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Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software. The text has not been manually corrected and should not be relied on to be an accurate representation of the item.
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fa ^ ef MvirtUitU » t jr «« Topers . ) JO fflWH CAPITALISTS A 5 TD OTHERS . jgnster Lovel , near "Witney , Oxfordshire . TO BE SOLD BY AUCTION , BYMLLONQ , 'Oa Saturday , the 31 st day of August , 1850 , AfTDE STAR IIOTEL i OXFORD ' At Three o ' clock , in the Afternoon , IN EIGHTY-FOUR LOTS , BY ORDEB 0 ? THE MORTGAGEES ,
Pleasantly and advantageousl y situated in the U llage of Minster Loyel , in the county of Oxford , in the vicinity of the following excellent market towns , namel y : —Witney , three miles ; Burfoid , four miles ; Woodstock , efrht miles ; Oxford , thirteen miles ; and Farringdon , twelve miles ; and distant from Cheltenham , twenty-five miles . , .
Comprising about 297 acre 3 of superior land , principally arahle , and a great portion of it in a high state of cultivation ; together ¦ wit h eighty-two excellent cottages , of three , four , and more rooms each , and out-offices , the whole of them built in a very superior manner , in stone , with slated roof 3 , &c ., and conveniently fitted up for immediate occupation , each cottage being situate and standing upon an allotment of two , three , or four acres . Also , an excellent homestead and labourer ' s cottage , land suitable agricultural buildings .
The estate -was formerly the property of John Walker , Esq ., deceased , and was farmed by him for some time , and two or three years since wa > purchased for the purpose of allotment , and creating small freeholders . The cottages on the estate are very pleasantly and advantageously placed , as to frontage , &c ., and the whole property presents a very agreeable and picturesque appearance ; and most of the allotments having been occupied and under culture , 'chiefly by the spade , for gome time , the soil is greatly improved , as is evidenced by the superior crops produced at the present lime . The greater number of the persons now
occupying portions of the property are under compulsory terms to quit and surrender up their respective allotments immediately , unleBS the purchasers of one or more lots are willing to accept them as tenants ; and some others hold until about November next ; possession of the lots in their occupation cannot , therefore , be given immediately . It is proposed to offer the original homestead , labourers'
cottages , and farm buildings , with about twentyfive acres of excellent meadow land , partly watered by the river Windrush , ( an excellent trout stream ) , hi one lot . The high road from Oxford to Cheltenham runs through part of the property , affording capital frontages to many of the cottages ; and most of the others front the public road , running through and dividing the larger portion of the property leading from the Oxford road to Brizenorton .
Within a Bhort distance of the estate is the forest of Wychwood , over which there is an ¦ unlimited right of common . There is also plenty of good building , paving , and lime-stone on the estate . The whole -will l > e Sold by Auction , -without reserve , in numerous lots , affording to small capitalists , and other persons , an opportunity of possessing a Freehold Estate , and votes for the County , which seldom presents itself ; and to the monied man an advantageous mode of investment , as there cannot be a doubt of the allotments finding jeady tenants to pay a good interest for the money invested .
Full particulars and plans of the Estate may be obtained from the Mortgagees , Mr . Weaving , corn merchant , Oxford ; and Mr . W . Pinnock , of Chimney , near Bampton , Oxon . ; Elijah Litchfield , Esq ., solicitor , 89 , Chancery-lane , London ; Messrs . Lee and Bees , solicitors , Witney ; at the Boll Inn , Burford ; the Bear Inn , Woodstock ; Crown , Abingdon ; King ' s Anns , Bicester , ; Buck and Bell , and at the Guardian Office , Banbury ; Three Cups Inn , and place of sale , Oxford ; at the Midland : Counties Herald Office , Birmingham ; and of the- Auctioneer , Witney .
