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. . . THE NORTHERN STAR SATURDAY, JANUARY 8, 1842.
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THE LEEDS MAYOR AND T&E LEEDS :;.>;: CHARTISTS. ^ ! ;.v5\:v-v ^v '
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Co iicatm^ anti QTovve^pontJent^.
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Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software. The text has not been manually corrected and should not be relied on to be an accurate representation of the item.
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' KORTH LANCASHIRE DELEGATE ' MEETING . id THE CHARTISTS OF NORTH LANCASHIRE . . Gkstxejees , —According to a rale made at the Erst delegate meeting , held at the Temperance Hotel , Blackburn , it is particularly stated that delegate meetings shall take place every &ix weeks , for the purpose of transacting the business of the district ; a delegate meeting wiU therefore be held at Accrington , on Sunday , 16 th Jan ., 1842 . Business io commence precisely at one o ' clock . &ow , mj friends , let eTery place send a delegate to this meeting , so that every place may be properly represented ; and hare their opinions laid before the
Sheeting . X find that there has been some dissatisfaction existing in the towns connected with the district that proper notice was not given of the last delegate meeting through the columns of the Northern Star i and , therefore , they had no means cf either knowing when the meeting would take place , or of sanding a delegate . I beg leave to assure such places that I sent dne notice-to the Slat ; but , on account of leaving home in a hurry , to attend a discnssion oc the Corn Laws , at Barnoldawiek , on the Mondsy evening , I forgot to put the letter in the Post Office before I left . I wrote the letter on Monday at noon , and just at that time a person came np from Barnoldswick for " me , to go
that afternoon to the meeting . There wasjno time to be lost , for it was then after one o ' clock , and the dktasce we had to go was upwards of seventeen Biles , and a rough road ; ibe meeting was to commence at seren o'clock . I , therefore , in thehnrry of the moment , forgot to post the letter on the Monday , fcut on the Tuesday I wrote another , and sent it , » k » g with % report of the meeting , taken by Mr . Slooney ; bat neither the report of the meeting , nor the notice of the delegate meeting , appeared . This cansed a great deal of dissatisfaction . The people of Barnoldswick were hurt that such a triumph over the Plague , la an open discussion , and the cowardice of the Plague advocate ? , in rnnning off the platform ,
and oat of the Chapel , and leaving the meeting-in the hands of the Chartists , who had defeated them not by blows , but by argument , should have been left nnexposed . : The different towns expressed their resentment &t me , for not sending notice to the Star , so that they might have been able to send delegates to the meeting . I am as sorry as them that they did not appear in the Star ; but I have since received a very kmd letter from Mr . Hill , the Editor , expressing his regret that the letter had been mislaid , and , con-Bequently , non-inserted . I expect that - we shall this time have a full meeting of delegates , for there is a good deal of business to transact ; and there will be the business of the Convention to
settle . I am sorry that a misunderstanding should exist between this district and the Executive with regard to the election of members of the Convention , it being the opinion of North Lancashire that it should Bend its own member ; but the Executive have , decided that it cannot—it must be in connection with South Lancashire . I am sorry that I should have been elected by the different towns in _ North Xancashire to represent them in the Convention , bni wfcen I consented to become a candidate for the . Convention , I knew not but that North Lancashire ereold send Its own delegate ; but it having been decided differently by the Executive , I beg leave to
have my name withdrawn from the nomination- list , for this Teason— I cannot conscientiously allow myself to be elected for South Lancashire . I know nothing of them ; I am not personally acquainted with them ; I do not know their feeling 3 , . wishes , desires , and determination with respect to . the Charter becoming the law of the land , only from newspaper reports ; I have never been amongst them at any time ; I have never attended , * any of their private or public meetings , with the exception X ) f three or four ; and therefore , being totally
igno-Jsnt of their circumstances , I should not be justified were I to allow myself to become the representative of those whose condition I am unacquainted with . I have not that ambition to want to become a member of the Convention for the sake of its name ; we have had too many ot that description already . I would rather be at home in . my . own district , increasing the number of our Associations , sod spreading our principles into every village and hamlet , so thai by any means I might be , doing good , and assisting in the bringing about the political redemption of our common country . I am , Yourhnmble servant , ' In the cause of Chartism , ' "William Beeslot , District Secretary .
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TO THE PEOPLE OP IRELAND . Fetlow-Coustrtmen , —In my recent lettera to the Lord Mayor of Dublin , I pointed out the necessity of a union betwixt you and the Chartists of Great Britain , and answered objections which were raised against that body , both morally and physically . J have also shewn that the prejudices of country and sect are passing away and stated that Englishmen were worthy of yonr confidence and desirous to become yonr friends ; and whilst I thus stated my opinions , I most anxiously wished you would Be led to Sunk and inquire for yourselves , and shake off that confiding credulity which has ever been- ^ our greatest political fealt . j » d ^} J ° ]* ovrn senses r&usona aim the
Examine cal "" 1 ? 5 . uiy , uibpassio ^_ - ^ present position in field of political Btrife . I will , now , with your permission , clear iy prove the fallacy of those objections and prejudices , which cause you ' io stand aloof from the straggls in which the people of England , Scotland , and Wales , are cow engaged , and which they are so nobly sustaining , not only for their own sake but for yours . I am well aware that it is not in the nature of Irishmen to be either pusillanimous , or nigratefnl , and that it i 3 for want of a proper knowledge of the principles of the Charter , and an acquaintance with the character of the people of England , that you hesitate to join in the contest .
