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    • THE MRTHERS STAR, SillKDAV, JANUARY 3, IS5U.
    • era arorrf09ontieni0»
    • Etortfes Ettteflfanw*
    • * IMl'UKTAST SOCIALIST PUBLICATIONS! HOBERT OWEN'S JOURNAL. THIS JOURNAL
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      Untitled Ad

      Eoblishea weekly p rice Ose Pkwt , and ii ^ snaiy ^ JS ^ , • r .: r . r : ' -- tnce Po 6 hekce ) , — - - - "• . » '"" _~ i . Sxnlains the means by whictt the population oJ the worW ™ g W ^ TwithiD new anfraj snperior circumstances , ^ provided iii constant btnefidal employment , and «^ " ^ Sflg . wmfori and abundance , and swat social aa « " ^ , £ J ^ L * Srect means tj which this change may bt effected with benefit to a Tt ^ aadreS 5 es on Government , on M *? *™'} %$£% * & ** Of All Nations to the World ' s Fair , and on * w f ^™* Bekpon , « fcich have latelj appeared in the page , of tfcis Journal , have been reprinted in theJornfof cheap pamphl . ts , and wnlbefonndto contain information of the d «* pwt interest . Ihe Eleventh Monthly fttrtof thi » Journal u now ready , Price 4 d . Also the First Yolume , ITice 2 s . 6 d .

      Untitled Article

      JfoncE . —Ail private l « tten for me must be addressed to 14 , Queenstreet , Solio-square ; as Mr . O'Connor and mjself hare ceaied to bs connected nitb the Xoethesn Stab . Letters on business to he addressed to the' Proprietor ! of the Non-rats * Sub . WlLLUM ItlDEK . ' A Ttr £ » £ Teass' Chutist , of Padiham , having read the report cf the recent discussion an Co-operation between Mr . Llojd Jones and Mr . Ernest Jones , in which it is said that not a single h- nd wa * siren in favour of Mr . Uovd Jones , informs us that the latter gentleman wished his friends not to Tote—votei proved nothing ; rod that his Chairman protested against the seme of thu meeting beiug taken in the heat of excitement , as the people would foe better able to decide in their calm and thoughtful moments . This statement , our correspondent sajs , ought to hare appeared in the report In proof of the above , a Councilman ias informed him that , since the discussion , ten new members lave been enrolled ; and that the receipu haTe increaied j £ 5 » per G . M . Massf" eld , and H . H . H ., had better consult an attorney . We cannot an % er legal qnestions .

      The Mrthers Star, Sillkdav, January 3, Is5u.

      THE MRTHERS STAR , SillKDAV , JANUARY 3 , IS 5 U .

      Untitled Article

      THE WEEK . After the exciting events which have marked the few last weeks , the lull which has come over the political affairs of the Continent seems almost like stagnation . The sum of aU ,, the accounts which reach us from Paris arid the departments , may be expressed in three words , « France is tranquil ; ' or , if we choose to vary the phrase , we may substitute for that expression ' Order is restored , ' or , 'Society is saved / How France indeed can be anything but tranquil upon the surface , it is difficult to conceive . It is like the tranquillity of a man burning to speak

      his wrongs , but with a gag in his mouth—longing to strike one good blow to aveuge his injuries , but manacled—fettered , bound hand and foot without a public opinion which dares express itself—without a free thought which may shape itself in words . France is one great prison house , with soldiers for gaolers and executioners . Under these circumstances , the mockery of election has been gone through , and the result is as might have been expected , that Louis Napoleon is again the chosen of the French people , by nearly seven millions of voters , against a little more than half a million . Even supposing the returns to be true , admitting that the tickets in the urns werefairlycounted , their is nothing to be

      surprised at . in that . Indeed with the general terrorism which dominated over all minds , and with the gentle hints given to printers , that , if they printed negative tickets , they would be deprived of their licenses , it is almost surprising that even half a million of votes were recorded against the Usurper . Besides that , the presses were keDt fully employed in many of the departments producing the affirmative voting cards ; and although it was said that voters could write their assent or dissent , yet the fact of a sharp-eyed official being able to detect at once whether the document was printed or written , and thence to infer its tendency , was quite sufficient check to men who did not wish a prison door to open before them , to find themselves on board a

      steamer , on their way to a place of exile in the tropics . However that may be , there can be no doubt that if the real votes had been unfavourable the published return would have been much the same . It was the policy of the Pbesidest to have a vast majority of Teas , 'with just a sufficient sprinkling of 'Nays , to give the whole the appearance of fact and truth ; and ho must have a very oddly-constituted mind who can doubt that the man who could break promise after promise—heap perjury upon perjury—and cooll y cause peaceful citizens to be shot down—would , when the fruit of all his crimes—the reward of all his

      guilt—was within his reach , hesitate at such a trifle as a little jugglery with a few millions of voting tickets . That jugglery—or the fears of the people—has made him , for the time , themaster of France , by tew as well as by right : and he is framing a Constitution for a . free people , while his police agents are shipping oft to Cayenne hundreds of persons suspected—not convicted—of violating what stands for law—the aecree of the despot It is probable , however , that just at this poinfthe troubles of the "W ould-be Emperor begiu to gather most thickly around him . It is comparativel y easy for a man who has physical force enough at his back to bully or bayonet nation into silence

      a , but repression of that sort cannot be everlasting . A society which SSL . ?? * £ * ° , liberfc r must ha ^ ¦ " » room to breathe-some leave to think-some power ssrs ? ? f 7 hich save afrom barb ^ - Jloirto allow tnat , and yet continue despotism , is the great problem which the Urgent of France has to solve and if he successfull y answers it he will be the first to achieve so apparently impossible a feat . There seems to be now no alternative left Lows Aaboieox but to continue to rule by the sword , or submit ; to fall by the sword ;_ to persist in ignoring morality , or to quail before the accusing Toices of intellect to let that intellect

