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Northern Star (1837-1852), 17th August 1839, Edition 3 of 5, Page 4, Untitled Article

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    • THE NORTHERN STAR. SATURDAY, AUGUST 17.
    • TO READERS & CORRESPONDENTS
    • BA&jrsjunr.
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      The Northern Star. Saturday, August 17.

      THE NORTHERN STAR . SATURDAY , AUGUST 17 .

      Untitled Article

      AGREEMENT OF OPINION . Is tie eosnt asd di * enargB of oar ow » Atty m fablie monitors , w « pay little deference t » tb . « opisio&s or examples of uj when contrary to *> ar cm convictions of right : we pin oar faith to the rieeve of no man or Mt * f sen . Bat wt are MTtriheltm * Jway » glad to fiad honestly and fearl * a » lyexpreaW sentiment * feorat oat ty the corresponding sentiments of honest , bold , an « good men . For tki * reasoa we have great plearare is directing tb . t at « tention of our reader * to tk « fallowing rpirited arricle . from ths Wultr % VindUaUr , *> t * \« nt « d > ap er , edited , we believt , by YiNCEXr : — " THE COMING STRUGGLE .

      "Peoplx , —The time for talking it part ; the time for « cC * m ia oome ; and it ii . now the duty of » rery mao , woman , and child to reflect , in aeerat , npon the power no * i « ied by the people to carry cut th * principle * of Democratic Govemineat ; the time ha * come tor deeply reflecting on the power posseresd by the sau * 3 « to carry oat the recommrada-Uooj of the Convention ; the time ku come whec , by a bold and energetic display on the part of the p ^ opln , the . power of the- * n * tocra « y may be ie * -

      treyed for ever . The first duty of tha peqple u to « arry opt the MANIFESTO of the Convection . It is in rain to make empty profession *; it it ia rain to 'threaten , ' or ' talk ; ' the people must DO . The Convention has suggesteda NATIONAL STRIKE , to commence on dbr 12 th of Aogn * t ; £ k * -mtUe ** sJte -veople prow , by tb « r general oondnat , to e * My out WORDERS of the CONVENTION , that atria moat fail Before m ^ ntionis * the Sacred Month , " let u * axk . th * fallowing qoection * : —

      "ARE ALL THE CHARTISTS ORGANIZED ? "DO ALL THE CHARTISTS ABSTAIN iFROM THE USE OF EXCISEABLE ARTICLES ' " HAVE ALL THE CHARTISTS

      WITHDRAWN THEIR MOKEY FROM THE SAYINGS' BANKS ? o- HAVE THE CHARTISTS CONVERTED = ALL THEIR PAPER MONEY INTO GOLD ? u These questioas must be anrwered honesdy by the people ; hence tie practicability of the ** Sacred Month" depend * , in a gr ^ utt measure , epon the answer . We ara in favoar of tha ** Sacred Month , " if the p eople are u ready" The Convention Las nobly discharged its dtty to the peopl * ; i ; Las expressed its readiness to place iteelf at tbe head of the people , and at the post of danger ; therefore it is now the dnty of the peopl * to tell the Convention zrtiot thru are prepared to carry eut .

      The best mode of convincing the ConTention of the reaiinftw of the people to carrj out their wishfs is the immediate and universal adoption of the Manifesto ; it is useless for the people to talk about TT&ar ihej trill do on ibe 12 i Aurtst with regard to the * H * lid » T ; " » e fearlessly teu lae people , UuU abttaiiihu ; from excixeablt article *; taking their money out of Savings' Banks ; and providing ihemsdott with constitutional arm * , art leu sacrifices than the holiday , therefore let tb * people make the lesser sacrifice as an earnest of their determination to make tie greater one . ProTe yoiraelve * , people ! The man who is now d *^ rad * d enough to be a drankard mn * t b ? coxne soberiz * d ; oth * rwi » e he will be a broken reed in the hour oj necrfwiry . The m » n who will not throw down his pipe , and sip hu

      extaxad milk and -water , give * ont poor «* ndence o ; hi * sincerity as a Chartist . We insist that it it . none ihe dury of the people to art ; and we call npon all reader * of this paper ; upon all who Iotb freedom ; apoa all who respect Mr . Vincent , and haTe # o otten csteued to his thrilling eloqnenoe ; we cali upon fcverr pitriotic man . woman and child to rigidly adojtthe CONVENTION'S MANIFESTO . ** Poaple , if you ar « prepared to carry ont tb « Naoonal Holiday , f ou are free . A week ' * itwpenvion from labcar wouid d ^ Btroy the power of oppression ; bat it will essentially inrohe a slight sacriii«—Prove Toia DETEaxiSjiTioji to mase that kacrj . riCE , ? roTa year detennimitioa t-j uiuiei ^ o «• iiule difficaicy to brinf about a natioaal good . ' For * nauon to ba tee , ' tis g sfEcient that she ¦ wills it . " But xeili it she most .

      " People , —Cease to talk , act , become sober—do all in your power to band your * viTea indisjolubly tofether ; V ^ uik deeply about the ' Sacbzd Noxth . f yon resolT .-to adopt it . tell the Conve > tio . \ ! If you c&anoi adopt it , still tell the Co . nye . ntiux . Djootlet u * tif-ceiTe one another . The ' S ^ crsd > Ionth , ' if solemnly adopted , will fr » e you for ever ! £ "hink about it . The power is now in your hind * , ¦ use it ! DESPOTISM TREMBLES : PEOPLE ,

      STRIKE THE MORAL BLOW I " This nerrous and well-written article reiterates the sentiments w * have again and again expressed on the same subject * . Unless tbe people do sbew thenuelTfes able and willing to perform tbe lesser ^ aboar , it is madneaj to talk about the greater .

      Untitled Article

      STAMP BETHEL : "A return has been published of tbe number of Stamps furnished to the seTeral Newspapers witkin the msnths of April , May , and June . "We have selected from tbe List the most extensively circulated ef tbe London Daily and "Weekly Press , and the Leeds Papers , a * affording to out readers an opportunity of ascertaiuicg with certainty tbe exsct po . « itioE in waicli their favour asd the force of honest political consistency has piaced the people ' * paper , the Northern Star .

