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TO THE PEOPLE,
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THE SOUTHERN STAR. SATURDAY, DECEMBER 10, 1842.
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Untitled Article
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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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To The People,
TO THE PEOPLE ,
1 . —Mt Dear Fkiesds . —I regret to address y » u on any snrject ¦ which has not a direct connection -with Chartism , and , still more , to . allude to matters -which concern myself , end -which may canse any difference of -opinion in enr body ; bnt -when I am assailed in so many -ways , both by the Government and the Editors of Chartist neirspapers , I thini I should be destitute ¦ rf the spirit of a man , if I did not appeal to those Whom I hare faithfully served , the werking men of Ecelmd , Scotland , and "Wales . S— . pfrst . —In regard to the Government S I am prepared , acting 02 the advice of my friends , •» d having a fine regard for the safety of my colleagues and my bail , to appear in court , and there defend on principle , and I hope , like a , man and a Chartist , the part I have taken , not only in the movemeEt generally , Jjat during the state in particular . ¦ 4—Secondly , I have answered Mr . O'Brien , and bis inzmnations , in a letter -which I expect he "wTU publish in his paper .
5—Thirdly , Ino-w sit ^ ownto meet the open and covert charges of Mr . Hill , the editor of the Northern Star . I have read , I believe , every Siar issued since my exile }; and I have not overlooked the ominons meaning of . the editorial remariB in the Star . I knew , frcm private information , from letters directed to the Executive , and from general observation , that I would sooner or later have to pass through an orteal of dejnmr . ation , thertfore , I -s-as in a measure prepared for an attack ; but , 1 must confess , i did not beiieve that the bitterest enemy , or the . falsest friend , ¦ would have efaosen the present moment for an attack upon ay character , or to destroy my political existence ; far less could I believe that a Christian minister , a fellowlabourer in the cause , and once a Teal or professed friend , -wonld have mouthed me on the one side , 'whilst
I had the G » vernment on the other , and aronad about -and upon me , difficulties -which require my -whole coiergi&s t » meet a-r . H srulxine- EoweTer , experience has taught me to feel Eurprise at no event , however improbable and urjust , or unbecoming to the character of man : it has tzught me to expect opposition even from my fellows "with -whom I have served , and certainly it is true that Then you can succeed in attaching anything to a man's character , the accused -will be very ignorant of humanity , if he expects consolation or aid from bis companions . Fortunately , I neither need it nor seek it , because I have an honest and upright jury in the -working-men , and a perfect reliance in the justice of my cause . 6—I need no abusive language to aid me ; I ¦ will mate -use of no base insinuations against the character of any man . I -will seek to destroy no
fellow-• worker -with cowardly blows , because I neither envy the position , nor hate the character of any man tritb whom I have toiled . " Xo , my friends , I need not the aids of injustice and calumny , because I can find far better -weapons in the facts I shall state , and in the uprightness and consistency of my political conduct , from the first moment I declared myself » Chartist , down to the present time . I -will not shield myself under a connter-acensation , nor tronblo myself " with searching the records of the lives of my opponents ; the first I leave to the really guilty ; the second to the conscience of every man , and the discriminating judgment of the people , -who are the only true judges of men . I take up the -weapon of reason and enter the arena as firmly to ' defend my character from the sttackB of my own party as I shall do in a ceurt of justice to Etruggle -with the Government
7—In the outset . I might avail myself of the plea of aVsesce and fin ' in exemption from attack : but since the Bense of justice * f my opponents has not suggested to them a little patience and further nursing of thtir hate , I -will not cry mercy though I am on piy back . 1 bid defiance to them , . and if I said it with my last breath , I-would-waste it in defying them nnder every circumstance . Why am I thus fearless of assault and ealnmny ? Because I know that my services have not gone unnoticed ; tbongh -working silently , the "working men have seen what I have done , and it trill require side advocates and weighty charges to make the -working class wheel about like a weathercock , at the puff of every writer in a newspaper .
8—I might likewise avail myself of another argument against entering the lists with Mr . HiLL It is that the contest is unfair , in as far as my present letter has to pass through his hands , and will have an answer appended to it before it meets the public eye ; thus affording him attack and reply , or two blows for my one . That evident and serious disadvantage I will not complain of . It is Sir . Hill's fortune to have the high side of the field , and mine to have the opposite . If he inserts my letter , it is all I Want S—Zefc me begin then -with a declaration of principle , as far as regards the Star and Mr . HUL Should any one suppose thai in this letter I am answering Mr . Hill , or making my appearance as if in a court at the summons of the Editor of the Star , he must disabuse
Mb mind of that belief as speedily as possible . 1 never have , nor ever -will , admit for a moment that I am ressponsble to Mr Hill ^ or to the Star , for my-opinions or actions ; neither will I be tried by the Editor , nor yet will I pay any attention to his sentence upon me , or any of my colleagues . I will not give any account of » y conduct as a member of the Executive to the Editor of theS- 'ar , or in any public naper , and I deny 172 toto the right of Mr . Hill to assume to himsilf the censorship of the National Charter Association , or of the Chartist body , jftre are my reasons 10—Firstly . Trt acknowledge my responsibility to the Editor of the Siar , or any other paper whatever , I would deliver into the keeping of another man that
¦ which is always best in my own custody , viz ., the freedom of speech , thought , and action . I would snbmit myself to the judgment , and be bonnd by the decision of a man , trnom I never elected , proposed , or dreamed of appointing to the office of judge ovtr my actions ; luther , I would be submitting myself to one who is the servant of another ; who is again the sole proprietor of the Star , the Siar itself being a private , and not a public speculation , over which I have no control , no check , and no kind of influence ' whatever . If I voted for Mr . Hill , as Editor of the Star , or if I had a vote in displacing him , I then would be bound by his acts , to a greater or less degree ; but even then the responsibility would be from the elected to the elector , from Hi . Hill to me , and not from me to Mr . Hill . Aa -we
are now situated Mr . Hill did not appoint me aa a ! which stated that Mr . Hill an ! others agreed there in a
member of the Executive , therefore I am not respondble to him except in as far as he is a member of the Rational Charter Association , and then Mr . Hill , the member of aa association , is not the Mr . Hill the Eiitor of the Star . I 'did not appoint Mr . Bill Editor of the Siar , 'therefore I claim no responsibility from HJTTij on account of any thins he may say or do . He "is solely responsible to the owner of the paper , in no way can he be iiiloeneed by others , and in no way ought others to be influenced by him , unless they consent to be so , against which concession I enter my protest as an individual whom he b «« attempted to call to account . I acknowledge that the
press does and ought to exercise a public influence , but that can and ought only to- extend as far as tbe reason and justice of its articles , and at all times we should recollect that the freedom of the press is in fact a species of despotism which gives to one man when he chooses to txcrcise it the power of doing great good or boundless eviL I for one have no great faith in the fourth estate , and I shall always take the ' we" for what it is worth and no more , viz , the opinion of ONE man irtfuactd by CAUSES tchicA tre can neither tee ner eonirvL Finally , I -will not be the slave of the pTess , and I shall acknowledge no allegiance td it ; at the same time I -will not int < = rfere witli it .
