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THE jTORTHEKN STAB SATURDAY, DECEMBER 18, 1841.
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10 The West-Riding Lieutenaucv.—At the Court at Windsor, the 10th day of December, 1841, presenti the Queen's Most Excellent Majesty in Council. Her HM.-*£..'_£_* 1.,._? ^_ 1_ * ^ < l l »_ __?•*£ Alan lJ»/rr»fc
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Chartist %xtttU\$tntt.
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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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CITY OF LONDON . —Last Sunday evening , Mr . Oonren lectured in the Political and Scientific Institute , Old Bailey . A discussion took place by Messrs . febont , Mathews , P « t , ud Waddington . SOHa—At the Chartisti -weekly meeting , it the Tbxm Dares , Berwick-street , it w resolved to send a Kvr&ern Sior -weekly to Ireland . Mr . Balls attended , and delivered as excellent lecture . Wbstmikstes . —Mr . Brown lectwed at the Charier Coffee House , StrettoB-gronnd , on Sunday eveaiag . Shoreditch- —Mr . Rowland tottnied at the Albion Coffee House , Cburcb- » Vreet , on 8 « ml » y evening . Nine sew members -were enrolled .
GlXDKBfi'Ei . I , AJTD WAXWORTH . —Tfie Chartists met ss n . nalat the Mootpelier Tavern , Wjdworth-road , on Honda ? evening . Two members were-enrolled . It ¦ was resolved that a public meeting be held on Monday evening , Ds « . S 0 th , at the Montpelier Tavern ,. TVaJ--worth-road , at tight o ' clock , to adopt the National Petition , and memorialise her M » j «* ty , on behalf of Frost , Williams , and Jones ; also that a public meeting will be beW on Monday evening , Die . 27 th , at the same place tnd tkne , to choose a delegate to the Middlesex Council .
Hi . ck . ke ? . —Gn Tuesday , at Weston ' B Temperance Hcte ) , Mr . Rowland in the chair . Six shillings was ¦* oted to the O'Brien Press Pond . Mr . Allen moved , and Mr , M'Hord seconded the adoption of the National Pvtidt-n , which -was carried unanimously . Mr . Wheeler thsn lectured to the satisfaction of his audience , " On the eviis of a standing army . " At its conclusion , a ^ epotation was received from Globe Fields , requesting ¦ their « o-operation in a mettinj ? to be held at the Court Booae , Osbome-street , "Wnitschapel , to consider tile distress of tba country , &c . This being eonfcnrred in , Hem . Taylor and Cook -were appointed a deputation to act with the Tower Hamlets , Globe Fields , and Albion Localities , and measures concerted to obtain sigsatares to the requisition . A Tote of thanks was given to the lecturer and the meeting adjourned .
Albiox Coffee House , Church-Stb . ££ t , Whitechap el . —Messrs . Rowland ud Dale addressed a scmeroos assembly here , on Sunday evening . Several members -were enrolled . St . Paxceas—Mr . Bills lectured here to a numexoas aadienee , on Sunday evening . LtKEHQU £ E , —Mr . Fossell lectured to an excellent aadienee at the Association Booms , Limehouse Cause-¦* ay , on Tuesday evening , on " Church property . " The lecture was deservedly applauded . T > osdos Delegate Mektisg . —The following re-• otatlon wzs mrsaimously carried , " That considering tb « English Chariisl Ctnxlar to be a most efficient agent in the spread of Chartism , and anxions to farther the interest of the cause , we declare thai ire highly approve of that publication , and call upon our brethren to give it their utmost support . "
HaMHEESKITH . —A meeting was held ai the Black Boll , Hammersmith Rood , on Tuesday , and Messrs . Seed and Preece discussed the question of Socialism and Charti&xn . It was then resolved , on the motion of Mr . StaUwood , that they should fenn ' a portion of the National Charter Association , which , -was onaniaiously agreed to . Fourteen names were given in . Mr . Reed was appointed tub-Treasurer , and Mr . Dobaon , mb-Secresary . Aftir the transaction of other business Mi » meeting adjourned . Tailobs —The tailors held their weekly meeting at te Three Crowns , Richmond street , Sobo , on Sunday ingit Mr . Fnssell delivered the first of a course of lectures on church property .
Xaxbsth . —At a meeting of Chartists In this locality « B Tuesday evening , the Secretary of the Committee appointed to raise funds for the Petition Convention , reported that they had determined on holding a tail and concert on Monday evening , Jan . 3 d , at the Social Institution . Westminster-road . Lambeth , and that to meet the circumstances of all parties they had fixed the price of tickets at Is . single , and Is . 6 d . double , and lad also engaged a good bond . "WUJtDSWoiiTH . —The Chartists of this locality met at usual at the King ' s Head , « n Monday evening , -when the fallowing resolutions were agreed to : " That for the more effectually carrying out the objects contained in ¦ ti » National Petition , this locality be divided into diatriets , to obtain signatures for tfce same . " " That a t » ffCT be sent to Mr . Mays&rd , requesting him to forward the petition shetts and headings , also twelve cards of membership . " " That for the fnture we do pay to the Executive and General CeuneQ one-fourth of the moneys we have in hand . "
BOSTON . —On Thursday evening , Mr Mason delivered a lecture in the Association room ; the place v&s densely crowded . At the cog elusion of tile lecture several new members were enrolled . O . T Fbidat , Mr . Q . White , of Birmingham , addressed tha females of Bilstcn , on the necessity of OtgaiJsing themselves , and using their exertions to obtain the redemption of tiieir cocotry . The meeting ** B JiuiDeronily attended . " Upwards of sixty names were enrolled ; the number has since increased te eighty-five . On Sc > dat , the meetings were numerous ; the Council were ehkfiy occupied in m « fc-fng preparation tot tiie reception of Mr . O Connor .
