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s . TJNIYJ ^ SAI * BR 0 THEHHO 03 X ^ LETIEB XXin . TO THE XBTIOB . OP IHB 21 OB . THEB 3 STAB . Sir , —In my last letter , in pursuance of the badness j had ni-dertaken , namely , To examine the various remedies that have hitherto "been proposed to remove what has l » en foand oppressive , " I reviewed the temperance movement of Fa \ het Mathew ; and the agitation under MrO ' Connell for theKepeal of the Union "with Ireland . 1 shall commence this -week by calling the attention of your readers to . one ^ rho has made herself not a JItUe celebrated as ss agitator during the short period
the has been before the public I allude to •¦ Bebecca , ™ ¦ who , thinking that * nstiee could not be obtained in "Wales by any of the ordinary methods , has taken upon isrseli to administer it inier own peculiar manner , 1 have na desire to criticise the mode by which others act , nor to express an approval , or the reverse , of the eonrse "which Rebecca and her daughters are pursuing ; as individuals can only proceed with anything they have to pstform in the -mamier they are prompted lo execute it , by their era peculiar idiesjocracies . I shall therefore look at this movement as a part ef the great change which is approaching , rather than in its immediate l * cal effect .
Babecca cas clearly made manifest what before was little known or cared for , namely , that the people of South Wales were ' snSering nnder every spedes of local tyranny that conld well be conceived . The first object which engaged the attention was the administra tion of the trust of keeping the roads in repair . She found this made the subject of a most grievous charge , and appears to have considered that the best mode of reducing it -weald be by destroying tke turnpike gates . A strong organization was formed for this purpose , and it was * soon found that Rebecca and her Daughters eould at any time effect the object she sought : and this has led to many ether matters being referred to her .
Tout paper of this day bean rather strong evidence of the manner in ¦ which this movement is operating on the mindB of the landowners , not onlj of "Waies , but of other parts of the United Kingdom ; and as the success ¦ srhicfilss attended it will be a powerful stimulant to others / it wiD be well to examine " to what cause that success maybe attributed . The first thing necessary to observe in ihia movement , is , that it is one of unity . From the reports in the Times , it is evident that there are plenty of suggestive meetings held , but fhe mode of action is eoiifidenily referred to B&beeca , and no one thinks of interfering in any manna with her decisions except to execute them .
The next is , that Bebecca is just , in her idea of the term ; and it is to the sympathy excited by the sense of jusdee that she oves that protection she is receiving in a most dangerous course j for should a contrary opinion prevail she would soon be handed over to the tender mercies ef the Government . The third point 3 would notice is that Hebecca proceeds promptly to the execution of what she determines on , aad does not keep disturbing the minds of her followers by useless theorising ; a qualification which is essentially necessary to any practical leader . Frem the offers of abatement sf rents , abitement of tithes , removal of turnpike gates , aad various other redresses fax grievances , which are now liberally made to the Welsh people , it is evident that this movement is performing its part , in preparing the public mind for an universal brotherhood ; and it will ba very interesting to watch the further progress of Rebecca .
The next proposed remedy to which I shall call attentiwn is ,, " The Repeal of the Com Laws . " Whatever may have been the moSves for which the cry of Repeal was begun , the public mind has decided that it is a matter of justice ; and as rach it must be yielded , ¦ vrbatever may be thB opposition brought against it . Claiming as I do , in the abstract , the free use of the fruits of the earth for every individual in , it on the ground that we are all the creatures of one Divine power to whom all things belosg , it is to me a very trfl ' ng matter whether these laws be immediately repealed or net It would be far better that we should commence the great inquiry of wbatis best for all ; but ai our Hands are not yet sufficiently expanded to treat this subject in any manner approaching the importance ii deserves , the ercrtioas of the anti-Corn Law League wiD be most serviceable in preparing us for the task .
-From -the rapid change in public opinion which has lately taken place in favour of the repeal of the Corn Laws ; chiefly in the agricultural districts , and brought about by agricultural depression , which depression nrasi inevitably increase rapidly , from the additions to the poor Tales , county rates , police force , yeomanry duties , and many other matters which are inevitable ; to say nothing of the decline in value that will occur in sgricmitnral produce from diminished consumption , it is quite certain that no government will long be able to resist it ; but ths repeal being once obtained , how wai the respective parSes be then situated ? Will
eotton lords , landlords , church lords , or lords of any other kind , be in a better position from this change ? Or w 5 H it not rather be that their confusion will have increased sn hundred fold , and an approach will be so 1 st made towards the inquiry into the true remedy ? Depend upon it , we may safely say to Messrs . Cobden , Bright , Smith , aad all their friends and associates , " go on and prosper ; for you too have a mission to perform , in preparing far that change which is to place man open earth in such a position as shall best enable him to work out the mysterious ways of that power that over-ruleth all things . *
2 » txtto the Corn Law movement , I would call attention to the remedies proposed by "the Churches of EnglfiBd , Scotland , and Ireland . In England there are three , namely , a return to " strict fiiEcipline , and catholicity ; the building of new churches ; and a . system ef Education based on voluntary subscriptions . Thanks to Dr . Posey and h ' s friends at Oxford , we are about to Endeavour to rfcturai ^ o that unity a ^ d Catholicity , "Without which true religion can never be k&owB . Same people may be alarmed about the decbines of transnbstanti 3 tion , and other things of trifling importance ; and half a CLzitarj sgo we may Lave oeen much inconvenienced in progress by them ; but these
daja have long since passed . There can be no harm in our churches possessing thoEe inspiring auxiliaries to the higher and more elevating portions of our being , that are to be derived from fine painting , superior music , and the gorgeous spectacles that are sometimes exhibited to the people of the continent . There is no fear of our going backward in other r ** ppcta , by forsaking those acrimonious feelings "which arise from dkstnt in religion ; ana if the Church is everag 3 ia to hava power over the minds of the people , it can only be by its teachers placing themselves in the advanced guard , morally , intellectual !? , and physically ; f « r this three-fold nature of-man is now for the first time abent to be fully developed .
With regard to the building of churches , -srbat bet good can arise from it ? Some will cry oat , " We 4 oa"t " wast them ; are we to be taxed for them ?*¦ erd many other Ench like Exdamatiocsj but all this U perfectly beside the question . We arexos ? too deeply taxed for a few millions a year to be any objection to thoss who can pay it ; and those "who cannot , seed not fcs alarmed about It . AU the tsxition that has been devised is cisitsed on the folly and jgncranca of tke people ; and when they shall be ready to pay earnest attention to the RiTjgct , ftey may easily lesrn bow to avcid it With regard to the churches , they give employment to masons , bricklayers , carpenters , and ethers , ia building them ; and should they not be found necessary for tfcs fern efiiata purposes for which tfesy are intended , they any be turned to account in many other ways .
Respecting education , the Church is orzsriz-vg a subscription of a qsarrer of a millieD .- to devote to this purpose , to -R-hieh I see her Majesty and Sir Robert P ^ i fcave fcache&rtJitKiteo . £ 1000 . Tbt Prince Albeit K ; d the Queen Do'srager have each giT-.-c £ hi 0 . zsa tbe iiihop ef London , Tbo is the soul of the scheme , has Stive ; £ iooo . i wish them every success ia iL-. ix undertaking- Toe light of truth 13 now shining too viilbly in the world for jib to lu . ve any canss for fearin ? that the elements of instruction , -Dudtr anj creed , " will do T * - * yrn- The great book of natare is beini ; read in sll conntrieSi 3 Bd any helps to this rtadirg mast tend to"vrards the development of that grtat purpose whrch the Creator hss designed shall bfe now accomplished .