      , or free to act and sweep him from power . He is in a bad course , and every step he takes forces him further into it . He is like the aspirant we read of in Moore ' s 'Epicure ^ who , forced to ascend an enchanted ladder found flat wheat was impossible , for as soon as he raised his foot to a higher step , the one below him faded away into aothingness . And when Loots ^ apoleox does reach the last step , what then * It may be that in the bosom of society the pent-up feehngs of flie people , deaied a legitimate channel by which to expend themselves , will have fermented 25- ^ « fie f i . l ? assionB ' andtbatthe € iidwillbein reality that which Lotus Xatoleox pretends to say he hassavedFraucefrom-an anarchyworseinitsdetaila iten the savageet orgies of &e barbarians , in which Jfa » broke loose , will commit enormities from vaich freemen

      would turn with indignant horror and dagw * . We know nothing which can save France from that lastmisery , ihatlowest » deepest , worst degradation , junless some unforeseen event should cast down the tyrant The Jesuits apon whom he is leaning will evidentl y 6 e utterly powerless to control the storm £ MncehaBgonebeyond tfee influence of faith ; the atheism which wait before the firat revolution has been womng ever £ aee m ner hesitt She rea ] I y ig ^ itasi . religious eoontry of Europe . Between the S ? nf tf her Pha ° S 0 P * the belief of large mS ; hep more thoughtful artisans , and the S ^ f « Perstitions of t erest , her sonlisengros-- £ S ^ ttifciS £ ^ j ? i

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      For the rest of Europe all we can say is , that it is dark as blackest night—everywhereFraud , Fear ,, and Force . Nothing but a dim hope and an instinctive tt «« rlhtt ^ fl £ ffift ^^ fall , to give comfort to the people . The soldier is at once the makerandadministxator of law'for the world . But , rarely , around those who , are spreading chains over the » oula of men are gathering the signs of coming ruin . In spite of Rothschilds , loans come in but slowly , and though taxes are collected at the point of the bayonet , they are insufficient to supply the void . In fact , thearmaments of the world are

      devouring its industry . Everywhere armies , likeVa cloud of locusts settling down upon a green field , and the leaving it a waste , are destroy ingboth wealthand the industry which might create it ]; and if the . time arrives , as it seems likely to do , when the means to pay the instruments of terror can no longer be promised , rulers will find that the most dangerous portion of its population is that which has been taken from labour in order to coerce the labourer . It is not beyond the bounds of probability that the weapons which have been sharpened against the people may he turned against the bosoms of Kings and Emperors .

      At home the removal of Lord Palmerston from the post which he has so long filled both under Whig and Tory Premiers ; is deemed the most significant , and excites . the greatest interest . We confess that the whole affair is—as it most likely is also to those better informed—a mystery . It is within the region , of diplomacy ; and whenever we get there we find ourselves involved beyond extrication—in plots , schemes , wiles , and intrigues of the most subtle character . . Secrecy and deceit are the presiding genii of the place . Every face seems to wear a veil

      and every tongue to speak with an assumed voice . To make diplomacy bear that character , no man has perhaps done more than Lord Palmerston himself ; and if we thought that the change would produce greater openness and frankness , a candour not onl y to Englishmen but to foreign foes and friends , we should not be disposed to mourn his Lordship ' s descent from office , although his patriotism were undoubted , and his popularity ten times greater than it is . But we are not by any means sure that that is the case . The best recommendation of Lord

      Gran-VILLE to the people is that they know-nothing of him . His passport to the family circle of the Whigs is , that he is related to two Whig : dukes and forms another link in the chain of relationship which encircles power and place , honour and pay . It is said Lord John Russell will really control the policy of the Foreign Office , and that may well be the case , for no one accuses the noble lord . uho is at the head of the Administration of diffidence in his powers to do anything . What the witty , canon Sidney-Smith said of him

      years ago is a 3 true then as now—he would be equally ready to command the Channel Fleet , build St . Paul's , or bleed a patient ; and so sceptical is he of the possibility of failure , that be would not believe he had really failed when the Fleet had foundered , the Cathedral fallen , or the patient died . If Lord John Eussell really is the veritable Foreign Minister , Lord Palerrston' 8 alleged want of courtesy will hardly be mended , and there will be little , if any , more disposition to make diplomacy what it ought to be—honest , candid and straightforward .

      In fact , we cannot find . it in our hearts to be the partisans of either faction . If the result has baen brought about to serve the personal spite o ' f a GnEY clique , that is contemptible and petty enough . If it has been caused by Lord Palmerston giving in his adhesion to the policy of Louis Napoleon and the success of his atrocities , such a course deserved to bring with it politieal degradation and ignominy . But we must wait for the true explanation till the opening of Parliament furnishes an arena in which , the combatants may fight out their quarrel .

