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SPLENDID AND COSTLY PRESENT TO THE READERS OP THE "NORTHERN. ' . STAR. " .. . . ' : . ¦ ¦ ¦¦ ¦ :-:- ¦ •: : - ¦ . ¦ ¦ ::¦; ¦' ¦•: ¦ ¦ ¦ ¦ ;: . ¦ _ " -. ¦ ,
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THE NORTHERN STAR. SATURDAY, MARCH 26, 1842.
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3To Meati(v0 antr 4ZovvetiMnpeid0*
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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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MR . P , O'HIGGINS AND HIS TRADUCERS . TO THE KDItOB OP SHE FKEEHAN ' S JOCKKAL , Sib , —The Irish Universal Suffrage Association , seeing that it was grossly slandered , and its objects tad proceedings wilfully misrepresented , in a report of the proceedings of the Loyal National Repeal Association of Ireland , which were published in the Freeman's Journal of the 1 st instant , passed a resolution , repudiating and disavowing " the charges which were made against it , and pronouncing the party who made those charges to be calumniators . This resolution was sent to your paper for publication , and the cost of inserting it as an ad - Yertisement in the DiUy Freeman of foe 9 th , ar . d Weekly Freeman of the 12 th inst ., paid for . You , Sir , thought the terms of the resolution too sirong for publication , and returned the money sooner f . han publish a document which , you said , contained a general Libel upon the whole of the members of the
Loyal National Repeal Association of Ireland , isow , Sir , I am far from blaming you for refusing to publiah any speech , or paper of aay kind whatever , ¦ which migDt have & tendency to subject yoav journal to & prosecution for libel ; but , permit me to ask you , is it just—is it doing unto others as yoa would he done by , to allow a public body to libel ad libitum , through the columns of tost paper , and to deny that indmdual or h-s friends the common Tight of-a reply through the same aiedium , but more especially when that reply was paid for as an advertisement ? In the Freenmn of the 1 st instant , amongst other ratters grossly libellous , I find the following , repor ted as part " of a speech of Mr . Thomas Steele , in allusioa to somo vague , wild , and incoherent obser-Tations which were made upon the occasion by the Rev . Mr . M * Hugh , whom I shall leave in the hands of his Gra ^ s the Catholic Archbishep of Dublin . Mr . Steels said—
-* Oh I what a terrific proof doss my Reverend Friend ' s communication exhibit of the atrocious an /\ baleful spirit ef the Chartists in thi ? country , under the instigation of 0 'Hie gins and his gang —( hear , tear , and groans ) . By far the greatest number of you who honour me with yoar attention are Catholics ; and from the hour of the penal code in its deepest horror , did you hear of anything more accursed than the threat of the ruffian Feargus O'Connor and Paddy O'Higgins' Chartists , to tear
down from his altar a Catholic clergyman , becanse he was warning the flock confided to his care by his bishop , and his pontiff , and bis G&d , against such diabolical villains as those who secretly instigated to the incendiary fires at Birmingham , to the scenes at Jfewport , aboard the convict-ship , and in the land of exiles . Who is this O'Higgins ! Was he not expelled from the Volunteers , and his money returned to Mm , after a patient investigAtion by the whole committee , for a deliberate calumny on the character of a brother member ! " '
Now , sir , I appeal to you and to my countrymen , if this is net the most dexterous use of words to impress upon the public mind ;—1 . That I am the head of a gang whom I instigated io « irag & Catholic clergyman from the altar ! 2 . That I secretly instigated to the incendiary fires at Birmingham , the scenes at Newport , aboard the convics-ship , and in the land of exiles ? 3 . That I was expelled from the society of Irish Volunteers by the unanimous voice of the commit : ee , and my money returned to me ? It is painful to me , and would be painful to any FT * " of feeling , to be continually dragged before the public to refute calumnies which have been refuted over and over again .
To the first—my reply is , that I know nothing about the matter ; that I never heard of-snch a circnmstaJice -until I read the Freeman of-the 1 st inst . ; that I believe the whole tale to be a fabrication , got op by short-sighted sinking men to suit the occasion ; that the charge is false in every part ; that instead of dragging , or instigating to drag , priests from the altar , I have done more to put priests on the altar than all the Steeles or Tom Steeles in Ireland ; and that I yield to no man living in respect aad veneration for the Roman Catholic clergy .
To the second charge—of secretly instigating to tha fires at Birmingham , the scenes at Newport , &c . —I was here in the City of Dublin quietly attending to my business , and laying cut more money among my fellow-citizens than I ever knew any man of the name of Steele to be worth ; and the effort to mix up my name with those scenes , by certain forms of expression , is not quite so reasonable as it would be to ask , as the altitude of the Hill -of Howta is 740 feet above the level of the sea , what is the exact difference between Tom Steele ' s organ of veneration and the apex of ihe head of Dicer ' s great Spanish Jackass 1 With respect to the third charge , "which is that of having been expelled frcm the Volunteers by ihc unanimous vote of the committee , for a calumny on a brother member , and my money returned to me : this one sentence contains two wilful falsehoods .
The nrtt is , that the committse was unanimous : that is tossy , that the whole of the members of that committea concurred in the sentence which was pronounced upon me ; this is the meaning which the charge , as stated , labours to impress upon the public - The second falsehood is that my money was returned tome . This is not true . I never got back the money . But as Tom Ste ? le seeai 3 to know something about i :, I shall receive it thankfully if hs discharges his trust , and gives it to me even now .