If suy are afraid that we shall Ml too rapidly into the arms of the Church of Rome , th . y may find consolation in the state cf the Scotch Charch . Those who have -satchsd lie proceedings -which have torn tze peraAe of Scotland to the centre , as » means of preparing their minds . fot higher and more noble purjKwts , must much admire the calm and holy zeal , and fervent sincerity ¦ which distinguished Dr . Chalmers and Ks ccadjaton , who 2 xave lately « fce * sed from that eharch . They are bright examples of humanity und&r il » - inSaeucc of superior feelings ; and although tifeii ^ nvseaejit iiss uot at present that universal tendency " » Mch it is hot desirable that we should soon attain to ,
Jtt ire carpet hut admire the devoiion and energy with ¦ wbAcb ^ they pursue their object , tnowinz taat ii must ' ^ Eud tp the same common end . Tijeir proposed remedy ' . is Ma , bailfUiig and tndowing of six hundred Eeiy ; chm che * on ihe voluntary principle ; and the Scotch . P ^ ple have subscribed very freely lot the purpose of I re ^ rnug their favourite preachers , and X > r . Chalmers ; ? Xj ^ 18011 to ftfSl his promise of pursuing the old ! Rations if it be ireeded even to their destruction . ine lush Gmreh , ty law Establuhed , that is , the ¦ -froteEtant , xsms to be in great danger from a remedy ' prcposed—of lendering its revenues available to ether 1 Imposes ; ana the fithe owners will undoubtedly be ^ ^^ ca alarmedj butno one can fail to dheern in this , j **•* & m anrnaaijjrogrea of no small magmtu ^ a The \ PHtaacs of Rrpporfing a body of people with whom j
C ^ t " ^ ? ° * T » P » thy , has been Jong and deeply fell ^ j ^ Jnsh people ; and they have now most wisely rr ^ tost thiE can no longer fee . Ko sooner do * £ *? appear united on the subject , and concectrate j " *» power at one focus , than plenty of persons are , ' *» = aa to argue tbeir tause , and to assist them in pro- ' ™^? t ^ at relief which they will not Ml to obtaiB , in . ' ^^ i proportioB as iheir love and inteliSgence are de- ! j !^ - ^ Msny of the Protestant clergy are makiBg ] t ^ a » wiih the Etpeal party , and adding to that union ' ^ ki power which can ww only be disturbed by undue ; et ^ ttaisBt oa tfcs part of Sie peopls . n , X t * keacalm snrey Ihtn cf the pcsiUon tf the ; ^ ee etnrchBS , evay fricud cf nnivErea ! principles Trill j ss = nmto to rpje-ice at The internal differences that
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exist in them will cause deep and searching enquiry on all sides ; aad sooner or later , in proportion to its intensity , will truth be elicited . As this shall be done , and it shall ba brought to the light of public opinion , will the fallibility ef man be corrected , and we shall be enabled to discern the true road to happiness and walk quietly tberein . The more I reflect upon the su > ject the more strange does it appear , that with every element for happiness so abundantly surrounding him , man is still the victim of so much vice , crime , and misery . The knowledge bowever of the Jaws which govern the universe , and the developeate&t which is taking place in the sciences of human » ture , and of society , will Boon reader the cause of this seeming anomaly plain , and easy to be understood ; and in the mean time I would say to Bebecca and her Daughters , to the promoters of tbs
repeal of the com laws , and to the heads of the various parties in the Churches of England , Scotland , and Ireland , pursne we I the various objects In which you are respectively engaged . To you they may appear the allabsorbin s ones ; but there are other and higher spheres in which these movements will be absorbed the moment their destined o £ ce is performed ; and to the readers of thesa letters I would say offer no obstruction to any of the changes that are now occurring , for they are prepar * ing the way for the introduction of that universal movement which will soon place us in a situation for receiving all the benefits ready to be conferred on us , by the great creatisg spirit of the universe , when we shall be placed in accordance with its laws . I am , Sit , your obedient Servant , William GUlpih . Concordinm , Ham Common , Surrey . August 21 , 1843 .
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TO THE PEOPLE OF IRELAND . Fellow Coustktmes , —Having disposed of the ery of " Ireland for the Irish , " and shewn yon the fallacy of seeking Bepeal without Universal Suffrage ; I will now turn to the question which is of all others of the greatest importance in the present position of Ireland . It is a remarkable fact , that nearly-all classes of Beforfflers agree in the opinion , and even loudly sssers that the Church is the prolific cause of all your misery : but as the various sects and parties of society have their own reasons for attaching all blame to this source , I will content myself with believing in the general opinion upon my own conviction of its truth . This I consider to be the better way , as I am aware that numbers assail the " Old Lady" upon grounds of envy or malice , and with a view to her annihilation , in the hope that their class msy one day share her honours or her profit ; or mayhap aspire to govern this superstitious country in her stead .
With such parties ss these , I hold no sympathy , nor do 1 value their opinion in the present case for much . They may cant" about " evangelical purity ; " the only purity which is visible and apparently essential , is the pure actual amount of pounds shillings and pence .-which ever was , amongst such parties , the distinguishing mark of spirituality , and " ever will be , " a * Paddy says , " world without end . Amen ! " For thow sympathisers with Ireland , I repeat , I have no reciprocity , nor do I calculate upon their assistance to rid you of the burthen which thty so magniloquently declare oppresses you . There can bt > little difficulty in
persuading an Irishman that the existence of a State Church is an . evil to his country of th * greatest magnitude ; nor does he need to be told that both in a political and moral sense her compulsory support is manifestly unjust- He knows all this , and I believe would , had he the power , put an end to her unscriptural career by starving her temporal part out of its sanctity , by the simple measure of stopping the supplies . Now this is just tbe point I would endtavour to explain . You would bIbo get rid of this evil if you bad the power . Let me see how yon prove yeur sincerity . To eet rid cf the Church you agitate for a Bepeal cf tfce Union ; but as I hsve taken the mask from that measure in its
present form , it must follow that if effects be fqaal to causes , you will never get rid of the holy (?) nuisance . You are now , my Countrymen , pieced in a very peculiar position . O'Connell has renounced and denonacfed all political parties , save the Orangemen , asd rests on bis individual exertions to obtain Repeal < This , 1 have shown you , will be impossible ; and that he cannot obUia it constitutionally without the aid of the Bagiiih people . He tells you at the same time he will stand upon Bepeal , and take no concessions ! I would like to know how you ean reconcile these two portions , so as to prove them capable of sueceBtfal results ? Do yon imagine that the Government will gfct tired , and grant to importunity what they have so long refuEtd io justice ; or that to pacify Ireland , they will grant a Bepeal of the Union where they know yeur first act wonid be to , if possible , annihilate Church
asceodanc ) ? Oh , never 2 will you see a constitutional ( to use O'Conueirs own meaning of the term legally , ) Rtptal until yonr English and Scotch brethren are united with you , and in a voice that -will not be denied , demand it- It is plain , then , there is but one way , one step , by which you are to rid yourselves of the Church . TbbD , why , I would ask , stand upon Bepeal for the remainder ot your lives ? Why be wedded , if you are desirous of obtaining it , to a system which is essentially bad , and ultimately doomed to be ineffectual ? I cannot for the life of me see how you are to get out cf the awkward position with credit to yourselves or your cause , unless you honestly and at once acknow ledge your error , and cordially accept the assistance of men who are willing and able to make yoB victorious . Now , mark me 3 unless yon do this , you will learn , -when too Isle , that it is dangerous to reject friendly CDUBSEl .
