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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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* n £ * OK ' . "DPO » THE SUNDEREMfl ^ ^* - RESOLUTIONS . / ; ' . . TO THE PfiQPLB . vf Fbik > 'I > s , —I quite agree -with Mr . Lowery £ hat tiu ^ elimms of the' Star would be more I > enenclally iLmied in reports those siatteH interesting to the riei casse , than in-inserting natters of a mere per-?^ 1 nature . Boi »* er , tha * groond » far departure jp ^ fins rsde may jatf ^ flp ? P P <» ae eoune ,. abd that ^ paal feelings j 3 flTO . aM . te , }» dg-j of time grounds , ^^ rgrr - i urn tetter etUbH » he *» precedent . ¦ the of the =
2 dull be as brifi ^ m natae case win j ^ ij in analysing ' . ft * nature . •* the three distinct ^ ei insde ftjuMtJtw Sfcr ,. jttd reported fully in |» t p « per of t at w * 'fjgjft ;; ' ; « oaj pa ** »* Sand ^ laaU , um&mamtorj of the contaii of the Eator . t « WMd « Mr . Deegao . I annyi bow "wfifc rap ** , to the decision of working pea ' ; bat from tie Tery re » otntiona ti > einjelTe # , let-me gevfeeUtezor not the tact of Me . Poegau having im-—ragd tfce Bditor is noi-faMy twrae oat
jtr , Kidcer , wba ' nwTed tt » lint resolution , said , in ^ -parting it , that what Ms . Deeps did ray respecting ** . Sfor being promised a report from the Timer , was ^ different from tbe ^ abating given to it in the Star £ ; ; Xr . £ ; further . asa 6 rt * a , thM what Mr . 3 > eegan did ^/ was , that the Star should hat * had a reporter jgte . >' ow , as this inTolTea the , chanetex of the Star , , ij did not any one hear in mind thai- th&Lted * Times ~ £ Ike MeratTf-weft dependant mpeothe £ tor fora
gpari of tie mutiMf held bytte- Chartuta on the jo * oB Thursday , sad fbj a report of the xoiree held j fee MsBfi Saloon , on Wednewiay , tbe two meetings ^ most importance to , the peopH ? «< 1 Tray vere sot &e people told that the Star alone had report * of those jrtsmeetings to get ready for its Hist edition , and & two reporters and wren } writers were engaged in -jjjBg the report op in time ? Doe * not ereij one isow that such a press of reportrnyraatter is invariably stated by Editors of all local papers for their mutual
jjyenience ? Bot -what contains the spirit of * pohHc meeting ? I £ nld say the resolutions and address of an , rather fcB the speeches of any ; and why did it never strike grime st the Saadariaad meeting that the Star alone p ushed the address and resolution * , ¦ which , although ggfted to the . Tines , were not published ! iheSiar jjgihsd all the meetings and the address of the dele * ea ^ M ether paper did . If the Editor had got tbe j ^ Times report of Mr . Deegan ' s speaeh , Mr . Deegan ' s igg ^ TSQldhaTe been published without aoy curtail * ja ^ jf there had been room and the . Editor thought jsaabie . * ** ¦ . ¦ - -
& . K . farther asserts that Mr . Deegan did not £ j £ &s Eiitor with having placed his name at the ^ of tie list ; he only aid that his name , to . , £ 3 irith those of Messrs . Mason and Lowery » yz , fbert , bat did sot say by whom placed there . \;» , Tas there a man in Sanderland so ' silly as not fct » r Uiit no ene bat the Editor coold hare placed « a aere is the coarse of arranging the matter for fcispS ? Who , 2 ien , hnt the Editor eould hare i asttfi ? - - . i ¦ fc De * S » n , he sajs , did say that it mui not doing £ iadbis owistitoeEts justice sot to insert his speech as My , especially at it iras folly reported in the Tia .
fii , vha > most others feel- whose speeches ft did scsnt &e Jia « to wport- so fully ? so that , in the era * of fiie S&r ha-ripg got , and inserted , the Time * repat , If Mr . TJeegan had had more justice , greater etss of complaint "would hxTe been giTen to others . laJTilBaTU said , thai it iras strange ticat no perwe to ihe writer of the letter eonld remember the lasxtap of Mr . Deegan ; irhereupon a disinterested viass sirted up , sad said thai he frould take an OBt ^ UzxtMr-Bsegsa-eoBtisdicted the assertion of the Zdasr d tie Star u to the promise of a report .
Jaw 1 thisi tsat ssy impartial judge 7 wiH at once i&nix xhi " . this i * th&'veigbt of the charge ; the one thingpersxal , Tthkh ili Williaz&s says , eren admiting ii 10 be tesa , 6 id » ot justify the -cendusion that Mr . Iteegsa i £ . d up toe Editor to reprobation . So then ! ft it ao accus . iim to oil s gentleman , who is cot pre-» ei to defasd himep ^ f » ijjj » and ^ does not at ail daaet &om the taeftiMess of a journal that all those & ¦« ioK interest it is conducted should be impressed * ii 1 KJjrricSoa that' the conductor is unworthy of esdsi C » shere be a vord implying gwater scorn or riSs * aan " lisr r and can contradiction be more fs fas flat -rbish . 3 It WilHams freely admits ilr . i « e to laTe girea to a plain assertion of the 1 &x ?
