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Northern Star (1837-1852), 12th September 1846, Edition 1 of 3, Page unpag, Untitled Article

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      tfO SURRENDER ! REGISTER > REGISTER !! REGISTER !!! TO THE BfPERIAL CHARTISTS . Mr "Beloved FaiEinra , —My heart is so full of joy at onrimmediateprospectofsoclalandpoliticalimprove ment , that lam once more about to ronse the whole conntnr from tlie Land ' s-endto John o' Groat , for THE LAXD AM ) THE CHARTER . I cannot , I will not , remain idle and useless , while every fr agment of faction is uniting to continue yonr oppression , and perpetuate your inferiority . My present joy arises from the state of preparednes in which I found even the out-of-the-wa y county of Devon , the Land of parsons , sonrcider , and low wages .

      This waa my first political experiment in the agricultural districts , and I hare added Devonshire to the noble army of Chartists ; and I will now go on convertin ? every fibre of the slave class of all denominatfonstooOTgloriouspriuciples . Now , my dear friends * "will you pay close attention to my solemn advice and recommendation . We have now a powerful party in the country . We have raised up a substantial thing to struggle for—THE LAND . But then , believe xne when I tell j-on , that close attention to our political principles , is the surest and speediest way of poshing and accomplishing our social object .

      I say we have a great and powerful party in this country . ifwe only use its power wisely , and fora legitimate and useful purpose . Will yon then permit me to EUggestt he proper guidance of that mind which I have mainly created and organized ? It is the last stage of a pelitical movement .

      THE DIRECTION OF PUBLIC OPINION . And now I proceed to counsel you nnder this head . Will yon then abandon every species ef agitation Of every sort and land , 8 a « e and except that which will he required . far securing the return of TWELVE CHARTIST MEMBERS to the next parliament and the proenring of signatures to the National Patition ? AW , I ask yon to place every other description of agitation In abeyance , in order that we may devote our untiring , undivided energy , to those two important questions . The return , not of a choice of evils , but OF TWELVE OF OUR OW 2 ? MEN , and the National Petition . Let the country secure the power of electing , and I will undertake the task of securing the PARLIAMENTARY

      QUALIFICATION . Remember that the restoration of Frost , Williams , and Jones ; the Ten Hours' Bill ; the Repeal of the Poor Law ; and all other interesting ques tions , are the work to be done . PARLIAMENT IS THE TOOL TO DO IT WITH ; and in the present balanced state of faction , get only twelve members , over whom you have entire control , and who shall be pledged in writing to resign the frost whenever called upon by a meeting of non-electors , convened for the purpose , and of Vhich the member shall have due notice ; and you can recal Frest ,

      secure a Ten Hours * Bill , Repeal the Poor Law Amendment Act , or arrest the whole business of the country , and snap up Government after Government . Ton can command the circulation of your opinioBs and principles through the pre = s . You can have Tour every grievance exposed withoatthe dread of ridicule or flat denial . Yon can have the LAND PLAN fully and fairly expounded . You can make the subject of the Land familiar to every ear and everv nation . You can refute the calumnies which

      Mr . O'Conuell has so industriously spread of you in Ireland . You can prove yourselves the real friends of Ireland and the Irish . You can inundate the House with petitions , when you are convinced that they trill be hononred not only with mock presenta tion , hut with serious discossisn . In short , jou will then have an interest in all Parliamentary proceed ings , and the world will Iparn that there is a powerful public opinion in England as well as in Ireland ; and that the English mind cannot be turned to rait the will of a political , place-hunting weathercock .

      In September , 1838 , 1 wrote you several letters xtpon this subject , and laid down the machinery for carrying ont the plan ; but yon were careless and heedless . We have had our day of NECESSARY MAD EXCITEMENT ; let us now have our season of calm reflection , and , if you will , of FIERY ACTION—that is , of enthusiastic work . Let the whole nation , from North to Sonth . from East to West , now join in the work of manufacturing tools to make freemen and unrivet chains .

      In 1 S 32 , by my own sole and unaided exertion , I succeeded in returning seven out of eight members for the County Cork . It is true that you in England have not the same elass of electors to deal with , but I do not set yon as hard a task ; I ask you only to return one FIFTY-FIFTH part of the House of Commons . In Ireland we returned one-half of the Irish members , and a d d bad lot they were , but the people were not to blame for that .

      If yon had twelve Chartist members , all pledged to follow their leader Dnncombe , you would see n « more government prosecutions , and instead of the people % tid especially the women , tem frightened from the advocacy of our principles , yon would see them becemingfashionable , and ; thimble riggers would cease frying to make us afraid of the name . You would sive security to the free expression of public opinion , dignity to the name of demagogue , and protection to democracy ; you would rip up the . past , and tifce vengeance , though tardy , upon your persecutors and betrayers . Yon would lure the Jagging trades into your fashionable , because represented , movement ; and thus become actually , instead of virtually , THE SOURCE OF ALL'POWER , rad throu h it the ilrst partakers of the fruits of

      your own industry . It is nonsense to talk of t a committee sitting in London to carry out this project , if every city , "town , and borough in the kingdom does not aid and assist . I am resolved , however , that you shall not Lave to charge me with apathy , or urge my neglect as the cause of yonr failure ^ Since I last wrote to you , 1 have been in Gloucestershire , seven miles beyond Straaforf-on-Avon , bnt the land was too stiff and dear ; I would mot have it at any price : you could not dig an acre in a month . I have been in Devonshire—fg lorion 3 Devonshire . '—and to night { Thursday ) I " 0 into Essex , Monday to Wecdnn and Kidderminster , where I WILL HOLD A MEETIKG ON MONDAY XlGHT NEXT , the UHi ; thus

