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Ctjarttet $nUlXi%exice
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20 THE LANDL ORDS OF IRELAND, j
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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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rSTTMt IT . - ' . ' ] M I » O * I > S A ^ D GKSTiEKXM , —* b * W IOT Shown j gat m Iridi anser occupy ™** iW « ws < tf Undfor j twenty-five J ** - wi- «» ff * iaf , M tije . -rery . iowest Ration . * capital of £ * 0 O to start with * ba *» at the - ^ aoj of tbst period , if an goes -wry veil , no \ Lj than five cent , er £ 250 , " u the aecamnlafced j Lple interest upon his capital ; a * a that he , his wife ,: SvechiMreB , have laboured for w many , y » ra for ^ fl lj nntmit " "" . Tr ila bad lodging and dotfaing ; ^ jjgeu compound interest , at six per cent , which is ? he leal interest of the country , would hare left hint between £ * 00 and £ 5 Q 0 in the same time . . SachisAtt nation ; -while few labourer * in Ireland caa command Ln ponsoj after a life of toil , * tarvatio « , iineertataty ,
jjtd sorrow-. __ . I have shown that fanners hare heavy respflusibiliu ^ liabilities , and calamitifts to contend against r ^ r bare an the Tasponsibilttie * attendant TO < m the p ^ oeai of a settled rent , keeping the stock together , ^ porting their families , and paying their way ; they jj ^ to « jntend against the liabilities to -which you , 9 leg islators and antaetata ^ chose to subject tbem . Hay-lave the calamities , casualitie * , ' and flnetnatians to which nature and the markets expose them ; and in 50 $ one of those reqwnsifeilibies , liabilities , or calami ties , are you partadpators . Too drag the rent in
fesd harvests from the capital , and thus set them strnggjj ^ far years to hAA possession by loins , for -wfaieb fe , j piy in many , inrfanfta as high as . 30 or 40 per ( eat , rather than quit the spot upen which they hare jailea and to which they haw become attached . While ps , Ibis , free yourselves from all chances and changes tfch may operate anfexourably , yo ^ take advantage d erery torn which improvement by thejtaaet 'u skill , a « itaX sn 3 aitenHoh yield ; and yoniaise his rent is bii rewarJ for industry- Thus do yoa become BOt-enly assess-in of the soil , bat Tegnlato » and disposers of ifc pKOMeaad fcaecwipieafc - - * -. ^ ' —
jhs farmer cannot so easily rid himself of Tesponj-bOitj , inasmach as he must employ labourers ; and tost blighting influence operates against tbe interest of the labourers also , ¦ because the bad remuneration and tacertihity of tecnre prerent the fanner from ernp loying more £ hxx one-half the number of hands be ' -would &o , i * **** frcaB ^ etercal P * ^' ^ ragj inj , TBatchiag , and screwing . ilj- I / ord » sad Gentlemen , having thus inverted all tha mie * o ! Providence , having stinted aatl limited
tours to 48 sunoird of political power , suited to tout own interests , you . hive created a " snrpl&s popnisjioa" -wtech your friends , the political economists , jp-j idl as " presses hardly upon the means » f subss ^ iscs . " Thus have yos made paupers ; while the ec oaoisiiris ha . ve mide slaves oi the bees upon whose honey the drones liTe ; a . ud in exact proportion to the iaici tyof . tbe bees to produce does your billet « f idle drones increase : and this is the whole , the tele , the only ca-ise of distress , dissatisfaation , and discontent , vhtes ao power on e&rth can remedy eo long as the srstesn -which creates and upholds it is aliowed to
eontmae . ~ Sot . wj Lords ai : d GenyeniEn , 1 shall enter into a tctt inei , ^ nd I tru st , clear , fair , and unbiassed conad jitkn of my client's case , la the first place then , labour is U » foundation of s 3 -sreaith . That is indisputable . The barren surface of yoor soil , until mace arailable ey the poor man ' s lsbonr , has ao m « e ralue than tie shapeleesblock of mirbte , rough from the quarry , before it reoeiTes Talue from the sculptor ' s fcaod , who pots tlie afeamp opon it - ind erea its vsJne i » bot ideal , or tsJ&xs it most be regulated by the price of tie produce of the land . So with erery luxury that you use in this worlft , from the forreoas feast , the gaudy trappings of year persons ,
the sumptuous futitiUun of your mxiubona , and I ths splendour of yoar carriages , down to the mere ! necessaries of life , —all , all ase regoiated by tke ¦ pr . ee of labour .- sad hsrisg deteriorated the Talue of isbonr by yonr law of primogenitors , settlemeirt , i asd entail , a * also by your whimsical mode of leasing ; rrouad for terms of years at fixed rent * witboat refer- 1 eies to annual produee or price , < of which Biore here- ti' £ ? ,, and also by bad tenure and destine lire condition £ j isnrxsd tf > ocempatjon ; baring by these complicated ' mm deteriorated ae Talne of labour , you h » r « drag- j gai the world with fit cheap produce , while yoc hare ! naothtrsd the bees in the midst of tbeir own honey , I
not aHoiriBg them the Tery meBaeei sabsirtence after j a& ; sai you now -rauily hope to limit suffering to those ' T £ tt prc-dncas , nevex : reflecting that all other proper- ; ti £ =, of erery descaaption and howeTer juaranteed , ; wheiisr zhsj bs fixed ineomes , salaries , or fiuctnating i incomes , no . -whethei iBsured by reata , Acts _ of Par- j liament , custom , ot contract , must , sooner or later , j attb the infection and take the disorder , "which is— ; poTerty .
la this state of things , allow roe to claim , upon behalf of my clients , the lull benefit of the latest , most trataHj concocted decree—that decree which " threw the poor man upon his own resource * . " Beyond that I do n » . go ; and the fulfilhsent ef that I have a right todanacd . The ridihaTe thrown the poor- ' upon their o » n resources . " I am satisied ; and you baring made tht iaw , I daim its spirit for my clients . Throw them , thai , " npos their ottTiresoTircss : "' tfaoee " resoarces " are libonr , besltb , snd indiistry ; or peculation , fraud , and ttikferr . "Wbich io you choose ? If the latter ,
abro-| ite -and destroy all iiapednnenta to a fuD exercise of those resource ? , " fcy the repeal of all laws for the pu- j g . ^ mmt of suci . oSences . If the former , gcrt to them ' the only ttw » t > " whereby in this world they can liTe upon j thar Jabour , their health , and their industry , which cs their resources , by opening the gate of Xature ' B field , * nd aUorring them to enjoy thsse blessings for year i and their own adTantage , freed from more artificial ! constraint than is absolutely necessary for the pri ^ -ng Mate of society ; and , aboYe all , allow each to have a ; Toite in rsralating the existing state of thingB .