las tot rasokJaoa is matter wholly between Mr . ^«? a sad 24 r . Badley . The second reselation -was K * ri bj Mr WflliaiLs , and seconded by ilr . Austin , BiaisftOo-n ;—* IJai an * meetbsg expresses its surprise , regret , » . Esppndbsrion of the conduct of the Editor of the * - ~ Jen Star , is inserting a Utter containing such ^ saats , from xa indmdnal of whose capacity or
csaany he inew nothing , and foundiiig thereon a *» SEd icjast attack upon the general and prirate csBSer of Mr . Deegan , introducing also charges and Et « wra with which the ? uhlic hare nothing to do ; J ^ te Tsbiieatjoa of which -was not only uncalled for , jj ^ 'fr S . md unwise , and most Beriousiy calcu-° « t » ir ; are the Chartist cause , without in the least pssoif ; >>* prfr ^ te p ^ iic interest of iu proprid-« as esadnetar "
" 2 rsspect to this resoluiion , I hare only to ask ^ 2 it would hare been wise or feeling to hare ^ - ors tie p ^ admitted by 3 Ir . Williams to be ^ Ba the principal feature was s remark of ilr . -os to the following import : — " That the Star **_ % li 7 Bd a sp-irit , which , if submitted to , would ^* i * independence of soul in the leaders of the * T- *; t 2 st it might cue daybecome a Tile heresy to ^ ti ic £ » iiibaity , or to differ in the slightest / ?* , frcs the maaaer in which , upon any occasion , Kl »» taBfiaetei- to
^ JT . proeeeds say . —in a mild spirit of eourse , — ^ * KnaMers that ilr . Deegan had had less justice ^ " * s erm awarded to him upon his trial , when 5 " ^ iv 3 i reporters' notes produced against him . ^ S 5 * E tab subject , I nrnst only say that the Star has j ^ o ? sH flat mystery with which other papers ^ ¦^ Toy name of proprietor , editor , and all in J ^* " * i di it -, that its columns , as I shall pre-¦ s * w , LsTe been open as well to all charges tia v ^ fte prcprietor cr tte Editor as against ttftj "" ^ eEeiE 7 of eitter of them ; aod if ^^ £ ry fear of the Star becoming a dan-^ _ as 3 nneIit it will be when the people fyr of
fcTtC " - ^ 051 doubting the Teracity him j ^ = s a coadacted . The Stor has not , like other l ^ tjf * ! . r f " its terriflc Powers " to prepare in | ^ j las acTertiang community , or eTen in the ' "k **/ ^ repOrt ° f the m comfortable of &e j ^ 5 ciisses ' my retreat from the poorest of <* i ^ J ^ ^ to the standard of justice meted ^?^ J S 5 n ' co ^ Psred to that measured by Ks t ^ " *^ * ° ** " ViCiai as » ie has made the S ^^ 011 of ^ fact , that the Editor of the Hg * == &h 6 d with no direct uirecs Ote bnt
, charge , but was fura ^ n «^ coarge , dux was xur" fcV ^ fo r iayjag tte ^ jy one ^^ ^^^ ^ dl ™ ?? ' ' fuU > before **» P *^ . 1 *^ T" " ^" S : » Trilii Ms own defence . S 5 * ? ifaa ^^ " not think Mr . Williams has a l 2 *' T hlMBCaaeof the of the reporter and * -5 b-, 7 8 ee ^ X cannot furnish him with one % ^ ST !! PP 0 S * S * n a rasolutiou to the
fol-J ^ Thl ^ f ^^ erstodiugthat the »*** of ^ » 2 £ ? ? » 1 ' ™ compliance with I f * a « e sS SrS ¥ ^ . appointed a reporter £ * * i « y rf S ?^ " ** f toaeriMd and district , U ^ JaU a ? d "" i ^ Smnm ' the P ^ P <»« 0 ^ ^ * ««^ newT ? ? OTt 8 rf * " Caartiit and ^ l * 7 o ! Sl ^ -i" ^ 6 phsi 0 n *« it was the ^^^ SeS- * ^ ' hsTe attended ^ S ^ iSS ^ SW ^ Sr Srsi s ^ s ' ^ 45 S » f ^^ - ^ t oed person «? 5 *^^ t ^ S , " ** " * «» Wedlreport rsff ** ^^ j ^^ ' - "Mi-, » t ^
>«« U wST ? 7 ^ ^ * - **<* * O . £ ¦ •* a . " Tj ? ° ^ *• zeal « n whkh he JJ . * ta a ^ 2 v ^ * ««> ished that Mr . ij ***** ST 2 £ a < imit ^ - ^ - ^* 1 Il-D « S « got his informa-
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tion from the Editor of the Leeds Tint *? so . that £ h « whole appears to be-a playing off-of the Teracity of- the Edftnr of the Star , against the tffiBupported allegations of an interested party . But as . to . , any danger to be apprefeended , Ilr . Williams may rest politically satisfied that no " false doctrine , heresy , or schism" in the Star , can do much damage , while it inserts met resolutions , and pays £ 52 a-year for reporting them , There is not another paper in England that would ha * e published those resoftitiona .
But let us now see if this be the first charge of a similar nature against both proprietor aud Editor , and from the same quarter , aad for the same cause , of not reporting Mr . Deegan t and whether , in girlng insertion to the resolutions of the Durham Delegate Mesting , fn December last , theEditar , when censored by a resolution of a delegate meeting , erinced aay ^ Tery great ptignaeityof dispositlan . The follewing is tke resolution to which Irefer : ~ "The meeting expressed their disapprobation of the non-insertioa by the editor of the Nartiur * Star of the report of the public tea gi * en at Sunderland to
Messrs-Byrne , Owen , and Deegan , and of the explanatory remarks furnished by Mr . Deegan respecting the foreign policy meeting at the same place ; and also' of the ap- ' pointment of missioniries by Mr . O'Connor , or any other irresponsible party , the meeting being of opinion that all such appeintments ought to be made by the people themselves , ox by the Executire Council it Manchester , who arc the responsible serrants of the Chartist body ; and that , if Mr . O'Connor b « inclined t * contribute to the support of missionaries , to lund his contributions orer to the Executire Council , to b « applied by * 3 iat body for that purptse . "
Now her * is a rote of ensure in the strongest language , Hi . Beegan being one of Vhe delegates , for the non-insertion of matter which" tha parties oe-ret © Ten took the trouble of enguiring wh e ther or no il had been receired , or whether it had been displaced for more important matter ; and because the Editor did not insert Mr Deegas ' J explanation , upon a subject upon which the Star and the Libtrtior were bestowing much attention . At the same meeting , a Tete of censure was passed upon me for giTing nay own money towards the support f tried , mea , who ware recently enlarged 4 M £ i prison , subject to the approval and application of lot Toice of
the people of any district , which may require their service * : and how am I treated ? Why , I am told to send my money io the Executive , in order that they might dispose of it . Now , 1 might have asked if the Executive appointed Mr . Deegan , Mr . Mason , Mr . Bairstow , or any of those whose lectures appear to havd given unmixed satisfaction . Here , then , was a Tote -of censure npoa the Editor for not reporting Mr . Deegan ' s explanation , and upon the Proprietor for offering £ i a week out of his own pocket , subject to the people ' s approval as to thoce to whom it should be expended upon , and not even the short hand notes sent , to the parties charged , who learn it frem the columns of another paper .
May I sot , in passing , ask whether the nicety of appointment and payment was as critically scanned in the instance of a whole horde of gentlemen receiving immense salaries from Mr . Urquhart , and appointed by him ! No ; but I am censured for giving my own money , whDe " the Editor is censured for not pubttshing a justi&e&tion for Mr . Urquhart ' s delegates ; this , indeed , is novel justice . I must now refer to a matter connected closely with the foregoing . I giTe the following transcript from the letter of a person upon whose veracity I have the most implicit reliance . It bears date , Newcastle , February 10 th , and , after setting forth the conspiracy which has been long hatching against the Star in that quarter , it states as follows : —
"This party , through Mr . , called upon the Council of the working men to pass a vote of censure upon the Star , at the meeting on Tuesday night ; but , to their disappointment , they found the Conncil unwilling to become their tools , and their demand was indignantly spumed , to the great chagrin of Mr . , who nsed many arguments to induce them to pass the resolution- Among the many petty charges against the Stariathe following : —• That Mr . O'Connor refused to lend £ 1000 to certain parties , without security , to commence a newspaper ;* this , and expecting Messrs . Xowery , Deegan , &c , to pay for Start regularly , they represented as being mean .
