On this page
- Departments (6)
-
Text (12)
-
-em'sinal Correg-Bomrencc
-
Untitled Article
-
SENDING PAPERS TO IRELAND
-
Untitled Article
-
Untitled Article
-
TO THE QUEEX'S MOST EXCELLENT MAJESTY.
-
WORKING MEN'S ASSOCIATIONS
-
BEELZEBUB'S BANQUET
-
Untitled Article
-
TO THE PEOPLE OF THE COUNTY OF DURHAM.
-
Untitled Article
-
Untitled Article
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.
-
-
Transcript
-
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.
Additionally, when viewing full transcripts, extracted text may not be in the same order as the original document.
-Em'sinal Correg-Bomrencc
-em ' sinal Correg-Bomrencc
ANALYSIS OF THE HAM ) -LOOM WEATERS REPORT . " LETTER TIL The competitive system , as practised amongst the manufecturers and merchants of this country , has produced the most destructive effects upon every grade and dam of socie # ; -were ita operations confined to a particular class , there might be some hope in mitigating at least , if not removing , the efils it produces . Xbe agriculturalists are not exempt from it * extended operations , foi by ita direct influence in bjinging down the price of labour , it gradually saps the agricultural interest , both by withdrawing the labourers from the ¦ oil , and forcing down the price of agricultural produce
to is to enable the m&mrfactnrers to bring a surplus quantity of labourers into the market , and force competition amongst the operative * , thereby reducing wages Thus we haTe an outcry against the Corn Laws by the manufacturers and merchants who , having , by coapetition amongst themselves , aided by <> imrni' -ai and me chanical inventions and discoveries , brought down the wages of the weavers so low , that nothing will satisfy them but bringing down the price of agricultural prodnce to the ruinous level they have created . Seeing bankruptcies , loss of trade , and ruin staring , them in the face , they are determined to bring down landlord , ffrmer , and labourer , to the same miserable condition in -which the merchant , manufacturer , and operative now art .
The following extracts from the reports will shew the opinions of practical men upon the subject ot competition : — John Harper , weaver , of Knaresborough , states—Competition among the masters—they embark in business , and those who wish to get customers , undersell others . Bad masters make the good ones reduce their wages . Mr . John Scott , a weaver of Salford , states : —The repeated reductions made by masters who are foremost to reduce , necessarily compels the rest to follow iheir exan . ple , however unwilling they may be to do so . ' G « arge Jackson , Esq ., of Preston . —I admit the competition amcng masters to be a great evil , and that its tendency is , occasionally , that the low price paying masters do bring down the wages of those who are paying , and who are disposed to pay , a high rate .
ilr . James Parter , of Preston . —The wages of wea-Ters are constantly reduced for want of an uniformity of wag-es . There are houses in Preston paying 6 d . less than us for exactly the same sort of goods . If we reduce to their prices , they would directly reduce still lower . James Spencer , weaver , of ilanchestar . —The small capitalists are the firs : to reduce wages , because the lower they pay , the more goods they can produce with the same amount of capital . The most respectable manufacturers are often desirous of keeping up wages , but easnofc compete frith these grinding ones . Mr . Robert Bradshaw , of Hasgate . —One part of the manufacturers constantly pay lower prices than others , and are enabled to undersell the higher paying masters Many small masters , without capital , are forced to sell , and must take any price offered . They then come home , and pull down wages to fit in the price .
John . Alexander Steward , weaTer , of ABhton-underlyne . —The low paying masters will generally bring down the others to their rates . iir . James Graham , of Carlisle . —The » onipetition among masters soay reduce -wages . Wa haTe reduced because others have done so before . ilr . Jcnsikan Brett , member of the Weavers * Committee , Cariiale . —The masters , from 1817 , have been fighting against each other , and all trying what advantage they could get for themselves at the expense of tie weavers . We yarns , of Ecclea—The competition among masters , and the desire to get rich , on their part , as gpetdily aa possible , has had a great effect in reducing wafes .