Know , then , my fellow countrymen , that the People ' s Charter contains nothing thai is illegal or unjust . It seeks for nothing save that natural and political liberty , which every subject of these kingdoms ought to possess , and to which he is constitutionally entitled . It aims to redress those grievances and remove those burthens which overwhelm the manufacturing and commercial interests of the country , and to give the people a voice in the yrmVmp ; of the laws which govern them . It seek 3 for Ireland ' s rights as well as England ' s rights , and it is Ireland ' s cause as much as it is England ' s ; for do not be deceived , a repeal of the Legislative XTnion would not be worth accepting , unless you were in possession of UniverSl
Suf-Er&ge . I have every reason to believe that by far the greater number of the people of Ireland look forward to a "Hepealof the Union , " as the Kid of their political sufferings . In this they will assuredly find tnemslves disappointed ; they should T&ther look to it as a means to an end , for , unless the Charter become the law of the land , they will only have benefitted themselves by bringing their tyrants nearer home , to witness the abuses which Existed heretofore amongst them . But Euppose a ** Repeal of the Union" would confer all the benefits and blessings which you so fondly anticipate . I ask , Why are you so inactive \ "Why do you not bestir yourselves to obtain it ! Yon answer , " so we do , " — we have a Repeal Association "—we have
meetings—we have oar cardj—and we have at oar head the Lord Mayor of Dublin , who promised to obtain It for us . "—When ! When the young Prince of "Wales becomes Tice Roy of Ireland 1 " But suppose Ids little Highness should never condescend to visit yon . when , then , are you to get it ? Has not the * Liberator" told you ! Oh , no S the cunnings fox ; he is too wise to do so ; but he has not forgot to tell ^¦ ou that ChartiEm synonymous with violence and jcfideliiy , and that the people of England are your natural and hereditary enemies . Now , I am as muoh an Irishman as his Lordship , and as much of a patriot as to feel the necessity of your adopting a ' more speedy and certain method to obtain your political regeneration , than the " tortoise " -like course
jou are now pursuing ; and yet , I unhesitatingly say , such assertions are false and unfounded . . I have already , in my letters to his Lordship , refuted the charges of infidelity and violence , and will now show that Englishmen are not your enemies , and that the prejudices which have long existed Tire not to beiraced to the people of England , but to an interested portion of them . I know you iave many reasons for believing that the English are opposed tojour interests ; but , were you to reflect , that in bo opposing yon they would only increase their own burthens , youwonld at onceadmit , they wooldnot , for their own interest sake , continue it . The fact is , the aristocracy and class interests are that portion
m the EDglish , who not only oppose yoa but their ouHtrymtn . Those are the- * who first insinuated themselves into the green fields of Ireland , and who afterwards deluged them with the blood of her ehiidren } those are they who hold all ofBces of trust m& power , and monopolise the resources of the Country , and who , like locusts , devour the fruits of jour industry , and compel you to drag out a wretched existence in want and misery ; those are the leeches Who " suck the life ' s blood from the hearts of the frr 8 $ c&ed widow and the famishing orphans—who drink felicity from the fountain of a nation ' s misery , and who build up their fortunes on the ruins of social h » DWness .
Tfey iigre always known that you possessed an ^^ a ^ HHpfre of liberty , and therefore they used iSi 9 BHBHpe- well as force to suppress aud curb iSN ^ S £ ^ & nt spirit ; they taught their depen-^ 3 B 8 SSiiifeil that Irishmen were little better than ' jjjTlMOWtTHrii Ilii people of England were im-Sg | ffllM | Hj || p&teSril&and contemptible wretches whs ^ ^^ B ^ S ^*^ ' ^ - a merchandise of ;^^ S ^^ ip * MftQymen , it was the-aristocracy who S ^ teilaHJ ^ , ^ ;» eefe of sl avery and oppression Sm ^ P
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amongst you ; they established laws and systenw which were intended to grind and ooerce you : it was they who forced a '' State Church" upon yon , and compelled you to pay for prayers which were offered contrary to your notions of worship ; it was they who introduced those hypocritical monsters who came amongst you armed with a Bible in one hand and a sword in the other—wh « spoiled and devastated the homes of your fathers—uprooted the foundations of peace and ltteraturo , ana who , with the words of charity on their lips , but the daggers of political assassination concealed beneath their hypocritical disguise , awaited the opportunity of plunging them into their unwary victims ; and it is the same aristocracy which still lords it over you , and are
even now crying out for " coercion for Ireland . " It is not , my friends , the working men of England who are opposed to yon ; they have no prejudices against you , and if ever they had any , it was the effect of misrepresentation , and not otherwise . It is not because a man is an Englishman , that ke is your enemy—he suffers as much as you do , and even more . Nor is it because he has the moral courage to assert his political independence that he is to be looked npon with an eye of suspicion—he see 3 that all classes of the aristocracy are leagued against the poor man ' s interest , and , with a laudable 3 ? al , he advocates the liberties of his class sgainBt the tyranny and misrule of his oppressors , and holds out the hand of fellowship to you , as it is your cause
a 3 well as his . Can you then as Irishmen refuse the proffered friendship ? Will the blighting influence of prejudice or party keep you aloof from a contest in . which your interests are so deeply concerned ? Remember the enemies you have to encounter are the same , who once trampled on the graves of your fathers ; they are the same who persecuted yon for your religious opinions ; who hunted your unhappy c . ' ergy into mountains and caves , to perish with want and misery , and who offered a premium for the head of a Catholic priest equal to that offered for the head of a wolf . The same parties who plundered yon of your birth-right , and insulted you by calling yon ** aliens in blood and country , " are still forging chains to fetter and bind you to their will . Is it not time , then , that you ask yourselves—Bball we be free ? Is it not time to ask yourselves—aT « we pursuing the right road to liberty ? or are you in possession of
that spirit which animated your fathers when " liberty" was the watch-word ? Yes , it is timeyou asked these questions ; your political position , and the duty yon owe to your country , demand that yon not oaly ask , but act . Weigh will the principles of the " Charter , " and if you find that they are such as I have stated , come boldly forward , and show the men of England that you can accept and receive them as brothers ; join your moral strength to theirs , and convince your tyrants that the working men of Ireland and England are determined to obtain that * liberty which is their birth-right , and that u justice ' to whioh you are entitled . Let unity be your motto , moral agitation your only weapon , and you may rest assured victory will crown year efforts . I have the honour to be * Fellow-Countrymen , Your most obedient humble Servant , WHCliftoh
. . . The Northern Star Saturday, January 8, 1842.
. . . THE NORTHERN STAR SATURDAY , JANUARY 8 , 1842 .