How then are you to rid yourselves of tbis monster evil ? Answer me , I pray J Is there one man in Ireland will have the honesty or the courage to give me an explanation 7 No 3 not one ; even O'Connell himself trill shirk from the question , and ia his usual ulterior way , say , by the sext « tep J But will O'Conuell , or will you , really persist in standiBg in a false position ., usable even to answer a plain question ; and ¦ arill you still refuse to reason for yourselves ? Is there , I repeat , one man in Ireland , who has faith in O'Connell , thai can tell me how he is to get rid of the church ¦ vrithent Repeal ? or who Trill have the hardihood to assert Repeal is possible by pumiing the present course of policy for its attainment . ? No ! not one ; and yet
you are cot only satisfied to continue In bbnd ignorance of jour position , but dare to prate about ChartiBt interference as a thing to be avoided as dangerous and destrnefcive } Remember , I tell you tbe Charter and the Chartists will be yet the rallying cry to the rescue , end Ireland will owe to their inflaenoe and generous strength her future happiness and glory ! Mr . OConnell , when writing about Chartists , described them as thickheaded . Now , in a political sense ,-1 may be permitted to return his elegant complimcat ; for certainly it was not to be expected that so sapient a man as he is would persist in standing in a pesitk-n from which he has no possible means of htnonraMe escape , save through the assistance of those idfcnt-ca ! itWTnrHcttfls !
T £ e Cssutists fcvke a broad view of the qusstionB which distsact Bociety and oppress tbe people , and dettrniiEed nL-itier to be wheedled nor frightened . They agitate ihe question of the Charter as an effectual means lo enabie them to counteract oppression , and rtfonn afcos-es in cbarcb and state ; whilst they bnUd thtir fniore prospects of happiness upon the principle of ^ iv ^ Dij to every man a voic « in governing himself . Bat O'C- 'iineJ ] seeks only the Repeal of an Act of Parliament as a means to get rid of the burthen of the cinrrfr !
Ti-D , I -wontd ask is there not more th ' . Gk-headedeess i 3 cDstinatsly standing upon sectional reforms , than is noWy ias ike Chartistsilo ) waging ¦ waT asainBt all exiting tvj-s ? Repeal , wifcbuut Universal Suffrage ¦ weuii' r , ; .-t tnpower jon to get rid of the Church ; bnt Rirj >» -: ' - -r-i : i : *« ie Cisrtfr , would enaWe you to sweep rht C n-ch atu aii other evils into oblivion . Rtpeal *¦ £ •;;»; n ¦ * tx = r , « nte yot > from tithes ; ¦ whilst an lruh HurLo of h-rdn and C-jeiugss . elected by Hcu c eho ; d , i : aa ? i-jwi . r-r Wcmai , ncoti ! S . SVr ^ e , ¦ would rule yc . UT utst " : y . > . ; . ! ' compel you to be silent spectators of their
But v-hv viould you have in those Houses ? Would yon m- ' . b ; v = ttie vultures who have preyed on you ; the b-: rj >" -ts v = ho have plundered you ; tbe tyrants who bi"ye ' . tj : >' . « rd on jouj ; the monsters who qiaStd your ljfi-1-. i .-o-. ; -, - . be Ifcccfcts "wbo fa&'se tstkec nutil they can snt > i i , o a .-- -rb from your riliOs ? Ann would you nut havs ti-j txiiiors , who sold year birthright , eager to sell yen z ^ . iv . i , end barter your cenntry end yenrselvea to pvKi ; --ai trifa-.-ters ? ¦ w ho too locg have tDJoyed tha fruits c-r iLeir former purcb-ise-money , paid as the price of Yt-nr tJtbiSciutnt ! You -would have the rampant Tory , -wi .-a . mn ever npiifted to strike , and the insidious Wii ^ -woj : lu tbetp ' s clothing , "who BpeBks fair to yon by dsy-j-. cLi bnt to devour you at ter night-fall .
Thes ? -a-wild bo the I > acdiui who would have to make ia-s-s f"T yoar obedience . And -whom wonl-j yon have to oppos =-to this c * ngion 7 fci . it < 5 d ho&t of enemies ? Why , ytu woulvi jn-rkapa have a few talking Reformers , who if eveis they were hoctst , woaJd be powerless for good , in contequtnee of their minority : in fact , like tbe present Cina . 'Ziii'iic minority in the English Parliament , ¦ who , n&twitb&iaading tbfcir magnanimous exertions , are sure to be < iri * at « 3 on every question which refers to the amelioration of the peoplb ' s condition , Tbas would Ireland continue to suffer , unless tbe people had the pev&r t % » elect thtur own representatives .
There is ihtn as little hope of happiness with such a parliament is Ireland , as there is of obtaining one by the coarse yon have to pursue J The only thing left is to change jour plan of proceeding ; and this 1 would advise you to do as speedily as possible . Remember fee fats of the tithe agiUtion , and take warning fey its result ! Tithes were to have been abolished , and heaven was called to witness the determined resistance to tbe impsst t . ') j and bear in mind , it may be possible , if concessions are made touching the Church and the Bench , that R = p ? sd will die the death of tbe tithe agitation . Concessions sre ^ pokfcn of , and provisions for the Catfeo-Irish dis
lic clergy j »~ mooted as a meats to suppress - c * attnt ; iBu ^ -w cmld ask , of -what avail would it be to the people J ^ pb concessions were to be made on the one £ lde « n £ accepted on the other ? What would ba the isoit probable result ? I assure yon it woslA be onjy Erotherriret driven into the chains that bind you . ' The C-tLoIic Clergy bcicg paid by the Government , wonld become the . slaves of Government , and every act or ovtrt act cf pstrictkm on their part would bs visited with the displeasure cf the powers that be . Thus jew EtitEgth would be weakened , and the people < TfcntUal ' i broi i ^ it iato ccrfliet ¦« ith their ps&tors , srtmld become SJ } fca * y prey to Vtjoir tseiaice .
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There could not be a greater evil than for tbe clergy to accept a provision from tbe Government ; tot whilst they remain free , they can act as circumstances require ; but , should they unfortunately be induced to accept terms of concession and provision , they would be in the position of men who agree to make merchandise of the temporal and eternal interests of their flocks . Aud yet some Buch thing as this mubt take place unless you adopt more tffisient means to remove the cause of oppression . It is thick beaded nonsense to talk about " standing upon Repeal for the remainder of my life , " and promising a " next step " as a remedy when the only step likely to effect speedy and peimanent good la spurned from you as contageous I If Mr . O'Connell ia in earnest—if he is determined to have Repeal , and to
make Repeal a blesaing—if he is sincere in bis wish to gktrid of the incumbrance of the church , I tell him and you that he is only trilling with the people and tampering with their patience . Why , I ask , atand upon Rgpeal , for the remainder of his life , when by a bold and manly , an honest and patriotic , n " LEGAt " and " peaceable" tffort , he might tftctually , in connexion with the English people , not only obtain tbe much talked about Rapeal , but also secure to the people the power to use it for their good 1 I tell him there is no other step worth taking ; and unless he does take this one certain and direct step , he will either be pressed beneath the feet o / Irt'ands enemies , or Irishmen will step out of his way ^ and in the bitterness of disappoint ' meni charge him with being instrumental in leading them
into the ditch ! Open your eyes , then , and do not plunge voluntarily headlong into further depths of slavery ! You have power sufficient to coiiquer oppression , were it a hundred-fold BtroDger than it is . Use that po « er aright ; combine Universal Suffrage with Repeal , and then , and then only , will you have taken a proper step—a step towards that happiness for which you are now wasting your energies and toiling with no prospect of success . Only take this step , and I promise the rapid strides you will make will speedily alarm the factions who joined you , and compel them , nolens volens , to grant you not only Repeal , but whatever else you aBk besides , taking the Cbuxch off your hands in token ot respect for your sovereign will ; J am , fellow countrymen , Your obedient and faithful servant , W . H . Clifton .