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" Come one , come ad—this rock shall fly From Its firm base as soon as L " TO THE OLD GUARDS . My Dear and Honoured Fbiesds , In spite of opposition , slander and impudence , I have not been driven from my coarse , or from the advocacy of those principles by the attainment of which I hope and trust in God I shall ere long see you , your families , your friends , and relatives happy , comfortable and independent
ion are aware of the antagonism against which I have had to contend for many mouths —I will say for many years—in London ; and you are also aware that I have frequently told you that : if I was obliged to rest upon my oars . I -wonld stand firmly and resist the current of the tide , the bufietting of the billows , and the growling storm . I have told you , that although Fans is France , London is not England ; and I have relied upon the confidence , the integrity , and the affection of the busy bees in the Northern hive 3 to put down , to overpower , and overcome
the buzzing of the drones ; and at length yon have succeeded . My comment never applied to the veritable -working classes of London , but to the " poor gentlemen , " who endeavoured to enlist them in antagonism to me , in the hope of making them the basis of their own idle living . For a length of time my name had been mentioned "with , contempt at the John-street meetings ; however , having full confidence in the veritable working classes , and feeling perfectly convinced that wild and selfish enthusiasts could only animate them for a time , notwithstanding all the slander to which I had been subjected , I appeared before my old friends , in the same building , on Monday last , ' . for the purpose of raising a
subscription to enable Mrs . Lacky andher little famil y to join her expatriated husband . Fussellone of the recently emancipated victims , was in the chair . He made two able , powerful , and eloquent speeches ; he showed the folly of men who had been incarcerated for political offences giving up then * labour , and hoping to live idly upon politics after their emancipation . I . dare say , when I was emancipated from Tort Castle my old friends y ould haye raised a large subscription for me if I would accept it ; but I never have , nor I never will accept a farthing for advocating your cause ; and for this simple reason—that my advocacy of your princip les , would naturally be considered selfish if it was based upon lucr e-
Old Guards , we are now in a trying time , and my desire is not to see you broken up into sections and factions , which make you a rope of sand and constitute the tyrant ' s power , but to see you thoroughly united ; not sectionally led by this leader and that leader ; not following men , but principles ; and then how soon labour would achieve its triumph ; and then oh God , how happy I should be . ' I believe no man , even of your own order ever had the saine confidence in the integrity of the majority of the working classes that I have ; hut mind the maxim of Lord Babby-MOBE— "that one enemy can do you more harm than a thousand friendB can do von good . " ' , J
Old Guards , the "Show Box" iB d osed the weather is becoming more genial ; the days are shorter ; and you will be likel y now to abandon your pleasure trips to derive political knowledge ; and therefore I will be shortl y j ^ mongst you to test your mettle , and direct | our mind , because I think it has passed through the two first stages , namely : CREA-| M > N and ORGANISATION . You have a ¦ Pwerful antagoniem . to contend against , hut
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your principal antagonist is your own disunion , and that is what I now hope to destroy . On Sunday , the 1 st of September , I will have the honour of attending a camp meeting at Mountsorrel , near Leicester ; and , on Monday , the following day , I will , accordin g to custom , meet my constituents in the Market Place of Nottingham , and there tender my resignation . As far as I am able I am determined to carry out the principle of Annual Parliaments , although my friends do not conform to the principle of PAYMENT OF MEMBERS . your principal antagonists your own disunion ,
Old Guards , I have had a hint that MY FRIEND , Bradshaw , intends to muster his forces there upon that occasion , but I defy him . I would pay him handsomel y if he would venture to come upon the platform , and I think my friends -would pay him as handsomely . Old Guards , the atrocious , the base , bloody , and brutal acts that Parliament has passed for Ireland , during the last session , should convince you of what the policy of a Government is when a people are disunited ; but I
am happy to find that the tyranny of the Government , and the hopeless state of Ireland , have created a union between the Young Irelanders and the Irish Alliance ; and I hope and trust that your long suffering will create such a union of your order as will overthrow , and for ever destroy , the tyranny of your oppressors . I regret , exceedingly , that it will not be in my power to attend the meeting at Bannockburn , on Monday next , as my solicitor informs me that my presence in London is indispensable , as the Minster Lovel Estate
is to be sold on Saturday next , the 3 l 6 t inst . Thi § fact gives me great annoyance , as I entertain a strong feeling of affection for , and have been always well received by , my Scotch friends . Now , Old Guards , in conclusion , let me once more implore of you to set all antagonism aside , to be united as working men , who shonld live comfortably upon the profits of their well requited labour , and do not allow interested demagogues , who would live upon your credulity , to create disunion , which would establish the strength of your tyrant oppressors . Your Faithful and Uncompromising Friend , Feargds O'Connob .
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THE LASD ! THE LAXD ! THE LAUD ! TO THE ARTIFICIAL SLAVES .
My Friends , —Whenever an independent person undertakes to promulgate a principle which is calculated to render benefit to the industrial classes , he is sure to be reviled , so long as the idle and united capitalists can live , revel , and luxuriate upon the antagonism of their disunited slaves . Let me implore of you to bear one fact in mind , and that is , that a principle calculated
to elevate your order , cannot be too searchingly inquired into , or too continuously discussed . When I commenced the Chartist movement , in 1835—fifteen years next December—I told you that if the land was locked up to-day , I would not give you a straw for the Charter tomorrow . In those days you knew nothing about the land , and you were under the cruel fangs of tyrant so-called Reformers , from whosedevationto p 6 weryouanticipated com- plete prosperity for your order . ' ,
TJp to the passing of the Reform Bill , and by the Chandos clause in the Reform Bill , the landlords invariably measured the value of their property by the standard of political patrona g e , and not by state necessity and national requirement . Their one hundred and thirty thousand tenants-at-will were the basis of then political patronage ; and , therefore , the landlord who could command a sufficient number of £ 50 voters to secure an amount of polit ical power , to enable him to confer governmental places , church livings , army and navy commissions , and other benefits upon himself and family , did not care twopence about his landed property .
Those gentlemen have , however , discovered that they must now look to the land , and not to patronage , as the meansof subsistence ; and not only they , but the whole press of the kingdom is now circumspectly examining ¦ and defining the capability of the soil . Not only in 1835 , hut in 1845 , when I commenced my Land Plan , the landlords were opposed tome , every newspaper in the kingdom was opposed to me , free traders were opposed to me , shopkeepers , government , and the law were all , one and all , opposed to me ; while now , the goad has been stuck into them , they are opening their eyes , and their brains are becoming more lucid .