      DAILY PAPERS . St * mp « furaiJied in I Daily th « three moniluC Ave- » a » Tb * Tim ** 1 , 090 . 003 < 3 ? U Mcrebia Ctronide WV » X > 6 . , 9 i ilwniaS Rer » ia 4 ii , 0 o 0 5 ^¦ 33 The Sm 321 . 09-1 -J . U 5 Tse ^ Mdard 264 . 000 3 . 3-4 Moroina P « t 255 . 0 . * 3 , ^ 9 TbeG ^ be SS » , M » 5 COO

      Weekl y Papers . Sumpi {« jui » tui in w « kly the three months . A » er »« e . W « k 1 y Di ^ t ch « 5 O . »> 5 «;•«« SO&THEEX STAE 54 > , W > 3 iifin "Weekly Chrwiele 2 s . H . 0 » J 2 i . 7 « i LeeaiMCTcnrr l 26 . bM 9 . 731 Leeds L ^ rdg&ceT - " <>^> 3 . SM tSotrimeii ? . 24 . O . XX 1 . M 6 From tie abore table , it will ¥ e seen that tae

      Surthern Star n * t only maintains its position at the bead of the Prorincial Press , but that , with nne single exception , it Ls the leading organ of tbe empire . It issues a greater number at eacb period of publication than ail the abo * e Daily Paper * pat together . Its respective issues axe nearly ge % en-fold greater tb * n tho * e of the Morning Chronicle , tnd more than fourteen-fold greater than tho * e of the Globe , tbe two official organs

      of the G jTernment ! Its circulation greatly exceeds the wlsole circulation of aay Daily Paper bt-sides The Time * . Amoug Weekly Paper ? , it is second only to tie ¦ Weekl y Dspatch . It has nearly double the circulation of the Weekly Chronicle , and considerably more than four times that ef tbe Leedi Mtrcur if . It circulates about thirteen times tbe Dumber of tbe Leei * Intelligencer , and almost threeiad-twesty times the aaioaat of tbe Leeds Tiffies . This is a position which may well make the jfurihcrn Star an object of fear and trembling to all the enemies of righteousness .

      To him who looks attentively at thw position , attained in an incredibly ghert period , and steadily ' kept up , without any artifice or sacrifice , by the ¦ boldest and most Democratic paper ever known in this country , it will be oo laatter of surprise that & Cabinet Minister skould toe required , as a portion of ; ills ofnciil duty , to read the Northern Star care- ; fully through every week , and report its csntents to his colleagaes ; nor that the minions ef Gsrern- ; nient , acUBg no doubt ih accordance with the cue I which , aid been given thsm , should point oat bo

      ob--noxieaaly powerful &a eneny to the whole r&ee of < eril-doen is a fit object sn whicfe to concentrate ¦ ifceir powers of annihilating wrath—an obj « ct whose destruction would be cheaply purchased at any cost—tun . though new laws should require to be enacted tar the purpose . The power of the Northern SUr to eoBcentrate ud gvre effect to the opinions ef the nnweg—to a&sert their rights , aad to deal Kith the oppressor ii the grand secret of the Tery - " ft «» J « fleeeh of Mr . Chablks Bulls » a few MOgjktM ago ia tbe H « ue » f ComaoaaL

      Untitled Article

      M fn » i witk Mr . Hum , th » t PartitiaeMt teeuld hat de % * hit m mail part » f it * duty vhrn it had prtmdud On smsju iipulling bin ike prttmi duturianCH . H * M the faiiw * * f ctaa CBartuU , aod hx ippreUeaowi bo Ustiaf BW » - » hi » f frft » a movua « fci m Ul-iirrctei m . nd ill-coadoeted aa the fTMMt . B « t tb « ixzeer , wtiiek U did not raprekcai from Ck » msm i * did apprebead fnm t& « etur * « f Cturicn , waUa ¦ rtm > i < U Kit * to be perauMMtc , aad to be iahrrent U tae altered iWt « f aMietr , and ektraeUr of the Knglkb . i * opl * . Thir most Bet iknt their eyf t » the Utt , that tier k * i aow ta " ifl with m . people far rthanri »« iixoaU * n * d , ¦ ad far otkerwije wpahle of BUAJ&ctiBg that diseosle&t , Uos prtTivma SoTrrmmanU V »» e rrer h » d to cope with . Th > y van »•« £ mc to Urn with tha first fvaantioo of working i&cb ia KogUac •¦ whom doattioB h » & befraa to tell grotty fmmli j . 7 a * ftrtt ctfaeti * f ibis cha » f « Biifttt b « obMrred ia the rue -at a pt ( M addr « Med to aad rapported by the walking d » M »» . Formerly CobWtt WT # te weekly may * , utd otter 4 * n » agogttM wTots enMirnil peJBptieti , which h » & a l * rgr , bat teaapowy eintaUtio * aad efieeC Bot bow , Ch * re u e « takUabed aa imjaeBM weekly pn « t , eofttiining the hb > atuaoue 4 U of geaeral aews m ether xneyaperi , wkieh di&tae * ita riti */ ** e > isc eeearrnnei troea ecte ead of tbe iaUsd to tbe tber . Tail M a prrw , B « t OPCMJaoa ) « bat Mnmancftt—aat < i . ir » i ^ xit os ife * ¦ ovpainitj » f a partkiUr wrkar , or the expesiito r * Vj whWci tbe fBUkunuw of a pwtitnl * - iadindul r body ef a * a arrM it * produr t gr * t « ko «* tiraolattao , bot a . the MMtior ) a « r » ttve& * M of that partitalu kind of prrat , asd « i tbeseanalaojieuufar Mtt . Taia » tb * Wg e ^ t , a » d it u , wUh two * t three txMp&Wi , tbe me « t locntire sn « wKii « Uad . • • U thu -pr e ** , tb « a adroeatiBf thew doetriaee , la tbe * owe » a »» c * of tb *» e doctriae * to the apirit » f as »^« , asd in the tsfftfriag W the mum , ia the perrjuual aosree of Chartiju * . "