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TO THE RlfirHT HON . LORD ASHLEY , M . P . Ml Loud , —Another session of Parliament has jnfft drawn to a close , and the philanthropic object for which yonr Lordship sacrificed both place and pay , the Ten Hours' Bill , appears no nearer gained than when tbe session commenced . I am the more sorry for this , my Lord , as 1 am firmly convinced that tho present factory system is a murderous sy * tem . Tho great numb r of deaths , both of infants and young persons ( particularly tbe female portion of them ) , which are continually taking place in these manufacturing districts , are , in a very great measure attributable to ita operations .
As your Lordship is amsys ready to hear anything on this nost impertant subject , and as facts speak louder than words , I am sure your Lordship will excuEe me relating tbe following death-bed scene which fell a few weeks ago under my immediate notice . The young person ' s name to whom I allude , was Mary M . She had wrought in a factory from her childhood up to fcer twenty-fifth year , the time of her death . When I first knew her , she belonged to a Sunday School which I superintended . She had seen many of her companions carried to tbe grave , their deaths brought en by having been over long , and over wrought , in the factory .
A very dear companion of hers was taken away a few years ago through that same cause . This girl was so attached to tbe Church school , that she attended it as long as she could c : awl . The last time she attended , she had to be taken back home betwezu two of her faithful associates . The time at length arrived when poor Mary M was to follow her companions to Iheir long home . I heard that she was very ill , and visited her a long time . She constantly declared that tbe Factory System had brought her to her sick bed ; to all appearance her death-bed ; and so it proved . I happened to be walking in the street one Monday afternoon , and saw the father of the young woman hurrying along the street greatly confused . When I asked him
the matter , he told me he believed his daughter was dying I hurried away at once to tbe death-bed side . As soon as I entered tbe door , she turned htr poor pale face to me ; and , after talking to her for some time , a thought struck me , that we had all kinds of evidence to prove the murderous tflfie-cta of the Factory System . We Lad medical testimony , overlookers' testimony , and factory cripples' testimony , with the testimony of s great many master manufacturers themselves . But I thought , my Lord , that I would even go further than them all , and get a death-bed testimony , to see if that was wanted to convince our " ChriBtian" legislators that ten hours a-day is quJte sufficient f-r poor factory workers , as it is for any artisan , or common day labourer .
1 therefore said to this poor dying factory victim , jost eleven hours before her death , " Mary , we ara now before God , and death stares you in the face ; answer me one question , fairly and bonently , as in the sight of God Almighty : do you ; really believe that on account of the long hour * Tmrh « M b * & to -wort in the Factories , with tbe other fcVilsjHHment on tbe Factory System , you have r-etn brongjHHpBr grave ?" Ob ! my Lord ; would tbat ^ PwnJd convey to your Lordfliip the look of tbat ghastly countenance when I put that question to htr . Thai look I shall never forget . ' With the iittie remaining strength she had left , she exclaimed , " Yes , —I do—If I never see you more . " And then * he added , " I have been , many times , wet to the fkin , when ltavicg home in tbe morning to go to tbe mill ; and many times whtn I have got to the gates I have had to stand in the rain for fifteen or twenty minutes before I cotld gtt in to my wotk ; and tbea have to commence working with the clothes drying on Hjyback . " '
This theD , my Lord , is the testimony of a poor dying ' factory victim . '" and this in "Christian" England too . This in Moral" England , as Baines of Leeds would have us believe . Well , my Lord , whatever else it is , it is murderous England ! Talk about morality , nsy Lord ! why there are , in this town , up in one short Btrtet and bick of another , no lets than between twenty and thirty public bouses and dramshops , with numbers of brothels and places of amusement las they are called ) of no very good character . Such places were scarcely known of , when I first knew Bradford , about fourteen years ago ; and now the place literally swarms with them : and stiil we are growing " moral" forsooth ! I am sorry to say , my Lord , that these places are , in too many instances , frequented b 5 facloiy -workers .
When , my Lord , will the legislators of this conntry wipe off the foul stain of " White Slavery , " by givirg ua a good efficient ten honr ' a bill , combined with other measures , so that the factory workers may have proper time for education , ar d for learning every other duty at home , that they may bbcome good and useful members of society . Then , instead of seeing a low . degraded , imm « ral generation growiDg up , we ahouid have the happiness of seeing tbe rising generation grow up in every virtue which adorns a man , a woman , and a Christian . That snch a time may soon arrive is the sincere prayer of Your Lordship ' s obedient servant , Squike Auty . Bradford , August 23 rd , 1843 .
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: ^ A KORTHERN TOUR . 'A chiel's amon ? yo t&kin notes , And , faith , ht ' II prent iJ . " TO THE EDITOR CF THE NORTHERN STAR . Dear Sia , —Tuesday , August 22 nd , I left Mauchline , proceeding by coach to K'ltuarnock , and from there by railway to Glasgow ; 1 Ha « l no orportunity of FMOcine out old frieqria of tho good ctiubo in K huarm . el ; , and therefore carrot spenk pobitivrly to tjie . stat'j of poliUc . il feeling , but from tfce information I gleaned ¦ while in Mauchlice , 1 hejiuvi : Chartism to bt in a state of quiescence throughout Ayrshire at the present tinie ; and tbat KiJmarnock is no txctption to thegt-aeral rale . Jar . Hi ! l has been invited to lecture in the town ; stioald he do so , his visit ¦ will , I trust , bs productive of a " revival" of the olden sniriL Arrived
at Glaseovr , I mads my -way to Mr . Barns , schoolmaster of the Chanist Chureh in the Gorbals . Mr . B . has about oco hundred and forty scholars under his care , and tpjuys the repntalioa of being a very efficient teacher ; the children are neariy all about the same age as if they had been produced at a sincle b . rth ; the reason of this is , that the moment a boy or girl is deemed to be any way fit for labour , he or she is immediately ( if woik can be found them ) , removed to tUe mill or any other employment tbat can be procured for tbe unfortunate heir of slavery
and want- What a crying sin is tbis to tbe rulers if the land , and disgracefnl blot upon the ccniitry , that beings bo young should be deprived of the days which ihould be devoted to intellectual cclture , and tbe hours which should be sacred to childhood's sports , that they may toil to aid their wretched parents , too often deprived of employment by tbat very system which drives their cnildren to vice and death , the too usual results of condemning the rising generation to premature and unnatural labour . Mr . Burns , in addition to being a good schoolmaster , is aleo a good ChartiBt , and well deserves all tbe support he gets . 1
In tjpe eveniDg 1 addressed a meeting of the Gorbals men in the Chardst Church , wkich was thickly crowded by the most enthusiastic audience I have had tbt honour of addressing since , leaving home . A Mr . Cameron filled the chair , and introduced me to the meeting . I spote for above two hours , and was most warmly applauded . Mr . AdaaiB followed , and delivered a brief aud excellent speech . Mr . Livingstone moved a vote of thanks to your humble servant , which was seconded by honest John Colquhoun , in * ne of his usual warm-hearted and energetic speeches . Finally , we wound np by singing " We'll rally around him , " and giving the usual cheers for Frost , O'Connor , and the Charter , » nd no surrender .
A certain cantiBg , clerical , religious renegade , one of the gang cf traitors and humbugs who opposed me when I first viBited Glasgow in January or February , 1840 , had been vacnting that if I attempted to js&cuk in Glsi-so'w , he -could show me up . Tbe opportunity was sSotded him , b « t very wisely be dia boJ aaiei his
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appearance . Chartism has been all but assassinate * by the preaching prfgs , and politioai knaves , who , for a long time , wera looked up to as the leaders of the democratio cause in Glasgow . These felWs , stoca the !* defection ta the Complete Suffrage ! ranks , hava acted as the bitterest enemies of Chartism ; but nolhing near the harm was done by their avowed defection , compared with the evil they effected while yet pretending to call themselves Chartists . Jfot a meeting was held for many months , but at whicb strife , bickering , and denuueiat on was thejKder of the day , caused by the private slanders and open calumnies of these now justly detested traitors . Their defection , aud the strife which preceded it , naturally caused the people to become disgusted with almost all public aien an * weary Jof all
political agitation ; hence the present apathetic state of Glasgow , from which the people of that city can only be aroused by re-organialug the movement in England , thereby rallying hope once more on the northern side of the border by the moral influence which the English democrats will always possess over their Scottish brethren ; secondly , by extending the Organisation to Scotland , and uniting the people of that country with those of England ia one bond of fraternity j aud lastly , by framing snch an Organization which shall render the people as independent aa possible of leadership , and render it a matter of comDaratlve indifference whether mwp mouthers are honest or dishonest , the people being protected from their villany , Jf inclined he turn knaves .
