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Northern Star (1837-1852), 17th July 1841, Edition 1 of 5, Page unpag, Cteitet 3Eutenfeence.

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    • Cteitet 3Eutenfeence.
    • JO THE LANDLORDS OF TKEL&RD, 1BTTBB JL
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      t a tree labourer earns that be eats ; gets that be mm : owes no mas hate ; envies so nun ' s happiness ; - »» d of other msai good ; contest under his ova priTV SJbj and hi * ehitf pride is to the modest comfort * of lis cond ition . —Shatapean . > jy Lo&ds asd Gehilkkkh , —In the outset I ggjjgj , thit I had undertaken a difficult task , jet I » j j ^ mt I bad sot calculated upon one half the ob-^ joeatfla -which power , custom , sodal and ela **« - -jjjaiiaa , isneraaoe of pasting tJitBTOitanw * , national ^ J ^ oni prejudice * , ( not to speak of political bias , ) _ ttfc ill its train of wedded absurdities , had thrown is gr -nj ; each meeting me in my progress , or haunting - * jn tba boar of reflection .

      My Lords aad Gentlemen , —An anxious desire to Igbig the case of my client , tie labourer , before you , g u early a period as possible , has induced me trust , laudably , if not prudently ) to reTerse the gdet of dassifieatiaa , which shouldb * Te been : Firstly , 9 material , or barren surface of the soil , representing ptr tiUe to representation : Secondly , responsibility , ex--eairtnre of capital , and tenancy , representing the copying tenant ' s title to representation : and , fbirdly , labour , which renders the soil , by cultivation , . Triable to jmbvi ¦**** , aad Us title to representation

      My Lords and Gentlemen , I trust that in tha word representation , you wffl not recognise any infraction of oy condition to treat my subjeet without the introduction of politics . I do not use the ward here in a political sense ; an * before I have concluded , I hope to prove tfcaA * wise , a prudent , a just , aad beneficial exercise of your social power , and a honest exereisa of tout trust , as landlords , would hare rendered political Lj ^ g ^ rfaaon almost M oteolaie term- A demand tor pcJiSeai u > H Msntitinn has inereasadin exae * proper U oa -wiih tf » abase of soda ! poTrer .

      My Bords and Gentlemen , yon will have learned by jay quotation from " the great Poet , " that I mean to attack therery strongest of your prejudices at once . And in this , my fire upon you must be hot When the mind ] t weak the prejudice is strong ; and judging from the « e you hare made of a long aad uninterrupted posjessioiL of power , yonr mind must be weak indeed . Yaax greatest prejudice is against tbe labourer . The willbut

      isaot yon can in some wise fetter to yonr ; jo the labourer of the tenant and in bis forisrn slate pn reeogniw your own oppression and misrule , and ^ ndder lest the vksfcim abould come a £ a knowledge of tjjose causes which make him a stranger in his o * n qook , an alien in his own country , aa outcast from his oro home , and a wanderer upon the face of ths earth mseuth of some resting place , or market , where God's pR ( strength to labour ) may be converted into man ' s

      moia * of sustenance . Kow , if I , who hare only witnessed the injustice , fed very warm when writing upon the subject , as I acne r * ° * > ""fc * 4 mnst ** the feeUnS" ** Ulode irIw se haxa to the same susceptibilities as myself , and ^ jw have drunk deep of the enp ? What is your greatest folly ? Let me expl&n it to yoo . Toa feax to place the labourer in a comfortable ad independent condition , lest from that state oJ

      local comfort and independence should spring a desire to be politically great You mistake causes for effects . Yob suppose that the power at present wielded by gje Boman Cathotie clergy emanates from popular hosSi $ j to your order , your religion and your posasawiB . It does no such thing . It is an eman&tion from your neglect , yonr persecution , and your injusfae , as well towards yourselTes as towards the people . EemoTe the causes , and the removal of the effects

      X 3 L very speedily follow . Bat while you axe thus keeping up a struggle betwen your social power and the priests' political power , yon da not see that you ytrawelves are aiding sad abetting in the very change , to prevent which yoa have dtvoted all your energies , namely , a transla of all political power from your hands to the h » ii of the Boman Catholic clergy . Point « ut a single popular vice and I will trace it to fit parent aristocratic folly ; indeed , I should reverse the terms Tiee and folly—the Tiee is yours , while the attempt of the people to counteract it from failure , is aRed folly .

      Have you ever known a working man in Ireland , with certain employment at eightpence a d * y , and paid , to be charged with an act ef dishonesty , violence , or outrage ? I lave not ; and my experience goes far m that respect I have heard scores of magistrate admit the same . Do yon not then , in the uncultivated state of j-onr lands , and in the unemployed state of the people , discover all the errors of society , and see just uue for self-reproach .

      When I cometo treat of a farmer , I sballshowjnstand icffiaesi cause for the poor man's preference of the pries t to the landlord , in nine cases out of ten . Nay , I will go father , ani assert , that out of nine cases in every ten , fcadlord * look with a jealous eye upon a thriving tenant , { specially if his improvement is convertible into an facra * of rest . My Lords and Gentlemen , I beg of you to keep this

      oas fact in view : it is that I have a meaning in every fae I write ; aad well knowing that your grand ohjee-Sicn to s subdivision of land arises from a dread of oaiinj a Eomerous tribe of agrarian suitors for political pover , I have called the great naturalist to my lid , in the liope of eomineing 70 B of the little CSCge yes fcsTe to teax io tbe evens of such a result and its reaHsstiDD , that your property would soSst damage , » 70 ET position in society any inferiority .