      K « w ther « U n » difficulty in teeing that the drift f thw portion of Mr . Bcller ' b ipeech if intended , under pretence ef directing attentiom to <; the altered atato and condition of Society , " to pout out the Northern Star as game that mutt be run down at all hazard * . The good will of GoTerament to break it op upon any , the ( lightest pretext that could be laid hold of t *« betn aa amply muifrited 18 could be wished in the two precious Government prosecutions which

      in t »» persons of its proprietor and publisher it has already ecdured . The truth u they are " dead beat , "—their limbs tremble and their mouth * water with anxiety and rexatian , and they know not how t « accomplish the object of their deeire . Mmy as axe tb § deyicts of tbe law—uatcrupulous as are Whig functionaries iu its construction aad application , and rimpant as they eridently are to " hug *» ia tbe close embrace" of powerful and successful villany , we indie at their ingenuity and d « ride their

      impoieice , Hence tbe concerted hint of tbeir lrob-snbaltern , that lt ParHaiHtsU teould liace done but a { mall fart of Us duiif , " until it hid provide the means not how in existence of putting down the Northern Star . Let Parliament accomplisk that " duty " whenever it please * . We defy it * power . The spirit of liberty has gone forth , and , like tke dove let loote the third time from the ark , it will re ' . urn do more to its pri ** n hou * e . If the Northern Star were ruined by prosecution * , and it « eonductora immolated to the madness of political revenge K > -

      morrow , from iu ruins would spr . ng up an organ , or max hap abucdred , more talented , more powerful , aud more anuoyipg to the harpies than the one they had succeeded in destroying . There i » one . # ent *» ce in Bulleb ' s speech worth all the rest , which is that the Democratic press , of which tke beid and froDt is the Northern Star , does not now depend on th « talent or popularity of any particular writer . It is the legitimate oSVpn ' Dg of the working classes , who , knowing their owb wants , feeling their own burden ? , and being aware of the grievance * under which they labour , minister support only to

      that pre * i which msinuias their cause . Their cause is the cause of righteousness —the cause of God . That cauit ; we have ever yet maintain **! with such power gjs we possess , axd with a zeal equal to that of any wbe lose no : sight of prudence . Hence the secret of tie success which iim crowned our tnterprisewhich bas made the establishment of the Northern Star an epoch in the history of new * p » per literature . " The battle U not to the swift ; nor tbe race to the strong . " Tis not because of any peculiar advantages either of talent or circumsiancee to whictn we cm lay cliitn indi ^ duillj , that we owe

      tae unequalled political i&flBence of our paper ; it w simply because we have faithfully " held up the mirror to the time * , " and given utterance to the truth . We have not sought the advancement of either perwnal or party interest ; but we have laboured for the do ^ rnfal of tyranny , tbe uprooting of injustice , and tbe e » tabiishment of right . Pursuing this , we have met with tbe rtward which we had aright to look for—the reward which , if matched from us , by the taod of public injustice a * i legal robbery , to-morrow , will be awarded in » till further tale to some new advex >

      rarer who shall dare , despite of villauy , to tipeak the truth . Let not , then , either Government or Parliament , or both , reckon en the iasue of putting down the Norltem Star . We see tbe dravrn dagger in their hand , bat we defy its point . To them and their mpporrerj * of both factions , wbo persist in denying to the people the redrw * al of their wrongs and restitution of their right ? , we owe nothing but that which , by God ' s help , we will pay , to the-fall ex teat of oar ability , an hostility which hall never cease but with our lives , er with the

      de £ : ruet 5 o : i of the sjptem which has enabled them j to Vecome tbe Tillains tkat tbej are . To the j people , by whom we have been placed in the ; procd position which we occupy , we owe just | as much as they owe nc , and no mort . ! We have dote our duty in the assertion ! of their rights—they have dose their duty in giving effret to that asaeruen . Bv G-od ' is help , : and their * , we- shall go furward—till oppression shall yet learn to bide ita bead for s ' name , a . u < i the glorious * ua of freedom shall warm and animate , enliven and illuminate , the whoie land ,

      Untitled Article

      THE LEEDS MERCURY AND MR . JAME 5 IBBETSON . We aad prepared an article on the rigmarole mjpbi-xiry of our neighbour Mercury addre «« ed to Ma . iBjBiTSO . " * , but are obliged to displace it for other matter . We are not much concerned , as it may afford us an opportunity of seeing whether there is yetacother "letter" in the editorial candle .

      Untitled Article

      WILFUL MISTAKES . It is an old proverb that " aone are so blind as tho * e wbo won ' t see . " In the true spirit of this proverb , none are so apt at misunderstanding anything as tho-: e wbo wi . « -h to do eo . We are not less amuied than astonished ta learn that an article is our laft week ' s Paper has been made tbe means of trying to persuade those who don ' t know us that we advocate tbe Ballot .

      Ia our article of last week , beaded The Punch and Jady Session , we amigned Lord John Russell upoa bis reasons assigned at Bristol for opposing the Ballot , B&meS y , that the noa » elector < would be thereby deprived of their legitimate influence over tbe tlectora , we then went on to show that tbe same Lord Johk had , when the people were , in the

      exercise » f that legitimate right , imprisoned , bludgeoned , cut down , and trampled upon them . This we charged , and still charge , upon the Noble L « ord aj an incenslsteacj , discntitliug him to any amount of popular « onfideace ; and for thu * arraigning little Lord John , we are asked why we support the Ballet ? and inasmuch as Mr . O ' Conhor most , of c « vm . asswer for * 11 the sios of the Star , whether

      Untitled Article

      he comtait them crnet , a few well-informed " tUarheaded rmseals" would endeavour to persuade tbe people , ' and especially tko « e of Birmingham , that O'Comnob has declared in favour of tbe Ballot . The feola ! Where are their ipectacle * P In what sitigle line of the article do they find any recognition of tbe Ballot priBciple coupled with a restricted franchise ? Oa what tingle line of the Northern Star , or ob what siogle frntence of Mr .-O'CoNKon ' s numerous gpeecbe * can such a charge be founded . * We defy them U point out one . The article of last week had » o reference whatever to-our opinion * , but to tbe consistency or inconsistency of Lard John Russkll ' b practical , with hi * theoretical , ' policy . The enemy matt be put ta sal shift * when he stoop * to a devioe like thii 1

      Untitled Article

      ? ~ GRATULATION AND C 0 NGRATULATION . Ths Weekly Chreniaie , poor thing . ' in its agony of fpiteful enTy , induced by the Sump Returns , catchee at the small ray of comfort contained in the fact that , on the face of the Return * , tbe number « f Stamps furakhtd to us ia the two latter month * of the Quarter » eem to hare been let * than in the preceding month ; and this he arguet to be " consolatory" proof that our Circulation is declining . Poor fellow , hew we pity him I It alway * gives us pain to be obliged to pull the mask from an ugly face ; but where the features sit under it * o uncomfortabl y , it is aa act of charity .

