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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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HOUSE OF COMMONS . —Mokdat . ( Continued from our Sixth Page . ) gad * cruelty on the part of the Poor Law Commissioners exceeding anything that bad yet been heard of , and rnors fatal in its consequences ? Would he aid Mm ( Mr . Fielden ) in bringing to light the conduct of the CoiBnusaosers , their assistant * , and their correipendpondeBts , "with regard to the seeding of labouring people from the southern counties into the northern factories ? Would he make them produce their correspond * nce , and / weald he Make them reader an account of ihe thousands { there were "upwards of ten thousand ) that "Were made the victims of the " migration" scheme ? He wanted the -whole of the
correspondence , not the commissioners' garbled extracts . He -jrai . tcd to know -where the remnant of their victims 'wers now to be found ; how many they had sent clowc , Jic-vr many had died , how many they had sent btck , and the condition of those that remained . If the Ki ^ hV Eon . Barenet woalg aid him in that , thtre -was matter enonsth to be broeght to light , and he did not see fauw be conid reftss his aid in that matter , if he rc-ally thought the coEnnissioners -were of u ? e in bringing to light the cruel treatment of the poor . But , ustil this aid were given to him , and the commissioners made to account t 9 Parliament for these poor t migrants , he -weald not crasest to piss a bill -which proposed to ccntiiine their tsistence oae hour .
Mr . Lattsos , -who rose amid a lond caS for 3 dmaon , defended those -who opposed the bul from being actuated by any «• ralgar" pandering to the popular feeling os the tabject ~ The House then divided , whsn there appeared , For Mr . Dusccaibe ' a motion ... ... 37 AfTHTISt it ... ., ... 156 Majority f ? r going into Committee en the Bill ,, ... 119 Ths House then -went into Committee , and Mr . TV . iXJ . ET moTed the postponement of tfceSrat disuse , -which enacts that the period of duration of the Poor Law Commission shall be for fire years . His object in jroposiag the postpoatment was to £ et the pro-risioDS of the bill settled , and the power cf the Commissfoners defined , before the period of ^ Suration of tae Cemmission -was decided en . He snpported Ms motion fey a speech against tiie Xew Poor Ls . tr , warnin g the B * &se against ibe conse < jueiices -wiucil be dreaded Irom QiB paaslne of the bill .
Sir-Jam . es Gbahah protested against the lansnage used "by the opponents of the bill , and tt » harsh accusations -which they indiscriminately dealt out to its snrparters , -who were of all parties , T 0 P 7 , Waig , and BsdicaL The workhouse test was by no means a Krvelty , as - was contended ; it -was distinctly provideJ jfcr in the 9 i Geo . I ., whose provisions had been relaxed in 1796 , in consequence of prevailing distressa relaxation -which contributed mainly to the eKtasion of those abases , -which it "was the object of the New Poor Law Act to remedy , and -which , in remedying them , did bo by a return to old principles . Tiie maintenance of the Poor Law Commission was the keystone to the biH Mr . Edwaed Bcxier showed that the primitive Poor Lsw Acts of EEzibsth were far from deserving the credit for humane consideration for the poor which was usually ascribed to them .
Mr . Eenett opposed the extreme powers given by the Bill to the Poor Law Commissioner ! As a po « - Si-ssor of the soil , he felt that he had duties to perform toward * those whose labours contributed to his ¦« ealth and comfort , and he did net wish to evade his share cf responsibility . Though he conid not make op Ms mind as to the actual continuance of the Commission , he would Tote for the postponement of the clause . Mr . Sice was satisfied as to the wisdom and policy of having a central controlling power in the administration of the law . Mr . S . WORT LEY supported Mr . Wailey ' s amendment , as did also Captain Pechell . After some explanation from Sir James G&ahaM ,
Jlr . CaBDWEll pleaded for the postponement of the clause , on the ground that it was unfair to ask them to come to a decision on the continuance of the Commission , until they saw what would be the character of the BilL Mr . Dasbt thought that the entire subject of the Poor L ^ -srs should come from time to time under the revision of Parliament . Mr . Thomas Dt * combe quoted from the debates of last year , showing that on the Bill brought in by the late Government , Sir Edward Ksatehbull had made a
motion of a nature precisely similar to that cf Mr . Wailey ' s on the present occasion , and which the Paymaster of » he Forces . had supported on similar grounds . Admitting that S : r Edward might have good reasons f ^ r rhBTigiTig his opinions , he thought that Sir Robert Peel must have been actuated by a little sly malice in putting Sir Edward ' s name on the back of the present Bill , as one ot those by whom it was brought in . Sir EDVTAB . D K 3 ATCHBri . L vindicated his consistency , on the ground that the present Bill was of a more modified nature than the Bill of last session .
aome further explanation passed between Mr . Thcs . Doncombe and Sir Edward KnarchbuU . Mr . Philip Howard supported the New P . > or Law . Pait of its unpopularity arose from- the use of terms by the Commissioners which had the appearance of harshness . Mr . Waslet replied ; and on a division his amendment was rejected by 206 to 74 . Mr . B . "WocD proposed an amendment hiving for its object the abolition of the system of asiistanteommissioEerihi p . Sir James Graham contended that the assistantc + mmissioEers were the hands and eyes of the central
fcoard . Colonel Sibihosp supported the amendment , wishing te cut up the system root and branch . Mr . Febka-M ) said , that as the question now under consideration related to ihe assistant commissiontrs as being necessary to carry ont the bill , and as witbin the last few d 3 ys two of these assistant commissioners had forwarded reports relative to the union to which he bad the pleasure of being connected , and further , as one of these reports furnished by Mr Mott , and containing a charge of a serious nature against the magistrates of the place , had been quoted by the Right Hon . Bart , the Secretaryfor the HGme Department , he ( Mr . Ferrand ) trusted that the House Trculd indulge him for a few moments . He now stated , as a Member cf that
House , that that part of Mr . ilott ' a report which charged the magistrates with inttr ^ ring with the relief of the poor In tfce Kei ? hley Union was a malicious falsehood . "When an assistaiit-coniiiiissioiier could go down at such a momtntous time as just when thsre was going to be a debate on the Poor Law , and make these scandalous charges agjnst the magistrates , he did think that the House should take such steps as would prevent Mr . Mott from ever acting as an assistant esnunissioner again . Was the House aware who this Mr . Mott was who went down and made these scandalous charges ? JLr . Mott h 3 d accused him ( Mr . Ftrracdj acctfeer member of the Honse , xnd four other gentternt-n in the commission of the peace with haTing , for the saie of
gaining popularity to themselves , interfered with the relief of the poor ; an 4 ha had a right to show the Heuse who Mr . Mott was . He found , then , that Mr . Mott had been a contractor for the maintenance of the poor of Lambeth , and that he fead undertaken to farm out the poor in different parts of the country , acd among others the poor of the parish of Alverstoke , in which Gospert is sitnate ; that , as appeared from his examination before the Commissioners of Pcor Law Ioquiry , he famed the poor of Lambeth at 33 . lid . a bead , aDd those of Gosport at 2 s . 81 . a bead ; that he found that Ecewering the scales at the Lanibtth workhouse made a eifitrtnee of about baJf an ounce in the scales , or about £ OIK of meaS a week . The Hon . Member went on to
state , amidst cries of *• question" ini " divide , " that 2 &r . Mott had proposed in this examination that the diet in workhouses should be reduced , both in quantity and quality , by a compulsory order . This was the man -wbose charges against the magistrates of Xrighiey be { Mr . Ferrand ) declared to be false , on the authority of & gentleman who had Bat at the Board of Guaruiaus sinee it was formed ; and also of the clerks cf the magistrates , who assured him , with the sanction cf the magistrates , that there was not one word of truih in that part of the report . Then as to Sir J . Wfilsham " s Teport , he ( Mr . Ferrand ) knew to be false several of the extracts which had been read by the Right Hon .
