On this page
-
Text (9)
-
Untitled Article
-
Untitled Article
-
Untitled Article
-
Untitled Article
-
Untitled Article
-
Untitled Article
-
Untitled Article
-
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
the people into giving Mm a large sum of jnoner , * Melihe ha 2 ?* t into Ms own pocket , pad ww for Ins ownpurposei . Mr . v w > u * v . represented the town Of tfottUg ham fa P « liainent , and the paper in question 1 < 8 . " organ of the party opposed to him in politici . JLn aetion was immediately commenced SEWBBt the libeller by Mr . O'Connor , and if ever a triumphant defence of character was made in a Conrt of Justice , it was by that «_ .. « U intn oivrntT him A lanre Slim Of
gentleman . Bnt the Judge , Sir F . Pollock , Chief Baron of the Exc hequer , who acted as a violent partisan throughout the trial , finished the proceedings by gumming up the casein a manner which exceeded even the violence and virulence of Mr . Boebuck , the defendant ' s counsel , and which produced astonishment anddisgnitin the minds of every one presentin the Court , where such a specimen ¦ of bad law and of rancorous personal prejudice . and partisanship was exhibited on the judicial
hench . The jury , influenced by that summoning up , returned a verdict grossly inconsistent with itself , and oppressively unjust to Mr . O'Connor . They declared , in the same treath , that the libeller was justified in his statements , and that Mr . O'Connor ' s personal honesty was icee from the slightest imputation . Again Mr . O'Connor had vindicated his tumour and integrity ; but , alas ! the fatal game was played over again—" Kuin him mra Expenses !" The effect of the verdict was to throw npon turn the whole costs of the trial .
Resolved to struggle against this monstrous * nd unparalleled conspiracy to the utmost , and Relieving that he would yet find common jusfiee on the Bench of England , Mr . O'Connor next moved for a new trial in the Conrt of Q ueen ' s Bench . A rule was granted , and again the case has been re-argued at an enormous expense . We give the result of that re-hearing with some comments thereon , in the following leading article from the Times—a journal the very reverse of fiiendly to Mr . O'Connor—by no means disposed to criticise too severely the Ju dges of the land , or any other of its institutions yet , whose thorough English detestations of mean , cowardly , Jesaistical persecution" and injustice , has dictated this severe critique : —
A cnrioB 3 _ illustration of the peculiar principles cf En g lish jurisprudence was afforded some days since in the somewhat remarkable case of" O'Consor v . Br&dshaw . " The plaintiff had established an illegal Company , and persuaded the poor artisans cf the North to pay into its coffers something more than £ 100 , 000 . A fortunate scheme of this description naturally excites comment and opposition , and some persons having charged Mr . O'Connor with having " wheeled the people of England out of a large sum of money , " he attempted , by legal process , to compel the proper ¦ officers to register his Company . The officerstie registrars , in fact , under the act of Parliament
—refused to register his association or Company , fit&ting as a reason that the Company was illegal . Thereupon Mr . O'Connor applies to the Court of Queen ' s Bench , and a rule to show cause why a mandamus should not issue to compel the registrar to register this Company was obtained . Sow , the real point at issue was whether this Company was a legal Company or not , and a large array of counsel was retained to argue that point ; but at thi 3 moment another incident occurred . A journalist of the Sbrth . thought proper to attack the promoters of the scheme , and thereupon an action for libel was brought against him . The action went to trial . Three days the trial lasted ,
-and at the end of the third day the judge proceeded to sum up the evidence and deliver his -charge to the jury . It had pleased the defendant io justify his supposed libel—that is , he set forth certain circumstances as a justification of his assertions respecting the plaintiff . In describing the effect of this justification to the jury , the Lord Chief Baron , who tried the cause , stated that he conceived the Company , of which Mr . O'Connor was the head , to be an illegal association ; giving a 3 two grounds for his opinion—first , that the Company purported to be a bank ; and , secondly , that it "was in reality a lottery scheme . The jui-y gare a verdict for the defendant , tacking to their that
verdict an opinion that , notwithstanding all was proved the plaintiff was free from impution of personal dishonesty . A new trial was moved for , and the Court was told that the question of the illegality of this company was at this moment before the Queen's Bench { the libel case being before the Court of Ex-Chequer ) , and the Court was intreatednot to refuse a rule to show cause why a new trial should not te hud , when possibly the Court of Queen ' s Bench might decide that this company was really a perfectly legal association . The rnle io show causo was thereupon granted , and the argument eventually came on before the Queen ' s Bench—the only important point being whether this company was a
legal association or not . If legal the registrar was bound to register the « ompany ; if illegal , he was justifiedinMs refusal . A long argument was heard—great pains were lake * to prove , on the one side , that the association was illegal ; on the other , every circumstance which forensic ingenuity conld adduce was brought forward to show that the -whole scheme was perfectlv in accordance with the law . In fact , everybody " supposed that the only question being whether the association were legal or not , the Court desired to be enlightened on that point , and on that they would eventually give their judgment . Let it also had
5 > e remembered that the Court of Exchequer granted the rule to show cause on the ground that the question of legality or illegality as regpected this company was before the Court of Oaeen ' a Bench It so happened , however , that a preliminary question lay before the Court . The act of parliament declared that the provisions of the Registration Act ( 7 th and 8 th Victoria , chap . 110 ) related to joint stock companies established for any commercial purpose , or for any purpose of profit "—and therefore the registrar could not be compelled to register this company , if it conld not properlv be considered a company established for snv commercial purpose or fop any purpose of
profit . The Court of Queen ' s Bench tbererenpon set itself to ascertain whether the Company were Of this description , and having in their judgment determined that it was not such a Company , it gave iudoment on this narrow point , and shirked { there is no other fitting term ) the question of legality or illegality as regarded this Company . "What was the consequence ? The Court of ± iXchequer was now compelled to entertain this question . Let ns , however , remember that all the elements requisite for deci sion had been already before the Court of Queen ' s Bench . That Court knew all that conld be kiown—had beard the arguments of the most learned men of the bar on the questum-and therefore misbt safely have decided this point , aad
thereby "aved all further discussion . ± ney , nowever , avoided the decision really submitted to them , and cave judgment on an accidental point . The question of legality , therefore , came again , before the Court of Exchequer on two grounds Firct , the Company was in contravention of tie Bank Act Mi and 8 th Victoria , chap . 113 . ana also , it was m direct opposition , as was said , to the various lottery 25 / Long arguments were heard on these points ; again , all that industry and knowledge conic ! collect was submitted to the Court , and its opinion therenpon asked . And again the Court avoided a decision upon the points of illegality except upon one ground . The Company they say is illegal as it contravenes tbe Bank Act . " but as respects the
Lottery Acts we give no opinion . Now on this point we have no hesitation in asserting that the Court acted inac < nvardltr ( sic ) fashion . ! EheLoTd Chief Baton had risked his professional repntation npon the assertion that this Company ¦ was illegal under the Lottery Act ? . Three of the four jndges sitting on the bench -were evidently of the s 511116 op inion ; but , because one of their number had a doubt , they avoided giving an opinion on this point , and rode off upon the one single matter pfhich justified their decision . Surely this is not a just or politic proceeding "We desire io Lave a law certain and defined , and ¦ we wish to be able to obtain a knowled ge of what the law is at a small cost . But here are two sets f iude-es . both of whom were completely instructed .