      If monthly rapplies from tke Stamp Office be held to demonstrate the Monthly Circulation , we suspect the Chronicle , n near tbe Stamp Depot , thought it better to let oat the secrtt in reference to us , than to allow the public to discover it in referenoe to himself . Let us try thn Weekly . Chronicle by hi * own rule . In May , a a four weeks' month—he seem * to have had 104 , 000 Sumps , but in June , a five week * ' month ; that is , a mjotb in which there are five Saadays , and in which , therefore , five WexJcly Chronicles would

      appear he seems only to have had 90 , 000 which would give an average of 26 , 080 weekly for May , bat of only 18 , 000 weekly for June . Will the Chronicle Jiie this mode of measurement ? We fancy not ; nor bare we any wi * h to confine him to it . He knows as well as we do that the Stamps are issued from the Depot—not to us , but to tbe paper manufacturer , who get * them in quantities to suit his own convenience ; go that though the

      Stamp Return doe * exhibit the actual number oi * ta . nipd issued to each paper during & given period , it does not always correctly Bhow the monthly proportions of the gross amount , and he will probably find it nomewbat u consolatorj " to learn , which he may , on application to Me » sn > . Hilton and Co ., our paper makvrs , that our supply for the two last montkg of this declining quarter , had bees nearly equal to tbe whole of the la * t quarter .

      Untitled Article

      THE DEVIL GOVERNMENT . " The worn we know ef the Devil is that be first prompts tc crime , and then betrays to p-nishmtrnt . " Tku > observation was applied , by aa excellent writer , ta a character which concentered in iweli no small amount of b * eeneM , Strong , how * ever , as the expression is , it ia inadequate fully to pourtrij the ba *« 2 e * s of the wretches by whom tbe more tboogbtlens and inconsiderate among the suffering people are goaded to distraction , and bludgeoned into crime ; and who tben , with truly Devil-like atrocity , sot merely betray to

      punishment , but themselves innict the punishment upon tbeir hapless victims ; gloating with hideous satisfac . ion upon tbeir murderous pastime . Such m precisely the position in which we contemplate them at present in reference to the three unfortunate men left for execution at Warwick , for . the crime o ! suffering themselves to be made tbe dupes of a malignant and blood-thirsty faction , wbo hope , by the pouring out of tbeir blood , and that of a few other like simple innoceHt * , to quench the mighty fire , which , flaming through the land , threaten * tbe stubble of oppression and injustice with irretrievable destruction .

      All uflection upon the subject , and every incident which hag since transpired , confirms us more strongly in the conviction , which at the time forced itself upoD u « , that the riots and fires of Birmi&gLam were no accidental outbreak , bnt a deliberately concocted conspiracy against the people , planned and executed for the purpose of making a pretext on which to call into exerjise brute force and fhamtless

      villaay under tbe gacred garb and colouring of li ^ gal and constitutional procedure . The villains knew that the Charter , which is tbe day-star of hope to the millions , would be the death-warrant of their multifarious modes of plunder . Tht struggle was perceived to be for life , and hence the Charter and its supporters were relentlessl y doomed to immolation , even though blood , and that too of tbe innocent , should deluge tbe whole country .

      The plot has so far succeeded as that three unfortuaates are within their toils ; and the merciless Whig prttBB is exulting over the approaching execution aa if it were a thing foi which tbe belL * of the several churches should be set ringing , and tbe thanks of me congregations inside officially offered by tbe { . riente . And why this rejoicing at the thought of three fellow- mortals being prematurely hurried out of time ? Because we are told that the whining hypocrites

      " trust that their awful fate will be a warning to others . " So says the viliaDoas fool who has been stupid enough to perpetuate an article upon the subject in the Liverpool Ti ? nes of the curreat wee ' s ; in oae seBttnce of whkh tbe men are described as " unstained by crime , " and another sentence of which » ay ? , " tbe execution of these unfortunate and guilty men will , we trust , act as a warning . " The scoundrel goes on to say : —

      " " Their death lies at the door of the National Convention , by which body they have been loned to destruction , and aa luaeh murdered u if they bad talien under the d » gg « r » of the wretche * who compose it . They were in the very flower of their * a * -, unstained by crime , and might in ail probability have p »»» ed loiig and uaeful live * , had u not been for the in-» tiga : » ia of tbo vill * ins who guaded them on to outrage , and \ ke& » fc * a 4 « me& tkeai \ a dettiactvon . " Now what proof does this villain adduce of tbegrave crime of murder which he here chargeB upon the Convention ? What evidence doe » be offer to substantiate this horrible accusation ? Not one jot . Like his whole tribe of brother rascals , be contents himself with asseverating what he knows te be a lie , in the hope that ie may cause " more murders yet to follow after this . " This has bsen the conduct

      of the whole press , both Whig and Tory , during the whole period that has elapsed since these villanous riots were effected . The rioters hare never been otherwise rooken of