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THE WORKING PEOPLE AND THE PRIME MINISTER . This day we publish a portion of one of the most important documents ever presented to the British public , —a document which will bo read with avidity and absorbing interest by every working man in the kingdom . Labour has been to head quarters , to tell Its wrongs , and to ask for a remedy ! Its statements have been attentively listened to , its reprepentatives
courteously received , and a friendly discussion had upon the measures of relief it had to propose ! Working men have been in conference with the Prime Minister , telling him the truth , and demanding from him , in respectful but firm language , measures which will tend to place them in their proper position : and their statements have been heard , and a more than ordinary interest manifested by those unto . whom the tale of woe was old This is a new era in the history of English Legislation and Government .
The Deputation that waited upon Sir Robkbt Peo . were not coolly and politely "bowed out ;" they were not received in a mere formal manner , and got rid of a 3 soon as assumed politeness would admit ; but they were met with cordiality of manner , ( and we hope we may add of feeliog ); and the startling truths they told , as to the operation of our present commercial system upon the happiness and well-being of the operative community , both infant
and adult , made such an impression upon the mind of the Prime Minister , that he , himself , gave the Deputation introductions to others of his colleagues , that they , too , might hear from the lips of the working men in person , the statements which had 60 forcibly arrested his own attention . No greater proof than this conld be offered of the interest excited in the head of the Government by this mission of working men .
Andnot lesshas been the interest excited amongst all classes of society by the publication of the Report of this important interview . It has appeared in the columns of a great portion of the newspaper press . Nearly all have noticed if , either in one ^ hape or other . The Times has had three " Leadees" devoted to its consideration , in the course of which it has brought forward into more particular notice , the more important points of the very important conversation . The Standard and Morning Post , too , we hear have also commented on the document ,
and so has the Morning Advertiser . Their articles we have not Eeen ; but understand they are like those of the Times , exceedingly favourable to the purposes and object of the Deputation . The -Chronicle has not yet appeared openly against the document ; that is , it has not yet either attacked ( in its " leading" columns , ) the members of the deputation personally , or even defended those principles of political economy which the deputation have impugned and assailed , and which principles are the Chronicle ' s stock-in-trade . Sir John Easthope has not yet openly " come out
of his shell f bat he has written a letter to the members of the deputation , and inserted it in his Chronicle , where it appears without date or address , other than the assumed signature , " A Working Max . " Sir Jch > ' attempts to make it appear that the interview with the Premier was " a farce , " and respresents that the whole thing was got up for " dramatic effect" ! This will not do , Sir John ! Thiswillnot answer your purpose ! You muEt meet and upset the positions taken by the Deputation , ere you take away from the " effect" produced by the interview and statements . Meet them , man J " You can easily prove the Deputation to be ignoramuses . " Do so ; but do it openly , Sir John ! Do not assume to be that which you never was—" a working man . " You
have no conception of the character , Sir John : you cannot play it . The " dramatic effect" is wanting . You betray your ignorance , Sir John . Give it up , or do your business openly , and in your own character ; that of a defender and apologist of the most horrible and cruel system of human slavery that ever existed . . The " effect , " however , of that Report upon those who plead so earnestly for another " extension" of our commerce , for the purpose of filling the money bags of the " great" masters yet more fully , is prodigiously diBhearteniiig . Whether it be dramatic " or not , we leave Sir John Easthope to determine : but , that it has not put them in very good humour , ig evidenced by the following ^ strange production , addressed : —
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TO THE EDITOR OF THE SUN . Six , —After the amusing description which has been given of the interview of the Ten Hours' Deputation with the Minister , it remains only to anticipate the time when the manufacturing capitalists stall present themselves to the Grand Vizier of the hour , with a corresponding request to have the " evils of the agricultural management looked into , and repressed by the strong fingers of the law . " When this time comes , how pathetic will the " remonstrants be , on the evils physical and moral , which always arise from agriculture where the manufacturing interest has not a controller on the spot . To say nothing of the toils of harvestwomen , and the total absence of care for the fingers of female and infant weeders when the thermometer is below 40 , the moral view alone will be terrible and sad . Out popular poetry is full of little but the moral dangers inse-
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parable from the encouragement of an agricultural population . The bush ,, the brako , the M rigs o'barley , " and the " rushes green , " have each their several temptations , leading all one way , and calling forpensive reflection on the legislator and the parish officer . Shall there be no balm for this , while an active superintendence on the part of a moral and religious manufacturing public might do so much to prevent the apprehended evils ! Why not appoint an inspector of nay-fields i ¦ Dp the landlords properly box off all dangerous places ? Are these matters to be left to adjust themselves ; or ought the law to interfere to ensure the doing
rig-it ! The requirementsof humanity imperatively demand it . The landlords may find out some time , that it is just as easy fox one set of men to plague and vilify another , as was the converse . Of course it will be understood , that if the question has been treated here with levity , it was in the full persuasion that what is called the Ten Hours' question , after making the needful reservations for well-meaning blander , is a fraud directed to the preservation of the evils it pretends to remedy , and by the active operation and encouragement of those who made and maintain the evils for the sake of their own personal and diBhonest gain . Yours very sincerely , T . Pbbhonet Thompson .
Blackheath , Jan . 3 , 1842 . The " effect" must have been very galling upon the party with whom Colonel Thompson fraternizes to have drawn from him , —a , generally goodtempered and quaintly humourous nan , —such a piece of petty malignant spite and gratuitous insult as the above ! Yes , petty malignant spite and gratuitous insult ! The letter contains these , and nothing else ! The fling at the landed interest , which nothing but spiteful malignity could have prompted , is petty and paltry enough , God knows bat the insult heaped upon , the manufacturing
operatives by the . Colonel is not so easily got rid of . The operatives engaged in factory labour have felt the woeful blasting effects of the factory system upon their household comforts and domestic happiness . They have had to submit to the power of iron and steel , which has dragged their infant children from their poor resting place , and demanded their close and constant attendance for eighteen hours together , with only thirty minutes intermission for rest , meals , education , and recreation ! They have seen their little ones murdered before their vary faces : and , because they have complained of
this ; because they have demanded protection for the infant ; because they have asked for a curb to be placed upon the power which works such murderous effects ; Colonel Thompson , of all men in the world , insults them by representing that they have no more to complain of than the agricultural labourer , the M harvest ; women , " and " female and infant weeders" ! He represents their efforts as a " wellmeaning blunder , " and " a fraud directed ' to . -the preservation of the evils they pretend to remedy" !!! The operatives know that their tender offspring have to attend upon the machinery of the factorymaster for twelve or fourteen houra , in an atmosphere artificially heated to seventy , eighty , ninety ,
and even ninety-four degrees , when the thermometer in the open air stands at twenty-five ; they know that this is dedtruotive to the health of the stronge 8 ^ ormed men brought within its influence ; they know that their children have , by its means , become "weakly , emaciated , stunted in their growth , dull , sluggish , and diseased ; " and yet Colonel Thompson represents that they have no more cause of complaint than " female and infant weeders" who follow their occupation in the open air , when the thermometer is below forty" ! He represents their efforts to obtain a modicum of protection for their children , as the efforts of one set of men determined "to plague and villify another" set of men , the millowners ! The insult is grossly outrageous !