Now , let me state what my meanness and anxiety about my £ 1 , 000 amounted to . It appears that I required security ; well , who would not T What was the security , and what the interest that I required ? Why . naturally to b * e paid back my principal with ten per cant , which I am paying for the Star «) i ^ Now would this be unfair 7 I say not ; but what was my proposal ? Why to give—not lend—my thousand pounds , and never to see it again ; requiring that I should be insured against any greater loss , in order to try the experiment for two yean , satisfied to lose ten pounds a week , for that period .
Kow , I was not , applied to ; it was a voluntary offer ,, made in a private letter to Mx . Williams , upon hearing his intention from himself of establishing a pap « r in the place of the Northern Liberator . He has that letter ; let every word of it be published . So much loz what is expected from me ; and now for the rule which is observed towards me in a precisely simi / ar case . I was encouraged to establish a paper upon aprtmise of £ 500 being raised , to which I was to add £ 400-Little more than ^ 600 of the £ 300 was raised , and a
large portion of that has been paid off . T wo lawyers opinions were taken on the matter ; 2 stamped deed was execaWd , and oae very igaorant attorney , at Halifax , told the shareholders that they would be liable for ail the debts « f the paper ; for all paper and stamps ; for all libels of every description , and so forth . Well , in this deed , I am bound to pay ten per cent ., and am made personally liable , by my own desire , and against the wish of the shareholders , for the principal , whatever becomes of the Star , which was to haTe been a joint speculation .
Now , 1 ask Englishmen if this is English fair-play That a gentleman is first to be frowned upon by every one of his class , persecuted , and locked up in solitary coBfinemeut , and then pelted with his own acts of generosity . It is very well to make the insertion or non-insertion of matter the ostensible cause of complaint ; but I think I shall be able to put this question upon its right legs , aud to trace it to its origin . This conspiracy , then , has its origin in the discomfiture of the Kusso Chartists , who first nestled in the neighbourhood of Newcastle and district , in consequence of Mr . Attwood ' s local patronage and alliance
with the party . The Star , most properly , . checked the gasconading of a set of paid parrots , receiving enormous salaries for repeating some very exciting stuff th&t they bid learned by rote about Rutsia , Constantinople , Circassia , the Ottoman Empire , France , and God only kn » wa what ; aud of which they , knew just m much as a pig does of geometry . They -were all Chartists , and something more . Well , they threw ont their feelers , for the" support of the Star , in the greatest piece of political trickery ever attempted to be practised ; the Star would not bite , but exposed the whole
affair . The consequence of which was , that they had the address to persuade the Northern Liberator , a paper with which the Star had been in strict alliance for three years , that they were strong enough to give strength to a journal . They assumed all the mock pageant of a mimic court , aud even sent ambassadors to France . Well , the Liberator , not knowing how to discriminate between the adopted conclusions of a hired party and public opinion , took the bait , and immediately opened a fire upon the Star , by an attempt to make the question at issue one of mere Whig or Tory hatred .
The Liberator said that the Whigs would be mightily pleased with an article in the Star , supposing that popular hatred " of Whigjery was greater than hatred of Toryism . Now , thia was the real test upon which the Liberator relied for - success . Well , the Star and the Liberator fought it ' out like gentlemen , till the Liberator , who commenced the bittle , surrendered ; and what was the result ? Why , that the attack upon the Star , which was to haTe re-animated the Liberator , produced its sudden death ; » ti ^ so we lost the aid of that excellent paper , in consequence of its belief in the
strength of a party , which waB not even a good faction . Had the Star prostitntsd ij » columns to the support of . the fiu *» i&n missionaries , it would have had a good puffer in each well-paid agent , and , instead 0 / votes of censure , we should have heard of nothing but " O ! read thcS ^ r . ' read the Star ! " But peruh the Star before 5 t shall ever become the tool of faction , or the f rop of deceit . Now , it is all Tery fine to talk about injuring the cause , and the Star not being denounced by public speakers at meetings of working men . This is not the
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ganje . Thfejeal « anse of the complaint fromIhatquarteaf is , that the factors were not wrfficiently perfect In alf their parts io ensure a good performance , before' tlie working . i ^ enl ' themselves began to . smell a rat } , and , having teamed a lesson in diplomacy , from the Rosso ministers , tbey , thanks to their bonert hearts , met plot by counter-plot , and communicated truly , honestly , and punctually , every jump the cat took , and thus en ? abled . the Star to nip . the thing in the bud . Lord Barrymore has truly said , that "« Be enemy dan do yott more harm than a thousand friends can do good ; " and the S , tar was not likely to escape the wrath , of highly-paid missionaries , who had undertaken so distinguished a calling ; it is not natural to expect it . ' ;
Neither Mr . Williams , nor Mr . Deegan , are even hinted at in these remarks ; they apply exclusively to a set of jar friend * in Northumberland and Durham , who have felt sore at kick ; being put in their gallop , and have met , like sneaking rascalg , eaves-droppers , as they are , and done all that in their petty wrath they could io , to undermine the Star , aad its Proprietor , and Editor ; bat I hurl defiance at them ; I dare them to come out of their hiding-bole , and face » nan-paying meeting of real working men , and there denounce the Star .
And now they cry out , "Ah . ' what , a shame not to allow us to haTO gone on nicely and quietly In our own way , to reader the Star a truly subservient organ . " In fact , it would appear as if the Star had no character to support , and that its editor was to receive censure with cap in hand ; while aay defence was to be met withy " O ! takfr care , yomH damage the cause . " The Star , since ita birth , has had but . one Propriety * one Editor , one Publisher , and one Clerk ; and show
me the man in the kingdom who has bees ' mixed up with the same conflicting parties , measures , men and opinions , as the Editor of tb , e Northern Star , and who . has more studiously avoided giving personal offbDoe to the honest or the poor , while his proposed wward for six days of unremitting toH , endeavouring to do the best for all , is te reflect , on the seventh , upon the number of voles of censure to which , his labours have entitled him . .