In tbe Gorbals the " sacred fire" of Chartism ia still kept burning ; and in the city , notwithstanding tho defection of treacherous chiefs , the soldiers still exist ^ - diaorgaufasd , or resting on their arms , 'tis true , but ready for action whenever the banner of democracy shall be again unfurled , and an aim presented to them by which they may hope to cut their way to victory . The Sturgite faction in Glasgow whioh hoped to thrive by the destruction of the Cbailist party is absolutely defunct , —gone out like the last smoke of a farthing Tushlight , leaving nothing behind but the stink of ita bad same . Its fate has been the eama in Edinburgh ; and here in Newaaatle , although patron : zid by the Knight of the Spital , Sir John Fife-that traitor to tile people ' s cause—the faction has , following the good example of Castlereagh , died by its own bands . Lastly , in Sunderlaud , it has there too descended to the " tomb of all the Capuleta . "
Of ail the w . e&s of corruption and misery it has ever bsen my lot to visit , surely Glasgow is the worst . I have seen London , Manchester , Birmingham , Leeda , and other great hives of human crime and human agony ; but for undisguised profligacy , offensive brutality , squalid wretchedness , and unbearable filth , Gl . vsgow , to tny mind , excels them all . Take its femAles , thronging tho streets , and , ye gods , what a contrast between them aud the tveaen of Ayrshire I There are thousands to be met with in the streets and wynds of Glasgow , v ? hom most folk possessed of stomachs would not touch even with a pair of tonga . I know no adequate remedy for the horrors of Glasgow but that of blocking it up at one extremity and setting fire to it at the other . Never until all large cities and ' . owns are Jernsa ' : emiz''d—Ihe plough passed over them and monuments erected to toll tho ii quiring traveller " here stood Glasgow , " or
V here Btood Manchester , " &c , &c , shall we bo able to drive corruption and tyranny from their strongest holds , or establish the reign of equality , virtue , and happiness . Before , leaving Mauchline I bad received letters from England whioh compelled me to hasten my departure from Scotland ; accordingly I was compelled to throw overboard intended visits to Greenpck , Campsie , and several other places . I believe I have caused some disappointment to my Campsie friends , who had expected me to visit them on the 26 th , and who , I understand , were arranging to meet me in procession with a band of music , ice I regretted much my being unable to comply with their' kind invitation j at some future day I may see them . The Glasgow men , teo , wished me to st » y with thorn till th 6 28 tb , and in compa-iy with Mr . Hill , attend a city meeting of the democracy . It would have afforded me extreme pleasure to have done so , but my engagements in England would not allow me .
Friday , August 26 th—I left Glasgow for Edinburgh , per railway . The railway is a fine piece of work , commencing at Glasgow under a tunnel tbree quarters of a mile in length . Several places of interest are ia the neighbourhood of tbe line , particularly Faikirk and Linlitbgow : the former famous for the conflicts of Scotch and English in its vicinity , ; in the times of Wallace and Prince Charlie , and tbe latter for its having beeu once tbe seat , of Royalty , and still containing crumbling monuments ef ita former greatness . Custlecary is also on tho line ; possibly the reader mny tem-jwber having heard or wad a beautiful Scotch song called " Mary of Caatlecary ' ! I forget its author ' s name .
I that evenleg addressed the men of Leith in the Trades Hall . A Mr . M'Crae , a very intelligent working man presided ; several middle-class men were present , and I flatter myself ( hat I tolerably well satisfied my hearers . The meeting was not very large , but extremely attentive and enthusiastic in support of nvy appeal for a junction of tho Chartists of the two countries . I am convinced that the veritable union of the two nations is a project tbat will have the hearty support of tbe great majority of the Scottish democrats ; but great care will be ltquirajfljlttthe part of the English Chartistato keep up a ^ Kement this good feeling . The Scotch are proverbially cautious with respect to the " siller" and ah matters appertaining thereto ; therefore mokt tbe Eoglivh democrats taho good care wbo they elect or select to fill effiess of trust in the new Organization . Whether there bUhII be » union of the two nations will principally depend upon tbe discretion aud judgment of the English people in tbis vital matter . " A word to the wise is sufficient . "
I roturned to Edinburgh on Friday evening , and slept at Mr . Cranstone's Coffee House , a place of abiding I would recommend to all the advocates of political and social progress , visiting ' * Auld Keokio . " The proprietor , Mr . Cranstone , is a good Chartist , and intellectually a very superior man ; as such is well worthy of the support of all who love and advocate the right . i Chartism is shelved in Edinburgh for the present Tbe body have lost their Had of meeting , and are consequently unable new to hold meetings Without the certainty of being involved in debt . Faction has cut
the throat of Chartism in Edinburgh . Leader *! have been the curse of the causa there as well as in Glasgow ; and there , too , the traitors and deserters , still having the unblushing assurance to call themselves Cbaitists , are the worst enemies to the movement , and are doing everything in their power to keep up discussion , and create further disgust Still there are some excellent Chartists in Edinburgh , aud the mass of the party is still sound at the core . New measures and modes of action are what are principally ueeied ' to improve hope once again . Confidence may tben be restored , aDd Edinburgh may be found once again one ef the foremost fortresses of democratic strength .
I had no time for " sight-seeing" in Edinburgh , tbeugh I should have liked very well to have visited Holyrood House , the Castle , &c . had I had time . Edinburgh ia a splendid place , that is , splendid for the aristosracy—splendid for the shopocracy—and splendid to the eye of the giddy tourist and superficial observer ; but to call it splendid , we must shut onr eyes to its filthy " wynda , " . " cloaeB , " and Babel-like dens in the old town , where thousands live a life of want and misery until cut off by the dreadful , yet friendly , hand of fover , which , like the plague in tbe East , is the unenvied g ii'Bt of all Scotch towns and cities , caused by tbe insufficient diet and dirty houses (?) of too many thousands of the labouring poor .
Tho monument in honour of Sir Walter Scott bids fair to be a magnificent structure , and already puta to shame that miserable abortion , the "Nelson Monument ' of London , a irenumeot of cockney taste with a ven-« eauce ! One spot in Edinburgh I had a particular desire to visit ; that waa the grave of Ferguason , the poet , in the burial ground of tbe kirk in Cannong ite , bnt the gaies of the yard were closed and I could not r . ain adnuskioa . Certain prosecutions for that undefined and untieflnuble tffj-ce called "Blasphemy" arr just now exciting no little iutereBt iu ' AuUl Retliie" The parties prp . scc . ted are Messrs . Rc » bins * n and Ftnlay , and tfcat how weil-snown cbaacter , " tho manPaterson " . The two formtr treie flwt arrtifitei ' , and the sh * p of R ' .