11 Ten-Hours question is a fraud directed to the preservation of the evils it pretends to remedy . " So says Colonel Thompson 1 He only says so , however . He does not condescend to show how the enacting of a law prohibiting the working of any child between the ages of thirteen and twenty-one more than ten houra per day , with two hours for meals , will " preserve the evil" of working him eighteen hours with only thirty minutes intermission , which was the evil complained of . He does not show how the bringing out of the mills , the daughters and wives of the working people , and sending their
brothers , and sons , and husbands to supply their places , instead of their walking the streets workless and pennileBS as they do cow j ho does . not show how the doing of this would " preserve the evil " complained of . He does not show how the keeping of the wives of the working men at home , to attend to their domestic cares and duties ; to keep the poor man ' s home cleanly , and prepare bis focd , and mend his clothing , and nurse his children ; he does not show hove the accomplishment of this " would preserve the evil" complained of , which evil is that the man has to do the duties at home , while the wife works in the factory for his
support . He does not show how the keeping of the daughters of the poor at home with their mothers , to learn how 1 o make a pudding and broil a steak ; to learn how to make a shirt , and knit a stocking ; to learn how to bake and boil , and mend , and darn ; the Colonel does not condescend to showAow ; the accomplishment of all these things would " preserve the evils " complained of ; and all these things , and many more , are involved in that "Ten-Hours' Question" which the Colonel designates as " a well-meaning blunder" and" a fraud direoted to the preservation of the evils it pretends to remedy" !!!
The fact is , the"Freo TradoParty , " as they call themselves , are stung to the quick , as the exposure of the hollow sophistries and baseless " principles" upon which they have built their superstructure of fraud and deceit , in the hope of " gulling the natives" into another " extension" of that system which has given " millions" to a few , and taken comfort and plenty from the many ! They are mad with rage at the fact , that the working people have detached themselves from the car of Maltuusianism I to which they were chained by the Whigs , and have set vp business on tlieir own account ; sending , of themselves , to the Prime Minister in person to detail
their wrongs and grievances , and to set forth their requirements , as a distinct party in the state . LABOUR never before could get to bead-quarters , only when capital chose to let it . Now it has been there personally and by itself . Is there nothing in this ? Do not the " great" masters see , in this proceeding , the prostration of all hope of their being able to deceive the Minister , or humbug the people I Their power to do . these things is gone ! Well may they rage and rave ! and well may the cantious and prudently-calculating Colonel Thompson forget himself , and heap insult upon the heads of those who have disappointed a faction's hopes !
In keeping with the Colonel's pitiful spleen are the malignant lies of the Weekly Dispatch . That "friend of the poor , " whose knowledge is so extensive that he stands in need of no information , gravely informs the public that "the Deputation included the President of the Executive Secret Council of the Chartist National Association , and another noted Chartist orator . " No matter that the Editor knew there nevecwas anyBuoh body in existence , as the "Executive Seeret Council of the Chartist Association ; '' no matter that the Editor knew that Mi . John Leech , of Huddersfield , was not Mr . ' James Leach , of Manchester , the latter of whom is the President of the " Executive Committee of the National Charter Association , " ( with no secrecy ); I no matter that the Editor of the Dispatch kuew j these things ; he knew also that the " effect" of : the Report of the Deputation would not be to serve the interests of the class whose prejudices he panders to ; he knew that the statements aud arguments nsed by the Deputation were irrefut- ! able ; he knew that nothing but enormous lying , which would stir up the class and party prejudices I of the upper and trading classes against the De-i putatiou personally , could avail him ; he knew the i woitli of the bugbear , Charthm , amongst these !
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classes ; he knew that Iie 3 were wanted to conjure up his man of atriiwj ro Ac ( oW fes , and created a President of » body ; -: that never had exifltenoe , for the purpose of representing him as oompoeing one of the Depatatioat ; lMv ^ J ^ : ^ B ^ i } ja ' {! f ^ despicajWejbjftBart thoureduced l >[• : ' < "' : ' : 3- ' ;';¦ The Yeraoiou 8 X » i $ pa / c /> , who is so very knowing as to know every thing , Motma the
world"That the Ten HoursV Committee was set upon its legs by one of Sir Robert Peel ' s own colleagues , who went to Leeds with lots of gold , after the General Election was over , to get up a counter agitation to the Manchester Corn Law movement _ and to cause the manufacturing system to be vih'fied and misrepresented by bribed hackney spotttewv ' , v . '; ; ¦¦ , j .: ; ' ; . ' v '' v " 'V .: ' . ¦ ; -. u-- ; -- ;;> : ¦ . ¦; . ' ¦ ¦ . ,-v : "TheTenHour ^< 3 bmmitteei : the "feoyrtngone '' does not know that there is a Short Time Committee in ; ' every towo / iia . thV ' niuiui ^ iivbg ^ dilBiridt , both in Yorkshire and Lancashire ! w The
Committee was Bet onits legs byone of Sir Roibk&t Peel ' s own colleagues , who went fo * Leeds ^ tK Jotj of gold . " Which of Sir Roiseht ' s colleagues / was ty Mr . Wisdom ! : ¦ ' Lord ' Ashley 'ia ; the man pointed at , who did visit Leeds , . after the election , ; to inferm the Committee that he should still persevere in his efforts to obtain from Parliament a measore of justice for the infantile labourer in the factories , notwithstanding the altered position of parties , which altered position the patrons of the Weekly Dispatch hadpredioted would alter him j and yet Mr . Wisdom
does ' not . even know that Lbr < I Ashley is not a colleague of Sir Robert iPiEL I— -nayj he does not know , what all the world knows besides , that lord Ashley Refused offic 6 under Sir Robkbt Peel , because that Minister had not made up his mind on the question of the "Ten Hours ' Bill'M Verily , Mr . Wisdom , your ^ teowrngB ** are very © steamer ] B \ vtthei '' Ten ^ dura * Coiamittee was then , set upon its legs / ' ¦ . ; The Leeds Ten Hoars' Committee has been in existence fen years ! Really , Mr . Wiseman , the world ia ignorant !"