Baronet ( Sir J . Graham ) from that report . Th § Board of Guardians had sat that merning , and he had no doubt that he should receive by to-morrow ' s post word from them that Sir J . Walsham s statements were grossly exaggerated . Ee was convinced that Sir J . Waiuham ¦ wts sent down in order to get up a statement to meet him lilr . Ferrand ) in tfce House of Ccmmc-n .- ; and he asked the Ritht Hon . Gentleman whether ha did not know of Sir J . "PTaljbam's having been sent down pxe-Ticas to the debate ? As to the statement of that gentleman , that a pauper in the Biugley workhouse had been obliged to lie in the tame bed with a dea-J person , he considered it a most monstrous statement .
Sir Jauxs GsahaJI challenged Mr . Ftrrand to move Icr 3 ccnuLstue of inquiry into the msuageHient of the poor in tee Keigtley Union—a motion , which , if made , be would second . Aittr sujilb debate , the amendment was xf-jf cted by 22 Gto 45 . Mr . Fehkasd revived the subject of Mr . Mott and the Efcigbley Union , which produced seme further remarks of Sir James Graham , and a notice from Sir Charles Jf 3 pier that be would accept the challenge which Mr . Ferrand didnot istm disposed to do—moving lot a committee of inquiry .
Ins Honse resumed , on the motion of Captain Pechell , and the remaining business was then disposed of .
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ArsTHAiiAS Bekf . —The Sussex has brought two Casks of South Australian beef as sample . The Eb ' pper sajE— " The caftle feed so well here , I think feeding cattle and sending it w > London or Liverpool will paj better than Bheep-farming . WeEhallbepaidii iff get 3 d . per pound in Londen 5 and I think that will be less than Ireland can famish yoar market wiihbeef of so good a quality as South Australia . I have seen grass-fed beef in Adelaide market better than eTer 1 ' saw in England . " We understand that some of the beef which was brought to the table cf a lattkman in Londoa waa heartily approved of .
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w NEWS FOR EMIGRANTS . 10 IRE EDITOR OF THE KOaTHERN STAB .. London , 19 th June , 1842 . Sir , —The following is an extract of a letter from Sydi ^ y , ( Uted the S 8 U 1 December , 1841 , which I hope you wiil find room for in your valuable paper , and cani , ot he to © widely circulated in this ctuutry , when so many people are embarking daily for that colony . This colony is in a most deplorable stite , since the Government has dediueu sending any more convicts htre . Emigration has been carried on to a most alarming exfcent ; there are now four ships with emigrants on board iabout 1 , 060 ) , and about 1 , 000 more living In tents , supplied by Government . It is most distress-. ne to sse the poor cteatures , with families of
children , and not a penny in their pockets , wandering about the town in search of employment . The wealthy settlers will not engage them but upon the most extreme low wages to proceed into the interior . Consequently , they remain in Sydney , starving themselves and others by working for little or nothing -, and the amount brre is from six to ten thillings per wc-tk , You would scarcely believe that there are upwards of 100 carpenters cow out of employ in Sydney alone ; stonemasons , bricklayers , &c , in proportion , owing principally to the influx of emigrants of this description arriving , and going in to work at reduced wages . Tne printing business is getting very bad . The Monitor paper baa lately been published three times a week , but commences tbe New Year as a weekly paper ; the Temperance Advocate died last Monday , as the Editor o t &rrvt-d , from actua : starvation . There are a great
mssy mor * in our trade out of employ , cad several have gone into tke interior as shepherds , is In fact , thiurs never were in such a state as at pivstut Twelve er fourteen of cur principal merchants and shipowners hive lately become insolvent , some to the amount 01 from £ S . ' , 000 to £ 100 , 000 ; find shopkeepers , and even publicans , are dally assigning over their efil-cts lo their creditors . The Governor does cot know wbat to do for money to dtfray the txpences of the emigrants who are daily arriving ; be hts advertised for loans of £ lC 0 etch to the amount of £ 200 , 000 for twdvemonths , at 8 per cent . This is a pretty state of things , masters daily discharging hands for want of money tj pay them . The office where I am employe . ! have not paid a farthing wages these three latt "weeks , and we work hard and many hours , there being but six compu-sitors to briig out the three times a week .
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TO THE EDITOR OF THE JiOKTHEItN STAB . Sis , ^—I am glad that onr friends at Leamington have conveyed to you an expre&si n of the confidence which we feel in your political integrity , an J cf the high estimation in" -which we hold your seivices in the caus > e of ChartL-m . " When in conversation with parties whose prejudice against certain individuals is so invetarate as to exclude from their calculation all appreciation or acknowledgment of even tfce good qualities and services of the latter , tfor blaclc indeed must be the character which has not om bright , one TedeemiBB featnre in its composition , ) I find that tbe most eligible procef ding is to submit to them cne simple interrogatory , to this effect , namely , " In -what condition would the Chartist agitation be at this moment , if Mr . O'Connor and the Northern Siar bad not been in existence ?"
Ailow me , Sir , to propose this question te the speculation and cc'DJecinre of your readers . A candid response to it wonld . convey a good deal of wnolesome admonition and instruction . I anr , Sir , You ; s respectfully , Ryde , Isle of Wight , J . B . Smith . June . 22 nd . 1832 .
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TO THE EP 1 T 0 B OF THE NORTHERN STAR . Sir , —As a . poor sufferirg coal miner , I must say I have very much admired the honest , faithful , and clear manner in which tbe Commissioners have set fortb tha enormous and diabolical evils connected with the coal mining system . Much has been said , very much , and I hope something will be done to remove those evils . But , Sir , much as has been said , there is yet a point or two which seems to have escaped the notice of all , and to which I wish to call your seriouB attention , and through you , " -the attention of the country and Government .
Sir , the first thing that I bave to notiee is the firedamp system . You frequently hear tell of explosions by fire-damp , and of very great sacrifice of human life by such explosions . Sometimes upwards of a hundred human beings fall victims at occe to the devouring element , while a few of their more fortunate companions are brought ont of the " blEZing dungeon " alive . Kow , Sir , did yon ever know the reason cf so maDy human beings falling a sacrifice at cne time , and in this manner ? 1 dare say not . Then , Sir , I wDl tell yon the secret It ii the driving their works such a trenien-6 i ; ub distance from the shaft—in some cases a mile or two , as I have been informed . But let the miners of Newcastleyand other places , answer as to tie truth of this statement , I Ehould be glad if any one weuld juEt give to the world true and correct information as to the general and utmost distance of theii works from the shaft of the pit .