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      than as Chartitls ; whea it waa known to all the world that tbe Chartists had no msfe t * do with the riots than had the man in the moon , and that tbe only part taken by them , in the dictvrbancts of Birmingham , waa tha exwtiug of theaxwlr ## to the ; uttermost to still the outrages whieh the magistrates and the infamouj middle class faction bad began . Not a particle of evidence , dirvot or by induction , has any ooa of them addueed to show that the Convention as a body , or any « f its members individually , er aay Chartist whatever , took anypartinthe

      riota of the Uth ef July ; a&d yet the wretched scamp who write * tke Literpotl Time * charge * the outrage , for whiok these men are unjustly condemned te suffer , upon th ' « Cobvobuob J We say unjustly condemned to suffer , because it u as « l « ar a maxim of British law as it is an axiom of oommoa honesty that a man ought not to be accused < tt one crime in order to his being punished for another ; much less ought any man to be pushed , not tor his o « r a crimc « specifically , b « t for thoie of othura , or lest othtr * should become guilty . Yet thia is the ground upon which the

      execution of thew men is justified by the press . It is necejwary forsooth that * warning should be given ! Whom would tbe wr&tchw warn h y thin legal murder P the Chartist * t They need no soch warsing , for they had nothing to do with tha offence into which these unfortunate nun were decoyed ; aor with the horrible treachery by which they are aacritieed . Would tbey warn tbe victims of their owa infernal Tillany ? If sincere , why not render the warning unnecessary t why not oea » e to practice on the uuwafy and to lead innocent men to death ? Would they warn the working cla « w * generally t The

      working classes laugh at their simplicity . They have no desire for the destruction of property , — property which they themselves have brought into existence . They will never lift the torch , ia defence or in despair , unles * driven to it by the insanity of the executive , exhibited in a sucevsatoa of such " warnings" as diis threatened execution and the circumstances out of which it arose . So far than as the warning is concerned , no practically useful purpose could br accomplished thereby : if that , therefore , be the or-ject for which the men were condemned , they were not merely unjustly but foolishly condemned .

      Bat they vrere unjmtly condemned , because they had no fair chance nor opportunity of defence afforded them . They were commitud not for a felony but fur a mutdemeanour , and had n » idea of the nature of tb » charge to be brought againut them until the moment of their appearance ba the dock . The prosecution , of course , knew the course ot proceeding they intended to adopt , but they gave

      ¦ o intimation of that course to their victim *; . they were allowed to solace themselves with the idea that should the worst come to the worst , being only charged with a misdemeanour , a f « w mouths' imprisonment was all they had td look to . This wan , of course , calculated to make them and tbeir friends more reraiss in preparing for their defencu than they might have been , had they been aware mt their lives were ained at .

      Gracious Heavens ! how noble a triamph did a powerful Government achieve ! how gratifying mast it have been to the ingenuity and legal tact of the Attobnkv-Gknebal to hav * witnessed the amazement and tbe horr « r of thrt « Bimp le , uneducated , and very poor me > at finding themselves wtanding with a halter round their u « ks and unable , from the address with which they had been surround * 4 by the murderous toils to make even that » maJl effort for otto-ape which the services of a legal adviser might have

      afforded , and with wbwh the humanity of the country would douhtlr-s- !» avc provided ( hem , bad not the at * B& ** iu-like cauikm of the fell prosecutors . ooeealed tbeir purpose until the fatal spring was made ! Poor , they had bo mttans of defending ihemgelveit ; thu charge agaiuitt them being trivial compared with many wb » had to be defended by the public , their case had been partially overlooked ; abundance of witnesses were ia readiness to prove their innocence , but bttiog of their own , order , they

      Were nil too poor to loae their expense * and their time , while the prisoner * were too poor to pay the expenses . Yet these were the circumstances under which the ATTOftNBY-GtNEttAl of a mighty Government thought proper to a *; onish these paor men , in a moment , with the information that the charge of mi » dtmeaner was transmuted into - a charge of captal felony ; that they were instantly te answer for their lives to the allegations of witnesses with whotte depositions they were unacquainted .

      Having been committed within the period of twenty days from the assize ? , they had a right to traverse , that u , to postpone thv . ir trials till another year , when it mighc be expected that the excitement of public feeling would hare , in some measure , subsided , * o as to afford a better hope of their being tried by a dispassionate and clear-headed Jury , the poor m"n seem to have been ignorant of tbie , to them , favourable circumstance ; they had no counsel to advise with ; and , for anything that appears from our report , the " liberal" Attorney-General put them on their ttia ) , the Judge permitting him to do jhj , wi . hout informing them of the privilege to which they were entitled .

      They were oonvioted oc evidence upon wbich no respectable man would hang a dog . One ot the prinoipal witnessed against them is a rutlian , a priz ' -ftg hter of notoriously bad character , who * e evidence in another case wts discredited by the Jury . Ai . d vet , though this waa the sort of evidence on which his case rested ; though he knew that the unfortunate prisoners were taken by surprise , and were undefended ; though he had heard the

      heartrending declaration of Roberts , that he bad plenty of witnesses who could prove his absence from the scene ef riet , but was too poor to bring them to Warwick ; the Attorney-General , in full keeping with bis " Liberal" character , and that of tbe despicable Government wh > se vile tool he ia , meanly condescended to use hi * privilege of reply , in order tV . at a last effurt might not be wanting to bias the Jury against the selected victims of his mastere .

      lt is a most unusual thiDg in Criminal Courts , when a felou is undefended , for tbe prosecuting Counsel to reply ; but the ATTOUNEY-GKNEBiL of a Whig Government , in a crusade against popular liberty , can afford to lose no advantage . Thew men were doomed to be exhibited as scarecrows to the country . They might be innocent _ That was a matter of small consequence . They were poor aud friendless , and therefore fit to furnish what tke fiend of the Liverpool Times calls " a terrible proof of tbe power of tbe l * w * . "

      Had these men being guilty of the riot charged against them , and of much greater crimes in connection therewith , the punishment of these Crimea would have been eminently due , not to them , hat to the fiend * by wbom they had been entrapped , urged « m , and ( sacrificed ; the very fiends by whom , in reality if not in name and appearance , at whose instigation , and for whose benefit , they wer »

      prosecuted—tbe fiends wbo planned the riot , who have planned an abundance of other riot * , and who in divers parts of the country , are now leaving no stone unturned to goad on the people to like ill-considered act * of violence , in order that their thirst for blood may be eatiatei , and the throne of their domination established upoa theeontinaed plunder and increased slavery of tb * people .