but both of whom escaped , for purposes of personal ease and comfort , from giving j udgment upon » question raised designedly for their decision . If the judgment of the Conrt of Quean s . Bench had Jjeen g iven upon the whole subject , the second ar gument would not have been needed . Had the whole que stion of tbe legality of this Company , as regarded hoth gronndB , been determined hy the Exche quer , farther litigation would so far have been inrevented . "Will any one suppose that a desire to TiFomote litigation led to this shrinking from a decision ; or that a love of ease , a wish to leave ? rouble on one Bide , was the real cause of this Harrow judgment ? "Whatever may be the cause , the resu lt is mischievous as affectingthe opinions of tbe world on the character of our judges and the jaw they administer . Fellow Countrymen ! Trill you stand by gad geB tf 16 machinery of Government , and
Untitled Article
own Bincere convictions , to promote the welfare of the poorer classes , and who , but for your assistance , Beema as though he must , ultimately , be overcome by the overwhelming force against which he has to contend ? We have shown , that from the commencement the movement was one of a purely public nature—that its objects were , in themBelveB , legitimate and praiseworthy—that all was done openly in the face of day—that the plan and the constitution of the Company were agreed to by public Conferences , after due deliberation—that there was no intention to thePOWef 6 f the Judicial Kd «» 1 . ** __ . . . .
act illegally , bet , that on the contrary , every possible effort , accompanied by a very large outlay , has been made to procure legalizationthat Mr . O'Connor has , throughout , acted with the highest honour ; and , so far from having benefitted b y the Company has , at the present moment , a considerable sum of his own money locked np in its funds . Bat the amount due to him for advances to carry on its operations , is not the whole expenditure it has cost him . For years he gave his undivided services to the Company , in travelling to examine and purchase estates , and In
afterwards allotting them , and superintending the making of roads , and the erection of dwelling and school houses , npon them . In the performance of these duties he expended hundreds of pounds of his own money , for which he never charged the Company a single farthing . He neglected his own affairs to attend to these duties gratuitously . From first to last the plan has brought nothing to him but hard labour , anxiety , suffering , and pecuniary loss . Had it succeeded to the utmost he , as an individual , could have gamed nothing hy it . His only motivea could have been of the purest , most unselfish , - and patriotic kind .
Will it not reflect an everlasting digrace and infamy npon the age , if such a man is allowed to be cruBlied by the perversion of the law , the denial of justice , and a systematic conspiracy to work his ruin by those who hold Legislative and Administrative power in this country ? Every honeri man of every party and creed in the state , is hound in justice to himself and to his country , to come
forward and aid in preventing the consummation of that conspiracy . If it succeeds , it will inflict a heavy blow upon the character of the nation ; it will furnish a precedent which may in after years be felt by others to their grievous cost , and it must strike at the very root of the confidence which the people at large now feel in the impartiality and justice of our legal tribunals .
Chartists and Members of the National Land Company ! if Mr . O'Connor has claims upon the sympathy and aid of the public at large for the reasons we have given , he has still stronger and more direct claims npon yon . It is your battle he is fi ghting—your interests and rights he Beeks to promote and secure To your cause he has devoted his life and fortune . For the last
sixteen years he has " laboured in season and out of season , " to improve your ' political and social condition . During that long period he has travelled thousands of miles , but he never eat a single meal , or paid a single mile ' s fare at the expense of the public . In the successive prosecutions which hare taken place he has ever been found by the Bide of the poor man , whether in the prisoner ' s dock , or the cell of the gaol . In the one case his purse -was liberally opened to procure
the best legal advice and counsel , on tne other , to soften the rigours of imprisonment , and to g ive comfort to the firesides deprived of then natural heads and protectors . Can it be possible that either time or change should have rendered you forgetful or ungrateful ? Can it be within the bonnds o £ probability that you will refrain from an universal , simultaneous , and liberal subscription , to meet the liabilities he has incurred in this protracted and expensive litigation ?
Recollect , that during all this time he has had to sustain the trouble , anxiety , and expense , alone . He has been struggling to maintain the interests of the members of the Land Company alike against its enemies outside , and the traitors and defaulters within . They who should have rallied round him in this arduous contest hav shamefully stood aloof , or" at best contented themselves with mere words of approbation . But the time has now come when deeds must be substituted .