Now , I can inform the public that there is a co ? . l-pit very near where I live , where some cf the -works are just et this moment mo : e than a thousand yards from the shaft ; and they will b « somewhere about a mile when they get to tbe utmoBt extent of their boundary . Now , suppose any serious explosion of fire-damp should take place with a number of men and boys while labouring 10 fir from the pit-shaft , what would be the cunstqatnea ? Why , either all or most of them would perish . If they were not all actually burned to death they would be smothered by tbe pestiferous and noxious £ mell which always follows an explosion ; and the reason why so many perish at once ia , because they are so far from the pit-shaft ; they are at such a tremendous distance under-ground while it i * impossible for them to make their way home alive .
Judge for yourself , Sir , when I tell yon , the moment that an explosion takes place , all the lights are felown out ; ail are Itft in complete darkneas . There are also hundreds of tUfferent places blown down by the blast which should convey the sweet , fresh , atmospheric air to the sufferers ; but now it is cut oft r ; They are a mile , or perhaps more , under-ground , — an explosion takes place , —some are burned to death , some are dashed to pieces by the blast , others who have escaped these , hare the calamity to be so far from home , -without fresh air , and have nothing but a pBstifereus iteam , something like brimBtone , to breathe in , that escapB is next to impossible . Then there are bricks , stones , planks , dead , or dying horses , fcc , laid and blown in their way . They run for life as far as they can , then they sink down and fire up the gb-ost . " ....
Sir , you will say this is a melancholy picture , but u there any remedy ? Yes , Sir , there is a remedy . It is this . Let coal masters sink two or three pits where they only sink one , and if they will no t do it of them-
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selves , ( which I am sure they will not , ) then the Government ought to make them . This very subject ought to form a part of Lord Ashley ' s Bill at this present time . It is for this very purpose that I write these lines . Sir there is another point to which I wish to call the attention of the country and the Government . It Is a custom at some places to run their ropes sadly too far . I myself have known several instances where ropes have been run while they have actually broken , and men aud boys have hid to -ronture thair lives up and down the pit on these very ropes . The whole concern , Sir , ia a love of money , more than the lives , limbs , bodies , or souls of men !! Ia one word , it is all a traffic in hu m * n life , for the sake of gaining wealth , and will never be altered except by law ; and I am afraid it will never be dons by law till the People ' s Charter becomes law . However , the subject is fairly before them , so we shall see .
Now , Sir , as to this thirteen years of age system , in LoTd Ashley's Bill ; two things are indispensably necessary before that Bill should pass into law . The first is , they should make provision for all such children aud families otherwise till they arrive at that age . The second ie , no burrying-rcad ought to be allowed to b « any less than thirty-six inches in height , let the coalbsd be what it may , as it would be impossible for a boy thirteen years of age , to go on a hurrylpg-road nnder that height , if he bad never been in a coal-pit befora Hoping those things will be duly weighed over , I remain , Sir , Yours , &c , A Constant Beadeb . of the Siak . June 23 rd , 1842 .
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TO THE CHARTISTS IN GENERAL , AND THOSE RESIDING IN TBE AGRICULTURAL DISTRICTS IN PARTICULAR ,
Brethren and Friends , —Having recently visited a portion of the agricultural districts , being well acquainted with the difficulty of so doing , and there having sten tbe good effects of introducing our principles , and also fetling with my brethren of the late Convention , the imperative necessity that exists' Tor carrying tbe enlightening principles of demoe * aey into those dark shades 0 ! Toryism , 1 beg to submit , with all due deference , tbe following as a means of carrying it ont ; First , I premise there is not a county in England , nay , scarcely a town or village , in which there rtoea not reside two , three , or more individuals who have imbibed the principles of the Charter ; nay scarcely a town , village , or hamlet but gets the Star weekly . — Secondly , —1 recommend those persons to consult with
each other . To invoke the assistance of those who profess to be advocates of civil and religious liberty , and having thus ascertained their strength , we have an Executive coming into effioe , -who have just been returned by the voice of the people , whose duty , interest , and without doubt , inclination , it will be to extend the principles as much as possible ; then let those individuals in the various counties , towns , hamlets and villages , after having ascertained their strength , immediately correspond with the general secretary , requesting an advocate for their district . The Executive being the only body paid from tie general Chartist body , I mean by the members of the National Charter Association and their friends ; the unagrtated agricultural districts having no available means for the pu .
posestanding most in need of that spirit that a Chartist agitation would impart , thsy must and will become tb » objects of the " Executive ' s" deepest solicitude , as they are now that of the Chartist body at large . Well then some cr the whole of the Executive committee would devote their time and attention to this most important object ; bat to enable the " Executive" to perform this great service to the Cbariists in particular , and to the country in general , there is one thing very jje cessary for tae members or the National Charter Association to bear in mind , viz—thattD . y pay theirown contributions as members regularly , and that the sub secretary forward monthly , one fourth of such contribution to
the General Secretary , aud then jour Executive will bave ample means ; and should , as appearances indicate , and as I fervently hope maybe the case , the districts become too large , the work bo too much to be accomplished by the Executive Committee of five , they will be enabled to send forlh approved advocates te aid and assist in the great and good work . It has to me btou Very painful in corresponding with persons , relative to our Ctiartiat movement , to continually have the following iterated and reiterated : — " am surprised that our district should have freen neglected , when it requires agitation as much or more as any other , and hope the dark region of will be bleat with a ray of Chartist l ;> ht . " .
My friends , from my recent visits to the agricultural districts , from the correspondence I havu had with some of mj brother Chartists in those districts , and from my general experience , obtained by nearly fourteen years' service jin the cause of democracy , I conclude , that the suggestions I have offered are at thu present tinie best calculated to serve the cause . If you arrive at the same conclusion , if you are convinced of the necessity of ircreahihg our numbers—if you desire the sphere of our usefulness to be enlarged—if (» nd as good dcinorats you must do ) you desire Chartist principles to prevail from oiio eni « f the land U > tfce other ,
you will immediately go to work , reduce this theory to practice , and by increasing Chartism asd Chartiits destroy persecution , prevent prosecution , and uitiniat .: y , yet shortly , br « . ak the bonds which bind you ; throw down at once the demoa ciass legislation , by causing the principles contained in the People's Charter to be the law of the land ; and thus by obtaining the greit key , tbe elective franchise , open the door to f ; tedom , prosperity , ami happiness for yourselves and posterity . Faithfully yours , Edmund Stallwood . 6 , Little Vale-place , Hammersmith-road , June 22 , 1842 .
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ADDRESS OF THE IKISH UNIVERSAL SUFFRAGE ASSOCIATION TO THE CHARTISTS OF ENGLAND . Brothers in Bondage , —Deeply concerned in tba result ef your struggle agaiiwl oppression , suffering from the same causes , and actuated by the sume hopes , vre address you with a twofold object . First , to cheer you on in the peaceful but energetic warfare you are waging with corruption and injustice . Secondly , to enlist your sympathies on behalf of cur poor countrymen , who will shortly appear amongst ycu to labour in your fields for the mean » of paying a griping agent the pri « e he sets for a non-resident , rock-renting landlord on tfee scanty acre from which they gather a miserable vegetible existence .