      Whatever may be the effect on our foreign policy the cabinet is pretty sure to suffer , if it does not fall from power when deprived of Lord Palmerston's aid , and exposed to his cutting irony . Now that he has gone there is positively not one orator left to give the Whigs a command of the House . Their late ally and present foe , has been their main-stay . Lord J . Russell is confessedly far 'too weak for the place . ' Sir Chakles AVood can hardlv stammer through a

      budget debate . Air . Labouchere is almost a nonentity in a contest of words . The Home Secretary is so enfeebled by ill-health , that he is scarcely equal to the routine duties of his office , and what with rebellious Caffres , discontented Colonists , and convicts making a new home for crimes imperative , Lord Grey has got his hands crowded with more business than he knows what to do with , and will want help rather than be in a position to give it .

      If Lord Palmerston then , as his antecedents kad us to expect—giving the world another instance of his versatility and thefacility with which he changes sides—turns round upon his quondam friends , and rips up the secrets of the ' Grey Iniquity , ' —the weak Cabinet will totter to its fall . What then ? The promised new Reform Bill will become more of a myth than it now is , a struggle will be inaugurated of which none can distinctly see the issue . Such are the prospects with which we commence the new year , which augurs to be at least as eventful as its predecessor .

      Untitled Article

      OPERATIVES AND THEIR CALUMNIATORS . The Amalgamated Society of Engineers , to whose dispute with their employers we adverted at some length last week , have been both bold and wise . Beset on all sides by untruths—misrepresented by their employers at their meetings—stigmatised in advertisements—belied in letters from anonymous correspondents—and calumniated and threatened in ' Times' leaders , they have determinedly and straightforwardly come before the country . They were told , with all the mightof the Editorial authority of the leading journal , that they would have public sympathy and the lawagainst them . Theiranswerhaspracticall y been , thaUhey would try to create a healthier and wiser public opinion than that which finds expression in the 'Times ; ' and that , as for the law , they would take care not to violate it ; and those were answers well worthy of the most intelligent of the working classes .

      On Tuesday night the Council of the Amalgamated Society held a great meeting of the trade and the public , at the Hall of Commerce ; and so that there might be no mistake as to the objects of the meeting , the handbill by which it was called stated , that it was for the purpose of contradicting the falsehoods circulated by the employers , and echoed through the Press—to offer fall explanations , and to initiate a course of conduct for the future . In order still more directly to call the attention of their opponents to their proceedings , cards of invitation were forwarded to the newspapers , and each , of the London firms

      who have joined the manufacturers' combination , had a special intimation of what was about to be done This was emphatically the right course to adopt . The meeting was really a public one in the widest sense of the term , and altogether a very different affair from the hole and corner meeting of the employers , where the moral conspiracy entitled the ? Central Association of manufacturers was concocted . We do not know whether or not the principal masters were present-if they were , they were silent listeners ; but S ^ S ?? en ' ! Vldently dee P ] y Crested , filled da

      SJ 1 * r \ ? . P roP « ety of demeanour and unanimity of feeling prevailed throughout , from which hose who attendmore aristocratic and polished S £ T 8 ^ take T a lessou without aQy akdnS Sthe dS p * ? -A WOrth > ' reraarfet 00 that the Daily Press did homage to the importance ' ' VST ^ ** **** P ° ^ of the next morn 2 « i Swen to them * space and a prominence very Or Sfiri , the P roce ^ ings of mCre work * - S « f ^ S L bodea wellforthe cause of labour , and shows that if thejartizan cla 8 sonly act with prudence and intelligence , a new era is opening brighter than ever yet dawned upon the toilers of theworld .

      Another gratifying incident , and one which speaks volumes for the growing intelligence of the operatives , 18 to be found in the fact , that the advocates who occupied the platform belonged entirely to their own order—hard handed men , who owe all they have , and all they know , to their own industry and energy . Hitherto , when the workers have been called on to assert a right , or to repel a wrong , they nave been obli ged to seek for exponents and mouthpieces in other olasBes than their own ; but on that C i 5 ? PS ?*™? ° the ^ gamated Society ' s Council filled the chair with more fitness and pro-

      Untitled Article

      priety than a lord would under the circumstances have done ; and . the speaker ,, who represented , the Council , and ' tlio ' sewhWp ^ opbWd ' a'nid seconded the pithy resolutions / \ rere'men -who'had- ' 8 truck' :-out- 'their osra tracks of tbought , while they were : fashioning those vast machines which are destined to revolutionize . the world of' labour . That 'this was no disadvantge those who read . the . addresses . will ; be compelled , to admit ; and if . the speeches and , those of the employers are compared , ' it will be ' found ,, , that . in all but wealth the employed are the superiors—not .. the inferiors of the employers . They evidently , feel better , think better , ' . and " speak ; . with more foroe , facility , and correctness ; and if the settlement of the dispute were to rest uponi / the ., intelligence of the parties , there can be no : doubt which would succeed .