As for the "lotsof gold , '' all we have to say ifi , we iope the " Ten Hours' Committee" got them . They will need them ! The opponent is rich and powerful—tis length of purse is ? uch , that it oa , n manage to get the TTeeWy Dispa / cA on its side . Monopoly is * bad thing , says the Dispatch . Don't let it want to have all the ^ "lotfl \ ot ^ gold' * to itself . The Short Time Committees have aa much right to be" 6 ri 6 ed" ashehas . . . v
Leaving the press for the present , let us once morp revert to the' interview with Sir Robert Peel . The Deputation spoke with a . truthful boldness which makes the whole Report of their conversation intere&t ' iBg in the highest degree . No doubt every one of our readers will peruse the entire document , as far as we give it this week ; but we cannot forbear from queting the solemn appeal made by these working men to the Prime Minister of England : — ' ' .: ' ¦ ¦ ¦ ' " ¦ . . : ¦• -V . ¦ -- " : .. '
* ' You , Sir Robert , " said they , " are now placed in the most important and commanding position of aay individual in Europe , perhaps in the world . At the head of a strong Government , with a powerful majority in the Commons , and an influential portion of the population thinking with you ; unfettered as you declare yourself to be , save by your own convictions of what is right and useful ; theresources of an empire on which the eun is said never to set—an
empire unparalleled in its natural and artificial appliances—at your oommand , and a population whose enterprise , industry , and genius is proverbial , looking up to you ; a grave , an awful responsibility rests upon you , Sir Robert ! The means for produding national well being are superabundant ; the population is but limited . Broad and comprehensive views , vigorous and decided action , are all called for by the exigencies of the times , and we earnestly hope that such will mark your course . ''
This is not the language of sycophancy or of prostitution . It 1 b the honest but eloquent appeal of labour to rowER 1 May it be responded to as it deserves I . ¦ . - .. . ; . ¦ ¦¦ : " /;• : ; . » : ¦ : •> ¦ . -. - . ¦ '¦ . .. ¦ In the second portion of the Report , which details the interview the Deputation had with Sir James Graham , the reader will perceive that the " question of the land" is fairly set before the Government ^ as a remedial measure for the manifold evils we endure and are still further threatened with . The end of the preseut system , whether we " extend" it or restrict it , without giving a new
direction to the energies of our population , is there truthfully depicted ; and an awful and sorry end it ia < Government , however , have now the truth before them . If they dare to act on it , and fairly grapple with the difficulties , the nation is saved I If the Prime Minister has not moral courage to do this ; if he adopt a faltering temporising policy ; he submits his own judgment to the cautious and tardy movements and desjrea of others ; if he be not fully prepared to take thebull by the horns , and fling Aim , his Cabinet will speedily go to smash ! and he himself sink below the level of the
would-be-statesman . - ••;¦ - .. - . . ' . Time will speedily decide ! The battle will shortly commence . On prudent energy and firm determination the Minister ' s existence depends : but , whatever may be At * fate , the cause of the people is sure They stand aloof from the " rich oppressor , " and perseveringly and successfully prosecute their suit , as the " poor oppressed , " in the court of public opinion . Neither bribes , nor threats , nor vilifica *
tion , nor calumny , nor intimidation can turn them from their course 1 Their motto is , " Onward , and we conquer ; backward , and We fall" The cause of the people is safe ! whatever becomes of the Minister ! Cabinets may smash ; Parliaments may be broken up ; Governmental difiieultiea may increase and abound : they bo so becacse they are not prep ared to do justice ! The Minister who dares to-. dp this will be the Minister of the people , and will stand : all others must fall I
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WAGES OF LABOUR AND " EXTENSIONS " OF COMMERCE . The great ! demand upon our space this week by the Report of the Short Time Committee ' s beputatiou , aud the proceedings at several meetings , and of ihe Scottish Delegates , will prevent us from giving , in the present paper , the observations we promised on the last mooted infernal ¦ ¦ " scheme" of the "great ' Cotton Masters of Lancashire , to get rid of the poor unfortunates they have inveigled and trepanned from ' the agricultural districts ,
now that they have no further use for them . Those observations will keep , however ; and though wo are prevented just now from giving them , the world shall know the nature and sincerity of that " sympathy" with the operatives which the " great " masters now pretend ' so feelingly toentertain . "Their scheming , both to get the agricultural labourers here into the manufacturing districts , and to get them back again now that they are worked to death , shall be laid bare ! 0 ! yes ! we will know the value of their " sympathy" !