Perhaps the newspaper which is least under the controul of Government , or political factions , is the Morning Advertis r ; and now , in order to prove to you , " that the folly of today may be the wisdom of the morrow / ' and that a bold and independent man will adhere steadfastly to principles which he considers capable of elevating your order , let me furnish you with the able and clearly written , and uncontradictable article from the [ Horning Advertiser of Tuesday last . Here it is .
Mr . I . Stafford has addressed a letter to Lord John Russell , under the title of The Victorian System , being a plan to employ the poor , to educate their children , and to reduce the poor rates , &c . Nothing is easier than to accomplish all these objects , if government were only disposed to attend to its primary duty , the care of tie people—that object for which allgovernmentf , not founded in violence , are instituted . But if the government were to profess the inclination , it would add , that there were no funds at its disposal . We , however , maintain tbat tbe people annually furnish twenty times the funds necessary for carrying out tuch views as arc drawn by Mr . Stanford ; and it is no answer to the
people to tell them , tbat their money is all expended in civil lists , salaries , pensions , buildings , army , navy , and ordnance .. Above one-third of the revenue—and we keep far below the mark—is spent on salaries that are made too high , because they are received by the aristocracy- —on pensions that would aot have been granted had not the claimants belonged to tbe aristocracy—on gaudy buildings ' which are not adapted to their purpose--and on war establishments , which are maintained in order , to qnnrter the dependents of the aristocracy upon the people . When public money is bo misemployed , there will never be any to devote to the service and advantage of the people . '
Mr . ' Stanford ' s plans , however , would not re-Snire much outlay on the part ' of tbe State ; even in tie way of a loan . He wishes , in Oder to establish a better provision foe the poor , to extend the allotment system under the powers of an act of par * foment .. He proposed this measure to Lord John Russell twenty years ago / but it was met by the objection , tbat the poor could not procure manure to cultivate the land . The system has , however , been successfully in operation in the north of Buckinghamshire . At Sherriugten there is a plot of land of about fourteen acres , which had always
been considered as bad and valueless , . tbat no person could cultivate it with advantage , and it would not let for more than pit thiUingsper acre . A few years since it was sold to a poor man , named Rose , for a small sum , and he now lettit out in allotments to the poor of a quarter or half au acre eachafcrtMepoamfa / eram . Mr . Stanford 5 , 5-- tbe or t ° <* the land with avidity at riH « pnce ' and ^ cultivating it with every poscrons TM % *? *™*™ S * from it" prodigious 2 « „ , fact ^ ves tnat tbe poor , can and do S £ tti . L ^ T ^ uestion ^ another ' mt " ** obtain from this bad land tixty
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bushels of wheat per , acre , and moreover have a continual succession of crops . ; * f - ' We observe that convicts are to bo employed in reclaiming Dartmoor as much as . possible , and that ' it is exp ected that moor will be remunerative property in a few years . ¦ That of course' will depend upon the management of the men and the money . Such is . the spirit of jobbing in every department of public service , that there can be no hopes of realising a profit . But why cannot a similar experiment be mde-with the honest poor ? Are the sympathies of the legislature and government to be * f witl » the felon ? By giving " employment to the honest poor , allowing them to pay rent for the bushds of wheat per , acre , ™ & moreover have a con l
lana wmch they reclaim- there would bo fewer felons , and fewer paupers , and thus two sources of great cost and trouble would be dried up . ; . At Newport Pagnell , Lord John Russell is informed in the letter , Mr . George Lucas lets about seven acres of land in fourteen allotments , atthe rate of £ 6 per acre ; the rent is paid quarterly , and the landlord answers for the rates and taxes . " " If , therefore , " says Mr . Stanford , " the poor catrand do afford to pay at the rate of £ 6 per acre for land / a mile from their dwellings , and JE 3 for very bad land , it is fair to calculate , that they can and wm readily pay from £ 3 to £ A per acre on the average for land for such purposes . " ,
The late Lord Egmont tried the allotment system successfully , and so have mauybthors in ; different parts of the kingdom . 'Wherever it has been tried , the effect has been most favourable on the habits and morals of the poor . Avarice never committed a greater blunder , tban when it destroyed small farms and cottage husbandry . It > raised its revenues , but it lost the affections of lhe people . It destroyed all their motives for attachment to their country , and unless something be done towards restoring things as they were , the landowners of England may some time have the same occasion for unavailing repentance which the nolkssc of France so bitterly experienced for the very same erroroppression of the poor . :
Mr . Stanford connects the education of the . poor with the allotment system .. For this purpose , he would make the clergyman and parochial authorities a tru 3 t under the act , with power to take the lands , and any lands convenient for the allotment system , at a fair rental , avoiding , of course , ornamental enclosures . On this subject , he has the following explanatory matter : — " Presuming that the land can be obtained at £ 2 per acre on the average , and will let on this system at £ 3 10 s ., that the . sum obtained from' the allottees over and above the rent paid by the trustees , form a fund ; first to provide instruction to tbe children of the poor , who may be educated for