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      ^^~^^^^^^^^^^*^^ B ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ A ^^^^^^^^^^^ ak ^ H *^^^ B * H * aBK * MaMa ^ a ^ B ^ a ^ a ^ BlBlB *** SB ^ BB ^ BB ^ BB ^ BB ^ BB ^ BB ^ BB There is , however ,. eTery reason to before , that these individual men , or at least two of them , are as perfectly innocent as , to render perfect a Whig sacrifice to Liberalism , it is requisite they should be . The Birmingham correspondent of the Time * tell as that" A ea < w haa Wn aent » p to Lord John R «** eH which proTM beyond all doubt , if the affidavit * of tfi * deponent * are t « b « believed , that * o far from taking any part in ths riot * on

      the ni , at of the lJlh , h » ( H »«» U ) irjuat the timea eonaiderabl ? diatane * from th « spot . There are eight witnem ** aow forthcomioK why » w * ar , in the first place , that tiorell waa not ia ta * Ball lUua ; on th * night in quaitioa ; aud , in tke necoiid , that tan man with one leg , who actually took part in tha ri » lJ , wai diffnnent pen on . Ten witnesten havq a ' no now come forward to MtabUab an aHbi on the part of Keb * rt * . " Th * Correspondent of t&e Morning Chroniole confirm * the aUtemwnt .

      The Times Correspondent says^— " It is strange , that oat of these eighteen witnesses oa b * harf of the prisoners , not ob « tendered hw evidence at the trial at Warwick . " The strangeutsa vanishes at once when it is known that three of the witnesses for Howcll , two of them his brothers , were actually in Warwick at the beginning of the Assizes , but thai being poor men , without the means of subsistence in a strange place , and he having no means of « utlining them , they were compelled , by sheer poverty , on his trial being postponed for two or three days , to leave him to his fate . Robert * ob-Tiatcd this surprise by reJliag tbe Q ourt , — * ' Where Jos tier , not unmixed with Merer "

      ever should preside , that he haa plenty of witnesses but teas too poor to bring them . A Court of savage * would ha \ e been moved with pity at such a declaration , nor d » we believe it could have bees made vainly to any but an English Whig Tribunal beit upon wresting incidental matters to the furtherance of political ends . It was made vainly :-the men are condemned ; and their lives are now at tha mercy of the Crown , the Crown being held is leading strings by the political villains wbo procured their condemnation .

      If any thing can exceed tbe atrocity ot Government in this most despicable of all their despicable and most ferocious of all their ferocious exhibitions , it is the meanne « s > , the truckling servility , and the disgusting hypocrisy of the Jadge , before whom thi * case was tried . Well indeed does a talented contemporary observe that the following passage reported from his speech se « ms incredible from ita absurdity : —

      " The Learned Judge having pat on his head the Wack cap , aij—* Voa , Jeremiah Howell , KraneU Robert * , aud John Joaea , hare been * onvieted of a capital felony . Aa Act was panted about two yeara ago abolishing U » c » pii » l pauuhment in many caK » , but thii , 1 regret , did not lorai one of the rxe « ptioi » . It » tSI remains a capital offence . Iiuno ground * upon whi « U I can recommend you to mercy , and 1 U'ipfl t > . e exautpl * i mu about to make will produce beneficial vtlM-. i' "

      Ibu glaring hypoerisy and conspicuous meanaess cf this sentence of Judge Littlk » ai . e ' s are fully equal to its absurdity . The Learned Judge regretted forsooth that the offence of which the prisoners had beta-convicted was still capital . Hi . ? gentle heart o ' e » wam with feeling that Englishmen should be yet liable to be hanged for beginning to pull down a dwelling-ho «» e or stable ; but * o it was - and he couldn ' t help it .

      lhe Jnry had said that these men bad Legun to pull down Messrs * Bourses' shop , and the law aaid they must be hanged for it . But thtre wa » yet a power above the law , by whose merciful iaterventioa the execution of the law might ba averted . In cases where palliatiDg circumstances cauld b <* found , it w&t kia duty , « » •* " « % * , to recommend to- that high power the tempering of the law ' s severity by mercy ; but he saw no . ground upon which to > recommend these prisoners to mercy !

      What ! was there no ground for mercy ia the fact of the poor men ' s having been cajoled , outwitted , acd betrayed—tricked out of their lives ^ committed for a misdemeanor— and then tried for a capital offence ? Wa « there no ground for mercy ia the sorrowful appeal of Roberts to the m «; rcy of Court ; he having plenty ' of witnesses , but being too poor to bring them ? Waa there no ground of recommendation to mercy in the fact of their being convicted under an act Which he regretted was in existence . Bah ! The

      varlet ! Why thus gratuitously in » uk his victims ? Why not east aside the ftimay garb of coarse hypocrisy , and , putting on the proper front , have said , u , Jeremiah Howkll , FbancksRoberts . and John Jon&s , having been committed at tbe instigation and suit of a faetion for a misdemeanor , and having been by the artful wiles of that faction prevented of the due means of making your defence , have been by the further manoeuvres and contrivances of that faction convicted of a

      capital offence , whereby your lives are forfeited to the operation of a law which ought to hive been long since swept from our statute book , but which has been permitted to remain thereon , in orde r that its aid might be sought upon occasions like the present one . I think your ca « e a very hard ene . I think that you are cruelly and unfairly dealt with . I could save you by a word t < peak iag to the Sovereign ; but the Government ne «« d a few scarecrows at this time , and you being poor and frieadles * man will suit admirably for that purpose ; therefore , as I owe them some gratitude fur having niideme a judge , and as the pickings cf the privileged orders , to wbich I belong , can only be

      upheld by the suppression of popular liberty , to the tffecting of which your immolation 5 b thought necessary , I shall certainly not recommend you tj mercy . You ara doomed victims , and mu * t prepare yourselves accordingly . ' Tbw would have been a proceeding infinitely mure manly , to say the leatt oJ it , than the odious whine of regret coupled with a wilful blindness to the ground oa which mercy might be extended . What , however , ia the duty of the people ? Will they suffer the " example" to be made without making an effort to prevent it ? Will they crouch while the truncheon of oppressive despotism cleaves the air and light * wflh fatal energy upon their brethren in successive order ?