If the Editor was capable of being overawed by votes of censure for the proper use of a power , of the application of which ha must be the best judge » and for which he U responsible to the people , but not to a faction , what must be the result , I ask , if such a precedent waa once established ? Why that , after all , he could gtve bat one Slur , while , six would be too few to contain the votes of censure for the omission of speeches , explanations , and letters ; and this would be freedom of tfaspress ! Let me now show thai 1 have , at all events , been consistent upon the subject of expensive national agitation , and that the Star was not governed by any whim , caprice , or personal feeling , in its opposition to the Rosso humbug .
in August , 1838 , I declared in the presence of Messrs . AUwood , Muntx , Douglas , Moir , Purdie , Lovett , Vincent , Salt , Hetheringtoa and others , at the house of Mr . Muntx , that the National Rent scheme would have precisely the same result which a similar system had produced in Ireland , and which rendered that country the laughing stock of nations ' , the scoff of honest men , and a prey to political charlatans . Now attend to this evidence , direct and
circumstantial . I am ready to prove that one of my most constant personal friends ; one of the people's most zealous and unflinching leaders ; was offered to name his own terms far writing sae down , vpoa Ma liberation from prison . I give , not the substance , but his fery words . I am prepared to prove that many provincial agitators of influence , have received letters from head-quarters , containing advice upon many subjects , and concluding with the declaration that " above all O'Connor and the Star must be put down . "
Now , couple this direct testimony with the following circumstantial evidence . Mr . O'Conneli , in his letter to the Leeds Reform Association , insists , above all , upon the paramount necessity of what the " lyinu ' Editor of the Star truly designates as a " knowleilgo depot , " the members to be elected upon the principles of the Association ; aud be says that the Irish of Manchester or Liv « rpool will elect him . God help his foolish head . Mr . Hume says that " the leaders of the working classes , generally , have agreed to join in an agitation for his definition of Household Suffrage ;" Mr . Roebuck says that " an Association , ready to act in
concert with the Leeds Association , is being hatched in London , " and is almost ready to leave the shell . Now , then , couple the direct evidence with the circumstantial , and can any man in his senses for a moment doubt that we were to be sold , neck and crop , and purchased with our own money ? What was to have been the process ? Why , first , " O , there " s no difference between us and the Chartists ; we ' re all Chartistsbut we ore practical men , and we dont wish to frighten the timid ; but just let us get strength enough once , and then see bow we will make ministers step out . " Well , O'Conneli says , you would get immense funds ;
now it matters sot a farthing whether you did or not ; for such an association the treasury would bleed moat fresly . The favourites of your order would get their own price , as missionaries ; they would be paid out of the secret service fund , with your money ; and when the pressure from within had so far operated upon the pressure from without , as to get a large majority ef men , all agreed upon the principle , you would have aeren years of the mast corrupt parliament , even worse than the present ; and then the few stage mountebanks ,
having made their party sufficiently independent of a few votes , would now and then make a grand annual splutter ; would denounce ministers ; bring forward extreme questions ; divide pretty strong , but always join to keep the Toiies out . This " depot" was to have been the maiH-spring of pressure without , while a set of mountebanks , were to foim the nucleus of the pressure within—the one , the only , object being to keep the Iron hoof of Toryism off your necks to leave more ro « m for the iron hoof of Whiggery .
Well , the poor Star cannot be very popular with the swell classes—the top-sawyers— " the working men , wot don't work , " to have snapped such a morsel from them . If the Leeds attempt bad succeeded , a good deal of the machinery was arranged , and , I hear , some of my friends won't forgive the disarrangement . However , I started with the poorest , and with them I am fully resolved , come what will , to die or conquer .
In justice to some of the very best of men , I deny Mr . Hume ' s assertion , that the leaders of the working classes , generally , had agreed to join for his definition . I a&sert , upon behalf of two of the most leading men in London , that an appeal was made to them , and that they unhesitatingly , unequivocally , and indignantly refused to join in any agitatien which had for its object , directly or impliedly , the establishment of any other principle than that contained ifl the People ' s Charter . Now , I state this Dpon authority , and they were two who drew up the Charter , '
Great merit is made of not openly denouncing the Star ; but to whom is the merit due ? whether to those who are obliged to abstain for want of cause , or to the Star , which furnishes not even a pretext . O ! if the Star gave but a handle , what a hue and cry my friends would set up . Here is the plan of nibbling at the Star , and praising the speaker : — Mr . Chairman , — " I believe erery man in this meeting will at once admit that 1 am the very last man in England who would wish to injure the Star , and that I have made as large personal sacrifices as any man of my class in pushing that paper . ( Hem , hem . )
But , then , it is oar duty to point out its errors in a mild and forbearing spirit , as the best means of preserving its usefulness to the people ; and I tbink we cannot do so in a more friendly manner than commencing by telling the editor that he ' s a liar , and the proprietor that he ' s a mean and spiritless fellow for having limited his losses , in the establishment of a paper , to the paltry sum of £ 1 , 000 , and in daring to give £ 21 for six weeks' pay to two missionaries , if the people wished for their services . Such acts , Sir , are eminently calculated to bow dissension in the Radical ranks— to injuia the character of our tried friends , —and , finally , to destroy tbe ever-glorioES cause of democratic liberty . "
Now , what is the real feeling in the mind of eve ? y man , calling himself Chartist , who denounces the Sta , ? Just this— " D n that Star ; but for it , I could 'do a bit of fancy work in the trade , but that devil keer , 8 me in the old road , like a horae in a mill ; and if 1 step only an inch aside , it bellows out , come back he re , Mr . , I aay come back , you ' re on the wrc jg read ;
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there * * gte&' H ^ Mi + ^ itf 'Paiintaeaiixf W 64 * e ^ - iuilt acrosstb ^ * pit £ «| j ^ rvi w > <¦ . . ¦ -us . ¦; ; : ; There . ^ ev er ; T ^' fflKffiyjj $ g' £ unpMed ' . the oauseaf ^¦ ¦ . PwWmiV * j , 8 W ; a » 4 thaw who now fight with It , andwhedkJit hus kept in the straight wad , vffl , ere I (^/ -M ^ ' ^ - ^ ffi «^ - | t , ' ^< B they ; , . , the n ^ tiwa . wvt&tiJji ^ Mbi t *> called uponr whic ^ they * U 1 ,, very ip ^ ed ^ y , ' . i » ' {! afce a abate to the administration / Of the State * jafolm , Then win they » F . " . Bless « b « : Slat , that nitalneime In the dayaof 'ttf jfofctfawge . ' i etaj f Be . wJunderjake ^ iny ' offlee ' , pure and spji ^ eW , and 'wittioaJb jtjie "' , hea , Tj chain ofapostaiyhMwlagjrgttnd mrjBefit' /; , . , < ,
The Ckartisto ai * nearer power than they imagine and bo man , as long arr'l iTe , « Katt protract the period by stepping one Inch ' out of the 6 W Charter road , without being called after > j name , » nd warned of his danger . ¦ ..., ,. . ; ,. ; . . -, - I was sent here as a eoek-Bhot for every blackguard who wished to pelt me , from Fox Maule to the Very lowest ; and therefore it is nofc . Ulieijr that the opportunity ahould be thrown away . . Xhei » cannot be a bettei mask'than tilting the Star first , as that ia my foundation } and that being goae , my head wartd conta i ^ ' tox the next blow . But I hurl defiance at opea foe and candip FKiEMD . I bjvvo left around my same a shield of poor man ' s love ; a barrier of the pauper's rich affection , which neither open villany nor secret plot can break through . " ' .
