On this page
- Departments (2)
-
Text (14)
-
Untitled Article
-
Untitled Article
-
Untitled Article
-
Untitled Article
-
Untitled Article
-
Untitled Article
-
Untitled Article
-
Untitled Article
-
Untitled Article
-
fl) MY COUNTRYMEN IN ENGLAND.
-
Untitled Article
-
.— : -*— '—— , Cbaitfet i-HteUiantffc.
-
Untitled Article
-
Untitled Article
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software. The text has not been manually corrected and should not be relied on to be an accurate representation of the item.
-
-
Transcript
-
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software. The text has not been manually corrected and should not be relied on to be an accurate representation of the item.
Additionally, when viewing full transcripts, extracted text may not be in the same order as the original document.
Untitled Article
VtazsDh Countrymen , and Exiles , One of a persecuted race now addresses yon j ^ g you to exertion in behalf of your father-I 3 The Minister who laid claim to office upon ISa affection , has once more daied to propose co-C ^ on as a remedy for Irish grievances : and the rtgjjcellor of the Exchequer has tauntingly boasted J jlte House of Commons , that no more relief is to be sent * ° IrelRn *'» an ^ tbis announcement was * L je with a view to give stability and buoyancy to JteEngK * 1110116 ? - ™* " ^ " ¥
» ' ° T—l .-J 1 L . I ... 1 I . £ . 1 J -I ' ll 1 Howe ^ ' Ireland—thebatflfi-fieldftftheumderj 3 ggun to behanded over to the tender nurdes of a ending brigand police , and the resident gentry are to be allowed , under the guise of law , to take ven--ance upon the starving people of Ireland . Yon I now what coercion means ; but , thank God , tbongh exfled , neither yon nor 1 have forgotten our duty to jte Und of our birth . Many of yon have witnessed the fruits of former Cbercfcih : yoa have seen your , nves ravished—your daughters deflowered—your led
50 ns strangor expatriated—your hovels levelled and the sea-bound dungeon converted into a deso-Ute wilderness , where naught but weeping , and waffing , and gnashing of teeth , and the howl of desp air has been heard . And all this that a lustful State Church may live ia splendour and affluence npon the professors of a faith which has been cherished by your ancestors at the expense of their Hood , and handed down to yon as a priceless jewel , to be bequeathed to . your successors as the national faith of Ireland . -
I appeal , then , to every mas in whore reins a drop of Milesian blood yet flows ; to every man whose Irish heart stitt beats with love oi country ; to every woman and- child whose longing hope , though exiled , is directed to their one day return to that land ; and I appeal to the English people , for whose rights I have straggled , ' and am still struggfing ; I appeal to one and all , to strengthen the hands of the Irish soldiers in the House of Comsons , who , in my conscience , I believe will resist this brutal attack upon our country to the death , if
necessary . I appeal to all to prepare their petitionstheir monster petitions—within the short time that is allowed us for defence ; and let those in London who are opposed to Irish Coerdon , bringtheir own petition to thedoorof the House of Commons on Monday next , at half-past three o ' clock , as an answer to thethreat of the Ministry , which is npon that day to be submitted to Parliament , ; and let them come as peace fa and respectful petitioners , without even a walking stick in their hands , or a single shont from their ] ips , as it would be grievous indeed , that any indiscretion of ours should tend to rivet the chains ef
onr countrymen . Already a howl has been raised against your priesthood . Do not place it in the power of man to damage your appeal for Ireland by folly , indiscretion , or intemperance . Come peaceably in thousands and tens of thousands , at half-past three , before the House sits , and if yon see a drunken man , or a riotous man , or one behaving foolishly amongst yon , hand him over to the police , as the enemy of
your country . It will fae nonsense if yon plead the shortness of time as an excuse ; you have Saturday and Saturday night , Sunday and Sunday night , and Monday ; and who will grudge sixty hours' consecutive labour to save his country from the horrors of coercion ; on the contrary , every man who does iu * s duty for those few hours wSl sleep the more soundly on the Monday night , and rise the more refreshed on Tuesday morning .
Upon the other hand , should those for whose liberties the Irish members are prepared to contend , fail in the performance of their duty , the heavy curse of their weeping countrymen and women will fall npsn them . Barasley , the right eye of Yorkshire , will do its duty ; and Manchester , the garrison of Democracy , and the pest house of Irish pestilence and famine , w&lnot lag in the race ; they , too , will forward their petitions—respectful , but firm petitions—asking for substantial remedies for their grievances , instead of coercion for their perpetuation ; and thus , the Irish leaders in the House of Commons wQl be able to proTe to the Irish people that moral force is more effective , and more God-like than physical force , when those leaders are prepared to use their moral energy and moral power to the full extent of their ability , their energy , and their courage .
Up , then , for Ireland ! and let Saturday , Sunday , and Monday next , the 27 th , 28 tb , and 29 th , of November , be chronicled in history , as the three glorious days of a moral revolution . I need not remind yon to sign petitions for the Repeal of the Union , which I bring forward on Tuesday , the 7 th of December , and do not withhold those petitions upon the score that I will be induced , by the power of language , to postpone that measure ; while if yon are not prepared to back the appeal failure or weakness will be chargeable to yon , and not upon the Irish members .
All petitions must be left open at beth ends , and addressed to the House of Commons , to the member whols to present the petition . I remain . Your faithful friend and countryman , Feargus O'Connor .
Untitled Article
TO WM . BRYAN AND PATRICK O'HIGGIHS , ESQS .
Mr Dear Priekds , Hunted from my country for devotion to my countrymen , and an exile for now twelve years , I sit down in the garret of an old farm house to thank you , and to express my joy that still in the land of iny birth a few of the old Irish aristocracy—the aristocracy of blood , of patriotism , and" of goodnessyet remember me . Of a truth , when I begin to write upoH any subject connected -with my own most extraordinary career through life , the dread of becoming discursive almost disheartens me from the undertaking ; however , the circumstances under which you have kindly testified your approval of my conduct would justify a little egotism , and therefore I look for your pardon , while I take a hurried review of my political career during the last quarter of a centnrv .