      We feel assured that we know the people of England too welt ; they will not suffer this Whig gibbet to be erected without putting forth their energies to despoil it of its trappings . The men must ba saved , if human potver and energy can save them . We are sony to observe too much disposition to put trust in Whig I anity . There seems to be a general opinion that the Government will of itself mitigate the sentenoe . Let not our friends believe it . It will be the first time that a Whig

      Government ever spared iu owb victims . Let them remember the Whig riots and the fires at Bristol , the executions for wbich were sot expected , y et they came . And these will come unless prevented by the people . But how to prevent them F Do we recommend , as some are mad enough to da , physical violence for that purpose ? Would we have the gaol fired and the prisoner * rescued—the law defied and society disorganised ? Certainly not ; for that would merely pave the way for the repetition of like scenes upon a larger scale .

      We would have the peoplj act boldl y , energetically , but pe usefully and constitutionall y . Let them address the Queen . Let memorials , couched in die strongest but most respectful language , be poared upon her from all parts of the co » ntry . Let all the dream-BtanceB of the ca « e ; the poverty ef the mm , and tieir oeMequeu ; inability to rebut the leg * al talent , cunning , and subtlety , employed again ** them ; their being committed for the minor offence and tried . ' or themsjor one ; and , above all , their innocence , as attested by the witneBSw who could have proved it at the trial if permit * d;— let all these be laid re-KpeetfuU y before htr Majesty , in memorials signed by buadred * of thousands from all parte of the

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      ^ BB ^ BB ^ BBH ocuntry , and let file Minirtry , if till ) " dare , oppose their dictum ie the influence of these memorials . Tb # responsibility will thea reat with tkea , and » fearful responsibility will it be ; for if they da but one * succeed in convincingtlte incredulous people of this whale country that the reign of terror haa inde * 4 begun ; that there is indeed no security—no prote * . tion—for labour , liberty , orKfr , they will oertainl y find that tbis insecurity . tends not to enhance the security of property , and that tbeir experimental precedents upon a : «« all scale may be followed ia mo * t fearful earnest .

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      NATIONAL DEFENCE FUND . Wo have received from tke Nottingham Treasurer th * foU * winjf tuou : — * . % . a . QahaUm ' B Cle * e , Old Biafori , br Win . Hemiagway 3 9 No . 14 , Broad Alarth Kactory 0 4 * Uoa Greea , br Join Stoke * & i 11 Robin * on ' * Factory , New iWord .. .. .. 1 0 Mr . K » e > y ' a black dyer * . i >/ NottBao .. .. 0 d ¥ Artificer * rwident in Nottingham , employed not 100 mil e * from Blnghaaw . .. .. .. 0 18 1 New LeuUm , by Mr . BoatocV .. .. .. .. 1 1 11 laoa Green , by Mr . Platt *» .. .. - .. .. 0 10 1 Mr . AtkiMon ' a » hop 1 2 Mr . JtMtphSfaBmon * Q I t New Ba » ford by J . Beardaaii 0 10 7 | Iaon Greea , \> j Lorott 0 8 « , D » - do 0 18 9

      Ctirtrtntt .. .. .. i A a VMverlon .. .. .. .. .. .. 10 9 Biadto and Birkia ' a Factory , NeirBufort .. .. 1 « « Ch » rle » Robert . .. ,. 0 2 lOi Mr . J . BffMt .. 07 V

      10 1 7 Book * , pen * , pencil * , Ac , 0 6 It y » u 9 From the Radical Asstciatioa Derby M % 10 0 . From Danfarmline UatvenaV Saffrage Aatoeiation 2 0 9 Kron tke Kinrou Radieal Aatoeiatioa 1 0 A fe « r Bool-maker * at Liverpool ... 0 IB 0 Liverpool Wotkiug Men ' * Association ... 0 12 From the following places in Perthshire : — Jt a . d . Tulloeh » n | County of Angu « . 10 0 Dunblane I 10 6 Calender 1 i 0 Methven fr 10 JDoun * ¦ ., ¦„ , „„„„ , 10 0 Hew Scone ; .... I » 0 Kadieak in tbe &uue of Govrrus £ 46 Collected at a KUhing Lodge , by Archibald Porrie . Dike of Itionu ............... 0 9 t

      j tlO 8 0 Fro » Manchester , per A . Heywood 0 «¦ 6 „ do . by aa Operative Tailor 0 1 ft , do . by a Fnend to the Defence Knnd .... 0 1 ? From Hajlbeatb , Cross Gates , Kordell , aad Dembrestle Associations .. .. ., ........ 6 8 0 ^ " 3 . 1 » . Od . of the * b « ve sum is for the National Defense 'and and 1 fa . -for the ConveniioB Faud from Halbealh . Will the partie * please to my tra * t the oth * r amount * ftwa * Creu G » te » , l- ' ordel ) , aad Dcabreatle are for . MR . HfGRtf , Suffolk , would get the work * he writes abottt either from Mr Cleave , London , or Mr . Darkest . Norwich . Milton , Kh » t . —W . Norman i * notrapplied from our ofWhe inuat » jpl y to the Agent who sends hi * Paper . D . SCOTT . —Th « Pupets were » e » t by post , and , if charaed , it wu a dvl ' rand of the Postmasters . A . HEYWOOD . —Hi * paper * were the last that were posted ; . therefore Cook ' * ought to b » to been delivered as soon a * neywuoii ' s at Uw least .