You Russian ramp . ' you set of vipers I wheneTe * you have any thing to say , give notice like men . Call my friends together , after their day'a work , and then charge / and charge , and charge away , till you are black in tb « '| w «^ and I defy you . . ;• I am notthe only man in this kingdom in oolitaty confinement for nothing . ¦ No , no , my hands -were not tted « nd my tongue gagg ed for nothing ; and lamnot to be choked with butter . No man ever cries " stinking fish , " or offers ' a hadhorsa for sale ; and , of cpurse , no one could ; do such a thing as abuse , for abusing sake . No , no , its all for love . It appears Tery odd that every ¦ such attempt has the effect of enhancing the people ' s love ; "but so it Is . \ ,. t Iwn , Yonr faithful friend , FEIUGUS 6 'COHNOIk
.. P , S ., U v&rj »» oy inaccuracies occur In this letter , J beg to state , that although I have thought it an Imperative duty to write It , I have done so against " the express order Of the surgeon , who , in , consequence , of my sight being much impaired , has ordered me not to read or write at all ; I have thought it my duty , however / and for thia reason . —Lord ' Coke has said that , " be who undertakes to plead bis own cause , has a fool for a client ; " had the cause been my own > I should bare left it to my friend , Mr . Hill , to defend me i > 'but knowing that his time will be sufficiently occapied , in hi * duties to the public , I have thus , at all risk and pain , come forward to discharge a duty which can be better performed by an , advocate than by the accused ; and , in conclusion , 1 have only to say , that very many resolutions , complimentary to my excellent friend , have been to my knowledge displaced by . him to make room for matter which he considered to be of more
importance ; while he appears to have gone to some Inconvenience to give immediate insertion to the only resolutions of disapprobation which , after many years of a well tried political life , have been passed upon him . He can well afford it . I am prevented from , replying to many letters , in consequence of my sight being much Impaired . ¦ ¦ 1 - P . O'C .
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be # n three , months ; he was then ordered to ask the clerk . y ? hen h . e returned , he laid ; that the cleric told tim he had been there eight month * . I remarked , tb ^ t It was ' Tery strange ; « , " inan could not tell how long ne had been suffering s ^ ch misery . The keeper replied , ' < * , ' That it was a common thing there for men to . lose . their recollection , and have no knowledge of how their timepMsed . " I have frequently seen men pulled From their seats , when :, their tipie of imprisonment had explrta , although . Ojelr' numbers had been called several times . All this can be proved , and will be admitted , by the principal officers of the den -. in short , none but those who hate ( experienced it , can have the slightest idea of tfte cruelty and torture inflicted « n both mind : and botly , in that infamous place , the Very existence Of which proves the brutality and bleodthirstiness of the " powers that be , " I am , Sir , yours , truly , ; . George white . If 0 . 3 Court , Essex-street , Birmingham .
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PUBLIC MEETINGS AGAINST THE POOR-LAW AMENDMENT ACT—MEETING IN JBITTJLE BOLTON . ; ( From the Bolbn Chronicle . ) A . public meeting of leypayers , convened by the overseerift , in consequence of a requisition numerously signed , was held ia the Town Hall , Little Boltpn , on Wednesday evening last ; to take into consideration the propriety of petitioning both Houses of Paliament against ( be renewal of the Poor Law Amendment Act The r . oom was crowded to excess , but was very orderly . On the motion of Mr . Thomas Myerscough , Mr . Gilbert Whalley , one of the overseers , was called to the chair . ' :. . ¦ ¦ ¦¦; . ¦¦ . ¦ ' : . ¦ . The Chairman briefly opened the proceedings by desiring the meeting . to be orderly , and give every speaker an impartial hearing j baring read the notice convening the meeting .
Richard Manden , a weaver , rose to move the first resolution , and said any old man present would not have believed thirty or forty years ago that a poor man , applying for relief , in case of distress , could not obtain it unless he went to the workhouse , like a prison-house , surrounded by walls , separated , from his wife and children , and fed on gruel and food too scanty to preserve health and life . ( Hear , hear . ) In times like these too , of the severest distress , to be separated from their families was a double infliction of injustice ; it was in times like these that man- and wife required each other ' s presence , in order that ttiey might afford each other more comfort and consolation ; but the bare idea of having their children taken from them was maddening , and raa . de the brain to whirl . If he were wealthy , and
separated from his children , the hope of reward might influence their , conduct in some degree , but sot being « o they would be reckless of the future , and require * hia protecting aid .: Let the Hoo Uaioa afford an example as to the manner in which children Were . treated . ( Hear ,, hear , hear . ) It was in evidence that in that Union the Governor flogged girls of fourteen and sixteen years of age on the : bare back , and what rendered it still worse , women were compelled to hold their arms while fee performed the act of flagellation ,, ( cries of shame ); a woman was separated from her child , and she , said rather than be bq she would cut her own throat ; but they enforced the order , and next morning she left the place , aud having no means of sustenance and no prospect but the horrid bastile , she put a
period , to her existence . ( Hear , bear . ) As a woman said to . him on Monday , " blessed is the womb that never bears . " The inhabitants of Bolton hud formed a committee which they called the watch committee , whose duty it waa to inform the public when their rights or liberties were likely to be assailed . This meeting emanated from that committee ; and they told the public to petition , but would Government attend to their petition ? he feared they would not , from the thousands which had been already sent without avail . The committee saw the position in which they stood ; they felt alarmed and pointed to the public view the object about to destroy them- Could the people , however , avoid the calamity . » If they could not , it was not the fault of the committee , but the circumstances under
which we were placed . Suppose a wan was bound hand and toot to a tree ; a person placed at a short distance from , him to warn him of danger ; and if a lion or some other ferocious animal were to approach , and the man set to watch made an alarm what would it avail tbe captive who was bound hand and foot to a tree , and could not move ? Ihear , hear , and cheers ) , why then inform aim of his danger for " sufficient for the day ia the evil thereof " unless it wore in his power to afford him some relief ? And it was not less absurd to pray and desire the lion or other beast not to hurt him than it W » s to petition the House of Commons not to renew the New Poor Law Bill ; they knew the lion would seize upon the man , torn past experience ; and the knowledge they hud of the House of Commoua taught them
what to totpect from there . Then , he said , way come there ? He was asked not to come there to petition Parliament ; but to awoken the energies of the people , and tell them boldly to bid defiance to those who would trample upon them . ( Cheers ) Let them only look at their real position . They had been contributing for years to a fund for their relief iu case of sickness and distress , and yet they bad no power over their own money ; it must be left to the management of others . For that he would not have cared one straw , if he must have had justice ; but he had not If the money was appropriated to its legitimate purposes , instead of being squandered away , he would have been satisfied ; but he found , iu the first place , that upwards of sixty thousand pounds a-year was paid to the