As AssociATios has been formed at Catcaura , a Tillage about a mile from Bilston , which is likely to prosper ; their numbers increase every week . Another Association is been formed at Portobello , a Tillage in tbs same neighborhood . Mr . Stiran leetured there on Honday night , to an attentive audience , many of ¦ whom joined the association . CARLISLE . —Sigsal Defeat of the Plagce , xsd Teicmfh of the Cbaetists — We noticed last Wi * ek a lecture given by Mr . Curtis , an American , in favour of a repeal of the Corn Laws . The lecture to ¦ which we alladed was attended by a very keis . 11 number , in consequence of the charge being twopence each . A second lecture w&s amjouneed for Monday evening , 7 > de . 6 : h , admission aralis . Long before the lecturer
ma < n his appearance , the place was crowded to excess , and great numbers could not be accommodated with seats . About eight o ' clock , the lecturer rose to commenee his address , ¦ when Mr . H . BottcbsU rose , and said , Mr . Curtis , before yoa couxmecoe your address , I wish to inow if , after yon feave finished it , you will answer questions which niny be put to you , acd a ] 5 ow discasiion ? Jir . Corlis replkd . that he "was not there as a dispctaat or gladiator , but ¦ vrould wLHisgly answer any ques'jons winch might be put to him , and « iiliDgly hear tlae opinions of an 7 peDtleman present . Mr . Boarman expressed bis eatisfaitloa , acd toe lecturer proceeded to address the meeting at consMers . ble length , oa tfce great resources of America tj supply Britain -with food , on condition ttiat i ; would tak «
American grain la exchange for its mmufacture . The only tliicc iiat rankles in the minds of the Americans is , said yvc . Curtis , that exchange is not allowed ; and if this system be continued , America ¦ would Eoca find aesns to manufacture for itself . After Mr . Curtis had concluded , Mi . Bowman re = « and said , that be wished to pui & ftw qufestious to Mr . Curtis . 1 ; vrou ' rd be supposed by this tudieace , from the sta ' . emtEts of Mr . Curtis , said ilr . Bovinan , tliit ArusrUs did not manufactuie a : all ; "Biifereis ii "w ^ uld Kem from the foUowinp qusguon , Uiit he would pu ' . to Mr . Cnrtis , thct Aiuerica not only rainufactured , but that to a grrit txttnt . The question tiut he - ? roaid put to Kr . Curus -was , " Knowi : g that the AiBtrica ^ s ha-ve a strong desire to be independent of foreign countries fo ?
& supply of clothing , aad at present are engiged in a kir . d of riTtlry -with Britain , acd it Is ceTtain Met they art fast overturing it , tx&b in the txcellence and chespv&bs of their proiuers , and thatsinee 1799 , when button iDinufactutES -were first introduced , cp to 1832 , tiie Tfflrnber of Egii ' s in twtlre statss irere 793 ; cfspiuuies l , 24 G ; 50 S ; poTrei-loorns 23 , 5 t 6 ; persorv 3 tEea ^ ed S 7 ,-J 46 ; ajnoui . t of cap . iil employed , £ ^ .. 375 , 000 it--riing ; b ^\ Uj : ooe-fouita cf tiewho-e capitil urvettM in- tie saiae branch in Brtvn . Tb . t TuttDns can be haa much dieaper than in England—t " nit houbfehold manufaetire of woclien , linen , ard cotnn ^ re made to a grt ^ t txtstt—fast tie silk t-ade is being introdcceci vrit ' a great SEocceEs . Ib it not m ^ ie t izn probiible that America will soon Fcrply it self independent of ctiiErcontt . ies ?"
" if tift Com L 3 ^ s wer e repealed to-morrow , -would tbat ^ eat £ t tia working cla ^ s , teeiag th ^ t labour is nnpr t < t .-d , and t le power of machinery , such as to be sble t-- > rupply almoet doacie tie presert djnincl , w : t'iott aiakiog any addition to n ^ cual labour , u . ucl : leas iccrfcaje wages , fcr tiey had fallen 50 per cer-t per-Tioas ti 1 S 16 , when t ^ e Corn Bill was put on ?" " Would nut a total repeal of the Corn Law 3 , wiih the present high rents ana taxes , iuia tfee whole farming Interest o £ England , and inuncate the whole icanufacturing di * trkti vnih agricultxiral labourers , wMcb would lend to & great rfeductioa of wages 7 " " Seeing the present constitution of the Bouse of Commons , acd knowing that it refused to hear tee Anti-Corn Law League ' at the bar of tint House , by an immense
rojerity , what hope can yen have of that body , composed as it is , of ever entertaining the questioa of a total repeal of the Corn I ^ ws ? ' Mr . Cnrtiaranswertd the first qnestion in a very satisfactory manner , bj ¦ bowing that manufactures txisted In America to a great extent , and was likely soon to supply itself with mil necessaries ; but he signally failed in answering the other questions which Mr . Bowmsn had pat to him . Mr . Joseph Broome Hanson thfcn came forward and addressed the meeting at great leceth on the iufcj « ct of Mr : Curtis ' s lecture , asd showed that he ( Mr . Curtis ) knew nothing of the affairs of this country . . He moved tbe following resolution , which being seconded by Mr .