Chartists ! we call upon yon to do your duty . There is no need for us to point out in detail what that dntyis . Tourown hearts , if you consult them , will tell what you owe in this moment of trial , to the man who has lavishly , generously , and unshrinkingly given his all to your cause . Be but to a small extent , each of you , -what he has been on a large scale , and the object will he achieved . You will show to the Government and the world , that yon "sill not allow your leader to be crushed , and you will thereby impress them with a sense of respect for yourselves . The absence of such a demonstration will he ruinous to the
cause of Chartism . Will not all parties treat those with contempt who have lost faith in their own energies ? Who fail to act justly to their own friends ? Members of the Land Company ! you have an especial and a direct interest in this matter ! We do not now speak of the higher obligations already glanced at , which yon are under to Mr . O'Connor . We speak of it simply as a matter of pounds , shillings , and pence , in which you are involved . If you . stand idly by and see him borne down in the contest with yonr enemies and his , depend upon it you will lose as well as he .
If anything is to be saved for you from the wreck , which Government opposition , defective laws , unjust judges , and dishonest members have made of the Land Company , it is by Mr . O'Connor alone that can be effected . Should the estates pass into the hands of lawyers , they will take care that not a man of you will ever get one penny back . Perhaps , if they can fasten upon any of you who are " worth powder and shot , " they may make you the subject of actions , which will add largely to what you have already paid .
Self-interest , in its lowest and most apparent shape , therefore , maies it incumbent on you to come forward immediately and liberally ^ ven if it were not equally evident that it is your duty , as members \> f the Company , to bear an equal share in its burdens , losses , and reverses . It is impossible that Mr . O'Connor can do a nation ' s work . It is grossly unjust and
unfair of you to expect it from him . Even so small a sum as one shilling from 50 , 000 members of the Company , would be sufficient to meet the crisis , and enable Mr . O Connor to carrv the Winding up Bill through Parliament next S ession . That sum would be a trifle to each of you ; to exact it from Mr . O'Connor , after all his past sacrifices , would be the heig ht of injustice and ingratitude , mm were he able to pay such a demand on
your account . . . It is said that trade is brisk , provisions cheap , and wages good . You ar * therefore , in an unusually favourable condition at tne present moment in these respects . Come forward then , manfully and generous , ana take an honest share of the burdens which equitably devolve upon all the members of the Company . Come forward , " and show the country at large that English working men are honest and true hearted . That they are not repudiators of just claims—no ungrateful to those who labour and suffer for themnot deserters in the hour of danger and trial , I either of the principles they profess , or of
Untitled Article
W EVENTS OF THE WEEK . The space occupied by the urgent matters alluded to in the " appeal , " necessarily exeludei for this week other articles which had been prepared on general topics . We can only briefl y glance at the leading events of the week . The Anti-Papal agitation continues to spread throughout the country . Several of the counties , including the Great West Biding of York , have pronounced against the aggression . In one instance , what we feared , has occurred—the passions of the opposing
parties over-mastered , not only their Christianity , but their humanity . Blood has been ahed , and property destroyed in Birkenhead . The police force stationed in the town , was too weak to cope with the Eoman Catholic rioters , and police and military have been sent from Liverpool to maintain the peace . The daily journals continue to occupy a large portion of then * space with leaders , reports of meetings ) and polemical controversy , and the public excitement seems to grow more earnest and intense . From the tone of a leading article in the Times of Thursday , it ) may be inferred thai the Government are determined
to take active measures against the new hierarchy . It concludes a vigorous commentary on a " pastoral" of the New Bishop of Birmingham in the following terms : — Equal civil rights to all of his faith , the freedom to teach what doctrines and perform what ceremonies he will , will be secured to him by the generosity of the nation which he has foully libelled , but from that species of what he calls persecution , which consists in vindicating our Crown , from the insult of a foreign prince , iu freeing the dioceses of our church from the intrusion of unauthorised strangers , and in wiping off from our land the reproach of yielding to foreign influence , which the very signature of his manifesto conveys—from such so-called persecution as this we warn him be is not
seenre . . . * We tell him that the days of his episcopate are numbered , that it is not because bis chair is built upon a rock , but merely because his appointment has been adroitly made during the recess of Parliament , that he is in the enjoyment of that scat tbe foundations of which he dreams are eternal , and that , though it be not in the power of our legislature to prevent him from having been the first Roman Catholic Bishop of Birmingham , it will most assuredly be their will , and be completely in their power , to provide that he shall be the last . An interesting and important conference of delegates from the Freehold Land Societies has been held at Birmingham , the proceedings
at which will furnish matter for consideration next week . In the mean time , we may note , there are eighty of these societies with a great number of branches , and that they have 30 , 000 members , who have paid up about £ 170 , 000 . Some of them , it appears , ballot for allotments , precisely in the way that the National Land Company did . But they are not interfered with as illegal . No outcry is raised against them as gambling lotteries . In short , Mr . O'Connor and the Chartists , as a body , are not connected with them , and , therefore , they may act with impunity . How true it is , that one man may steal a horse scatheless , while another will get hanged for looking over the hedge I
The National Public School Association has opened its campaigne of agitation / Several meetings have been held under promising auspices , and excellent speeches delivered in support of the movement . National unsectarian education is the only effectual barrier against the restoration of priestly supremacy , and the consequent political and social degradation of the masses , All lovers of civil and political , aB well . as religious freedom , are called upon to promote that object , therefore , to the fullest extent of their means .
A strike of Glaziers , employed at the great Glass Show Box in Hyde Park , has come before the public through the medium of a police report . This new temple of competition is already beginning to show what tendency the system of which it will be an exhibition hass upon the wages arid the comfort of the working classes . The glaziers were required to do nearly a double day's work , as we understand , for . ordinary , if not leis than the ordinary wages . They refused to comply , and are on strike as a body . We shall endeavour to place the whole of the facts before our ^ eaders in our next .
It will be seen , by a report in another column , that the Eastern Counties Enginedrivers' strike still continues , to the great injury of the public , and the destruction of the property belonging to the Company . From the appearance of a late shareholder at the last meeting , it may he hoped that the publicity g iven to the numerous cases in which the incapacity and ignorance of the new drivers leads to the destruction of engines , carriages , trucks , and merchandise—and the imminent
danger caused to life and limb—will at length rouse that class to a sense of their true interests , in reference to this unfortunate dispute . With respect to Foreign Affairs , no material alteration is perceptible . Large armies are still on foot , and the diplomatists are still as " busy as the devil in a gale of wind ; '' but what will be the upshot of it all , it is yet impossible to say . "Upon one point there seems to he general agreement—we shall have no fig hting at present . How long " at present " will last , is uncertain .