As to the unanimity of the committee upon the t » ie of censure passed upon me , no one knows better than Tom Steele that that statement is uiterly fake . The majority of the eommittee were in my favour , and the three-fourths of them for suppressing the matter altogether , lesi the charges which I h- ought against Mr . Steele ' s friend , and "which cannot be refuted , should id jare him in the Tray of "his business . I faiew that the charges would injure if made public , and therefore I did not bring taem before the public body , but before the committee—a committee which assumed the right and the power to decide upon the character of any man against whom there was an objection by any other member . I was on the cemmhtie myself , but refused to
continue a member of is when I saw a person put on it to whom I , at any rats , had a valid objection . My first proposition to the committee was , ti at if they would appoint twelve men against - whom there could be no reasonable objection , I should then state my reasons for "withdrawing myself from ths eommitue . This fair and reasonable proposition TFS 3 objected to j and I was called upon by the-resolution of the con-nmtee—on l ha motion of Mr James Nugent , of Kingstown , to state the charges in writing , to name the party objected to , anil thEt the whole committee should take the matter into con-Bderation . To this proposal I ultimately assented There were fifty-one members on the committee , iwenty-three of whom—and twenty-three only—hai
the baseness to dtriare , to sign a paper prdnonucing the charges false and calumnious , while twentyeight held just a contrary opinion , and left the room under the impression that the subject would end there . Who arc those that signed tiiat lying document ?—what is their occupation 1—how many of them have made their escape from the country ? The majority of the t enty-three mean-spirited sycophasts and toad-eaters who signed the censure upon me were , fur the most part , subsisting upon the funds which they exacted from myself and other dupes like me , under the pretence of repealing the Union- It -was expedient to get- rid of me—first , because I knew and told Mr . O'Connell , in the presence of other members of _ the committee , the real state of the ease between Mr . T . Steele and O'Gorm&n Mahon . I knew too many of the facts of the plunder of the monasteries and convents in the
nei&hbGtiThocd of Cadiz . I stated the facts connected with the discreditable transactions by Wigly , Dixon , aad Co . ; and I mentioned that O'Gorman Mahon , to whom I had sever spoken till years afterwards ¦ w as the dupe and victim of this nest . In addition to these crimes , I had the hardihood to object to the mal-appropriation of the large fund which was subscribed for tithe sufferers . Thest were crimes which could not be overlooked , and tlie occasion was anxiously , theugh secretly , Eought for destroying me , fearing the facts of which I was cognizant , and which my mercantile habits and connections oSurd ed the means of ascertaining should be made public . Can any man fox a moment imagine that the charges which depended for their truth or falsehood upon the written and oral testimony of others , could be prononnced to be false and calumnious , without any examination of that oral testimony , or examination of the written testimony !
The written testimony bears the signatures—Robert Cully , aec&nn tact-general of the Bank of Inland ; of Michael Roach , secretary to the Hibernian Bank ; of Obadiah Willans and Sons , Lower Bridge-street ; of Robert Byrne and Co ., Lower Bridge-street ; of Armstrong and Byrne , Mezchants ' - < jaay ; of Blood , Nott , and Co ., Trinity-street ; of Wm . Locke , of the linen Hall ; of Greenongh and Robin sen , Manchester j of Longwofth and Co ., Manchester ; of William Bolton and Co ., Manchester ; and until euch time as it is shewn that the -documents bearing the foregoing signatures are » I 1 forgeries , the sentence pronounced upon me , and iwgned by twenty-three out of a Committee of fiftyotie , gives to their own act the stigma which they so . Tight to fix upon mine .
lw , Sir , it must be admitted that I have been mostr-w&utonly provoked into this statement .. I-had no wLQi for it ; but if my accusers desire it , and that yon wi / 1 he eo kind as to afford me space for the whole ease , I . shall state the whole , as I have the original doeumen Vs in my possession , and I promise you that yon shall ^ ear no more about my expulsion . There is not an nBp ^ incipied adventurer , a coward , or a profligate , who enters ^ on a poHtieal speculation , but avails himself c * f this expulsion as a screen for nis cowardly attacks' upon me .
It has been asJjed j through your paper , -who is Mr . O'Higgins ? i !? us is a modest question to be asked about a man who has paid rent and taxes in the city of Dublin for Clearly twenty years . It ia fair to ask . who are those who put this -Rise quesiioDj and who are those who ^ occ urred in it ? The
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0 tisen 3 ol Dublin should know that they are a set 01 political adventurers , some of whom hate neither house nov home , and who have no other visible means r , f living than that of subsisting upon the weekly sums obtained from iheir confiding and credulous dupes , under the pretence of Repealing the Union , while they know right well that their great lead-ar haB honestly declared that he will not bring thai question forward in the House of Commons until he has a petition , signed by 4 , 000 , 000 of Irishmen , while at the same time it is well known that ihere are not 3 . 500 , 000 male inhabitants in Ireland , including new-born babes . . ¦ ¦ e In conclusion , Sir , permit me to say , on the part of the members of the Irish Universal Suffrage Association , and on my own part , that we deem it incumbent on us , collectively and individually , thus
publicly to proclaim that our respect for , and veneration and admiration of , the exemplary and exalted character of the Irish Catholic Clergy , is as un bounded as that of asy other society of men in the universe ; that we have neither secrets nor oaths of any nature or kind in oar association ; that we consider none as friends but these who will tell to every body everything they hear and see at the meetings of the association ; that the Irish Universal SuffrageAsEOciationhasbeenfoundedfor thepurposeofobtaining by legal and constitutional means , and by such means only , Universal Suffrage , Vote by Ballot , Annual Parliaments , Equal Electoral Di&tricts , No Property Qualification , and Payment of Members ; and , when these blessings are obtained , a Repeal of the Union . Patrick O'Higgins ,
President of the Irish Universal Suffrage Association ; the man who got up the first meeting for the O'Connell Tribute , and the second who subscribed £ 10 to it . This is for the information of those who have asked the question , " Who is Mr . O'Higgins V
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THE PEEL BUDGET . Ate ! and a Budget it is too ! Whatever it may have cost Sir Robert Peel in its concoction , it has had a marked and powerful effect upon the country at large since its development . The Minister seems to have taken all parties by surprise at the nature and extent of hiB measures , whether in the imposition of new taxes or the remission of the old ones he gives up . Ho one seems . to havebeen prepared for so decided a course on the part of Sir Robert Peel . The consideration of his new plans has , with the trading and monied classes ,
superseded all other questions . In fact , amongst these parties nothing is talked of at present but the Pkkl Budget . Go where you may ; mix with what company you may , and the first question you invariably hear is , " What think you of the New Budget !" This question naturally receives different and conflicting answers , according to the notions of . each one replying to it . There is one thing , however , upon which all are agreed . All , whether opposed to the Minister or not , agree in representing the Budget as the boldest step taken by any Minister for a long period of time .