'bin-Eon fairly guttmi by the harpffs of the Jaw , while Robiiifcon himaeif was most infamously treated ; he being : confined to hie bed with illness at the time , was watched night aud day by *• filthy dungeon villains , " wUc fairly too 6 possession of his house . After such trfcatment , aud after plundering him of his propfarty , ho was brought to trial , when it was found that , as In the case of the " fifty-nine conspirators , ' the indictment against him and Finlay waa eo wretchedly defective that it could not ho sus * a ? ned , ; the coriseqaeneo won , ( he present acquittal of tbe defendants . and their bring bound over on another warrant to ineel another t , tat . " The man PaterBim " , expecting Robin-Bcn to be imprisoned , had come to , Edinburgh to keep his shop . On Robinson 1 > eing net at liberty ,
ho ppc . ced a shop of his own , and has Since been ergaged in constant war with the " authorities . " Persons for posting his piacanis have been sei ' z ^ d and flo-nrenced to imprisonment , or held to bail ; his shop has already ouce been entered , aud everything therein taken away by tbe police thieves ; and when I was in Edinburgh be <* as in daily expectation of another and a 8 milar visit from the " guardians cf public order . " He ib aleo under bail to app ° ar ( it is expected ) in November . Of Mr . Finlay 1 know nothing , except that he bears the character , in Edinburgh , of an upright and clover man . Robinson I was personally acquainted with about eight years since , when we were both engaged in the Btruer ^ le to establish aa unstamped press ; he had suffered aVnoit imprisonment in Derby for vending the unstamped publications , and on hia
removal to Glasgow , I took « p hia position in the former town , which position I maintained until I was myself condemned to six months imprisonment for ii similar offence . Robinson afterwards removed to Erttnbnrgh , wLero he Las for some yemrs no « HHled'th . e useful and honoamble effice of liberal bookseller of that city " Tbe man Patewon , " I hnve Irnown for nearly two years . I first became acquaintf d with htm at Sheffield , where he was assfsting Mr . Hoiyoake , the Socialist lecturer . Birce that time Peterson has aequired no littlo notoriety by his famed shop in Htolywell-street , and his battles'with Hall and Jardine , the magisterial Solons of Bow-street . Perfetins unacquainted -with Paterson would suppose bim to be a monster , judging by tbe *¦ fasisy portraita" of him given by tbe veritable , many-headed niorssts-r , tke London press . J know him —I know hhn iu private life to be oo < j of tUe best of
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men ; hie morality , aelf-demal , warmth of affection , and love of liberty , wd » l entitla him to that character . Gvhtlo as a child ia private ; life , he ia fierce and resolute : u » a lion in public life ; and the Edinburgh champions of orthodoxy will find himlan " ugly customer" to deal with . I I have introduced this subject because , as a democrat , I feel bound to protest , against all persecution . I say nothing as to the principles , theological or antitheological , contended for { by these men ; th 8 Northern Star is not the proper arena ia which , to discuss the merits of creeds or the truth or otherwise of any system of belief ; but as aiman claiming the rights of man , I demand for all men the right of perfect freedom of thought , speech , writing , and publishing . If
men speak or publish nonsense or falsehood , they will not do so for long in a state of things where veritable freedom of thought is established . Where all may enter tbe lists of mental conflict , the sophist will not long delude , nor the bad man long deceive ; therefore , would I have full liberty for the publishing of 6 veu nonsense and falsehood , because the evil would be immediately corrected by ( the publication of sound knowledge and truth . Under the existing system , what are called "limits ofjfree discussion" artj always defined by those who have the power to will vrhat they please ; and they titkecare to defino these "limits " that tbe hired tools of corruption shall be permitted to have full fling at the principles and advocates of universal right and universal justice , while these latter if they dare boldly to assail the cheat ^ ry , fraud , and humbug of the enslavers and deceivers of mankind are hunted down as pests j to be destroyed , pests
to be thrust without the J pale of humanity . The hypocrites and state-jugglers who raise the war-whoop of persecution against a Southwell , a Eolyoake , a Pdterson , or a Robinson , i would hunt down Jesus Christ himself , were be now among them , and dared personally to teach what these fallows affect to believe in . The case of these men is one , in my bumble opinion , well worthy the sympathy aud support of all who love liberty , and desire to see tbe human race freed from the thraldom of priestcraft and tytant-ciaft . For myself , as one of the c ^ mniui . ity , I feel tbat my right of free-thsught is invaded in the persons sf these men—holding , as , I do , that " where one of the community is oppressed , all are oppressed" I therefore protest against these ridiculous a-ud infamous prosecutions , and appeal to my brother democrats to everywhere raisd their voices in prbtcstatioa against them , nnft in vindication of the sacred right of free and unlimited discussion !
I took passage on board the Vesta steamer , and left Granton Pier on Saturday { evening , tbe 26 ' . h , at &ix o ' clock ; after a pleasant passage of thirteen hours , 1 lamkd at Shields on Sunday morning . Georgk Julian Ha . r ; vey . Newcastle , Aug . 28 th , 1843 .
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TO DANIEL O'CONNELL , ESQ ., M . P . ttt , —I bavo read your Vplan for the renewed action of the Irish Parliament" with the utmost attention ; and , in ray humble opinion , the basis upon which the representation is founded , —namely , populationis sound , right , just , and equitable . It is the first step tfcat I have seen you toko in the right path since the death of Cobbstt . I am rejoiced beyond expression to see that you have abandoned the infamous Castle reaga ' s plan of making rental ^ revenue , and population ot
tbe ba ^ is representation , if it were for ko other reason than that Castleieagh ' s plan would givo an iucrease in the representation in tho same ratio as the people increased the revenue by drinking whiskey and chewing tobacco ; because , where revenua ia mixed « p as an ingredient In forming the basis of representation , that representation tnuat necessarily be limited in extended ia proportion to the ever fluctuating state of the revenue ; and , thertfore , such basis , or any other basis but that of population alone , which you have wi&ely adopted , must be fallacious .