Bowman , was put t-j the meeting and earned unani-» ocs ! y : — " That with t ^ is present system of representation , the corrupt stole of the Hocse cf Commons , and the unjust and oppressive system of' taxation , which presses so heavily an tli the industrious classes cf the community , this metliiig i 3 tf opinion that there is no hope of an end being pr . t to sionepolies , « oeh aa the Corn Lavs and otbtrs , which exclusively benefit the aristocracy and tba capitalist , until thas House is purged of its present corruption by a fair and full representation of the people , such is tta : vrhiet otist * in the United States of ^ Cierica , and which tm « "Jy be effected by Jiw adoption of the Peopled Chut * . '
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BRISTOL . —On Sunday evening last , after a lengthened del "« te of upwards-of three hours , in which Messrs . Onion , Clifton , Copp , and Simeon took part , it was r , ut to the vote and carried— " That the code of ! aw * d in this country is unjust , cruel , oppressive , and pTodnctive of immorality . " A question was then given tout for next Sunday . Mokdvs : Etenlng . —A public meeting waaheld at the Chartist Room , 56 , Castie-itieet , \ Ir . Newman in tie chair . The first resolution— " That a memorial be forwarded to the Secretary of State , Sir James Graham , for presentation to her Majesty , praying tot the rtsto * ratios of Frost , Williams , and Jones , " was proposed by Mr . Simeon , and seconded by Mr . Bloore . The
memorial was then read and proposed by Mr . Clifton , who , in an excellent speech , remarked upon tfce present stab * of affairs—that the people had the power , -with a proper directioB of Chat spirit which had so long shewn itself , of restoring to their families those men who had been victimised by certain parties , and unjustly been convicted of crimes they never committed ; and ablj pointed oat to the meeting the distinction between the characters of those persons wh # , it it . reported , are to be let loose upon society , and those men whose characters were irreproachable , bat merely because they differed in opinion with the rulers of this country , are gubject&d to punishments which they do net deserve . The memorial was seconded by Mr .
Reed . The National Petition was then proposed by Mr . Copp . He argued lor the right of the people to the several points in the People ' s Charter , contending that the present distress demanded a change ; that the right of making , or having a voice in making , the laws was a birthright of man , and after urging the people tj sign the petition , he withdrew . Mr . George seconded and supported the petition . It 'was then proposed by Mr . Onion , in a few ahort and effective remarkB , and seconded by Mr . Flint— Tb&t the petition be entrusted to the People ' s Convention for effectual presentation , and that letters be written to the
Members for Bristol , requesting them to support the prayer of the petition . " Several members were enrolled , and a vote of * Vi «» v « having bean given to the chairman , the meeting dissolved . A letter from the Whig Member , F . H . F . Berkeley , to Mrs . John Frost , was read at this meeting , in which all his election promises ( if any ) were dwindled into the following frothy declaration : — " That he hoped that after a term of years bad elapsed she would be restored to her husband . " This letter lies in the bands of the subsecretary , acd may be seen by any person who desires to he convinced of the folly of believing " Whig or Tory" at election times .
BIRMINGHAM . Fbost , Williams , and Jo > es- —This Committee held its usual weekly meeting on Taesday evening last , Mr . Noakes la the chair ; when a memorial was received from Hamilton , and It was resolved that all memorials from the country be Bent to this Committee to secure presentation , A memorial was read , and after some discussion « pon it by this Committee , adopted ; after which it was moved by Mr . Thorp , seconded by Mr . Sinks , that B Utter be immediately sent to the Home Secretary , requesting his unequivocal answer , as to whether he will present this Committee ' s respectful memorial to her Majesty . Several matters were entered into with regard to the soiree on the 2 Sth instant , and it was resolved , that J . B . O'Brien , Esq . be corresponded with , to invite ta&t gentleman ' s attendance at the said soiree .
MOSSLET . —At a public meeting here on Monday night , a memorial to the Queen , in favour of Frost , Williams , and Jones , was unanimously agreed to . Mr . Daffy addressed the meeting with great talent and at considerable length . Twenty-eight members were enrolled . DfRBT . —A public meeting was held in the Old Assembly Re « ms , Nov . 23 , for the purpose of adopting the National Petition . Public Meeting . —Thursday , Dec . 9 th , was the day on which the long-talked-of GreatMidland Counties Free Trade Meeting took place . The Chartists of Derby , determined on giving the delegates battle , dispatched a delegate to Leeds to request Mr . O'Connor to be present ; but net not being able to obtai n him , they drew up the following challenge , and sent it with a deputation to wait on the Free Trade Committee : — To the Gentlemen of the Free Trade Meeting , to be held on Thursday , Dee . 9 , 1841 , —
Gentlemen , —We being a body of men belonging to the National Charter Association of Great Britain and Ireland , having for our object the conferring of happiness to oar fellow-countrymen , of making our nation , as it once was , "the envy of surrounding nations , " aad of restoring trade and commerce ; and seeing that there are two agitations in this country , and as it is impossible for the working eUssos to do juttlce to both agitations , respectfully challenge you or any of your advocates to a fair and open discussion , which of the two agitations is the most worthy of support—Corn Law repeal or Chartism .
The above challenge was refused by the free trade gents , en the pl-a that there was not time for a discussion ,- and seeing that they would be opposed , the meeting was altered from a public meeting to a ticket meeting , carefully excluding all Chartists . The Chartuts were not U be lulled asleep by that ; they immediately took the theatre for a public meeting at night , which was crowded , Mr . Johnson , fancy silk-weaver , in the chair . Mr . Dean Taylor , from Nottingham , moved the first resolution , — " That it is the opinion of this snetVng that the Corn Laws are unjust , and ought to be repealed as well as every other bad law but being satisfied that the removal of the Corn Liwa would
only be a partial measure of j ustice , are resolved to seek the establishment of the universal principles of the People ' s Charter as a remedy fully adequate to the removal of the evils that afflict our country ;" this was seconded by Mr . Bairatow , missionary for Leicestershire , and was carried without & single dissentient . Mr . Tattem then moved a memorial to her Majesty in favour of Frost , Williams , and Jones , which was seconded by Mr . James Farnsworth , and carried unanimooily . A rote ot thanks being carried , Mr . Bairstow itappfed forward and propssed three lusty cheers for Mr . O'Connor , and for Frost , Williams , and Junes , which was heartily responded to .
The Jtorthekn Stab Saturday, December 18, 1841.
THE jTORTHEKN STAB SATURDAY , DECEMBER 18 , 1841 .