Peel boldly proclaims that there can be no reduction of expenditure ! He tells the interested of both parties , that if " National Faith " is to be kept ; if payment of the interest upon our accumulating Debt is to be contiaued ; if our thundering and unconstitutional Army is to be kept up , to squeeze the taxes out of the bones of the labourer ; if our big and boastful Navy is to be maintained , with her hosts of admirals , rear * admira's , and shoals of inferior officers and "dead weight ; " if the " Queen ' s Civil *' List " is to be kept at its present enormous amount ; if Prince Albert ' s pin-money is to be continued ; if the Pensions , and Sinecures , and
Grants , are to continue to be ; if the doubly-augmented Salaries of the Judges and other officere of tne State aTe to be paid ; Peel , bolcly and honestly proclaims to the Members of " that House , " that if they wish these things to exist , they must Jind him the means of payment ; and he also explicitly tells them that they can squeeze no more out of the poor man ; that the taxing-string around the labourer ' s neck is as tight as it can safely be drawn ; that another twitch would strangle the pinioned wretch ; and that to provide the necessary means , the owners of property and the possessors of income must submit to a direct tax which shall make up the deficiencies arising from the working people being unable to pay !
Verily , Pbel is a bold man ! Ho is bold in proclaiming at this juncture , and amid the horrible destitution everywhere prevailing , that there can be no reduction of expenditure ! teat the State leeches cannot be induced to slacken their hold and that he , for one , is unwilling to attempt to make them . He is bold in daring to . propose to re-establish upon the monied classes one of the most unpopular , and ( with them ) one of the most odious taxes that can exist ; and he is bolder still in attempting to establish the means to collect from the middle classes the tax so imposed I If he succeed in getting it from them , he will be a bold man indeed ! ! !
An Income Tax is widely and essentially different from a Property Tax . The latter would merely call npon those who possess property , tangible property , to pay according to the rate laid down ; the former imposes a tax upon incomes , no matter from what source they may be derived ! The physician , who has no property , but whose income ia the result of his skill ; the author , whose income is derived from the exercise of his talents ; the builder or the
blacksmith , wnose incomes result from the exercise of their respective crafts ; all these , and others similarly situate , are , by an Income Tax , taxed just as much as the man who derives an immense income from property , without any , fhe slightest , exercise of talent , or skill , or even industry ! This is an injustice of so monstrous a kind as only to be paralleled by the acts of the monied classes themselves towards the labouring people .
To this consideration must be added the necessarily Inquisitorial nature of the machinery to ascertain the amount of each man ' s income . The prying , the questioning , and the examining into a shopkeeper's business , or into a merchant ' s account ? , to ascertain whether he ought to pay the tax or not ; and , if he is taxable ,-to fix the amount ; all these must be particularly agreeable to those subject to such visitations and inquiries ! I'faith , Peel i 3 a bold man , to venture to propose to deal in this manner with the shopkeeping an < j trading classes !!
What a squeak 1 what a squeal ! there will be set up , when the plan comes into full operation What a noise , and din , and clamour the "loyal " lax-payers will kick up , when the tax-gatherer waits upon them , with Peel ' s compliments , for £ 2 ISs . 4 d . for every one of their "hundred pounds ;" and an unequivocal intimation that he must have these £ 2 18 a . 4 d . ' s directly to pay the dividends with , or " National Fakh" will be broken ! O what denunciation we shall hear ! What abuse . It will be well for the tax-gatherer if hard words are all he gets besides the money !
Of the horrible bellowing that will be set up by the " loyal" " national faith" men , when the tax comes to be fetched from them , some faint conception may be had from a perusal of ihe shopkeepers' and traders' press , and from the proeeedings in that House" on the part of the " opposition . " For Borne days , the Whig remnant seemed stunned by Peel ' s announcements . The nature and magnitude of his projects , and the clearness and candour of his address in developing them , completely knocked the wind" oat of the Whigs .
When they contrasted bis sweeping measure of M Commercial Reform , " embracing as it does 1 , 200 articles of import , and repealing tke dnties npon by far the greater half of the number , and greatly reducing the duties upon the other half ; when they contrasted this measure with their own machlauded and highly-vaunted " great" scheme , which merely included three articles of import , and openly professed to deal with them in a manner that would raise from them , in taxes , more money than is now paid vpon them ;
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when they contrasted Peel ' s measure with their own , and remembered that one portion of their oven was the institution , of a fixed butt on corn , for the purpose of raising ADDITIONAL REVENUE to supply the existing deficiency ; when thty thus contrasted the two schemes , they instinctively Baw that Peel had out-bid them ! and that his object was to purchase the support of the trading classes ! They also saw that he had calculated well ; that his tariff scheme was cunningly devised ; that it was very catching , and very likely to answer the intended purpose : and so they determined , if possible , to spoil the spoit by denouncing the other portion of Peel ' s plan , the new taxes , and , by appeals to the cupidity of the monied classes , array their power
against Peel on the ground of opposition to the Income Tix . The cue having been given , little Lord John became suddenly valiant . Ho announced in " that House , " that he would move counter resolutions to those proposed by Peel ; that he would opptse the Income Tax Bill in all its stages , dividing ** the House" upon the first , second , and third readings , and also on the bringing up of the Report . Other Members in his train also shewed " big fight ? and while this game was played off inside the walls of Parliament , " the free traders press was performing its put outside by inserting heaps of letters from pretended correspondents , denouncing the Income Tax in all sorts of ways , and for all sorts of reasons .
All this is bat preparatory to the calling of public vseUxgs , at which the Whigs and Whiglinga of every water and degree will strenuously endeavour to get the psblio voice expressed against Peel and his DIRECT syftem of taxation . It is for the purpose of preparing and counselling the ' peoplo how to meet this next" new move" that we address them on the subject at present . In the first place , then , we aver , that the principle of DIRECT TAXATION i&volved in Peel ' s Income-tax , demands for his plan the strenuous support of every man who lives by the labour of his hands .