Next month it will be a quarter of a century since I stood alone of my class in contending against the grievances which oppressed the Catholics of Ireland . You remember the revolution of 1822 , when the tyranny of the law church , and the oppression of the landlords of Ireland , who endeavoured to enforce the payment of tithes and rents according to the war standard of prices , drove the people « f the south into open rebellion .
That was my first introduction to public hie . I minded with the people—I attended their meetings by day , I attended their councils bynight—snd if I could have discovered the most distant hope of success , I would have taken the field with them against onr invaders . But the leading patriots of the day turned their backs upon t ! ie people / and I was left alone with their natural leaders—the priests—to decide upon the best terms that could be made for an army abandoned by its officers ; and with thirteen men , —holy men , religious men , and brave men , —I assisted by night and by day in saving our countrymen from the gallows and the bullet , and
in securing , under the circumstances , the best terms that the conquered could expect Some of those patriots , my neighbours , still live , and with them I am still on the most intimate and friendly terms . ^ I wrote a pamphlet in that year , setting forth Irish grievances , and justifying resistance to them . In that pamphlet I contended against the tithe system , the grand jury system , the police system , the middle-man system , and the magisterial system ; and , although I had to fly my country for thirteen months for the part I then took in politics , I found that « ptv svstem of which I complained was
legislated uDon , ' and a corrective-a poor , pitiful corrective-was substituted for each , and which , although flopping short of the requirements of justice , jet justified our complaint , our resistance , and our warfare . Yes , our warfare , —because however sentimentalists and mock philanthropists , who uphold tyranny by physical force , may contend against its use , I have ever held , and ever will maintain , the doctrine , ' that an invaded country is justified in throwing off the . 'yoke of the oppressor whenever the people of that country shall find , themselves equal to resistance -. .: _ ¦
. . . Under the circumstances , then , we made the best terms that we could ; the leaders , as they always should be , being the greatest sufferers , and I the greatest of all . .. ' . ' . . From that period till 1829 the question of Catholic Emancipation absorbed public attention . In that agitation I took ne part , because from the past I felt convinced that the leaders were not . imbued with that spirit of justice which alone : could lead to the regeneration-of my country ; and the
Untitled Article
conduct of those leaders , when returned to the House of Commons , convinced me that I wai right , in 1831 , again , my county wasforemost intts opposition to the payment of tithes , and again I became the leader of that opposition , and so vigorous was our resolution , that the agitation became dangerous to the abuse ; when , in 1832 , tht leaders of Catholic Emancipation , and the advocates for the Total Abolition of Tithes , seeing the inevitable success of our agitation , again deserted us , and handed us over to the tender mercies of the oppressors' law , when I and others were tried for sedition and conspiracy against the Church . COndQCt Of ttlACP Ionian . n . t . m . -. > .. _ . J i _ « .-
No power or earth , save the desertion of our leaders , could have resisted the Total Abolition of Tithes ; and again I became convinced that my country should remain the battle field of faction , until my countrymen were fully , freely , and fairly represented in the House of Commons . In December , 1831 , 1 again took the field as the advocate of Reform , using these words , on December 6 th , 1831 , in the Court Houseof Cork 3—I said "I advocate Parliamentary Reform as a measure of justice to England , but I tell you that it will be the very worst measure that was ever passed for Ireland if not followed by a Repeal of theUnion , because the firstjut of the Reform Parliament will be , to pass Mmeg ^ ngTpto ^ ^ lie opinion in Ireland . "
Such were my words in 1831 , and which I think the Coercion Bill fully verified . In 18321 was returned for the county of Cork , being opposed by every interest and every class save the" frieze-coated electors . " - - In 18331 came to Parliament , and there I very soon discovered that politics is the madness of the many for the gain of the few ; and I found that Repeal was intended as a juggle , that it was the ticket upon the animals for sale , and a mere bnggaboo to frighten the Government into the bestowal of patronage .
I was a sincere Repealer , and had paid my guinea for a musket to the Colonel of the Irish Volunteers , under tbeimpression that in the English Parliament the declaration of Irish feeling was to be made , and that the Irish members , choien by the Irish people , at a frightful sacrifice , were to set the example of bravery and patriotism , and die upon floor of the House if necessary . But again I was mortified and deceived ; and , resolved not to be a party to my country ' s sale , I opposed the debasing and cowardly policy systematic cally pursued bv the Iiish leader .
I was threatened with expnlsion by their chief , but I preferred honourable retirement to servile acquiescence ; and after continuous and persevering op . position to the chief of the Irish party during the yearsl 833 and 1834 , 1 again went before my constituents , the relatives of that chief opposing me to a man , ' and I was again triumphantly returned . In 18351 was petitioned against upon the plea of qualification ; and although in the receipt of betweem £ 3 , 000 . and £ 4 , 000 . a year , and not owing £ 5 in the world , 1 was ousted by the most hellish and unscrupulous machination . You shall hear it . Mr O'Connell stoodat the door of the house during the ballot for my committee , and prevented Mr Bodkin and other members from going in , telling them that I would be better out than in . Mr Maurice O'Connell , Mr
Morgan O Connell , and Mr John O'Connell , from their knowledge of the House , undertook to strike my committee , and handed me over to the tender mercy of the most rabid Tory Committee that ever tried an election petition . Major Macnamara . the member for Clare , was allowed to remain upon that committee , and that Repealer not only voted for my expnlsion , but voted with the Tories upon every the most absurd and irreconcileable proposition . He voted that a notice found upon the sub-sheriff ' s file in six months after the election was good service ot notice upon the high sheriff ; and this committee not only ousted me , but , contrary to all rule and precedent , seated my Tory opponent , from the conviction , that , if there were a new election , I should be returned again , and thus was the county of Cork constituency wholly disfranchised . - <
In 1836 , O'Connell made his celebrated tour through England and Scotland , and upon his return to Ireland , he thought himself strong enough to denounce me as unworthy of the confidence of the Irish people . Well , my dear friends , I replied in a manner that my assailants were little prepared for , and from that hour to the present no language , no . pains , no slander , no falsehood , has been spared to degrade ,
to dishonour , . and to silence me . But my love of country , my love of freedom , and my love for mankind , has sustained me throughout such a struggle and against such , odds as no man living or dead had to contend against ; andLnow I am solaced , comforted , rewarded , and encouraged by the conviction that in the midst of all my troubles , I have secured the respect , the approval , and esteem of such men ais "William Bryan and Patrick O'Higgins .