There is a , system of lying , cheating , and plundering carried on by many of the manufacturers of Prvston , Blackburn , Burnley , Colne , and other remoter places , which is alike diagractful and vilMious . A Blackburn manufacturer will send a cart load of warps to Clitheroe , or Culne , and offer them at , say 5 s . per cent . for -what he is paying 6 s . far at Blackburn . When finished , he frill turn round upon his Blackburn wtaver , & £ d tell him he c&n get thtm wove at 5 s . else where , and , unless he wiJl take another warp at that price , he must get them done at Colne . The weaver is obliged to taie it or starve . The unprincipled muck-worm takes another e&rt load to Colne , and thus turns round upon them , telling the weavers he can get them done at home ftr 5 s . a cat , and if he c&nsol get them dose at
less price in Colne , he must take his warps home again , and he -will offer them at 4 s . 6 d ., and upon that infernal maxim , invented by the Whig political economist school of passive obedience men , " That half a loaf is better than nobr «» d . " The weaver takes the piece to weave , ekeing out an existence as well as he can The manufacturer returns to Blackburn , and plays the same game as before , and thus—and thus , these mtck-worais rob the poor weaver , and bring down other better paying employers . 1 heard a man : ifactnrer once say , in an hotel at Clitheroe , some three years ago , " First get no peawr looms aw con get um done as cheap by thliondlacm . " " 2 Csj-, ust , Join , not qnire , " said his e © IEp&nion . " Bsr aw con bring th'hond-loom weigbvera deawn tot . connot aw . »"
"X o man can explain competition more easily than the above , and I might cite many similar t-xtracts were they necessary . Let us now examine more minutely the facilities afforded to masters te reduce wages . First—The disproportionate number of weavers to the labour required be performed by them . Second—The fae of a knowledge of the weaving bade being easil acquired , md of the trade itself beitg open to all classes of unemployed ptrtone . It is a notorious fact th * t manufacturers have been guilty of supporting the Pour Law Commissioners in
their etill more guilty career of oppression and seduction , solely far the purpose of encouraging migration from the agricultural districts to the manufacturing dens of the north . A Mr . Aaiiworth , of Bolton , and , 1 believe , a Corn Law philosopher , has immortalised himself by corresponding with the Poor Law Cominisliouers upon this subject , In one of his letters he had the mendacity to state that the people had plenty of work , and were well paid for it , and ihat he had do doubt that many of the surplus population would find employment if sent from the agricultural districts to these parts , meaning Balton . Tou will find his letter at length in the second aTmiKvl report of the Poor Law
It has ever been the policy of the manufacturers to swamp those wh » had been brought up to the manufacturing operation by supporting the migration system , long before the Devil ' s law was pisstk ; and now they find the "Union system , bastile-testing , and gruelling-pamperiiig of the labourers an excellent plan for forcing the labourers from the soil to the manufacturing districts . Mnggeridge , the migration agent , keeps a rtgisier-ofnee in Manckeirer , where labour-grinding TnaTin fnctnrere hire the " surplus population" of the agricultural cj unties .
Another plan of increasing the nnm ' osr of haadloom weavers is by putucg out work to agriculture labourers to work at their leisure , and so converting the rural and peaceful hamlets into manufacturing villages , kod as Weaving is so easily learned , every bobble-de-hoy is put to it , migration takes place , and the towns are filled with a superfluity of hands ; numbers of weavers have been created in the hamlets and villages round the city of Xorwich and Coventry ; besides , S the wtrrbBen in town * -were to rebel against this system of encouraging labourers to tsm weavers , the emplojers w ^ uld only encourage the rural districts the more . John Harper , of "Knaresborough , states— 'p . 4 S 5 , part 11 ;—
" 1 was working at Bamsley two years ago , when the trade was britk- One morning thirty harvest men came into the town , each proposed to become a weaver , they got friends and got work . They had never worked as -weavers before- Oae took an eighty drill , he carried it home ; he Eaved twenty hanks . The piec « was spoilt ; they did their work badly . " Mr . John Duee , of Spicalileii 3 , London . Of the manner in which the trade is overwhelmed , he gives the following evidence : — Q , Have many men tvfc-pn to the weaving trade lately ? Jfot many lately ; there would not have been employment given to them ,- but whenever the trade is brisk , men cuiae to it from other employments , and begin at the simplest work , and such as have ability gradually get to the other branches of weaving , and thus the number of weavers is kent too ereat .
Bo women , who are cot daughters or wivesm wearers learn the trade '' . —Someiirscs they get other women to teach them , ' z . v . & during the period when they are learning , they may rrr .. ke half as much as will keep them . "What are tfca chief sources of the numbers who come into the trade ?—The weavers bring tip their faailies to be weavers , frem a de * ir t to get ^ cm-thing from their labour as soon as possible ami also from inability to get them put out into other trades , and to pay a premium . Floor-clnth weaving at Farnham , Surrey . " As to the narrow looms , the fabrit ii so easily made that men nay be taken from any other employment , sud in a few days may be made tolerable workmen . The waces of such , men must necesseadly be iow , in fact , below the wages of an agricultural labourer . " —J . Mitchell ' fepori
Mr . Charles SJantoo , of Gloucestershire , woollen Kanufscturer . Does weaving require mneh skill ?—Yes , a certain portion , but it is easily acquired . Has not that facility o : acquiring the trade increased 1 be number of hands mthe labjar market ?—Yes , it has « adoub : ed 3 y . It is evident , from the above statements , that the silk , linen , and woollen weaving is easily acqaired , and cotton is notoriously so ; and from these facilities weaving has everywhere been swamped by a superabundance of hands ; and add to the « evils the effects of the power-looms , in depriving thousands of weavers of their means of existecee . TO suppose all these weavers would find employment if the Corn . La-ws were re-P * ied , is a hope as frail as the rotten staff that sup-
Untitled Article
ports the burden of the repealers' wild ' speculationa : or even if they were , do we not find , from the evidence above , that weavers are as easily created as calicoes are manufactured ; and in brisk times the trade would be overrun , so that a " slack" coming , the whole would be precipitated lower than ever . Besides , machinery is easier manufactured than hand-loom weavers , and " less trouble to the capitalist than a lot of discontented , grumbling , hand-loom wearers , " and much more passive . In these matters Parliament can do nothing , evea though they were willing . Some witnesses are of opinion that a law of apprenticeship would remove tee evil ; others would prohibit any m ^ n from having more than four looms ; some wish the stamp doty on
apprentices' indenture to be reduced to five shillings , to encourage apprentices , whilst a few talk ef education , and a very few of the Spitalfields weavers wish the Corn-Laws repealed ^ for they have had the benefit of " free trade" to their heart ' s sickness . All laws regarding apprenticeships and hiring are becoming obsolete , as they are considered incompatible with the principles of free trade . All the arts , mysteries , and crafts of trade have become reduced to a principle of "buy cheap and sell cheap . " Political economists argue tt » t all laws limiting supply and demand , whether labourers or productions , areas so many fetters to trade and commerce , and were it not that the
Chancellor of the Exchequer realises some , £ 10 , 000 per annum by apprentices' indentures , the Whole Wtuld have been swept away long ago , by our "March of intellect" men . Were it not for the united » fforts of Ietter-preas printers to limit the number of apprentices , and mist the innovation of rais , ( knobsticks ) their very mysterious art would have been overwhelmed by a . superabundance of hands , and their wages reduced accordicgly . The same by the millwrights , engravers , hatters , the bufding and other trades , who have resisted innovations by being united together . I remember rtading an anecdote in the Manchester Times , ¦ when it was a Radical paper , illustrating the power of combination : —
" Norn Strike . —At a print works near Bory , a strike ef the teer-boye took place , in consequence of the master introducing twelve parish apprentices to tbe printing cosiness , the preparatory Etep being that of teerinfk ot laying the colour upon the blocks . The lads , the eldest not sixteen years of age , held a meeting in the crcft , when one of them , standing on a tub , made the following speech : — ' Aw t * il o' wat . lads , if ¦ web allonn thease iads fra * t' warkheause to ten eawr places , it'll ge ' o f printurs V chonce o pooink eawr wagj deawn , till shey maue um as low as t'hand-loom weighvsrs .