Brethren , we have said that we suffer from the same causes ; the same mouster-monopolits grind us both to the earth . The land , transferred by feudal violence and blood-stained confiscations , from many-har ; ded industry to the iron grapp of powerful pride acd hereditary idleness ; its possessors fenced round by proscriptive privilege and statutory exensptiuns ; Jaws framed to ensure luxury to th « few at the expence of privation , even cf famine , to the many ; parks , plantations , lawns , preserves , enclosures , woods , game laws ,
royalties , waste lands , reclaiuiable b » gs , cultivatable mountains , unwoiked mines ; every restriction that could thwart ihe designs and bounty of nature , which has supplied sufficient for all , and dooms us , like Tantalus , to die of hunger surrounded by plenty , confcpireB to render our lot more intolerable as we gcza on the involuntary unemployed labourer obliged to periodically expatriate himself in order to prevent hi 3 being forcibly , thmst from the narrow Btrip of ground on which he and a numerous family depend for their annual supply of potatoes .
Such 18 the forlorn and cheerltss state to which agricultural tyranDy and misrule have reduced tbe IriBh peasant lake you too we suffer under the reckless intruder aJACBiNERY . Whole trades have been annihilated , and others partially destroyed as regards manual operation : and -were our crowded workhouses searched , and the hist&ry of the unfortunates there elicited , in nine cases out of ten their destitute condition cou . d bn traced to thti introduction of eelf-acting machines into their respective trades . If like ycu . we have not to
mourn the miseries and demoralization of the factory system which dwaifs the physical growth , and dims the mental faculties of Eagiand ' s rising generation , it is because the bloated Moloch , Capital , has not yet acquired sufficient footing in our land to cause our children to pass through the fires of his infernal sacrifices kindled on tbe altar of Mammon ; and we are led to pray tnat our country may never er-j . y the benefits , as thfcy are called , of commerce , if they can only be procured at such a disastrous price , and by meaus so truly Satanic
But while to tbe various tyrannies under which we groan you can add , in a more particular manner , those heartless conquests achieved by Capital over Labour , think not that we are without our peculiar oppressions ; we are under the tyranny-of Patriotism . We mean Irish mock patriotism , the love of country and kind bfcing here supplied by a blind and unreasoning devotion to one man , to whose political vagaries he is accounted an " incomprehensible vagabond ? ' ( by the Corn Exchange clique ) who does not implicitly buoscribe . The servant and supporter of aristocracy and the middle classes , Mr . O'Connell , has never yet done
anything for the poor ef Ireland , save extort from them their nnsppeifluous halfpence ; and finding those of late coming slowly in , he has now called for their farfings , which are not coming in at all . The generous but unthiDking amongst our peor countrymen by force of custom believe all his assertions , and hate whatever and whoever he bids them ; a few pecuniary parasites assist him in accumulating and sharing the profits derived from tbe simplicity , credulity , and despair of the people , and these it is generally believed make him more inconsistent , peevish , and unjust , than he otherwise would be .
. Amongst tbe many absurd and reprehensible things which the history of his sapience , the present Lord Mayor of Dublin , will exhibit , sothicg will txcite so much sutprise as his zigzag course regarding the Peoples Charter . Now praising the document , and shaking hands with its supporters ; now abusing it , and then anon qualifying , aye eati g , his words ; and then c * ruing ont with new insinuations , and freah denouncements . We have sometimes thought , in reference to this loverlike procedure , that he was , at
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least as regarded the Charter , doatingv Bufc there is one threat of his te which it U our business here particularly to allude , because it is one which we believe , notwithstanding all the bigotry . it has been his object to preserve , all the inter-national hate which he has delighted to foBter and to 6 ow , found no echo in the general besom of Ireland , and which , had he brought forward a motion on the subject , not even his creature , Tom Reynolds , his clerk , O'Niel © iunt , or his body servant , Tom Steele , would be found to second . We allude to the fact , that this brawler for freedom , this advocate for civil and religious liberty all over tho globe , in public assembly , frequently , and very recently . declared , that in the event of the Chartists o £ England being goaded by . oppression ,. ; starvation , and despair , into laying their hands forcibly on bread f > r their famishing families , he would march 500 , 000 Tipperary men to put them down .
Brethren , you . have not resorted to such justifiable violence we rejoice to say ; we admire your fortitude and forbearance , but in our own country bunger has arisen in its desperate strength , and has been purchased at the the expence of blood . This drivelling braggadocio and most wanton insult uttered by this singular man , we beseech you to pass over wi « . h magnanimous contempt : we implore you to hush the indignation and repress the natural resentment which might prompt you to avenge on the heads of our poor wandering countrymen the outrage their deluder and
plunderer has committed on you . Exhibit rather the contrast which Christianity would suggest ; render them good for evil ; extend to them the kindness which lightens toil ; relieve , where you can , their physical distress , and above all , poiur into their minds the noble aud dignified doctrines of tho Charter ; raise them from their mental degradation aad f ituity ; txcite their rea ^ soning faculties ; teach them to think and judge for themselves—to shake off tho dictator ' s stu ' . tifyin * yoke , and send them back to praise the generosity of Englishmen , and scatter the good seeds of political enlightenment amongst thefr Jess informed neighbours .
Slowly and silently , but effectually , is Chartism ramifloating throughout our land . It is already powerful enough to command the silent respect even of our patriots , and enforce their forbearance ; while , an thay become acquainted with its tublimo and elevating principles , the working classes learn fim to admire and next to embrace thPHi . . It-will be for you , during the sojourn of tbe poer exiles of Erin amongst yon , to do muth to forward the cause of true freedom and real humanity , and send them back—lowly as they are—apostles to effect the political regeneration of theircouhtry . Confident that ysu will txert yourselves to do so , and assuring you of ourunalterable attachment to the national work—our sympathy for your sufferings—our admiration for your endurance—our pride , in your successes , and our certainty , by unity , peraever tnce / and energy , of yet fully establishing the trsumph of right over mightof the people over the oligarchy . We remain , Your trusty auxiliaries in tbe cause of democracy , Of truth and of humanity , Patrick Rafter , Chairman . Wm . H . Dyott , Secretary .
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THE WIDOW HOLBERRY . TO THE CHARTISTS OF GREAT BRITAIN . " Ye good distressed , ye generous few > Who here unbending , Biand Beneath life ' s pressure , yet bear up a-wbile , And what your bounties can , pray do bestow . " Brethren , —As one who feela deeply upon the subject of this leter , I hope I may not be considered presumptuous in , calling your attention ta Its purport Many are the trials and troubles of a people struggling for freedom . Persecution , and prosecution , death in the dungeon or on the sciffold , are the only rewards that tyrants award to sterling patriotism and virtue ; and so will it ever be until the people rise as one man to destroy the present system of misrule .