In 1835 , 1 discovered that whatever good was effected in the House of Commons , must be forced upon it from without . I established the present Democratic movement upon that basis which has enabled it , for now twelve years , to withstand the unequal battle of the combined forces of oppression . Within that period I have suffered more tortures of body and mind than would have killed a thousand men ; and I believe I have only been sustained in this unequal conflict by the Irish blood that flows in my veins boiling for justice for my country , but never excited for vengeance against the oppressors , because I feel convinced that they have been aided by the perfidy of those who swore fealty and allegiance to the land of our birth .
There has not passed a year . from 1832 to the present moment , that did not offer freedom to Ireland , if her leaders had been true and trustworthy ; . and , therefore , it is to those who sever the bonds of union between the Saxon and the Celt , and not to the Government who rule both , that I attribute Ireland ' s woes , Ireland ' s wrong , and Ireland ' s sufferings ; and , with God ' s blessing , and with the assistance of my countrymen , I will now prove to the world what one fearless and unpurchasable patriot can accomplish for his country .
I shall now turn to my connexion with the Saxon ; and however short or long I may live , my association with that brave , that generous , that warm-hearted people , will be an impulse to patriotic action . I have lived amongst them , moved amongst them , communed with them , and the result of my intercourse is , that , like the Irish , I havefdiscovered that their virtues are characteristic of their natures , and their vices are consequences of oppression and misrole .
I have ever found them as ready to serve Ireland as to serve England ; and it is my consolation to know , that by my own single exertions , I have dispelled every prejudice against the Irish people and their persecuted religion ^ which hag been hugged' as a priceless jewel to the Weeding martyr ' s heart ; and while the spurious advocates of Repeal could not procure half a million signatures for the " splendid phantom , " nearly three millions and a half of the abused Saxons have DEMANDED that measure as an ACT OF JUSTICE to their Irish brethren .
Oh ! O'Brien ( for tbafs your real name ) and O'Hi ggins , ii would make your Irish hearts jump with joy , could you witness the manner in which my declaration has been received by the millions of Saxons , that Englishmen should never have their freedom a day or an hour before Irishmen had theirs . ; I fear that I grow prolix and tedious , and now I shall tell you the three great maxims by which I have regulated my life . . : . . . . ' . The first is , that" Every rcbild born is as clay in the potter ' s hand . " Thesecondis , thaf'Eveiyyouth made vicious by bad treatment may be as easily reclaimed as the farm rendered unproductive by bad manage ^ ment "— and the third is , that "Exampleisibetter than precept . " . ... " . ;
I felt convinced that the : working classes were inured to vice ftom their birth by- the evil teaching of their julers . I felt assured that , as age crept on , the perpetuation of this vice became necessary to their rulers ; and I felt equally assuredthat reform could be only secared by the example of their leaders . Believing sternly ap . d fervently in these rules , I have , at all times , endeavoured to square my own onduct by them . I have been sober , frugal , and
Untitled Article
unostentatious , and the people have become so . I have refused all favours , gifts , gratuities , and rewards , lest I might be judged by the same rule by which other leaders have been justly measured , until , at length , I have become the founder of a plan whtcb , from its very elements and principles , inculcates , fosters , and encourages virtue , honour , sobriety , frugality , and independence . To this God-like scheme I devote my life , and because I have thus given a practical illustration of what social improvement may lead to , I am singled out as the marked prey of a faction who have lived upon the dissoluteness , the drunkenness , the depravity , and the . HOPELESSNESS of the working classes . And this brings me to the material consideration of your kind letters , and my reason for accepting their contents . ;
. The press of the blood-thirsty capitalists , who live upon low wages produced by necessity , dependence , and want , have , as yon justly observe , entered into a foul conspiracy against me j and the artillery of that press consists of a corps of the most unscrupulous ,, unprincipled , and . . debased wretches upon the face of the earth . T shall hot stop to describe these particularly , but before I let go that hold which they have given me of their rotten carcasses , ! . will expose , every * action . pi their lives , ait&ti&kt » e the , press of the country from the criminality that such " coadjutors' must brine upon it .
What would you think , if the Nation or the Freeman ' s Journal office was advertised as the depository of all the correspondence of a former editor of an adversary ? "What would you think , if the proprietor of the Nation was to advertise , that all the correspondence between the proprietor of the Freeman ' s Journal and a dismissed editor , was deposited in his custody for public inspection ? I ask you if Charles Gavin Duffy would accept the wealth of the world to admit such an advertisement into his co-Inmns ? and yet ihe Manchester Examiner , the property of Ballantine and Ireland , ( into whose public and private affairs I shall , ere long , make a breach that they little anticipate , ) have made their office the depository of my correspondence , both public and private , with the veriest beast that ever disgraced human nature ; and yet , my friends , mark my th
streng , mark my power , mark my innocence—I challenge them , I dare them , I defy them , to publish one single letter , written by me and bearing my signature , containing one single sentence , line or word , derogatory to the character of a gentleman and a man of honour . No innocent man can be frightened at those threats ; t hey are only used as a terror to the guilty ; and now Idare them , I defy them , I challenge them—to publish every single letter written by me , and I will not prosecute them for the publication , provided the writing ; is attested by Mr Roberts , solicitor ; Mr Abel Hey wood , publisher ; and Mr Edward Birley , paper-hanger ; who all live in Manchester , and all of whom are thoroughly acquainted with my hand writing . This challenge , I think , sets the'threat of investigation at defiance , because I dare them to the publication , and will not prosecute them . ¦ .