My Lcrds and Qenuemen , the still and industry of ; ths British and Irish people are proverbial all orer the \ worii ; pray bear in mini , of thz people ; not of the : gaabling aristocracy , the speculating merchant , the j bsrjin ^ Churchman , tbe sporting Squire , ' or the shoot- ; ing soldier , but of THE peo ? lk . Is it not , then , high tine fha : the system should be changed which pre"V £ H 3 the one from wearing a sufficient portion of the ' dotha he makes , and the other from eating a sufficient i portion of tie food he prodnses ? Xay , more , that I : XZ-T not be out of fashion , I will go npon " recjprociiy , " '
toe ecsnomist ' s Citerer for all man's wants , by an in : t ^^ ljange of their respectiTe surplusage ; and is it not . I&ssiag stracge that th « producers of England cannot j ^ daage , with the producers of Ireland , their surplus produee , or any portion of it ? nay , more , that o-rer the ^ alaibn of supply and demand , they , whose Tery ttistaice depemis upon a jealous watching of the ia ^ acs , hare no control , either directly or indirecuy *; ^ ow , is not that rery stranfe , Tiry wrong , and Tery i Etui at Tarisace with all the rules of free trade and ¦ '
" Rdprodty J" and yei those Tery people who cannot krri the watea , or stem the torrent at home , are asked to bb free taders with all the ¦ n « . tinnn of tie earth , ^ 01 ^ 3 that , by & " reeprodty , " or mutual return , * fcich is the meaning of " redprocity , " they may get a eomiaand OTer the GoTernment and Taluafele produce of * 2 forei gn eauntries ; whDe they cannot make a police-^^ a , ippoint a magistrate , sit upon a Jury , Tote for * Kpresentatire , or appropriate one acre of land to "asosai purposes & ; tome : Is It not disgusting ififem al noustnse , to hope to cram a starring people * iii snch moonshine ?
aj Lwds and Gentlemen , I hold that man in utter tsetem pt , who , seeing and feeling the justice of his case , ¦• sbnolag any portion of it from the most jealous in-* peetioa and rigid gcrutiDy . But in fact , politics and OCal arrangements fea-re been so mixed np together of *** thit Tery many honest men are fearful of explaining ^ J the greai gociil changes which they anticipate * ke the Buccesj of a poliUcal measure . We know that *** k- ; uiMfcd men who dread the result , will from *« 6 in . erested motiyes giTe a decided and dogged "Ppteition to the proposed change , without adducing * ° Jbe tt « at ^ -ameat than : ¦• I don ' t like iij" ¦• J don't " ^ itr- " I jent set the use of U ; " " We do very **; " and " Dep . vid upoa it , it icovid / oil of satisfying
^* o » au tbese fmn ^ jj- ao argument ; nay , not rven tr " i ? = tiya ; they amouat to n » more than a perverse ^^^' -oa . MsreoTer , I nov" * feel myself in a situation J « syou -srith all the hesti ^ ty which dogged folly 404 perserse conclusions can tu ^^ - fee that my ^ J is now BnffltdenUy strong to' staad firmly with ?* " k ?» ppoa the broad base of poi" « l » right , whieb ***** t « before , within the memory « f isad ; n ° ' "" " as
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it in that position till the dissolution of Parliament My monitions may bow lose ths tone of appeal , and assume the tone of warning and jndgment . -1 sbair therefore fearlessly tell yon all that is required for the completion , perfection , and stability of my plan . __ ' _ „ Those requirements do not amount to innovation , experiment ,-or even Reform ; they , one and all , whether social or polities ! , amount to no more than restoration . They are a restoration to Ireland of her Parliament ; and a restoration to the whole people of their electoral righto , with entire and ample means for their fullest enjoyment Such may be considered the two great principles ; while the whole of the detail benefit sought may be gleaned from the following measures which , 1 rejoice to aay , still stand npon the journals , of " the House , " and to which is appended the name of Fearraa O'Connor .
My Lords and Gentlemen , -when I discorered , late in 1833 , that the windings of the Repeal question were too myatenoaafcr my comprehension , and when 1 supposed that many mew ignorant than myself were , equally with me , liable to misconception upon th * t point ; when I ( Uico-med that Repeal was bat intended to be a drawn sword held over the beads « f a . party which tt do Jor ^ rfei ^ itanedj JtbeaiAnami tfastfc fa * 4 lost te lwmliiifstw . I Hum timed my attention to the immediate correction of many abases . Now pray understand me . In fact , I was s » ardent in the cause -of Repeal , and being convinced that if ' oae dozen m « n had worked for it
outsi te , as i worted , and backed as H was by fortytwo Totes , and powerful eloquenoe and great courage inside , that it must have triumphed if those forty-two remained firm , which Ireland would obHge them to da Thus for the first year I abandoned all minor considerations , and clung to that qnestion , which erer has been , and © Ter stall be ,- tbe darling object ef my lifft HoweTer , finding that the whole thing was a piece of magic , I placed the figure on the waU in 1804 . showing its strength , its justice , , and its praience , aad at the same time exhibiting the great superiority of the arguments ef its supporters over the factious opposition of its opponents .
a * ay nest letter shall contain-a plain and sunpte derelopment of what Repeal would accomplish for Ireland , and the hopelessness of expecting benefit eves frem the adoption of any agricultural plan , or inoeed from any other plan without giTing to it the protection of tkfi master's eye and the guardianship of a f reeiyelected representation , I shall say no more npon that subject now ; but shall at once proceed t « lay before you the five measures which I proposed far immediate relief in 1 S 34 and ISSi .