Hoi berry , the patriotic and brave I has fallen a victim to the heartless and coldblooded treatment or neglect of those in whose hands his life wna placed . His wife , for whom he breathed such fervent prayers , is feft a widow to battle -with the system that has murdered him ; overcome with grief her mind has become affected , and dreadful nra . y be the consequence unless provided with the mtana necessary to raise the drooping spirits of a half broken heart Follow countrymen and countrywomen , to you then I appeal in behalf of oar siitsr ia her troubles ; let the
suffering of her husband , her loss ; and present awful situation , stimulate you to exertions .. Has she not already suffered enough ? can Chartists hear of her present situation -without feeling the deepest anguish and using every facility in their power to raise her Rbove want , nay , to place ; h ? r in pwftct independence ? Nothing would pkasu ouv oppressors more than to see us neglect those who suffer thrjugh our eaTise ; nothing willteud more to damp the energies of those who have wives and families to leave behind .- * * Let us be men ; let us deceive tho one , and give joy and hope to the other , for as Pope
eays—•• How far tbe little candle throws his beams , So shines a good deed in a naughty world . " Brethren , much is in our power collectively , and as drops uf water running into one channel will create a mighty flood , eo may the united exertions of the people raise all that is required upon this occasion , without dibtrttsing the poorest of * fee poor . The plan that I propose is as follows : —By the address of the General Sccrttaty lately puMished , there appears to be 400 toTj-ns and vilhgts in the Association . Let each town raiaa 2 ? . 61 , or as some of the villages may not be able to do that , let those places which can give more do so ; 2 s . 6 d . from 400 places win raise £ 50 , and with that sum ehe may commence . in some small way of business , which do doubt would be supported by those friends in whose cause her husband has perished .
Brethren , let this bo commenced immediately , let tbere bs no banging back , no towns trusting to others doing their share t-f the v ; ork , but let each try to bethe first in bo laudable a purpose . Lot the General Ceuncil everywhere take it « p ; the sum is suiaUto each , surely none will have the uncharitableneea to say it cannot be raised . And who will soy that the paltry suni I appeal for is * . a sufficient atonement for the mighty loss she has sustained ? f .. •' ¦"'¦¦ Men of the East and North Riding ; to you let not my appeal be made in vain . Stretch out your bands upon this occasion , and assist in Baving the sorrowing aud afflicted widow from that doom to which bw present mental suffering must shortly consign h ^ r . "Honour and shame from no condition rise ; Att well your part , there all the honour lies . "
I remain , Brethren , In the cause of justice , Yours in union , Edw . Bvblet . York , Jane 28 tb , 1842 . P . S . I hope Mr . Hobson will have no objection to be the Treasurer for the above fund . E . B .
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TO THE WOMEN OF ENGLAND . Friends anjb Fellow Countrywomen , —That period has now arrived , ' when man , aroused to a full sense of his misery and degradation , and having succeeded in gToping his way from darkness to light , immergea from that ignorance ; in which superstitioa arid fanaticism have hitherto fast bound his mind , and is exerting his powers of reason in order to obtain for himself those rights and liberties which are now most UDJuatly denied him .
And that period has also arrived , when woman , awakening to a sense of the social miseries by which she is surrounded , and by which ehe is degraded and enslaved by her desolate home , by ber deserted and firelesi htarth , by her starving children , and by her own hard toil and scanty fare ; has taken her stand in tbe arena of politics , b& 8 raised her feeble ypice in defence of . ner rights , and those of her . injured' country , and has embarked with her light boat upon the ocean of agitation , to assist in steering the shattered bark of liberty to a smooth and sheltered haven .
In consequence ( f physical superiority / man , while In a state of ignorance , always treats woman as an inferior creature , as one who was formed to be a slave to his pleasures and bis -will , and not as an equal and companion ; for -whilo in a state of ignorance , man being insensible to his own mental and intellectual qualities , it viry naturally follows that he cannot appreciate those of women , and he therefore regards the kind offers , the fund attentions , and the tender endearments of woman , uol as things which ifc is his -duty to repay with kindness and protection , but as things which she has a right to give , and he only a right to expect and demand .
As civilisation advances man gradually becomes more inclined to place woman on an eqnality with himself , and though excluded from every thing connected with public life , her condition is considerably improved ; still she is regarded in an inferior light , net province being only to make a pudding , prepare a dinner , clean the huuse , tend to her children , if she have any , and suoh like . Wow these are all necessary things , nay they are essential , our comfort and well-being in society demand that they should be doBe . But are we , because we are women , to be excluded
from the more rational enjoyments of life ? If so , why then was woman gifted with a mind to which in point of delicacy of taste , depth of feeling / and deTotod affection , even prond man himself must bow . Why then , if we are thus gifted , are we to be thus treated ? Shall we sit still and tamely submit to a slavery against which our cheeks glow with shame and our hearts burn with indignation ? Nol perish the thought In the bosom of its ignoblo birtb . Rouse yourselves to a sense of your merits . Assist those men who will , nay , who do , place women in on equality with themselves in gaining their rights , and yours -will be gained also .
God is our guide in the great and glorious struggle in which we are engaged , and liberty is our birthright , which the Chatter alone -will give us . Join with its , then , for the Charter of eur freedom . Come - forward and unite with us in our great struggle 'or irideptnr dence and for those rights which are ours by nature , but which a cruel , despotic , and tyrannical goTetnment have deprived U 3 ( of . Do not say you bare no business with politica , and that you leave such things for yonr husbands , fathers , and brothers . You bave an interest in politics , a deeper
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interest than you are aware of . If the country is rafpgoverned , and bad laws instituted . a ° d good lawn perverted , it is on yon those laws fall heaviest ; witness those which regulatethepriceof food and the monopolies . If tbe country ia well governed , and good laws acted upon , does it not naturaUy follow that wo shall aiFO feel the benefit of them ? Besides , if you have husband : ' , fathers , or brothers , who are Chartists , your participating in that which interest 1 them most will please and urge (' asm to further exertions If you have husbands fathers , or brothers , who are not Chartists , your example will influence them , and indnce them to becomt such .
The principles of the Charter , if , earned out , are such as will give man not only his political rights , but will enable him to get a more equitable remuneration for Mb labour , and that will enable you to live in mors comfortable homes—to give your children na much food as they require , and prevent your leading such wretehed lives of poverty and unrequited toil . Unite -with us , therefore , for in union only is strength Let tho Charter be the foundation-stone on which to rest ail your hopes ; and remember , howuver much tb « name of Chartist may be now despise' ? , aud ma'le the butt for every witlesa fool to flinj ? his jest at—however much it may now be held tip to ignominy and scorn , the time will conia ( and will come sooner , too . if you will come forward and assist us ) when the poor , despised , and persecuted Chartist shall be honoured as the saviour of his country . Susanna Inge , Member ef the Female Charter Association of the City of London . 55 , Old Bailey , Jane 27 th .
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NOMINATIONS TO THE GENERAL COUNCIL . NOTTINGHAM . Mr . William Wood , I epper-aUeyyNarrow marsh fra > v ; ework-knitter . - Mi-, Jauies Humphries , ditto , ditto . Mr . James Burbidge , needle-mak 0 r , Nelson-street . Mr . WilliatB Rice , ditto , Wood- > trfi < : i ,. Mr . Is * ab Burton , Cherry-place , Goalpit-iane , framework-knitter . , Mr . John Spencer , Sunhill , framewoTk-kuittcr . Mr . Williain Parker , Cricket-court , Barker-gate , dH'o . ¦* \ . ¦ ' . ' . ¦ ¦ ¦ . - . ' .. ¦ , . .. ' - ¦ ¦ ¦'•; -. ' . Mr . Christopher Bell , Frame-court , Parliamentstreet , sub- Treasurer . Mr ; Timothy Thatcher , Sheridaa-street , cordwainer , sub-Secretary .