Commissioners and their minions , who were distributed all over the country , and were shamefully making away with the puWic money . These men , too , had exclusive power , ami could deal with the public as they thought proper . Suppose , in the case of a benefit society , which had a committee acting for it who did not do their duty in a proper manner , the society were to appoint otheis ia their stead , yet still the old committee refused to give up , and exacted the usual sums from the members , what would be done with them ? Why , they would be taken to a court of justice , and punished for fraud : but if they should fail in obtaining justice , they could leave the society . This Poor Law Committee , however , resolve that we shall not leave it ; that we must remain members ; but , be it understood ,
only paying members . ( Hear , ! What must they do in a case like this ? Why , if they found they could not pay without distressing their families , and they forced them to it , say " do it at your peril . " ( Cheers . ) Did they think there was any other course ? He liked not violence , but he would say either give us the power to choose our own guardians , and deal with our funds as We like , or else give us the privilege of leaving the society , or " we will not pay as usual . " ( Loud cbeers . ) Their energies were great for the well-being of Bociety , and in return they claimed the privilege of being well fed and well clothed . The speaker here showed how rich men , as in the case of the members of the old corporations , would filch out of other people ' s property when they had the p » wer , as under the old system . The old corporation of Bristol let the walls and quays
of the Frome and Avon to the society of merchants for , £ 10 , and they let them again to a sub-contractor for £ 1 , 400 a year . ( Hear , hear . ) Again , a gentleman had occasion to go down to his vessel , which was unloading at the time , on account of delay , and found , from inquiries made , that the parties who contracted for it only received 3 s . 6 d . for what he had to pay 16 s . He urged them either to insist upon having justice done to them , or no longer pay any rates . They must not suppose they could gain everything by a petition . It was like the waggoner in the mire , whe lifted up bis eyes and prayed to Jupiter to be extricated , whereas , if h « had placed bis shoulder to tbe wheel and done it himself , he might have been successful . Afttr some further observations , he concluded by moving the following resolution : —
" That this meeting bavin ? had notice of a Bill brought into Parliament by Lord John Russell , to continue and extend the unhappy operations of the Poor Law Amendment Act for the period of ten years / takes this opportunity of expressing its determined opposition to the said Bill , as being unconstitutional , anti-Christian , oppressive , and unjust . " Sfr . Thomas Myerscough , in seconding the motion just made , observed that he read in the resolution that the Bill of Lord lohn Russell was unconstitutional : that it was so must be evident , because it took away from the people the privilege of managing their own
local affaiis , and vested them ia the hands of three men called Commissioners , who had power to make rules , orders , and regulations , having the force and effect of statute law . Every writer on the Constitution had clearly held that a trust cannot be delegated , so that few , if any , tove the effrontery to declare that the powers conferred by the H&uae of Common * on the three Coramissienera are right in principle . It was said , when the Bill was flrat passed , that the poor were eating up the land , and that the rates amounted to £ 7 , 800 , 000 . He staUd , some time ago , the amount collected in Little Bolton U be , in 1838 , the sum of
£ 1876 12 s . 2 d . ; but of this £ 1121 17 s . 4 d . went to other expences , so that £ 754 is . lOd . was all that was applied t » the poor . The Commissioners had boasted that in one year they had made a saving of £ 2 , 400 , 000 ; but if Little Bolton was any criterion to go by , of what the poor cost throughout the country , they never receSved more than £ 3 , 240 , 000 , as the remainder went In payment of county rates , church-rates , constables , and other things , so that , if the account of the Commissioners were true , the poor had oaly received about £ 84 , 000 . The idea that the poor cost this amount frightened the Parliament , so they set to work in establishing the ntw law , which had cost upwards of £ 60 , 000 a year to carry it into operation , and if renewedwould next year coat more than £ 100 , 000 .
, ( Hear , hear , ) When one of the assiata . nl Commissioners was before the House ot Commons , Mr . Power , he believed it was , who was formerly in this district , but we had now another called Mr . Mott ; when the former was before a Committee of the House , Mr . D . W . Harvey asked him how much he received per year , and his reply was aix or seven hundred pounds , and when he questioned him with regard to expences , it appeared that those were six or seven hundred pounds or more also This seemedan extraordinary sum . and Mr . Harvey wished to know how it was spent , and was about to obtain an answer , when he was stopped by the Chairman , this question being considered rather too close , because he knew it was rather too keen a hit for a commissioner to explain how he expended sis or seven hundred
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pounds a year and ' dnijFsl }< rVa poor man is . iff |< i a week to live upon . ( Cheers . ) It was said thia law was to lessen tbe expencea of the different unlpos , but he would show them , by an average taken three years preceding the operation « f the' old law , and three years after * wards , that this w »« tnoortect The average expencea in the Bolton . Union , for three years , under fb < 4 old'law , was £ 9 , K > 3 per annum , *» d the expences for the first quarter , after the new law « a » ae into operation , were £ 2 , 818 ; the second quarter , £ 3 , € 8 »; third gnartet , £ 4 i 75 S > tfUOi , £ 5 , 162 j and the lastSall was for £ 6 , « tO ? which wmlat the rate of j 62 « , » 0 » a yett . ( HearVhear Tbls wag a beautiful sort of d « orease , to be sure ! anil It waa a question for their consideration , whether , with all these stated amendments , the poor were any better
fed and clothed than before ? It Was quite certain they were not , and be had : this from undoubted authority , for he had a petition in his pOcket , about to be sent to Parliament , by the Bolton Board -of Guardians , which clearly stated " that the rates are heavier and the poor not better provided for . " ( Hear , hear . ) Mr . Ashworth , and others ia the town , ( if it were true . ) bad stated that the people , from inquiries made , were in s truly deplorable state , and wu it net roonstrons that they should be so , at » cost , too , of £ 24 , 000 a yearto thi Union ? ( Hear , hear ) The clerk to the board had stated that there wu . ' a saving of £ 800 a year out of £ i , 200 formerly expended in the salaries of officer * put how this could be wa * » riiystery to him , whenha found that th «« ftfferen « officers , including medical