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WAGES OF LABOUR . We hear a great deal said of the benefits that have accrued , and that are to accrue to the manufacturing working popn ! ation , frcm extended commerce . " The free trad . ra , as they call themselves , premise us all manner of blessings , including '' cheap food , high wages , and pleniy to do , " if the labourers will but help them to " extend" commerce , by procuring for them a Repeal of the Corn Laws . To induce the labouring people to join the leviathan manufacturers in an union for the accomplishment of this object , every possible means haye been used . Money without end has been spent inalmcsfc every imaginable way that could at all tend to create or innuecce public opinion . Lecturers hare been ecgaged : pamphlets holding out the most delusive
i hopes hare been extensively circulated ; " Leagues " have been fcrmed ; the lowest species of cajolery ; and deception have been resorted to , to entrap the i working people into Operative anti-Corn Law Asso' ciations ; newspapers cave been established to ad-! vocate the views of the " Leaguers , " and have been gratuitously circulated ; the existent newspaper ; press his been extensively subsidised for the pro-! mulgation of these high-sounding promises , and to ! itfluenc ^ the public mind in each locality ; per-: sonal vituperation and wholesale denunciation have ! been resorted to and extensively used against ' those " Leaders" of the people who would not ' join in the League ; in Bhort , every art that
ingf nuity could devise has been used to induce those who live by the trapes of labour to " league" with these who live on the profits arising from the employment of labour to procure an " extended" cemmerce . Bat all these means have failed ! The money , and time , and talent employed ; the Bednctive arts and the large delusive promises of advantage , have all gone for nought ! The bait would not take . The Anti-Corn Law agitation haB fallen dead , dead . The working people have 6 tood completely aloof . Without them no agitation has any life , any souL Every movement must have them energetically with it , or it fails ! The money and the influence
of the middle and trading classes , without the active co-operation and aid of the wobkess , avail nothing in political agitations . Without the personal energy and dogged perseverance of the labourer , every movement for an extensive legislative change affecting great conflicting interests must fail . And rightly bo . It is the only protection the working man now enjoys—the only power he possesses , in the absence of Universal Suffrage , to ward off the li heavy blovra and sore discouragements " which would be inflicted on his interests through the rapacity and cupidity of the classes who live out of the profits made of bis sinews and bones .
The attempts , then , of the Millionaire Manufacturers , to induce the labourers to demand from the Legislature an " extended" comaaeree , have failed , signally failed ! All their efforts to this end have proved abortive ! Their wriKglings aad twistings
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have afforded amusement enough ; and their pompons swelling of every village gathering of half-adozen toadws under the drilling of the slavish overlooker , into an important demonstration in favour of * Repeal of the "CORN LAWS AND
COMMERCIAL REFORM , " hare but served to raise the load laugh of ridionlo , against their whole proceedings . Their agitation has fallen fiat 1 They hare neither produced alarm nor excited fear . Their sadden discovery of national distress , and their loud clamour for immediate measures of relief , have not answered the intended purpose . The people have refused to listen to the voice of the charmer .
That this state of feeling exists in the body of the working people , is to us matter at the greatest gntulation . We have laboured hard to induce it ; wehave seconded the able labours of others to this end ; we have implored of the working people to consider well what it was they set their hands to do ; we have cautioned them against being led away by every will-o' -the-wisp that presented itself , without first inquiring whither they were going , and what would be the end ; we have advised them to demand of all who asked their aid . their reasons for such
co-operation , and to insist on a quid pro quo before they touched—a guarantee that they should enjoy some of the benefits resulting from their labours . To this end have we laboured : and it is matter of gratulation and delight that our labours have not been in vain . That they have not been so , the present woe-begone condition of the " League ' s" agitation fully proves . They have more than one-half of the entire newspaper pres 3 of the kingdom on their side , and no want of money : and yet they have failed in kicking up a ferment . Their power to act on the public mind has vanished—is gone !
M Extended" Commerce : w Why should we agitato for that ? " has been tho very reasonable and very first question that the producers of wealth have put to themselves , and to their begnilers . Aye , in troth , why ? Ha 3 not Commerce been woefully " extended" since the year 1800 ! and what has been the workman ' * benefit 1 Has it " extended" his comfort 1 his wages ! Has it added to his stock of clothing ! his stock of household furniture I his stock in the pantry I Commerce has been " extended " many times over , and oft ; but has it added to the working man's " meal-kist" ! has it hung more bacon
upon the joists ! has it filled the milk-bowl more often 1 These are questions which deserve answering . They are questions whioh the working people have put to themselves , and to one another ; and before the anti-Corn Law League can expect that their high-sounding promises of " cheap food , high wages , and plrutt to do , " as the result of another " extension" of Commerce , will take with those who ask these questions , they must furnish satisfactory answers to them . They
mast demonstrate that every former " extension" of commerce has had the effect of putting more " porridge" upon the plates , and more " havercake" upon the " creel" of those engaged in labour , before they can with any face ask us to take all their promises for granted , as to the effects of another" extension . " When they hava done this , we promise them that the working people shall "league" with them for u extension" upon " extension ; " but not before .
We hear it often asserted , that the nation is much richer ; i . e . that we have more wealth in the country note than we had before onr commerce was so much " extended . " Now , we think this assertion admits of very grave doubt . We are not disposed to admit that we have more national wealth note than we had before the commencement of that ruinous race of competition amongst our manufacturing masters , which has produced the " national distress" which the Leaguers have so lately discovered to exist . We freely admit that we have more fixed capital , in the Bhape of machinery and buildings for
manufacturing purposes ; but these are not wealth ; they are only the means of producing wealth . We freely admit that we have more of stinking cotton and tawdry " prints" than we then had ; but the linens and the woollens , even though the latter were" linsey woolsey" were more valuable , more durable , and more congenial to our variable clime . We freely admit that we have a greater profusion of " fine '> woollen cloths than we had ; i . e . we have good woo ] mixed with " Ehodd > " and dirt " devilled" out of rags brought even from Constantinople , and then " boiled" after they are woven to make them fine ''
and give them a " finish , until they are rotten ; but the Yorkshire cloths , before these " economical" and " scientific" processes were established , were better , more durable , and more valuable . We freely admit that we have more of knives , and razors , and eoissors , made , like Piter Pindar ' s , to sell ; but our former one 3 were not labour thrown away , —valueless . We freely admit that we have more manufacturers note who can boast of having saved their millions , ( and yet insult the operative whose cupboard has been emptied to swell the huge Btore , by daring to address him as a fellow sufferer , ) than we had before fortunes
began to be made by steam . We freely admit that we could not then boast ef our Gotts and our Maiishails ; who left the " counting-house" and the "heckling shop" to become possessed of millions in " fixed" and " floating" capital ; nor of our Stakket's , vtho jumped from their 11 clogs" and the " raising nelly" to their carriage and the bench ; nor of our Hydes , nor our Greggs , nor our Ash worths , et hoc genus omne , who eo recently boasted of having wrung from labour , in a few years , more than would buy up all the landed aristocracy of the kingdom . We ireely admit that we have more of these gentry now than
we formerly had : but we ask where is the domestic manufacturer gone , with his stock of tools and fixed capital , amounting in the aggregate to an enormous amount \ We ask , where is the " Master Cropper , " the "Master Weaver , " the "Master Spirner , " the "Master Slubber , " the "Master Cutter , " the " Master Dyer , " the " Master Finisher V Where aro these gone ! Had they no wealth I Do the few enormous amounts , gathered together in heaps , amount to more than thesumB formerly extensively distributed amongst bo many hands ? Who dare say yes ! He will be a bold man ! and ready to speak withcut his book .