Xo . 1 . To more for leaTe to bring is a bill to « ompell Jrish landlords to giTe leases for erer at acorn rent ^ and in all . cases where lands are now held upon lease or accepted proposal , and are considered too dear , to giTe to the 4 > enani 8 of such lands the right of appealing to a Jury , who shall establish the value in like manner as the Tal » e of prrrate property is now ascertained , when required by tbe Crown , or legally authorised corporations or iadiTiduals , for national purposes . No . 2- For leave to bring sa a Bill fee make a legal proTision for the poer of Ireland . So . s . Par leave to bring is & Bill to -ccmsolidate the several Stamp Acts now in force in Ireland .
" Kc . 4 . For leave to bring in a Bill for tbe better regulation of Quarter Sessions' Courts in Ireland , with a view of making those courte cheap courts of equity as well as courts of law , whereby cheap justice might he brought home to tbe door of every poor man . N » . 5 . To move a resolution of tbe House , that it is desirable , as well for the ends of justice as for the teasqoility of Iiela&d , that all clergymen , being magistrates , skonld be deprived of the Commission of the Peace . Now , by these five meas&res , you will at once discover that I have been long looking after my project . The Jaw to regulate terna * X shall presently explain
fnlly-The Bill Tor a provision for the poor vrae of a wry different nature from that which has since been adopted ; by it I meant to make as good a provision for the unwilling idler as for the wholly destitute ; and I meant to carry out my plan , as announced ia -one of iny speeches upon , the presentation of a petition , by a tax upon absentees , middle men , and landlords ; and by agricultural and . labour prfemiomi for the working farmerand labourer . My plan wa persuasion ; yours compclsion .
By the Stamp Act , is full draft of which I handed to Mr . Littleton , and received his ai 5 urarce to briztg it forward ) , I meant to deprive landlords of a right to taie monies on account of rent , without giving stamped receipts , by a want of which tenants are cheated out of thousands &muaHy . By the Quarter Sessions Bill , ( which 1 foolishly relinquished , relying upon Mr . Littleton's honour that be would adopt my every suggestion , ) 1 hoped to establish a kind of Court-roll , or Baronial Court , where tenants might , in case of dispute , lodge monies for their landlords and receive receipts upon novice given to tbe
landlord ; might cheaply register their leases , and tbe Seneschal of which should have certain powers in cases of dispute . I also hoped to confine all questions of equity between landlord and tenant to those cheap courts , instead of seeing the farce of a man of straw going to the Court of Chancery to defend the best equitable title against a golden calf . I also hoped to take from landlords the power of distraining for real , and giving them the same mode of recovering as all other persons who deal in the world have ; making them liable to double costs in case of illegal or
vexatious proceedings against their tenants . I also hoped to simplify the law of ejectment , by making it more inexpensive , an 4 rendering the re-assumption more easy in cases of fraud , failure , or non-payment of rent -, tiiercby fully pro-ring that with just and cqu 33 Jaws for ail , i would be as ready to defend the rich man ' s right as to defend the poor man ' s right Indeed , I have seldom , or never , known a single instance of a rich man and a poor man going to law , wherein the poor man had not both law and justice on his side ; and the very fact of a poor man braving the danger is , " prima facie " evidence ef the justice of his case .
My Lords and Gentlemen , 1 now come to a consideration of the justice , propriety , policy , reasonableness and mutual convenience of my proposition as regards a tenure , in perpetuity of land at a rent regulated by the graduating [ or didixg ] scale of prioea of produce . Firstly , then as to a lease of land for a term of three lives , or thirty-one years , or fourteen years , which is the shortest term ; or for any term at a fixed and unchangeable rent , —it is rank nonsense ! What would yon think of a clothier , a hosier , or a wine merchant who should say to a purchaser : " You must give me bo mucii for this article , because two years ago I gave so much for It myself In the wholesale market ' . " and yet it would sot be one-half as absurd as tbe practice
of requiring a fixed annual price for your wholesale raw commodity without any reference to the retail manufactured market Besides the folly—the national loss is too enormous , and "population presses too hardly" upon the mean * ALLCTiVZP BY YOU for ita Bubsistfince to admit of the continuance of a vicious practice , which deprives , the coniaunity of the full developement of all that skill , indusuy , capital , and even honourable speculation , which the husbandman would more freely and largely expend npon his own account , than he can be expected to expend to his own disadvantage- Yen ride a hired horse frnww and take less care of him than you do ot your own horse ; so with the poor man who merely hires your ground at yoor will for a job .
Secondly , the very fact of your being compelled to make leases for ever of your land , would , for selfinterest , work ont my principle of small farms ; inasmuch as you would thsn see the great advantage of a retiil market Thirdly , the whimsical mode of lending land operates prejudicially not only against the farmer but als 6 against the labourer , whose services the farmer
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will not Ventura to Mr © , exeepb -at : tbe ; very lo-west rate and the lowest amount ; while if he had a lease for ever he would make a garden of his -every itreh of ground . An Irishman will work ftSm san rise till -sunset , and work cheerfully , too ; and so ' would . An Englishman , or Scotchman , upon"Ills o ^ n ground , ^ nd would require no military force to pat him . to bed ** the sound of the dread « nriaw . He wWLd steep sound , and awake to the pleasing rtefiectitm , that "hbohief happiness really consisted in the modest comforts of his condition ; - " his face yen w «« ki ne / er see in a court of justice , or resisting military authority . Ah ! a bad hit that for my client , as echo answers , "Ko ! " and therefore yon would never see " my son" npon tha bench , or pleading his cause , or commanding the said military to fire upon aim . But , howewvto the cas « ,
1 have shown you that a conditional safe of your land upon the terms of annual render of payment is tbe only moans of cultivating it tp tbe highest , x $ ate to which it is capable of being bMught ; aifd now . I proceed to show yod the egregious felly and injntiee of requiring a stated reat through all time , while I show yom at the same time the injustice of the present aptem U > , yonr * elTe » . ' . ' Land u io . ' p roduce ^ .. what cotton . is , tq calioOj popj to cloth , taBew to < aadles ; leather to shoes , bread to wheat ; that is , it is tbe raw material out of which the article is manufactured ; and of course , as tbe value of produce and raw material in all other commoditiea reciprocally act and reacfe , »» w for awl bow agamst , the speculators who buy and sell " wifh
the day;—( pray keep that in miad , who boy ind sell with the day ;)—the longer overholding than is necessary for a corresponding return between recent purchase of raw material and immediate sale of tbe mannfactarefl article beeomes matter of fair speculation for tbe manufacturer , and subsequently for the tffidesnien who retails it Tbe one seii * to convenient himself ,- tbe other boys to convenience himself . It would not be judlckms far a manufacturer to lay by a fourteen years' stock « f raw material ; and much less would 1 t be to lay by athirty-one years' stock , without jeterence to , or control over , tbe price -of tbe manuf&cbared article : and yet the system of leasing land upon fixed rente for a term of years is precisely the Bame : net a particle of di&cernahie difference .