W 0 LVEHHAS 1 PT 0 N . Mr . Joseph' Steward , Bpectacle-frame maker , Brickkiln-lane . , Mr . J . Farmer , accountant . Polill-st . Mr . VVm .. Sims , lockcmiih , Graisley-rowv Mr . Job Hammonds , buckle maker , Walsallstrect . '¦ ¦ ,. . Mr . N ' chblls , miner , Monmore-green . Mr . H . Candy , Mason , Wailsall-st . Mr . Foxisrufile-cutter , North-st . Mr . T . Wilson , news agaatj Worcester-Et ., sub-Secretai ^ . DUKENFIELD . Isaac Kelsall , hatter , Town-laiie . William Wild , do . Oid-rpad . Joseph Bland , carder , Parliament-st . Jarae 6 JagKcr , weaver , HaU- # reen . Se'h Jenkui-iOii , spinner , George-st ; Henry Shaw , miner , Town-iane . Henry RiitiliFe , Dog-lace . William Hibbi ; rt , weaver , Welling'on-st . josji ph Siafford , moulder , A 3 tlcy-sti . Abraham Biid , weaver , Wellington-st . William Cook , sub-Tie&suri-r . Eaward Buiitrw'brtb , sub-Secretary .
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LONDON . —Mr . Fahrfn lectured on Sunday eveninc ; at the Goldbeaters' Arms , Someratown . Albion , Chubch-Street , Shoreditch . ——Mr . Whfct-ier lcctuujd here on Sunday eveniBfc ' , and save satisfaction to his aiidience . Reports were reived from the delegates to the Monthly and the Loiidon Delegate Council . Monthly' Dem-gate Meeting . —This borty assembled on Sunday mornirij ; at the Star Coffeebouse , Golden ^ laiie , to hear the rcpoTt of the cbmrni' tve appointed to draw up rales , &o ., Mr . Jago was . ' called to the chair : Mr . Naelo reported on
behulf of the committee , and the Secretary read tho rules aWopfedbsy the committee which were discuaf * d seriatim , and uUimately adopted by the nseoiing : Mr . Ridlsy Eioy 6 d that the Secretary be in-tiiioteo to summons the whole of the membero of the nronthly , the Surrey , and the London DtV ^ ate C-JHitcil to uicct and decide upon the ' . ' adoption * -of tlie rules on Sunday merning , at the Star Coffeehouse . Ou a suggestion of Mr . Wheeler , it was altered to Sunday afternoon , at 55 y Old Bailey , provided the London Delegate Meeting , would fcrant the use of fho room ; and in that shape carried uaaninioiisly . The meeting thcu adjourned .
Sugar Loaf , Church-Street , Mile-E . nd , New-Xi , wn— A crowded audience assembled ou Sunday , at tliis bouse , to hear a lecture from Mr . Balis , and an address from the newly elected member ot the Executive . Mr . Bairatow , who was e ? t route co Bri 3-t ' ol . " 'The sen n ' raents ¦ uttered , by , Messr 3 . Balls , and Bairstow were highly applauded , and thc-ir rcconimeridaiion of a subscripuon for poor Holberry was nobly respon d Hi to , \ 0 $ . i-i . being immediately coliectud . . Mr . Tiickor-, who has greatly exered himsolf in raising this new locality , moved a vote of thanks to the lecturers and the chairajan , which was carried unanimously , and themeetii ) j > eeparatad ¦ highly gratifiiiit with the proceedings of the evening . Mr Dcffifld lectured en Sunday evening , with his usual ability at the Carpenters' Arms , Bricklane . . ¦ ¦¦' "" . - '
Stonfmasons , Craven-Head , Dkuey-I ane . —The above association held their usual weekly inseting on Saturday evening , and after the usual business of the associatioH was gone through , and several minor sul > j \ -cts discussed , the meeting adj . 'urnqd . Delegate' Council ,. —This body met on Sunday Mr . ' Morifiii in tho chair . Mr . Wheeler read an extract , from a letter of | ho Rev ; William Hill ' s , Editw of tl < o Northern Star . averri » g that he 13 a im . ' . ' mber of tlu National Charter Association , end comiRRnted upon the coil duct of those who had so industriously propagatrd a contrary buiirf . Mr . Wheeler also reporied that Mr . Clfcavc . ha >! kindly ofiored to prf st : nc them wnh a quantity oi ' tmsola oopifes of the Northern Star , and mcvetf that a Comniitveo he appoiiued to receive theia of Mr / Cleave * Mr . Blake seconded tho motion , Messrs . Dowling
and Humphries supported the motioE , and Messrs . Wheeler , Ridley , aud Salmon were appointed . Mr . Ridley laovqJ , and Mr ^ Wheeler seconded , that the report of the Committee appointed to draw up rules for the complete organisation of London be . heard and deciJeci upon oa ; the ensuiug Sunday , and that tho use of tha Hall ba given to tho whole of the Councils on that ocoasiou . Carried with one dissentient . Credentials were received from Mr . Knight * for Fintbury , and Mr . Bell , for Limehouse . A report was received regarding the Trades * pe ' egato Meoting . The sam of 10 s . was receive J from Limehouse , aiidr % .. 6 J .: from the hatters . Mr . "Langwith was appoiiitcd to inquire into certain affairs said to be going on in his locality . The Council then proceeded to the investigation of sems matters of personal and local interest , which occupied the remainder of ihitimo .
CuttSEA . —The Chartists of this place to et as usual at tii « Staj » Tavern , Fulham Road , - -Mri NevtU inth © chair . Mr . J . I ) ow ] ing delivered an able lecture at its crtiipluf-ion . A subscription was entered into for MaFou ' s Defence Fund , and other business couneoted with the locality traneacted . Tho deputation appoiuted to wait on Mr . Fcargus O'Connor reported that he had left his residence for a tour in YorkshiTss , They were instructed to wait upon him oa hisreturn . IA % SWADE . —The people of this place have been verv inactive lately , consequently the Chartists
resolved to call a public meeting , in order to rouse them from their-apathy . The meeting took place on Wednesday evening week , and was well a tended . Mr . JjhnS'uait was caUed to the chair , wlio , after a short speech , introduced to the m ' eetinjj . Mr . Robt . Liiweryvwhoaddressed the meeting for an hour and a half , in a strain of fervid eloquence and clear logical reasoning , carrying the feelings of the meeting with him . Mr . L . stated -to the meeting how the late Convention acted during its sittiu ^ s . He j ; ave great gatisfaction . Meetings like th'is have a tenrfeney to do much good .