He is greatly and immediately interested in getting tho principle of direct taxation acknowledged and universally acted upon . If it were so ; if it was in full operation ; ff in-direct taxation waa superseded , nothing like ihe amount of taxes now wrung from his labour by a silent and unseen process could possibly be raised ! If the taxgatherer had to call at every man ' s house , and demand the sum now yearly paid in another way , he would get by far " more kicks than ha'pence ! " Every one would then know the amount he had to pay . He now knows nothing of it ; nor can ho possibly be made to know it
as he would do were the money fetched from him directly . He now goes to market ; buys his sugar , his tea , or his tobacco : he pays for each article what he conceives is the price of it . He does not know that , when he pays 3 d . for an ounce of tobacco , 2 d . of the amount is for tax . He finds the tobacconist charges him 3 d . ; and he knows all others in the same line of business do the same ; and he , therefore , pays the 3 d . unbegrudingly . But suppose he only paid the tobacconist the real price of the article j suppose the price of it to be only Id . ; and that as he leaves the shop he is accosted by th «
taxgatherer , who demands from him another 2 d . to pay the fnndholder with ; suppose this , and We may very easily further suppose that the taxgatherer would much oftener measure bis length in the kennel than get the 2 d . ' . ! And eo on of all other articles . It would be impossible for any Government to collect from a people so large a sum in taxes by direct means as they can by indirect means . It is clearly and manifestly , therefore , the interest of all tax-payers , that a system of dibect taxation should exist . And as the labouring people are the tax-payers ; as it is by the things produced that taxes can alone be paid ; as
it is clearly impossible for those who produce not to have anything of their own wherewith to satisfy the demands of the government ; as the burden of taxation , whether large or small , must eventually fall upon tho shoulders of the labouring portion of the community ; it is still more apparent , it is still more c'early manifest that it is their duty and interest to insist upon the Hniversal application of the principle of DIRECT taxation . On this ground , then , the proposal of Peel to tax Incomes in a plain straight-forward and direct manner , is entitled to their hearty and undivided support .
There is another principle , too , involred in this Income-tax project , which also entitles the measure to the support of the labouring many . Property is Taxep . The man who has been able , by the operation of the blessed system under which we live , to accumulate to himself a large heap of the good things of life , is taxed according to the scale laid down . What can be more equitable ? What can be more just \ What objections are there that can be urged against this principle ? True , that what he has , has come from labour ; true , that the labour yearly expended upon his
estate , or upon the raw material in his mill , alone gives value to them , and is the source whence his income is derived ; true , that if he pays a portion of that income ia direct taxes to the Government , he has less to spend in the market upon the productions of other labour ; true all this ; yet he now gets the income ; the labouring people have that to provide for him , as well as their immediate share of the indirect taxes [ now paid ; and it will not , in ail cases , happen that if a tax is laid upon incomes , the " property men" will be able to make these who labour produce more for them to pay the tax with ; though , in-too many cases , we
grieve to say , they will have this power . They cannot , however , have it , in all cases ; and whenever this happens to be , the tax is a subtraction from the rich man ' s income to the clear and manifest benefit of the labouring people , who now have both income and taxes to raise . They , therefore , are deeply and immediately interested in having all the taxes necessary imposed upon PROPERTY , and collected in a DIRECT and immediate manner . Both these principles are involved in Peel ' s Income tax : and these are reasons why the plan of taxation he has proposed , as far as the institution of that particular tax is concerned , should be supported by the labourers of England .
Aye , but it may be said , have you not already admitted that the proposed Income tax is a " monstrous injustice" ! We have ! But in what does the injustice consist ? In submitting incomes to the action of taxation ? Not a bit of it ! Incomes of every description ought to be taxed . Every man ought to bear his sh . are . of the burdens of the state according to his visible means . The injustice we have pointed out consists , not in the taxing of incomes derived from professions or trades , but in taxing these incomes to the same amount , and in ihe same degree , as incomes derived from certain
and fixed properties . The first class are the result of labour and skill ; and though they certainly ought not to be free from taxation , yet it is clear they ought not to pay in the same proportion as incomes derived withont exertion or skill . The uncertain nature of the incomes derived from trade and professions , is another reason why they should not be taxed so highly as the incomes derived from a more certain source ; but it is no reason why they should be exempted from taxation . The case of these parties , then , in relation to the working man , is just this : if they think Peel has not taxed the possessors
of incomes arising from landed and funded property , or from buildings , high enough in proportion to the amount he has proposed to lay upon incomes arising from the exercise of trade , or t ha following of professions , let them bother Pjeel TO MAKE IT HIGHER , and remit some other tax which presses immediately upon the labouring people ; but don't let them try to persuade the labouring people to get tradesmen and professional men exempted from the tax . No , no . If they like , we will try 'to . increase ihe measure of taxation upon those who certainly ought , in all justice , to pay more ; but we as certainly will not advise that the labouring people
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should aid or countenaocs , or even permit , any attempt on the part of the traders , either to relieve themselves from the operatipk of Peel ' s measure , or to reduoe the amount he proposes to raise from them . ? Three per cent , is ; a very low ; figure . Tito traders think bo iu their transactions one with another , and in their dealings with the people . They may * ry , if they liKe , to induce Peel to lay at * per cent , upon the owners of tangible and certain property , while he retains the present amount upon incomes from other sources ; but they muat not be permitted to hitch-off the burden from themselves , or to lesseii toe proposed amount .
Ii is but £ 4 , 006 , 000 , at the very outside , that Peel proposes to raise by means of this Income tax ! Only £ 4 , 000 , 000 i ! By other and indirect meaks he raises £ 63 , 000 , 000 !!! The main portion of this £ 53 , 000 , 000 is wrung from the labourers of England . The time has come when the Government cannot possibly raise more from this class * Peel distinctly says so . Ho aaya , moreover , that if he is to satisfy the demands made upon him , he must have the
money . He further says , that those who are ^ ble must make up the deficiency . Those to whom Peel thus appeals say that they will not respond to his call V They denounca the measure as one of robbery and plunder . : They have no objection to the labouring poor paying the £ 53 , 000 , 000 ; but they have a great objection to pay only £ 4 , 000 , 000 amongBt themselye 8 !!! 01 the tender co&Bcieace of a free-trader , ~ when his pocket is touched !!