Let us now see wherein authorities and titles tngher than yours , bear me out in my principle . Firstly , then , I win take the rulipg power , of the Churcn , and I will show you how the principle of annual tender according to annual produce is therein aekp . owltdge-3 ; and I will also show howywi , when you altered tbe eld practice ,, you brought it still to bear upon the principle of reciprocity . Tithes , then , are annual render of a tenth of aH theprodnce of the land ;' and before the enactment of fch * Tithe Composition Bill , which ordained a seven yeare' 4 eas « of them , the . parson was partaker with , tbe tenant in many
casualties . If the- tenant thought the- valuation too high , or if the crops were destroyed , he could make the parson draw his every tenth sheaf , tettb . grass cock from the meadow , and the produee of every tenth toil , of every ridge or drill from the potaioe field . To obviate this inconvenience to tha parson ., and at the same time to make a beginning by way of experiment upon an appropriation of tithes to your own uses , you gave the farmer a seven years' lease ; and just think of tha principle upon which you acted . You gave him for the Beven years to come an income established by the average of prises for the seven years past ! Well ,
unjust as that was , it was , nevertheless , a full acknowledgment of my principle ; it takes prices of produce as the standard of yearly income . ; but it would bare been muah . more jost and fair to have , made the tenant pay money on account during six yt ^ rs f >[ tbe enraent seven , and then to have balanced accounts by a whip upon tbe last year , thsti te have made tke average of 1834 to 1840 , both inclusive , a standard for tbe regulation of payments for the subsequent years of 1841 to 1847 , inclusive , indeed , taking the average price -of each year is precisely the « me , but too simple , as tke average for any , or for every year with » tbe year . However I am glad to be able to establish my title upon
clerical principles , and therefore I adopt it , but I must nevertheless explain to you the folly of taking a seven year ' s average , or any onmbor of years as an average , Instead of an average price within eacb year . Observe , then , that the average price each year constitutes in tbe end the average price of any number of years ; for instance , take seven years' average prices at the following amounts— 14 s ., 17 s . « d ., 21 s ., 24 s . 6 d ., 28 s ., 31 s . 6 d . t 35 s . ; and yon will find 24 s . 6 d . to be the average ; and you will al&o find that tbe parson or peraon entitled to the seven years' different sums would have received precisely the same amount if he received the average price of each year within the year .
Thns far I have the principle acknowledged by church usage and commercial usage ; and now I bring the practice of Government to bear , and in all their contracts , from the regulation of duty upon grain down to the supply of stores and provisions of all sorts ; we find the principle of ' » baying and selling with the day" strictly acted upon by annual tenders and declarations , and contracted for , fr-r tbe year . Having said bo much upon the subject of tenure and mode of annual assessment of value , I shall now show , and I think dearly , that a rent regulated by the price of grain , familiarly called " a corn rent , " is the only just mode by which the annual value of rent can be ascertained withoat a risk of chances , all tbe bad ones being on the side of the tenants , and all tbe rood ones on the side of the landlords .
If a manufacturer goes to market te purchase raw material , he is regulated in his bargains by the market price of prodnce ; so with the butcher who buys live stock ; so with the farmer who bays dairy cows or other stock ; so -with those also who even purchase in the wholesale and sell in tbe retail market ; they , one and all , " buy and sell wittt the day : " whlla the very man whose bargain should be in some way defined , in order the better to lead him to a calculation of surplus after rent , has no means whatever of judging even while the crop is reaping , of what portion becomes his share , or what portion become *? the landlord ' s share ; and while in bis share there is mixed np labour , capital , risk , responsibility , and personal security , tbe landlord ' s is altogether freed from any such harassing drawbacks . . :
Now , I ask , what can be mare absurd than a stamped agreement to pay for each and every year , of thirty-one years , tbe same amount of rent , withoat reference to produce ? It is rank nonsense » and , upon the other hand , I ask what can be more just , seeing that the produce is of the land , and its render being annual , than thatthe standard of rent should be ascertained by value of annual produce ? One silly gentleman once said to me . When talking over the subject , that " a majority of farmers would prefer the principle which left the widest field open for speculation , and that a corn rent
would damp their energy , and in high years would act against them ; " npontheotherhandl contended that the present system net only damped , but forbid all energy , beyond a mere existence point ; while the field of speculation would be Incalculably increased by the substitution ol a corn for « . fixed-money Tender . 1 explained , that only with a torn rent could the benefit of leases in perpetuity be made equally advantageous to landlord and tenant , by giving to the landlord the only means which , apart from folly , he should enjoy of squaring his annual expenditure by his annual receipts .
I farther aver , that in such cases high rents would be more beneficial to the tenant than to the landlord , inasmuch as upon all surplus produee the tenant would have a five-fold increase , while the landlord would have but a single increase . Thus : suppose ten acres of the land of Blackacre , to be taken by A . at 20 s . per acre , on a corn rent when wheat was 20 a . per bag ; and suppose the price to rise to 30 s ., and the rent to be consequently increased to 30 s . ; in such case" the landlord -would have but an increase of 10 s . npon the acre , while A . would have au increase of 10 e . on every bag , or £ 3 on every acre . It is true that the rule would only apply so extensively to grain-producing land ;
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. : J but inasmuch . ns the price of grain regulates the price otaUothe * produce , it would effect all the grass land to tjie full amount of the difference of ten shillings ; that is , the difference between twenty shillings and tihlrty shillings ; while it would leave to the tenant the benefit of all surplusage of profit above rent upon g ^» in ; and what could be so great on inducement for tbe encouragement of the growth of grain , in which , / W 8 are told , we stand in so much need ?