      Ag it isj we have but little fear of the result . In spite of all that there is in influence ; interest , and position , to warp the judgment , in spite of the . fact that men of talent can be bought to sell their opinionsas though free thoughts were as much commodities as cattle ; in spite of the fact that a commercial journal , writing not what is . true , but what will pay , is ready to make the profits of its advertisements the arbiter of its morality , and to bring all its literary talent to crush poor men , in order to serve ita commercial masters ; in spite of all this , we would always back right to win in the long run , for there is after all enough good feeling and common sense in the public , to do substantial justice when properly appealed to by straightforward honeBt intelligence ;

      That appeal was made , and , bo far aB we can see and hear , it has been eminently successful . With a candour which is worthy of all honour , Mr . Nbwtun , as the representative of the Council of the Association ,- - admitted every act which that body has really done , and with a firmness which evinced a consciousness of right , he threw back the aspersions by which lie and liis fellows have been traduced . To glance at the falsehoods first . It has been asserted over and over again by the employers , at . their meetings and in their advertisements ; by 'Times' correspondents without a name , and in the same leadiug article type which heaped slanders upon Kossuth ,

      that the men were' attempting to dictate to their employers , —copies of the circular really sent by- the Society to the manufacturers were distributed at the meeting , —two of the morning papers published it in . full , —anditshows as ^ one of 'the most courteously moderate papersever written . Instead of attempting to dictate , it breathes the language of entreaty ; instead of containing epithets , : revilings , or complaints , it preserves a consistent tone of respect ; instead of throwing dbwn ^ the gage of defiance , it asks for aid and co-operation . Even addressed to men who dissent from its objects , it ought to inspire a feeling of friendliness . It was said that the Council

      was composed of a few designing men who coerced the dupes who were members of the Association . The fact was stated and recognised by . the assembled operatives as true , that before the Council acted at all , it . took the opinion of all- the branches ; and that from the whole twelve thousand members there came only sixteen dissentient votes to the course proposed to be adopted . It w ^ charged that the operatives intended to strike ; the statement was : made , and made without contradiction by : any one of the numbers present , who must have known its truth- or falsehood that a strike was never thought of , and the word never used except by the manufacturers

      themselves , who threatened to make a strike , by shutting their factories if the men endeavoured to emancipate themselves from their industrial shivery . The Association was accused of requiring the employers unconditionally to discharge the labourers at themachiues ; the truth was put upon the record that no such demand was ever made , but that on the contrary , it was proposed to put the machine workers on a level with the more skilled handicrafts-men by freely admitting them as members of the Society . The calumny was hinted at that the Engineers desired to force the masters to discontinue the use of machinery . The . answer

      whiehMr . Newton gave to that is worthy of especial notice , for it embodies more true wi sdom than anything the manufacturers have either said or done . It was that , so far from wishing to prevent the use of machinery , they \ vere themselves constantly occupied in perfecting existing machines and inventing new ones , and that they always hailed with a delighted admiration every new development of ingenuity , because , although they knew that it mi ght in the present displace their labour , they felt conscious that the time would come when machinery would save labour , and give the maker the means of existence with less of toil than now ; . and so they struggled on ,

      trusting that intellect was laying the foundation of a future of prosperity and happiness . As to the charges of Socialism and Communism short work was made of them . The Society has nothing to do with these theories ; . it does not express itself either for or against them . It has never done so . They do not enter into the deliberations of its members whose business is with the present . They have always recognised the distinction between vice and idleness , and virtue and industry ; and so far from endeavouring to equalise ' the rate of wages , they have ever held and expressed the principle that , the wages of each man must be the subject of private agreement between himself and hisjemployer .

      Those falsehoods disposed of , nothing remained but to justify the attempted' abolition of piecewoik and overtime , and that was done with the utmost completeness . The men do not want to work overtime while thousands of their fellow-workmen are destitute of employment , and not working for it they do not desire to be paid for it . If the mere Cominercialists think that a few shillings more a week is an adequate compensation for hours of toil , so lengthened as to waste their physical powers—deprive them of social

      enjoyment— -make them 6 trangers to the family hearth , and bar them from intellectual improvement , the operatives are of a different opinion . They want to be men exercising their affections audtheir reason , and not wealth accumulating machines , shutting out their fellows from the independence of honest labour ; and with regard to piecework , they ask to have it done away with , or to be continued as a fair free contract between employer and employed , instead of continuing as it is , taskwork , at an arbitrarily fixed price , in the adjustment of which they have no

      voice . That is the whole case , and one more completely consonant with ri ght was never put before tho world . We have only to add , that if after this the employers persist in carrying their threat of shutting their factories into execution , and thus throwing into idleness twelve tho usand engineers , beside the thousands of less skilled labourers ; who work with them , they will add to their falsehood a wanton cruelty , and turn into execration tho contempt and odium which

      are already due to their proceedings , more particularly as the men offer to submit the whole dispute to the arbitration of such a man , for example , as Lord Shaftesbury , and' abide by his decision . For the present we leave the matter in that position ; but next week , if the contest still continues , we shall not hesitate to do that which we have as yet avoided —expose the miserable petty intrigue which , and not the abolition of piece-work and overtime , has roused the vindictiveness of the clique of manufacturers .

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      MONIES RECEIVED For the Wbbk Ending Thursday , . Jasuari 1 st , 1852 .

      THE HONESTY FUND . ^ BECEIVID BI M , B . O ' CONNOR . S . Kinn ; Paisley . .. .. ,. 0 " 6 G J . Hourir .. ,, i # . 006 A . Friend .. .. ,, .. 006 _ JE O _ 1 _ 6 NATIONAL CHARTER FUND . " nextwwk ! Balance-8 heetfor ~ foe " laBt quarter will ba published

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      A Bold Stbokb for a Husband . —Lady Isabel Pinch haS t 0 - ePr . lnces 8 Amelia > Lord Bath , one evening , t K ° f ' Arrowed half a erown of her ; he sent i l « rh 8 neXt day' ^ fch tne gallant wish that he could gve her a crown She replied , that "though he could not "SS& ISRri ouW glTe her - ™> and Bhe ™

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      NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF UNITED ' -- ? :- ;¦" :: - ;— ^ KADES ^' - ^ " ^ ' ^ - ' ' : rf : :: ;; T . S ; © UNCpuBE , ' Esq .,- M . P ., Presidents ; , ¦ , : ., ; ., ' „ ' .. ' ( , . , ' , ' " . HAT iuSIIIIA ' . " , . ' . ' " . ' , ' ¦ '' v : " If * it ' were 1 possible for the' ' workikg ' classes , by combining among themselves , to raise ; . or . keep .. up ' the gener *] rate of wages , it need hardly be said that this would be a thing not to be punished , but to be welcomed and rejoiced at . " —Stoaet Mill .