11—Secondly , I rtfnsa to account to Mr . Hill , Editor , for my acts , or the Executive , and also to acknowledge his right of censorship over the Charter Association , because no such office was contemplated by tbe framer of the rules and regulations ; and if so , I demand a voice in electing him . 12—Again , I have always qaestioned the propriety of bringing every matter connected with forty thousand associated men before millions , and subjecting the associated Chartists to the itflaeEce and votes of aen who bave no more right to interfere with the Association than the Emptror of Morocco , as weU as the Eurreillance of the Government . No man , or set of men , ought to interfere with the National Charter Association , unless they belong to it ; and I have yet to learn that it is , or -was , a part of my duty to bow to a censor . Others may do bo ; but I am a Chartist , and ¦ will bave my vote for or against the tp » -h bef « re I admit Mr . Hill to the -watcb-to-srer over me .
13—I -re stated -what I -will not do : I shall now state what 1 shall do . For every act of mine , as a public man , I shall appear and answer before a fairly called and open public meeting of my feilow-conntrymen , then and there to answer any charge preferred by Mr . Hill , or any question put by acy of my fellow men . A public meeting is the justice hall for ma . If I am to be accused by my own party , then let ail my acts be can-Tassed , my motives searched iato , and a magnifying glass applied to every trivial act and word , aad whtn it is over , I beueve I ihall neither be found to be an agent of the Government , of the landlords , or cotton lords . After the scrutiny is concluded I shall borrow the lens , and probably &nd the old adsge realised , v : " z , " that those who live in glass houses should cot throw atones . " Far every act of miae , as a member of the
Executive , I shall appear and answer before the members of any locality , then and there to have all acts , accounts , and deeds fairly blazoned before the meeting , -where , at least , the weakness of our association will not be published to enr enemies , nor oor divisions by our friends . I Will answer any question personally or in ¦ writing , put to me by any member of the National Chutcr Association . I have always declared my readinea to resign , even if one locality called upon me to do so . andfat all times I bave treated with respect and attention the requisitions of localities , or the wishes of my brother efficsrs . My nomination and election were the acifi of
the people , and as to the present salary paid to my wife it is dearly not due to me , as I caccot perform the duties of the tfrice . I shall repuy , whoever it is in my power , the sum already advanced duiiiig my absence , and I assure the members of the Association , that the unprotected condition of icy fair ^' T alrne has inlncrd me to ricslT- it- If it wili Ve any itr . mrci ^ te advaxi- . ice to the Asscciitl-. n , 1 hereby re « igu si . d ^ . m t-j Lhe .. fiLce or tie Silary . and I doit with fr .= n ; c-at pi ! frti belief that the bii ^ t trill still be tctaptrscl f-. r rrf , in ; pi : ~ rf the s . av 3 te jrtirtiut of my . * Eeinici , jt s : ; cvdis 1 ;^^ 2 b-fcir cp Lie i man , without a ni-r =. ur . a ^ iLLi ! eTtrj " blow of mam iftreacfcery , cr vf f-. TtuEe .
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14—1 ha ? ei ! r eaJy said that I -will not afford a precedent forintrodedng explanations connected with the Association in the Star , because the proper csurse is for the members of the National Charter Association to meet and deliberate on any act of the Executive , and through their sub-secretaries eommunicate their decision to the Executive , taking care that the charge and defence are heard by them as a jury ; or a committee of enqmiry , as one sensible man proposed , can be empannelled and proceed to consider the matter at issue . The most fatal step lz to make the public and the Government parties to your quarrels . The lookers-on rub tbeir bands with glee , and they wili find agents to hunt the Star on the game they rejoice to see started .
15—Mr . Hill has preferred a very lame and muerable charge against me concerning the sum ef ten ehillinga a week having been paid me in addition to tbe thirty shLlines , and which seems to bs tfee head and front of my offending unPin 111 I 11 1 of the Executive . He even proceeds 20 far as to denounce na as thieves—a charge which no man of any Bense of honour or pride could for a moment endure . That vb an old card in 3 ir . Hills hanfc , and I think he played it firEt at HulL Any one who knows me , will never charge me with a selfish love of money , and surely every one must know that if I had scnght gain , I would not , in the first instance , have been a member of ttse National Charter Association . If I sought money in the National Charter Association , I would have remained a lecturer , and if I want monev kno « r , I have ocly to renounce Chartist
principles . During the time 1 have been on tbe Executive , I have been ready to lecture , agitate , or work night and day -whenever required . I have opened new localities ; and in London , Manchester , or any part cf the ki gdom , 1 have kept my appointments regardless of expense , and equally so whether I was remunerated or not One month I travelled so incessantly that my coach fare alone cost me fifteen pounds Did I charge the conetry with that ? Xook at all the balance sheets Bince I was allowed ten ehilliDgS additional . Xen say that -was contrary to rule . So it was ; but was it not also contrary to rule for any locality to expect a member of the Executive to lecture for it , when they were too poor to pay either coach hire , or any part cf the incidental expenses ? If tbe localities had looked as much to rule as the Executive , Mr . Hill ¦ wonJd noi have been so lond is his abnse .