We ask , also , is there more wealth diffused amongst the labouring classes ? Have they better houses—more substantially built , and more convenient dwellings ? Is their furniture equal in value to what it then was 1 The very question is an iusult . Look at the " cottage property" in our manufacturing towns ! Substantially built , forsooth !—gingerbread !—and worse . Comfortable 1 \ —not fit for pig-styes ! No drainage , no paring ; thrust into confined places ; no ventilation ; the abodes of disease , misery , and death ! Their furniture valuable ? Go to the broker ' s shop . ' see the
" things" he there has for Bale , cheap ! Compare these with the chairs , « ad the tables , and the beds made fifty years ago . Ascertain their relative cost . Then go to the proper furniture tradesman—the cabinet-maker . Ask him how many of the working people purchase household goods from him . Ascertain these things ; and then say whether the workman haB more wealth note in furniture than he then had ! Then an eight days' clock was an almost indispensibie article of furniture ; or at the least & good twenty-four hours' clock , in a neat
mahogany or an oaken case . Note , how many working men who have commenced housekeeping witlrin the last twenty years , can boast of such an article 1 Very few ! Where they are to be found now , it is mostly where they have descended ia the family as heir-looms , and have been saved from the wreck of most of their other " bits of tbingB , " " because my mother and grandmother used to set such store on it ! " The eight-days' clock , worth at least £ 6 , has given way to the Dutch clock , ( where there is one ) worth from 10 s . to 253 . Then
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it was a usual thing for the working man to have at least one feather bed , on a good bedstead , either four-posted , camp , or turn-up ; with good flock beds for the children and ' prentices ; and linen eheetp , heavy blankets , and " quilted" coverlets for ail Now where is the feather-bed in & workman's house ? where are the linen sheets ! where the quilt ! The former given way to chaff , or at the best t « flocks ; the sheets to nasty filthy pousement , called cotton-blankets , made from the refuse of cotton—cotton waste . The quilt , which used to be the pride of the mother , and which cost her
weeks and mouths of labour in "quilting , " given way to a horse-cloth-sort-of-rug , made from " stuff" procured from the tearing up of filthy rags , collected from all quarters of the globe ! Then the working man's cottage was adorned with a pewter case , and a quantity of pewter , which was generally worth moie than the whole of a modern working man ' s stock of household furniture . Then the " meal-kist" was an indispensible ; and it had something in it ! The sight , when the young ones were Bet to tread down
the new meal in the " kist , " so as to make it keep all winter over , was one a £ joyous as it is now uncommon . The flitch of bacon , with the ham , and dried cheeks , and piece of hung beef , and winter ' s stook of potatoes , shewed that the owner of the dwelling earned wages sufficient to enable aim to have a little before-hand to go to market with , and "to provide against a rainy day . " Is it so now ? Where is the " meal-kist" ! where the bacon ! where the hung beef ! Can the workman now provide a winter ' s stock of provision , either in meal or meat !
It is these questions wb want answering , before we can consent to throw up onr caps , and cry "hurrah for an extension of Commerce . " We want to see what former " extensions" bare done for us . We want this matter probing to the bottom ! We want no theorizing upon the subject . We want no such paltry put-offs , as " look to the fact , that the factory girl can be clothed ia a nice-printed muslin gown , and wear a pair of silk stockings , whioh is more than , at one time , Queen Elizabeth could do . " We want no such evasions as these ! We want to know all about it . We want to see the amount of
wages paid to the working man at the beginning of the present century , and the amount he receives now . We want to know what amount of the real necessaries of life could be procured by the workman in return for his labour then and now . To see this we must consider all the habitudes of the people ; we must consider them not in relation to the desires respecting them resulting from our own views and principles ; not in relation to the wilfully distorted pictures of interested orators and crotchet advooates , but in relation to facts . We want to see , then , how much bread the labourer could
then purchase with his earnings , and how much beef , and bacon , and beer J Aye , and beer ; for , notwithstanding our well-known views of the mischievous character and tendency of beer drinking , and without qualifying in the least our often and strongly expressed opinions upon the subject , it must be borne in mind that we are now enquiring into facts ; and we cannot in this enquiry overlook the fact that then home-brewed beer was as common in a working man ' s house as it is tm-oommon now . He was not then compelled to labour in an atmosphere artificially heated to 90 or 96 , for twelve or fourteen hours ; and
then have only the oommon brewer s nasty mess of poison to drink at the beer-house to recruit or excite exhausted nature ; or forced to swallow a deleterious mixture of vitriol and turpentine , called gin . He had then . the" Home-brewed ; " and he could get it . His wages would allow the wife to purchase her " strike" or bu-hel of malt ; and fill him bis barrels with a drink which did not contain either " grains of paradise" or any other poisonous drug . Will his wages allow him now to purchase the " strike " of malt ! If he did , we fear the bread pot and potatoe basket would have to remain
empty ; and the bit of salty , undried hog ' sflesh , which he gets from the provision dealer aa an excuse for bacon , mnsfremain unpurchased . We also want to know what his wages now are \ We want to know , too , what amount of food these wages will purchase for him , to compare it with tho amount ho got formerly f We want to know how his stock of clothing now is ? Has he three " suits 1 "—a working suit ; a " second-best j " and a " Sunday-suit" 1 He formerly had ; and his wife and children were equally well clothed . Have they as much now 1 These are the things whioh we want the world to know , before we can settle the question of whether another " extension" of our commerce will do us good . Working men !