      It has always been , the objeot of the Central Committee to conduot the affairs of the National . Association in harmony : and 'good fellowship withall . other men . and movements profeBsing to have at heart the . improvement and wellbeing of the industrious olasses . In this spirit they have passed by , unnoticed , the attacks of open foeB , and the more insidious whisperings of false friends . The ephemeral popularity of rival associations , disguising themselves by a partial adoption of our prinoiplesj . and a wholesale appropriation of our own peouliar distinctive title-has in every case , as we anticipated , passed away like V the baseless fabric of a vision , '' leaving not an existing wreck of former pretensions behind but an empty , title—the impudent assumption of which enables their former chiefs just to buoy up their ambition upon the surface of the general movement . Our attention has , however , been oalled to an attack upon . Trades' Unions in general—and the National

      Association in particular- ? which may nob be passed by so lightly . . Mr .: Ernest Jones , the . celebrated Chartist writer and lecturer , and the hard-working candidate for the premiership of that movement , has denounced , in his : usual talented and oracular style , every form of Trades Unions as obstructive to the spread and progress of that politically revolutionary spirit with which he ; seeks to indoctrinate the working menof this country . • -. > :. . ¦• : ••¦•• ¦ • We offer no opinion upon . the . practical wisdom of Mr Jones ' s political teachings . As the directors of a purely non-political movement , we decline embarking upon the stormy seaiof . Chartist politics , but conceive we owe it as a duty to our members ,, to defend our principles and ' practices from the ill-timed and mistaken statements of this new antagonist , who really appeara—notwithstanding his generally acknowledged talents as a political teacher—to possess but a contracted and very imperfect knowledge of Trades operations . ..- ¦ :

      In No .. 33 , vol . II ., 13 th December , 1851 , of a periodical entitled '' . Notes to the People , " appears an article headed " Trades'Unions , " and written , we presume , by ilr . Ernest Jones . 'Ab the "Notes to the People" may not beigenerally read by / the members of the National Association , we : shall , in ju 8 tice to Mr . . Jones , beg permission of the Editor of the ,, '' Northern . Star " to reprint verbatim the articleJn question , and upon which we shall offer , in the next week s " Star " " such strictures and explanations as we conceive our duty to the-cause of labour demands fr » m us : — . ¦

      - . ' ¦• • " THE TRADES' UNION . "Afterthe thousands upon thousands expended , after the organisation of vast numbers , ' after the self-denying heroism of the men , and the energy of the committee , the utter fallacy of trying to keep wages up by any mere combination of labour , is proven at last . The Trades' Union has existed for many years ' : it was to keep wages up . lias it done so ? After all the treasures , time , talent , and energy lavished on it , wages have fallen during its . existence with constantly accelerated speed ! It has failed in its objeot . ¦ ¦¦¦ . : ¦;' . ¦¦' . " \ yill not this convince the . ' working-men that all such combinations must be useless , and that it is only in polipplitickV power that social remedy can be sou » ht successfully ? ¦' . ' "' • ¦ ; ¦ 11 Again , it was to use the present laws and institutions as ts strength and'safeguard-. where have those laws and institutions placed it now ? Alas ! In Stafford gaol .

      " Will not this convince the worting-inen that it is only in the change of laws and institutions they can find their safety ? ^ ; ' ' . "The failure of the Trades' Union in accomplishing what it professed—and itsfallbcforethe political power of the rioh man ' s laws , is an instructive pngo from labour ' s' history . And even , in one of its minor professed objects , that of ' suppprting , by a national fund , men on strike , what good has it done , that might not better be effected in another way ? Have the strikes that the National Trades ' Uhioiyhaa hot supported , been less successful than those it has ? And does not tue weight of supporting turnouts almost always fall oh tho immediate neighbourhood ? And is not the subscription of the "working-man often diminished by the consideration : ' Oh ! they belong to the National

      Trades' Union , that will take care of them—we need not impoverish ourselves ! ' And might not a political association , have rendered them pecuniary support as efficiently ; and even better ? Might not the adhesion of working men to the Charter be insured and increased , by some such benefits being coiipled with his subscriptions , —those subscriptions being regulated . in amount accordingly ? Think of this , Chartists and working-men ! Though it appears to me much preferable that strikes should be supported on the voluntary principle , than by any organise ^ compulsory subscriptions : the latter always fail to realise ! their object . Witness the deficiency of funds in the recent aggravated instances of oppression . I believe the voluntary

      support of the same trade , and the same nei g hbourhood , is much . more likely to bo rendered when the emergency arises , than a sum to be collected beforehand for prospective cases that may , or may not , arise . Experience proves the truth of this . After all , it is almost always as the case requiring support occurs , that the money has to be obtained ;—then where ' s the use of Trades' Union ? Might not all itdoes bo done much bettor , or , at least , as well , without its being in existence ? I ask again-what has it done ? Is labour better off through it , since its establishment ? Has it realised one of its ' promises ? Has it not , on the contrary , done a vast deal of harm , by directing that time , talent , and money to a useless surface measure which might have been applied for a radical cure ?