Yon must understand , my friends , that there are parties to this scandal who dare not avow themselves . One is a London politician , who has invented a new religion , a minister of the Gospel , who lives in adultery with another man ' s wife ; another is a convicted thief ; another is an irreclaimable beast , perhaps the most horrid of all ; and this is the trinity whose unity is eulogised in the columns of the hew ' democratic paper , the Manchester Examiner . I now conclude by thanking you for that donation which I do not feel myself justified in refusing , and for this reason , that it is impossible—wholly . utterly , entirely impossible—for an ontlawed individual to fight the LAWS CHILD without the Law ' s
weapons . - ? . I have spent thousands—yea , scores of thousands —in the holy cause of regeneration , and I have never drawn a farthing from the public purse , either in England or Ireland . I have stood and withstood persecution in both countries , and I have gained an unsullied and irreproachable character in both . I have never eatea a meal , or travelled a mile , at the expense of the working classes , and I NEVER WILL . And , thanking you for your contributions to enable me to take vengeance of my enemies , and assuring you that my conduct shall never-cause your regret , or bring dishonour npon my country , disgrace upon myself , or infamy upon my cause . ~ ' I remain , Your attached and faithful friend , Feargcs O'Connor .
Untitled Article
BREAK-DOWN OF MR BAILEY . 1 He who lights and runs away , - May live to fight another day . ' Mbhcdri Office , Nov ; 11 th , 1847 . Sib , —Beipg fully convinced that 1 should not be able to obtain a fair hearing at a large meeting in this town , whilst engaged in discussion with Mr O'Connor , unlesB a regulation for the admission of the audience was adopted , I must decline entering upon the unsatisfactory task of making the attempt , -h : . . If you concede the point of admitting the audience in equal numbers by tickets , the preliminary business may be considered as settled , so fir as I and yourself are concerned , if not you may announce the affair as off . I am , Bin youra obediently , . . . = Thomas Bailey . . Feargus O'Connor , Esq ., M . P .. ' .: ¦ . .
Untitled Article
!« y ^ ? ° ??**< " » . DO WITH THS lUTEBIBT ! - Thil \ Lnift i wb i the BUDScr » bers to O'Connor ' s famous He h « Sl ! § to P ut tohinl ' and insist on an answer . nrof « . ^ ei K edup 1 wards of £ 80 , 000 . of their money ; he 8 s Si haveplac ? " - wherehecanand doesget 4 , b&& £ in £ P . - interest for the balances unspent in he w i \ or in buiIain 8 operations ; but to tWs day helms not accounted . fur one penny of that iatereat ! neTtK ™^ E «« ™ *? -T !? ^ placed out are very considerable . ^ WS ^ & SS »^ t ^ te ? £ « nm entof a " dflmand 9 "P to » atdate- andshice SuerBM ^ lfc ^ . 1111 ^ invested £ 28 , 5 oQinBxche ^ H ^ sssi " . !? 5 ? ? ? tlla . ^ J from time to time has hMh
^ EBBmsm does he account for a fraction of interest tha ^ Wthava accrued , if the money had buen placed as these baWe ihwtsset forth I Again ? e repeat the question , what fcasbewmeoftlu money » Is Peargu . not a curious sort of treasurer , to keep theBe large sums out of the bo counts 1 By Mb own showing , he must hare realised ud ! wartaof fiveper cent , on the aggregate sum placed out at interen and invested in Exchequer Bills ; ond snppoling this aggregate sum to have been but £ 20 , 000 out of the £ 80 ^ 800 subscribed , for the last year , that five ner
cent , would realise £ 1 , 080 . ¦; Where is the money ! Howis it that it has not been giren up to ; the subscribers of the £ 80 . 00 o S or how is it that no account hu been rendered of it ! Surely Feargus will be able to answer this or explain away the very Auspicious circumstance ; aridletus tell him that he will be far better employed for his own Bononrin doing this , than in inditing blackguardly diatribes about the { Dispatch . With such foots as the * Uve against his precious management he may scribble away , witil his face is as black as his own heart : but he will not rail away their effect on the mindsof the thinking and reflecting portion of the working class ; and these fects wttTflnd their way into theminds of even the most insane ofais infetuated dupes . These dunes may for the present be captivated and mystified by the arrant haf .
ftonery andfauacious statements of this prince of quacks ; but these will in time lose their effect , become stale , un ^ profitable , and even disgusting ; while the facts will remain , and then tell with woeful effect against . the B « lf . constituted'National-BaUiff . ' Then will their eyes be pened ; and loud will be the outcry . It will then be universally seen what -ducks and drakes'have been made with the ' people ' s money ! ' and then it will be seenalso why the Dispatch has so constantly raised the warnim ; voice . Toexposehumbuginevery form and degree has been the peculiar / orte of the Dispa tch . During the last twenty years wehaiebeen the means of driving from before the public ( on whom they were preying ) , into their natlre nothingness more quacks and shallew pretenders than all of the rest of the press put to gether . And it is
because we see in this Land' Scheme' of Feargus O'Con . nor , all the signs of a monstrous mistake which will inflict ruin upon hundreds ^ f poor but simple men ; it is because we see these unmistikeable signs impressed ' on the very front of thin cunning scheme , that we caution the public against it . And our cautions have not been without their effect ; The ' blows and sore discouragements ' we have been the means of inflicting on Fearuus and his aesignBhaTe been severely felt . Yfitness the ferocity with which the arch schemer turns on his assailant . Witness his writhings-this tortuous contortions . , He foams and spits venom like a maddened asp ; but all falls short of the mark .. . The fire and fury' is all wasted . The Dispatch' is on him and the Dispatch will not leave him , ' , until it : has either made him d « right to the subscribers ; of the £ 80 , 000 he has already netted , or until it drives him from the society of honest men . Not all Feargua ' s bluster and ferocitv will
avail him , He will have to do right . Among other things lie will have to account f « r the heavy sums he has received for the use of other people ' s money entrusted to him ., He will have to'fork out '—put those sums down in his balance sheet ; and show where the money is ; the interest , as well as the principal . A pretty thing indeed , that this man should induce thousands of Englishmen to entrust into his hands thousands upon thousands of their hard-earned money- ; that he should have these heaps of money for years together , out at interest , and that ho should never , from the first moment to the last , rive up one stiver of that interest ! Can a fact more disgraceful to a management he conceived ? Would any properlyconstituted . Joint Stock Company in the world have tolerated such a course of conduct ! Would they not speedily have cashiered their 'treasurer , and if he had not disgorged , prosecuted him for peculation and fraud ! Feargus , ' wbebe is the hones V-
Untitled Article
to business , and purchased them at twentyfive per cent , discount , which makes six and three-quarters per cent ., instead of 4 / . 1 is . 3 d ., so that yousee that if Feargus had not been such a blab , he might have diddled the Company out of two per cent , upon 30 , 000 / , or 600 / . Now , love , haven't 1 shown you that those items could not appear in the balance sheet for August , and if another balance sheet was struck now , the Company would be debited , instead of credited , with the interest upon all the Exchequer Bills purchased and not sold . Now , my love , let me implore you to take a few of Parr " s Pills , as Morrison's do hot agree with your
constitution—and I fear , from defective digestion , you have become'dyspeptic , and are tending towards delirium tremens . Dearest , as to the Dispatch being ' upon Feargus , ' it is a very light incubus—a very innocent nightmare—as they tell me From its curtailed margin , lighter paper , and economical appearance , it is becoming weekly a ; less burdensome weight—and from its altered : colour , well calculated to give its readersthe BLUE DEVILS . Boyer complained the other night , irithe tap-room of the Pig and Whistle , ihSlush-alley , thathe "be Wowed if He could scratch enough off the margin * now , to light his pipe with . " Adieu , dearest , and ever confide in one who has left no means untried to
restore you to a proper state of mind . Ever yours , dearest Eddy , One of y our Oli > Female Friends . P . S . Dearest , if you knew the fun that your ravings afford Feargus , you woald be mortified . Yours , .