I B « thi 3 true or false , at any rate it is not false in ; principle , ilany trades have been swamped for want i of similar protection and combination amongst those , who have 8 erv » l a legitimate apprenticeship . The , cemhination laws are the bulwarks of the free traders , and how often do we find your free trade Corn Liw ; repealers sitting as magistrates in judgment upon men : who wish to pr « serve their legal profession from falling into the sam « ruinous condition that the hand-loom , weavers are in ; yes , and inflicting all the penalties of ' those infamous statutes upon him whose supposed crime is that of protecting the craft he eo dearly purchased , by a premium and seven years slavery , from the i inexperiericed innovator . The fact is , that the free ' trade professors -would reduce every labouring man in
• England to their money-grubbing purposes , in order that commerce may nourish and their capital accumulate . 1 am Willing to admit , to a certain extent , the principles of free trade ; but , before I admit the propriety of it in England , I mast rkbt clear tho country of all its incuinbrance 3 and Ocad weight ; reduce the amount of : taxation to somttking like the continental standard ; give to every family a portion of land to fall back : upon , same as they have in foreigu stat « s ; and , above . ; all , a Commons fairly ch < # sen by the people , then repeal your Corn Laws , jour timber laws , and every other restriction upon trade . "A clear stage and no favour " but right and justice , aad the people of England l against the world for courage , wisdom , industry , and : humanity . R . J . RlCHABDSOH .
Eruata . —In Letter IT ., for Tpper Lananark read Upper L&usitz . In Letter VI ., for strap looms read shop looms .
Untitled Article
: TO TRE KDITOB OF THE NORTHERN STAR . ; Sib , —This is a time when some test of principle is ; necessary , in order to show to ths world that we are in earnest for the attainment of the good cause with which we have embarked . It is a fact much to be lamented , at this day , , that thousands upon thousands of tor fellow-men are labouring under an awfnl weight oi ; slavery , and a slavery of ¦ foe worst kind , too , via ., a slavtry to our own p&ssions and vices , created by our own ftv 6 will , and retained by our own foolishnessthat is , the use of drinking intoxicating liquors , and ; the smoking of that noxious and trifling weed , tobacco , only fit for monkeys , and not for men . It is now
ataut two years ard a half sine * a number of us , upon political principles , forsook the hauc . s of Bacchus , determined , if our example was necessary , it shonld not be wanting , and art sull standing true to our principles . But as we advanced a few step 3 farther along the paths of this enquiring ag- « , we began to see that tre had something abou : us still which was a barrier in the way of our improvement . Ten of us , who had been in the habit , for a p « at number of years , then became to see it oar duty to part with our Enuif boxes and tobacco pipes ; so we made a trial , and the consequence is , that nrelve we ^ ks have now passed over , while we are in possession of as many sixpences , besides relieved of that gnawing appetite , disturbing oar repose with fantastic nostrums .
Now we can hold up our heads before our fellowmen , and t « ll thtni we have so far reformed ourseives ; and would tLat every Charfot would adopt our course , no man would disbelieve our sincerity fur reform . Then ii » ay we be enabled to reform oihers—then , and not till then , can w « truly boast of being reformers . A Xbw Light Chartist . Balgonie Bleacbfield , Dec 1 , 1840 .
Sending Papers To Ireland
SENDING PAPERS TO IRELAND
TO THE iDITOB OF THE NOBTBER . N STAB . SIR , —In answer to a paragraph in your last , I think it would rot be prudent to publish the names of parties to whom pupers might be sent in Ireland , for more reasons than one . 1 would suggest the adoption of the fallowing plan : — Let a Committee of six or more be appointed in Manchester or Liverpool , ii would prefer the latter place , as they c « uld be posied lateT iu the week with more convenience to whoia ail newspapers intended for Ireland should be forwarded .