a very small sum , by selecting a person in the town or village competent to teach , or who shall be instructed ( if necessary ) for that purpose , and be appointed by the trustees ; and that the sum over that necessary for such instruction become an accumulating fund on the plan of the Savings Banks and Benefit Societies combined , to provide for the poor holding the lands , in case of sickness and for burial , or any other casualty , and to afford the means for those who choose to emigrate ; and I would also encourage weekly , periodical , or promiscuous deposits in the same fund for the like pur . poses . It should be an absolute condition , that those who have allotments should have all their
children , under twenty years of age , educated ; and a preference in the letting should be given to those with large families , to the industrious , sober , moral , religious , and deserving , and the allotments should be in proportion to the necessities of the parties as to uumber , < fcc ., and only hand or spade cultivation should be allowed , taking care also to avoid anything like little farming ; these operations bring on the consideration of a reduction to be effected in the poor rates . " > In reference to the poor-rates , amounting in the aggregate to about £ 7 , 000 , 000 per annum , he calculates , that if 3 , 000 , 000 acres are taken at £ 2 per acre , and let at £ 3 10 s . on the average , the poorrates ( by so much profitable labour having been
provided as to realise the difference ) , will be reduced at least £ 4 , 500 , 000 a year . Apparently little more is wanted from government than an act of parliament to legalise all operations , and , at the same- time , to encourage the system by giving it the countenance of the-highest authority . It would be ., ridiculous to attempt to cast doubts upon a scheme of this kind , The allotment system has not only never failed , where it has been tried , but it has always proved eminently successful , yielding profit to the landlord , advancing the condition of the poor , socially and morally , and relieving the ratepayer . We can conceive no opposition to it , but such as might proceed from persons who profit by the increase of the felony and paupers .
The education of the poor , wo observe , is restricted to reading , writing , and a few of tbe first rules of arithmetic ; but these are only the means or mechanical aids of education . Let the poor learn as much of arithmetic as they can ; it exercises their minds ; and add to this slender course of tuition , history , geography , and the elements of agriculture , for such as can understand them . Reader , could any nincompoop , employed to advocate the principles of a party paper , sitting in his cockloft with his goose quill
behind his ear , refute those simple but able arguments ? And yet , although you find poor barren soil , only worth five shillings an acre , increased to the value of £ 3 10 s . an acre , that is £ 14 for four acres , without a cottage , and a mile distant from the occupant ' s residence , and no manure , yet you are told that a man is not capable of living upon four acres of laud , with a splendid cottage in the centre , an abundance of manure , and the land cultivated , with £ 50 aid and loan money given .
Will not your own knowledge convince you , that had it not been for the treachery , the plunder , and rascality , of the ruffians who became possessed of land and house , aid and loan money , that , ere this time , I should have had five thousand cottages and more built , and that I would have been employing a large number of the surplus population , made surplus by machinery ? The Wakefidd and West Riding Examiner of the 3 rd of August , has the folly of criticising my Land Plan ; but I would ask the writer of that article , if he has heard of a certain person being transportedforPIG STEALING ? Of course , I shall not mention names . I think I have told you before , that if twelve
men , who had committed twelve murders each , were placed in a room to frame laws against murder , they would frame the most bloody and atrocious laws , with a view of concealing their barbarism ; whereas , if twelve humane and kind hearted men , were placed in an adjoining room for the same purpose , they would frame humane and gentle laws , looking upon murder as an accidental act , rather than as a conspiracy . I do hope , that every man who sees tbe Star , will not only read , but well study ; the article that I have copied from the Morning Advertiser of Tuesday last .
I will now give you another extract from the same paper of Wednesday last ; Here it is . " Theclerical and lay guardians of the Isle of Thanet have taken ( from Michaelmas ) ten acres of land . This , with the present two acres of garden , will make out' twelvo acres to employ inmates of the poorhouses , young and old , upon out-door industry . " JNow ,: recollectthatin 1833 and 1834 , I introduced an Irish Poor Law into the House of Commons , which was to have been based upon a precisely similar system ; and how often have I told you that there cannot be a greater anomaly or absurdity than idle land , idle labour ,
and idle money , while yon are importing the produce of other lands thousands of miles across the Atlantic , and paying eight millions a year to support unwilling system-made paupers ? This system is not only an absurditynot only a robbery—hut leads to murder ; and the day will yet arrive when the REAL MURDERERS shall stand in the awful presence of that great God , whose council neither the dictum of the judge , the quibble of the law , or the prejudice of the jury shall dare to enter—where murder will be such , but not . fcy construction of human law or political ingenuity . My desire is to leave the world better than
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mforwh -m mn ttiat evei < K" * bofaro at I lS *' the im ^ ° Vement of yom- dvder lived 2 ? f N 7 ;« f W « iass or memshas Ste ? S ? f - r - h * W * nd has been SS $ pmecu ^ asIh ^ , and Zve Ho ^ » I h * endeavoured to are not&- ' V * Priuci P l adv 0 ( * te Z + S ^ Won lucre , but upon integrity , » T £ ! * — ^ li 0 ™ te ^ condition of - tNlMcouW by all , I will remain dogged f ^ S ? l- . ? ined ' ^ ineans " other , to ^ ake the mdustrious : poor independent of the idle capitalist .- ¦ -. ; . . Tfound ^ ; K' L ,, ,. .. . . .