      " The resources wasted in . the Trades' Union , might have carried the Charter ! "Or do you want the 'National Association" as a means of union for the working classes ? Political organisation unites them much mere effectually . Show me the good the anti-political Trades' Union ( for that ' s what it really is , ) has , or can do , that a Chartist Association can not do with ten times greater strength and efficiency ! Ah working men it is hunting after these fallacies , and dancing after these chimeras , that has kept you where you arein impotence and misery . Do you as ' k—why the Charter have not been carried yet ? Because you are ready to follow every will-o ' -the-wisp that dances before your eyes . Because you fritter away the strength the Charter should have claimed , in your Trades' Unions , and co-operative plans , on anti-co-operative principles , and harmonics , and redemption societies , and freehold-land schomes , and a

      thousand other bubbles , heating your irons in the wrong fire , and heating too many at the same time . Don't blame the Charter , or the Chartists , for not having done moreblame yourselves for having paralysed their action , by diverting your strength from the only channels in which it could operate a , national result . " Our space this week will not permit us to reply to what we conceive to be Mr . Jones ' s mistakes ; but we must express our sincere regret that we should be forced into a defence of our principles , against an attack , not from tho common foes of all liberty , industrial , social , or political , but from one whoprofesscs himself the friend and champion of therights of labour . tDoes Mr . Jones imagine he can raise himself or his cause upon the ruins of the Trades' Association of England ? Does ho supposo the most effective , mode of producing unity of thought and action in the distracted rauks of Chartism , is by throwing the apple of dUcord , where hitherto mutual good feeling and brotherhood have

      existed ? I ¦ We think , we shall have no difficulty in convincing Mr . Jones that he is not yet thouroughly conversant with what Trades' Unions have or have not aecomplishedjfor labour in this country—and that the true and enlightened policy of patriotic democracy is to conciliate all sections of tho working classes , and to promote their working , even though by diverse means , to the accomplishment of the ultimate aim of all—the emanci pation of labour . A closer alliance may be brought about between the

      industrial and political movements b y the force of circumstances , and we for ourselves , should hail the fact as a desirable consummation , but we think that alliance will not be promoted by the line of conduct Mr . Jones is pursuin " . We recommend our members to study attentively the article from the " Notes , " we have reprinted . Our friends in Wolverhampton , Horthwich , Lynn , Walaal , and many other localities , ' will smile at the greenness of our political monitor upon the alleged failure of tho National Association with the melo-dramatic accompaniment of Stafford Gaol . &o .

      Our friend ' s equal innocence of the position of " iron trade , will no doubt call forth an instructive lesson from a quarter quite capable of imparting it . If our correspondent from Banbury will favour with his name , we shall be happy to give the widest publicy in our power to his communication , but it is contrary to our practice to act upon annonymous communication . The Central Committee op the National Association of United Trades . 259 , Tottenuam-court-road . •—POSTSCRIPT . """"

      . 1 he Central Committee cannot but feel the most intense interest and syni ; athy in the existing disputes between the Amalgamated Society of Engineers , Machinists , Smiths * o ., and the lordhngsof the British . iron manufacture The eamepvincple » at stake which censtituted the bone of contention in the Wolverhampton caise-the riebt of the working o asses to decide the terms upon which thev con sent to nil their labour . And the sanTe ulsc upu ous and JionrS f / - empl ° y t 0 ^« le ^ d public opinion by falsehood and misrepresentations In this case the Engineers have discovered , by bitter and dearly paid for experience , the demoralising ™ H LZS

      tendency of protracted hours of labour and the infurWl operate of that competitive spirit engendered hyTeS £ Tnn V- ° ° . e Ot T ' Which ^ exacting tho greatestpossibe amount of work for the least Dossible ^ mw of payment j - gradually , but surely , brings JSS ' ui'Sl ral value of labour for the sole and especial benefit " of I few S ^ wrsfrfcSEsS iH " X ilSis " « " Ik ^ wffi £ ? 5 *^ % 6 mand i"y oe wore , m ( b their influence for good or evil on the

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      AMALGAMATED SOCIETY OF ENGINEERS U'n . THEIR EMPLOYERS . * The Amalgamated Society of Engineers , Machinests , 4- held a public meeting on Tuesday night at the Hall of Commerce , Threadneedle-street , "to discuss the preset ! - state of the iron trades , and thn position of the societv ¦¦ j relation thereto . " The hall was , densely thronged wiji , workmen , not less , probably , than 2 , 000 beine n 7 sent . ' . ¦ ' , ' .. ' .: Mr . J . Musto , the Chairman of the Executive Counc ) having been called on to preside , briefly opened the l ) us ' ness of the evening , and said that , in consequence of state ments which had appeared in the " Times , " it wasdeeni ti advisable that a public meeting should be called , toeir * the Executive Council of the society au opportunity of V plaining to the public the position in which the soeie ti stood , and the proceedings that had been taken . A coir mittee waa appointed for the-purpose of convening tC meeting . The whole of the employers had been speciiliinvited by ticket , [ lie then read'the terras of the invib "' tion . ] ' If any employers were present and wished to tnk < part in tho proceedings , he hoped the meeting would be actuated in reference to them by that spirit of fair plm which was found in the breasts of Englishmen . ( Hear hear . ) Invitations had also been sent to between twenh and thirty editors of newspapers , and he trusted that til reports which would be given of the meeting would so far satisfy the public as"to prevent the "Times" or an