I will supply this Committee with a list of pers-ns in several counties in Ireland , and also some ether useful hints . Let also every Irishman in England , who is frien « iy to the cause , supply the Committee with the name of borne friend in Ireland , to whom he shall write , to cause the circulation of the papers sent , requesting an answer , which h « shall forward to the Committee . This simple plan will do our work more effectual !; , than the pubiic&tion of any list , and prevent what must , of necessity , occur , by giving the names of individuals in Ireland publicly , viz ., the i * o great influx of papers in one quarter , and perhaps to persons who may no ; possess either the means , inclination , or zeal in their distribution , of Tour obedient , humble servant , L . T . Cla . nct .
P . S . Would Messrs . R-. S 3 , Todd , and Fini ^ an , of the Working Men ' s Association , Liverpool , Ci . nsmt to be named , and add to their number ? We must make the rascally press o : Ireland ashamed of themselves , if we cannot make them do their duty . November 30 th , l £ 4 O .
Untitled Article
TO THE PEOPLE OP BANBURY . Oakham Gaol , Rutlandshire , 21 st Nov . ls 40 .
' FELLOW . COU . NTRTME . f , In adiressing a few words to you I need make ' , no apology . I am nat altogether unknown to you . I ; am 3 plain man , and one of yourselves ; and , being : t » nched by the wrengs inflicted upon my country by ' the craft and villany of our irresponsible rulers , I hold ¦ out iny ri ^ ht hand frjm my dungeon , and plaoe my beirt therein , to greet you as brothers , and to cheer . you for trard in the holy work » f attempting to shake off the chains which bind you . ¦ Countrymen , —I writ * in a prison . I am unable to j step beyond the gloomy wall which frowns upon my ; cheerless ceiL Day after day , my body drags on the j game monotonous career ; but my mind scornfully I defies the power of the tyrant , and pleasing : y
specui lates upon principles which will yet shike our crazy I and iniquitous system of government to pieces . My : mind approves my past career , and my conscience bears j witness to the ferrour of my devot : on to mj tppressed ! fellow-creatures . Every tour of my irr . pri 5 Onmt . -nt fcri tines my mind for further action ; and , whenever it ! pleases tbe Almighty to restore me to liberty , no exer-! tions shall be wanting on my part to open the tjes of ! the ijmorant and deluded , to improve the vicious and ¦ the drunken , to rouse the apathetic , and confirm and ' give confidence to the enthusiast , and to join cordially | with the wise aad the good , who are resolved npon : making a grand , persevering , and peaceful struggle for : a real lecresentative government , the paramount ob-¦ ject of which shall be to diffuse amongst all classes of ' the people the greatest attainable amount of human
I happiness . j Countrymen , —I am a Chartist ; and one would think i from the treatment the Chartists have received , that we ar ; wild beasts , or mtn a ' ' m ' ng at the destruction of wisdom , virtue , religion , and freedom . Why have we b . ^ en so cruelly persecuted 1 Because we are striving ! to make the people wise , virtuous , religious , and free , ! and because our rulers and their dependants , in the ! event of onr succes 3 , would be deprived of tkeir prej sent unhallowed power of oppression , and would have I henceforth to depend upon their o-vrn resources for j their daily bread , and upon their own virtue and wist dom fur povrer and fame . We claim to govern our-; selves , through the medium of representatives chosen J by ourselves , and we contend that the msa who ' opp-oie tLis claim must either be fools or rogues ; fools , | if they suppose we have not a more direct interest in
Untitled Article
our own welfare , than others can possibly have for us ; aud rogues , if they pretend -we were made to be tho serf 8 and slaves of the upstart few who govern us . We claim tha People's Charter , because it provides for the representation of the adult male population in Parliament ; and we know that this claim is not only just , but necessary , for our political safety . The present constituency is too narrow to represent the interests of the community ; it is comprised , in the main , of men over whom the aristocracy , church , aud crown , exercise a powerful controuL The majority of the representatives chosen , necessarily partake of the same character ; and in nearly all their " debates "
and "divisions" the real interestof tbe people is wantonly sacrificed . We see in the House of Common * various sections , each pursuing its own selfish interests ; we see in that House keep-ln-the- Whigs-men , the meaning of which party is , that it would rather plunder the people than see the Tories plundering tbeai ; we see Corn-Law-men , Fund-Lord-men , Queen's-men , Churchmen , but very few People ' s-men , and the few that the people have there are looked upon as white crows in the rookery . Unfortunately , we are not only not represented , but those who sit in Parliament are continually plundering us , destroying our trade , and making wicked and mischievous laws .
Countrymen , all the middle and working classes would be benefited by the change we desire . Our claim is simple and just , cheap , good , and responsible Government Look at the mass of evil our present system inflict upon us . Take the load of taxes , including Corn Laws , Poor Laws , to say nothing of the Church , and you will find not leas than one huudred millions o ! pounds taken from you every year ! . ' Then there are all the local and other rates !! Let not the workpeople wonder they are poor , nor the tradespeople puzale themselves about sm » ll profits . " Oh , but , " say the ignorant , "it make * good for trade—it is spent again . '" Ask yourselves the question , suppose it is
spent again , whiok would be best , spending the money yourselves , or getting others to spend it for you I I suppose yon would either spend it cpon necessities and comforts , or save it for your old age . I am sure you would not throw it into the sea , nor proflig 3 t « ly wastt it like your rulers . Yon wiii bear in mind that much depends upon the way in which money is spent . I need not tell you how your ruiere spend the money , and how it is worse than wasted ; I need not talk about pensions and sinecures , stables for Queen ' s horses , and dogkennels ; I need not refer to the money now being squandered to preserve tlie integrity of the Ottoman Empire , and to force opium down the throats of the inoffensive Chinese at the point of the bayonet .