My Lozds and Gentlemen , custom reconciles the mind to practice and principles the justice and propriety of which few men ' will venture to defend ; and while the defence of those principles and practices invariably subjects their supporters ' to universal scorn and reprobation , nevertheless are tbe principles and practices preserved and universally acted upon . For instance , the Duke of Newcastle has been censured ,
and most justly , for defending his " right to do as he pleaped with his own ; " and no apologist appeared even from the ranks of the practitioners . Mr . Braen said that the Irish were , " savage , " an *) he too was universally censured ; but is there ft country upon the face of the earth , or do we read in history of any country , where ti » principle of the Duka of Newcastle and the belief ^ fjjk , Bruen is or was more extensively acted upon than iotn are at the present time in Ireland ? -
Was ever the system of serfdom and vassalage more perfect ?—softened down as it may apparently be by the assertion , that tbe vassal and serf ia a free agent and enters upon the contract with his eyes open ; he does so .- nor is he blind to his position , but he has no alternative . The moment he becomes your tenant , he is to all intents and purposes , your vassal , slave , and bondsman , for the whole term of his tenancy . He cannot keep a gun to shoot a crow without your license ; he is bound down by conditions of every sort you think proper to impose for the management of a / arm , for the rent of which he is answerable ,- you are
part proprietor of his capita ] , of his skill , bis industry , and his labour , while you are released , as 1 have shown , from all casualities and liabilities . Yon have his capital , as a sinking fund to fall back upon in case of bad years ; while at the expiration of his term , should he get a renewal , it is in general on condition that he give something more for bis own improvements than " another will bid over his head ? and , above and before all , he is compelled , at the hsztrd of losing his farm , aad perhaps his life , to vote
for your nominee , who is most likely an enemy to bis interest , his religion , and bis political feelings ; and yet this is called tbe justice of " doing what you like with your own ; " this is the leaven of the system of which all have a right ta complain ; this is the cause of the demand for foreign grain ; this is the original cause of " overproduction for the fancy market , " of " surplus population , " and a scanty Hupply of food . You first limit the amount of tbe land ' s production , and by to doing , you increase tbe amount of " surplus population , " while you dimmish tha means of traffic .
Now are these things not quite plain and obvious ? Firstly , you withhold the land from its most beneficial application ; secondly , even under your own system of large allotments you annex such conditions to a bad tenure &S prevents the tenant from improving or producing tbe most ; thirdly , you encourage horse power to the ousting of a much better power , and you thereby create a " surplus labour-population , " according to the means you allow them even for existence ; and , fourthly , you prevent tho farmers , by your general practice , from becoming a dealer in the manufacturing market : the result of all which absurdities is , that
those paupers displaced fey yon have become a reserve In the English labour-market , upon which tbe masters caa fall back , as a means of compelling all to work at a mere existence point ; while they also constitute a corps of willing assailants , ready to be led on , ( and " small blame to them !") in any assault against theit aggressors , who are , undoubtedly , the Irish landlords . So f » r from the Irish people having any just cause of complaint against the English people , I unhesitatingly assert that tbe tyranny of Irish landlords has been the rain ot the English operative , and indeed of all English labourers . Yon have sent a swarm of bees
from your own hive , ( whose labour , and more , was required at home , ) in order that you and your families may lire in luxury upon the idle paupers' fund of which you hold the masterdom , by limiting tenure to the standard of class legislation , and which you can only accomplish by firstly starving the Irish people , and then asking who would enfranchise such paupers ? by goading them into crime , and then asking who would enfranchise such " aavagea" ? by withholding all the means of improvement , and tben asking who would enfranchise such ignarant creatures ? by making your class-religion an object of just hatred , scorn , ' and
resentment , and then asking who would enfranchise the enemies of our ' holy religion" ? by using the Jaws for their ruin , and then asking who would enfranchise men who had no respect for our " laws" ? while all are consequences of yonr oppression and misrule , and to which a speedy termination , commensurate with the offences , has been long protracted by a patient and enduring people . I am , my Lords and Gentlemen , Your obedient , And very humble servant , Feargds O'Connor . July 27 th , 1841 .
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TO LORD JOCELYN . My Lord , —a person writes to me from Manchester , to say that another person told him , that he was informed by someone , that some one else had heard one Bakewell ( who from his name I tako to be one of the fraternity of " plaguy large-loafers , " and who is a correspondent of the Sun newspaper ) say that I had Teceived £ 500 from your Lordship for services rendered to you at your recent contest for Leeds .
Now , my Lord , as what so many persons say may be true , and whether true or false , may be believed by some one , and as I would not wish any one man , woman , or even child in the world to believe that I could be guilty , at any price , of offering bo great an insalt to my country , my party , and my understanding , as to assist you in an endeavour to represent Leeds , or any other place , I beg of you as follows : —that is .
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if yon have paid to any person any sum of money on my behalf , yea will have the goodness to claim its restoration as money received under false pretences , and I will prosecute the offender as far as the law will allow . , My Lord , while my hand is in , I may be permitted to say that this is a very curious coincidence , inasmuch as I took no part in any single election throughout the recent struggle , save and except in youx Siordship ' s ; and as perhaps you may have paid some one something for that , let me tell you what part I did take . Having some interest , and many friends in Leeds , I
was naturally waited upon , consulted , and questioned as to what I thought the most prudent course to be pursued by the Chartist voters at the Iibeds election . My answer to one and all was , * ' For my part I think it signifies nothing ; but , as an Irishman , I beg of you , for the honour of God and . my country , not to vote for Lord Jocelyn , as whatever bis politics may be , he represents , in bis name and person , the very bloodiest faction that ever disgraced humanity—the Irish Orangemen . " I further said that if you were returned , I should never again have a hope of convincing my poor countrymen , that even the non-electors were not Orangemen .