      Yoar constant 07 it , " What . ' enfranchise the bvellers , sal thus surrender the power to other hands . 1 nse of which would be sure to lead to oar immolition , sad a consequence of which would be that tbe sacred Ban ? called liberty would degenerate into lieeDt > onsfcss and lead te a complete social revolution , " It would lad to a revolution , and a complete one , in the proper was et the -word ; that is , to a perfect one , aid to ens from -which you w « uld derive the greatest bssfit

      I bare said that an employed Irish labourer is always ^ JaSsd . I arer that he is syeophauticaUy so , and toofaupon the contract between him and his master , fc ywtaeo the latter is th « great benefitter , as a faronr ** ad of a right In a wholesome state of society ihs Tmemployed unwilliag idler would be entitled to i . Kffidency of everything to make life a blessing , b reader m&a ' g oppression inoperative , so far as food , lfciMBt , lodging , fuel , aad liberty relate . But Irishfca , even when at full work , do not enjoy any of those iaessap :

      2 = t kt me nsw go further , and asswe you that so » from the contented agricultural labourer envying J *** » ppiieat superiority , be laughs at the foliies ° 8 Kd by your easy acquirement of luxury . He sees T * ittempt to do for you selves what be does better jj * Too , and glories in his superiority . He looks at the « free , dear complexion , and straight limb of his "ti& ' ttl oSjpring , and contrasts them -with the pale iuxt l&i biany legs ef pampered aristocrats . He

      ** $ iti in seeing the huntsman taken from the cabin , " ^ the field , and beating the hereditary equesf * - Hs contrasts the hardihood of his own priest-~ ° 3 " « ith the effeminacy of your priesthood . When * ltt 523 of hu master being sick , he observes , " Wisha , £ SW * , ib too much of them doctor's things he does I * *** ? : bat if I had him for a week alongside a me , ^* » ra care him . " He is miserable when he is idle , wrer ao happy as when at work .

      * & iave thrown him upon necessity for invention ; ^* iileneai for mischief ; and now you wonder that * Sagst afled , inventive and mificoievous . You have ^ 2 ? mq political power , and especially that power J" *~ * Q 6 state affords to an na / wiri ^ nfc and hostile *¦* •*> for the purpose of crushing him ; and then you £ * der that he ihould struggle , under the guidance of " ^ ¦• boDeTer desert him , for the means , the only £ ***> tf combattine yon . If the Chundi oppress ° « if

      ^ y take pirt with the Church ; the law ^ T * fcffl , yoatake part with the law ,- if the police ^ T ^ wwe , or wrongfully treat him , yon reject j ^* ** * ana gjre ea , ^ { b nij ^ j disturbers , ^ TTjwtpmon would cease if your duties were ^^ "dmiairtered . -jfc y * unnecessary expence in our whole sys % - ^^ " •^ 1 trace its origin to some one of your Yotfc *~ .

      It 4 „ " " * & > between eight and nine millions of peofc- ^ ttploj Population , " in a land capable of maiat-J ^*™* fflaence health and comfort more than four wumiabej ; and then you mercifully transport the *«* am **^ ' * ithsui littl « compunction as yon ttin i & ^ T * 10 * M overstocked farm ; and thesa yon " ^ ustiioBs portion of society , " never rcflscting

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      that tbft commendation is a stigma npoa yourselves , for baviny banished honest industry froa its native shore . I shall conclude my comment upon the cheerfulness with which an agricultural labourer bends to his lot when fairly cast , by once more respeatag the last sentence from the passage of the great poet , " And his chief pride is in the modest cemforto © f bis " " Condition . " Now , my Lords and Gentlemen , in order to raise that honest pride by placing him In a proper and comfortable condition , I shall proceed to shew you the loss ,

      the mighty lo »» , to society , by your foolish and Injudicious minagement of yoor ^ states . With a view to the perfect illustration of my subject , I propose to take a «™* " estate of 1 , 000 acres , let to ten tenants , in farms of 1 * 0 acres each , to shew the little benefit which society has , and also the bad security which landlords have , from such an unpwfitabla disfcrifcutiosi of land ; a » d then to shew the great benefit which society at large , and landlords in general , would derive from a mtre equitakle division of land , corresponding with the capital , industry , and requirements , of the people mn& the inten » ts of society at large , from the very highest to the very lowest

      My Lords and Gentlemen , you will have perceived th >* mj object is to bring your estates from a heavy wholesale market into a brisk retail market Do not mistake me , and teppose that I hold you to be ignorant of the vast benefit which the change would confer generally upon your order . 1 kn » w thai you are perfectly awajft of it ; but you * apprehension is , that land cannot be advantageously divided for agricultural purposes , without bringing about a correspondinf subdivision of political power ; aad you prefer the loss of about ten millions annually in rent , to the loss of more than a hundred millions in political patronage to your families relatives and dependants , made paupers by your cruel conditions annexed to leases and exclusive dealing in land . To those then , most especially , who angment the great political patron's power , by adherence to the vicious system , do I address my

      observations . Again , I say , that I can very well understand the reason why my L » rd gives up , £ 5 . oeo a-year in rent for a bishopric ^ , a judgeship , aa&dsairsA s or a general's commission , the lieutenancy of his county and appointment of magistrates , with seme fat livings and minor pickings for his strongest supporters ; but I cann » t for the life of me reconcile with eommtn sense the blind following of the retired country gentlemaa , not requiring any of those pickings ; and , therefore , to him I appeal

      A thousand -acres of land in Ireland , then , I suppose to be held in the most beneficial way ; that is , direct from the proprietor , and upon lease . I should be justified in arguing upon the system from a thousand acres held by a middleman , whereof eight hundred was sublet , aad two hundred held in hu own bands , the labour of which is gratuitously performed by the tenants of the eight hundred acres . This course , however , I shall not take , as it is my iatention t » gi-ve you

      the best of the system , and to use the most unprofitable results of my system for my argument . I lay aside science , aad come to plain digging at once ; aad , therefore , take oae thousand acres , divided into ten farms * f one hundred acres each . Now then , let us see how this is cultivated ; what it produces ; how many it supports ; and what surplus , after cultivation and support , it leaves for expenditure in the manufacturing and trade market

      In Munstar the September rent is paid with the harvest ; and the March rent is paid by the sale of butttr , pigs , aad seme potatoes . In Leinster the September rent is paid by a fat c * w , a Teal taif , snd a small portion of the harvest ; and the March rent is , for tie most part , made up by the sale of Wheat , and Oatmeal , each farmer either turning -what is called a meal " nwooper , '' ( the g pronounced harsh as the g in bing , ) or griader of a portioi of his own corn into me&i , or , having at the doer a ready sale for oats U those who are more extensive in that traffic Here , " stir-about , " is the general food ; in iiunster , potatoes . In Connsught , large tracts of feeding ground are held by breeders of sheep and cattle , aad the system of serfdom still exists there to an awful extent