To change this state of things fer a better—to lighten the burdens of the people—to knock off the shackles upon labour and trade—to open to the poorest man the means of advancement , and to extend comfort and happiness to all—to establish a wise system of national education , that the blessings of intelligence may be felt by all ; these are a few of the advantages we are aiming at in our demand for tbe People ' s Charter—advantages wuich must result from a wise and virtuous Government . Men of Banbury , I invoke your aid in this glorious work . Remember you are all wronged , robbed , and enslaved . Those who have no votes are aliens in their own land—the mark of the slave , the badge of inferiority is upon them . Why are you thus enslaved ? You are men j you toil -, you obey the laws of the land ; you pay enormous taxes \ you
are deenu-d fit to fight the battles , and pretect the lives and property of the titled and w ^ lthy few . Why are you shut out from tho privileges , honours , and advantages of freemen ? Why are you slaves ! The answer is p' . uiu , because you have hitherto been so ignorant and unmindful of your own interests , as almost to have preferred slavery to freedom , misery to happiness No government can long enslave a people determined to be free . Acts of Parliament , thrones , and aristocrats ; armies , navies , and policemen , are but impotent things in enslaving a people . The mists of ignorance , intemperance , viceproducing , as they do , dependant habits , serfish feelings ; a crawling , slavish , * isposition ; a propensity to extol wealth , rather than religion and virtue ; a love of murderous war , and its vain and em pty glory—these are the things which enslave a people !
Men of Bsnbury , let us assail the vices and ignorance of the people ; let us infuse a manly love of independtnee into our own class ; let us root out the rank we « ds of servility whirfi our rulers have ever been planting ; let us convince our countrymen that God has made them with capacities and feelirjgs for the enjoyment of the most exquisite lappiness ; for tbe realisation of intellectual pleasure ; for the exercise of the moral virtues , and has spread equally befwe all who accep » the conditions , a rich banquet of eternal
felicity when the storms and turmoils of this life are past Men of Banbury , the sjBtem totters ; help to accelerate its downfa ! : Do not despair , because we have been persecuted , but rather redouble your exertions to infiict a deadly blow ou the power of persecution . If I live to leave my prison , I shall visit you , and render you all the aid I can ; and if I do not live ; if I should die in prison , I shall expire with a clear conviction that vuu , and the rest of my fellow-countrymen will never rest contented until you have freed your country , and maae her people happy .
I am , fellow-countrymen , Your devoted friend , He > ky Vincent . P . S . I am in good health , and never was in better spirits .
Untitled Article
TO DANIEL O'CONNELL , ESQ ., M . P
Lettjir I . " Ireland is my country ; the world is my republic " O'Connor . Sir , —Though it may be a false position in logic , I am inclined to think that one quotation from a living author is worth two from a dead one ; and I am also incliued to think that there is more true patriotism expressed in the above sentence than is dreamed of in the philosophy of some of our liberty-loving patriots of thirty or forty years' standing . Holding this doctrine sacred , it is no great wonder that I should " Hr . te ascendancy's impolitic view , That robs the many f aggrandise the few ;" and that I look with great suspicion on the patriotism of the man whose philanthropy , or love of human kiiul . can only extend to » is own tea-gir t coasi—who cannot tako his stand on the platform of equal righta , and exclaim , without mystification , " Liberty to all , exclusion to none . "
As yon take credit for being a patriot of the first wattr , and a consistent advocate of universal liberty , I will presume you will have no great objection to one of your own school testing your patriotism and consistaicy in tlie crucible of a British newspaper ; hut before 1 proceed to do &o , allow me to profess iuy Protestant principles by informing you lor rather others , for you are already aware of it ) , that with Toryism or Whiggery 1 have nothing to do . I loathe the one as I hate the other . Nursed in your own norni-il school of agitation , I can have little to induce mo to recant the tenets of ruy early politics ! creed , save the abandonment of error to the consciousness of right . Taught from my boyhood to bow submissively te the great Liberator of Ireland , 1 have occasionally lent my exertions to give what I
thought your patriotism . Parliamentary authority , fcnd fill the coffers of your rent , not of your tribute ( you sarelyforgot Holy Writ when you allowed it to be called by Buch a name ) , levied yearly by Mr . Fitipatrick , for which he receives , £ ; j 00 per annum out of the gatherings of the poorest peasantry in thj world ; but of that fuiid , which his piacad you in a similar position ( to use a Bautical simile ) U > tbe captain of an emigrant ship , who , haviug taken the passage-money from his dupes , Bent them to sea in the long boat , in quest of a fdr wind . ' But as through yuur unspotted patriotism , Irishmen are too apt to appreci ^ ts man y of your overt acts as virtues of the most celestial keeping , so with your long agitating career , Irishmen are too apt to follow you in your journey through life simply enough . 1 believe , for tha ridiculous gratification of beholding your long-promised
epitaph" He died a Repeater . Requitscat in pw : e . " I am induced to address these letters to yon fora twofold purpose : first , to shew to the Irish people that your patriotism , for which they pay so dearly , should be made of sterner stuff ; secondly , just to notice a very foolish , or rather , very wicked address , emanating from your last still-bora offspring , the National Loyal Repeal Association of Ireland , brought forward , I believe , by your son John , who holds a yery neat situation under Government , though you have so oCUn svsorn that none of your family should receive place , pension , or emolument from any Government who would not do justice to Ireland !