      SPECIMENS have this week bees forwarded for iletcalf , Huughton Lee Spring , and William * and Binns , to frame Naweaatle , for 41 i » . White , to R . Ctrmther * . Ashburton , Devon . —W « will aend Portraits for Samuel Mann and the other * , in a few week * . HENRY SHERWO « D .-He cannot hate them at any prioe Leamington Working Men mnat excuse «* . We cannot wa « te time and apace on ( he contemptible driveJb to whose ravia « n ih * y have pointed our attention . Let th * poor wrutth die of bi * oira nothiogae s * : why ahoald we give him iasportance ? THE BVDDEHSneLD ASD * BRADFORD SRVH PARCELS were bi th received aft r & , 1 a on Thursday ; not a word from eit . irr of them can appear . Oar friend * if they intend their their communications t » be iu » .-it-d mu » t attend to th » role * wa have * o often publiahed , fcud which we ne compelled t » attend to . ( Ye cannot take budget * Of new * , extending over the whole w « efc ^ on Tliunidaj . We can take nothivt on that day bnft net mattar as mar hare occwred oi Wednesday .

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      Foresters' CeORT . —On Sunday week , at Barnsley , two very impressive sermons were preached by Mr . Jwhn Arran of Bradford , in aid of the National Defence Fund , when collection * were made amounting to £ 2 &s . The money will be forwarded to the West-Riding Fund . Glorious Dbmonst ration . —Never in the annals of onr town has there been such a moral display of noble-mjnded men , determined to burst the unholy chain * of tyranny which fetter then , aa there have been on that ever-t » -be-rteor » ed day , the National Holiday . Early in tbe meruing , thoughand

      apparently dull -gloomy , the people were seen moviog to and fr * r and all impatient for ths appointed time—eleven o ' clock ; which was to present to their taskmasters their moral display . An aoon as the time arrived the people , amounting in number to twelve thousand or upwards assembled on May . day Green ,, when Mr . P . Hoey wa * called to the chair amid loud acclamations . He britfly ntated the object * of tbe meeting , and requested of the friends assembled to return to their home * peaceably . The meeting was addressed by Mr . Joseph Wilkinson , wb » proposed the following resolution , which wait seconded by Mr . Wm . Donvil : —

      That this meeting do memorialize her Majesty to dismiss hen minister * , and call t » her council * ministers who wi « make the People ' s Charter and a Repeal of the Union between Great Britain and Ireland Cabioet measures . " Carried unanimously . The memorial recommended by the Council of tbe Convention was adopted . The attention of the meeting was called to another memorial , which was to address tbe Queen to muigate the- punishment of the Birmingham criminals , when the fallowing resolution was moved by Mr . Amos Maudeley , and seconded by Mr . James Murphy i-44

      That * e , the inhabitants of Barnsley and it * environ * view with Borrow the late convictions in Warwick , and do hereby petitiou her Miajesty to grant those pcor men a mitigation ot capital punishment . " The memorial , of the Council wss then adopted as in the former case , and tables were placed in tbe various * parts of the tawn with petition sheets , which are signing with cheerfulness . The chairman then commented on Lord John Ru »* tli '» aftsert-on in the Commons' House of Parliament , that the Chartuts only wanted to chapge tbe places with them on account of their property , and protedtad that if he thought any such idea existed , he

      would not be a Ghanist one moment lorjger . He then asked the meeting if such were their ideas , and if no ' , to deny the assertion by a chow of hands , whicb . was unanimous . Notice was then given to the people that a procession would take place at four o ' clock , which took place accordingly ; but to give any account of the numbers wo « ld be impossible . Suffice it to say that the procewion was upwards of a mile long , tight deep ; after wbich the people aggembled on tbe Green , forming themselves in a solid ring > onnd the Green . They then closed together , and keard a portion of the deba ' es in Parliament read . The chairman then dissolved the meeting , requesting of the people , ( wb « were perfectly sober throughout the day , for not one drunken person could be seen , ) to return to their

      homes peaceably , and by no means to disturb ibe peace of the town , which was accordingly done . The Barnsley band , who have attended on all occasions , gratuitously made their appearance early in the morning , and enlivened tbe cheerfulness of tha day by patriotic airs . When their meeting dispersed ths cavalry made their appearance on tbe * ame ground which was previously occupied by tbe meeting , headed by Mr . Thorneley , one of tbe magistrates . Th « army and specials were also in attendance ; after which they patrolled the town , cleared the public-house * , and all passed over at if nothing had occurred . —We have received per Railway Labourers £ 1 10 . * . ; and also from Dodsw » rtb , 15 s 4 d ., which please to acknowledge as received by the Barnsley Union .

      BIBMINOrHAM . Defence Fond . —We have beeB reqvested , by a few frien d * at Birmingham , to notice the following sums received fsr the defence of Messrs . Brown and Fusseli : — £ s . c * . Our Walnall Friends 12 5 The Socialists of Birmingham .. 1 13 10 . Friends of Dudley . 0 13 9 Received from Stourbridge . 2 0 0 Pdjd to Mr . Brown , at Stoarbridge 0 10 0 Receive ! , including the above sums , at various times 19 15 5 Expended in promoting their Case . 12 1 7 Balance in hand ... 7 10 3

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      j ME . SILPHENS'S TRIAL . : Wb have waited till the lut moment of going to i press , bet have received no intelligence , except that I the daj of trial has been altered to this daj ( Thurs-! day ) or Friday—we know not which . We > hall , ¦ therefore , give the report at fall length in our next .

      To Readers & Correspondents

      TO READERS & CORRESPONDENTS

      Ba&Jrsjunr.

      BA&jrsjunr .

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      THE IRISH MIS 310 N . Our readers are aware that , in consequence of a communication from our brethren in Dublin , tht-Council of tbe Convention cent Mr . Lowry and another Delegate as Missionaries to Ireland , to endeavour to establish a union of sentiment and action between the Chartints of both countries ; and we are happy to xtate that ivttent have been received from Mr . Lowav , containing the mis : cheering account of tbeir reception in the [ ri ? h capit&l , aud a wtll-foundei hope that by perseverance the oppressed , insulted , and iegraded serfs of the Absentee * a&d Amtoer&cy of that unfortunate oountry will be brought to a seme . of tbeir true inierest , and join hand aDd heart wii theirbrcthren on this side the channel in the grand effort to recover the long lost right * of both .

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      4 THE NORTHERN STAR , August T 7 ,, 1839 ,

  • Citation
    • Northern Star (1837-1852), Aug. 17, 1839, page 4, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/ns/issues/vm2-ncseproduct531/page/4/