      other newspaper from again misleading them . Tho puWi ' also mid been included io the invitations . Eg would n <* introduce Mr . Newton , who would enter into explanation ofthe proceedings of the Executive Council . Mr . Newton , who was received with loud cheers , es : that their ' proceedings , as at first adopted , were no- ' perhaps , intended to engage so much of the attention oi the public as they had done , nor would the Council h ; iv < forced themselves forward as they now ' did , but for misre ' presentations of . their objeofcs and intentions . Tho comb nation of eaiploy . ers started at Manchester waB cither mii led by the statement of Messrs . Hibbert and Platt , ofOli ham , or was based upon known untruths ; but the combiirtion was formed upon the ground that the workmen " l Messrs . Hibbert and Platt were about to do an act oi ink ; , tice to their employers . The matter had been discussed ii the . newspapers , and the society had been represented j < insisting—1 . Upon the abolition of systematic " overtime "

      and , 2 . The discontinuance of " piecework ; " 3 . ffr claiming that , the uve-ters should at once , and without ri " serve , discharge the ' classof persons ensraged in , and lor ; trained to , the working of self-acting machines , and enij'Ioi in their stead mechanics , members of the Union ; . W further , i . ( accovding to " Amious , " ) The Council w «; prepared to advocate an equalization of the rate of wages . to lend themselves , in fact , to an agitation for a trial ' ' ' the ingenious doctrines of M . Louis Bianc . " Now , the fir : - two of these propositions were the propositions of the society . ( Hear , hear . ) The third was never made by then , and the intention attributed to them of equalising w , W was as fore ign from their objects and general opinions " * anything conld he . ( Hear . ) They disavowed all intentic : of removing any persons at present in employment . ( Host . hear . ) Ihero was nothing in the present proceedings c ; the Council that expressed or implied anv such intmitior

      they had never asked for the removal of a man from i machine who was working at it , who had earned a title : ; work at it by the time ho had been employed at it ; and , a iar from the opinions of their members being against tinmen , they had fostered and encouraged them . ( Hear , hear . But here it would be necessary to refer to proceedings eoe ; months ugo . There tvas in May a dispute bctweon Mess ; Hibbert and Platt and their workmen , who demanded m abolition . of overtime , and asked for the discharji of . a certain nnniber of men they called ' : ' legal men ; and he ( Mr . 'Newton ) , at the rcques of the workmen , went down to mediate in the matter

      He attended a public meeting there ; he heard the exfho tions which the men gavo of their grievances ; and he ir sisted at the meeting ; that the men should not strike , I ; endeavour to settle trie dispute by moral means—by theai of a deputation . A deputation was appointed to go : Messrs . Hibbert and Platt . Mr . Platt received the depu :: tion with kindness ; he argued the question with them : j more than two hours : h 9 made certain propositions to i : deputation , which were carried back to tho meeting . Tta propositions were modified b y the meeting , - and therm back to Mr . Platt . The result was , that six resolute were adopted by the meeting and three of them submit : ; , to Mr . Platt . He would read them to the meeting :- "•' That in future all planing , slotting , shaping , and bori :: machines , at the workshop of the undersigned , be work either by mechanics or apprentices , to be taken up by tic as they fall vacant . 2 . That the labourers at presentee ployed upon those machines be not undnlv inWfpW , l «;;

      KlTi fihl ! ' f V wUen tll ° mwhmes Bhalf felU tnely into the hands of the mechanics ; but if any oft labourers are discharged , or the machines otherwise be * vacant , the vaoane . es shall be filled up by the mectai « : ' RSf That ^ , IcbaolBenard haVe taken frorafc i Llnii "S , ?! " ™' kmen u > our employ , and th » t t illegal hands be discharged ; we further say that we dis ; n ,, Iif t , f ™ Uccs S lle ed "gainst Benard , and pl «? ourselves that they shall not again be repeated " Mr . Ttf S ? . n Wa 8 W H ? 'D t 0 " gree t 0 tboseresolu ons , viv& the same conditions wore made with other employers , s nJnTni ' ° V * * i M ag ? eetnenfc toseonwffiolj * He not only signed the resolutions , but he required it ' - In Br r e ^ endea ™« r to force other employers : vears « i at > Tel ' e not done ttt the expiration of [ bj nr ? v ^ » earra " ? Inent was to lie - null and void . >' ( Mr . Jiowton s ) reason for interfering wn « . t . w . it i . n , lbe <

      stated that when men interfered themselves thev i * al «» ys marked by ( heir employers , and were diaoharcrf- ' first opportunity . lie ( Mr . Newton ) ' left Oldham with t : distinct understanding that the agreement was to coine fc operation at Cnristmas . ( Hear . ) The question ofo «" time was settled in Manchester on tho 1 st of November , * lore this agitation on the part of the employers was rais against it . ( Hear . ) Tho combination of employers ™ s conaequenco of Me « srs . Hibbert and Platt knowiii" that } : agreement wrs to be fulfilled at Christmas , and tho o * was to prevent its being fulfilled . Whether it was to : fulfilled or not veas a question onl y for the Oldbam men ; was not a question tor this societv . ( Hear . ) He - written to Mr . Platt a fortnight ago ' , renreaentine Hi '"