I shall now proceed to my first position . St . Paul says ignorance is a sin worthy of punishment : it is the duty , then , Sir , I trust you will admit , of every one of us , great and small , to avert the wrath of divine malediction which I fear has been too often invoked by the hypocritical doctrines of those who profess that Ireland has
been" Their waking theme , Her glories still their midnight dream . " Alaa ! for Ireland ; her too faithless sous have entailed npon her a Jong era of poverty , wretchedness , and degradation . From the days of Burke , the gunner , to Mb namesake of our own time , the ranks of her enemies have been officered by her own puissant sons . Sham patriot after sham patriot has successfully succeeded or outstripped his predecessor in truculency , while the gullibility of their confiding dupes seem even now as susceptible of their wily machinations as their own luxuriant and fruitful
8 * il . Th : » has become so proverbial , that the quantity of patriotism in her modern agitators may be fairiy rated by the number of pounds , shillings , and pence they ire able to draw yearly from their hereditary bondsmen . And so well is this understood , Sir , by our neighbours , that " rattlebox" and " conjuror'' have become synonymous for Ireland ant 4 her leader . You are the founder of a new doctrine—you may bear it to the grave ; but it will perish with you . You have tauxht the youth of Ireland to bulieye their " fathers fools , to -wise they grow ; " but their wiser sons no douot will tliink them so . Our forefothers fought for their freedom . Foo ' . b ! they were tor « h and dagger
Untitled Article
men . No epitaph shall ever be inscribed on their tombs . We must consign them to the mausoleums of the Chartists . Fitzgerald perished by the hands of his assailants , one of whom still holds a lucrative situation under the present Government . Emmett smiled in the face of his executioner . No pedestal marks the spot ¦ where he lies . And you , Sir , by your recent denunciations of physical force , would make one almost believe that you blush at the recollection of his name . Oliver Bond and Theobald Wolf Tone wero murdered—aye murdered ! The latter , while the Lord Chief Justice of the King ' s Bench , Lord Kilwarden , nullified the drum-head law that sentenced him to death . Thus we have seen this young man perish in despite ^ , of the order of one of the first law officers of the Crown ; thus making drum-head law superior to the statute law of the land . I allude to this subject in order to show a coincidence
between the then Government and our own merciful Whigs with regard to tho case of Frost , Williams , and Jones . In the latter case , Sir Frederick Pollock raised an objection iu favour of the prisoners ; and two out of tbe three judges who sat upon the bench decided in favour of the objection , but refused to stop the trial . Lord Chief Justice Tindal stating that he would feel it his duty , in case the prisoners were found guilty , to apply to the Queen for pardon . Add to this , nine out of the fifteen judges who sat decided also in favour of the objection raised by Sir Frederick Pollock ; . yet these men are banished from their native liuid iu direct defiance of the law by which they were tried and the judges who tried them ! While you , Sir , a lawyer , too , looked on , passing your cold-blooded jokes , while one of the joints of your tail in Dublin prayed the Queen ' s mercy in language stating that they ought to bo hanged . '
Now , Sir , I am not , nor have I ever been , an advocate fox ! physical force ; but 1 must confess that I believe the man who risks hia all in the cause of the people must , needs be a more sincere patriot , in attempting to better- tbeir condition , than the man who would tell me he wani . 3 three millions of shillings before he can hold opt the slightest hopes of redressing their grievences—than tlie man who , after thirty years ' of agitation , could l ' oid his arms and exclaim , If I were to dio to-morrow , I wou ? dleave Ireland in abettor condition thau when I found her . " I would give you credit , Sir , for this assertion if I could believe Ireland to be like the dying dolphin whose every struggle is said to add more beauty to its death ; but I will show you by and bye , Sir , th » beautiful , plentiful condition in
in which you would leave Ireland were you to die to-morrow . Through lifo you have been haunted by a spectre in your imagination ; liko the Ghost in Hamlet it has crossed your path wherever you weut , aud your dread that this spectre , which no body could see but yourself would rob you of your popularity , has occasionally thrown you into the most ridiculous hysterics . You could uot bear to see a briefless barrister take the presidential chair at a meeting of the Trades' Political Uniou , but you dreaded that he might become a leader , and would give him this wholesome advice , " Go home , young man , and mind your brief ; but finding this piece of advice ineffectual , you gave him some rolls to butter in the Kolls Court of Dublin . I need scarcely name Marcus Cofltello . I could cite twenty more men that
you have disposed of in this sort of way , and if you want names I'll give them . Tou wore always adverse to the existence of any political body in Ireland , except you could pull the strings , and let none but your friends in to see the show ! You did all that you Ciuld to suppress the Trades' Union by coercion . You told them they were only tit for the ranks . After you had got into Parliament upon their shoulders ; and when you found you could not coerce them , you brought them , at lea ^ t , aonie of its leading membera ; you then got these men to bring forward resolutions to admit honorary members , who passed what motions pleased you best , and kicked out what members you choosed to point at . I will give you a fact "Faots are stubborn things . " When Isaac Lawless was ousted for
Meath , you said , if there was not another member of the Meath Club to arraign him , you would do so . You did so , but the verdict was not accordiug to your ambition . What did you do then to have- revenge . Mark ! You said you would not remain President of the Trades' Political Union if Lawless was returned a member . Accordingly , your dear Ray and your dear Reynolds , and your other dear friends —( you had not your dear Atkins then ; he was at the sign of the ram ) —on a Friday evening , without notice , passed a resolution , by which Mr . Lwiess was expelled ; but the surprise of the members was indignantly expressed on tiie following Sunday evening , when the writer of this letter , with sixty-seven other members , met at the Dublin Coffee House , aud entered a protest against this
atrocious act , which was published on tho following ¦ week in tho Regitter and Freeman . I was then a zealous member of this body ; but I hare never entered its doors since . Now , Sir , the grudge you owed Mr . Lawless was , he having shown you up in your true colours in 1825 , when you wanted to pension the Catholic cktgy , and sell the forty-shilling freeholders , for which you wept , and said you would rather perish on the scaffold than do so again , yet you did so in two years after , and although you had said you would oppose auy Govcrnineut by force who would daro to deprive them of the privileges which they enjoyed from the constitution . In my next letter I shall gladden the hearts of thousands of the starving poor of Ireland , by entleavonring to make them believe that if you wore to die to-morrow . " Iruland would be in a better
condition th : m when you found her ; " and furthermore , that the Radicals uf England ought to strew your path with flowers from Liverpool to Leeds . I have the honour to be , Sir , not Your very obedient Servant , L . T . CLAKCT . Norwich , Nov . SQth , 1840 .