how are your backs , and how are your bellies 1 Are the ft rmer well olothed , and the latter well filled 1 If they are so , and better than they were fifty years ago , " extensions" of commerce have done jou good ! If they are not , " extensions" of commerce have beon an evil to you ! To you we appeal then , to answer these questions . We want factsno crude theories—no guess work—no delusive statements . Let us have the figures . There are facts in figures ; but not muoh reliance to be placed on the assertions of the " Leaguer , " who says that you are now better-off than you formerly were . Let us have these figures , then . Furnish us with them , aud we will take care to let the world know what your actual condition is , in this respect at least .
What we want you to do is this : to furnish us with statements of the amount paid as wages of labour in all the great departments of manufacturing industry , from the year 1810 to the present time showing the amount paid in each year for a similar amount of work . We eelect 1810 , because our commerce may then be Eaid to date her great tl exteasions ; " and we aro anxious to exhibit at one ^ view , either tho gradual rise or the gradual fall of your wages , since that time , whichever may turn out to be the fact . Wo request that the officers of the respective Trades will endeavour to procure these
tables for us . We want to know how much the weaver of woollen cloth , either broad or narrow , has received for a string of the same number of reed « in every year from 1810 to 1841 inclusive . We wish to know what the slubber received and what he know receives , in like manner ; likewise the spinner , the carder , and the fuller . To ask what the Cropper is receiving for cropping , would be to insult him : for he is entirely superseded by the " Lewis" and the " Perpetual "; but those of his class who hare been fortunate enough to get permi ssion to attend upon a " Gig" or watch a " Lewis , " or to roast himself in a
" Btove" or " dry house" can state what they now earn in these " new walks of industry" aa compared with the amount they could earn when to be a journeyman oropper was " to be next door to being a gentleman . " We wish to know too from the flax-heckleri and from the flax-spinner what their earnings have yearly been for the same period ; or rather the amounts that have been paid to them . We wish for similar information , too , from the wool-comber and stuff and worsted weaver . Tho working cutler , too , should shew how he has fared ; and the journeyman hatter . The working fustiau wearer of Lancashire , and the
spinner , and carder , and fustian-cutter , and calicoprinter , and bleacher , and all engaged in eur " gr sat " cotton trade , should shew how they are and have been circumstanced . The linen-weaver , and the stocking-weaver—in short , all in the great departments of industry , should furnish similar information . Let us have the facts . We will make them kaown . We will take care the " League" sees them ; and then the working people and ourselves can decide whether another " extension * of Commerce , which will sacrifice the farmer and agricultural labourer , is desirable , or fit to be contended for .
To work , then , all who are interested . Get np these tables . Consult your wage books . Get returns from the books of the respectable masters who dare open them for such an object . Bo very correct Set nothing down of which you are not qvite sure
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Let all be . fact : and then we shall know both what your condition has been , aad what it now is . ' Wk DARE ' THOSK MANUFACTURERS WHO BAWL FOB A BEFKAL OF THE COBIf LAWS , Ain > WHO REPRESENT THAT A PUBTHEE w EXTENSION" OP OCR COKHERCE WILL GIVE THE WORKMAN " CHEAP FOOD , HIGH WAOBS , AKB * PXKNTT TO DO , ' TO FUBNISH FROM THEIR , LEDGERS CORRECT RETURNS OF THB SDKS THEY HAVE PAID AS WAGES FOR THE SAMB DESCRIPTION OF LABOUB DURING THE PERIOD NAKED . . ¦ - . .- ! .,. ¦¦ ¦ - - . . : ¦" If they dare not do this , there is neither sincerity nor honesty in their representations .
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NATIONAL EMIGRATION . The observations we deemed it our duty to submit to the public in our last , have not , w » are happy to find , been lost upon oar readers . It would , indeed , be strange if , on a subject of such vast importance , the energies of the working classes were not roused into activity . Wo have now a Parliament prepared to adopt any measures , however unjust or unconstitutional , which may enable the irresponsibles to gorge themselves a little . longer with the fruits of spoliation ; and we have an Executive Government fully as despotic and reckless aa the last , with rather more of obstinacy , aud of the show of
manly bearing . The Whiga , aided by their Tory allies , contrived to butcher and starve the people at home in the name of political economy and Maithusian expediency ; and the Tories , without the aid of the Whigs , are prepared , it seems , to drown them in the ocean , or enslave them in the colonies in the name of State Christianity and constitutional freedom . The people , however , about whom the factions practically know nothing and care less , have a duty to perform towards themselves , their families , and their country , from which neither the cunning of the Whigs nor the despotism of tho Tories must be allowed to turn them aside .
Wo last week demonstreted that the scheme of emigration supposed by the London journals to be contemplated by Sir R . Peel , was unjust , dishonest , inhuman , and opposed to every dictate of common sense ; and we now ask our readers to seriously consider what the condition of the colonies under the curse of aristocratic misrule now actually is , and what would be the conditioa of tho unhappy . emigrants , on their becoming located in those boasted dependencies of the British crown .
It is obvious that the only motive whioh could induce any one voluntarily to quit the land of his birth and seek a settlement in a distant land , would be the hope of bettering his condition , and of improving the prospects of his children . To render tho attainment of this hope . kpracticable , he must become an independent possessor of a portion of the soil ; ho must be provided with the means of comfortable subsistence , and also the means of entering beneficially into the pursuits of honourable industry , in order that the means of subsistence may be continued ; and he must also be secured in his possessions by the guarantee of general and municipal rights .