      There are comparatively few cultivators in Connaugkt upon a small scale , that is , tenants ; and the poorest class of harvest men to be seen in England , and in parts of Leinster " aad Ulster , are the mistrable cottiers who hold a sty for themselves and the pig . What is most disgraceful to Irishmen , is the fact , that this class of their cflfcntrymen are serrated and hooted in Leiaster aad Ulster , while they are invariably kindly treated by the English people . They are called "spalpeens" ( penny mowers /; aad are maltreated for competing -with the rewdeat workmen in harvestrtima . They pay the rest of some potatoeground and of the sty , with the pig , and what they can

      save from harvest w « rk , leaving the potatoes to the family during their absence ; and when scarcity occurs , the mother nails up the door , and with htr little teg , accompanied with the yonng blood of Ireland , ( perhaps Beven or eight younglings , ) takes to the road , barked at by the rich man ' s dog , and fostered by the charitable of her own class . In Ulster , the small fanners are much better offi My Lords and Gentlemen , I have thought it necessary to state so much of customs , for the purpose of exhibiting Ireland to your eye at a glance . Let us noft- dispose of a farmsr holding one hundred acres of ground . I -will select the county of Cork ; Limerick

      being mere of a grazing county , and Tipperary , Clare , and Waterford being feeding , and corn-growing counties Kerry , very-much resembles Cork ; and some parts of it send forth their emigrants in harvest aad potato-digging time , in the same manner as Connaught Ten farmers then , holding one thousand acres of land in the county of Cork , and living upon those farms for twentyfive years , \ a time when the family becomes marriageable , ) will not , united ' . y , have spent £ 2 # per annum in the manufacturing market They live very little , if anything , better than their labourers , with whom they breakfast and dine six days in the week ; breakfast being potatoes , and thick milk , " blue , " from sixty to eighty-four hours old , sometimes boiled into curds and whey , and sometimes cold ; and they have the same for dinner , from Ule 1 st of January to the sist of December .

      If the farmer can bold possession , and keep the stock together , and i f , in the twenty-five yean , he has scraped together £ 25 for his children ' s portions , h « coasiders hiTi" ^ yj gnt ^ eu off We will suppose him to have three sons and two daughters . To the daughters he gives £ 190 each ; the second son he marries to another farmer ' s daughter , with whom he gets his one hundred pounds ; the eldest son remains for some time unmarried , and when his parents meet with a suitable match for him , in their old age , they , with the gossoon ( the youngest son ] give op the farm to the heir , ( with his Honour ' s' consent , and tomeihing more , ) and live thenuelTes upon a few acres of which the son pays the rent ; aad the fifty pounds spared after the daughter ' s portion remains for which ever shall be survivor , to live with the youngest , who seldom or never marries during the life of the old couple .

      My Lords and Gentlemen , the law tf nature , which thus Implants the duty in the child of taking care » f his aged parents , is in my mind far preferable to the law of primogeniture settlement and entail , which makes the son dread his mother brothers and sisters , ihd quarter-day . A letter with a black seal and mourning edge from , the family mansion , is a G * d-send to th « pining heir , made idle from expectancy ; while death is an unwelcome messenger to the poor man ' s house , froa which , thank God . ' system-made ruffianism has not as yet banished all natural feeling .

      We aow come to consider how these on * hundred acres are cultivated . They axe , for tie most part , disposed of as follows ; potatoes , ten acres ; wheat , ten acres ; oats , ten acres ; remainder in a transient state between weeds , &nd their next turn for potatoes . Upon serenty acres twenty wretched cows and four horse 3 , or three horses aad a colt , are supported ; it is

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      cultivated in the-very rudest manner ; I mean roughestfor spade culture is literally the rudest , but yet the most excellent , mode of cultivation . When I come to write a plain system for the poor man ' s industry , and show exactly wherein his inheritance lies , you wUl be astounded at the ignoraaoe of your system , aad your consequent loss . The potatoes are good ; no better ; the best in the world , because the Savour is not destroyed by sharp manures . The wheat for the moat part is good aa to produce , but miserable as to sample ; the produce depending « n the land , the sample

      upon the tenant , or rather opon the landlord , whose duty , whON especial duty , it 1 * to see that above ail other things , sound , dean , and suitable seed be sown ; by suitable , I mean that upland seed from a distance be sown in swampy and stiff ground , and vice vena ; by dean , I mean that a peck of weed seed should aot be sown with a bag of wheat teai , thereby exhausting the land and producing an expenditure of much unproductive labour in weeding ; not that labour is unproductively expended when crops require weeding-, bat it might be altogether SftVed , and more beneficially applied .

      The cows produce scarcely a'fimndred weight of butter a head ; they are made to calve unseasonably for want of sufficient shelter ; sad thus much is lost fc-y ren ewiag the stock . A farmer tries to send his cow for service , so as to calve when the season will suit him ; bat the cow is obstinate and will only be in calf when she thinks prsper . By this arrangement seventy acres , which would rapport thirty-five cows well , merely keeps twenty miserable things alive ; the land , while

      in grass , being a mere oapul morluum , and may be considered as sacrifiwd to the thirty seres of badly cultivated crops ; In a state of probation , waiting for its turn to be ploughed , having " seven years ' skin upon it , " which is necessary for producing good potatoes and wheat ; the necessity being created by a want of the best manure that ever was , or ever will , or ever can be applied to land , man's arms and foot , with a spade at the end of it

      Our next consideration is the number of persons which the lit acres supports . We will estimate the farmer ' s family at five , and he will have five labourers ; but you know , M in Scotland , the practise i » to get single men , or one man aad his two sons , and a man and one son ; however I will give you all the advantage of five families , consisting of a man , his wife , and five children each ; thus dvmiciliatiBg six families , of seven to a family , or fcrty-two persons , upon the 100 acres , living in rags , as I have described , like pigs tbut not

      like fat ones ) from year ' s end to year ' s end , resting at night upon a sop of straw upon an earthen Root , without one single particle of furniture , or any one thing conducing to man ' s comfort—not one . Is that right treatment , mj Lords and Gentlemen , for those who coin the barren surface of your soil into down beds , costly mansions , a well-stocked larder , and a fine wardrobe ? Ah ! beware bow yon longer maintain political power at the expence of social disorganization and a reversion of all nature's laws !! i