My friends , ; l will , conclude by once more imploringbf ydu : to read the article which I have GxtraCted from tbe . Morning Advertiser ; keep it memory , and let it bo tho monitor of jour mind and director of yonr actions . Do not hsten to men talking about land who would not know a cucumber from a hand W , and who do not cave about the land so long as they can ^ Gxtract a suffici ^ o ^ ^ nrn .. your folly and credulity ^ puTCh ^ ABdjremc&beri ^ li ^ the "'black ^ lugs' ^ atf tfie" Iibndoti ^ Ta ' verpE . . Unite , unite ! ye Chartists brave , ¦ % ¦?•?* $ ¦ ¦ £ Let THE LAND" your watchword be ; ' Scout , oh ! scout , the servile slav ' o That crouches when he may be free . Up , ye . hevoea—afc the despots ! Lick no more the tyrant ' s hand ; Leave your pauper workhouse mess-pots—Live like freemen ' on your land . ; Then , free trade will be a blessing , When men can work , and cat , and play ; "When shepherds cease to live by fleecing , , Then each flock its own will pay . Your Faithful and Unpurchaseable Advocate , Feargus O'Connor .
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THE POWELL PLOT .
On Monday evening , tho 19 th inst ., a numerous and highly respectable assemblage of persons , met at the Literary and Scientific Institution , John-street , Fitzroy-square , to hear a lecture from Feargus O'Connor , Esq ., M . P ., in aid of the fund now raising to enable Mrs . Lacey and family to join their husband and father in the land of his exile—South Australia . At eight o'clock , Mr . O'Connor , accompanied by Mr . Fussell and the committee , entered tho hall , and were greeted with , loud demonstrations of applause .
Mr . John Fussell was unanimously called to the chair , and said , ho felt happy in being called on preside over a meeting convened for the-purpose of . hearing a lecture from their well tried friend Feargus O'Connor— ( bear , hear)—for the truly . benevolent and philanthropic purpose of enabling the wife to join her husband , and the children their father , in the laud of his banishment , where he had been' consigned by the tender mercies of the Whi gs on tbe evidence of miscreants oMhe Powellian order . ( Loud shouts of hear , hear . ) Mr . O'Connor , with his usual benevolence
, had _ stepped forth that night to aid the weal : against the strong . Chartism must ultimately triumph , despite the foul system of espionage which was a disgrace to the country . ( Cheers ) By such base proceeding ? ,. the cause had been placed in imminent peril , and many honest , aealouB , and wortViy . persons had fallen victims— ampngat . ^ :, whomi was their excellint friend Williai » Lacey , ' and ho was pleased to know that a determination existed to re-unite this much injured and oppressed family . From
the victim Lacey he ( Mr . Fussell ) had ever experienced the greatest kindness , and the people were indebted for his zeal , perseverance , and sacrifices ; whilst the whole of the victims were largely indebted to their honourable friend , Mr . O'Connor , who : had kept them from oakum picking for fifteen months , and otherwise been the means of contributing to their , greater comfort and defence . ( Loud cheers . ) He , as one of tho victims , thanked his fellow countrymen for the support they had so handsomely rendered to their wives
and families . As regarded Chartism , he held firm to the principle , and liked much the idea of " a federal union , " broached within the walls of that institution yesterday . Let that principle be adopted , and democracy would be something more than a rope of sand . He luid no doubt their excellent friend , Mr . O'Connor s lecture , would tend to cement that union , and lead to the speedy enactment of Chartism and the establishment of universul liberty . ( Great cheering . )
Mr , O'Connor , on rising , was received with tremendous cheering , which lasted for a considerable time . He said thathe would prove the sincerity of tho interest he felt for tbe wife of the expatriated victim ly inf « vmiTi £ r the meeting tbat he had that day eceived an invitation to dine with an old and valued friend , which , however , he declined , in oruur mat ae might render service to Mrs . Lacey . ( Cheers . ) He was glad to find another victim ( Mr . J ? us sell ) presiding over that meeting as chairman ; and , although a member of parliament , he felt a greater honour in addressing him than in addressing the Speaker of the House of Commons . His attention was called to the name
of Powell , -whose name was read from the bill by the chairman . ( Perhaps that meeting was not aware that that sycophantic ruffian had also laid a trap for him ( Mr . O'Connor ) . He wrote to him about the same period , telling him that upon a certain night a revolution was to take place in a certain part of London , and that he ( Mr . O'Connor ) would bo assassinated if he did not join in it . He turned his letter inside out , and re-directed it , with this answer— "Goto the devil , ' you scoundrel !" ( Loud laughter . ) He wished that all othevB had given him such a reply . He would give them another instance of the many traps that were faad for the "RED CAT . " ( Laughter . ) Yes , hewas the "RED CAT" of Chartism ; andin 1839
, , when the Whigs dreaded the power of the united mind of the people , they enlisted thousands of spies and informers , in the hope of catching the " RED CAT . " One night , two suspicious-looking fellows called at his house at Hammersmith , and wished to see him privately . They told him that the Chartists were prepared for a revolution that night , and that their intention was to assemblein Fetter-lane , and Bet fire to it ; and that the plot would not succeed if he ( Mr . O'Connor ) did not take the command . ' Upon hearing this announcement , he instantly rang tho bell , and when _ the servant came in , he / said , " Robert , are there not policemen upon this beat , generally parading before the door ?"