. 16—> ow let me ask Mr . Hill what incidental expenses ' , mean ? What limit there is Jo the half ? and whether ;¦ would there net be room there for heavy charges ? Let me ask the people if it was not more democratic for me j to accept of Is . 63 . per day for incidental expences , than . to charge the country perhaps five or ten shillings ? ' Let me ask them if it is not cheaper on the whole to I adopt that plan , and then let me inform them that I ; found such an allowance on the average a very great j loss ; and let me also say that had it been a very great 1 gain , every penny would have . gone to serve them as it : hitherto has done . ! " 17—The subject is , however , so mean , so despica-; ble , and -withal so exceedingly like tbe petty but , annoyit-g "bite of a bug , that I loathe and detest the . abject spirit which could enable any man to cry aloud , I thief—rebber—on such slender grounds . The subject i is suggested by malice , and no donbt will be fanned
j by those who expect to stand in the shoes of the prei sent Executive . They are welcome to do bo , but they ! may depend upon it tkey wi'f never prosper by such j deceitful work , their own edifice will tumble on their , heads , and , like the piercing undermining mole , they ' , will be crushed in their fragile den by the heel of an j exasperated people . ' 18—Mr . Hill , in his article on the Executive ! balance sheet , says , " The excuse of Mr . Campbell , ' and all tbe talk of tbe talent , the honesty , (!| and the j judgment (?> of the party , " &C . Mark the petty spirit I which rnles the writer here ; see the printer ' s mark i of exclamation when Campbell , in his warmth of
• heart , attributed honesty to m » , and then mark a '; second time the printer ' s mark of question ; question j when my friend applies the term judgment to my chaj racter . Mark altogether the animus which guides Hill j in bis charge , and then tell me if the Attorney-ereneral I baa ever been more subtile , mean , or bitter towards a i Chartist prisoner . Then read further , and ' - mark how ' he smoothly and adroitly asserts , that " We have no i itish to depreciate the tcorth , or to underrate the services ¦ of Dr . M-DaualL" Ah ! he would wish you to believe j that , as oHe combatant wonld wiBh to convince the on-• lookers , he has no wish to strangle him he has thrown : down , no wish in tbe world , only time to grasp him ; more securely by . the throat
i 19—Believe me , working men , Mr . Hill has been 1 iong training his small arms and great gun on the Exei cutive . He watches always bis time , and he said at i Manchester , ho wonld ; bnt as certainly as there is i honesty on earth , he will be defeated . He may press ' upon a . persecuted and absent man , be may serve up a i bill ef denunciation against me ; at the same lime , the I Government prepare one to outlaw me ; but the native i love of fair-play which sits in the heart of an Englisni man , and glorifies his character amongst nations , will i cry shame upon him , and force him to sneak away ' amidst the hootings of society . ! 20—Mr . Hill says : — " We happen to know that the : Executive have been written to privately on these j subjects again and again . " So they have , no denbt , ! bnt they were written to on other subjects , of which ! I bave now to speak , and to which I beg attention , as
; they will prove that that watchfulness is not for the ; meie love of democracy , which , Mr . Hill would lead us to suppose , only actuates him on the watch-tower he j has placed , unbidden , in tbe Chartist vineyard . Becol-: lect , I speak of facta which I know ; and in two of which the Executive had documentary and personal ! evidence , ready at the Manchester meeting , but which 1 were rendered unnecessary at that time ; first , because i a charge was preferred against ns by Mr . Hill , and jother 3 ; secondly , on acco « nt of a vote of thanks , I instead of condemnation , feeing proposed by O'Connor , ¦ and seconded by Cooper , of . Leicester . I may also say , that I informed Grassby , of Hull , publicly , that his I complaint against the Executive , as far as I was concerned , should no longer exist Now , mind that fact , because Mr . Hill knew it , and now he raises the old objection , although a consenting party to a vote of ! thflTifru , and one who called on the nation for a tribute [ to the robbers .
21—The Executive received letters from various parts , informing us that a conspiracy was being formed aiainst them , and particularly a letter from Tweeds ,
certain house , to pursue a certain course of conduct against the Executive , the basis of whicb was—thai ike ( fiaradcr of the Ettcutirx was to be sufficiently shaken jirst in private , and then by a simultaneous public assault . Nay , the language was repsrted , and the names of the new Executive actually put upon a liEt I need not mention that neither ieach , Campbell nor myself were on that list The plot was very cleverly got np , but it exploded too soon , and the people happened to be very rusty on the matter . Where are the letters ? I know that will be the cry . I had three of them which I
gave to Mr . O'Connor to read whilst i : i Nottingham , and I must record a fact in that gentle man ' s favour ; be not only expressed his indignation , but he wrote privately to parties ( who know the truth of what I write ) , and publicly to the people , declaring that he wonld oppose and pnt down all cabals of such a character . Where are the men ? oh ! both men and letters can easily be forthcoming , and * my respected colleagues can have no difficulty in producing them if they are wanted , an event ¦ which certain parties will not / demand to be realised .
22—What does all this show ? Nothing more than that the present Executive are very unpalatable to Mr . Hill , and many others -who have leagued -with him for their destructien , and who have nibbled away with great energy for some time at myself and my brother officers . Time will unfold the success of their labours , and , in the mean time , I have pointed ont the fact that there has been a little more than pnre democracy concerned with tbe discharge of the second and largest gun against the Executive . I pass on to another subject , which concerns myself ; and , as Mr . Hill has announced his intention of removing the mantle of his protection from those he loves , I hope he will take it entirely away from those whom he hates , and in a bold and open manner write down their names in fall with the ciime and sentence in ruled columns . Mr . Hill says in the same Siar , of Nov . 19 th , in his appropriately named article " The Last Shift , " when speaking of the Executive address—I will pass over
tbe cries which are mere echoes of Abinger and the Press , such as mad , miscbievons , and criminal document , and boldly confess that I am prepared to defend every sentence of that address , together -with the propriety and jostiee of issuing it '; and I only refrain from naming the author on the gronnd that it would be giving information to the Govemment which others may do , and get paid for if they like . I despUt that mean and grovelling cowardice which woul < 3 crawl and cringe at the feet of persecution , and whine o » t miserably . 1 did not write it , it is criminal , and the author oaght to be pneished for it Out upon such pitiful poltroons . So help me God , I am so utterly disjj-usted with the general and abject renunciation of that address , that if the people will secure my five years' bail frcm all harm , and prepare me new bail , 1 will return and defend that address , acknowledge myself tbe author , and meet Mr . Hill in public meeting , at Leeds .