Meanwhile , we oanaot but congratulate the country upon "the fix ' in which the "great" masters are placed . The gauntlet has been fairly thrown dowu to theni ; they have been challenged to show that former " extensions" of commerce have had the effect of adding to the wages of labour and the profits of tHe master ; they ha . ve been fairly told that if they will but do this , the working people will joiu them in demanding another " extension ; " and they have also been told that if they fail to do this , the working people will still continue to stand aloof from "the extension offoreign trade agitation , " and go on in their own way , on
their own account , and for their own object : the " great" masters have been invited to a fair encounter ; and they shrink from the contest ! Not one of their organs or advocates have dared : to answer or notice the questions we have recently put to them . Neither the Chronicle , not the Sun , nor the Globe * nor the Manchester Guardian , nor the Leeds Mercury , have dared to accept ' the challenge we have given them . Nor lias Mr . Cobden or Mr . Plint dared , to attempt to shew that our " extended " commerce aad improved machinery have added to the comforta of tho ooitage and the till of the shopkeeper . A or Have they even vehiuredfo . attempt tdshew that they have not taken from both . They dare not
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thus attempt .. ! They will shirk the questions we have raised , and affect to treat them with contempt . ^ This , however , will iot do ! T ^ b ^ questions must be met , and satisfactorily answered ; or the working people will never join the 'Vgroat * ' toasters for u Cprn iaw Hepeali' * as a means pf further ^ ex ^ tending" commerce : and the " great" masters are powerless for this purpose until the Working people do join them ! . ' , ' /' : ' ¦ \ - \ . ' - ' ¦ ' ¦' ¦' : . ' - /¦' -: y \ ' :: : -v . ¦' :
';¦ We haye before clared , the ^ great" masters to open their ledgers , and tell us the exact amounts they have paid as wages for the same description of work ,. © very year ^ from 1810 to 1842 . We aoaiii t > auet : hem to do this , and we tell them they will have to do it ! The nation must fathom this thing . We must know all about it . No measures can be safely taken nntil we have this information . We must know accurately what the past effects of pur " commerce'' have been , with all [ "ffa * extensipns /' , beforewecan judge what ia likely to acorue from futur&and farther " extensions . The informatiou muBt be had ! ' ¦ : '• ¦¦¦ ¦ . !' '¦ ¦' ¦ '
Tho' the ;" great" masters dare not , voluniarily , give this information , the working people daref The reason for this conduct on the part , of both master and workman , is obvious ! It is the interest of the one that the truth should be concealed ; it is the interest of the other that it be blazoned forth ! Accordingly the operatives are at work in all parts of the kingdom , preparing the tables of wages we have asked for . To those who have written , apprising us that they ar « so engaged , we beg to tender our best thanks , accompanied again by tho request that they will take care \ o be very exact . Be sure ofevery thing you set down ; and then we will defy thfrdeviii with " -ail the ^ great" masters to boot , ! t < ft dpsst pur positions . ¦ . . ;
Perhaps we cannot do better than close this short article with two specimena of the *• honour" an ^ *• Wnesty' ^ ; pf : the *? greats aasteraf in : the wooilen aud worsted districts . These personages make " great" ^ pretensions : io these ¦/ two ; : qualities : let us test them . '¦¦ ¦;; ' ¦ ¦ ¦; . ' . " . v- ' i ¦ . . ¦ . . ;¦ ¦ ¦'¦ ' . / " .. ' V- ' . : - - ¦ - '¦ The woollen merchants , then , we boldly aver , are so "honourable" and so " honest , " that they do not pay a single penny for thei ° finishing" of their cloths ! They cheat out of the clothier the finisher and the puchaser more than pays for the entire cost of dressing ! Here is the operation .
If is well known , now , that none but " great " masters have any chance in the market . Those of small capital are done up ! There are none left now but ; a few of the great" ones , who are ^ nown to be ' ? great : ? ' that is , they are known to posses 8 "immense capital . ^ These go , then ; say into the Leeds ot Huddersfield Cloth Halls , amongst the clothiersi who have ^ their ?' baulks there for sale : that is , cloths in an unfinished state , —just as they have left the weaver , and scourer , and fuller . The olothiera who attend these . Halle are men of small means ; men who reside in the country Tillages so thicWy studded throughout the West Riding of
Yorkshire , and who : are just able to make one or two pieces , and bring them to market for sale . But they must sell . The small capital they have , and the other pressings pf the system , render it necessary that their money should be turned over . The man with the purse knows this . He shakes the purse in the poor clothier ' s face , when he bids him a price for his cloth . The clothier is at his mercy . He must sell , he is forced to d p so in many instances , at less than prime cost : and , in almost all instances , at a sacrifice of the greater portion of the profits his class used to get . The consequence is , that the race of clothiers is rapidly declining-i-the little master sinking ^ into the rank ; of journeyman
weaver . ¦ - ¦ -. . ¦ . ¦ - " ¦ ¦ '' ¦ ¦ - / "• : ¦ ' - ; ¦ ^¦/;¦ , ¦ ' ¦ : . " > . Next follows another " process . " The clothier , when the price is agreed on , takes his pieces to the " measurer-ini" for the ?? great" master . This is generally ah important , - fussy , stand-out-of-way person , age . He knows what he has to do . He has to cheat in the measurement ! , He will do this , to the extent of two yards in each piece , spite of all the clothier
can do . In vain the clothier measures it fairl y before his face / The measurer can make ii into nomore . " The olotrner is forced to submit to the robbery ^ or take his piece back again . Bat he must have money He cannot eat his cloth ! He is compelled to accede to the measurement of the " measurer-in , " though he well knows that if he had to go , the ' next hour , to purchase the piece back again , the " measuring out" wonld be qaite different i-
Those two yards , thus cheated , bobbed , from the poor dothier , will in most instanceB , pay for the after dressing ! But the cheating idoes not end here . In the course of the dressing the cloths have to be "tentered , " after they are ?• wetted" and "raiBed . " These "tenters" are formed of I « ng horizontal bars fixed upon upright posts , and made of wood or iron . The bars are filled with hooks , on which the cloth is hung b y the *? lists / ' The uppermost bar is generally a nxture to the top of the upright posts ; and the lower bar , in short
lengths , with joints something like those of a turnup bedstead , is formed so as to slide a certain distance in " slots" made in the upright post . This is done to accommodate the " tenter" to the different widths of the cloths , and to stretch them to their proper width when affixed to the hooks . When " master croppers" were more rife than . even facr tories now are , these "tenters" might / be seen occupying the fields around their houses in almost every direction i . for then the ?' drying" was nearly ; all done in the open air . ATow ; however , these have
nearly disappeared , along with the " master cropper " himself ; and the " drying" is mainly done in the " stoves , " . or " dry-houses , " attached to each factory . Thig prevents the process we are how desscribing from being seen , as it would : be , were the " tenters" in the open air , as formerly . When the" piece , " then , goes to be " tentered , '' it is first afiixed by the V . yead-hend" ( head-end ) to the topmost , or endmost post , but not to the bars , other than loosely , on some slight pieces of wood that turn down from the posts to keep the cloth
from the ground . When thus hanging loosely in front of tho tenter , the men all get to the " hiaderend" of the " pic « e , " andpuUit to the length required . Now , this is a hajrd task ; and a rope and pair of blocks ( sometimes with three sheaves ) are provided , to enable the men to stretch the cloth to the " extent " required . Formerly the manufacturer or merchant was prohibited by Aot of ParliameBt from stretching his piece of cloth more than a yard beyond the length stamped upon it in the U baDlk" by the supervisor ; for the stretching it beyond this point injures the texture of the fabric . Now , however )
that law has become hitched off ; and the pieces are stretched two , three , four and five yards longer thanVthey measured when in the " baulk '' ! The length thus obtained , will more than again pay for the whole process of " finishing , " including the new schemes of ¦ ?? boiling" and ' ? steaming " resorted to to make coarse wool into fine . Allthis is to the manifest injury of the consumer . The texture is injured by the tl tentering ; " and what is left short by that process is finished by the " boilr ing" and " steaming ;? for after the cloth has undergone these several processes , it is more rot fen than ' M used to be after many years' wear !