gentlemen , registrar * ,, Ac cost the Union £ 2 , ei 3 in oat year . He wa « not 1 against men being properly remunerated for ttaeit labour ; but by the new law their dutie * were so mixed up , one township with anothei , that it was impossible they could attend to them without considerable lost to the townships . How was it possible that thirty-two or thirty-three townships could be properly managed by five overseers ? H * found , on examining the books of LHtte Bolton , that the last rate paid by Mr . Dawson , in 1839 , at sixpence in the pound , amounted to £ 1 , 083 , and th » loss , in empty houses , removals , Jsc ., amounted only to £ 74 Is . 4 d . Tbe next rate waa ninepence in tbe pound , from the 24 th of June , 1833 , to 21 st March , 1840 , amounting to £ 1 , 592 lls . lOJd ., ant the amount
of loss iu arrears , empty , houses , removals , &c , was £ 288 7 a . lid . The next rate was one shilling in the pound , from the 21 st March to the 25 th September , 1840 , amounting to £ 2 , 389 3 s . S ^ d ., and the loss , including arrears , in this instance , was the enormous sun of £ 782 16 s . lid-, which was more than ail tbe money paid to the poor in 1838 . ( Cheers . ) He called this monstrous , and although termed by its supporters the perfection of wisdom , yet such were it * results ,- and , further , he believed that if the accounts were examined , ' it would be found that a number of people ( he could give names , bat would not do so at present , as the matter would unquestionably undergo investigation ? whose rates aad been forgiven—people who were bette * able to pay than himself , and there were other
matters -which , when brought to light , would excite their astonishment . Tbe new Bill had been put into his hands on that day only , and therefore he had not bad sufficient time to peruse it , to point out fully its iniquity ; but from beginning to end , it appeared to extend the power of the Commissioners . By one clause he noticed that , however poor a person might be , there could be no forgiveness of rates , not even by the magistrates , unless by the Guardians . This would be all right if the Guardians were left to themselves ; but it so happened that they could do nething in opposition to the will of the mighty Commissioners—every thing to be left to the three kings at Somerset House —( hear , hear ) , — without their approbation , the Guardians had not the power of turning eff even a
delinquent servant , and to . suppose that the present men in office would not carry the measure into full effect was next to impossible . He had been told confidently that ene or two members of the Board ef Guardians were in constant correspondence with the Commissioners , and were advising them to . introduce the law quietly , step by step . { Hear ., hear , and "Shame . " ) Now , if this were true , it only seemed still more strongly to manifest the disposition of Mr . Mott , who had , of late , visited Great Bolton workhouse , and found fault with everything . ( Hear . ) They wet * living there at the rate «* f 2 s . o ^ d . per head per week * how much lower Mr . Mott ' s dietary table would be he could not say , but it was quite little enough . Mb . Mott ' s next movement would be to enlarge the
workhouse ; and this new bill not only gave tbe commissioners power to do bo , but also to classify the paupers . ( Hear , hear . ) What was still worse , whatever had created Jheir poverty , no matter whether by crime ot misfortune , they were all to share the same fate , and this waa not to be doubted ; because Lord John Russell himself bad made the assertion ; and in some parts , even now , this beautiful system of separation was going on , and in Kensington- the workhouses—for , men , women , and children were distinct , in fact , were three miles apart , to prevent communication or intercourse between them : so that a man was prevented from seeing his wife and children . ( A . voice here called out " let'em take one of mine ' and I'll fire into 'em . " ) He held a document in his hand , the whole of which be
should like to have read , but it was too long . It was headed in the following curious manner , — " Selling English Children . —Selling the * bodies * of the poor . — Incendiary fires . " He found , by this document , that there was a society , in London , calling itself the "Children ' s Friend Society , " . which had been for » considerable period , trafficking in poor destitute cUldren out of workhouses , and sending them to the Cape of Good Hope and other distant colonies , and openly selling them in the market like cattle . ( Hear , hear , and shame . ) The fact was , they first taxed tbe people so as to make them poor ' , and then punished them for being so . To show the dislike parties entertained for the bastiles , he might mention an instance which he had seen in the papers the other day , of a woman , who
was brought before the magistrates charged with breaking a window . Mr . Wight man found she was ia a distressed state , and ordered her to the workhouse . She then stated that she had been in the workhouse , bnt had escaped from it to get into prison , in order that she might receive better treatment . Mr . Wightman , however , refused to convict her , and sent a policeman with her to the workhouse ; but on their way Bbe took up a stone and threw it ' through another window , and was again obliged to be brought up . Mr . Wightman then informed her that he should be obliged to commit her for three months . She replied " the longer the
better "—and was committed . ( Hear , hear . ) Mr . Wakley also had stated in a speech in the House of Commons , that numbers had died from starvation , rather than go into a union . workhouse , and related a number of instances that had come under his notice as coroner of Middlesex . And were we to have laws like these thrust upon us ? ( No , no . ) One great evil waa , the amount of taxes we had to pay , as would be found by Cobbett ' s Legacy , » ' work which every man ought to have : for in the same proportion as the Government taxes increased , the amount of poor rates increased and poverty along with them . He found in this work the following statement : —
Poor-rates . Govern . toxef » Reign of James II 160 , 000 1 , 300 , 000 1776 1 , 496 , 906 8 , 000 , 000 1780 2 , 250 , 000 16 . 000 , 000 1833 6 J 00 . 000 . 52 , 000 , 000 When he was before a committee of the House of Commons , on the Question of a minimum of wages , and which he could not agree to , he was asked if he had any other plan to propose , he replied that lie had , to reduce the taxes from 50 or 60 millions to something like ten or twelve millions ; and he also informed them that Mr . Preston had stated the truth to the House of Commons ¦ when he informed them that out of every 18 s . earned by the labourer 10 s . either directly or indirectly went in taxes ; but if instead of that they would call at poor
men's houses and here and there cut a piece of bacon , the people would not stand it . Along with their poverty also they bad rural police , because it was necessary to keep the posr quiet ; but the only and safe way to quieten them was by giving them plenty ot bread and cheese . ( Cheers . ) The overseers of Great Bolton , » short time ago had sent a petition to the magistrates against the new police here which he would read . [ The petition which we have before published was then read . ] This ¦ was an important document , and shewed them that the public were not able to pay . These facts ahewedthat the New Poor Law did not , nor could it
¦ work -well , and that it was Anti-Christian as stated m the resoiution , no one would attempt to deny ; for he defied them to produce any passage from the beginning to the end of tho Bible , which did not call upon them to support the poor and needy , and not 10 rob the hireling of his wages ; and yet the measure was calculated to produce those direful effects which Mr . Marsden bad detailed . It was unnecessary to enlarge upon this Bubject , for any one who had taken up a newspaper , must have seen evidence of its direful effects . The bastardy clauses which had been spoken upon , had operated very unfavourably in that township , for they left unprotected the weaker party , and did not punish the guilty .