Untitled Article
TO THE ' OLD GUARDS . ' Let the Chartist banner be now unfurled , and Oh ! ye DemooratB of 183 ? , M 0 , ' « , ' 42 , and' 43 , rally round if , and defend it entire , from the enemies ' assaults .
Bbothbrs , —Ab an humble co-worker with the ' Old Guards' in the glorious movement , which had , andstillhas , for its object , the political antisocial regeneration of the masses , I am induced to address you at this particular and eventful period , pregnant with oiroumBtances such as never before surrounded the people of the British empire . lam , also , impelled , to throw in my little meed of help , to push forward the good work , from reading in last week ' s luminary , a brief , but pithy and well-digested address , from tue ' Executive Committee / calling upon us , at this , the opportune time , to re-organise ourselves , and , prove , by our actions , that we are not onl ) Chartists in name , but in reality .
Brethren , what ia the state and condition of , at least , five-sixths of our order at the present moment in the United Kingdom ? Unhappily , the question can only be answered by recording the every-day fact—the dreadful and Bonl-harrowing fact—that a vast portion are enduring all the horrors of famine and pestileRce , while the remaining portion are on the verge of destitution . Need I ask yon , the eld veterans , who have had imparted to you such a continuous stream of political and social knowledge , the cause ofthusefrightful evils ? No , friends ; for you are as full y conversant with the source from whence those evils emanated , as the men who instracted voui Yon know they are the result of misgovernment ; and you also know thai misgovernment had its origin in class-legislation .
You are , likewise , aware that to class-legislation may be traced the monopely of the land , the monopoly of everything beneath its surfaoe , and which includes all other monopolies . Consequently , there is no necessity of dilating npon this snbjeot , neither i 9 it essential that I should here prove , the Charter the means to an end , and that end , the happiness of British society , without any distinction or reservation , fur upon this subject , too , your minds are made up . ¦ Well , then , as you know what has produced the disease in the body politic , and the medicine that will heal the diuase , the only thing that remains for us to do , is to get the medicine into our possession , and apply it skilfully . This brings me to what learned gentlemen , who scorn to use plain language , would term the ' Modut operandi , ' which simply means the mode of operation .
Brethren—In the first paragraph of the Executive address , we are very forcibly reminded , that as a new Parliament is about to assemble , it is our imperative duty to impress upon its mind wiiat are eur wants , wishes , and desires ; and give the men composing that honourable house , to understand it is our unalterable resolve to have them complied with ; ior be assured , unless we constantly urge our just claims upon their attention , they will say that we are not really desirous to enforce them . It may be Baid that nineteen twentieths of the present House of Commons are inveterately opposed to the principles of Democracy , and , consequently , there is not the least use of appealing to them . If the above sort of reason be taken for granted , then
indeed we might bid adieu to everything in the shape of progress in the right way . The friends of Catholic Emancipation did not believe in such logic , for if they did , that measure would not have been carried up to this day and though it only conferred political immunities ' upon comparatively few individuals , while it committed almost incalculable injury upon hundreds ot thousands of honest industrious men , their wives and children , yet the fact of a powerfully organised body ot men acting upon a Tory government , and compelling that government either throHgh fear , or what is called state policy , ( it matters not whiohl to accede to their demands , is a complete refutation of the stand-atill doctrine . It must not be forgotten too , that the members of his Majesty ' s then admi !
nistration , together with the greatest majority of both Houses of Parliament , were previously amongst the most bitter foes the Catholic Association had to contend against . Those foes were , however , vanquished by the irresistible force of a well directed public opinion . The Free Traders put no faith in the keep-quiet argument , otherwise they would not have commenced their agitation and carried it to a successful issue . And surely < it is well known that Sir Robert Peel , Lord John Russell-, and almost every leading member of the House , and those who were , not leading raembera , but merely the silent voters , were vehement and even vindictive in their opposition to the principles of Free Trade . Still , it ia as well known that tho cotton lords aot only conquered those of the Lower House , but also tho landlords in the Upper House .
Mr Duncombe , whose severe indisposition every lover of patriotism and integrity must deeply deplore , placed no confidence in the let alone doctrine , when he , with unparalleled vigour and indignant eloquence , attacked that hell-begotten monster , the Master and Servants Bill , and with the petitions , memorials , and remonstrances of the Trades , and youre , my brother Chartists , succeeded in sending it back with ignominy from whence it came . I might instance the RetbrmBill , and many other bills , that were passed through organisation , nothing in comparison to . what we might put in motion , if we will only energetically propel the machinery we have at our command . Recollect , friends , that we are surrounded by more favourable oircumstances than those who acted their pact in carrying somejof the measures above referred to .