Now , aay Lord , I am happy ., to inform you tnat tu > influence , And canvass , and imploring , and beseeching , had the effect of relieving you of all the trouble and anxiety consequent upon the acquirement of the trust you sought My Lord ,, another palpable falsehood which some person informs me is abroad , is , that my publisher , who is an elector , voted for you . This I can grapple with , and the curious , can arrive at the truth or falsehood of it ; but , meantime , I beg t » assure your Lordship that lie , with many others of my friends , rejected all solicitations on your Lordship ' s behalf , and did not vote for you ; nor would five hundred times the £ 500 , I believe , in my conscience , have tempted him to do so . I learn from him that he did not vote
at all . My Lord , I am expected to be very pure indeed , and I will endeavour to be so ; and while I am upon the subject , 1 may as well request of your Lordship to perform a friendly office for me ; for being , as I presume you are , a member of the Carlton Club , you can do it without much inconvenience . The aforesaid Bakewell further assures some persona that I received the sum of £ 1 , 500 from tile Cirlton Club for ray services . Now , my Lord , the smallnesa of tbe amount for such services as I am supposed to have
rendered , would , to a sensible community , at once be a direct refutation of the slander . In fact , what would £ 1 , 500 be to me when I could have and twice as many thousands . However , you will oblige me by assuriog the Club thai I never heard of the affair till it cane to me in the indirect way in which I have stated ; and if it has been paid , it also should be refunded , as it was « cquired under false pretences . Curious that a Club whose arrangements generally appear so complete , should pay large sums of money away in such a slovenly manner .
I assure you , my Lord , that not one member of the Carlton Club , nor of any other club in the world , would , for ten times the amount , presume even to ask me if I would accept of -a gift for the violation of my principles . But as a disinterested politican is a " rara avis , " and as busy slander cannot find one foul spot in my character , fiction , always ready to aid in the good work of destroying the fame of all persons useful to the poor man , has tendered it « services ; and what is most curious in the whole affair is , if the said Bakewell was put to his oath to-morrow , or Indeed if every man in the kingdom was put to his oath , not one would swear that he believed I was capable of selling myself for any sum of money , or for any principle short ef Universal Suffrage .
My Lord , I think it right to inform you that I received a very pressing letter on your behalf from Mr . Harvey , assuring me that you were a very good man , and very fond of the poor , which letter I took as a great insult , and never answered . Perhaps , my Lord , he has been kind enough to receive the reward of merit on my account ; if so , you should make him refund . His letter was evidently written either at y « ur Lordship ' s dictation , or at the suggestion of your committee . My Lord , once for all , I beg leave to assure you that there is not money enough in the Bank of England to purchase a sentence , line , or word from me , which would aid the cause of either Whig or Tory , or injure the causti of my own party .
My Lord , you will , of course , take this letter in a purely political sense ; as I have no reason whatever to doubt any one of the many handsome compliments which Mr . Harvey paid to your private character . I am , my Lord , Your Lordship ' s obedient Servant , Feargvs O'Cownor . York Castle , July 20 th , 1841 .
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WEDNESBURY . —A public meeting was held at the High Bulling , ou Tuesday evening last , to hear Mr . Candy give an address upon the principles and objects of the People ' s Charter . As it wa ? something new to the inhabitants of this place , he had a good attendance of hearers . He entered fully into his subject , land convinced his audience that nothing but the attainment of tbe Charter could heal the wounds that taxation and an oppressive Government had made in society . He was attentively heard , and the working classes were highly satisfied with the lecture . ' Three cheers were given for the People ' s Charter and tho Northern Star , and three times three for Feargus O'Connor , the unflinching advocate of the working men . A good working Committee was formed , and a number of working men came forward to form an Association .
WOLVERHAMPTON . —A meeting was held at Mr . Mogfis , Temperance Hotel , tinow Hid , on Wednesday , which was well attended . Mr . Candy delivered au excellent address upon the science of Government . The Committee at Wolverhampton wish to remark that Mr . Candy ' s engagement will terminate in a fortnight from this time ; and if any of our iriends would wish to have the services of Mr . Candy , they recommend him » s a worthy , able , talentea , and unfiiDohing Chartist lecturer , deserving the support of every lover of Chartism . Letters to be directed to Mr . J . Wilcox , news-agent , Worcester-street ,
Wolverhampton . They would wish-to engage Mr . D . Taylor for one month , in the place of our friend Candy , if he is not pre-engaged . BlIiSTON . —The cause of Chartism is making great progress her * . Mr . Candy ' s lectures on the People ' s Charter , the principles of Government , and other political subjects , has been the means of attracting great numbers of hearers each evening . At the conclusion of each lecture we have an accession of freBh members . A spirit of union and friendship is manifested both in our public meetings and Committee , and we are now getting well and thoroughly organised .
PARXrASTON . —Mr . H . Candy gave a lecture on the old Poor Laws as they were , and the New Poor Laws as they arc , at the Bull Stakes , on Monday evening last . . There was a large assemblage of persons present . MUEBEIiBURGH . —A public meeting was held- in tbe Freemasons' Hall , Musselburgh , on Tussday evening week , the 20 th instant , for the purpose of forming a Charter Association in this town , Mr . D . M'Phereon in the chair . The meeting was very ably addressed by Mr . William Taylor , of Dalkeith , for two hours ; after which twenty men came forward and joined the Association , and there is every prospect of the . cause getting a great number of supporters in the town of Musselburgh .
PALKEITH . —The cause us progressing here with great spirit . The Association is sending deputations to tbe neighbouring towns and villages , to address meetings and form Associations . God s ^ eed them ! It is talked of holding- a delegate meeting in Edinburgh , for the purpose of forming a better organisation for the county , and to try to get a lecturer fur the same . WOTTOK-UNDER-EDGE . —The Chartists of this place passed resolution !! at their last meeting denouncing Collins and O'Nell , and expressing confidence in White of Birmingham .