M Yes ; but , " rejoins the objector , " what need is there for Peel to raise the £ 4 , 000 , 000 ? Why does he not reduce the expenditure ? " Aye , why ? you besotted bruto ! Why ? Because you will not let him ! Do yeu not insist upon " National Faith" being kept ? Do you not insist : upon the interest of the Debt being paid in full ? Do you not stand up for the Pension List , the Civil List , the Salaries , and the Grants ? Have you not spurned and spit upon the labouring people , when they asked you , years ago , to aid them to get the expenditure reduced ! Did you hot join in " loyal" and patriotic associations to put down
the Radicals , who only wanteato do then tvhui you now require } Did y » u not mount a horse , string a . sword by your side , put a pistol in your pocket , and , dub yourself a " Yeomanry Cavalry man , " and turn out to butcher in cold blood those who wanted to obtain from the Government justice for you as well as for themselves ? Did you not join in the passing of addresses to the Government , thanking them for suspending ths Habeas Corpus Act , and for imprisoning for years together , hundreds of as good men as England ever saw , and then turning them eufc of jail without even telling the captives why they had been placed in confinement 1 !!
Did you not applaud tho unfeeling monsters who jested in " that House" upon the sufferings and excruciating torments endured by the victims of your hellish schemes to put down the rising spirit of liberty ! Arid have you not latterly countenanoed , the Government m their wholesale imprisonment of the Chartists ! Were you not one of those who sat in the jury-box , and convicted them of seeking to do that which you now , yourself , ask to be done ? You are a pretty beast to ask for a reduction of expenditure ! Feu are a pretty beast to Object topay taxes !! Base reptilei Immeasurably base ! Tax him , Peel 11 Lay it on / Let him pay I—rand be hanged !
No , no ; i t will not do for those who support , and have supported , the present infernal system of Debt and Robbery , to object to the proposed Income tax . Such an objection , or rather a demand for a reduction of expenditure may come , as it has overcome , from the labouring people , and come with a good grace ; but if those who have hounded on the myrmidons © f power upon the poor , for denouncing the robberies committed upon their labour ; if those who acted in "Volunteer armed Associations ; " if those who enlisted in the " Yeomanry Corps ; " if those who aided and abetted ia the prosecutions of the Radicals and Chartists , because they complained of the weight of taxation ; if those who did all or any of these things should now venture to complain—now , that the workings of their praisebespattored system has made it necessary that their incomes should be taxed ; if any one of these should dare to urge one word of public complaint , let infamy and ineffable scorn be his portion ! I !
There can be no reduction of expenditure while the present system obtains ! To reduce the expenditure means to reduce the Debt ; to disband the Army ; to repeal the Pension List ; to reduce the Salaries ; to remove the Dead Weight ; to lessen tho Civil List ; and to dock Prince Albert ' s allowaace . Will the Free Traders go for thiBi ! Dare they tackle tho fundholder I Are they pre ^ pared to grapple with the real question ! If they are , let them blame Peel for seeking to keep up the expenditure , and for devising schemes to get the
money to pay with : but if they are net , blistered be the tongue of every mother's son of them who dares to utter even half a word in the way of complaint at having'to pay the quota , imposed upon : him ! Peel is right . If the monied classes will have " the sys ^ tem , " they must find him the means of payment . The old saying that " you cannot both eat your loaf and have your loaf "is strictly applicable here . The devourer of taxes cannot swallow the money , and have the money ! More grist must come to the mill , or the mill must stand : and those who are in love
with our present ortndinov system , must find the means to keep it up ! . ' O ! what a glorious sight it is to see the "loyal " in such a stew about paying taxes ! During the heyday of their "loyalty , " whoti" loaas" and "banknotes" were as plentiful as blackberries ; when ' we " were " at war" with both France and America ; when'"Bank Restriction" existed ; when our " resources" were in process of "development ;" in those good old times , if a man dared to say a Word agaidst the wars then being carried on , or against the taxes
imposed upon the labouring people to pay for the wars and the interest upon the loans ; ' * if a man in thosa days dared to utter a word against the Heaven-born Minister and his system of Debt and Taxation , his taeth were down his throat in an instant ! Then it was that the " loyal" " pledged their lives and their fortunes" ! Then it was that they urged the Minister to spend hand-over-head , never thinking of" to-morrow . " Now they have to Haste some little of their own system . Now it has partly reached them ¦ The taste they have got is as nothing , compared with what is
to como ! but the little they have had makes them wince most confoundedly ! Look ai the sight just now 1 Peel merely proposes to raise from them £ 4 , 000 , 000 ; and they stand aghast 1 Hark to the yell of execration with which his proposal is met and then reflect that the wincers are those who have resisted all attempts to adjust the Taxation and the Dobt equitabl y between the payers and the receivers ; the borrowers and thd lenders :. » : Ah ¦! Jet them wince ! Let them wriggle and writhe ! 5 but don't let . them cast-off ; the burden from themselves until they are willing and anxious to relieve the poor
man as well ! Whenever they are prepared to do this i whenever they are prepared to act with justice to all parties ; whenever they are prepared to go for Equitable Adjustment , and a reduction of taxation ; whenever they are prepared to do these things , and to get the Chabteb for their accomplishment , labouring people then you hearken to what they say , and entertain , their proposals 5 but , until then ; until they be so prepared ; until they are prepared to act in good
faith towardB YOU , let them whistle to the winds ; and dance jigs to the mile-stones ! Above all things , mind ¦' thatthey do not ^ itch-offtheJhcpme Taxi !! You have had the harness and the collar to wear long enough ; it has rubbed into the raw deep enougbj and no commisseration Could youfind . They hayehad a spanking bran new set , of "irnproved" and "light" make , made 1 for them by Peel ; , let them wear it ! f Insolent and overbearing as they have been towards yon when you complained of the wrong done you , they Will
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not shew ainuch betserfiauipie of patience . ' Let usiook at them , however . Let M fairly ' ? see how they Ike it /' and let us ta ^ kick off ^ he yoke until they are prepared to take off : oura : . alspj ' ' - ' : . ' .. ¦ ¦ •;; ¦ .. ¦ ¦ - ' : - ¦ ; -: ' . ¦ ¦ . " ^ :, :.-. ¦ . j :,.