Untitled Article
MONIES RECEIVED Fob thx 'Week Ending Thubsbat , November 28 th , 1850 . fob the WIMC-UP OF THE LAND COMPANY . Received by W . Ridei—W . Davidson ; Newton , Ajrls —R . Wallace , lochee Is—C . Potts and J " . Hassall , Longton 2 i—From Leicester—John Neal Gd-Josepta Keal 6 d—F . UealGd—W . Kowe , Northwich Is . . Received at Land Office . —J . Wilraot , Croydon Is—Crayford , per Wilson 3 s—Brighton , per Ellis 2 s Cd , TEE HONESTY FUND . Received by W . Hides . — Nottingham andNewRadford , per J . Sweet 11 s , FOR THE HUNGARIAN AND POLISH REFUGEES . " Received by W . Rideb . —VT . Ovington , Sunderland Is 6 d —Workmen at Messrs . Hawthorn ' s anil Co . ' s , Engine Works , leith ( 2 nd sub . ) , per A Watson - 7 s 6 d—The Old Radical Reformer * . Halifax , per J . Brier £ 1 10 a—Nottingham , per'J . Sweet Sa—Walsall , per R . Granger 7 s 6 d—W . Bowe , Northwich 6 d—Mr . Elliott 2 s . EXPENSE FUND . . Received at Land Officb . —Brighton , Ellis Is Id . VI C TI M F U N D . Received at Laud Office . —Mr . Wilson Is . The monies recaived by John Arnott will be acknowledged next week .
Untitled Article
Eao * 1 * CQViTOS BAJLWAY . On Wednesday evening a puttie meeting of the f ^' v « 1 Ters and firemen late in the employment J" * ne Eastern Counties Railway Company , was new at the George Inn , Stratford . The meeting was numerously attended . Mr . JolJy was oalled to The Chaiumin addressed the meeting , wbioh he 8 aid had been called for the purpose of laying before the public , and the shareholders of theEastern Utilities Railway , the damage daily done to the property of the latter . Only one fortnight had elapsed since their last meeting , and , from the number -, .
of acoidents that had occurred on the line in question , the public would see that it was not so satisfactory to travel on as before , while the damage done to the property of the company was very injurious to the shareholders . It would also be recollected that , under the old superintendent ( Mr . Hunter ) , there wa 3 always a sufficient quantity of looomotive power , while , under the present management , should an accident occur to an engine , where 17 re are two of one pattern , they wero obliged to tate the machinery from one to repair the other . ( Hear , hear . ) If this state of things was allowed to continue , it was quite clear the working expenses could not be met , nor would there be anything left tor a dividend for the shareholders . ( Hear . ) The l / hairman then entered into a statement in
reference to a variety of accidents that had ocourred on the Eastern Counties line from the 12 th of November up to the 26 th inst . On the 12 th , the eight o clock train from London , on arriving at Cambridge , ran past the ticket platform at a rate of twenty miles an hour , instead of stopping there , in order that the tickets might be collected . The consequence waB , that it nearly came into collision witlune Wisbeach passenger train ^ just leaving the Cambridge Station , and the greatest confusion was produced by the ciroumstance . On the 13 th , a serious collision took place on the Fakenham branch of the Eastern Counties Railway , at Elham Station . A passenger train was standing at the station , and before the train was clear on the main . linea
, goods train carne up . The driver ran past the signal , pitched into the passenger train-, broke the buffer plank of his engine , ana smashed two of the carriages . Fortunately , the carriages that Were broken 'had no passengers in them , or else their lives must have been sacrificed . On the same day , the engine with 11 . 30 a . m . train , from London , broke downat Elaenham , and the train was taken on by another train , and was half an hour late . Ou the same day , Uo . 103 engine was injured , at March station , which caused great delay . On the 14 fch the up mail train from Norwich struck on Cambridgebank with three carriages . This arose from a deficiency of steam . Onthe 15 th the axle-box of 189 engine was broken , and was otherwise so injured ,
that it is a complete wreck . This engine wns built by Mr , Stepheneon , and one of the best engines the company had . This injury arose from the inefficiency of the driver . On the same day engine No . 60 was severely burnt . On the Bame day they wero so short of engines , that the engine from London , with the parliamentary train , had to proceed throughout to Yarmouth , instead of stopping at Cambridge , and returning back to London . On the 18 th inst ., as the goods train from ColoheBter was passing the Victoria station , a passenger train from Woolwich came in collision with it , to the great alarm of the passengers . On the 17 th , engine 196 , with a special train of goods , was severely bunt at Bishop Stortford . The
driver has since been sent by Mr . Goooh to grease truck wheels . The same day engine 159 , with a goods-train attached , broke down at Romford . Several portions of the engine were severely injured and broken , and a delay of three hours was the consequence . This accident arose from the neglect of the driver . On the 19 th the train that should leave Cambridge at a quarter-past seven o ' clock a . m ., did not leave until eight , in consequence of an en gine being off the rails and blocking up the line . On the same day the Peterborough goods-train , due at 7 . 30 p . m ., did not arrive until 3 o ' clock a . m . Engine 85 was severely burnt , and had to be taken into Cambridge by engine 87 , the driver of which in doing so broke her buffer-plank . There were
various occasions where goods and vother trains were delayed considerably beyond their time . On the 23 rd the engine with the Cambridge goods train broke down at Bishop Stortford , and was unable to proceed , and seven or eight hours elapsed before assistance could be given from Cambridge . On the 25 th , engine S 7 came into collision at Chesterford station with a truck laden with grain , which was smashed to pieces , knocked the engine off the rails , broke the buffer-plank , and blocked both lines of rails , and detained the first train a considerable time . On the same day the train from Yarmouth , due at Cambridge at 11 . 35 p . m ., did not arrive until 2 . 30 , in consequence of the engine breaking down at Brandon . No . 23 engine was broken to pieces on the
same day at Norwich . Engine 84 ( a now one ) was severely burnt between Stratford and London , owing to the inefficiency of the driver . Mi 143 engine was so injured on the same day , that both it and the machinery were rendered useless , On November 26 th the 5 . 30 p . m passengers train , from Wisbeach , ran into a goods-train at Swansea , and a lady was seriously injured ,: and had to be carried from the train to her own . carriage ; -knocked the goods-break off the rails , and did considerable damage to tlio engine ; the engine was one of Mr . Samuel ' s patent , the Cambridge , and was built by Mr . Adams , of Fairfield-works , Bow , There were also eeveral other cases mentioned by the chairman , all of which tended to show that the new driver , ? were inefficient and careless persons .