      Let us now see what surplus after such support the farm leaves for traffic and supply in the consuming and manufacturing markets . We take a year ' s produce ;—£ a , d . 50 bags of wheat at £ l 5 s . per bag 62 10 16 cwts . of butter , seconds and thirds , at £ 3 5 s . percwt 52 0 20 barrels of oats , spared from horses , at 10 s . per barrel 10 0 0 10 fat pigs at 2 £ cwt per pig , at £ l per cwt 23 0 Spared potatoes .. 21 0 0

      £ 170 1 * 0 £ a , d . * Re % t , say 20 s . per acre 10 » 0 0 Tithe and county rate 10 0 Paid to five labourers , besides diet 20 0 0 Kanewai of cattle for dairy II 0 Wear aad tear , smith's -work , and additional men at harvest 2 t t 0 Laid by for children 10 Spent in manufacturing market 0 10

      £ 170 1 » Now , what interest has the fanner for his capital employed as follows ?— £ s . d . Price of 2 » cows at £ 7 a-head 140 0 t Four horses at £ 10 each 40 0 Carts , tackling , ploughs , harrows , Arc ....... 2 < 0 0

      £ 2 * 0 0 0 What interest has be for that which requires £ 10 a-year to keep it up , by the renewal of dairy stock to its original value ? He has just the £ 10 a-year , which he lays by , if all goes welL And what is his remuneration ? Just the amount of comfort that I have BhOWn him to be partaker of ; and thus , for twenty-five years he and his family undertake great risk and responsibility , and at the end of that time sre more than happy if remunerated with his Honour ' s bond for £ 250 .

      Come , can you deny my position ; and will you say I do not considerably exaggerate my statement in favour of the . fanner t If so , take stock of that class ; and I pledge myself that for one fanner holding 16 t acres who has saved £ 250 after twenty-five years toil , that I will fled four at least in arrears , with their cattle marked for rent , and without a fraction in the 'World . In fact a farmer with £ 250 is a " rara avis "—you call him " a strong man . '' My Lords and Gentlemen , this is tbe week for trying the systenvmade-rogues and murderers in Yorkshire ; and as the paper for which I -write is expetccd to

      chronicle their trials , I must now take my leave , with a caution to beware how you allow your brains to be haunted withthenew science called " political economy . " It is , believe me , but a phantasm which haunts the unpractised fool in his airy dreams of artificial beatttnde . It is a delusion all ; a proposed corrective for social disarrangement ; a substitute for social economy ; which means the most pleasant , tbe most easy , and the most beneficial application of man's labour and ingenuity to the conversion of raw material , and above all of the land , into produce for man ' s sustenance , support comfort and enjoyment

      My Lords and Gentlemen , believe me , that you must take the whole system into calculation , before you can arrive at a just conclusion as to the probable result to be produced by passing events . You must look at all the circumstances , and from the whole , and not from any flattering or fancied portion of them , you must draw your conclusions . Let me assist you . Take Class Legislation and gunpowder for your dividend , and Political Economy for your divisor , and the result in your quotient will be a large surplus of fictitious money ; a large surplus of manufactured goods ; a large " surplus population , " rendered useless by machinery ; a large surplus of non-consuming , unregulated , producing power ; a large army ; a large navy ; a large

      church-establishment ; a large law establishment ; a large police establishment ; a large regal establishment ; a large poor law establishment ; a large oligarchial pauper establishment ; a small centralised , gorged slave-owners establishment ; social ruin ; an empty exchequer ; little trade ; discontent ; crime > insecurity of property ; gaols fuU of " political offenders ; " starvation ; and revolution . As a superabundance of fictitious money presses' hard upon and reduces the value of real capital , so does fictitious labour press hard upon and reduce the value of real labour . And as the bankrupt fails in the midst of surplus wealth , se does the perative starve in tbt midst of abundance , neither having the means of acquiring the drug . Thus you see merchants failing in the midst of affluence , and the people starving in the midst of plenty .

      In my next I shiH shew that tbe 1 , 000 acres subdivided into the too-large allotments of ten acres each , would maintain in affluence two for one , compared with your present system ; would increase your rents ; and in twenty-five yean , those i , eeo acres alone would cause an expenditure of more than £ 50 , 000 is the manufacturing market , after having furnished to society a much larger quantity above consumption , thaa the same l , 00 » acres now furnish altogether-

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      I would make man to a certain extent his own producer , manufacturer , and consumer ; thus relieving the wholesale market of it * slaves , and at tha mum time creating a vastly Increased demand in the home market for those articles which the husbandman could not manufacture , and other articles which from the advantages of machinery , be could purchase cheaper than he could make . You must return from aa artificial to a more natvral state of society . You must give to the labourer the power of regulating the supply of hu own produce according to demand ; and , above all , if his elevation in society be in truth your object , you must let bin see the sterling labour-stamp upon his handy-work , instead of finding It effaced by the counterfeit enterprise and speculation stamp of " our merchants , " " oim traders , " and " oua slave owners . "

      My maxim to-day is the same as that which I laid down for you in 1831— " A fair day ' s wage for a fair day ' s work . " Give thai , and use your political power for the conversion of machinery into man's holiday instead of being man ' s curse ; and then , in the eloqnent- and ^ startesman-Hke words of Mr . Batterworth , one of-my illegally incarcerated brethren , yon may ¦ " go to bed by steam , rise by steam , and dress yourselves by steam , provided steam does not take tbe bed from the po * r man , and leave him without clothes to dress with . "

      My Lords , end Gentlemen , many a half-witted fool has gained even a posthumous fame by one sentiment not containing a twentieth part of the philosophy of the above . Search all yonr writers upon " free trade ' - " political ecenomy" and " commerce , " and I defy you to equal it from the catalogue of their united folly , or from tbe heap to pick one such grain front the chaff . My Lords and Gentlemen , " political ecenomy" has no " finality ; " and , believe me , that the political economists will never rest satisfied till they make you tenants in your own houses , stewards to your own

      estates ; and beggars from the Pole , the Turk , the Russian , the Prussian and the Americas , upon your own land . The / wish to pl&ea you upoa the shop-board , making breeches and coats which tha foreigner m * y or may not purchase , according to convenience ; while they would make you dependants upon the foreigner for that which you must have three times a day , or starve , or do that which I am guile sure you never could bring yourselves io , at you have transported thousands upon thousands for ike tame—STEA . L .