" Yes , sir , ' he replied . " Then , " said Mr . O'Connor , " go and fetch them in . " The servant > had wavcel y closed tho door upon those two hired ruffians , when they rushed at it , dragged it open , and scampered off as fast as their legs could carry them . ( Loud cheers and laughter . ) He thought that would give them a fair definition of tbe traps that were laid for him . They were met there that night for the purpose of enabling the wife and little children of an exiled patnot to join the husband and father ; and perhaps' the best course that he could pursue , ' would be to repeat the charity sermon of the celebrated Dean Swift . Upon
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his first visit to England ,, the Dean ^ as W . ked upon as a kind of prophet ; he was invited to preach a , charity sermon at : a very = } ar < ye church , aud ; , ; being very proud , ¦ and * not wishing to be exhibited as a rave ^ -slibw , this was his . charity sermon : ^ : 0-HeV \ vho giveth to the poor , Jendeth unto the lord } i { you like your security , down with your , dust . " ( Groat cheering and laughter . ) ; K Gboden or Bright , or some of the leading ; Financial Reformers had been transported for advocating the principles of their party , " iwhai time would olapBe before thousands of pounds would be M --
; aised to assist their families" to emigrate , and to erect monuments to commemorate their great deeds ? ( Loud and continued cheering . ) It startles me , said Mr ! O'Connor , to hear tnose most vociferous cheers , in a hall which upon my appearance , I thought would resound with groans and hisses . ( Loudcries of " no no . ) Mr . O'Connor had understood that it was customary to scouthis name when men- ' tooned in that building . ( Loud shouts of ' m A ' ? i H-, " > Well > he waB glad to 1 iea > % and he told tniu . * , w . ; _ * ¦ - , ,, .. ; , '
hi ^ diaP every ^ ee ^ g ^ at ^^!^ - ! : ^ adhere steadfastly'to those principles'for the advocacy of whiohvLacey , poor'Cuffay , and others had been exiled . . !( ChoerJl | fT jaowever it may distress their feelings , ov annoy their ears , he would tell them over and over again , that they and not the Government were the forgers of their own chains . ( Cheers . ) They ought to be ashamed to , cheer it—they ought to be ashamed to hear it—a& : it v ? as a fact that could not be controverted . What
was , and ever had been the position of many of their leaders % Give many of them a pound a week to advocate tho principles of the Charter , and let another party offer them a guinea a week for advocating principles that were opposed to it , and they would accept the higher salary and advocate the lower principles . ( Two or three feeble cries of " No , no ; " which were soon drowned by cries of "Yes , yes ; " and loud cheers . ) Mr . O'Connor repeated it , and he would repeat again what he had often told them ; that the man who earned fifteen shillings a week looked with ecorn upon the man who could earn but ten shillings ; while the maa who earned ten looked with contempt upon the pauper in the bastile . ( Cheers . ) Well , they should be . ashamed to cheer that too . The last session of Parliament — in which not one act beneficial to their order was passed—the blue books and rubbish cost them nearly half a million of money . ( Shouts of "Shame . " ) They had six hundred and fifty-six members , forty constituted a house , and one hundred and fifty was looked upon as a large house ; whereas , in America and France nearly the whole of the representatives of the people were in constant attendance . And why ? Because they were paid for their services . ( Cheers . ) And if their representatives were paid instead " of having bankers , merchants , and officers , and traders , attending to their own business by day ,
and attending dinner , supper , and ball parties by night : coming into the House , rather muggy , . to vote away their money ; they would then have representatives who would sit by day with clear heads , and attend to their duties . ( Loud cheers . ) A great many enthusiastic philanthropists vowed that they would contend'for the Charter and " some : thing more-, " but , would-the moat sagacious amongst them define what " something more" means ? He would struggle for the Charter and nothing more , as tho Charter would confer upon their order every right and
every benefit to which they were entitled but , as he Lad frequently told them , if they had too many irons in the fire all would cool ; whereas , if they continued to blow tho Chartist bellows , little Lord John would ask them if there was anything move than the Charter they wished for . ( Loud cheers . ) ( A man in the gallery shouted "Republic" ) "Ah V said Mr . O'Connor , " thero ' s another -old iron in the fire ; " and , as ho stated in the House of Commons he repeated there , " that he didn't care whether the Pope , the Devil , or ihe Pretender was upon the throne , provide .
the power behind tho throne was greater than the throne itself . " ( Loud cheers . ) Although he might surfeit them by repetition , he would agaiii repeat a fact at Nyhich they should blush , and which should make them ashamed of themselves—it was this : the whole governmental expenses of the United States of America cost : . that independent country only eight millions a year ; while we paid to bishops and black slugs ten millions three hundred thousand a year . ( Shouts of " Oh , oh , " and "Shame . " ) Aye , the shame was to themselves ; aud to prove that this was the
heaven of those cormorants , they preached that it was as impossible for a rich man to enter into the Kingdom of Heaven , as for a camel t «» pass through the eye of a needle . But , as this was their heaven , * and as they made it the people ' s hell , they did not care as long as they were happy here , as to their chanco ot ' meeting the old gentleman in the world to come . ( Loud cheers , and laughter . ) . Well , it took eight millions a year to support unwilling paupers in this country—as much as the whole governmental expenses of America—while i \\ e land of their birth was crying out for their labour .