23 . Mr . Hill says , u-hocver the atUhor is , he must be cast from the people , Mr . Hill knows perfectly well who is the author . He was at the Conference ; he heard what Gregory said ; he knew then , now , always the man he was stabbing under the convenient name of Mr . Whoever . He also insinuates , knowing -whose character be iB destroying , that tbe author may be an agent of tbe Com Law Repealers , or of the Government , but not of the landlords . - He even takes advantage of the bonds of tbe law , and knowing that it was neithenrise nor just of the tuThor to give the government the rt quired
information , he stabs away , satis-fit d that his man is fast , and legs and arm , bound together as well as seas rolling between them ; and all the time he cries out , in the absence ofcridena . noihing could be more base than U > charge the addrn * upon ar . y or . e . Merciful God . ' GfiTe me Tory malignity and Whig cruelty , but spare me from the tender mercies of my friends XtVtr mind , let him go on : ?~ ei l . im ihaki his man p . rivjU- ' ii jir $ t , and then destroy him pt&llc ' y nfie < u \ i . ds . . Let him get up a public opinion -pinsi tne adenss , and tten out comee the name Gf the aiuhor .
Zi . Le ; him go en ; tie people will s-a- iie , aj-, and s : rn : oo ; they will wstch tit trials ; they -will find cu : ihe doTenicct ; and 1 shuli lite tj j t-e tta : Jii .-n ? tl Eu : only ce = ri :- ; d tut retcatact ; -ye , tl :: c : iT itp . uticg his nrjast assaults crosam&a ivbcseeresttit irlme has
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been devotion to and enthusiasm in toe caxua of CbftV . tism . He has done his wont against me , and hand in hand he has kept pace with my persecutors . . 25—He denounced the address in the Star suoce'dding the Conference , and the Government followed np with tbeir arrests . He declared it to be the cause of the mischief , and the Government commenced thek-pursuit , He denounced me as a dangerous man , and my letters as mad and mischievous ; the Government toofc bim at bis word , and set a price on my bead . Ha declares the author is an enemy to the cause : the Government , that he is an enemy to his country . He declares the author ' s sentence to be , banishment from the country . He destroys the author's character amongst the Chartists ;
the Government bis chance among the jury . class . And to finish the measure of persecution , Mr . Hill introduces a bill of denunciation at the very moment the Government file one of outlawry . Working-men , Englishmen , Scotchmen , and [ Welshmen , where have I a chance afforded me ; pursued , persecuted and prejudged , is it not true I made an appeal to my countrymen , and demanded their protection ? I do demand it as an act of justice , not one of mercy ; as a right , not as a favour . To whom do I appeal ? to the Trades and Chartists of Manchester . Fellow-men speak out , speak the truth if it should kill me , and as your acts were my acts , say at once whether you approve or condemn . Your decision will influence me much , and I await it with tranquillity and courage .
26—In the meantime let me remind the readers of forgotten facts . The Conference met in Manchester after tbe strike . When the address was issued , there were none to strike in Manchester . The address appeared only in th ^ se places where the strike was general , and only for one day ; above all , -the Trades' address appeared first and the other secondl How . then could that address cause the strike ? 27—There are but two ways to blame the addrens : Erst , because it did continue tbe strike ; and second , because it did not Mr . Hill is one who blames H for tbe first cause , and I am anxious to know how many Manchester men , and especially of the trades , agree
with Mr . Hill in condemning that address because it continued the strike . The next charge would be , that the address did not do what it promised , which , certainly , to my mind , ought to be the charge brought forward by the honest Chartists . Now why did it not do what it promised ? Simply because Mr . Hill and others would not take any put in the strike , and consequently the machinery spoken of broke down . Mr . Hill came to Manchester , determined to oppose the strike ; and in reporting from places which he said were resolved to take no part in the strike ; news arrived to contradict him , and to state that those places represented as being , bo obstinate bad been tbe first to move . .
28—I repeat it that tbe Blackburn and Preston murder called for the address and even revolution , but caution or cowardice , mastered folly and n . "chief . God knews I woald have been fool enough to risk my lifj to avenge the murdered men , and if that la Mr . Hill'e charge , I ple&a guilty . In bis own language I say that the people will in time distinguish their friends , and I can , in the mean time , live down his persecution . 29—I have stated that some person took away a copy of tbe address from the printer , and read it in Carpenters' Hall previous to ary decision on tbe part of the Conference , or any alteration in the document itself . As it now stands , I am ready to defend it . If tbe chief charge against the author is that of attempting to continue the strike , will the trades , who proclaimed that resolution , first defend their position or desert it ? True , they issned another , and so might the author , bad the law not been Quicker than the printer .
30—As the address stands , every one denies having anything to do with it , because it happens to be obnoxious to Government , and ever ; one would have fathered it had its fate been different . . 31—Some speak of my flight Let those gentlemen beware of using the word with my name . I neither f led nor bid myself , but remained in and near Man-Cheater until all danger and disturbance had ceased . I was the last man to fly , not the first I was quits at my ease , except for my bail , one of whom is a working
man . 32—Now , my friends , I believe I can give you the true reasons for these assaults on me and the author of the address . First , the timid think such a course will recommend them to a lenient sentence ; and , secondly , think they / will prevent ray return to England , —and I do not know whether Mr . Hill or the Government are taking the best steps to tffect it The first course might be secured by a simple no ; and the second cannot be seenred by any such method as that pursued by Mr . Hill , who seems to think that the best check is to destroy my character , whicb he most religiously believes he can do . He shoots with a wooden arrow- ¦; tbe people are not at his beck ; and it will be difficult ; for a man who did bis best to make the movement fail , to convince the people that that failure is » crime . Let him remember the high gallows made for Haman , and let him know I fear him not , if I bad a good old meeting , a free stage , and no favour , which I will have sooner than be dreams of .