      Now , do not think the picture over painted . Do not reject the advice because it comes from a " Destructive . " Do not despise it because it comes through the only paper in England which dares to support the labourer against his every enemy , from the monarch on the throne who gives assent to laws for his ruin , down to the policeman who executes those laws—do dot . And ever bear tbe alternative in mind , REFORM r TRANSFER . That you may come to ft righteous , a just , and a sound conclusion , is th « devout prayer of Your obedient , And very humble servant , FiARGue O'Connor . York Castle , Condemned Cell , 14 th of fifteenth month of solitary confinement .

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      YORK . —On Wednesday evening last , Mr . G . J . Harney , the talented advocate of the People ' s Charter , delivered a lecture on the rights of labour , and the principles of the Charter , in the large room of the association , situate in Fessgste . Mr . Demaine iu the ebair . The room was crowded to excess , and hundreds bad to go away disappointed , being unable to gain admittance . Mr . H . Bpoke for upwards of two honrs . fully exposing both factions , and concluded by calling upon the nen of York to uaite for the attainment of their political rights . The worthy lecturer was loudly cheered during his address . The following resolution

      was proposed by Mr . Cordeox , and seconded by Mr . Gill , and carried unanimously : — " That it is the opinion of this meeting , that great changes are necessary in the system of Government in this country , in order to improve tbe condition of the working classes , and we ate of opinion that no confidence can be placed on the factions whUh at present misrule our country , and we pledge ourselves never to rest satisfied until we are fully and fairly represented on the principles of the People's Charter . " Three tremendous cheers were then given for the " Caged Lion ; " three for Frost , Williams , and Jones , and three for the Charter , after which the meeting separated .

      At the weekly meeting of York Chartista , held on Tuesday , the 6 th inst , a committee of twentyone was elected to carry oat the demonstration , to take place on tbe release Of Feargua O'Connor , Esq ., which is to consist of a procession and public dinner , which there is no doubt will be carried out in a manner worthy of the martyr fer whom it is intended . On Sunday , the committee met , when an election took place by ballot , for six marshals , whan the following irere declared duly elected . *—Messrs . Burley , Croft , Demaine , Inglis , and Williams . On Tuesday last , being meeting night , seven new members were admitted , the effects of Mr . Harney' « address . Mr . Matthtw Bateson was elected a member of tbe General Council , in place f Mr . Charles Stewart After which Mr . E . Burley read the letter of Mr . O'Connor in the last week ' s Star , t % the fustian jackets , wbieh elicited loud applause , and the meeting broke up , highly delighted with the night's proceedings .

      ASHTON-TJJNDER-LTNE . —Tbe cause of Chartism is progressing very rapidly in this town . The members of the Association held their usual weekly meetiag on Sunday last , to hear Mr . Storor , who had been delegated to the County Council Meeting ; but it being late before be arrived , the election sews and O'Connor ' s letters were read from the Star , with deep interest , and all present were struck with astonishment on bearing of the base treachery of Dover and Edwards . Andrew Newton was elected to the Council , in room of John Slater . About nine o'clock , Mr . Storor entered the room , and gave a very satisfactory account of his mission ; after which , tbe meeting broko up .

      ABERGAVENNY . —The cause progresses here steadily . The weekly meetings are well attended , and considerable spirit is manifested . The cuds have not been yet received from Manchester , At tbe last meeting Mr . Thomas Howe stated that the infant son of Mr . Haines had been christened a few days since , Henry Feargus O'Connor , to commemorate that unflinching champion of the people ' s rights , Feargus O'Connor , Esq . The statement was received with thundering applause . The father rose , and in an appropriate manner , returned thanks , and said , that be weuld use every means in bis power to bring him up to the cause of democracy .

      BRADFORD . —The Chartists of this place having learnt that threats are held out by a few Whig hirelings against their leaders , called a public meeting on Wednesday evening last , at which the following resolution was adopted : —That this meeting regrets tbe mJsconduct of certain misguided individuals during and subsequent to the election ; but the Chartists of Bradford , determined to maintain that respect for tkeir character accorded to them in the Commons' House of Parlian-ent by Fox Maule , that they are both intelligent and forbearing under circumstanees of the most extraordinary excitement , do recommend every effort to be used for the restoration of that general good will which hitherto has existed in the borough . "

      DUBLIN . —The Universal Suffrage Association of this place bel * their weekly meeting on Sunday last , in tbeir great room , No . 14 , North Anne-street , Mr . Thoa . Xeein the chair , who , in a neat and forcible speech , argued the necessity , utility , and right of the producers of wealth to a voice in the making of the laws by which they are to be governed ; that nothing shOTt of the spread of political knowledge , and a union of sentiment and action between the people of Great Britain and Ireland , could erer emancipate them , for as the one rises or falls , so must the other . The meeting was also addressed by Messrs . Wood , Bropfay , and Patrick O'Higgins , in support of the principles of

      Universal Suffrage , Vote by Ballot , Annual Parliaments , Equal Representation , No Property Qualification , Payment of llembers , and Repeal of the Legislative Union , which are the objects of this association . The meeting was a crowded one , and sever was there more anxiety evinced , by any meeting , for their principles , than » t this , on account of the defeat of O'Connell and Batton . Several went away exclaiming , " Sure that ' s tbe very thing we want * what foola we hire bees , it those axe the principles of the Chartists we are all to * them . " Several new members were , enrolled , and notices of others , who may be enrolled on Sunday next , were given . This association meets evaaj Sunday evening , at six o ' clock .