Mr . Myerscough again rose and read a communication which had been received by Mr . Dawson , and accompanied by a copy of the same act , which stated that he should be happy to receive any instructions or suggestions as to the course best to be pursued when the bill waa in committee . The Chairman then put the moti » & , which was carried unanimously , amid loud cheering . Mr . William Thiblwino , dlfconded tbe adoption of the resolution and petition , which were carried with acclamation . Mr . Daniel Diggle , and others afterwards spoke , but not in accordance witth the object for which the meeting-was called .
Meetino in obeat BotTON . —On Thursday evening a similar meeting was held in the Sessions Boom , Great Bolton , wbich "was not quite so numerously attended as that in Little Bolton . Mr . Naisby was unanimously called to the chair .
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The Parishioners of St . George , Southwark , met on Friday at the Grapes Tavern , Suffolk-street , and passed resolutions calling on the Members of the Borough to oppose the olause in the New Poor Law Amendment Bill giving plural and proxy-voting for Guardians , several speakers condemned the billnltogether .- ^ -The parishes of St . Paul , Covent Garden , aad St . Luke ' s , Middlesex ] also passed similar resolutions on Friday .
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— ? WAKEFIELD HELL . TO THE EDITOR OF THE NORTHERN STAR . Sir , —Some of your readers may perhaps feel squeamish , about tbe heading of these letters , but when they have read tbe statement contained in this , they will perhaps agree with me that tbe title is very mild , when compared with the atrocities of the " system . " In my last letter it was clearly shewn , that the " rulea" of the place are sheer humbug , drawn up for the purpose of imposing upon that portion of the public , who are sufficiently respectable , nnd have Curiosity enough , to inspect that abode of misery and torture .
I will new give a few specimens of the effects produced by the " silent system , " wbich will fully justify you in using the term mad-house , i . e . a house for making men mad , not for curing them . 1 know of nothing better calculated to cause idiotcy or madness than the discipline of Wakefleld prison . I wish that some of our humanity mongers would demand an inquiry into the workings of the " silent system , " ( but it would not answer their purpose unless it took place at Jamaica , or the Cape of Good Hope , ) if such inquiry took place it would be found , that hundreds have been totally lost to their families and friends on account of the cruel treatment they have received whilst in that prison , I was personally acquainted
with two woolcembers at Bradford , as strong healthy men as were to be found in the town , who had been sent to Wakefleld for some trifling assault - one of them a man who weighed about fifteen stone , came out a living skeleton , covered with bruises from head to foot , and raving mad , in which state he died shortly after . The other when I last saw him , was a drivelling Idiot ; hundreds of men in Bradford who readthia will know who I mean . Although I was not allowed to look either to the right or left , nor to converse or moko signs te any of the prisoners , yet with this drawback upon my means of observation , 1 counted about 30 in a state of idiotcy through close confinement , want of air , ( being never allowed into the yard ,, and continued ajkuceaad starvation . There is no denjtag this ; and I am confident ,
that if the governor , chaplain , surgeon , keeper , and clerk , were examined , they would at once admit it ; at least , a majority of them , for they have frequently done so when 1 conversed with them on the subject The surgeon has told me that he would state what I have already advanced , if examined before a Committee ot tbe House of Commons . The chaplain haa told me several timts that six months of such treatment would send him to his grave ; I would , therefore , recommend my friends , at Barnsley , Bradford , and Sheffield , to ge '< up a petitien to the Honourable House , praying for arj inquiry iato tke treatment of prisoners , and the effects ¦ produced on their constitutions by the silent system , as practised at Wakefleld and other Houses- of Correction . ¦ '¦ ¦ ' ...
As an illnstration of its effects , I will mention the case of a man from Sheffield , confined for felony ; his number was 33 S . He applied to the keeper to write a letter to bis wife , at the earue time that I was writing in the office . The keeper a ^ ked him how long he had been in the prison ? as the rules state " that no ^ man shall be allowed to write until he has been six months in the prison and only once a month afterwards . " He answered that he did not know , but he thought he had
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TsSriloa ^^ iiBifogiTaH . T 7 8 — ^ ¦ ¦ ¦ ' ¦ " - . -- * - " - ¦ - ,. — ,- . . , .., ¦ . - . _ .... ¦ ., , , * - , ^ - . t .:.
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THE WANT OF "MOTHER GOOSE" AND THE WANTS OF OTHERS . TO THB EDITOR OF THE NORTHBnN STAR . SIR , —In yottr last , I sawan article headed " Wanted , a Horn Book for Mother Goose ; " on reading which I could not ( from motives of pure charity ! do otherwise than make an attempt to supply that desideratum . I , therefore , went to work on the Lord ' s day , thinking it no sin to do an « et of kindness on that day ; particularly ! ' as I cannot devote much time to Dame Goose ,
save on St . Ag * 6 Ws-day . Ia this Horn Book , Mrthpr Goose will Ind the Chartist alphabet , which uhe never yet learned . There she will find some short words , frequently used by her , but of the signification of which , she Is entirely ignorant , and she will also meet with some short lessons adapted to her wants , and the improvement of her scarcely pnshelled charge . Tbus , Sir , Mother Goose and ' her littleuns , may cease their whimperings , and rely upon the promise of their wants being speedily supplied .
I don't ask you , Sir , to insert- any portion < of the little " wanted" in yon * columns , because there are other wonts . Some want to do good by exposing the villanies of those in power , and by pointing oat the way of escape from the bondage iu which the people are now held . Some want to bewilder the people with inexplicable nonsense about old H-o-u-a-e-s , and undefined detfnitions of Household Suffrage . Others want to fill your columns with censures for not catering to their whims . Others make cart-rope speeches , and want you to give them to the public verbat i m , because they want the public to call them clever .
And others , who are paid for spouting , want their lectures 1 *) to be on every table , imagining that the produce of their brains is most delicious fruit , and ought to be tasted by all ; and , moreover , they "want you to place them on a pedestal , and tf > conjure the people to fall down and worship these gods . Yes , gods—they dont want to be known as hired crotchetmongers , or as Sappers and Miners in the Whig army , though they labour ( under Cover ) to sap the foundation of the Charter , and undermine your firmlyestablished journal . But I know they do not want me to write in this style ; And , I suppose , you . do not want me further to trespass on your space .
Should yonr " devil" want something to light the fire , and you think proper to accommodate him with this , I shall not want my friends ( though they amount to twenty-three ) to pass a vote of censure upou you , and siy it was agreed to by the men of Leeds . You know your own business , and us scribes and paid parrots should not want to dictate to you , and uing in your ears ME first—don't place he at the bottom of the list ; " for 1 am , Your ' s , truly , An Old Bavical . Leeds , Feb . X 6 th , 1841 .
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Citation
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Northern Star (1837-1852), Feb. 20, 1841, page 7, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/ns/issues/vm2-ncseproduct537/page/7/
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