To The Queex's Most Excellent Majesty.
TO THE QUEEX'S MOST EXCELLENT MAJESTY .
" Earthly power doth then show likeat God ' s When mwr ^ y seasons justice . " "May it please your Majestt , "—Such is the style in which your " loyal , loving , and devoted subjects" address you ; such are the terms they are taught to believe applicable to you ; nor must they say anything to you but with a hope that it miy please you . Assuming that you are indeed " most religious and gracious , " I • ¦ hall best please yon by speaking the truth and by pleading the causo of the poor . You wero the daughter of a Duke who , for being tire son of a King , hud an immenso income appointed him , which was still insufficient to keophimoutof debt But with true filial piety , you honourably wiped off the stigma from hia memory , by discharging his debts from your » w » purse , which , as you " toil not .
neither d » you spin , " was filled for you by thosi ) that do both and leavcf ih-. 'inselvos ewjjty . Yoar uncles and royal predecessors , GrJor ^ 'o and William , haviagsuccessivuly dicil without legitimate issue , you . lusired Uw crown and succeeded to it at an age when boardingschool misses usually fini * h their education . A very laudablu custom prevails at cattle-shows in the countvy . A premium is given to thu peasant who has brought up t !; e largesc family without burthening the pariah . I believe you were an only cbild , and your mother waa what is called a state-pauper—a character without degradation , though more disgraceful than that of a parish-pauper . When the state relieved your mother by putting you at its head , it , 'at the same time , increased her allowance , on the ground that sho had made u 3 the costly present of a Quuen !
While yet Princess Victoria , you made a tour through various parts of your prospective dominions , and your presence was everywhere hulled and followed by multitudes , who , if you had really been as " lovely and divine" as thyir fancies had painted you , could not have worshipped you more . Their enthusiastic devotion , and the s « li-sacrifice which it implied , frequently iiffected you to ttars . Your mother knovrs this as well aa I , for she was a witness of it . Nbver princess ascended the throne with warmer wishes for her welfare—with more private sympathy , and kindlier public trust , and never were the fond expectations of a people more miserably disappointed . Joy had paid in advance for all the blessings which hope anticipated from your reign ; but the people so ju found that they had been the dupes of their own vain imaginations . They felt that it would be unjust to blame you , and they could scarcely bear to blame
themselves . Iu the bitterness of their selt-accusatiou and self-condemnation , they almost welcomed their added miseries as a proper punishment for their self-deception . They now saw , and acknowledged their own folly , in supposing that you would have the power , even if you possessed the inclination , to better their condition . They had deceived you as well as themselves ; for they had hidden their miseries in your presence , and shown you nothing but that seeming happiness which they trusted you would bn able to make real . Truth sternly aroused them from this flattering dream , and , if their cruel disappointments shall have taught them to rely upon themselves , and uot upon an idol , whether of wood or stone , or of flesh and blood—if bitter experience shall induce them no more to put tlieir trust in princes , but to exert themselves , they will not have been deceived in vain . They may work out for themselves far more substantial blessings than they hoped te recsive from you .