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¦^^^ v ^ - ' ^^^ s ^^ XE 1 CESTE **—Although lees ex ^ wment is ma- T nifest , now tno e'ecUcn fever has subsided , yet a i-tvonj ; under-cuwenl of thought and feeling ; oa Chartism is very discoverable in Leicester . Mr . Cooper ' s political sermons in-- . the ^^ Market-place , on Sunday evenings , continue to attract great numbers , aud to create busy disoussions among all classes . — The general meeting , last Monday night , was an interesting one , and was addressed by Messrs . Smart , Markham , Bowman , &o . -with their usual good sense . The people display deeper interest thanever on all Chartist subjects . It was learnt that
Richardson was in difficulty , and a p lan was inBtancly set on foot to relieve him ; seventy have already pledged themselves to contribute one penny each for sis weeks , towards a fund for him , and more will be added . The Executive , the grand main-spring in our political engine , has not been forgotten ; twentyfive shillings were sent , the other day , to Mr . Campbell , the secretary , as a tribute from our fnnds ; to which was added fifteen shillings , collected by & few real friends to Chartism , at Melton Mowbray . The fact of such a sum being collected in that aristocratic centre of fox-hunters for such a noble purpose , is not
a little remarkable ; the money was brought over and paid into the hands of Mr . Cooper , the Leicester secretary , not a little to his pleasurable surprise . — The Leicester Chartists wish it to be generally known that Messrs . Seal and Burden have no longer aoy connection with the body . —Communications for the Leicester friends ought to be addressed either to Mr . Cooper , secretary , 11 , Church-gate ; Mr . Bowman , treasurer , Pasture-lane ; or Mr . Markham , committee-man , Belgrave gate . —Mr . Smart commences a series of lectures on the Charter , next Monday evening ; and Mr . Cooper preaches , as usual , in the Market-place , on Sunday evening .
YORK . ——The O'Connor ' s Release Domonscration Committee held their usual weekly meeting , on Sunday , the 25 th instant , when a variety of business , relative to the forthcoming demonstration , was brought forward . The committee highly approve of the suggestion ef Mr . 6 . J . Harney , for holding a delegate meeting to arrange the various demonstrations that will take place on the release of oar glorious chief , and have determined on sending a delegate from York on that occasion . The secretary was instructed to communicate with the various localities , requesting the co-operation of their Chartist brethren thmnxdimit * h « TTnir « j 1 Kinadom , as the men of York are . determined to do tbeir utmost in order to render their demonstration effective , and to show to the inmates of this den ot corruption their determined hatred of oppression , and their love for the glorious principles for which that truly " Noble of Nature , " F . O'Connor , Esq ., has so long and so unjustly suffered .
I * AMBETH . —A meeting will' be held on 'Tuesday evening next , at 54 , Webb ' s Row , Waterloo Road , for the purpose of nominating a sub-Treasurer , when all members are requested to attend , as there ia business ot importance to transact LEIGH . —Chartism in this this town is rapidly progressing , so much so that tbe authorities have deemed it prudent to arrest Richard Brooks , on the 21 st iuatant , because he is a zealous advocate of the elective franchise . He was placed under arrest , no' doubt , for the purpose of retarding the progress of public opinion , on a charge of beina ; a party to a seditions placard , issued prior to the 12 th of August , 1839 . he having absented himself for one year and nine months ^ , but immediately after the division in the House of Commons on the release of
all political prisoners , he ventured to return , and after being at large in his own town for three months , they at last se ' zsd him and brought- , him before the magistrates for examination on the 22 nd . insfc , who sat for tho first time in the New Town Hall , and on being arraigned at the bar , Brooks requested of their-Worships , that the charge or indictment should be read , and there being no indictment , their Worships thought it judicious to adjon > n for an hour , during which time an indictment was made out . After this announcement the Court was cleared by the police-officers who were in attendance . When tho Court resumed , after their deliberations , the Magistrates had determined to com . rait him to take his trial at the next General Quarter Sessions . Brooks then enquired if he had the privilege
of choosing whether he went to the Assizes or the Sessions , which was answered in the negative . He also begged of the Bench as he was a poor working man to bna » lenient as possible in the amount of bail , and their worships decided that he should be bouni himself in £ 30 and two ' sureties ' , of £ 25 each . Bail haviug been obtained ami sworn that that they were worth £ 2 & when all their just debts were paid ; their worships demanded twenty four hours notice before such bail should be accepted . Several persons waited on the tfuperintenilant of Police to enquire if the bail was accepted , when it turned out they were rejected ; two others having been obtained were accepted , when Brooks enquired what he had to pay , Mr . James Smith , the Aiagiatratea' Cfcrk , stated it to be £ 110 s . 6 d ., and oa being ; paid , Brooks was once mote set at liberty .