      making the Land serve the Charter , and the Charter serve the Land . Now then , if I am to work you must work ; and once for all , if YOU DO NOT WORK , I WILL NOT WORK . Yoa see that all the bad men in Ireland have joined O'Connell in the sale of their country , and if you don't take care you va . ' . l have an exchange of placemen , as in ' 9 Syou had of militias .: and of al - evils P rav G " d defend us from an Irish official , and Good Lord deliver the people from a coalition of , Whigs , Free Traders , and Irish Placa-hunters ; and God will deliver them if they wish , for God helps those who help themselves . Now , in the midst of your culpable apathy , and while I am devoting my every hour to your improvement , you may , perhaps , ask me , why I have thus re 30 lved to increase my labours for the negligent

      once more . Then hear my answer , and I am not ashamed to confess the value of new zeal , and the advantage of young blood being Infused into onr lethargic sluggish body . Here t'aca is my answer : — For a giant hail risen , all grisly and grim , With his hnste limbs , load , clattering and vast And he breathed Iris steam-breath—through long chw . r . < -ls o * ' death , Till tne soul itself died on the blast . And fibre and flesh lie bound down on a rack , Flame-girt on a factory-floor ; Ana the ghastly steel corse—plied its horrible force Still tearing the hearts of the poor .

      Like a winepress for mammon to form a golddraught , ^ It squeezed their best blood throagn its fangs ;

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      And he quaffed at one breath—the quick vintage of death , . * While i t foamed with humanity ' s pangs . Oh ! then I looked back for my cold , quiet home , As the hell-bound looks hack for the grave ; . ButI heard my soul cry—who bnt cowards can fly , While a tyrant yet tramples a siaTel Then I bound on my armour to face the roogh world , And I ' m going to march with the rest . Against tyrants to fight—for the sake of the right , And , if baffled , tofail with the best . Now behold my answer , and the moving cause-Jones ' s splendid Poem ,

      THE BETTER HOPE . The whole poem , but especially the verses I quote , and more especially the two last inspiring verges . Oh ! then I looked back for my cold , quiet home , As thehell-hound looks back for the grave ; Bnt I heard my soul cry—who but cowards can fly , While a tyrant yet tramples a slave ! Then I bound on my armour to face the rough ¦ world , And I ' m going to march with the rest , Against tyrants to fight—for the sake of the right , And . if baffled , tofail with the best .

      Your faithful friend and bailiff , Feargbs O'Cokxob O'ConnorviUe , Thursday .

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      ACCESSION OF DEVONSHIRE TO THE CHARTIST CAUSE .

      GRAND DEMONSTRATION AND TEA PARTY AT NEWfON ABBOTT . The 7 th of September , 1846 , will be a day ever memorable in the cause of Chartism , for never since Devonshire was first inhabited , down to that hour , was there such an unequivocal representation of the County's feeling , opinion and will , as upon that day . The struggling patriots of Newton , with Mr . Elms , and Mr . Crews , as their legitimate and universallyelected leaders , worked efficiently , and for the short

      time allowed for preparation , incessantly , to secure a triumph for the Chartist principles ; or , at least , a discussion which would teach the agricultural labourers that there was more good in store , from the adoption of a different policy and different principles . Devonshire is a purely parson-ridden , landlord-ridden county ; where the serfs of the soil luxuriate in a genial climate , sour cyder , and from seven to nine shillings per week . The very names

      of their streets , their towns , their villages , their hamlets , and cross-roads , are distinguished by Scriptural names ; hut , alas ! philanthropyi civilization , aud piety ^ appear to be no longer the type or symbol of Christianity . Upon the one side v . e see lordly mansions , princely villas , proud cathedrals , ornamented churches , and gorgeous parsonages ; and upon the other hand , we are struck with the sqnalid misery of those by whose industry all have been created , and are suslained .

      The undertaking of Mr . 0 Connor , to preach unsullied Chartism , and the people ' s right to the soil , to a congregation thus cajoled and oppressed , was considered a perilous undertaking ; and , especially in the market-place of a town under the management of a pie-ball corporation * however differing about their individual interests , always united in their opposition to democracy . However , he ventured against the odds , and the success of his mission will be gathered from the Momng narrative , and the report of the proceedings .

      Mr . O'Connor was met at the Exeter station , at ten o ' clock on Sunday night , by that excellent , intellectual , consistent , and unflinching patriot , Mr . Wilkinson , formerly Mayor of Exeter , and a numerous party of friends . Upon arriving at the hospitable and beautiful mansion of the ex-Mayor , his dining room was found too small for the accommodation of the several deputations , and his spacious drawing rooms were

      cheerfully thrown open for the reception of labour s sons , where from forty to fifty honest and respectable men aud women , met in solemn , but not in secret council , as to the best mode of forwarding the interest of their order . The several sections spoke hopefully of the future , and secured a pledge from Mr-O'Connor of a long visit to Devonshire , when the several localities had manifested their love of