33 . —Now , my friends , in conclusion , let me state that all the Hills in England will never make me change my principles , —no , if all the people were to condemn me , I repeat now that which I stated in the court at Chester ; I will stand undismayed , between the frowns of a people on the owe hand , and the terrors of persecution on the other . I bave done nought which will make me fear the face of man , and armed with the panoply of truth and principle , I take up my position on the justice of my cause , whore I am superior to the dart of treachery on the one side , or the arms of a Government on the other . .
34 . —Like the Roman who could traverse the known globe , repeating in pride and in safety , I am a Roman , so in passing through tbe shower of shots aimed at my heart . I cry aloud , uuburt and exulting , I am aChattist . if I am defended bv the people I shall glory in their confidence , which has borne me hitherto , above every trial and trouble , and which has been a shield and a sword in my hands , as well as an honour en my breast , which as it has been dearly bought , shall be dearly taken away . : 35 . —If I am forsaken by the people , I shall . still possess my principle , and I shall find consolation in looking back on the fate of the noble Athenian , who was banished from his country by the . votes of his fellow citizens , for no other reason than that assigned by one of the voters , " 1 bated him for bis justice , therefore I voted for bis banishment " 36 . —I have done ; my case is now before you , and in its justice I anchor my confidence . 37 . —I am , as I ever will be , sincerely devoted to my cause and my country , tbongh An Exile .
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4 Never did puddle stdrm more awfully than the one which we have stirred : and right thankful may we hare cause to be , if the dirt throwing do not choke us before we have " cleaned out the quarry ! " If ever our readers have seen a batch of light-fingered lightermen ou board their craft , doing battle with the constables ^ to preclude an acquaintance with the " beaks , " they have Eeen no bad correspondence of the present conduct of the Executive . As an individual portion of the people to whom they are responsible , we have required that
they should perform , the duties they are paid for , 1 and that they should themselves conform to the rules which it is their duty to enforce ; we have I hinted a suspicion that they have in many things not 1 done so , and we have desired , to bring them to ' explain or answer for their conduct to the people , the only legitimate authority . Instead of answering 1 our just requirements , and those of the Metropoi litan delegates , the Leicestershire delegates , tke Hull Councillors , the Birmingham Chartists , and very
many others of their constituents , they get aboard their mud barges , aad throw dirt -with both hands , in tke hope of making farther effort to bring them to a reckoning so disagreeable a bnsiness that their accusers may be sickened and suffocated with the nastiness , and so they may escape . They mistake greatly : we are not thus to be beaten off . The filth and stench of their native Billirgsgate and ready falsehood may be a little annoying , but it lies only on tne surface , and can be easily washed off with the clean water of truth .
We think the preserving of the fair escutcheon of our cause from rust and filth , a matter of too high consequence to mind the soiling of our fingers a little by its cleansing ; and hence we manage to preserve a marvellous equanimity under all the ecurrillous abuse , artful misrepresentations , and unblushing falsehoods , that are had recourse to a 3 a means of diverting the people's attention from the information we have given them . It will not succeed , and simply because we shall not permit it . It may be sufficiently disgusting , and not a little
painful , to reply to the sort of stuff which these men vent in their maddened writhings , but we shall perform the duty , though not the most pleasant one . The people have a right to have the whole matter laid before then , and so fir as our time and space affords oppor . unity , they shall have it . They shall have the means of fcraiins their own judgment how fa . " their oytu pii ^ c ' pio ? hc-. ve b ; eu n-. cognizid in . the Very chadtl of . the ! . - csrn Ejoremt vt . We last week net only permived Leach and -Campbell to bespzuter us pr « t : y libcral . y wi : h ; he Lvltii of iheir ] joint letter , but we gaye free vent al so to tha ]
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belchings of Lkach ' s bout stomach , at the Cairpenters ' s Hall , and the South Lancashire Delegate Meeting . We passed these without note or comment , expecting them to be taken up by other patties . It will be Been , from the communications from Hull , Birmingham , Sheffield , and Loughborough , that they have been so taken up . We have now to deal with the long "denunciation " of li'DouALL , which appeared in the Evening Star of last Wednesday and Thursday , and which ought to have appeared in the Northern Star of last Saturday ; but some reason , best known to himself , induced the " denunciator" not to send it here . No man ever had or ever shall have any right to complain of injustice or a want of fair play at our hands
and hence , though we are by hp means bounden to it , we give the Doctor ' s whole document in juxtaposition with onr own observations , and as it is a matter of most unweildly length , we have broken it into paragraphs , and numbered them for convenience of reference . We shall do that which , though it is our own invariable custom , no disputant had ever yet , the fairness to ; do by us , abide strictly by the matters and things to be replied to , and keep in viewthe question . Had the Doctor and his mates , done thi 3 , instead of raising suoh a pother in the mad , we might have had much less trouble , our readers much less annoyance , and themselves a much better chance of ^' getting out of the mess " than they now have . '¦ : ¦¦' .
