called the House of Commons—and to restore his trust whenever ruquired to do so by a majority of a committee to be called "The committee of review of public men's conduct , " which step must be sanctioned by a public meeting of his
constituents . The committee should also appoint collectors of contributions , who should leave the following printed form of application at the housa of every voier in their district : — " We , the committte appointed to superintend the management of the election of , do respectfully solicit your support and interest , and also such contribution aa * you can conveniently give , to promote the aforesaid object" A book should be kept containing tbe names of all the electors in the several districts , to be called " The canvas and contribution book . " When the whole machinery is completed , public meetings of tbe electors and non-tlectors should be convened , to take into consideration tto propriety of appointing a National Election Convection of tirentyone , whose outy it shall be to sit in London for the
purpose of receiving , and disseminating throughout the country , digested reports from the several election committees . I think at a single glance you will see that the adoption of tbe foregoing plan wiil at once raise a safe and constitutional standard round which the friends of Radicalism may raUy . We shall then stand upon an equality , in the field of agitation , with both Wfeigsand Tories ; aud , according as we are treated , so shall we treat the enemy . In t .. is instance the constitution recognises no superiority ; and if we are uot prepared to carry out this principle , we are not deserving of Universal Sufli-age . If , upo n' the otliev hand , we are prepared , and if , by our united excitions , we can return & majority of the aix hundred and lifty-elgbt , we shall be
justly entitled to go tothe House of Commons upon the tirst day of ihe next session of Parliament , and there pass a law directing her Majesty to iaiue new writs for the return of a Parliament upon the principle of Universal Suffrage . This requires no exhibition of physical force , as any opposition offered to the will of a nation thus manifested would be high treason upon the part of our opponents . The effact of our preparation would be the immediate liberation of cur fritnds from their dungeons ; for , belwvu me , that our enemies but await our union to obey our command . I cannot cenceire a more glorious sight than a nation of freemen marching to the hustings in sections , divisions , aad squadrons , thtre to show their Lauds , -which are ready to support the dictates of their hearts . My mind is always
upon the rack , my invention is ever at work , to learn how I can test serve your uau 3 s ; and lazy men , who wiil not work themselves , call me presumptous—but how much more pleasing and easy would it be for me to remain klie . if those who abuse me would work ; but the work must be t-illK-r left undoce , or done by a few . instead of constantly nibbling and carping at my propositions , let them suggest , and I will follow ; but I cannot ami wiil not remain idle so Jong as a single grievance remains nnredreused . I implore you , then , my feilow mtn , by yout valour , by your patriotism , and by your humanity - by tho love whicil you bear to
your Gotl , your country , your family , and your kind , to awake , arise , and Itt the voice of freedom be heard upon each passing breoze throughout this pea-bound dungeon ! Let us procla in the right of the labourer to enjoy the fruits of his own labour—of the freeman to eiijoy tho protection of , his castle—of tho community to enjoy social comfort and happiness—of the poor to lite npon the land of his birth—and of the Nation to be governed by laws made equally for the protection of the ricii and the poor . Lit union be your watchwordlilicrty your idol—and Universal Suffrage , and no surrender , your motto . For these things I have lived , ; tad for tlitse things I- am ready to rLsk my life ; and
am Your faithful and sincere friend , Feargus O'Connnb . Leeds , 25 th , Sept , 1839 .
Untitled Article
THE NORTHERN STAR . 7
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Citation
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Northern Star (1837-1852), March 6, 1841, page 7, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/ns/issues/vm2-ncseproduct1099/page/7/
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