TONBRIttCrE . —Kent . —A public meeting was h eld on Wedneid ay even ing : week , e . t the Chequers ' Inn , for the purpose of hearing a kcturo Troin Mr E . Siallwood of London . At the conolusioa , Mr . Soellirig moved a vote of thanks to the lecturer , and briefly supported his views , as did several others . Oa Friday evening , the club room of . the Chrquers vvas again filled , and Mr . Stallwood delivered a second very able lecture , for which he received the thanks of the assembly . Tonbbidge Weixs . —On Thursday week , Mr . E . Sta . il ' jV ' . toa of London , addressed a public meeting at Arnold ' s Temperance roomsy Calverljjy-place ; at the close of the lecture , a vote of thanks was unanimpiisly passed . t ' o . th ' e , lecturer ,- A locality of the National Charter Association is about to be formed here ; ' ' ¦" . ¦'¦ : ¦ .. " ¦ ' '¦ : ' ¦ : ¦ ¦ - ¦' . : : ¦
STOCKPORT . —The youths of this town are getting on rapidly . ; they have succeeded in getting a room to thtmselvcs capable of holdiag several hundred persons , whtch they have opened for the purpose of disseminating political instruction to the ribing . - generation .:. ' - Wia . Hardwood , one of the mecibors of their debating class , delivered a very instructive lecture on Sunday afternoon last , on the principles of the People ' s Charter to a nmnerpua audwrco- for which he received a unaiuinioiis vote of thanks . Lectures are delivered every Sunday forenoon and afternoon , and Tuesday evening .
Ashtondnder-Lyne . —A delegate meeting was hold in the Chartist Room , Charlestown , on Sunday last . Dflegate 8 present : —Ashton , James iaylor ; James VVilcox , and William Aitken ; Hooley Hill , James Leech , James Lowe , and Hargreayes Ashton ; Stalybridge , George ' -. Baxtfc >; . and Thoma 6 Wilson ; Droylsden , Samuel Ciough . ; . DuKinfield , ^ James Hague and Edmund Butterworth ; Mottram , Samuel Lees and Robert Wilde ; Motley , W . ^ Bradfaury . The following resolutions were adopted : — . ¦ ¦**« meetings be held in the localities that have sent deputies here to-day , arid that a correspondence be opened with Messrs . Leach , Bairstow , ,-and . some other Manchester friends to address the meetings . " That the delegatesassembledi when they returata volunteer %
their localities , eee how many men wiu o address public meetings or act as Iecturere , and that they brine their names with them : to the next delegate meeting . " " That an address be got m . by Mr . W . Aitken , shewing the people the necessityx > f jpininff the Association , and that the same . be printed and circulated amongBt thepeople . '' "That the delegates asseinbled iropiesa upon the members of their AfisociatioDs the necessity of pay ing one penny each to the friends of all deceased members , and that as many as can conveniently attend th © funerals of all members dp so . " ^ That another delegate meeting be held in the Ashtou-under-Lyne Room , on SundayV the 10 th of July , at one o ' clocik in tbe forenoon , to see what steps o ^ , n be effectually taken to organise our out districts , ajjd to hear the reply of Mr . Leach . "
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THE YICTIM 1 SED PENSIONER . TO THE iajlTSK OP THE SOSIBKRS STAB . Sib ., —I hereby transmit to yon a post office order for tbe Enm of three sbillings and sixpence , in the name of Mr . Ardill , for John Hindes , -who , as has before appeared iu your paper , has been deprived of bis hard earned pension bec&uee « f his stern advocacy of right against might . Sir , I am -well acqiiMnted -with the individual in question , and I belitve his only crime to be that of supporting , as far as laid iu his power , tbe poor ms . n against hia oppressors , -which has caused him to be a marked man by the straightbacke < i gentry of Shoreham , In 1534 , he attacked the clerg 7 and churchwardens of Shorehim , for the uniallowed dtsign of levelling the
graves of the poor in the churchyard , whose friends ¦ w ere not -wealthy enough to erect a tombstone , to point out the plscs -where tbtir remains -were laid ; and also pulling ao-wn a -wall -which they had thought proper to erdct for tb-a pnrpose of Btepping an avciect footway across the churchyard . Having defeated them in this case , his next crime -was that of standing up against joining the Siepnty Union , on the atrocious New Poor Law , -which I believe he -would have defeated had not bribery bten in the camp , by miking one of his partners in ike struggle a relieving o £ cer . His next step was to hVRCer-some of the "wealthy shopecracy from taking in grc-nnd belonging to the parish , to appropriate to their fltEuse , -without having obtained consent And his battling the cause of the poor at every vestry , in -which tie "was nearly always tuccessf « il , holding the straight-J ^ cis of the place at arm ' s length , until he -was defeated bj the Custom House minions and others by taking the
chair at the meeting of the 7 th of December . 1 S 38 , ffhtn he lest his hard earned pension . But at this h ' e never repined until the hard times have helped the enemy to crush him , and he has been completely levelled by the vermin ; not only by their dtprivingbim of his pension , tut also by tki : g every local advantage of injuring him that lay In their power : thus has a life of danger and toil been -wound up by a disgr ^ ctfui dtrgy End others . A man ; Mr . Editor , ihat has * fought ac . J bled for his country in the battle c-f Trafalgar , and with Sir Samuel Hood , off Bochfort ; likfsrise assisting at tbe taking of the Isles of France , Jiva , and Buo-ee A . jtsb ; and likewise the destroying and tfiMllg oi upwards of one hundred and fifty-Two ships and Ttssels of different descriptions , - wiib other scrvicfcs for -which this peusion was granted ; and bow in his eld age to be deprived of it for standing np fer his political rights as contained in that valuable document ctlled the People ' s Charter .
' Should our brother democrat * taroughout the land be kind enough to sabscribe to him the required sum , he may jet hold np bis head again . He has a large famiiy of s wife and nine children , and has , I belit-ve , lately suffered some very stvere privations ; and I am aure h « would never have applied to tbe Chartists of Great Britain had it not bten for the persuasions of myseif and another friend to do so rsther than die in a biit'le , as we considered him as great & victim in the cause as aDy . Hoping yon will make his case as public as possible , I remain , Sir , yours in the cause , Fraxcis Haeds . Shorehim , June 20 , 1 S 42 .
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STOCEPORT . GREAT PUBLIC " MEEriNG TO ADOPT A PETITION TO PARLIAMENT ON THE SUBJECT OF THE LATE SLAUGHTERS AT ENN 1 S , IN IRELAND . On Wednesday evening Jaat , one of the largest public meetings . held in Stocbport for some time assembled in the Castle Yard . Mr . Henry Smith was unanimously called upon to preside . ¦ ' ' . ' Tbe Chairman opened the meeting by expressing his desire to see both Irish and English united to put down the present sjfcteiu , which tbe police were hired to maintain .