It has often grieved mo to | observe Urafc in almost every instance where differences of opinion arise npon certain political propositions , anijry feelings , also arise , and very often envy , hatred , lili-will , and all manner of uncharitabieness . I cannot account for tbis ; but such is the fact Now , although I do not profess to have more political virtue , or a greater share of good temper than other people , yet jit is wall known that 1 h&vo come to tbe discussion of { political propositions in which I felt a deep interest , with tbe same disposition to arrive at a just conclusion as I should f- ^ el in demonstrating a proposition in Euclid ot in telli ;< g op an account in a ledger , and without the most rtnioty idea of mixing up any personal feeling in the matter . I have ever looked upon it as bad logic no say , " such a man is opposed ? to my political views ; the orangemen are opposed to them ; the orangenien are my personal enemies -, therefore he who does
not agree with me in polities must be a personal enemy . " Now , this is a specimen of false logic , yot it is very frequently made use ot . ¦ I agree , for instance , fully and reservedly to the principle of taxing population , and population alone , as the basis of representation while at the same time I dissent altogether from the sixth proposition of the plan of the renewed action of tho Irish Parliament , which in my opinion is absurd , ridiculous , and impracticable ; it ; surety does not follow as a consequence that I must be the enemy of tbe author of that in which I concur because be purposes something else in which 1 do not concur . The sixth proposition , to which I object , ( says , "It Is pioposcd that tho right of voting shonid bo what is called Household Suffrage" requiring six months residence in the counties , with the addition ia the towns of married men resident for twelve months , { whether householders or not . " :
Surely , Sir , you cannot avoid seeing tasA the principle upon which you base the Suffrage dow not harmonifc-3 with that upon which you base the representation . Beside , it appears to me to be ! wholly impracticable . How can you or any man define a parliamentary House ? It was owing to the indefinite term " House" that you losi Dublin . Lawyers differ in their definition of " house and premises . " Parliamentary committees differ about its meaning . It is a-fertile cause for calling petitions to Parliament , and for Patliauientiiry comir . itteeo . :
In 1832 there were six voters i registered out of one house ia Charles-street , five of whom wera registered as " householders , and one as a leaseholder . " Your proposition v / ill disfranchise all . ; those electors exc-rpt the owner b ; id tbe leaseholder : besides , it will disfranchise the seven-eighths of the Catholic clergy resident In towns and cities , because few ot them ara ' * householders" aud none of them married , or ever will he raarriod . Is it just to deny those gentlemen tho right of citizens , because they reside in cities ; while tfatir more lucky brethren who reside , in the country are thereby entitled t ; enjoy that right ? The question as to what is a legal marriage will { arise ; ths marriage atticltB will be examined , a .. d iproof of ceitificuws
required . ) There are thousands of persohs of small income resident in Dublin , in lodgings , who are not married , and who know the value of and would appreciate the efective franchise , and exercise it conscientiously , to exclude "whom from the rights of qitfz-nship would ha a grievous act of injustice . Suppose that adverse circuniBtances should overtake Mr . Janies Haughton , which Heaven avert , and that he was obliged to part with his household property and live ia lodgings , wonld it not be a great act of injustice—na ^ , cruelty , to add to his misfortunes by depriving him ] ot the elective franchise , while he himself still remained tha same benevolent , patriotic , and virtuous James Haaghtou t
You say that married men resident in a town or city for twelve months would ba entitled to tbe elective franchise , -whether he had a house or not . Now , it is a great misfortune to a man to lose a good wife , and such less , to my own knowledge , has been tha ruin of many a man , and the destruction of his family ; would it not be a great hardship to deprive an unfortunate man of his elective franchise because he had the misfortune to lose his wife . According to four plan , the franchise should ba Buried in the grave with hia wife . I was taught , Sir , by a wise , a sensible , and an uptight parent , " never to depart from principle for the sake of expediency , " and every days' experience proves to me the wisdom of that lesaon . Principle is permanent
It will endure for ever . Expediency ia ephemeral , ever varying—never certain—and will lead its votaries into the most extravagant absurdities . Christiauity is baaed upon principle , not upon expediency . The selection of the twelve Apostles' should ever afford us a salutary ixatnple . They were not Eelectedi becauEe they were householders , or married men , but , according to th& beat authorities , because it proved to the world that , if real virtue , trutb , and sincerity , are to b ^ found upon earth it is amongst the poor working classes you are to find them . We a * e told that there is no distinction of persons in heaven . Man is made in the image of God . Why then deprive any man of bis natural n ' ght , wuept for aa offence aaaiuet the taw * of
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God , which is also an offance against his fellowmanan offence ogain&t society ? Act like a mac—forego your prejudices . Be what you were in the days of Cobbett , whan you blesssd yunr eon Jobu a 5 Yon ^ hal , for having voted with him and against ; yourself . Yoa cannot maintain Household Suffrage , jVfesiiood Suffrage , Ganeral Suffrage , or Complete Suffrage , aa expedients in place cf Universal Suffrage , which is tha true aad generous suffrage , as well known r ^ d as well understood ns the words , " Coming of age , " or the " age of maturity . " In 1780 , Colonel L&nnox , afterwards Dufca of R- ' ch .-mond , Misjor Carfcwright , the profound Sharps , Bidot Jebb , Northcott , L-fft , and other great men , afire .-d to a declaration of rights which contains amonget other propositions favourable to public Hbert 7 , the tfareo following : —
" -Everyman , ( infants , insane persons , and crnr . aals only exempted ) is of common right , and by the laws of G > d , a freeman and entitled to tha fall ecjoymeut of political liberty . " " It is essential to a Bian ' s poliiteal liberty , thit ha have au actual Btma eithe ? ia legislation itself , or in the , electing of those who are to frame tbs laws ; which althoughthey ought to protect him in the full t » : joyni&nt of those absolute rights that ars invested ia him by the immutable laws of nr . ture , may yet be fabricated t / the destruction of his person ; bis property , his religions freedom , hia family , aad fame . "
* , ' It ia a natural right and required by the prln-iplas of the Constitution that a new house of parliamer , bo elected ones every year ; because whenever a parliament continues in being for a longer term than one session , then thousands , who since it was chosen , have att-duad to man's estate , and are therefore entitled to enter into immediate possession of that elective power which is their best and most sacred inheritance , are in that case cnest unjustly denied their right and excluded from : ae enjoyment of political liberty . " How plain , simple , just , right , and admirable are these principles , and how they stand tha test at the end of sixty-three years . These are tho genuine principles of political liberty . You oc . ee held , them , cherished thorn , and advocated them . Adopt them
again ; stand to them firmly and determinedly ; and you -will Repeal the Union , Reform the Corporations , abolish tithes , stop the clearance system , and fcn > g your poor , hani-workiDg , hocest , ill-used , fellowcountrymen within the pale of tbe constitution . It may ta said that the poor labourer and the pauper in the workhouse have no right to the franchise ; but why not , let me ask ? Are the } not Ghd ' s creatuies , aa well as the rich ? He ma ^ e them after hia own l *< : snc ; & =, but He did not make brick h > mscs , mud caM . -g , one pound notes , or a national dt , b ' , in Govern ? : j .-. ut debentures , consols , &c &c , though the posses ; . rg of these things which have caused more wot than all other things pat together , have t £ w r >; , jt to vote . Tho poor labcurtr , who is tke very fouv . ittien of society is shut out of society , and dsuien tl ' . e right of eitizsnahip . The elective franchise woiiM ba tna
shield , his best promotion . Get it ior him , and there will be an end to the clearance system . G-t it for bim , and the landlord or master will ta £ e uuo of him while he ia able to say yes or no . Get it . f- >> r him , and the happy leoks and healthy limbs of his offspring will be yotir reward ; a reward which mosarebs i-aijlit envy . ' Get him , the franchise acd the labourer ¦ B ill sooa be held worthy of his hire . Ketuember tbat it ia in , the condition of the working classes , and there alone that men of sense and intearity look for the character of a Government . There is no danger to be apprehended from the millions wh © would have the right to vote . Faw men would demand a poll whsn they found the popular veice against them at the elections . It would be easy to divide and count by the use of lines as trees are countea in a wood . By jadicious arrangements all the elections in the kingdom conld be taken in two hours .
In a future latter I shall provo , or at least endeavour to provo , tbat the Sovereign has not the power to Repeal the Union tbat there is no analogy between the abdication of K \ ng James and the supposed abdication of the Union ; that the Union cannot " abdicate . " At the same time it is bnt justice to myself to say , lost theie should be any misiake about it , that sooner than see my country kept in her present degraded and impoverished condition , if there were no other mode of Repealing the Union , or of plaeing Ireland upon a footing of perfect equality with England , I should turn round and adopt the last resource . Patbick O'Eiggiss . No . 14 , North Anne-street , Aug . 23 , 1843 .
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WINGATE GRANGE COLLIERY . To the Public . —As the dispute bbtwtwn us and our employers is yet undecided , wa feel it to be out duty to state , that we feel vhankful lo thoss of oar friends ixho have supported us with tbeir mite , in our struggle of right against might ; and lite wise to acquaint yoa that tba hand biils that our masters have put out , are intended to prejudice gut case in the mtndsr of the public ; but truth will stand with a bold front against falsehood . Mr . Chicken , the Eagineer of our choice , has pronounced the wire rope unsafe , it being in a broken state , having 20 broken wirea in it , aud the rope otherwise split in three difierent plac * : B , 14 feat , 8 feet , and 4 feet , making 26 feet split iu the tope ; and tbe masters' engineers have found and declared tbe rope te be so damaged ; still they wish to make ub and tha pnblic believe , tbat after one-fifth of the lopais broken , it is but one-nineteenth part weaker / Tkere ara 29
wires broke out of 96 ; that constitutes the whole of the rope , and thera is 2 G fast of the rope split tip ; and yet they publish to the world a bill , with their own uamea attached to it , that the rope is but one-aineteenth pait weaker than if it was whole ! We bold ) y assert that we thiuk them either not competent to divide 96 l > y 20 , or they ure n ^ t honest in their decision . Since they havegivea their decision , the rope in question has actually broken , or draivn ouykt of the socket that attaches it to the cage , and the cage fell to the bottom of the Fir I Wo feel determined to have tha broken ropa taken off before we go to work again . We thank yoa for the help that you have given us , and although onr privatioua have been very great for the past tea weeks , wa are determined to have justice , if it can be found . With youi 1 aid we will 2 ght evety inch of ground that the law can give us . We are convinced it La our duty : for human Jifo is a sacred thing , and ought not to be sacrificed tax the gain of others .