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      HBANOR ;—Mr . W . Dean ' . Taylor lectured here on Friday evening , in the Mark et Place . The rage of Yellowism and Blueien wa 8 bo strong that it was considered mad t « attempt to address the people , but our lecturer would have bo nay . He said he bad come to lectuce , and he would not go away without ; we therefore accompanied him te the ground , and , we acknowledge , * uot without seme fear . We had an attentive and nmneroua audience , who listened to theclearexpaeition of oureternal principles— -B « veral of whom ,, at the conclusion , cried out in rapture , who would not be a ChariiBt ) helper . —Mr . W . Dean Taylor preached in the Market Place of this town * on Sunday evening last , and we only say wo wish , each discourses oowd be preached in every part of England every Sunday .

      TODMORDSN . — -Th » weekly meeting of the Chartista was held on Monday evening , when several came forward to be admitted as members , and the following resolution was . earned : — " That two shillings' worth of the ' Address to the Eleetas and Non-electors of the Couijij Cork' be sent for . to . ' the Star office , "—Any person ean have one by applying to Mr . Samuel Barker , T ©* d Carr . GLASGOW . —A meeting of the directow and others interested in th » Lanarkshire Universal Suffrage Association was . held in their hall ,, College Open , on the night of tike 9 th instant , whea it was uanimously agreed to use every possible exertion to have all the Chartist electors registered by the 20 th ot this month , when the registration-courts close

      here . It was aleo agreed , and speakers were appointed to attend th * various districts ia connection for the purpose of getting up a new and powerful agitation . against the faction which , by the result of the recent eleotioeB , will shortly be in power ; and for using every legal step to carry the Charter into law , in accordance with the above agreement . — A large public meeting was held at the corner of Dale-street , Bridgeton , on the 12 th instant ; Mr . Johnston , grocer , was unanimously called to the chair . It was tbe largest out-door meeting ever held in that densely populated suburban district and stronghold of Whigined ten-pounders ; and notwithstanding the rain Began to poor , literally speaking , in bucketefttll , at the oommencemint of the

      proceedings and continued throughout , still the dense and enthusiastic mass Btood the pelting of the pitiless storm without flinching . The chairman opened the business of the meeting with a brief and appropriate speech , and concluded by stating that Mr . koir , the people ' s representative for Glasgow , would address tnem . After a short delay , ( Mr . Moir not having arrived , ) he was seen wending his way down the main street , and was greeted with rapturous cheering , waving of hats , hankerchiefa , and umbrellas , until he ascended the platform , from which he delivered a cutting , satirical , and powerfully argnmentatiye speech on the present position of affairs , carrying along with him the whole soul of his attentive and numerous audience who cheered and reehearedhis

      home and forcible thrusts at the pitiful position of tbe Whigs . He was followed by Mr . John Rodger , one of those master minds which the present extraordinary movement has dragged forth from tbe obscurity of domestic life to act his part in the glorious regeneration of his country . His sincere and impassioned manner of speaking , combined with his well-known benevolence and purity of character , carried the hearts of his audience along with him . He concluded amid great cheering , by propssiug the following resolution : — " That this meeting is satisfied that the Reform Bill has failed in the object contemplated by the working classes , inasmuoh aa it has conferred the franchise on parties who are utterly

      regardless of the interests and wishes of the great body of the people , and resolve to continue to agitate until the principles of the People ' s Charter shall be the law of the land . " This resolution was seconded by Mr . M'Kay . apd on being put by the chairman , was carried unanimously . One of the fustian jackets then called out for three cheers for Feargus O'Connor , which was responded to by the whole meeting , taking time from tbe Chairman . Three cheers were given for the Charter , three for the other incarcerated patriots , and three for their patriotic and intelligest Chairman , when the meeting dissolved with wet ekins , though warm hearts in the cause of liberty .

      LEEDS . — -Now that the elections for the borough of Leeds and the West Riding are over , the Chartists are preparing for the coming struggles . With the Whigs losing ground , as they have done , we shall have them agitating the country to its base , ( if they are cot met by the Chartists , ) with a repeal of the Corn Law ? , Vote by Ballot , and Household Suffrage . The Chartists here will meet them with " Universal Suffrage , and no surrender . " Now is the time for the Chartists to act with firmness , for the Whigs will endeavour again to cajole the people , as they did with the Reform Bill agitation ; but only let the Chartists act upon principle , and we shall have no fear of the result . The Council desires that every member would attend the weekly meetings of the Association , and give , by his presence , countenance to its proceedings , and let every member bring one or more persons with him , so that they may have an opportunity of hearing what Chartism really is .

      NOTTINGHAM .-At a meeting of the counsel held in the Democratic Chapel , Rice-place , Nottingham , on Sunday morning last , it W&S resolved to call a meeting of delegates from the various towns and villages within the county of Nottingham , to assemble in the chapel , Rice-place , ou Sunday the 25 th instant , at 2 o ' clock , when busi ness of importance will be brought forward for consideration . It is requested that each place will send a delegate , that is within the county , where there is a body of Chartists meet .

      BERMONDSET . —At the weekly meeting here , a vote of thanks was passed to the brave Chartists of Manchester for their forbearance , when brutally attacked by the Corn Law Repealers and their hired ruffians , whea seeking discussion ; and a subscription was entered into to support an enquiry for tbe purpose of obtaining justice . Our moiety to the Executive will be sent this week , and we hope , with the assistance of every Chartist of Bermondsey , to go on and prosper . HUDDERSFIELD . —CiiAimsT Lecture . —Mr William Martin lectured here on Monday evening , in the National Charter AModatton Room , Upperhead Row , to a large and respectable number of his brother Cbartists and others , who listened throughout the lecture with the moat marked attention . He commenced in a very animated strain , congratulating them on the elevated position they had so successfully achieved , by

      wbich they had driven the two great factions to the acknowledgment that the Chartists bad become the third great party in the state , holding the balance of power betwixt each faction . He then called upon the Chartists to strengthen their cause by increased union and numbers , and requested all present , who had not joined the Association , to do so immediately . Suffice it to say , he delivered a lecture in hia usual animated and impressive style , to the great satisfaction' of all present At the conclusion , a vote of thanks was most cordially given to him , when the lecturer observed that should he join in the v « te of thaaka for himself , he would OBly be doing as my Lord John Russell and the rest of tbe Ministry had done in Voting a vote of confidence in themselves . A vote of thanks to Feargus O'Connor was also given , amidst the most enthusiastic cheers .