      Chartism , by recruiting then * associations , and signing the national petition . At eight o ' clock on Monday morning , Mr . 0 'Connor and Mr . Wilkinson started by train for Teignmouth , where they were met by a zealous and ardent Chartist and Tee-totaller , Mr . Garratt , an extensive Railway Contractor , to . whose hospitable mansion they repaired for the purpose of awaiting the arrangements . Teignmouth is a fashionable bathing-place , the chosen resort ; of the aristocracy , and about twelve o ' clock the lounging group of fashionables loitering upon the Den , and

      admiring the vast expanse of calm and quiet ocean , were roused and startled by the approach of distant music , and were presently surprised by the appearance of a very beautiful open van , occupied by the tee-total brass hand , dressed in military uniforms , playing merry Chartist airs , and followed by a very handsome open carriage drawn by four " blood tits , " with neatly dressed postboys . Having paraded the Den , which is the fashionable promenade upon the coast , the van and carr iage halted , and Mr . Wilkinson , Mr . O'Connor , Mr . Elms , and two friends on

      the box , started for Newton , a distance of six miles and a half , amid the gaze of the astonished bathers , aud the delight of the populace ; passing through the principal streets of the town , which were crowded with spectators , while every window and door presented a fair share of the curious , and the band playing the while . As the party passed through the several villages in their way to Newton Abbott , the peaceful villagers , who had been made acquainted with the objects of the demonstration , cheered them on their way , and when the cavalcade had arrived within less than a mile of the town it

      was joined by a large procession of the men of Torquay , the most fashionable bathing-place in Devonshire , with a population of about ten thousand . These honest fellows , with another hand that came from Newton Abbott , formed a beautiful procession of well-dressed respectable Chartists . And here Mr . M'Grath , who had come from London to aid in the conversion of Devonshire to the Chartist principles , joined , and entered the carriage . The procession was met at a distance from the entrance of the town bv a vast concourse of persons , who

      cheered and cheered again , until the carriage arrived at the Globe Inn , where Mr . O'Connor and his , ] friends remained until the necessary preparations ere arranged for the public meeting . And at halfpast two precisely , Mr . O'Connor , Mr . Wilkinson , Mr . M'Grath , Mr . Tanner , of Totnes . Mr . Elms , Mr . Crews , and the Committee of Management , mounted the platform , aud were received with the most rapturous cheers , and waving of hats of the men of Devonshire , in the open market-place of Newton Abbott . As soon as the cheering had subsided ,

      , Mr . Taxxer , of Totness , read the hand bill convening the meeting , and said , friends and men of Devonshire , httle remains for me to do beyond the reading of the bill convening tbis meeting , except to propose a ehairman to preside over our proceedings nor are we at a loss for such a person ; for I am sure you

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      will be glad to learn that in the person of Mr . Wilkinson , of Exeter—{ loud and continued cheering )—the working classes of Devonshire are secure in the faithful representation of that gentlemen , therefore , I now propose him as a fit and proper person to preside over this meeting . Mr . Elms , of Newton Abbott v seconded the appointment , which was carried by acclamation and without a dissentient . Mr . Wilkinson , in rising to open the meeting , was received with tremendous applause . He Bait ) , men of Devonshire , you have conferred upon me a high and distinguished honour to-day , and notwithstanding the invitation of the editor of Woolmer ' t Exeter Oaxetie , to the magistrates of this place , to be in ft state of preparedness to meet and put down any

      insubordination that may occur amongst you —( groans for the ^ Gazette)—lie , Mr . Wilkinson , who construed that invitation as a threat f ' er the purpose of intimidating the people , would nevertheless be answerable for the good conduct of his countrymen , and would save the magisterial office from trouble and interference . He felt no ordinary pride and satisfaction in introducing Mr . O'Connor to a Devonshire audience . Devonshire , whereso little was done , and where so much might be done , if the industrious as well as the luxurious were allowed to participate in the blessings of Divine Providence , so munificently bestowed upon that favoured county . ( Loud cheers . ) . He also felt pride in introducing Mr . O'Connor , because he conscientiously believed him to be the most phijanthrophic , and benevolent man he had ever met with in the whole

      course of his life . ( Cheers . ) His continued exertions were to benefit the people , to raise man to that state of society which it was intended by-his Maker and Creator he should enjoy . " ( Cheers . ) Mighty were his efforts in regard to the land , and for the exercise of which there was ample room in this beautiful and productive county , which may be made more fertile and still more productive by the application of its native industry to the native soil , and no man was more abloor more capable of carrying out that mighty principle than was Mr . O'Connor . ( Loud cheers . ) The chairman again expressed his conviction that the orderly conduct of the meeting would be the best answer to the anticipations of Mr .