J > WBItIN . —The Universal Suffrage Association of this place , held their usual weekly meeting on Sunday the lflth inst , Mr . P . M . Brophy , in tho chair , who opened the business of the meeting by declaring ita objects , which he said were tbe principles of the People's Charter and the Repeal of the Legislative Union . He repudiated the idea of the Chartista being Tories or torch nod dagger men and showed that even Mr . O'Connell had softened down the charges lie made against them in April last , when he said it was " a transportable offence in Ireland to be a Chartist . " Now , he only wanted to know what colour they are , and the worst he can do is to call for three groans for them . The Chairman concluded by introducing Vfr . Handcock , of Manchester , who in very eloquent terms and at
considerable length pictured the state of public feeling in Englaud towards Ireland . He said ne knew of no Chartist in that country that was' not a repealer to its full extent , and that if Irishmen were not to be partakers of the fruit of the Charter , Englishmen would not accept of it AU the aristocracy dreaded was a union of sentiment between the three countries , and he said that that the present meeting was a foreboding of such a union . Ho gave some very striking proofs of the evil conduct of Irishman ( whom he believed to be of the lowest grade ) at Manchester and other towns who , he said , were acting on the advice of Mr . O'Ceanell , and who to their eternal shame , acted a most brutal part at the Stephensons -square meeting , and one of whom he said , told the veteran patriot Wheeler ,
" to be prepared to meet hisGod . " Mr . Handcock concluded amidst the plaudits of the meeting . A gentleman from Bradford , here stood op and commented in very severe terms on the conduct of the Chartists of that town , whom he said had acted very unwise in taking part with the Tories , and said teat they , the Chartists , were acting on the advice of FeargusO , Connor , Who some time ago , wished that the House of Commons had in it 658 Tories . He gave it as as his opinion that the conduct of Martin , at Bradford , was anything but calculated to further the cause , whun Patrick O'Higgins etood up and said that the gentleman who spoke last , bad , he thought , acted severe in passing such strictures ou Messrs . O'Connor and Martin . He said the meeting should bear in mind that it
was not the men but their policy that was condemned . Now , he ( Mr . O'Higgin -s ) had very great respect for Mr . O'Cannor , although he differed from him in many points . He said he yielded to no man in his admiration of Mr . O . ConneU ' s transcendant eloquence , although persons present thought otherwise , yet he denied altogether his title to the character of a statesman . He said there never was a man in the world who possessed 8 omuch power , and who at the same time made so bad use of it . When the " base , bloody , and brutal factions" were persecuting him , the people in England and Scotland tamed out in tens of thousands to hail his entrance into Birmingham , Manchester , Newcastle , Edinburgh , and Glasgow , and forced the middle-classes tu do hanour to the man whom they hated and whose
power they dreaded . Mr . O'Conneii had at that time all Ireland with him as well as England and Scotland . And with all this power what did he get for the people ? What did he ever prepare in Parliament for the benefit of his country or of any other country ? It could scarcely be expected that he would be able to carry any measure in a Whig Parliament for the good of Ireland , but he should have had the moral courage to have proposed something as others , even if he were left without a seconder ; but , instead of attempting to carry , or even bring forward in his place in Parliament any measure calculated to benefit or alleviate the sufferings of those who would have sacrificed their lives for uiui , and who suffered the most cruel and heart-rending persecution , on account of their adherence to him , he
turned round upon his deluded followers , and got the Coercion Act for them . And when Mr . W . S O'Brien , the M . P . for the County Limerick , moved the continuance of that Act should be limited to two years , Mr . OConnsll , and every member of his family , wht were then in Parliament supported the Whig motion for the duration of that Act for five years ; and Mr . O'Conneii justified his conduct on the miserable plea of the necessity of the Act , in order to put down agrarian disturbance . And again , ( said Mr . OHiggins , ) when Mr . S . Crawford moved the Repeal of th « Coercion Act , let it be remembered , to the eternal shame of Mr . O'Conneii and his family , that the votes of every one of them are recorded against the repeal of that Act , and their votes are to be found in an
authentic document , called "The Votes and Proceed ings of the House of Commons . " Again , when that parent of patriots , Mr . Crawford , brought forward his motion for the total abolition of tithes , Mr . O'Conneii voted with Mr . Peel , Sergeant Jackson , Mr . Lefroy , and all the Tories in the House at the time against tb * motion , and afterwards had . the face to tell his dupes that Mr . Crawford ' s motion was calculated to oust the ^ Liberal" QovernTnent , and bring in the Tories . He ( Mr . O'Higgins ) would say nothing at present about the barefaced and open sale of the County of Dublin te non-Repealers—the County of Meath to non-Repealers
—the County Kerry to non-Repealers—nor about the recommendation to the favours of the citizens of Dublin , ttiose Who congratulated the Marquis of A jri ^ ej for arresting Mr . O'Conneii and others . He sUflnKTHl ^ Hi ^ serve anything he had to say upon these ' subjectafiSJr < k H future occasion . He concluded by leadini- a-4 fi | fi * £ " ~> v from Mr . A . M'Kenzie , of Bristol ; which anin £ dM $ & | Y" ^ jTiSh- ^ ^ on the conduct of Mr . O'Connell in vei ^^ SBE ^ Mi ^^ vr twins . A person present evinced some du «| HSiifiw ^?>^ j ^ T ^ N ^ v at it . The Chairman interfered , and , i m ^ rf £ _ _ 1 T 1 l ] i f il ] beipg again composed , it was further NMrlEd ^ I ^ f ^ MKMessrs . Lee and Wood . Thanks being g iiMaPer ^ V shamnan , the meeting separated in very gw >< ro& 9 t 2 Kf * O ^^ & > HSdVilSMM .
Ctjarttet $Nulxi%Exice
Ctjarttet $ nUlXi % exice
20 The Landl Ords Of Ireland, J
20 THE LANDL ORDS OF IRELAND , j
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Those amounts , added , make ... £ 42 15 o From which deduct — Rent and rates -.. ,. n o o Laid by for girls' portion and casualties , per annum 7 15 o Total £ 13 15 0 which deducted from the £ 42 15 s ., leaves £ 2 i to be annually expended in the manufacturing and commercial market .
P . S . Allow me to correct a few errors of the press which appeared in my last letter : —For " Qracchli " read Graccfii . For " Boetians" read Baoliam . I also find that my table of calculations was made to appear , in the first edition of the paper , completely iopgy lurry , by the blundering of a compositor , who was entrusted to make a trifling correction in the totals , hut who , instead of following the marks in the proofslip given to him , transposed the lines , and put the totals just where they werenoi wanted to be . Below I give again the table as it should have appeared at fir 8 t—and as it did appear in the last edition of the paper . £ . s . d . Nine bags of wheat , at twenty stone the bag , at £ l 5 s . the bag . 11 5 0 Produce of a cow and half , valued at £ 8 per cow 12 0 0 Five barrels of oats , at fourteen stone the barrel , at 10 s . the barrel , or less than 9 d . per stone 2 10 0 Profit on four bacon pigB , fed from May to March , and bought at nine months old £ 2 10 s . each 10 0 0 Profit on four theep , fatted after shearing , 10 s . ahead 2 0 0 Eggs , poultry , linen , ( or spun flax ) ..,, 5 0 0
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YJ ' V T '" i VOL . IT . NO . 194 . ¦• ^ toa j ^^ ^ 31 ;; l 84 l . ^^ SgfpS ^
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¦ Ato LEim < &E |^
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Citation
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Northern Star (1837-1852), July 31, 1841, page unpag, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/ns/issues/vm2-ncseproduct560/page/1/
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