Mr . Brown , formerly a shareholder of the Eastern Counties Railway , said he attended that meeting to express his sympathy with the dismissed drivers from that railway . ( Hear . ) He looked upon them to be an injured class of men , and he must say that , since they bad been driven from the line , he did not think it safe to travel by that railway . ( Hear . ) He believed that the accidents stated by the chairman were only a portion of those that really occurred , and many of which he believed took place at night . He was quite sure that , if the public only knew the real merits of this case , they would see that justice were done to the men . He would recommend them to make an appeal to the public . ( Hear . )
The Chairman begged to express his acknowledgments to Mr . Brown for his attendance there that evening , and for his kind suggestion . They were by these meetings making an appeal to the publio , by pointing out to them the accidents whioh were daily occurring on the Eastern Counties line , and bowing them the risk they ran in travelling by it while the locomotive department was in its present hands . ( Hear . ) Mr . Gooch said he would save the Company- £ 30 , 000 ayear by his new system . His belief was , that instead of saving anything , he would cause a large additional outlay , arising from the injuries done to the engines and the machinery generally . ( Hear . ) After a short discussion , thanks were given to the chairman , and the meeting separated . ..
Untitled Article
NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF UNITED TRADES . T . S . Diwcombi , Esq ., M . P ., Prwideat , r MttoWihed 1845 . : ¦ ' " PUT JUSWIIi . " ¦ ; "Ifitw « repo « s $ bl # for the working cUssea , by combining among th « m « elve « , to raise , or keep up the general rate of wanes , it need hardly be said that this would be a thmj not to ba punlshud , but to b » welcomed and rejoiced **¦ tSTBART MllX . When we selected the abova quotation from the writings of Mr . Mill , the celebrated writer upon Political Economy , we did so from a thorough oonviotion , that by combination alone will it ever be possible to " raise or keep up the general rate of wages , which , while he , by his hypothetical ' if / seems to doubt , he freely admits to be a desideratum , if it can be accomplished , to be welcomed and reoiced at . ma , »^—^
We do not say , or ever have said , that the work ing classes ever can , by any combination , advance the wages of labour to so extravagant a heigth as to encroach upon the fair and legitimate rights of Capital . Any such attempt would surely fail ; and recoil with just severity upon the unwise aggressors . We helieve there are three parties whose interests must be consulted and mutually conserved , whenever this question of wages approaches to a solution—the Capitalist , the Labourer , and the Public ; but the two latter are so intimately connected in interest upon this question that we may treat thorn as one .
If . by a combination o ! capital , or by the unconirolled licentiousness of individual capitalists , the labourer , as at present , is robbed of his just share of the value of his production ; the publio share with him the wrong , and have , to some extent , to compensate him , from its own purse , for the injuries inflicted on him . Three-fourths , at least , of our existing Poor-rates represent the penalty in constant payment by the public for their criminal apathy in permitting this constant fleecing of labour by avaricious and unscrupulous men like the Perrys oi Wolverhampton .
It is not , therefore , against the institution of capital , when kept within its just limits , that we , by tbe combination vre are endeavouring to organise , ggek to array ourselves . It .. is not against that useful and honourable class who , while claiming and maintaining their own just rights , are desirous of conceding the equally just rights of others , against whom we seek to protect ourselves ; but it is against that parasitical , fungoid excrescence , which has grown to such frightful dimensions , that it threatens like a foul corroding canker , to sap and destroy the vitality of the industrial economy , and to convert honest labourers either into miserable paupers , or into equally miserable anarchists . It is'to save British industry from either horn of this dire dilemma that we invoke the
working classes to combine . For , surely it is by combination alone , a mobilisation of labour , that this calamity , whioh is already present , but looms in still more fearful , gigantic proportions , in the distant future , can be averted . The capitalist of this diseased class have no sentiments in connexion with honourable minds . Truth , justice , honour , humanity are with them words without meaning . Their solemn assurances are like dicers' oaths—unmitigated purjuries . The God of their idolatry is money ; and , with true Jesuitical logic , they account all means sanctified which may be necessary , to enable them to arrive more speedily at the goal of their ambition .
We have been led into these reflections by a retrospective meditation upon the Wolverhampton struggle . We have here striking examples of the two classes of capitalists we have been describing . Mr . Walton and Mr . Shoolbred have each said , that whenever an article that they are in the habit of making becomes so depreciated in marketable value by the competition of less scrupulous rivals , as to prevent them paying a fair value to tbe workmen , they will cease to manufacture it . We know this is no mere assertion . It is with them a practical truth . There is no man , to our knowledge , that has ever charged , or ever whispered , a single act of oppression against either of those gentlemen . There they are , the respected and honoured of beir workmen .