      Woolmer , and concluded amidst loud cheers by introducing Mr . M'Gbath , who on rising was loudly cheered , he snid , if the talented gentleman occupying the chair , who was a native of Devon , and who was personally known to most of them , had reason , to be proud of his position , how much more reason had he , an entire stranger , to feel elated by the greeting with which they had been pleased to honour him . Many a time had they assembled on that spot to promote by their resolves and exertions , interests , and causes , which they had deemed of importance , but never since this town was called Newton Abbot , did a nobler object engage its inhabitants than the one which to-day convenes us under Heaven ' s blue canopy . ( Cheers . )

      We are here in obedience to the impulse of that purest of human feelings—patriotism . We are here in submission to the great fiat of nature , which with voice imperious calk upon humanity for ceaseless progression towards the goal of perfection . Our aim is man ' s elevation , social and political , through the restoration of the land of which he has been deprived by ruthless power , combined with inordinate avarice . ( Hear . ) What ie the character of the mind that is not interested by such a mighty theme , what Is the nature ot the heart that throbs not in the admiration of as sublime an object ? As the Poet has it , " Breathes there the man with soul so dead , Who nercr within himself has said , This is my own , my native land . "

      Gentlemen , your native land has produced sons which calumniate and helye her ; we hsye had them amongst ua latterly , diligently labouring in their vocation , to stamp the public mind with the impression that oar native land cannot yield to the hand of husbandry that amount of produce required for the maintenance of our present population , in other words that Almighty Providence has committed the egregons blunder of placing more mouths around Nature ' s table than there is food to fill them ! This is an error , men of Newton , which must be exploded ; you must be made to understand the capabilities of your native land , and these are that it wilt produce a sufficiency to support a population the quadruple

      in number of the existing one , ( Cheers . ) Gentlemen , we are not here to amuse your fancy with startling propositions , or to excite your contempt with those of an nntenable nature , wewish to flash the conviction of truth upon your minds , by fair argument , by producing that sort of evidence in favour of our cause , which the intelligence of these days requires before the popular judgment yields its assent to it . Mr . M'Grath then entered into an elaborate argument demonstrative of the truth of his position , and then drew the inference that as we had land labour and capital in abundance , poverty or its fear should never assail or disturb the industrious classes of Britain . He then called the attention ol

      the meeting to the Chartist Land Co-operative Society . It was a noble confederation of intelligence , energy and perseverance ; it may without hyperbole be pronounced the vanguard of civilization arid progress in Britain . Its past history has been a series of triumphs . Its present condition is prosperity itself , and its future prospects are bright and cheering to those who rely upon It for their release from the thraldom in which grasping capital has ever held prostrate labour . ( Cheers . ) The speaker then dilated on the benefits held out by the Land Society to the working classes , and illustrated clearly the principle of operation by which the society proposed to realise its objects . He urged on them the

      necessity of joining the society , because by sp doing then condition would be improved , he invited them to examine for themselves the objects and principles oJ the society , convinced as he was that they would stand the ordeal of the strictest scrutiny , ( ilear . ) lie wished them to " join the society because he was desirous of seeing a spirit of manly independence diffused among the working classes , he advised them to become membera of the society , feeling assured that their corporeal and mental meliorations would ensue , that they would enjoy life ' s choicest blessings in the fruits of their labour , secure in their happj homes , no avaricious landlord or tyrant taskmastei daring to make them afraid . ( Cheers . )

      Mr . O'Connor was next introduced , amid the most enthusiastic applause . He said , —If I can form a proper estimate from this great , this magnificent , this cheering demonstration , of the will , the wish , and the mind , of the industrious inhabitants of this vicinity , I must come to the conclusion , thai at Jast my mangled fame has burst like a radiant light through that murky halo by which faction hoped to obscure it . ( Loud cheers . ) Their excellent Chairman had a right to be proud of his position to-day , notwithstanding the invitation of the time-serving fool , who writes for hire in a garret—( cheers and laughter)—and who passes in the transfer of opinions to each new purchaser as a portion of

      the docile machinery . ( Cheers . ) These are the creatures who threaten most danger to institutions and society , by . the vain endeavour of veiling the popular will from the eye of authority . ( Cheers . ) These , and not you , are the real parties from whom danger is to be apprehended ; but , however , as this time-serving tool has thought proper to herald me to your notice as a dangerous man ; and , as he has had the insolence to nickname one of our friends , 1 will show him that , even in Devonshire , I can play the parson as well as him . His name is Edward Woolmer ; his townsmen call him Neddy—I presume , from his mental affinity to a long-eared gentleman . ( Cheers and laughter . ) He was once

      Mayor of Exeter ; and , as you know , though every horse is not a mare , yet every mare is a horse : so 1 christen Neddy Woolraer , ex-mayor of Exeter , the great horse of Devonshire . ^( Loud cheers and laughter . ) He would now tell them why he came amongst them , and for what purpose he was there . He was there to propound the philosophy of the several political parties who courted the aid of the industrious as a means of securing their own ascendancy ; and he would ask , which party ' s philosophy —those who toiled for a mere existence most

      approved ; the philosophy of Whiggery , which said , — " Keep us in office , in the hope that you may one Jay be enabled to make an impression on our councils ; " or the philosophy of Toryism , which says , — " Honour and obey the King , and all that are in authority under him "—and thank God that you constitute a portion of that pauperism which marks the civilisation of your country —( loud cheers ); or the philosophy of political economy , which says , — - " Buy in the cheapest , and sell in the dearest market , " while they have the power of affixing the lowest