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THE STAR ANir THE EXECUTIVE . Elsewhere we give an article from the Executive , which eeems to require from us a word of explanation . The Executive say"We must , in the most friendly , butdetermined manner , protest against the Editor associating the Exeoutive Council with the humbug trap and the Bath conference . We have the greatest possible respect lor Mr . : Hill , Mr . O'Connor , and Mr : O'Brien ; but we must say that the former is not justified in making the Executive answerable for aught save their ovm acts as a body , or in mixing them up , as a Council , with the private proceedings of Mr . Vincent , Mr . Phitp , or any other man / ' -
Had our good friends of the Executive read the article to which the above sentences allude , with their acoustomed carefulness , they would have saved themselves the trouble of writing ,-and ' us-ofreplying to them ; for they would have seen that we have done no such thing as mix up their acts as a public body with those of Mr . Vincent or any other private individual ; nor have we made them as a body at all responsible for the individual acts of Mr . Philp , who is one of their body . Wehave confined ourselves simply and solely to that which they with the greatest fairness admit to have been our duty , the expressing of our own opinion of their public acts and recommendations . .
The whole misapprehension arises from the fact , that in our paper of the 12 ch inst ., for the mere saving of room and time , we classed three distinct subjects of comment together in one article , heading it thus : — " The Humbug Trap—The Bath Conference —The policy of the Executive . " And a reference to the article will show that in our observations upon these subjects we kept them perfectly distinct the one from the other . We think if our friends of the Executive will read the article again , they will see this ; and will see , therefore , that the injustice cf which they complain exists only in their own mis ^ apprehension .
To their observations in dissent from our opinion of the resolution in question , we have no reply to make ; our opinion was honestly expressed ; we have no doubt theirs is so too . The people will decide ; and we think the Executive perfectly right to take their instructions from no other quarter . We again give our deliberata opinion , that the Only safe course for the people is to " chuck overboard" everything but the Charter .
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MR . ROBERT KEMP PHILP . This gentleman seems in a sad taking ! Wehave received , per favour of a friend , an early copy of this day ' B Vindicator , th ? first article in which is from bis pen , upon the subject of the Bath Conferences , the reports sent us by our correspondent , and the observations we thought it our duty to make thereon . Of course Mr . Philp is the best judge of the course best calculated to effect any purpose he may have ia view . We shall give so much of this article as refers to us and to the S / ar , and leave the people to receive it for as much as they think it worth . After eulologising the Charter , and stating that there are " amongst the Chartist body very many sincerely and honestly devoted to their country's cause , ^ en who have sacrificed much , " &o . Mr . Philp goes
¦ on . :: — . . ¦ . ¦ . ¦ - .. ; ¦ " But there are some mixed up with Chartism , to its prejudice and injury , big in self esteem ; who , having imperfectly learned the alphabet of politics * presume to speak its language .: Sack mtn are but drags upon the wheel of human progression ; their adoration is of men , not of principles ; their discourses ABUSE AND DECLAMATION , not ARGUMENT . They seek to earn a reputation ; and not having the ability to gain a People's esteem for themselves , they assail the characters of others , that they may be elevated by th 6 ir downfall . * •* " The course I have taken I am still prepared to defend , and will still pursue , notwithstanding the
falsehoods of Bartlett , to which several additions are made in the Star of the 19 th ; notwit 3 tanding the dictatorship qf Us Editor , and the suppression of most important parts of the explanatory correspondence , together with the unfair application of brief extracts from my speech . I declare for INDEPENDENCE ! of thought and Of action . If I can fail to adduce argument and reason for my position , if I compromise a single principle , THEN LET ME HE CONDEMNED . I COUrt not P 0 pUlarity , nor praise ; I labour zealously to advance the Cause of Chartism , but I am not to be turned frorn my path by every mushroom . / that starts up in my way * .. . . ¦ .- . ¦ : ¦¦ : ¦ . •' . ¦ . ¦ ¦ . " . ' , • :. .- . . . . - - , ' . '
•• Chartism , indeed , has brought us to a very unenviable position , if those who are its zealous promoters dare not think for themselves , and cannot secure a true representation of their acts in the leading Chartist organ . Let those Crouch who will—I ' ll not be a slave " . ; If any of my Char ? tist brethren desire from me my own explanation of what I did in respect of Sturge ' s declaration , I will most readily and willingly comply ; but I protest against being judged by the lying , prejudiced , and ignorant reports , of a man with whom I shall ever hereafter deem it dishonourable to hold connexion . Let me be judged by my own actions , and not by the wilful falsehoods of a man ignorantlt
ambi-XIOUS * ¦' .. ¦ : " This is the first time since my connection with Chartism that I have been called upon to defend myself from malicious abuse and misrepresentation . ; and I will resist to tho last the tyrannical conduct of men * even though they oloak themselves by . the name of Chartists . " I repeat—does any houest Chartist desire me to state correctly what 1 have done , and what course I recommend to be pursued , I will do so with extreme readiness and pleasure ; but let me not be viewed through the darkened medium of other men ' s thick heads and black hearts . "
We have quoted the above verbatim ; Italics , capitals , and all , are Mr . Philp ' s own ; and ' our only reply to its blustering abuse is to refer the readers of Mr . Philp ' s paper to all that , we have written upon the matter in the last tyro-. Stars *'; We here repeat every word we have said upon the matter > On the 12 th wesaid : — " We refer with great pain to the proceedings of the conference of Bath , between the Stnrge Declaration men and some leading Chartists of that city . We respect Vincent for his zeal , his talent , arid his suffering in the cause , as highly as we