      was not treating his men fairly in identifying himself * the combination at Manchester , and Air . Platt an ^ * that he approved of the document at the time , and sliohave carried it into effect , but that the workmen had bro ' * it themselves in July List . The men in July made som * sisiance on the ground that the condition had not bee " failed which related to Benard , who was a sort of « $ man , taking a quantity of piecework and employini ' fellow men to do it—what the tailors would calf ' sweater ' - ( hear , hear ) -he was mosf despotic and t )' nioal , and Mr . Piatt had said the system should not * tinue . ( Hear , hear . ) But the society had nothine t °

      witn an tnis , ami had never taken port in the proceed He himself attended at Oldham in his individual CM ' ' to try to prevent a " strike , " whi ch must be attended * so much misery . ( Hear , hoar . ) - The question was bet « Messrs . Hibbert and Platt and their workmen the ^ were determined not to be dragged into tho dispute ( V They disavowed all attempts to remove men from macli ' ' " they had no such intention . Their disposition was to " common cnu . se with such men , and assist them , rather ^ they should be thrown idle upon tho world , ( near , $ Wither had the society ; any intention to try to eq * wages ; hat would bato equalise themselves with tho'fcultural labourer . ( Hear , hear . ) What they sought « ' . tair opportunity for every working man , as far ' as P" ^ cable , to use his labour . IIW 1 . ^ . 1 Thev dos ! r « ^

      make it less precarious by regulating the work there , « to be 4 one . ( Hear , hear . ) As to identifying thennj ? * -iu £ omll stB and Communists , they had no conn <* v ¦ with toy political , social , ' or religious party , and tli « vocated their own views , not because Louis Blanc' " ,-cttted them ( if he did ) , , but because experience ^ tuem that it was necessary , some ohange should W J ( , in order to elev :. te their social condition . ( Hear , j-i Thoy were 12 , 000 men banded ' together for the . pw ^ charity and providence . Thoy wsro a reflex of the o \\ $ t of the country . They had amongst the 12 , 000 ol ; a their society was composed , men professing con c c » i v and Chartist and Social prinoiples—men wbo a < V , iJ : what were called extreme Free Trade princip le * tl ' ' ; who advocated Protection . Was it not prepo 8 ' , j ^ to suppose thftt in a society compoaed of so xos&l ' } d elements they entertained the sentiments aW "

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      Etortfes Ettteflfanw*

      Etortfes Ettteflfanw *

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      interests of the trade , we know to have peen fully and ' 7 ^ passionaiely discussed in all the branches of the Soeief , ' and the determination now ; cpmejto to abolish for the fuh both evils , is but the concentrated expression-of the win \ l £ 000 intelligent and- 'industHous - workmenr enforcin ' legal right in a constitutional manner . s a The Bxeoutive Couuoilhavemerely performed aminUf rial duty in promulgating the all Jbut unanimous resolve " the Society , only ' eleven dissentients out of 12 000 2 jecting to the movement . » o& . If the eleven thousand , nine hundred and ei ghty-eioi are determined to carry out their own resolution as iftheir bounden duty . to do , we cannot seo what nece ^ i ! there can be for a general strike . At the expiration of th - day ' s work they have but to put on their hats and * , it home . Had the same union existed amongst the faotn !

      worKers , as is said to exist in tdis Society , the Ten Hoi , Bill might have been carried without special le gislat ;^ interference . e We sincerely hope that no general strike will , in thi case , be rendered necessary by the vacillation or treachpl of individuals ; but that every man will firmly and honest ? perform , his duty no less to himself than to his fellow won ?' men , and thug defeat the contemplated stratagems of ti oombincd employers to turn the table ' upon them ( ai francaise ) by a coup d ' etat . - " ,. . ¦ v x But should . our expectations be disappointed and tl , possible collision take place , wo trust , for the honour i * labour , that the Executive Council will not succumb t ! the Aapoleontio despotism of the employers , but thm ! themselves and their cause upon the ¦ public B pirit ] patriotism of the working classesof England . It is a ere : national question , which as deeply concerns the workersn - wood , bricks , or stone , as the workers of iron Tl universal army of labour , is attacked if these men a I attacked ; and if the pecuniary resources of this powerf ul body are to be cut . off . by a speoies of coup de main th »

      assistance ot tne xraaes ot England must be placed at their disposal , and a certain victory be secured , unless indeed it should enter into the mighty minds of the BucklersburJ conclave , to induce their brother capitalists of all othetrades to give to British labour A NATIONAL HOLIDAY Union [ Union ! National Union is , we again repeat , d I one and only remedy for these industrial wrongs , which £ general and common to us all . December 31 st .

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      4 THE NORTHERN STAR . Januahy 3 , i § 5 . ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^¦^^^ MH ^^ HI ^^^ B ^^^^^^^^^ A ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ M ^^^^^^^^^^^^^ MIMP ^^^^^^^^^^^^ K ^^^^^^^^^^^ K ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ H ^^^^ H ^ I ^ I ^ I ^^ Iifl ^ H ^^ H ^ H ^^^ HlAflBI ^ Hi ^ lfl ^ B ^ ISV ^ MHVHV ^^^^ BINV ^^ B ^ BBVH ^ VVVMMHB ^ BHV ^^^ HV ^ HB ' ^ r |

      * Iml'uktast Socialist Publications! Hobert Owen's Journal. This Journal

      * IMl'UKTAST SOCIALIST PUBLICATIONS ! HOBERT OWEN'S JOURNAL . THIS JOURNAL

  • Citation
    • Northern Star (1837-1852), Jan. 3, 1852, page 4, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/ns/issues/vm2-ncseproduct1659/page/4/