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      standard to the only thing you have to sell—your labour ; while they have the power of affixing the highest standard to , the chief commodity you have t ( ? ^~^ P ^ 34 |^| te P ^ sop hy - Of . Chartism , which sa ||| pjEa $ 0 ^^ yourself , tf || , conguirie the ; produce of your-owny . ]' a | hour , befo || - "there is'it jsiirj ^ s % r 'traffickers to speculate lupon— ( loud cheers ) ' —and if the > surplus from increajfied ; labour ; shall become so ; large ; that glutted 1 majk « t 8 shall reduce the price of provisions ' rejoice that tacitwelUfed , ' welUhoused , well-clothed husbahdma ^ BeUsjbut the surplus , after , an abundant consumption ;; :, ( Cheers . );; My friend ; Mr . M'Grath ;

      has given youfclear ^ -and'convincing ; statistics , a 3 to the capabiiit ^ o ? : tHe ^ sqil to sustain four times its present , amount- of population , gleaned' from the study orth 5 p | e | # eU informed . upoh the subject ; but I will give youi ; an-illustration that you can analyse in your walkj ||| ifjiminate . upon jn ' your solitude , and carry home ' tt $ our retirement ; it is this—and pay attention . 'teethe ' easy . rule : —can any man in Devonshire pohit . out to me any ten acres in'Devonshire , lyiHg ^ fogether , and cultivated to one-fourth part of thfc | rWgbest power of bearing . ( " No , " cheers , and ^ hat ' s it . " ) Well , then , let us culti-, yafe ^ lhe ^ jl , fouVi . time ? as well as it is / inowjCuUi . vateuffchU let the- ( labourer that produces the

      increase be the first ; partaker of the fruits ; and . you have the easy proof of the capability of the land to sustain four times its present amount of population . ( Cheers . ) I admit with Mr . M'Grath , my friends , that under the present system each parish is over , populated ; but take one State pauper who nips the grass from the fold , and the parish will be found large enough for the flock . In propounding the principles of the People ' s Charter , and the question of the Land , to you , you are not to be led astray by the supposition that 1 am advocating idleness , or exemption from toil , or that I ask for any remission

      ot labour ; for , on the contrary , I ask that labour's hands should be unshackled , in order that the labourer may perform more work—BUT FOR HIMSELF . ( Cheers . ) I am not for promoting idleness , nor for distinguishing the idle ; but my object is to separate the willing from the unwilling idler—( cheers)—so that society may be able to say to the wilful idlers of all classes , " Go out from amongst us ; you have had an opportunity of living honourably upon the fruits of yoiir own industry ; hut you have preferred idleness , and dependence upon others to industry and honourable

      remuneration , and if you will not labour you shall not partake of the fruits of our industry . ( Loud cheers . ) That's my doctrine , a doctrine which would solve the problem of theCriminal Law , dispense with governmental sanatory improvement , educational aid , and a standing array—( cheers , )—hut the Criminal Law ought not to be a problem when th dietary and discipline of a prison is preferable to th degradation of a poor house , and when the crime of pauperism is more damning than offence against class-made laws . ( Loud cheers . ) Perhaps the GKEAT HORSE OF DEVONSHIRE may say , that ,

      I am disturbing the exuberant and heartfelt loyalty of her Majesty ' s subjects of Devon , but , my friends ) I am endeavouring to establish a system by which you may he loyal without being servile , which you may honour without fear , and love without coercion . ( Cheers . ) I confess that I do not possess that whimsical , capricious description of loyalty which teaches men to crouch slavishly at the footstool of royalty , or to bend the knee lowly before a patchwork minister , composed of the shreds of faction . ( Loud cheers . ) No , my loyalty tells me that I owe support only , and obedience only , to that and those which protect me

      in the possession and enjoyment and exercise of those rights , the use of which is not injurious to society at large , or to individuals like myself . ( Loud cheers . ) There is no greater piece of fancy patchwork than the loyalty by which we are told thrones are supported . The Bishop of Exeter is , do doubt , loyal , but take away the substantial emblems of his trade , and leave him but the distinction of title to live upon and away flies his loyalty . ( Cheers and laughter . ) So with the parsons of Devonshire , take away their tithes and their loyalty will vanish with them —( cheers , )—and so with the landlords , and so

      with all classes , and take away the pay of the loyal soldier and you at once stop the stream of his loyalty at the source . Now , I wish you to have something to he loyal to , you cannot be loyal to a gorgeous cathedral and stupendous churches , which you are compelled to support , against your will , and out of your poor earnings ; you cannot be loyal to Whigs , Tories , and Free Traders , who traffic in your toil ; you cannot be loyal to Lords and Commons who make Jaws to aid the wealthy in the distribution of the properties of the poor ; you cannot be loyal to bishops , parsons , and landlords , to barristers and

      lawyers , to bankers , merchants , and manufacturers , to soldiers , sailors , and policemen , to gaols , and Poor Law Bastiles , to shop keepers , that vote away your interest , to laws that oppress you , and society that degrades you —( loud and continued cheering)—but shew me the recreant renegade , the soulless monster that will be disloyal to a system that cherishes his comfort , protects his industry , defends his property , and enables him to live honestly upon the sweat of his own brow . ( Cheers . ) Show me the father that will allow the growing child to nourish one disloyal thought towards institutions that are equally

      protective of the lives , the liberties , and the properties of the poor and the rich . ( Cheers . ) Mr . O'Connor then entered into a lucid exposition of the capabilities of the soil and the principles of the Chartist Co-operative Land Association . Then , said he , this is the new feature in Chartism , which the enthusiastic ignorant assured me would destroy the great political principle , but . I now appeal to a large jury of sufferers who arc struggling for the means of living by honourable labour , and 1 ask them if 1 have destroyed the spit by putting a leg of mutton upon it —( loud cheers and laughter)—of one thing ,