respect any man ; wo believe him to be tiiproughly honest and well-intentioned , but we cannot but regret the position he has taken in this business . Still more do we regret to see joined with him Mr . Philp , a member of the People ' s Executive , Doubtless these gentlemen give the new converts to Complete Suffrage credit for a large amount of honesty and sincerity . We cannot do so ; and we fearj it the people should bo led into any general countenance of the steps taken by these gentlemen , that the error will not be found to be less fatal for having beei ; an amiable one . "
Last week , on the same subject , we had the following observations : — " We repeat , as we said last week , that we respect these men for the talent and ^ the zeal they have hitherto manifested in the people ' s cause ; we respect some of them for the sufferings they have endured ia the cause ; but we cannot in this case compliment their judgment . We doubt not that thay err from the excess oftheir anxiety to seize every opportunity of making converts to the Charter , and from their readiness to estimate the motives of others by their own , and bo to give the middle-class Sturgemen full credit for sincerity in their profession 6 f Universal Suffrage principles •'¦' : thoy suppose them to be sincere in wishing for Universal Suffrage , and that , therefore , they can easily persuade them into
the adoption of the other points of the Charter . We think them much mistaken ; and we still opine that their error will not be found lesa fatal for being amiable . We feel some little difficulty in finding out the plane upon which the amiable principles of otirfriendB operate . We are at a loss to know hoir they discover , in their "Declaration , " any distinct and unequivocal recognition of the principle of Universal Sbffhage ; and if that recognition were even palpable , wo are astonished that they , some of whom have suffered so mach from middle class treachery to principle heretofore , can have so simple a dependency on their adherence to principle now . We fina in Mr . Philp ' s speech , at the Conference , as reported by Himself , the following sentiment : —• -.. ¦ ..: •¦ . ¦' : '¦ -: / - ¦ ¦ . '¦ .-. . ¦'¦¦ ¦ ; -
" 'But suppose the worst—that the middle classes were not honest ;—that they sighed this declaration as a false pretence ;—could they ever again sit in jury boxes and convict us as traitors and conspirators for contending for that principle which they themselves had declared in black and white to be the right of the people . '
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" Now , surely , 'Mr . Piiilp most have forgotten , in the goodness of his heart , " the experience of all the last five yea ; ra . Who have beea the most forward ia the jury boxes , and on the bencb , t » convict and . sentence Chartitts ! Have they not been the very parties who have , over and over again , in the Reform Bill agitation , testified to , and contended for , the very same principle- ^ the principle that representation should be co-extensive with taxation I " This is the whole amount of our " dictation "—of our " malidioua abuse and misrepresentation /'
If the most fastidious of Mr . Philp ' s friends oaii find therein a single word disrespectful to Mr . Philp , wa will quite willingly sit down to be trodden upon te the mushroom in Mr . Philp > ' path ; if they cannot j they will perhaps be ablo to find out who has most reason ( if it were worth while ) to complain of '' misrepresentation and falsehood . " In any case we shall not allow either mushrooms , " or angry taen , like Mr . Philp , to turn us from our path . We shall neither suffer the people ' s cause to be damaged by treachery nor imprudence without giving warning , nor will we be drivea into an abusive personal conflict because Mr . Phii > desires it . We have given our opinion on the policy
of Mr . Philp and his friends . We have done so respectfuljy bat honestly . We have given tba people the . reasons u , pon which that opinion is founded . We have discharged our duty ; and it is now for the people to determine on the merits of the matter . It is for them to say whether they approve , as wise and safe , the policy of Mr . Philip and bis friends and abettors ; . arid we have too great an opinion of their good sense , to believe that the insolent and bullying tone assumed by Mr . Philp , will be allowed to influence their jadgment . They will judge of the policy on its own merits , and not on those of Mr .. Philp , as one of the very few individuals calling themselves Chartists who
advocate it . . . - . , ; .. : ; .. ¦ ¦ ' ; ' : ¦¦¦'¦' \ jy ' - ¦ ' .. Mr . Philp •' claims independence of thought and of action , " while he is dutrageously angry with other people for assert ing a like claim by censuring him , or even dissenting from his opinion ! Pretty consistent in an advocate of democratic principles Mr . Philp says not a word about his intention to comply , <» r otherwise , with the call made upoa him by almost the whole Chartist body to resign his
seat in the Executive . Perhaps it may comport with his notions of democratic principle to rank his constituents amongv the * ' mushrooms . " However , it is near the time that a new Executive must be elected , and Mr . P . will then have an opportunity of learning how far his coquetting with the SturgUes as a matter of policy , and his mode of defending an alleged error of judgment , as a matter of principle and character , is approved of by the people .
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LEEDS TOWN'S BUSINESS . —VESTRY MEETING .
Several important meetings in connection with the Town ' s business will , < luriii £ thepreseni ^^ and nex t week , beholden in the vestry of the Parish Church , which should not escape the notice of ^ taose interested in good local self government . This day , at twelve o ' closk , a meeting will be holden to elect Surveyors of the Highways ; a set of officers entrusted with considerable power , and considerable sums of money raised from the inhabitants : ifc behoves those who ; have the electing of them to see that parties' are chosen in whom they can have confidence , and who will disburse the ratea raised from the whole people for the equal benefit of the whole people ; and not pursue a system of favouritism .
We have been given to understand that some curious disclosures mil be made at the meeting to-day . No doubt the ratepayers will be there to hear them : Then on Thursday ^ next , a meeting will be holden to elect Churchvrarddns for the ensuing year . Meetings for this purpose have generally been well attended in Leeds for some years back ; and , no doubt , the present one will not be forgotten , On Friday next , as will be Been by an advertisement in another part of this sheet j a vestry meeting will be holden , to audit the accounts of the Board ef Surveyors of the Highways for the last year . It will behove the ratepayers to be present on that occasion , as well as on the others .