The country nsver was in such a state as it is now . Trade depressed to the lowest ebb ; scores of thousands of our brother operatives without employment in the North , and myriads of navvies , ' a distinct and peculiar class of workmen , who will not tamely submit to starve , now that they are thrown loose upon society . The bastiles filled to overflowing with system made ; paupera—Hie jail crammed with system made felons — the middle classes on the verge of ruin—the shopkeepers standing behind their counters with their arms folded , ruminating and repining that their shops are deserted , their tills empty , while the tax _ gatherers make their accustomed oalls , but with
an increased demandeach time , and which demand it is utterly ^ impossible they can satisfy . ¦ These are oircumstances-these are events favourable to th « bringing forth our claims for afnll measure of justice Again , we have got ^ ome ' new blood in the House this session-blood that flows through Democrat o veins ; and amongst it will fae found oui- oS dorauable and , incorruptible chief ( O'Connor ) who ' will per orm wonders , if well supported by tho e who bS 5 & "" p . 811 a ? K th ? a « ' Charthte to the back-bone . Recollect , brethren , and you ought to be proud of it that Chartism has passed through ttie ordeal ef gibes , sneers , contempt , insult , slander .
per 8 eoution , and prosecution , unscathed ; and that it is now a thousand times more fashionable than it was even five years ago , when the humble individual who pens this hastily-written letter , has been hunted out of a village as if he were a venomous reptile ; but who would now be received with the arms of friendship , by the . very persons who so hunted and reviled him . But , above all , and , before allj do not forget that you have forty thousand brothers and sisters ,
Untitled Article
The West Riding Djslboatb Mbet ^» wrb held at Bradford on Sunday laat , Nov . 2 ht . Delegates present - . —Bradford , W . Clark ; Wakefield . tfsaao Wood ; Halifax , James Boden ; Eeigbley , J . Coupe ; Queenshead , John Bates ; Littletown , James Charles * worth ; Dewsbury , George Sykes ; Hudderefield , Ennck Sykes . By letter , Elland , Sowerby , and Holmfiath . Mr Boden in theohair . It was resolved : — ' That the minutes of the last meeting bi
confirmed . ' ' That it is the opinion of the delegates present , that it is the duty of the Chartists of the West Riding to send their quota to the Executive , accsrding to rule , in order that the Exeoutive may employ a lecturer for the organisation of fie Riding , and that the delegates be requested to bring the same before their constituents , and each delegate pay in his quota for the Executive , at the next dele * gate meeting . ' An address was tarn adopted ! and the , meeting adjourned till the first Sunday in January , 1848 . ¦•¦ ; - -v .
ADDRSSS OP THB WK 8 T BIDING DELSOATB HMHKG I 0 . IHB CHARTISTS OF THS WEBI HIDING OP IO 1 KBHIKB . .. . .. .. . .., . , Brotdib Chartib' -b , —It is with mingled feelings of sorrowand pleasure that we appeal to youatthia momentous crisis . With sorrow , at beholding in addition to the exorbitant taxation which the people ot this country have to pay , such depression in com * meroe and manufacturers , that the labouring classes ere undergoing unparalleled misery and destitution * Iron in the so-called times of prosperity , what security have the labouring classes , when it is notorious that the capitalists , in their competitive i ace to air at ) princely fortunes , introduce machinery to displace manual labour , without at the same time
making provision for the labourers so superseded . Except , indeed , a Whig Malthusian b&stile be considered a Bufficwnt provision for the willing labourer , who ia deprived of the . means of an honourable sustenance . But it is with pleasurable anticipations we look to the Chartist movement which will confer political enfranchisement on the sons of toil , and will enable them to choose representatives who will make laws to remedy . the evils we now deplore . Therefore , we earnestly call upon our brother Chartists in their several localities , to persevere , with redoubled energy , for the promulgation of their principles . We are also anxious to impress upon the members of the Land Company the paramount necessity of joining the National Charter Association , as by their united efforts , we are cenvinced that they will accellerate the attainment of those greai principles for
which we are struggling . We moreover look forward with intense anxiety to the New Parliament , and we are desi-ouB that IWgua O'Connor , E « q . may as soon as possible have an opportunity of test > ing its spirit . Vr * e trust that the Chartists of the United ^ Kingdom will without delay sign the Nation Petition , which , for its numerical strength , will far outstrip its predecessors , and so convince the Legislature that it must ere long yield the inalienable right of a virtuous , intelligent , and united people . Chartists of the West Riding , arouse youraelvea to a sense of duty , and organise yourselves in order to support our indomitable champion , Feargus O'Connor , Esq ., in his neble struggle against de . spotism . Signed , on behalf of the delegates , W . LactWest Riding Secretary
, . - NoRTUDiOBRLAM ) am ) Dobham . —A difltriot delegate meeting of members of the National Charter Association was held in the bouse of M . Jude , Cock Inn , head of the Side , NewcaBtl 8 . upon-Tyne , on Sunday Nov . 21 st , at two o ' clock . The following resolutions were passed : —' That 100 bills be printed , announcing the Bale of the various works in the towns in the dibiriot , for the benefit of the district funds . ' « That 100 copies of the Blue Book of the House of Commons be procured for Halo in the dis-1
trict . That 100 copies of Mr O'Connor ' s letter on ' Rich and Poor , be procured for sale in the district . ' That the district secretary write to Paisley , to obtain specimens of the O'Connor Taitan , with conditions , of sale and agency . ' ' That the next district delegate meeting be held in the house of Mr Winlow , Ship Inn , Jarrow , on Sunday , December 19 th , at one o ' clock in the afternoon . —Jamks Nih-BBTT , DiBtrict Secretary . —P . S . —Parties desirous ef becoming purchasers of the O ' Connor tartan , will please to give their orders as soon as possible to M . Jade , Cock Inn , or G . Watson , bookseller , Newmarket . —J . N . '
Cwr or Lokdok and Finsbdrt . —At a meeting of the members , held on Sunday evening last , at the > Good Intent coffee house , Back-hill , Hatton-garden . Mr Wilson in the chair . Mr Antill and Mr Hughea were elected on the council . The report from delegates wsb received . After some discussion , the following propositions were agreed to : — ' That our delegates be instructed to support the motion to be brought forward at the next metropolitan delegate meeting , to pay the Executive of the National Charter Association one shilling per annum , exclusive of any local expenses , AIpo that we pledge ourselves to use every endeavour to obtain a large and commodious hall , and that we use our utmost exertions to get our friends to take up shares for so desirable an object . ' A vote of thanks was unanimously passed to the Directors , for crantine the use of a vrmm fi « . «*