      LEICESTER—Mr . Coop « delivered a political sermon in tbe room at AH Saint ' s Open , on Sunday night last , the weather not permitting the usual assembly in the Market-place . Many went away , unable to g < jt in . A larger room is much needed . Two or three defection * to the Whigs have taken place during the electioneering excitement ; but the renegades have only met with the contempt of the Chartist body . The demand for cards has been unusual since the close of the elections ; a proof that Chirtisui is not sinking in Leicester . MANCHESTER . —Progress of the Cause . — Notwithstanding all the Jpersecutionj which the Chartists of this town have suffered , the opposition of the anti-Corn Law " Plague" and the misrepresentations of a corrupt hireling press , they seem determined to

      persevere in their undertaking . Persecution has had the ¦ ame effect upon that cause , as history informs us it had upon every other good one , namely , tb » t instead of putting it out , haa invariably tended to fan it Into a flame . Not a week has passed since the afiair in Stephenson ' s-square that the lecture rooms have not been better attended , and number * have been added to the association . An additional degree of enthusiasm has also prevailed . During the last week it was given eat at the conclusion of the lecture * in the various roems that a capacious room would be opened in Salter-street . No other means were used to give publicity to it ; and on Tuesday evening last , the time announced , the room was crowded to excess . Mr .

      Phillip Knight , a veteran in the caue of democracy , was called to the chair , who , after making a few appropriate remarks , introduced Mr . Wm . Bntterwwrth to the meeting . Mr . B . addressed them for about twenty minute * on the justice of the came , and tbe necessity of proceeding with it until tbeir efforts should be crowned with Success . Mr . ; Xeech afterwards delivered a lecture upon the three subjects put forward by the falling Whiga , which he handled in his usual able and manly style , for which he received the plaudits of the assembly . A vote of thanks was tendered him at the conclusion . This room is about the same size as Tibstreet , and bids fair to become equally as flourishing . Hurrah for tbe Charter 1

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      \ 9 fa : W jl * 7 **~ S j ' ^ t ^ U ^ fr Portrait of O'Bbjw . —The hard hands , futfic jackets and unshorn chins of Manchester , finding that the ever-to-be-reapeeted fenales of that town had stolen a march upon them in getting np a painting of Feargus O'Connor , Esq ., for the approaching demosstration , have liberally subscribed and . purchased

      canvass , the same size a * O'Connor's , and engaged tb * same artist to paint a fall length likene * of J . B > O'Brien . It Is how nearly finished and it fa said that it is a Striking likeness ; b » & \ m in the tX&UOm be nt when in the Convention , in hi * atndy , wHb library , paper * , pens , and ink before him , folly representing what he in reality la—a literary character . Top pirtuwrin the whole does credit both to the bonny lad * of Manchester , and the artist

      National Executive . —Thi * body met on Tuesday and Wednesday mornings , and went through the preliminary business . TheU sittings hare been hitherto private , and tkey have been principally engaged in examining the accounts , * & , which will be published . After thi » has been done , they will commence btuioew of a more important nature , in giving directions for the carrying « at the plan of organization . Present—Dr . M'DooaU , Mr . James Leech , and Mr . John CampbelL ^^

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      PUBLIC FESTIVAL IN HONOUR OF MR . H . YINCENT ; AT BAN BURY . On Wednesday , the 7 th instant , a public tea party was held in Mr . B . Austin '* spacious malthouse , when , notwithrtaading the unfavourable state of toe weather nearly MO ladiegand gentlemen were present to pay a tribute of gratitude to thtlr able aad nncompromisbur advocate , Mr . H . Vincent The room was * plendiata illuminated aad beautifully decorated , some hundred * of paintings , fca , having been kindly lent and a great profusion of Sower * supplied foe the occasion-Mr . Colemaa was called to the chair ,- and after the tea was concluded ; Mr . J . Osborn , moved that the following address be presented to Mr . H . Vincent , whteb was seconded in a very aWe speech by the BfiV . J . Clarke , and unanimously , adopted by tbe meeting ;—" Mr . H . Vincent . '

      " Sis , —Toe Elector * of Banbury , Nolthrop , and the Hamlets , take the earliest opportunity of cos « rata lating you on the honoacable position yon raaimtalaocl at the poll during the late severely contested election , and when we look at tfi »* umber of respectable , intelli gent , and honourable iadivldual * who recorded their vote * in yonr favour , we cannot but look at the defeat , if it can be so called , bat as a preface to the certainty that awaits you of you being most honourably fetarnect aa the representative for Bonbury , when we again hav * the honour of accompanying you to the polL On looking at the variety of eircumstancea that hare at thi » time operated against you—the comparative few woo

      knew you , or the principle * you have s » moblyand honourably advocated—and the prejudices , that have now for ever vanished , that once clouded the minds of some of the electors of Banbury , we hail your minority a triumph , and your defeat a victory . The deads that appeared in the political horizon when yon entered the independent town of Banbury as a candidate for on suffrages , have for ever disappeared , and the glorious sun of political freedom has arisen in the power and * plend « ur of his majesty , and has sent the mighty ray » of democratic government amongst us ; based upon th » only true foundation , the political tights of thopeople .