Let us now contemplate the position of the Perrys . Driven by the very desperatehess of their case to every mean and ungentlemanly subterfuge ? To-day , E . Perry engaged in a bad U 8 e of his influence to get the poor pauper Ballet mulcted of his parish allowance , as a means of forcing his son to submit to his exactions . Then , / ailing upon Haines with tiger viudictiveness , for a violation of an agreement for three years , entered into eight years before , and sending him to prison and the
treadmill , for twenty-one days , - for being absent from his work two hours . Upon another occasion , dragging a poor man from his home , from his sick wife , and dead , unburied child , and with the full knowledge of these dreadful facts , and because the poor man seemed himself too ill to be of the slightest use in the factory , pressing for his committal to gaol . ' Sending out his emissaries , and oven himself penning the most palpable untruths , to'seduce men to leave other employments to enter into engagements with him .
Here is a verbatim copy of one of his missives , sent to a John Manton , formerly the secretary of the Tin Plato Workers' Society of Wolverhampton , but at this time ( October ) , working for Mr . Griffiths , of Birmingham : — ' ? ' Sib . —Now that matters are settled , and all things ( is ) quiet :, whenever you are disposed to come over here I will find you a situation , and it you can bring , or send me two or three others , I can find room for them in my manufactory , if they are decent workmen , " lam , sir , "Yours respectfully , "E . Perry . "
Now , what honourable man , with a full daily experience , that the matters he alludes to , that is , the dispute between him and the Tinmen , were not settled , that things were very far from being quiet ? What truthful man would stoop so low to send such a letter to . a working man ? And , even now , what an honourable and charitable mission this roan and hia brother , accompanied with an . itterney ' s clerk , is engaged in . Several of the men whom he has succeeded in inveigling into these agreements by such means as we havo exposed , finding themselves so grossly deceived , have left the town , leaving , in many cases , their wives and families to follow them , when they get other work . The Perrys have been visiting their wives to know if they are not in distress , and whether he shall ( good , kind creature ) use his influence to get them assistance from the parish ; and thus , by making them
recipients to the pauper fund , bring their husbands chargeable for deserting their families , and so induce- the parish to - prosecute . This is a dodge , whioh for its excessive ingenuity arid meanness , is well . worthy of its author , but we hope the , wily Jesuit will be disappointed in his wolfish designs . We , last week , informed our members and readers , of the latest and most brilliant conception of these perfectly original brothers , in importing a batch of foreigners , for the very honourable purpose of beating down the value of British labour . We don't know which most to admire , the supreme folly , or the extreme wickedness of this last , and , wo think , the very last move . We are , this week , in a condition to give an authentic narrative of the mode and terms of their seduction , which , as we hinted , is marked throughout with a total disregard of truth or honesty .
It appears Mr . ex-Town Councillor George Henry Perry was despatched upon a family mission to Paris , to beat ' up for recruits , having so signally failed in England , and Scotland , where he went upon the same mission . He was introduced , through an interpreter , to some Parisian tin men , to whom he described , in glowing colours , the something more than Californian treasures whioh awaited such fortunate individuals as would return with him to Wolverhampton . He spoke a most unwilling truth in one instance—that he could not get hands enough upon his ( emu . ( Aside . ) That the trade was never so busy , ( true again , by lucky accident , ) and that he had an intention of introducing the French style ( of tin pots we
sunpose ) to the English public , who , under tbe Free Trade vegine , were growing tired of the strong and useful , and had , under the teachings of economist Wilson , Bright and Co ., become violently enamoured of the cheap and nasty . A great deal of this palaver , either expressed or implied , passed . The Frenchmen . listened to the empassioned bursts of eloquenco of thepugnaoious Georgo . One of them , more curious than the rest , hinted a query . " Was there any strike ' in the affair 1 "' Without the slightest hesitation , the truth-loving George Henry assured them to the contrary . "No , it was simply , the extreme pressure of business—the shortness of hands , ( thank God for it , ) and the passion of the English people for novelty . " This , and we suppose much more of the same admixture , of one part truth and nine lies , the approved formula of the " Perrian specific " was said , and tho game was fairly bagged—seven Frenchmen and
one Polish Eefugee , eight in all , and not ten , ' as we had been erroneously informed , —agreed upon a small pecuniary advance being lent them , to leave " la belle Fiance , " and trust their fortunes io " perjlde . Albion ; " we" had almost 'written " perfide " G . H . ex-Town Councillor Perry . They arrived in due course , but no agreements we are told , were actually signed until after their arrival when six signed engagements for . two years , upon the following terms : — " The money advanced to be paid by instalments from their weekl y earnings George Henry to hold their passports and books ' ( their books being to them of great importance containing [ their characters , which have to be shown to the prefect and employers before they can get another shop ) as collateral security for the repayment of the money . They are to reoeive twentyfive shillings per week for the first three weekB , and as much as they can earn ( at Perry ' s prices we suppose ) afterwards . Poor dupes .