Their army cost them as much as the whole governmental expenses of America ; and let them see how their government was now constituted . Sir John Cam Hobhouse , now a minister of the government , but formerly , not only a Reformer but a Revolutionist , once aaid , that if he had las will , he would turn the Thames -into the House of Commons , and swamp its members ; while , during the last Session of Parliament , it made his ( Mr . O'Connor ' s ) blood run cold , to hear this enthu-• iastic Reformer—this inundator o ? the House of Commons—lauding Lord Gough with
feryour and ecstacy , for the brutal manner in which he ordered the English troops to slaughter the Indians , who wero contending for their legitimate rights . ( Shouts of "Shame . " ) Ah , but it showed them the effect that money had upon all leaders —( cheers )—whileit was his ( Mr . OConnor ' s ) pride and glory to say , that he never had , nor never would , travel a mile , or eat a meal , at the expense of the people . ( Cheers . ) He had paid to Mrs . Frost over 200 / . out of his own pocket , when her husband was expatriated ; and was he in the same condition now , he would not allow the government to understand that the wife of another victim was
compelled to appeal to the country for the means to enable her to join her exiled husband . ( Loud cheers . ) There she sat by him on the platform , a lady-like , a modest , but careworn woman . ( Cheers . ) Well then , would they ; allow her sorrow to continue , when a mito from each would drive it away 1 ( Cheers , and " No . " ) Although nothing had recently been done for England , yet the present state of France inspired him with hope . France was the neighbour and great ally of England , England was now sanctioning the suppression of liberty in France , in the hope that "when Franco became a despotism , she in return would enable England to contend against the power of the popular voice ; hut she never shall succeed . ( Loud cheevB . ) He oughtnot to bs
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invited upon a platform -to address them upon a . question of banishment and cruelty ; it roused nis Irish blood to too great a height ; he was the last of his famil y . now in Europe ; he waa determined , however , to contend againat the oppositioniof friend and foe , to better the condition of their , order , aud leave the world better than he tound it . ( Loud and continued cheering . ) His uncle
was in the ninetieth year of his age , and in tho fifty-second year of his banishment , for contending for Irish liberty . His father had been for years immured in dark underground colls until his forehead had become rotten , and honud . lost tho use of . his limbo , . wiieu , by the tender mercy of Lord Castlereagh , he was allowed to be taken out of his cell upon a hand burrow to receive the fresh air . ( Shouts |
of " Bhame , " and horror . ) Well , then , wag not that enou g h to reuse his blood ? Let them remember that it was . now near twenty year * since he was first returned to parliament , and while sitting in that house he defied them to point to a single speech or a singlo voto of his which was opposed to theu interest . ( Loud cheers , and eri « s of " Not one . " ) No ; and although boasting was of no great value to their order , he vowed before high Heaven , that he would rather starve in a garret , than accept of all the offices and salaries of Governor-General of India , Lord Chancellor , Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland , and Prinio
Minister of England , to give ono vote that was injurious to the interests of the people . ( Loud and continued cheering , ) And however some men may despair , he never did , when he aaw the improvement that had taken place in the mibd of this country since he first propounded Chartism . ^ Then , he looked upon six or eight in a little garret as a good meeting ; while , now , no house or building is large enough to hold those we could assemble . "Then , the men of London oury tcu-o-Yi—yvit ..., i ^ ^ j .. i j ,-Chester b y name , whereas ^ now ^ Wn ; ~ id-w ?^ town in England ; ; Scotland , or . Wales , in which the leaders ' of the movement are not
known to each other . He need not again repeat Dean Swift ' s celebrated sermon , but he did hope and truBt that . ( Byery man present who had it to spare would contribute his mite , to enable Mrs . Lacey and her little family to join the exiled husb . and and father , and thus make them happy , and prove their own generosity . —Mr . O'Connor resumed his seat omid loud and long-continued cheering and waving of hats . Some collectors then went round the meeting , and realised the sum of £ 3 10 s . 10 d ., which , on being added to the money received for admission , amounted to £ 7 8 s . 8 id .
On the motion of Mr . O'Connor , a voto of thanks "was awarded to Mr . Fussell by acclamation , for the able manner in which he had presided . ' Mr . Fussell having briefly returned thanks , Mr . T . Bkown rose to move a vote of thanks to Mr . O'Connor , and took the opportunity to request that gentleman to deliver a lecture on behalf of the suffering patriotic exiles now in this country ; and should Mr . O'Connor agree to do so , he should wish it to be given somewhere at the East-end of London . He also wished to suggest to Mr . O'Connor the utility of his mixing himself more amongst them , and thus become one of the veritable democracy . ( Loud cheers . )
* The motion was seconded by Mi ' , yvilks , and carried amidst great applause . Mr . O'CoHNon came forward to acknowledge the compliment , amidst waving of hats , handkerchiefs , &c , and said he would cheerfull y comply with the request made by Mr . Brown . The Poles were a brave people , and had been grossly ill-used by the monster of Russia . ( Loud cheers . ) Three cheers were then given for the Charter , whole and entire , ' and no surrender ; three for tne Poles , and the incarcerated victims in other countries ; three for Kossuth , Bern , Mazzini , and Ledru llollin ; and three groans for the Whigs—when , the "Marsellaise" having been sung , the meeting terminated .