      however , the working classes may rest satisfied , it is , that rather than live upon their pennies I will become a practical illustrator of my own Land theory by living as an independent gentleman upon two acres of land , rather than as a state pauper upon the gleanings of the poor man ' s board . ( Loud cheers . ) He would ask that meeting whether they had in aught participated in the political benefits of the Reform Bill , or in the social improvements upon increased commerce and manufacturers , i Shouts of not a bit . ) Yes , they ; were mistaken , they were benefited in the highest degree—they had increased

      in civilization , as Sir Robert Peel told them , that increasing poverty was consequent upon increasing civilization . ( Laughter . ) Away , then , with civilization , and welcome , thrice welcome , barbarism , that barbarism which would not tolerate the improvement of the palace aud the ruin of the cottage—that barbarism which would not laud the merchant for exchanging his cottage for a mansion , and brand the poor man as a conspirator and a criminal if he sought to exchange his slave-den for a freeman ' s cottage . ( Loud cheers . ) He asked but for an unerring scale by which all classes should unerringly participate in all improvements , but he protested

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      a gainst the doctrine that the poor should exist capriciously upon the sweat of their brow while the privileged live luxuriously upon their labour . ( Cheers . ) These blessings , my friends , can only be obtainedfor you—the land can only be obtained for , ' you ;—by Annual Parliaments , Universal Suffrage , Vote by Ballot , Equal Representation , No Property qualification for members of Parliament , and Payment of members for their public services . ( Loud cheers and waving of hats . ) Ah , hutjou are not fit ( or the enjoyment * of those blessings !^ - ' Seventy-

      five yearB ago , Fox and Richmond propounded them for the benefit of party , and from that hour to the present faction has met the demand by the charge of popular ignorance , while the same populace ignorantly contribute ten millions a year to the support of a state church , whose duty it is to educate you , to enlighten your minds and improve your understandings , to the end that you may be able to distinguish between right and wrong , between an honest man and a rogue , which after all is the , best qualification for a voter . ( Loud cheers . ) Well , but in the face of this

      disqualifying ignorance they should treat us by the same rule as they treat all other professions . The qualification for the church requires so much divinity , for the barrister so much mystery , for the lawyer so much roguery , for the doctor so much assurance , for the apothecary so much chemistry , and for the lawmakers so much ignorance . ( Loud cheers and laughter . ) Will they , even now , after seventyfive years' agitation , prescribe the electoral course , and whether it be ethics , logics , or the classics , natural history , heathen mythology or metaphysics , chemistry , mineralogy or geology , astrology , the use

      of the globes or political economy , he . ( Mr . O'Con . nor ) will venture within a prescribed time to qualify the working classes in any of those mysterious branches . ( Loud and continued cheering , and waving of hats . ) They were qualified to pay rent , they were qualified to pay tithes , to pay taxes , and to carry arms , and in discovering their respective qualifications for the performance of these several services , no qualification was required beyond the will of the tyrants strong , and if mental qualification was necessary , the Chancellor of the Exchequer and his staff would perambulate the nation with a brain

      guage convincing fools of their ' wisdom , idiots of their rationality , and the ignorant of their education . ( Repeated cheers . ) Luxurious hypocrites , who revelled upon paupers' sweat , designated him ( Mr . O'Connor ) as au unchristian dog , | as an infidel , a firebrand and destructive , because in obedience to his mission he had sought to carry out the injunctions of his Creator by raising those who fall , and comforting and assisting the weak-hearted . ( Loud cheers . ) He proclaimed it as an unnatural state of things that , while the bird had its nest , of which the strong of each class would not deprive the weak of

      its tribe , that while the wild beasts of the field had their "jungle , " their " lair , " their " earth , " their " form , " their "burrow , " their hole , or their resting-place , that man , poor man , made from distinction after the image of his Maker , should alone hold his refuge from the storm , and the winter ' s blast , at the caprice of a tyrant by the system made more powerful than himself . ( Loud and long continued cheering . ) He protested against any system , any law , or any practice which deprived man of his habitation . It is folly to say that he occupies the property of another , and that failure of a contract which society

      will not allow him to fulnT , 7 S 5 iiy . drprives him of his home ; for I say , free him , unshackle him , and protect him , and like other animals , and with more wisdom , every son of the soil will soon erect'his own habitation . ( Loud cheers . ) Do you then think that I am an unchristian dog , a destructive , and a leveller ? ( No , no , and cheers . ) No , my friends , I who hate suffering would not pull down the mighty , even the oppressor , to your state of degradation ; but , without injuring them , would raise you up to the standard of freedom , simply by throwing you upon your own resources , and placing you in the

      free labour market , for the free exercise of your own industry , and the full , the free and undiminished enjoyment of your own produce . ( Great cheering and waving of hats . ) And when this experiment , made upon a national scale , shall fail , and when the lordly oak is levelled to the dust / and when the wild forest is converted into a field for labour , when the race grounds , the heaths , the wildernesses , and the now barren wilds are subdued by your industry to the supply of man ' s wants , and when all England is one great garden , proclaiming her greatness through individual happiness , comfort and

      prosperity , instead of traffic , monopoly and speculation ; then , if the Lord ' s gift to man shall be too small for the Lord ' s children in this land , I will join you in search of other climes and other shores , but first I will make the experiment of St . Patrick " to banish all the vermin . " ( Great cheering . ) And to prove to you that I am governed by Christian feelings , and by them only , and as we are no monopolists even in salvation , and as the parsons tell us that there must be tribulation , and weeping , and wailing , and gnashing of teeth , and suffering , and woo , and sorrow in this lovely world , which God gave as a cherished gift ,