, delegate meeting . Also to the editor of the Northebk bTAn , tor his kindness in allowing the columns ef the Stab to remain open on Thursday evening till a late hour , lor their reports . The meeting then adjourned to Sunday , the 28 th . After the meeting * , tit Stall , wood delivered a moBt interesting lecture on the Charter , the Land , and Land and Labour Bank , ' which waR much applauded , when a vote of thanks was unanimously passed to the lecturer . 10 TBS CHARTISTS , BUI HONEST W 8 RK 1 NO MEN OP THE iTAFrORDSHIRE POIIER 1 KB . BrothbrChahtists , — 'Now ' s the day and now ' s the hour , to rally to the camp of Liberty—to strengthen our forces , and swell the ranks of Democracy . Now , we say , while our enemies are disorganised and
aivided against themselves—squabbling for pblitioal ascendancy —while tho workingclasses of this country ate sunk into the vortex of misery and distress ! and the peasantry ot Ireland are dying by thousands through their oppression and misrule . Remember that' United we stand—divided we fall . ' Then let us unite ourselves in one erand body , under the flag pt Chartism . and march ' Onward'to the struggle for liberty and independence . Already the citadel of oppression and misrule tottera to its foundation , and one determined effort on our part will level it with ^¦ BSJre ^ stKss ^ q& ^ tL ^ BS let them , get you to . grve up the name , and sonn VE £
Z h ™ YV ™ - the WWWs , ene by one , until nothing but a visionary shadow is left . Let us rely ° l ° Ur 8 t T § thllea / l . !' i ' " ^ tables' to them-Ifenf t d h dema nd l ¥ Ch « ter , whole and entire . A fev . of the good and true of the Hanley district havere-estabhshedabranch oftheNationd cS Association , m the hope of furthering those just glorious , and immortal princi ples contained in the People ' s Charter . Fellow working men to you wS appeal to aid us in the good cause we have esjeused assuringyou that no sinister motive hasindnS io mk
« mis course , and that no exertion shall ha wanted on our part , to further tho bestinteS of this Association . In this district there areiSiardJ of one thousand members of the NattaJf Land Company-more than five hundred in ! h ? H « l w& F m iTJTSl WijS * j & ! 52 2 KSJ ffitrnmT h ? ? u thlther for reBCUe - Then ^ ey rrW ^ - ^ pot-be guilty of the unnatural crime of ingratitude to their parent—the Charter . 1 ( 8 principles need only to bs known to be appreciated oy nonest men ; and one penny per week from each of these persons wonld enable us to hare fre q uent Dublin
meetings , to develope those principles in the mind of every working man who is thirsting for liberty . Fellow men , will you longer submit yourselves and families to hunger and starvation , and allow your wives to give birth to n passive race of slaves ? No ! A little self-denial will accomplish our object—political redemption ' andsooial emancipation . We entreat you to leave those dens of infamy—the beer-housesand attend our meetings , which , with your assistance will be numerous , and soon your rally cry will be' The Charter and No Surrender ! ' L Youre , ever faithful in the cause of : 'Right against Might , ' P . S .-Subscriptions will be received fJoTpeSns disposed to become members , from seven to ten o ' clock every Saturday evening , at Mr J . Yates , Miles ' s lianK , onelton , Elland -. Mr Tomlinson , ef Halifax , delive red a lecture in the Working-man ' s-room on Sunday even , ing ast . and gave general satisfaction to a lares audience . 6 e
Untitled Article
FEARGUS O'CONNOR , ESQ . ' * M . P . The following document has been placed in our hands for publication , by one who is , in many respects , an oppomnt of Mr O'Connor ' s , and it therefore bears with all the more force on the subject of which it treate . We admit it to onr columns with the greatest satisfaction , because assured that in so doing we are performing an act of justice . —Nottingham Review , j The pnblio conduct and private character of Mr ¦ Feargus O'Connor appear to agitate the public mind
just now from one end of England to the other . ' 'I am , unknown ^ to Mr O'Connor even by name , and aa amatterof course , socially unacquainted with him I am not a Chartist , nor in any sense his partisan . I am nevertheless proud of him as a countryman , and when I hear his private character unwarrantably traduced , I feel bound to state , that I have conversed repeatedly with men of high and men of low standing in society , and of allshades of opinions , in the county of Cork and elsewhere , who knew Mr O ' C , and knew him well , and that one and all spoke in the most positive and unqualified terms of his affability , kindnesa , generosity , and unflinching integrity .
« In last November I metthe late Roman Catholic Bishop of Cork , at the country residence of a city merchant , four mileSifrom Dublin , and he told me that although he did not agree with Mr O'Connor in polities , he respected him as a most amiable man in private life . -. , ' I have lately conversed with a Protestant gentleman ; who visits frequently in Nottinghamshire / and is an extensive landowner in Mr O'Connor ' s native county , and likewise a political opponent , and he stated that the most unlimited conftdtnw might be placed in his ( Mr O'C . ' e ) honesty of purpose . 'A braver fellow , ' said he , ' does aot exist ; he is every inch a hero . ' :
.: ; 'And now allow me to add my own impression respecting a man whose history and movements I have closely watched for the last 18 yean . I think then that he is the subject of tho deepest and sincerest convictions—possesses a comprehensive mind , untiring energy , surpassing abilities , and indefatigable perseverance in working those conviotions out ; and that whether snecess or failure attend those labours , his name will be revered by large masses of the people , so long as disinterested philanthropy is venerated by mankind . lie is infinitely superior to tbe other great O'C , who has just quitted the stage of life , without leaving a practical lesson of industry behind him to bis countrymen , or making the world much better for his passage through it . 'A Fermanagh Mak . '
Untitled Article
¦ Mk Kydd ' s Route bob thb nbxt twoT Weeks . — - Kilbaroban . Monday , 29 th ; Bridge ol'Weir , 30 tn ; Barrhead , Wednesday , Dec . 1 st ; Mearns , Thursday , 2 nd ; Busby , Friday , 3 rd ; Ardrie , Monday , 6 th ; Glasgsw , Tuesday , ftb ; Alexandria , Wednesday , 8 th ; Dairy , Thursday , 9 th ; Dervil , Friday * 10 th ; Galston , Monday , 13 th ; Ayr , Tuesday . 'Uth i Girvaa , Wednesday , 16 th . The secretaries ; of the above place * must take this as the only notice for Mr Ky dd vbiting them , and prepare accordingly for his reception ^—D . ShbrrikoioNi Sec . !