      " In COBgratnlatlng yon on the noble stand you h » V » made on democratic principles , and tbe philanthropic zeal with which you have so nobly advocated thos » mighty principles in Banbury , we point yon to the people ' * House of Commons , —thither will we tend you—to wield your powerful talents , and your sterling integrity in the ever-glorious cause of demosratie liberty . " We beg to thank you most sincerely for coming amongst us a candidate for our suffrages—for the greatmoral principle * you have ao talentedly disseminated

      amongst us—for your honourable and gentlemanly conduct during your canvass , at the hustings , and at the poll—and the noble feelings that actuated to enforce upon the minds of the , assembled thousands the propriety of preserving the peace ; and we beg to bear our testimony , in conjunction with every inhabitant of Banbury , to the perfect tranquillity of the town during the election , attributed by parties of different political opinions to tbe influence your very powerful appeal has bad upon the minds of the people , to keep sober , and receive an insult in good humour rather than

      resent it " In conclusion , we beg to request that when another opportunity offers , you will again come amongst us to solicit our suffrages , and we have no doubt but we shall be able to place you at the head of the poll . " Mr . Vitf cent then addressed the party in a speech of nearly two hours' duration , of which the following is a brief report : — . Whatever ray feeling * were during the contest , they are nothing cemparsd with my feelings on the presea * ccasion . I feel a pride that , though tbe green flag wa » smitten down , my friends have sot deserted It I feel I am not wwthy of the respect you shew me . I hope you are not come to congratulate me only , but that you look further—to God and to our cause . This shall go > on until every slave shall be made free , uutil the dia >

      tressed are made happy . I have drawn the public mind to the great principles we advocate . If you feel any attachment to me for the part I have taken in this contest , let us reciprocate this feeling . Though driven back from the poll , yet we have obtained a victory .. Was it nothing U see the great mass of the people —artisans , mechanics , ladies , all ranged on our side ? Erery man , woman , and child prayed for my success . We have achieved a victory which has put freshspirit into the Radicals . By whatever name we are called , our principles are the same . We hold that every man shall be prepared for those great national privileges which ( Jed has intended him to enjoy . Look : at our country—at that part of her population who havefought and toiled for her good . Are they treated as they ought to be ? What are , the principles npon which

      good Government is founded ? The first principles of Government are to promote the happiness of society , to protect the unprotected , to relieve the distressed . The proudest spirit which could actuate the ancient Baron was , to take care of the poor—to take care of the serfs . And he was then accounted tbe beat man who performed this duty best , who rendered the hearthstone of tbe cottage 08 secure as that ef the palace . There ia a mass of misery existing in this country which few are aware of . Few Christians are aware of this : were they they would , aa one noble army , come forward and attempt to alleviate it . The duty of government is to provide not only for the temporal , but for the spiritual wants of the community . The great body of the people —the labourer , the tradesman—are borne down by the character of tbe times . The plague is abroad ; and every

      one knows the plague must go- on , unless arrested by a power greater than that which produced it . Is it not much more difficult to obtain employment now than it once was ? Is it not more difficult now to make payments goed ? Every one must bear testimony to the fact , that things are getting worse and worse . The Conservative says "things are wreng ; we want a Tory Government to make them better ; we wanfc a good war . " A good war } we want no war , we want peace and plenty . Our sufferings have been occasioned by war . The Whig says , " you are right ; this country is in a bad condition . " I eay to him , then , " You have been in power , but you have not bettered this condition . " He is obliged to acknowledge this , but pleads many excuses . Sometimes the King opposed him , and he durst not take a stop in opposition to his

      sovereign will . But when they had the Queen and her Chambermaids with them , they did nothing . Whig and Tory are alike , both are interested in keeping things as they are . The man who advocates liberty when oat , how different is he when he gets into the House of Commons . You should endeavour to understand the meaning of party . The Radical party is as prejudicial Uyour interests as the Tory , unless prepared to give you your share ia the representation of the country . I wish to upset all attachment to party , and to endeavour to form one great party , founded on the principles of justice , of universal intelligence . Let us cast off the swaddling-clothes of political babyhood , and stand forth as men to advocate those principle * . If Lord John Russell , Sir Robert Peel , or Mr . Tancred advocate those principles , 1 will give either of them

      my most cordial support . What are our principles ? A Radical ia a man who wishes the Government of the country conducted upon the best principles possible . He advocates cheap government , a government which shall protect every m » : i in- the exercise of mental and bodily labour , and throw especially the shield of its protection over the worn-out part of the community , and make their deaths as easy and happy as possible . The Radical reads ia bis Bible that God made of one blood all the nations of the earth ; h * believes , therefore , that the prince and the peasant are alike equal in the sight of God . Reasoning on these principles , the Radical caanot see why a few Peer * sbonld govern this great nation , or that a few thousand * should

      govern thirty millions . He , asks how , in ererj age and country , have the few exercised the power ? And whether he looks to this country , to Sparta , or to Rome , he finds that the few have used the power they possessed against the interests of the many . They have ever been reluctant to concede to the people their rights . If they hare , aongbt the interest * of tbe people , it has generally been when they bar * been seeking their own . Paring toe reign of John , the Barons said to the serfs , " Let us take prerogative by the beard . " They took prerogative by the beard , and shook from hi * calUos heart , in the field of Runnymede , that Charta which i * the base—the framework of all our great national privileges . Lord Grey conceded the Reform Bill Tom are told that that

      measure i * a final measure . Final ! in that which must continue to progress 1 How atrocioaaly absard ! What ore you promised by the Whigs aew } Cheap bread and cheap sugar . Why do they come fat ward and promise you thU ? Because they feel that they have not a peg on which to bang their political hat So they pat hi these two pegs , and label one of them " cheap bread , " and the other " cheap sugar , " thinking thus to have a peg to hang their hat * on ; bat they are shocking bad bata alter all . Our priociples are these—Justice for all . injustice fox n « ne ; happiness for the labourer , the artizan , the hopkwsper . I feel that the spirit of Radicalism must be Mperstood , and its principles triumph . What I have « mted to you is true . If there ore any who think they can refute me , they are at liberty to come forward . If they cannot refute me , let them cast away all doubt and prejudice and lend me their aid . —Sun .

      Cteitet 3eutenfeence.

      Cteitet 3 Eutenfeence .

      Jo The Landlords Of Tkel&Rd, 1bttbb Jl

      JO THE LANDLORDS OF TKEL&RD , 1 BTTBB JL

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      YOL . IT . NO . 19 ^ . SATURDAY , JULY 17 , 1841 . ™ %£% ^> £ £ ^ "

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      AND LEEDS GENERAL ADVEETISEB-.

  • Citation
    • Northern Star (1837-1852), July 17, 1841, page unpag, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/ns/issues/vm2-ncseproduct1118/page/1/