      and not as a seduction to guilt before man can insure salvation in the next world , in God ' s name , let the bishops , parsons , luxurious , voluptuous , and the idle now qualify themselves for eternal salvation , by taking their share of tribulation , of sorrow , and of woe . ( Loud cheers . ) But , alas ! my friends , their assignment and division of the good things of this life are like the prize money and the bullets in the navy , the officers getting the largest shave of the prize money , and the sailors more than their fair proportion of the shot . ( Cheeis and laughter . ) A ship was once going into action , when the first

      lieutenant saw an able seaman kneeling and praying at a gun . D n your eyes , said he , with a kick , what arc you doing there ? Praying , your honour , says Jack , that the officers may have the largest share of the shot to-day as they will of the prize . ( Roars of laughter . ) Mr . O'Connor then refuted the fallacy of the Small Farm system being the ruin of Ireland . I'll tell you , said he , what constitutes Ireland ' s misery and her poverty . Suppose a peasant takes twenty acres of land from a landlord ,

      at a pound an acre , he very soon increases the value of that land to twenty-five shillings an acre , and as a landlord of straw can break a tenant of steel the griping tyrant landlord thrusts the legitimate owner of one fifth of the entire property from its possession and makes a pauper , a thief , and a rebel of the disinherited slave . So , my friends , while wages arc low and poverty is universal in Ireland , I use the situation of Ireland in illustration of the value of the land , because I shew vou that while 8 d , a day

      or £ 10 a year is the highest wages that a labourer can earn , the man who had raised the value of the twenty acres from JE 20 to £ 25 a year will have earned , £ 5 a year for ever , or £ 100 at 5 percent within three years , or £ 33 a year after living , for he'l increase the value in less than three years . So [ that even in poor Ireland , you see , labour , if protected , would soon work out its own salvation , without being a beggar at England ' s door . ( Loud

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      (^^^<^ c ^^/ ( TZ ^ j&Lt ^ L ' / TsiLsfri #£ 2 &t ^ £ & & — drffafrf *" and continued . cheering . ) Now , that ' s my policy not to % ake you idle , but to make you work twice as hard to . induce you to work job-work every hour in the day , and every , day in the year , that you are aolc ; and to have the same consoling hope that stl other classes have , that your toil is sweetened / by the cheering reflection , that you hasten the day . ' of retirement , comfort , and honourable ease , And why should you not ? Why does the barrister fag by the dull lamplight ? Why does thefarmer plod throughout the flay ? Why does the shopkeeper , after a day of exhaustion and toil , though wearied , still stand at the counter in the hope of a stray customer / it ' is because his labour is sweetened . by the hope of an earlier day of retirement and release from toil * \

      ( Great cheering . ) There is a home in old age for the soldier and the sailor , for the placeman and thepekioner ; there is compensation for the tribes of faction , whose services were never needed ; there is superannuation for the young sons , of the aristocracy , the wealthy , and the powerful , when business becomes irksome ; but , alas ! there is no home and no refuge in old age for the toil-worn slave , upon whose industry all have lived , and all of whom have sucked his blood through life , but the bastile , the dead house , and the pauper ' s cold grave , ( great sensation . ) I am now drawing to a close . And , oh , that those who have supposed that the addition of a five-roomed cottage , four acrei

      of land , £ 30 , and a lease for ever , would have strangled the People ' s Charter- ( cheers , and no | no . ) No , my friends , while I am here , in the midst of your hills , and surrounded by those who never saw me before , it is . my pride , and my consolation , and your protection , to know that I have left behind me , in Hertfordshire , thirty five dumb but eloquent propounders Q { the principles of the People ' s Charter —( loud and continued cheering . ) Yes , my friends , the Villa and the Land can inspire thought and hope , and confidence and action , while eloquence would fail to convince —( loud cheers : ) I would ask the sceptical , whether the experiment in Hertfordshire has damaged Chartism in that county ? Or , I would ask , have I not supplied a ready answer to each passer by , when questioned as to the meaning

      of the People ' s Charter . When the most ignorant would fail to receive knowledge from the most eloquent words , or the most simple explanation , where is the man , however dull or steeped in ignorance , who will fail to comprehend the meaning of a Home from which no tyrant can eject him—Land , on which he may discover the value of free labour , and Capital , to enable him to contend against the disadvantages of poverty—( tremendous eheering . ) And , when I have placed the slave-class in . those lovely , habitations of their own , I will have erected a monument of gratitude in each possessor ' s heart ; and when my labours are ended , and when called upon to settle my last account , I may proudly lay my head upon my pillow , and dying , exclaim , " Thank God I have left the world better than found it ! " Mr . O'Connor retired amid the most

      enthusiastic applause and excitement we ever wit nessed . ¦ .. Mr . Tanner then mnyed , and Mr . Elms seconded , the following resolution , which -was carried by acclamation : — " That this meeting highly approve of Mr . O'Connor's object , and the object of the Chartist Co-operar tive Land Society ; and we hereby pledge ourselves to do all in our power to give effect thereto , by using our best efforfcj for its extension throughout this count / , and taking effectual means for rousing the working population from their present degraded position in society . "