Untitled Article
After the agreements were fairly signed , it turned out that the Frenchmen had , m their ignorance of English money , fallen into a sad mistake as to the value of an English shilling , and had understood it to mean a florin , about one shilling ana eightpence , to them rather a serious error , up to Saturday last they had worked four days , and one with the other had earned the enormous sum ot one _ and sixpence each , per day . Their earnings m Pans are Baid to have been from thirty to forty francs , being from twenty-five to thirtythree shillings and fourpence per week , and living to be obtained for about one shilling and a halfpenny per day . We think , from this statement of undoubted facts , that the Perry ' s have not much im ; - proved their position , even if the agreements are Mt cancelled by the magistrates , for gross fraud
and deception , practiced upon men totally ignorant of the language in which they are written , or of their legal or presumed legal effect , because we still retain our opinion of their utter illegality . But what shall we say to the cause , and to tbe men , who can stoop to such practices , to accomplish their detestable designs upon the rights and , freedom of Englishmen ? We can have no fear for the result—it is not possible that such knavery can succeed . We turn from this disgusting subject to one of a more pleasing character . The reduction , which wa announced last week as having been offered to tha thick wire drawers of Birmingham , has , by the ) energy and promptitude of the Central Committee :
been withdrawn , and the men have returned to their work at their old prices . We rejoice at this , because the reduction offered , if successfully accomplished , would not only have seriously affected the whole of a numerous and very hard working body of men ia Birmingham , but would have thrown out of work entirely every alternate man , which would again , have had a tendency to have still further depreciated the value of the labour of those left in employment . Whatever benefit could have accrued to the employer could have been but short-lived , because other employers would have been driven to the same course of conduct , and the only ultimate effect would have been a deep direct injury to a numerous body of industrious men , and a probable increase ia the poor rates of the district , without the slightest compensating benefit to any other individual . We therefore feel proud of Mr , Green ' s success , who acted in this case with his usual discrimination and :
promptitude . His interview with the manager laving been unsuccessful , he instantly issued a hand bill , detailing the particulars of the dispute , got them well circulated in the district , despatched them by the first post to all parts of England and Walea where this business is carried on , and called a public meeting at the Publio Office , where the whole affair was submitted to the ordeal of public opinion . A copy of the bill was also forwarded to Mr . Brown , the proprietor of the works , at Halifax . In a few days that gentleman arrived in Birmingham , and the manager in Monmoutholme ( from whence ha originally came ) to seek for hands . But judge of his surprise and mortification when he found tho raon fully prepared to meet him , with a salutation , to this effect , " Well , Smith , you have been at your old tricks again in Birmingham , but it will not do . If you expect to . get men-here you are mightily de- ceiving yourself , " &o . '
The affair was known through the length and breath of the land , and Mr . Brown being granted * an interview with Mr . Green , elected to forego the contemplated reduction , and that the men should - return to their employment , which they did imme- diately . Here is another proof-of the power of combina- ' ¦ ¦ tion . For upwards of three years have this body been connected with the National Association , and every attempt by their employers to encroach upon ' theirprivileges during that period has met' with a ^ successful resistance . The system of block rent has been abolished , and mutual' preliminaries , be * tween some of the principle employers and the men , to regulate the number of apprentices upon some ' fixed and equitable basis . With these facts before ' them is it not surprising that they do not rally round ' this movement in their thousands , and make it a
truly National defensive confederation of British labour ? A mighty league , whoso behests are conceived injustice , and exercised in moderation , should bo ' irresistible . Tho equitable adjustment of wages would then in every trade be found to be shorn of ail its difficulties . Labour Boards , composed of masters and workmen in equal proportion , and presided over by some competent and impartial preBi- dent , would soon be able to discover the just means which wages should bear to profits , and the haphnzard scrambling of the present system superseded by some , fixed principle , subject to such , variations as the laws which affect and regulate the value of productions would suggest , and not as now , to bo . left to the mercy or the caprice , or rapacity of . a mere section of the profitmongevs , who force the more honourable to follow their bad example and practices . Wm . Peel , Secretary . ¦ 259 , Tottenham-court-road . ¦
Untitled Article
Robbery . ~ -A little after midnight , on the morn . v ing of Saturday last , the gate-keeper of the Brock « . loch tollbar , on the Carpshairn and Dalmellington ¦ road , waB roused from his bed by a halloo , as if . some person wished to pass the gate , On opening the door he was seized by four men in . tho garb of labourers , and having their faces blackened , who . . . instantly bound him and his wife and daughter , who : were the only inmates , and proceeded , to ransack : the premises , threatening to burn the . house unless . money was given them . They at last obtained £ 8 in a pocket-book , ono pound odd in silver , in addition to a great , quantity ef wearing apparol , de « . ' liberatcly throwing aside their own unwashed rags , and arraying themselves in clean comfortable gar « .
ments irom tho toll wife ' s press . They packed up blankets , stockings , and a varity of bulky articles ; ,, but the bales being too heavy for transport , they , did not carry them away . After getting all the plunder they could they departed , snowing no violence to their prisoners , whom they loft bound hand and foot , locking the door on the outside to prevent pursuit . The toll-house is a considerable distance from neighbours , so that the thieves got fairly off . Four men , supposed to be the parties who committed the roobery , were seen in Maybole in the course of Saturday , in which place they disposed of part of the stolen pvopertv . They were traced to Ayr the ^ ame ni g ht , and one of the party was apprehended in a lodging-housp in Wallacetown on Sabbath evening . —Ayr Advertiser .
City of London Improvements — It is intended by a new act to be applied for in the ensuing session of parliament , amongst other purposes / to . take-, power , with consent of the cathedral authorities , " to lay part of tho ground area orspace in the west front of St . Paul ' s Cathedral into the public street , and also to compel the consumption of smoKe m . a _ i SsrsliWavsip reS ^' iglssite ^ s ^ ?^; ^ Ltab BBAiMOJ .-T .-It is very generally rumoured : ; that this noble lord is to be speedily appointed Go- " vernor of Malta . Perhaps this may account m some ? measu re for the tone and spirit of his letter to Lord Zetland , in which a Papist figures' as adopting the extraordinary course Ot approving and encouraging a Nq Popery cry ,
Untitled Article
the leaders they have followed in time 6 * lunshine . , " Good men and true , " set to work in good earnest forthwith . Wherever a Committee exists , let it put in motion all its powers for the collection of subscriptions in its own locality . Where there ia no Oommittee , let a meeting be called , proper persons appointed , and a vigorous canvas commenced . There is no time to lose . The lawyers press for the payment of costs , amounting , we understand , to nearly £ 2 , 000 . Words , nor resolutions will not ' satisfy them . They demand money , —we ask action . Let every friend of the cause give his mite , and the difficulty will be easily overcome . : 2 ^ An—LJZ ^^^ Z L- — ---L ^—— - ^^ . / ^^?^^^^^^^^^™^^^^^ T , -
Untitled Article
Great Fire in . Fredrbioton . —I write in excessive haste . Our city has been desolated by the most terrific fire which , taking our population into account , has ever taken place in this province . Upwards of one-half of the city is burnt , including a large portion of our best buildings and plates of business , and the spacious Wesleyan church and parsonage . The fire , broke out about two o'clock in a barn near this church and before any assistance could be rendered it was on fire , and with great difficulty the organ was taken to pieces and got out , with cushions , books , &c . ; but within half an hour the flames wreathed round , the lofty spire , -which , with the ponderous bell , fell into the midst of the burning heap . The fire then . crossed Car '
tonstreet and drove rapidly on in every direction , particularly among ' the thick cluster of stores in Queen-street , thence , down to Regent-street , burning every building in ita course . By five o ' clock at least 200 houses were burnt or on fire , and then by great exertion its progress was stopped . About 3 , 000 . people are this eyening houseless . The fire , extending through to the front street , consumed all the buildings from Anderson ' s-corner down to Small ' s Brick-building ( which was saved ) , on the property formerly Staple ' s hotel , including S . Barker ' 8 , F . W . Hatheway ' s , W . and 6 . Grosvernor ' s , Spahnn ' s , J . S . Coy ' s , C . Grigor ' s , S . K . Foster ' s , Doherty and M'Tavish's , Horsfall and Sheraton ' s , Wolhaupter ' s , Cirlin ' s .