Conscious delinquency is always inconsistent , and Dr . M'Docall forms no exception to the rule ; the head and tail and body of his letter fit so badly together , and form so strange a contrast and diversity , that they make the whole to look like a sad abortion ' . ' With the first four paragraphs we have little concern . The fifth contains nothing upon which we think it necessary to observe beyond the passing remark , that a " Christian Miuister , and a fellow labourer in : the cause" wbuld ; have ill discharged big duty , perceiving dangers and abuses , not to point them out . The sixth paragraph ig ona that we wish the Doctor had verified in the remaining portion of his letter : it would have saved us much trouble . We give it entire : —
"I need no abusive language to aid me ; I will m ^ k « use of no base insinuation against the character of any man . I will seek to destroy no fellow-worker with cowardly blows j because I neither envy the position , nor hate the character of any man with whom I bave toiled . No , my friends , I need not the aids of injustice and calumny ,. because I can find far better weapons in the facts I shall state , and in the uprightness arid consistency of my political' conduct from the first moment I declared myself a Chartist , down to the present time
I will not shield myself under a counter-accusation , no trouble myself with searching the records of the live of my opponents , -the first I leave to the really guilty ; the second to the Conscience of every man , and the discriminating judgment of the people , who are the only true judges of men . I take up the weapon of reason , and enter the arena as firmly to defend my character from the attacks of my own ; party as i shall do in a court of justice to struggle with the Government ; " :
. ' ¦ We regret much , for the Doctor ' s own sake , that the major portion of - his letter proves that this specious seeming is assumed merely for purposes of tact ; as he deals very largely in all the matters of abusive language and counter accusation which he here promises to eschew , : f In the seventh paragraph , under pretence ; of disr claiming it , he makes very dexterous use of the string so much fiddled on by his co-mates to divert attention ; from themselves and the matters with which they s ^ nd charged . Ho sets up the plea of absence . He is " an absent man "; and , therefore , ought not to be attacked ! Not a word should ba
said about his delinquencies , because he is not there to defend himself ! His coadjutorB have all sung this song in chorus ; and the Doctor pops in a very convenient chord by declaring that he won ' t sing it . Now , supposing that M'Douall really was absent ; this is not a matter on which the plea of absence could , with the slightest plausibility , be offered for him . He was not absent when , for months together , he was every week appropriating public money under false pretences , and trampling under foot tha Rules of the Organizition which he had been appointed to enforce . He was not absent when , in July last , his
attention * and that of his coadjutors , Was called to the matter by the kindly and friendly letters of the Hull councillors , and by the very proper and spirited resolutions of the Leicestershire delegates—when lie wrote to the Hull seoretary that , if the Hull councillors were not satisfied about the ten shillings awoek it should be given up , and was answered / that , " of course they were not satisfied" to see the money of the public illegally appropriated . He was not absent when at Manchester , he publioly stated that the complaints of the Hull councillors had been considered , and that there should be no more cause for them . He must have known , during all this
time , that the balance-sheet would appear again in due course , and would certainly exhibit the evidence of his falsehood and ill faith . The cry of " absence " . opposed to these clear matters of fact , is contemptible . He was not absent while all this was going on ; he is not absent now ! Of his particular ^ location we know nothing . Whether he may be in England or out of it is a matter of no consequence ; he is sufficiently present for all matters of defence . The press , is open to him . He has access to it , and as ready a communication with it as any other . man . In the Northern Star of Saturday before last , we made some comments on the conduct of the ; Executive . In the Evening Star of Wednesday appear two columns from M'Douall in reply ; on Thursday two columns more ; and in
the Statesman of Saturday almost two columns more . Here is a man who , in a paper war , returns three blows for one ; and crys out that he canft defend himself , because he ' s not there !! The very letter upon which we ara now commenting , states , that he has seen every Star issued since his " exile . " Nothing can be more clear than , that the cry of ' absence" under such circumstanoes . is a mere" artful dodge" to avoid accounting for misconduct by exciting the commisseration of the people and appealing to their prejudices against those by whom his misconduct is pointed out . The "dodge" shall not serve him , He is no more absent than we are ; and the endeavour to escape censure upon such a plea is in no way creditable , though it may evince a little tact . ¦
In the eighth paragraph he talks of " entering the lists with Mr . Hill . " We beg to assure him he here labours under a small mistake ; Vvvhen Mr . Hill " enters the lists" it will not be with him . His ninth , tenth , eleventh , and twelfth paragraphs are occupied with denying his responsibility to Mr . Hill , or the right of Mr . Hill " to try him , " or " pass sentence upon him "; and he assigns as reasons , therefore , that" he did not vote for Mr . Hill as Editor of the Star , "^ and that "he has no vote in displacing him " , and that" no such office as public censor , with power to try , and pass sentence upon men . exists In the Chartist Organization" , and that
" the freedom of the press is , in itself , a species of despotism . "' Had he been inclined to realize the specioss seeming of his sixth paragraph , which we have quoted , he would have saved himself the trouble of writing all this nonsense . He knows perfectly well that Mr . Hill never assumed any siiyti right of censorship ; that Mr . Hill never attempted to make the Executive responsible to him as Editor of tti&Star , or to" try" and " passsentence' ? upon them . As Editor of the Star , Mr . Hill always has exercised , and always will exercise , that
censorship which legitimately belongs to a , tree press—the right of canvassing the acts of public men , and of pronouncing an opinion upon those acts . To this he has always added the practice , which is perhaps less common among journalists than it should be , of giving bis reasons for . his opinions , and of Uyi . ug ' to make , those reasons and opinions ^ lear to the appiehension of : he people ; and this we fancy i ? jist the " . species of despotis-m" Which the Doctor fear * . Ho Jodc admit , liO ' . vevirj . tfaat Mr . Hill" as a member ol ' the Association . ' has a right to an opinion ;
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and we presume that no one , unless it be himself will dispute that he has a right to express that opinion . NoW 1 » hat has Hi . HiLL . dbne in this very case ! Has he presumed to dec $ * .- and"to . pass sentence" on the Executive I In tlfoj very article " Executive Balance Sheet" commerced on in this letter are the words— " toe trust tee have said enough to show the people that it is time tu ey took up the matter in earliest ; " and ; in the next paper , to which allusion is made in the same letter , the Doctor had before him , in plain print , the following words : —
" To our mind it is of much more consequence to . prevent these things in future than to trouble ourselves about the past . That which is past cannot be recalled ; but the people may make past errors a beacon for the future ; . We recommend therefore , that the whole matter be taken up by all the localities , at once ; that the members and councillors meet together and deliberate upon the subject ; that they endeavour to keep in mind the whole question , and to keep out of mind everything but tho question—the duties of the Executive and the manner , in which they have been performed ; that they lay the balance sheet ^ not the last merely , but tho last three