And the men who thus sy 8 tematical ' y rob and cheat , ; are- "honest" and "honourable 1 ' men ! Quite " respectable 1 " And they want to repeal the Corn Laws solely to ensure the operatives " cheap food , ; high wages , and plenty to bo . " No doubt they do ! Had they not better give Up cheatingthe clothier , and . thus allow Aim to hava a modicum of wagesV before they make . such 1 ^ great" pretensions about the interests of the operatives ?'' ; -i Now , then , ' . forthe Stuff Trade . " Honest" and " honourable" and " respectable" men are engaged iii this department too . ; The following is a sample of their practices . ,
' ¦ % The ; standard length of a Stuff Piece is twentyeight yards . ' It is eo posted up in many places in Bradford Stuff Piece Hall . No mahufactuCer has
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any right to make a piece one yard longer . If he does , he infringes ; upon an established rule of the trade . The Stuff manufacturers , almost universally , set thi 3 principle at nought ! They are too " honest" to be bound by rule ! They inake their pieces from . 36 tc > 39 ; ywds Jong f ; And they do not pay one single penny more to the weaver for weaving the 39 yards than" they paid for the 28 1 !! They do not pay one single penny more to the printer , or dyer or finishier ! And when they send them into " . our foreign markets , " they Bend them , and pay duty ibr themi as though they : were
of the standard ^ length , 28 yardB !!!! ^ Their ?• iionour" and " honesty '' fi > st teaches them to rob thet weaver and dyer at home ; and then to > defraud ( the foreigner abroad , to keep and > exten ^' whose custom we are to ruii the British forme ^ anil agricultural labourer ! , ^ Honest" men 1 give oyer robbing andcheat ing before yon ank the Working people to " extend" yoiir " commercial system" ! u Honourable ^ and . respectable" menJ a Repeal of the Corn Laws to enable you still further to cAeai and tob would be of infinite service ; would it not t " Dpn't you wish you may get it" ! . !
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Again have the public been most grossly insulted by the new Whig official , who seems determined to eclipse even the old woman who sat in : the civio chair last year . A requiaitioa , signed by six member of the Town Council—the body , who elected him to be the wearer of the "gold chain' *—and signed , too , by not less than fifty borough voters , and by more than a hundred municipal voters , was presented to him last week , asking him to call a public meeting to consider the propriety of memorialising her Majesty for a free pardon for Frost , Williams , and Jones . The parties who presented the
requisition , so signed , to his worship , were also instructed to ask him , if he felt the least hesitation about calling the meeting , \ to grant the reqaisitors the use of the Court-House , and they would ' convene the meeting themselves . But rip ! Both these requests were ¦>¦ refused 1 His worship - ' " could not recognise any other party in the town than Whigs and Tories . ' 'Tis true . That was his reason ! Fit man to be a Mayor ! : Well : the parties whom he had thus grossly insulted learned that a public meeting was to be holden in the Music Hall on Tuesday evening last , at which it was announced the Mayor was to take the ohair Many people were curious to see what sort of a thing it ( the Mayor ) was ; and so determined to go ! Bat no time was fixed for the meeting . The Bills calling
it duly set forth , that it was under the auspices of the ?* $ 9 oiety for the Extinction of the Slave Trade ; " and they also pompously announced that " Prince Albert" was " Patron and President j " but they announced no /» me for the meeting to commence ! No matter ; the time was learned ; and , though the dpprs were opened bo early as five o ' clock , and though all means had betn used to get together a meeting of the Mawworm , Cantwell , and Praise-God-bare-boneB ; sort ; yet when the business was proceeded with at half-past five , it was found that more than three-fourths of tho . meeting were of that " party which ' . the IMUiyor had refused to recogaise ! ¦¦ ¦ ¦ ¦ : ' .... ; " " : ' - . ¦' : ¦ ' ¦ ' ¦ . ' : " "¦ ¦¦ ' . ¦ : ?¦ ¦ ¦ ¦ ' ¦ " Alderman Tottie moved that the Mayor should
. -tn . 4 UVAautvaft xyiiviy oa « wv «/»* * mwu vaaw cawi V 4 u «« vu * % k take the chair , which was seconded by a broad-cloth gentleman near him ; and the Mayor was proceeding to seat himself without a vote .: He stopped short , however , when he heard a deep Bonorous voice in the body of the Hall moving , " as an amendment , that Mr . William Brook should preside . " This was duly arid promptly seconded and put to the meeting , when it was carried unanimovLslff , not a single liana being held up against it . r ; / The Mayor and hif ftw ; friends , —after Alderman Tottie had sillily enough bawled : put ' " . this meeting is dissolved ! " precipitately rushed from the platform
at the very moment Mr . Brook took hia seat iu the chair J A number of policemen were in attendance at the meeting ; and alderman "Captain" Tottje was so frightened , that he took a number of them away to guard him home ! ¦ When the Mayor and his friends had departed , Mr . Brook opened the business of the meeting , and introduced Mr . Jones , and several other gentlemen to address it , and move the resolutions . A real good Chartist meeting was thus had . The room was more than prdinarily lighted . The glass chandeliers were-filled with wax candles ; an d these , in addition to the gas-lights , gave the splendid room a very elegant
appearance . . A memorial to the Queen for the free pardon of Frost , Williams , and Jonog , was unanimously passed ; and several resolutions were also passed , aa will be seen from an advertisement inserted in another part of eur paper .