Flewwelhng ' s , T . Hatheway ' s , H . S . Beek ' a , Beverley ' a , and all on that side of the . street within the points named . In the rear , tho fire extended from the barn above the Methodist chapel to the Bank of British North America—the latter saved . The Catholic chapel was on fire ,-but ' has been saved . Mr . Welch ' s hotel ( in Mr . Sphann ' s building ) , the Exchange , and Segee ' s hotel , and M'lntosh ' b hotel are among the buildings destroyed . The calamity is awful , as ruin—irretrievable ruin , must be the result to hundreds . The insurances were considerahle . The Wesleyan church was insured in . the Central-office for £ 000 , and the organ for £ 100 . Other insurances on private property are considerable . The time , however , was unfavourable ,. as
our merchants had just got in their full stocks , and as a great deal is burnt their insurances will be but a small compensation . The Central-office has lost heavily of course , and so also have the foreign offices . The whole city seems to be in ruins . I look down and see nothing but long ranges of chimneys , surrounded by burning heaps , wne ' rea few hours ago hundreds of comfortable dwellings and stores existed . ' I cannot—dare not—attempt to realise the consequences . The fire was made more unmanagable in consequence of the wind , which blew a gale , and caused an irrisistible body of flame . The energy of man seemed altogether powerless . All classes of people were at wojk-Mtne ' ' Governor , the bishop , and all sorts and conditions of men , — St , Mrii NwBruntwich i Gwritr , Hot , 12 th ,
Untitled Article
Beet-root Sugar . —According to the last return of the beet-root sugar trade in France , there were at the end of October 263 manufactories at work , which was rather more than at the same period last year . The quantity delivered for consumption was 2 , 700 , 000 kilogrammes , or nearly 700 , 000 kilogrammes less than last year . Cobks and Bonions . —Paul ' s Evert Man ' s Feiehd , for the cure of Corns and Bunions , has been so long before the Dublic-so highly approved of , that it is scarcely necessary to say anything in its praise . We can iay that , where the directions have been properly attended to , we have never known it tofail giving relief , and in most cases wrDrdved a complete cure , without any of tue painftil » n d&rons operations of cutting and filing so generally gti ropfduts , *'
Untitled Article
. Notembir 30 , 1850 . THJE-- ¦ Wo-Wtr . f rW RTA n , tg glll ^^^'"'"'™ " *^ " * " ^ m m * ^ T ^ ZZLA ' -lii ¦*• ' ^ * **• : ¦ .: . .... , .. ... £ I ^ ^^^^^^^ SSS ^^ S ^ r ^^^ mmmmatm ^ mmmmmmt ^ mamtamam ^ ^ i _ .- Ll' ' " ' ¦ " ¦ ' " " ' ' ,
Untitled Article
Abergavenny , November 26 th . ' Respected Friends , —Having read in the last ¦ Northern Star an account of a person of the nama ' of Ferry , of Wolverhampton , wishing to catechiaa [ the magistrates of that place , because they , decided in favour . of the sons of toil , against himself , ha haying no argument $ 0 support his observation , must resort to mean subterfuge , which none , but those who ; are deficient in the sterling truths of ¦ moralty and religion , would condescend to , by ' making such personal remarks as itinerant Char ' tists . Evejry honest man will admit , that the magis . trates , or any other body , of men , sitting asarbi « trators on any point , have a right to avail them * selves of the evidence of any man , or body of men , ¦ who could throw a li ght on the subject ; and he . must be a knave , indeed , who would wish to confine . ¦ it to class , creed , or colour . i
I should be sorry to interfere between men and their employers , but when such observations are made by persons who we ought to expect better from , I can do nothing less than stamp my mark of - disapprobation on such conduct . ¦ : I have not had any correspondence with you on any subject-before . Nevertheless , I have attenr ¦ tively watched our proceedings , and , as a body , I admire your care to abandon strikes , and substituting arbitration , it being wise , friendly , easy , and ¦ . cheap ; while strikes are difficult , useless , and in-. jurious , alike to employers , men , and the trading i community at . large . But , if either party willr-not submit to reason , " the evil must rest at their " own t door . ..
Men , generally , are not fit judges in their own > matters ; therefore a third party is more sure to - determine rightly . Your object seems to bo justice ) to all "! I have , therefore , enclosed you five shillings as a donation to your general fund . Wishing you success in your undertaking , and when tyranny : should be attempted by either the employers or tha employed , you , as rational beings , will step in , and . by reason and friendship , decide for or against , as ; the case may be . ' Hoping that—
-. Virtue may be your safeguard , . : And your guiding star , That stirs up reason , When our senses err . . With best respects to friend Duneombe , and all . of you , I remain , thine , very truly , TnoMAs Cook Inqrau , r Wholesale and retail Ironmonger , and / dealer in Tin goods . ; To W . Peel , secretary , 259 , Tottenham-court-road ,. London .
-
-
Citation
-
Northern Star (1837-1852), Nov. 30, 1850, page 5, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/ns/issues/vm2-ncseproduct1602/page/5/
-