Mr Thomas Webb then rose and moved the first resolutlen , and in so doing , he could not help remarking that , aa an Irishman , ho felt' confident that the English people were bis best friends . The Irish police had slaughtered his innocent countrymen , because they would mot starve in a land of plenty . He concluded by moving the following resolution : — That 'we view with abhorrence and disgust the late bloody and brutal outrage committed on the peaceable Inhabitants of Ennis , Ireland , by a rufihnly and bigotted police force , and that we sympathise with them ; and also that a petition , emanating from tbis meeting , be presented to the House of Cummons , praying for an immediate inquiry into the cause of the distress in Ireland , and to disarm the police force . " Mr . John Wright came forward to second the motion , which was put and carried . The Cha inn an tbyn introduced . to tbo meeting
Mr . Thomas Clark to move the adoption of the petition . He knew there were some of his countryr men there who imagined that if they had a repeal of the Union , they would then be happy . ( Hear , hear . ) This he denied , for if they had a Repea'l of the Union to-morrow , with the present franchise , they would ba little or no better off . ( Loud cries of hear , hear . ) Supposing they had a Parliament sitting in College Green , who are th « persons who would make the laws ? Why , the landlords , to be sure . ( Hear . ) Aiid jsaid he ) I ask is there an irishman here to-night so foolish as for one moment to imagine that landlords will ever make laws to beheSt the labourer . ( No , no ) No , for it is not their interests to give the labourer power , for if the did , the first use they would make of that power
would be to break down that accursed monopoly upon which they fted and fatten . ( Cheers . ) This he djfcu any Irishman to gainsay . ( A . voice , "I wish we bad it , any way . " ) Yes , said Mr . Clark , I wish you may (? et it —( Jaughfer)—for ( said he ) you cannot surely fxpect the present House of Commons to give it you , aad you know well the base wretches who last ruled the destinies of the Eiwpire would not give it you . Tien how must you get it , for you know you mnst not tuka it ? No , that would be physical force , and he knew Irishmen were not physical force men . ( Laughter . ) You must evidently get anew House of Commons , based on the principles of the Charter . ( Loud cries of b ? air , hear . ) And let me ( said the speaker ) ask my friend if it . be only a Parliament he wants ? If so , he had no
hesitatiou whatever in saying that the people of this country wonld make them a present of theirs , Lords , Queen , and all ; and give them something handsome into the bargain . ( Cries of hear , and laughter . ) It is also a notorious fact that there arc fewer Members in the Honse of Commons now who would . vote , for a Repeal of the Union than there were when Feargus O'Connor brought forward his " premature '' motion , or forced the Liberator to it ; how is this after we have had ten years of reform , and how many times have we been made to throw up our cawbeens and shillelabs and give three cLeers for the Qaeen ,. and ths best ministry everlreland eaw ? Whilst at the time we were giving those strong cheers from weak stomachs , Mr . O'Connell was proclaiming to the
woild that we : had obtained a Woodless viciary , and aS the same time informing us of the astounding fuct , that there were three millions of Iri » h who rose every morning without knowing where to get their breahfast—( shame , ahamu)—aud all this too . after having tasted the sweets of Corporate Reform and Catholic Emancipation ; but as a poor Irish slave , he proclaimed that he was not emancipated ; and he contended that the poor Iiiah labourer who laboured with his spade at tfi ' e back of a ditch for sixpence a day was not emancipated , and as a Irishman and an Roman Catholic said he , I u ^ k you my countrymen , what have the Irish Catholic
members done for us ? Nothing aye , or worse than nothing , for they have been the greatest enemies to the liberties of the people . Where , oh wher « , were these Catholic nierabors of improved Ireland , when hia noble countryman , O'Connor , moved that the widow Ryan shonld have her name placed on the Pension L ' st , in place of some idle placeman ? Would ye believu it . the motion fell to the ground for the want of a seconder . To such a height had pfttriotisin risen under tfeebcn ' gn influence of Catholic Emancipation . All he wanted to see was a unity of sentiment and action between the oppressed of botU countries . He should thus draw to a close by moving the following petition : —
To the Honourable the Commons of Great Britain and Ireland in Parliament assembled . The Petition of the Inhabitants of Siockport in public meeting assembled , HUMIVtT SHEWETII , That it is with feelings of pain and regret we call the attention of your Honourable House to the cru « l and Inhuman treatment exercised by a party of the Irish police force towards the peaceable , nnoffending , and unarmed inhabitants of Eunis in the count ; of Clare , Ireland . That , from evidence which appears in the public papers , the magistrates and police authorities deny having given the police orders to fire , but that the men fired of their own accord , proving discipline to be little known amongst them ; and also that they are not the " cificient force" they have been represented by raembers of your Honourable Honas .
That your petitidners reBpectfully direct your attentieia to the fact , that several of the unfortunate sufferers were shot in the back , furuishiBg proof the most conclusive of the entire absence of the real necessity for firing . : That your petitioners feel that a want of that which nature requires for its sustenance ( but of which the people are depriyed through tha instrumentality of wicked laws , ) has been in a great measnte the cause of bringing the people into collision with the law . That your petitioners cannot but deeply lament the existence of such a state ef things as to call forth snch favourable opportunities for the display of those flendlike propensities which has ( unfortunately for the toiling millions of both England and Ireland , ) uniformly characterised the proceedings of that party whose spirit , in the opinion of your petitioners , actuated the " instigators" and perpetrators of so cruel and cold-blooded an act , as that of slaying those on whose blood and vitals they feed and fatten .
Thatin the opinion of your peUt ' . otiera , the -worfciDg claaa of Ireland is ^ fully entitled to the same protection from jrour Honourable House , as the most wealthy and Influential class in the state , which protection we are sorry to say they do not at present receiye . Nor is it the epihion of your petitioners they ever will until every man ia fully and fairly representen in your Hon . House , through the adoption of the " People ' s Charter" as the law of the land . That your petitioners look upon an armed police as being not only the very worst possible description of a force , but as unconstitutional in the extreme , and admirably calculated to assist plundering factions in depriving the people of that paltry remnant of liberty which the most unbearable despotism has left them . \ v" ' . ¦''' . - ¦ ; * ' ' C ' :. - . ' , '¦ . '¦ ' ,: '' ¦ ¦' /'; , '
That your petitioners therefore call upon yonr Hon . House to cause immediate enquiry to be made into the cause of the distress , and also to disarm the Irish police force , not mere to prevent tbe occurrence of Euch acts , than on the ground of tbeir being a diBgrace to a nation calling itself civilised ; and also , as standing armies in time « f peace are Etrictly uncoBStitutlonal . And this force is one of the most obnoxious nature . And your p etitionera will as in duty bound , ; . ¦ -. ¦ ¦ * ' •; * . "¦ ¦ ¦ eyarpray . &Cr . ' ; ¦ V . ' - . ; ' . - ' - ., ' ¦ " ' ' Signed , by order of aud on behalf of the meeting . Henry Smith , Chairman . The speaker then again briefly spoke to the efficacy of union , ; aqd concluded thna ¦ '¦¦>' Onward » onward , your green banners rearing . Let every Bwoid go flesh to the bilt , For on our side is virtue and Erin , On Uielr ' sls the Parton and guilt " ( Great applause . )
Mri Thomas West seconcltd tbe adoption of the petition , which waB carried with acclamation . The meeting Uien Quietly dispiised .
Ctiartiist Sm^Utctni^,
CtiartiiSt Sm ^ Utctni ^ ,
Untitled Article
_ THE NORTHERN STIR , j ,
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Citation
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Northern Star (1837-1852), July 2, 1842, page 7, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/ns/issues/vm2-ncseproduct437/page/7/
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