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Brief Rules for the Government of all wh » write for Newspapers—Write legibly . Make as few erasures and interlineations : as possible In , writing names of persons and places be more particular than usual to make every letter distinct and clear ^ -also in rising words not English . Write only on one side of the paper . Employ no abbreviations whalevery but write out every word in full . Address communications not to any particular person , but to " The Editor . " ^ Finally , when you sit down to tPrjte , don't be in a hurry . Consider that hurried writing makes ¦ slow printing . The Poets . —Our poetical friends have been as usual : exceedingly bounteous : we have so large a stock
of poetry and apologies for poetry on hand , and pur friends supply us constantly so liberally that we shall not henceforth particularly notice this department in our ; ?' 'Notices to CorreS ' pondents . " We shall select from the mass sent us asmuch as we have room for , with as mugh iw partiality as possible . Accepted pieces will , ' therefore , be known by their appearance in the ' paper : ; and authors whose communications do not ¦ : appear will not , therefore , conchide that they are rejected because of demerit , as it would be impossible for us to find room for half of even . the , readable poetry that comes to us * Z ' . A . —The landlord can distrain for twelve nionths , if so much be due , but not for more than is due . More Chartist 'Blacking —If the patriotic effort of Mr . Binder to raise a fund for the Executive ,
¦ without taking anything from any&ne , have done nothing else , it has . aroused a spirit of competi-. tioii : among blacking manufacturers ^ which may be turned to good account if the people require it . ¦ Mr . Wm . Brelsford , of Burnley , now offers a ¦; like means for raising a fund for the Convention ' He offers to give ihreehalfperice out of every shilling of his receipts to the Convention fund , and to pay carriage to any part of Lancashire on . orders of 10 s . value , accompanied by cash . William VV . Tipping , vBingley . —IFe cannot insert \ his communication : the lawyers would call it a : libel . ¦ -. / - - ; - - : . ;¦ •/¦ '¦ . /¦;¦ : / : ¦ ¦ : ¦¦ : ; '¦¦ " / ,::. Henry Bates . — We believe the Huddersfield Pdor . Law Guardians meet at theirBoardroom , Bux ~ Ston ' road , every Friday . Thaddeus Cafferkv , cj' Ballaghadernine , Ireland , ; sends us the following note , which we publiah : —
" BaUaghadernine , Jan . 2 , 1842 > My Dear Sir , —Owing to a mattsr whieh I am Borry I cannot publish , I am obliged to tell my friendsniy generous friends of Britain , that I must decline their correspondence , as also all communication ¦ with them in future .
: "lam , yours , "TnADDEUS CAFFERKY . " A Poor Man , Bristol . — ^ ^ George Julian Harney hat ¦ received the twelve postage stamps' —will the donor be pleased to say whether they are for Holberry ¦ -: oniyor for Holberry and others t , v-George Julian Harney has received 3 s . 6 d . front the Nottingham Chartists assembling at the King Georgeion Horseback , for Mrs . Elizabeth Taylor . The money : has been handed to Mrs . T ., vm ' returns ( hanks . ; ^ ¦ JoHN . CRQWtHER > -H i ? have no room . „ Henry Johnson is a foot , and something more . He is rightly served . . ' ..... letter
Mr . ' Skevington— -We have not room for the intended for the Cbmmonwealthsnian . The Newton Class , Bishop WeaRmouth . ^ -JA ? « " - .-. ¦• ; knowledgement'by \ Mr : Campbell ' oj ' the receipt 07 the \ 0 s . is ¦ light enough . * J . M . —The , norninations of many localities for Jhe ¦ " /" ¦ General Council have already appeared ; others s will be published as fast ax we receive them . In ¦ . reference to the other point of his enquiry , we believe thei usage to be for their functions to cease inslanter ; but we fear the general organisation is not generally well carried out . G . M . BAUTLEcr . —His letter has been received a « shall be forwarded thefirstopportunity : [
The Leeds Mayor And T&E Leeds :;.≫;: Chartists. ^ ! ;.V5\:V-V ^V '
THE LEEDS MAYOR AND T&E LEEDS : ; . >; : CHARTISTS . ^ ; . v 5 \ : v-v ^ v '
Co Iicatm^ Anti Qtovve^Pontjent^.
Co iicatm ^ anti QTovve ^ pontJent ^ .
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4 - -- - ¦ - ; , : : th ; e : .: nor : t : h ; e b ;^
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The National Petition . —Our publisher , Mr . Hobson , has printed the ^ National , ^^ Petition for 1842 , on a neat sheet , for the purpose of beingexten-¦¦ . ' . sively distributed amongst those from whom signaty . res are asked , thai they may know for what they are signing . Her « i ready [ to supply [ them to the Associations arid to individuals at the following charges : —10 Q copies ; -... / l > r 2 $ ;; 1 , 000 'for 15 s . Pe-: titionsheetst of good strong paper , ruled in four "¦' .-, ¦ columns , and holding two hundred names when ; filled , may also : be had , price 2 d . each . The Petition and sheets may also be had from Mr ' i Cleave ,. London ; Messrs . Paton and - Love , Glasgow ; arid Mr . Heywopd , Manchester . But in all cases the money must be sent in advance—the price being so low as to preclude ¦¦ ¦¦ ' credit . •'¦ . - .. ' - .: / '• ¦ ' : ; ¦•¦'¦ v .. - : ¦ ' '•'• ' '' : ' ..
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Citation
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Northern Star (1837-1852), Jan. 8, 1842, page 4, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/ns/issues/vm2-ncseproduct412/page/4/
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