balance sheets and tke er ;» ani 2 i > tion both before them , and examine them together ; . ; . that they read , in connection therewith , the letters of the Hull Councillors to the Executive—the articles in the Northern Star of this and the last two weeks , and especially all that the Executive have said for themselves in explanation and defence ; that they weigh all these carefully and dispassionately , using their own clear sense of right and wrong , and their own appreciation of principle ; not suffering themselves to be led or biassed , either by us or by the Executive , but judging fairly from the evidenoa which lies before them , and recording their opinions in firm , clear , and temperate language . ;
'The matteris one fraught with as much importance as any that has occupied the public mind for a long time . We ask not , therefore , that the people should take us for a guide ; but that they should divest themselves of prejudice , and view the whole subject in the clear light of common , sense and Chartist principle . " Now with these paragraphs staring them in the face , we ask any man ' s common sense , if the blash about Mr , Hill ' s " censorship , " and about his assuming a right to " try ' and " passsentence" upon parties , and to make " slaves" of them be not , maugre all the Doctor ' s specious seeming , an
impudent " counter accusation " got up without a shadow of proof to rest it on , for the purpose of shielding and covering himself ; the course which the Doctor says he will "leave totherea | ly guitty . " We shall not permit his " counter accusation ¦ ' to avail him . He is not indicted at the bar of Mr . Hill , but at that of the Chartist public . Mr . Hill assumes no right of judgment or sentence ; he state 9 facts and leaves the country to judge of them . If M'DoUAtL can rebut these facts ; if he can prove that ; as an Executive councillor , he has beeni guided , in his own conduct by Chartist prlnoiple 3 , aad has acted in accordance with the organization : ifhe can prove to the public that he
has not violated the rules he was appointed to enforce ; if he can show that as an Executive councillor he has not forfeited his trust , and broken faith with the people , let him do so , and no man will more reaoily acquit him of these charges than Mr . Hill . But it is not this swagger about not being responsible to Mr . Hill personally , and about not being a slave to the press , the freedom of which he regards as a species of despotism , that can hoodwink the people ta the plaia matters of fact iu question ! He either has or has hot been a party to a systematic and long-continued process of fraud , deliberately concocted , and at first ingeniously cloaked over
with false pretences , and afterwards openly and impudently perpetrated without any pretence at all , in open defiance both of the spirit iind the laws of the Association . Thatis the matter with which he stands charged not before Mr . Hill , but before the people ; not by Mr . Hill alone , but by many other members and offiosrs of the Association as well . The proofs are that he accepted office , knowing himself to be entitled to a certain amount of salary and no more ; that after some time he agreed with the other members of the Executive to increase that ' salary fully one-third ; that this was done accordingly and paid to him regularly ; that as there . was no colourable pretext for this , it was pufc , down in the Balanoe Sheet under the false and disguised
entry of " agitating expences , " in hope that it might thus escape dotection ; that in July last the Hnll Councillors detected it , and wrote about it , and he promised that it should be done no more ; that at Manchester he afterwards publicly stated that the complaints of the Hull Councillors ( this being one of their complaints ) had been considered and remedied ; and that when the next Balance Sheet was published it appeared that the disguise of the" agitating expences" had been dropped , and the whole sum was , without any pretence of authority , put down as " wages . " Now what M'Douall has to dp is not to bluster about Mr . Hill's " censorship , " but to meet these facts , and either show that the facts are not so or that they accord with the rules' and duties of the office he holds .
But he has another reason also why he refuses to answer to Mr . Hill . He denies that the matter is a matter for the public at all . It is a matter exclusively appertaining to the members of the National Charter Association ; and he ¦ questions the propriety of bringing every matter connected with forty thousand associated men before million ? , and subjecting the associated Chartists to the influence and votes of men who have no more right to interfere with the Association than the Emperor of Morocco . " And yet in the very next paragraph , the fourteenth , he refuses to acknowledge any tribunal or answer for his act 3 to any other party than a public meeting . He says : —
" For every act of mine , as a public man , I shall appear and answer before a fairly called and open public meeting of my fellow-countrymfin , then and there to answer any charge preferred by Mr . Hill , or any question put by any of my fellow men . a PUBLIC MEETING IS THE JUSTICE HALL FOR HE . " How very consistent this is ! The referring to M'Douall ' s conduct , as a public man , in . ' the Star is reprehensible , because it brings it before millions .
whereas none but members of the Charter Association have anything at all to do with it ; while yet a public meeting where evidently many , perhaps even a majority , might neither'be members , nor in reality know anything of the merits of the question , is the only "justice hall" for him . There is little difficulty in understanding this ; and in perceiving that it bespeaks much less confidence in "the uprightness and consistency of his political conduct" than he is inclined to take credit for ; .. :
Again , who does not see that if it be wrong per se to introduce into a newspaper the matters of the Association , the same argument ' would exclude the balance-sheet from the Star , and would also prevent any member of the Association from giving public expression to his opinions through a newspaper . And we rather think this is the point really aimed at by M'Douall , Leach , and Campbell . It is the " species of despotism , " the freedom of the press , that " bothers" them . Take from the
localities this mode of communicating with each otherthe law prevents them from corresponding—and there is then tke chance that a little peculation might be got much more snugly over . If . " one locallitj were quick enough to perceive it , perhaps all might not ; and the oho might be bullied—as was attempted with Hull ; But the rascally Star tells ¦ '¦ all of them all about it , and makes every one as wise as the rest . We feel no surprise at all that M'DpCALL should have no great affection for the - ' " fourth estate" ! ' . '" . ' " .. . .: ' . ' . '
In the fifteenth paragraph , he come 3 for the first time to a grappling with the matter really at issue ; of which a plain acknowledgement , or explanation , was all that was ever asked or wanted ; " and which might have beeea afforded in two Hues Indeed the one single lino that we quoted Iu 3 t wetl < settles the whole matter : ^ -
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11 ' You s&y that was contrary to tulo . So it waa . " Here then is a clear acknowledgement of the whole matter charged ; and all afitr this is t i i 9 extenuation and mere talk for diversion ' s sake . The excuse that the localities did not pay the expencea we have already met , in answering Leach ani Campbell . ; It isiTHK duty of the Executive to see that the localities do comply with the terms of tha Organization . There is in this paragraph much display of disinterestedness , much talk of hia own labours arid generosity , and a most virtuous disclaimer of all " selfish love of money / ' \ Ve should have liked all this better had we not known the foot that either his " selfish love of money ' 01 something else did certainly induce him for" many months to receive ten shiUings every week to which
he had no right—first under the false pretence , o »' . agitating expences , " and afterwards , when driven from that position , openly and nakedly in defiance ef all pretence whatever . Plain facts speak to us much mote forcibly than professions , however loud The sixteenth paragraph is an attempt to "get ¦ away" by a bold dash . He raves about " Incidental expences , " and the manner in which they might ba run lip to large sums , as if he had either never read the Organization at all , or , at all events , thonghj nobody else had . He has no right by the Organization to charge to the country one farthing for incidental expences , save when employed in breaking up new ground ^ and- be does not attempt to sliotr that during the time in question he was thus eni ^ ployed for even a single week .