From the workmen of Wingate Grange Colliery . Committee Boom , Aug . 26 tb , 1843 . In relasion to this disgraceful dispute , —disgraceful to those who wish 4 he Colliers to trust their lives upon an unsafe rope , the following temperate and judicious observations have been made by Mr . Homer , solicitor of Darlington ; and circulated in an band-bill . They do him great honour j and surely justify the men ia refusing to trust their lives upon the " unsafe rope " : — " I had occasion some mouths ago to observe on the bad taste and worse policy of a hand-Mi ! issued by the owners , or thtsir egents at this Colliery ; and I waa obliged to remark at the same time on a not ver ? reputable suppression of suca facts as had occurred in the pitmen ' s favour .
" We are regaled , or in other words , common sense and public decency have been again cutr&gdd by another publication from the same party j in which all the bad qualities of ihe former document are renewed , and the same suppression of truth committed . " The report of Messrs . Robinson and Gair , on the disputed tope , is aow printed for the public edification ; because , by an inference , though of a very questionable nature , the rnpe may be considered as practically safe . But fcheso publishers have carefully conceded the fccfc that another Engineer , of venerable an ' hority , haa given in bis report that tb * rope is unsafe , and unfit for the trust of human li / e . " moral , as well as in a practical sense , the concealment of tbe truth is not less vetul tliaa the promulgation of a falsehood .
" This is not a matter of pounds , ihiihnge , and pencp : human life is the qwslwn at issue ; aud if one single Engineer of cunipetent ' authority is of opinion t&f-t tha rope is nuaafe , it ousht to bo instantly conrir-mm .-a , even though all . the rest of the world were of a d . fiurent persuasion . " Messrs . Rabinson and G . i 5 r give an account of several broken wires in this rope ; and it can matter little to what th-5 fractures are imputed : the rope is in a broken condition , and Mr . Chiekcn , the Eagiacer , declares it unsafe . It has been observed of late , on the occasion of tba steam vessel , the Pegasus , tnat hatnaa life is a sacred thing , and ought not to be placed in dan # e-oua positions , even though all the . chances are iu favour of
escape ; " My duties , aa the pitmens' eolicstor , are now at an end . Toe men of the various Collieries , on the Tyne and tho Wear , and tbe Eastern Coast , hava united In tho appointment ot a solicitor for tfa&ir owa exclusive business and protection ; and they have fixed on a gentlemen , of a" z ^ ai , cot greater than my own , but iniiaitely more able , by his talents , to do justice to the cause ir . to which he has been called . In taking my departure from that cause , I would beg permission to advise the Colliery Agents to be more discreet and less irritatffig : on the other hand , I eounsef and enjoin the men to persevere in ' obeaience and good intentions , and I now bid them my sine-ire farewell . Darlington , August 17 c& , 1843 . T . HORNER .
P . S . —Sums received at WIngste Grange Colliery , for the men on strike , Angust 22 od , 1843 . Tromdon , £ 15 7 a . 63 . Castle Eden , £ 7 10 s . Caasop , £ i 10 s . Thornley , £ 6 Os . 9 d . Kelloe , £ 3 6 s . lid . Qaarrington Hill , £ 2 3 s . 61 . Tesick , £ 3 15 s . 9 d . Helton , £ 1 2 ' v 9 « . EllormooT , jg 2 11 s . 9 d . ' South Hetton , £ 4 ? 12 s . 7 & Datton , 12 s . 7 d . Hugh Hall , £ 2 Oa M . Wingatefiends , £ 1 16 a . 6 £ d . Newbottle , 5 a , Haswell , l ^ # eteber . ton , £ i 69 . 6 < L Pramwellgate Moor > £ 2 * i ! Ti /? 4 ; Jd Secsiaton , £ 1 . Eimonsley , £ 1 Is . BedlingEon i > istret , £$ 8 s . 5 d . Craghead , £ l 10 s . 6 d . South'Moor , £ l lls . fid . Cragwoed . £ 2 3 s . 3 d . Pontop , lift 3 d . South Tanfield , £ l Is . 6 J . West Stanley , 183 . Two
Friends , 2 s . Shine ? Row , 133 . i >\ . * Wettpu P-iifc , 13 i . Tantoby , 5 d . A Friend , 5 s . Walbottle , £ 2 6 j . A Friend , 6 d . A Friend , 5 s . Fareacres , £ 1 17 s . 83 Beaton Burn , £ 2 14 s . lOd . SpitaltoBgnes , lgs 6 < I . Andrew ' s House 13 7 ( 1 ^* Hartley , £ 1 Benwe % £ 1 . WallsfcBd , £ V 161 . Pearoy Main , £ 2 18 < t . South Elswick , £ 2 4 b . 2 < 1 . Marlow Hill , £ 1 7 r . 61 . Fs ^ rdeO , 193 . 3 d . Hebson , £ 3 . Felling , Wi . 81 . Blagetoa Main , £ l . Washington , £ 1 5 s 3 d . Goafoitfi , £ 3 O « 6 d . We 5 tmoor , £ 6 . ¦ WestCraBilin ? ton , £ 3 3- 31 . Spring-Well , £ 2 . Sheriff-hill . £ 2 8 s . Tyue Main £ 1 18 * . 63 . East Holy well £ 2 2 s . Gd . Earsdon , £ 1 9 i . West Holywell , £ l !•« . 6 J . Bishop Aakland , £ 2 18 \ 3 d .
Untitled Article
TO THE EDITOR OF THE NORTHERN STAR . Sin—Language is wholly | inadtq " uate to convey even an idea of the cent otship which is at present exercised over what is called bore the liberal press . A Dublin newspaper dare no more publish anything to which tho Liberator objected , er which might be disagreeable ) to hitn than a toad dare to budge when under a harrow . Any change to get rid of this ^ odious tyranny , must be a change for the better . It is intolerable . It was biped that when tbe perfidious Whigs were kicked out by their own Parliament coming : to a vote of want of confidence in them , that the Dictatorship would have been
got rid of . For a short period its severity waa relaxsd ; but the moment the Repeal delusion , for delusion it is , became profitable , the Consorship was renewed with increased vigaur . And now who betide the Irish "Liberal" paper that ¦ will dare to publish any story but tbat which is agreeable to , or Iaariitoty of , the liberty-loving Liberator . An instance of thu detestable terrorism will appear obvious to every impartial reader of the Star , from the simple fact that the Freeman ' s Journal , which is jdecidedly tbe most independent paper in the city dare not publish the subjoined letter . "
It ia right to state for the information of those who are not aware of tbe fact , that Mr . O'Connell invited commentary , and objections to his " piau for the renewed action of the Irish Parliament , " and in accordance with that invitation , I sent tha subjoined letter to the Freeman ' s Journal on Wednesday last , the day on which tbe invitation appealed in that paper . ¦ Patrick O'Kiggins No . 14 , North Anne-street , ; August 28 th , 1843 .
Untitled Article
. THE NORTHERN STAR- 7
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Citation
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Northern Star (1837-1852), Sept. 2, 1843, page 7, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/ns/issues/vm2-ncseproduct666/page/7/
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