Any man who should voluntarily leave his native home without a fair prospect of obtaining these advantages , would prove himself a fool , evidently unfit to be entrusted with the management of his own affairs . Parties , however , who can by emigration secure to themselves these advantages , must possess a certain amount of property , or capital , to enable them to become proprietors ; and such have already gone forth and taken deep root in all . our colonial possessions . It is necessary to bear this fact in mind , in order that we may clearly understand the position in whioh those will be placed who are to be transported to the colonies at the expense of the mother country .
Tho lands of the colonies , having been purchased from the Government ( whose right to sell them was very questionable ) in large allotments , by proprietors who bought them as a speculation , have become a monopoly in the hands of the colonial landowners , who will not of course soil or farm any portion of them bo long as they can realise a greater amount of profit by holding them in their own hands , and cultivating them by hired labour . But , suppose
the influx of new-comers into any given colony to be persona who would find it more advantageous to cultivate lands as small proprietors than as tenants , or labourers ; it is clear that there would be a soarcity of tenants or labourers ; and , ia order to prevent the sale and cultivation of unappropriated lands of an inferior quality—for the best lands can only find purchasers in the first instance—tho large , proprietors would be compelled to sell their lands in small allotments , and at a moderate price .
But suppose the influx of new-comers to be labourers—that is , working men of all descriptions , having no property , but depending upon their labour for support—then it would require great care that the supply should not exceed the demand ; in other words . no more labourers should be brought into tho field than could find employment , affording them an ample remuneration for a reasonable day ' s work . If there be more than these , a spirit of competition will ensue , the consequence Of which will be a combination among landed proprietors , either to lower wages actually 5 or if that should be deemed ( inadvisable , to accomplish the same thing by checking the produce of corn and all other articles of Colonial
consumption , and thus of raising the price to the labouring consumers . All this our knowledge of human nature would lead us to infer , if we were reasoning from abstract principles only ; we are , however , reasoning from facts , and refer to the whole of our Colonial history in proof of the positions we have here laid down . A letter is now before us , reoeived from one who has himself been an eye witness of the facts he relates . In which , after referring to Mr . MoNTgomery Martin ' s assertion ,- that an inhabitant of the mother csuntry , who only consumes five pounds of British manufactures yearly , requires twenty pounds in his new home ; and to our remark that " we have no doubt he may require it , but the question is , will he find the means of getting it i " he
says" I answer No : so far from obtaining the means of getting twenty pounds' worth of British manufactures in his new home , he will not be able to get five pounds ' worth . Wages in the Australian colonies are very low , taking into account the high prices of provisions and rents . There ate in those colonies already mere labourers than are employed beneficially to themselves , for the same system of combination to ke « p down the price of labour that is carried on here is practised to a greater extent in that far distant land ; in fact , the working people of those climes are merely allowed to eke out a miserable existence from baud to mouth , like their
brother slaves at home . How can it be otherwise ? The land is sold in such large allotments that the working man cannot buy any : the landholders will not let it out in small farms . This mode of disposing of the land , combined with the continued influx of labouring emigrants , all tends to keep the price of labour down to the lowest possible point ; so that whatever amount of British manufactures our celonial labourers may require in their new homes , any reasonable being may readily perceive their means of getting tbem ia rather questionable . The colonial system of farming tends not to the comfort of the working man . The agriculturist lays down his number of aeua of wheat according
to the number of toe population ; he allows twelve bushels per head per year . Thus , by araguUr combination amongst the farmers , they grow little more than is necessary to maintain the people from year to year . This ia to keep up high prices j and when there is a dry seaaan , -which often happens , then famine pervades the whole land . In the winter of 1838 , loup-kiteheuB were erected both in New South Wales and Van Diemen's Land , and soup and bread were gratuHotuly distributed , to save the working men from absolute starvation . That year bread rose to the enormous price of 9 < L a pound in Van Diemen ' s Land , and la . a pound at Sydney . Emigration to these colonies cannot better the condition of our distressed fellow-workmen . "
It is quite clear that even if tho influx of labourers were regulated apparently by law , Btill the earne causes whioh have led to such disastrous conse * qnences and unparalleled distress in this country , are in full operation in the colonies . There , as here , a grasping aristocracy predominates . There , as here , land and capital are accumulated in comparatively few handa . There , as here , a military force is maintained to put down and overawe public
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opinion . There , as here , magistrates having little or no sympathy with the mass of the people , preside over their tribunals ; and there , aa here , labour may be driven out of the market by the operation of unchecked machinery at any moment when it ehatt please the blood-suckers who fatten on public misery to call it Into existence . And this is the Eden of rtpese ! the paradise of delights ! the Goshen of plenty f into which the
merciful , considerate ) and . enlightened statesmen who govern the destinies of this empire , propose to pitch headlong two or three millions of the best and most productive of our working population 1 Tolthis misery , wretchedness , and death it is said the tender-hearted head of the Cabinet intends to doom those whose sweat and toil and blood have been coined into hordes of wealth for the enrichment of himself and others of his order 1
It ib pretended that this scheme is intended for the benefit of our surplus population . We have shown , in our former article , that there is in reality no surplua population . We have shown that the lands of the United Kingdom could produce food sufficient for at least four times the number of its present inhabitants . We have shown that fifteen [ millions of acres of waste lands wait only for the application of human skill and labour , to yield their hidden treasures for the sus tentation of industry . These facts we have demon * strated ; and we now ask Sir Robert Peel and