      A Gentleman on the platform proposed a vote of thanks to the chairman , which Mr . O'Connor seconded in a speech highly complimentary to Mr . Wilkinson for Ins undeviating advocacy of the people ' s rights , and which was carried amid thunders of ap ' - plause . The chairman briefly returned thanks , when Mr . O'Connor called for three cheers for the Land and the Charter , which was responded to with right hearty good will , amid waving of hats . He then called for three cheers for Mr . Duncombe , the people ' s only representative , which was rapturously responded to , and the meeting then separated , giving three cheers for Messrs . O'Connor and M'Grath . '

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      THE TEA PARTY . This splendid entertainment took place in the large ball-room of the Globe Hotel , where about 250 highly respectable people , men and women , sat down to a very excellent , and well arranged tea party ; however , so great was the enthusiasm , that the stewards were compelled to divide the company into two parties . The orchestra was occupied by the splendid tee-total band , and noth ' ws could surpass the good order , good feeling , and decorum , that prevailed . Deputations from nearly all parts of Devonshire ; from Plymouth ; from Exeter ; from Tiverton ; from Tavistock ; from Ashburton ; from Teignmouth ; from Totness , Torquay , and various other districts , were present , some having walked a distance of over 30 miles , and all expressing themselves more than , satisfied with the day's proceedings .

      When the ceremony of tea drinking was over , Mr . Wilkinson was again called upon to preside , amid the hearty cheers of his fellow countrymen and neighbourS j and we fed assured that that highly respected and gifted individual must have felt flattered at his reception . When the applause had subsided , he said—I do assure you , tny friends , if all who witnessed this day ' a proceeding ' s feel as I do , the pulse of Devonshire must beat high . If I felt delighted with the profound truths , that I heard so eloquently enforced this morning , and if I felt gratified at the marked attention paid to the speakers , and the orderly and digsided conduct of the audience , I feel still more

      impressed with the solemnity and importance of thi » night ' s proceedings . ( Cheers . ) Yes my friends , I feel its importance doubly , because , so many virtuous females , anxious to raise themselves , their families , and their children , and their children ' s children , to that social state for which their creator designed thflm , have graced our festival with their presence . ( Loud cheera . ) When man talks of hi 3 rights and his privileges , we must bear in mind that woman has her rights and her privileges also , and it w cheering to find them thus mixing with us , to aid us , to council us , to comfort ua , and help us in the struggle . ( Cheers . ) Whether she be the wife of a manufacturing operative , or of an agricultural

      labourer , she has equally to bear her domestic burden , to participate in the husband's sorrows , and share his afflictions . ( Cheers . ) The women of Devonshire long to be able to assist in the improvement of their country , and in the improvement of the social and political condition of their order , and at length they have had their minds turned in Cho right direction ; in that direction in which their creator and maker intended they should walk , as honest cultivators ot the soil of their own country . ( Great cheering . ) My friends , I have joined the brotherhood of Odd Fellows for the same reason that I have joined in your holy cause , because it ia paternal ; because it is Christian ; because it is

      protective of the widow and the orphan ; and because ib respects the memory of the dead , and the feelings of the friends of the departed . ( Loud and continued cheering . ) And what can be more recommendatory of a principle , and of its object , "good to all and injurious to none . " ( Cheers . ) It is a pious work and a holy work , to feed the hungry , to clothe the naked , and to lessen the sufferings of the afflicted . ( Cheers . ) And it is because I think that our political and social principles are upon . a large and extended scale , of what the principles of oddfellovrship are upon a more limited scale , that I can without distinction or violation of any conscientious feeling , belong at the same time to the two brotherhoods .

      ( Great cheering . ) lor these reasons , then ; I say , go on ; persevere against all odds and every obstacle , until the whole nation shall resound with one loud song of joy for the emancipation of the poor . ( Cheers . ) Who could hear the bold truths enunciated by the two gentlemen on ray vight and left this day ; who could witness the greediness with which those truths were imbibed by a people to whom they were new , though hopeful , without coming to the conclusion that party can no longer teach the science of legislation to suit mere party purposes . I have seen many moves in my time , but never one till now , tbat was calculated to place tho several classes of society in their relative social positions without the suspicion of one being roused by

      the jealousy of another . ( Cheers . ) Tho Land is man s gift from his maker , and as you were eloquently told by tho speakers to-day , it is his inheritance , pis birth right , though too " long withheld from him . ( Cheers . ) Myfriends . Ineednoton thisoccasionrepeaG the injunction of this morning , to keep the peace , because we have a guarantee for the decorum ot tne most rude in the presence of the ladies . Nor , indeed should I have thought it necessary to bare Madetna request this morning , had it not been for the hint given by Mr . Woolmer to the magistrates of the vieinity We metin fellowship forahigh , » mighty , and a " olfle purpose , and we parted in peace to ponder upon tho important and startling truths we heard ; and to mo it was a glorious day , a , day ot gladness and rft-( CtntinuedoH the Eighth P « g * . J

      Onward And We Conquer, Backward And We Fall.

      ONWARD AND WE CONQUER , BACKWARD AND WE FALL .

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      - AND RATIONAL . TRADES * JOURNAL .

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      VOL . X . NO . 461 . TONDON , SATURDAY , " SEPTEMBER 12 Tl 846 . ~ ^^ S ^^^ J \^

  • Citation
    • Northern Star (1837-1852), Sept. 12, 1846, page unpag, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/ns/issues/vm2-ncseproduct1383/page/1/