The seventeenth paragraph shows the "honest' ' Doctor very uneasy and unoomfortable under the circumstances of his own seeking , lie is " annoyed thereat . We dp not wonder ; nor need he . Had he "loathed" the " mean , despicable subject" at tht proper time , ¦; he might have missed the " annoy , anoe . " Had he not made the " bug , " he could noi have been bitten by it . The " bug" is the ; consciousness of" the mean , potty , despicable" fraud which he first took so much pains to conceal , andnow trisj so vainly to brazen out ; We do not wonder at his being angry with Mr . Hm . l .
He asserts that wo are aotuated by mahce against him . He knows that to be a lie . He knows affd everybody who has read the Star \ knows that there lias never yet been one man in the movement whom wo have not supported tq the utmost extent of our ability , so long as we could possibly do so without betraying the people . Whyshould we have any malio * against him ? We have never known him savo as 1 Chartist : and even were we capable of being actuated by the motives of petty jealousy and personal animosity , what is therein him to call forth thest qualities in us 1 He Has never crossed oiir path in any way , aor ever can do so . But wo shall never sit and see the people bamboozled without telling them .
In the eighteenth paragraph , he almost poetize ! because we admire his honesty and question hia judgment ? We cannot help it . It seems plain to us that either one or both of these qualities may be fairly considered as beyond all question . The nineteenth paragraph is another small pieca of froth about the " absence" cry . That wo have already disposed of . : The twentieth paragraph afBrm 3 that Mr . Hiu was a consenting party to a certain vote of thanks
moved by O'Connor and seconded by Cooper , of Leicester . The writer knows this to be false . He knows that so far from " consenting , " Mr ; Hill did not even assent to that voto : of thanks . There are witnesses enough of that . Mr . Hill did not vote against it : he knew that there was no use in doing so ; he did not Vote upon it at all ; but he had previously spoken , distinctly disclaiming all connection with anything : which expressed approbation either of the Strike or of the conduct of the Executive .
Mr . Hill isr taunted with having " called on the nation for a tribute to the robbers" ! Why did he do so V Because he had a month before seen a letter from M'Douall promising that the robbery should be discontinued ; he had then the word of M'Docall publioly pledged to . the samb effjet ; and he was fool enough , to believe M'Douall . He was desirous to give the Executive credit for honesty of purpose ; and , therefore , he not only called on the nation for a tribute , but from his own scanty purao contributed more to their funds than any other' man in the kingdom—save one . He is now quite willing to ' acknowledge that the folly of the act deserved the sneering taunt by which it is repaid . The twenty-first paragraph affirms that . —
"The Executive received letters from various parts , informing us that a conspiracy was being formed against them , and particularly a letter from Leeds , which stated that Mr . Hill and others agreed there in a certain house , to pursue a certain course of conduct against the Executive , tho basis of which was—that the character of the Executive was to be sufficiently shaken flr&t in private , and then by a simultaneous public assault " ¦ It goes on ' . t ^ --. " Where are the men ? oh ! both men and letterg can easily be forthcoming , and my respected colleagues can have no difficulty in producing them il they are Wanted , an event whicb certain parties will not demand to be realised . "
If the writer thinks us to be one of these " certaii parties , " he mistakes . We do demand the production loth of the letters and the men . W& demand THE PUBLICATION OF THOSE LETTEBS . And , if they be not produced and published , and if they do not bear oat this statement , we brand M'Douall H 3 a liar and a scoundrel . If they be produced aud pub ' lished , and if they do bear out this statement , it will be for the writers to substantiate them .
Meantime we give the people Mr . Hill ' s assurance on the honour , of a man , that he never saw or heard anything of this alleged meeting , save from this letter arid from Leach ' s speech , reported in last week's Star ; that ; no man ever named or « Ten hinted any such thing to him , nor auything at all reseiH ; bling it , or which could possibly be distorted into anything like it ; nor can he think that any mai would dare to do so .
The rest of this long letter consists entirely of mouthing about tho unfortunately famous addresi which has been so often called "the Executive ' s Address . " He is " utterly disgusted with the general and abject renunciation of that address , " and he is valorousiy angry with us because we will neither praise it nor father it ; and because we repelled the calumny of the foul-mouthed ruffian who charged its authorship upon O'Connor . Well ; we cannot help it . Our opinion of that address
has never altered from the first time we saw it . What we thought then , we think still . "We never did and never ; shall defend it . Whoever was ita author , we regard him as a most mischievous indi « vidual , and oue whom the people , if they have heretofore trusted him , should trust no longer , but cast from them the moment he is discovered . " We don't say who was : the author of it ; nor shall we . be taunted or " scolded" by M'Douall into any admisfiion of whether wo know the author or not . We
leave him to give tha Government that information if he pleases ; he seems vastly inclined that way We are quite content , on the part of Mr . Hill , to borrow his 0 wn words : * I only refrain from naming the author on tLe ground that it would be giving iriformation to the Government ; which others may do , and get paid for , if they like . " M'DouAii knows this very vvell ; and so do those who bully so bravely upon velvet about '' coward thrusts" and and "deadly stabs , " &c .
We are very sorry , for the sake not . only of M'Douall but of many whom we think better men , that he has lugged in this jnischievouJ document at all . We have regretted nothing more ill the unhappy business of the last . few months than that knaves and foote . would not let that addrea alone . We have , never once named it save wbei compelled . And yet , in the next paragraph ' tbs writer , still speaking of it sayr . '—V ¦ >'• He ( khounced tho address m the Star sncvxd ' mg the Confertiioe ' , aint the Givi maiont follo ^ - 'j up with -their arrest . ¦ "H- - < l ' ciaredis to 00 thd c : \^ ol the mi >; chiei ' , aaJ the . Gjvuriiuie . it . cyminono .-u tiiiif pursuit . " ¦ ¦ ¦' ¦ ¦ .
The Southern Star. Saturday, December 10, 1842.
THE SOUTHERN STAR . SATURDAY , DECEMBER 10 , 1842 .
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4 THE NORT HERK ST AR . _^___
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Citation
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Northern Star (1837-1852), Dec. 10, 1842, page 4, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/ns/issues/vm2-ncseproduct628/page/4/
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