Untitled Article
« « . teclitarf bondsmen , know ye not , ^ womld b . free , himself muU . trilw tbs bl » w t "
Fl) My Countrymen In England.
fl ) MY COUNTRYMEN IN ENGLAND .
Untitled Article
ANSWER . Mt dear Eddy ,- —My duck , I was in great hopes that your sometime-silence was indicative of returning health , but I find , from your last melancholy epistle , that you are still labouring under a monomania . Dearest , you must seek repose , and must not allow your mind and dreams to be disturbed by the jrevelations and the ravings of that nasty fellow ( Boyer ) who is your universal correspondent . Dearest , it is disgraceful in thehighestdegree , that you should hold intercourse with such a
drunken fellow . It wa 9 onl y Thursday last that he was discovered by the police in a low public house , in a filthy alley , in the most uncivilised part of the metropolis . He was groggy , and got into a shind y with a cabby , who came in for a glass of gin and bitters : Cabby recognising him , said angrily , " B ' aint you the chap what keeps the name of ' Publi . cola , ' that ' s dead this two years ? '' Whereupon a row ensued ; Cabby tapped his smeller , threw his bunch of fives into his figare-head , and so disfigured his frontispiece that his mother wouldn ' t know him . Now , dearest , I do not wish you to embark your character in the same boat with this correspondent , and I will proceed to tell you very plainl y what Feargus has done with , the interest , and why no account of it appears in the balance sheet .
. You appear to forget , owing iio doubt to your present state of debility , that up to the time of settling that Balance Sheet , the major part of the funds of the Company was invested in Land , and Labour , and Stock , as fast as it came into the Treasurer ' s hands ; and that no banking account was settled at that time , the treasurer showing 20 , 000 / . and odd . in the London Joikt-Stock Bank ; arid over 6 , 000 / . in the Gloucestershire Bank , and you forgetj dearest , that in Feargus ' s letter , accompanying the Balance Sheet , he stated as follows—But the Auditors will have to go over every column ; to test everj item ; to examine the Banker ' s books : see to the interest ; and receive vouchers ; from the very commencement to the day of complete registration .
t And now , dearest , observe the proper analysis of the interest upon the funds . Five per cent , is paid in rent , five per cent , on deposits in banks , and the remainder , invested in Exchequer Bills , brings interest according to the value of those bills . And you have Feargus ' s permission , through me , to wait upon Robert Allsop , Esq , his broker , whose address is , " Royal Exchange , London , " arid you may learn from him the date of deposits in . the bank , and the date of the purchase of Exchequer Bills ; and from him you will learn that it was impossible to carry the interest upon those funds to the credit of the Company , in a balance sheet made up to the 14 th ' of August .
( But , my love , as I fear you are not practised in financial questions , allow me to explain , to you . I have seen the banker ' s book of the London Joint Stock Bank , and 1 have seen an entry in that book , dated the 15 th of October , 1847 , with an entry of interest , 129 ^ 9 s . 0 ( 1 . Now , dearest , that entry of the 15 th of October , could not have appeared in the balance sheet of the . . . 14 th of August previous . And then , dearest , there is only 9 / . Is . as interest , AS YET , inserted in the book of the Gloucestershire Banking Company , because the Treasurer still banks there , and the account of interest has not ' been carried forward to his credit . Then , as to Exchequer Bills , why
Feargus HAS PAID ALL THE INTEREST UPON THEM ; but as " this may appear a conundrum to you , I will explain it to you . Suppose he purchased , ashe did , 32 , 000 / . worth of Exchequer Bills , ^ hepays to the seller o / those Exchequer . Bills all the interest upon themtfiat is due to the holder by the Government up to the . day of ,. purchase—for the interest upon Exchequer Bills is calculated by the day , and is threepence upon every hundred pounds . Wei } , then , if Feargus purchases . a l , 6 ' 00 i Exchequer Bill on the 1 st of November at par , for the March account , he pays 1 , 030 / . for it ; and if he sells it in three days after , he gets 1 , 030 / . 7 s « 6 d ., or three pence per day interest ; and if he keeps it till March , when it falls due , he gets 1 , 045 / . 12 s . 6 d , for it , or 4 / .. 11 s . 3 d . per cent . But Feargus had an eye
Untitled Article
signed . Let us prove to those miscalled ourrepresentatives , that we are in earnest—that we are resolved to be represented within the walls of Parliament ; and that , then , and then only , will our labour , the source of all real property , be protected , justice secured , plenty of God ' s choicest gifts to man enjoyed by all , peace established , and happiness flow , like a gentle stream , thraughout every ramifica . tion of society . lam , yours , ; AnOidPiomer . November 22 nd . 1847 . : ;
trith a stake in the ^ edge ( I mean the members of the Lund Company ) , who will rally round yon , »> d . »• sist you in thehoiy work , and whose petition" must , and will be , attended to by the aristocratic portion of that House . Then , lriends . let us commence operations forthwith , and follow out the instructions of the Exeou » tvve . ' Let not a city , town , village , or hamlet in the kingdom , neglect to send a petition numerously
.— : -*— '—— , Cbaitfet I-Hteuiantffc.
. — : - *— '—— , Cbaitfet i-HteUiantffc .
Untitled Article
AND NiTIONAl , TRAMS' JOURNAL .
Untitled Article
S 8 njLyXl , NO 527 . LONDON , SATURDAY , NOYEMBER 27 1847 ~~ ~ T ™* -i ™™ . -., 1 ^ uxxujix Q ( , lQ < u , Five ihUHuga and Sixpence * e * Quarter ' ^— - —^————»¦— " . ^^ S -
-
-
Citation
-
Northern Star (1837-1852), Nov. 27, 1847, page unpag, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/ns/issues/vm2-ncseproduct1446/page/1/
-