those of both factions who may be inclined to sup . port him in the imputed design , whether , in the face of these facts , he dare submit the murderous plan to Parliament , and throngh Parliament to the country ! We ask the Ministers and members of Christian churches , whether thay will venture , with their Bibles in their hands , to brave the justice of thoDeiiy , by silently permitting the violation of his express command , " Thou ghalfc not kill . " We beseech the " Lords Spiritual and Temporal , " not to add to all their injustice , the crowning one of
supporting a measure so accursed . And we implore the Queen , should an Emigration BUI obtain the sanction of the legislature , to strengthen the indecision of royalty by the natural feelings of the woman and the mother ; to trample under her feet the infernal Act ; and to drive from her presence and favour the parties by whom it is presented . This appeal we make on behalf of suffering and insulted humanity to the powers that be , —with , we confess , but small hope of its being effectual . There is , however , another class to whioh we can appeal , and we know that to them it will not be in
vain-To the working classes , who are interested in this great qnestion more than all other classes put together , we say , let thesubject be carefully pondered over , and well understood . One great cause of the oppression under which you groan , is that spirit of recklessness which has allowed many acts of mischief to become consolidated before you were aware that they were even contemplated . This mistake must never again occur . We havo beaten the Anti-Corn Law faction by our union and our watchfulness The landowners declared that a repeal of the Corn Laws would be ruinous to them ; and , so believing
they were perfectly right in opposing the repeal . We know that the landowner ' s plan of emigration would be ruinous to as ; and so knowing , we faithfully promise them that it shall hare an opposition no less effectual . No doubt the pinck-bellies will , like their brethren the Anti-Corn Law quacks , get np meetings , employ lecturers , circulate information , and try to gull the public by details of " cheap food , " " high wages , " " salubrious dimes , " fertile lands , ** " murmuring brooks , " and a thousand ether stories of " moonshine" connected with the delightful settlements on the other side of the globe . This let them
do ; bst let them recollect , that the people are not inclined to stand any of their botheration !" They know too well what the professions of either Whig or Tory are worth , to put any confidence in the men who never deem themselves safe unless they can delude and betray an unsuspecting people . At the meeting recently held in London , Mr . CiuwFOBDStated , truly enough , that u the state of our country unhappily presented a frightful mass of pauperism , which converted that portion of the population which ought to be our principal strength into a' source of weakness .
and a striking evidence of decay . And this admission , one would thiiik , should indnce the adoption of measures to restore the health of the patient . Cutting off the limb is a desperate experiment , whioh should never be resorted to while a hope or chance of cure remains . Mr . Cbawfobd , however , seems to be a weak but well-meaning man ; he has evidently been deceived in reference to the Colonies . We fear ha has been taking some of Mr . Montgomery Martin ' s nostrums ; and Mr . Montgomery Martin has evidently proved himself a mere vender of political drugs , of which he
knows nothing . He can tell us the number of square miles in the Queen ' s dominions ; the number of mouths on a equaro mile ; he can tell ub of the rich territory of Canada ; of the number of out-throats maintained in the colonies , —as if that would be any temptation to the people to emigrate : he can inform us of the amount of Colonial revenue , and of the extent of Colonial skipping ; but not one word does he tell us of thedomestio slavery endured by the labouring population in those distant regions—not a word of the uses to which the valour of the British soldier is applied in those
lands to which he would exile his starving countrymen ! No , no ; this would not suit the purpose of the emigration gentlemen . Like the kidnappers who allured the agricultural labourers into the manufacturing hells , by promises of roast beef and plum pudding , these monsters of cruelty would allure those whom their avarice has reduced to abject poverty into distant climes , where they might terminate a miserable existence , after creating a ma&s of wealth for their iron-hearted task masters , unpitied and unknown . If we had any doubt as to the purpose of these emigration gentlemen , it would be entirely set
at rest by the fact of its receiving the cordial sopport of one Mr . Maubere , who declared himself an admirer of the heartless crew who united themselves together , some time since , under the name of the Children ' s Friend ' s Society , and of who 3 e doings the Press took such cognizance as to rouse public indignation , until the ugly abortion of Malthueian demonism was consigned to its last resting place . Our contemporary , the London Phalanx ^ in noticing the London meeting , at which Mr . J . Rogers proposed the sum of forty millions to be expended in getting rid of five million paupers , observes , " nothing , however ,
was Baid respecting the nature of this national scheme proposed ; and this silence augurs ill for the scientific principles of these political economists . How are the poor creatures to b 8 sent out , and how are they to be kept when they are out , and what are the arrangements proposed for subduing the soil and preparing it for the production of food for nun and beast ? Is each man to be furnished with a plot of ground , and then left to do his best with the reluctant earth ! Ia he to be dependent solely upon his own capital and labour , and loft to toil ,
unaided , in converting the wilderness of nature into a garden of civilisation 1 If bo , the scheme will prove a failure . " These would , indeed , be weighty considerations , if the design was entertained for a really honest purpose j but it is not . They want to get rid of the people , because they hate and fear them . The people must meet , then , and floor them at every emigration meeting . Let every man do his duty ; let every woman exert her influence , and the fate of this transportation plague will be inevitably sealed .
10 The West-Riding Lieutenaucv.—At The Court At Windsor, The 10th Day Of December, 1841, Presenti The Queen's Most Excellent Majesty In Council. Her Hm.-*£..'_£_* 1.,._? ^_ 1_ * ^ ≪ L L »_ __?•*£ Alan Lj»/Rr»Fc
10 The West-Riding Lieutenaucv . —At the Court at Windsor , the 10 th day of December , 1841 , presenti the Queen ' s Most Excellent Majesty in Council . Her HM .- * £ .. '_ £ _* 1 .,. _? ^_ 1 _ * ^ < l l »_ __?•* £ Alan lJ »/ rr » fc
iuajesiy uaviug Deea pieasea appoju * mo *•»«•»» Hon . James Archibald Lord Wharudiffe , the Lord President of the Council , to be Lord-Lieutenant and Custos Rotulornm of the West Riding of the county of York , bis Lordship this day took the usual oajna appointed to be taken thereupon , instead of the oatnfl of allegiance aad supremacy .
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4 THE NORTHERN STAR . ' ' __ . '
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Citation
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Northern Star (1837-1852), Dec. 18, 1841, page 4, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/ns/issues/vm2-ncseproduct578/page/4/
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