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¦ The Theatre . —The good folks ef Leeds have been provided with an excellent treat for Tuesday night next , by Mr . Hooper , the manager of the Leeds Theatrical Circuit . He has engaged Mr . and MrSi Charles Kean , for that one night , and they appear in the popular play of the Stranger . This is the first appearance of that beautiful and accomplished actresB Mrs . Kean , ( late Miss Ellen Tree , ) on the Leeds Boards . No doubt the House will be a bumper . . . . -, ' ¦ ¦ ¦ - : ¦' :.. - ' - ; ; - ' "''¦' . / .. ¦ ¦'¦ ¦ : ' ' ; : '¦ ' ¦ •' ¦ ¦' . '• • . ; . ¦ ' .
Splendid And Costly Present To The Readers Op The "Northern. ' . Star. " .. . . ' : . ¦ ¦ ¦¦ ¦ :-:- ¦ •: : - ¦ . ¦ ¦ ::¦; ¦' ¦•: ¦ ¦ ¦ ¦ ;: . ¦ _ " -. ¦ ,
SPLENDID AND COSTLY PRESENT TO THE READERS OP THE "NORTHERN . ' . STAR . .. . . ' : . ¦ ¦ ¦¦ ¦ :-:- ¦ : : - ¦ . ¦ ¦ :: ¦; ¦' ¦• : ¦ ¦ ¦ ¦ ; : . ¦ _ " -. ¦ ,
Determined to commemorat « every great national event connected with the present " movement , ' * '' . Mr . O'Connor has entered into arrangements for presenting the Subscribers to the »?/ flrwith a large and splendid Engraving of the Presentation of - - ¦'¦'¦ . - ¦ ¦¦ ¦¦ ¦ ¦ ¦ ¦¦ . .. ¦ ¦ ¦ ' - '' , ¦ . " ' -. -- ¦' . '' : ' -
THE GREAT NATIONAL PETITION to the House of Commons . . This Plate will be as mdeh superior to the Engravings already , given with the Star , as they were to any ever given with any other newspaper . It will be divided , as it were , into three main compartments . The first will represent the Deleqates in Convention assembled , previous to starting with the Petition to tke House of Commons . Tne centre and largest compartment will represent the Procession Accompanying the Petition to the House , the Petition itself , the Bearers of it , and the People , when passing Whitehall , and approaching Palace Yard . The third
compartment will represent the Petition IN THE HOUSE , when "laid on the table f being a .. general view of the Interior of the House , of Commons , the Bar and the Speaker ' s Chair being prominent features . In addition to these main compartments the upper and lower edges pf the plate will be divided into sixteen other smaller compartments , " &&ch one of which will contaih an accurats representation of some great Publi * Building passed in the route from the Convention Rooms to the Parliament House . Views will thus be given of Temple Bar , St . Clement Dane ' s , Church , Somerset House , Exeter" Hill , St .
Mary-le-Strand , Trafalgar Square , Northumberland House , Whitehall . Richinond Terrace , The Admiralty , The Horse Guards , Westminster Bridge , The Treasury , Westminster Abbey , and St . Margaret ' s Church , Westminster Hall , and the Exterior of the House of Common . There will thus b 8 given ,- upon one very large sheet , NiNETtEs Splendid Pictubes , all harmoniously combined to make the whole an effective and worthy representation „ of the most important movement ever made by the English people in favour of liberty . ; : ; The terms upon which the Plate will be issued are as follow : —
Every Subscriber to the Slur tax Four Months from theSshof April will beeatitledtoa Plate , Wedo not promise to have it readyat that time , though itf all probability it will be ; yet we do not promisei . ; for the .., work will be one of such a character , and will need such careful attention oa the part of the Engraver , as to defy any one to fix an . exact time . This , however , we do promise . If the plate ia not then ready , every subscriber is at liberty to cease his subgcription ; holding his ticket , and receiving his plate and paper from the Agent he
has subscribed withj the day it is presented , just as if he had contiuued to subscribe . The Price of the Paper the week the Plate is presented will be One Shilling . We will try ip make such arrangements as will make thia the Only charge the Subscribers will have to . ¦ ¦ pay . ¦ ¦ .. - ' ,: ' ( ' - ¦ ' . ' ¦ . -: ¦ " : ' .. : ' - - ¦ " ¦ '¦' . ¦ ' :. ' : ' . ' -. . " ; . Agents , therefore , will please to open subscription lists , and in all cases furnish ihe subscriber with a ticket , which ticket will entitle him . to the Plate whenever it is given for subscribing for the Star for four months . As soon as possible , specimens shall be placed in / the hands of the Aserits . ^
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Mh . Philp and the Chartist body . —We « rt inundated unth letters of complaint about the non-insertion of the numerous resolutions . ' 7 «*» week sent to us censuring Mr . Philp , and calHnp upon him forthwith to resign his office ofExecU the Councillor to the National Charter Associa tion . Nova it is useless folly thus to annoy us . The insertion of all those resolutions in full must of necessity have driven : out of tlie paper a very large amount of valuable matter , merelyjor ; a repetition of the same thing over and over agaW ' The proper way of proceeding is this : atevtfV place where such resolutions / were passed , tne sub-Secretary should send acopytoMr .-Phupt 1 , Chandos-buildings , Bath , arid another to tne ¦ Gejierdl Secretary of the Executive . Thueuffl * . to be done in justice to us , to Mr . Philp , tottti Executive , and to the Chartist body generally .
The Northern Star. Saturday, March 26, 1842.
THE NORTHERN STAR . SATURDAY , MARCH 26 , 1842 .
3to Meati(V0 Antr 4zovvetimnpeid0*
3 To Meati ( v 0 antr 4 ZovvetiMnpeid 0 *
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4 - The N iy ^^^ &M ^ M ^ ii !^ . ¦ :. ; ., , ; : :,,: , ; ; . ,. ; ..,, ; :..,:.. ; , ; . ^ . r ' ^ ,--.--, ¦ :, ^ - ^
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Citation
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Northern Star (1837-1852), March 26, 1842, page 4, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/ns/issues/vm2-ncseproduct591/page/4/
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