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The Executive Committee op tub National Ciiarter Association—This , body met at the office , 14 , Southampton-street , Strnnd , on Wednesday , August 21 st . Present : Messrs . Grassby , Stallwood , Milne , Arnott , and Miles . Mr . Grassby in the chair . The secretary reported that a most numerous and unanimous meeting was held on Sunday last , to form a federal union of the several democratic parties , which had resulted in the appointment of a sub-secretary , whose duty it would he to cement such union . On the motion of Messrs . Stallwood and Arnott , the following resolution was unanimously adopted : — " That the Executive recommend the' Hand Book of Registration' to their bretheren throughout the country , as containing
some excellent information , well calculated to add Chartist , strength to the present electoral roll ; and which work , they are happy to know , can now be obtained at one shilling and sixpence perdozen . " It was then agreed : — " That the John-street meetings be discontinued for the present , and thatthe next meeting bo held at tho Temperance Hall , Broadway , Westminister , on Monday evening next , Aug . 26 th , to which attention is particularly requested . All sub-secretaries of the National Charter Association aro requested to make an immediate return to the office , of the number of members enrolled in their several localities . The address to the electors and non-electors was postponed until the next meeting . The committee adjourned until
Wcdnesday evening , August 28 th , at eight precisely . Metropolitan Delegate Council , City Chartist Hall , 2 G , Golden-lane —At tho meeting on Sunday , August the 18 th—Mr . Edmund Stallwood in the chair—it having been announced that the men of Stulybridge requested sonie of the addresses of the Council for distribution in that portion of the county , on the mojtion of Messrs . } V . A . Fletcher and C . Jt-ft ' evy , the follovring resolution -was carried by acclamation : — " That this council duly appreciates the compliment paid to it by the men . of Stalybridge , in taking some of its addresses for circulation , which will stimulate it to further exertions , and excite it to acts of sympathy , when called for by Stalybridge or elsewhere . " A letter was then read
from J . I . Lockhart , Esq ., acknowledging the receipt , and promising a notice of tbe council ' s address in the columns of the Jkch Advertiser and Aylesbury News , and announcing the concordance of Messrs . Hamilton ( editor of the Bucks Advertiser , ) and J . I . Lockhart , Esq ., with the principles of ; hat address ; also setting forth ( if agreeable ) that Messrs . Hamilton aud Lockhavt would commune with the council at the City Chartist Hnll on Sunday afternoon , September tho 1 st . Upon the motion of Messrs . Fuzzon and Johnstone , the following resolution was unanimously adopted : — " That this council have heard , with feelings of delight , tho letter of J . I . Lockhart , and pledge Messvs . Hamilton and Lockbart a fraternal greetinc en Sundav .
September the 1 st , when they have announced their determination to honour it with a visit . " The Fortnightly ChartUt 2 ) -ac ( . —On tho resumption of this debate , estimates were handed in from several firms , and , after a discussion , in which Messrs . Fletcher , Moran , Johnstone , Dicey , "Wilton , Stevens , Fuller , and others took part , on the motion of Messrs . Fuzzon and Fletcher ,, it . was rcso . lved—' , ' . That each delegate report progress to their several localities , and take their opinion as to the number of tracts each locality can use , and the support they can otherwise give . " Open Air Public Meetings . —Hr . A , Fuzzon then brought forward the proposition" That public open air meetings be held on
Clerkenwell-green , or some other convenient' spots , " which was seconded by Mr . Jeffry ; and after a long and animated discussion , in which Messrs . Brisck , Stevens , "Wilken , Johnstone , Fletcher , Finlen , Moran , Jeffry and' Stallwood took part , was negatived by a large majority . Progress of Chartism , &c—On the motion ot Messrs . Brisck and Moran it was resolved — " That this council aid and assist in getting up , so far as speakers and making the objects known are concerned—a public meeting in the City Chartist Hall , on Monday evening , September the 9 th . " After the transaction of other business , and a vote of thanks to the Chairman , the council adjourned until Sunday afternoon , August the 25 th , at three o clock precisely .
Southampton — -Mr . Ifezev lectured on Monday night last in the Kew Hall , to a largo and highly vespectablo audience , on " Political and Social Reform , with Revelations of his Imprisonment . " Mr . B . ' s happy vein of treating the above aubject gamed for him continued plaudits , and at theconclusionhe received the unanimous thanks of tho meeting .
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———w ^— - ' The KiU-enny Journal eays that if any one came to that county and offered IBs . a « w « te standing wheat , ho would get offers of nearly all the wheat in tho oouuty .
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Citation
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Northern Star (1837-1852), Aug. 24, 1850, page unpag, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/ns/issues/vm2-ncseproduct1588/page/1/
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