I have said you had it not in your power , even if you possessed the inclination ( which I do not doubt ) to fulfil the expectations formed of you . I believe you would be willing , nay wishful , to be a blessing to the country , and , us far as words go , y » ii have been bo ; but it requires deeds , aad you cannot , oi are not permitted , to do them . The situation in which you are placed , not only precludes your knowledge of your duty , but would prevent your practice of it—you are a puppet in the hands of others . Yon mu » t serve those who style themselves your servants—yo » must minister to the will of your ministers—you must do H , too ,
and n » t know what you do—they rule for themselves with you , and you are equally their slave with the " sovereign people . " But there is this essential difference between your condition aad . that of the people , that you have everything in private and public that you need or do not need—the people are deprived of all ; nor are you allowed to absovb so much from those beneath you for your own sako alone , but that you may have wherewithal to shower on those arouud you . Like the priestess of tho veiled prophet , you are gorgeousiy decked out to serve the purposes of those who delude the nation in your name . They know well that edicts , which would not be regarded , or tolerated of theirs ,
Untitled Article
are loyally reverenced and submitted to , -when pro-Claimed aa yours . Your Ministers virtually abolish your office by making it a sinecure . England is now , not under a monarchy , but under an oligarchy . We area nation of star-gazers . Our attentipmls drawn from ourselves , and , fixed upou . shows that , in the meanwhile , we may be robbed of all that is substantial . Your reign baa hitherto been a reign of delusion and mockery . The people are " sick with many griefs , " and , though one splendid procession after another of all that is gayjand grand , may be paraded before their eyes and ring iu their ears , It does but beguile their attention for a moment—they sink down into deeper ' wretchedness . Comfort is refused them and they will not be mocked . What treat can it afford honest industry , whose labour feeds and clothes all this
magnificence , but who , for that very reason , must itself remain in hunger and nakedness—what delight or satisfaction can it have in seeing idleness and dissipation insolently waste what it wants ? Can there be anything pleasant in the consciousness , that all this splendour derivesits chief value from the contrast which your misery presents to it as a foil to set it off—that the more wrongfully derived and the more extreme the contrast the more it is enjoyed ? Is it uot enough to make the labourer forswear work ? He turns from the sight to brood over his destitution—to aak for justice and to think of vengeance . Government is aware of thi £ , and , as it is determined to " play out the play , " and never to quit its prey , it breaks the stren ^ tn and spirits of the working classes , and corrupts the middle-classes , with examples of -henrtlessaeas and frivolity .
Dealing thus with the working classes and the middle classes—being the open enemy of the former , the secret enemy of the latter—how do tbe Ministers act towards that factious portion of the aristocracy which seeks to turn them out that it may step in . Here again your Majesty is of essenti . il use as a convenience . One party takes turns with the other in deceiving and oppressing the people , and both would unite to prevent the people from ^ uarding the nucleus of their nefarious traffic . Tho Whigs had possessed the privilege of misgovernment and all its gainful patronage some time before and since your accession . At last the Tories out-generaled them , and eagerly received tbe batons of office . But the cunning Whigs had provided a resource in you by which to regain
their places . Tho Tory leader found you in the utmost distress and perplexity . You could not part with your old friends—he otuld not withstand your tears , and was obliged to yield to your prejudices . So have I seen a baby put into the arms of a stranger cry until restored to it 3 nurse . Had you been a man this could not have happened . You would have constrainedly received the new Minister * , -whom circumstances had forced upon you , and gotten rid of them the first opportunity . Bat you are a woman , whose weakness is your strength . The Ministers who had amused you , and , by degrading you , made themselves necessary to you . trumpeted forth your amiable partiality to themselves , as affection and adherence to their principles , and might well
say" The Queen ' s name is a tower of strength , Which they upon the adverse faction want . " Tha same prejudices , increased by time and events , operate as a bar to Tory pretensions , and , though the Tories might succeed in removing your dislike , and even in turning it against the Whigs , they will not be allowed the opportunity . The creatures about you are courtiers who will constantly provide you with amusements , and reserve to themselves all the business of the State . They kill virtue with slander , for what business has it at Court ? and instigate you to turn your own mother out when they feel rebuked in her presence .
You must marry , and a foreign prince—a foreign fiddlestick J—is brought over to be your bridegroom . It is a maxim in social life , that a lady descends , or ascends , to the rank of the gentleman she marriesand he is . considered a very mean man who is indebted to his wife for the sixpences of hia wedding . It is like buying a husband ; but , in your case , although you are paid the largest salary of any one in the state , the people were called on to pay the Prince's passagemoney , and to secure him an annuity of £ 50 , 000 , which , however , after much altercation , was lowered to £ 30 , 000 . To compensate him for this disappointment , this German young man is appointed a Field Marshal , although ' mere prattle , ¦ without praotice , Is all bis soldiership . "
The Prince " sings , plays , and dances Well , "—can set off » faudy uniform to advantage , and takes such praiseworthy care of his person , that , though a warrior and a huntsman , he declines taking tha field when the ground is slipp « ry . Probably he considers how much lie would loso , if lie should lose his life—bow iunch that is more valuable . Tlie haste with which Parliament granted money to build toyal stables , and to endow the portionless Prince , whose title was all his wealth , like the King ot the Sicilies , not bo rich as aa English yeoman . —and the delays which defer the grant for public education , are matters worthy of tha people's deep consideration . Your Majesty in fond of horses , dogs , and monktys ,
and t * f Prince Albert . I do not say that these animals should be neglected , but I protest against them being attended to in preference to your human subjects . A little stranger , however , has lately arrived , who will be a more successful rival of the whelp 3 and puppies in the affections of our nursing mother , than the people were . I trust that , although your rank and the luxuries and fl-atteries which surround you may have stifled nature in you , the cries of your little one will awaken it a ^ ain , and bring back humanity to your bosom . 4 < The mother and babe are doing well ; " yes , but how many mothers must bring forth in the rtroets —how many babes seek nourishment at dead breasts . You have all good things—they have all evil things ,
One has come , and many more may follow , who , iu due time , will want royal incomes , though of no use , except to set fashions or bad examples , or to give currency to the frivolities which they adopt , or which are n .-uiud after them . The unthinking people are taught to rejoice , and to look on the leeches that suck their blood as blessed things . No wonder that , while lavish expenditure is allowed to institutions which tend to weaken , dazzle , or corrupt the people , the means of education , which would strengthen , awaken , and purify them , are denied , or auspiciously withheld . Every impediment is thrown in the way of mental or moral improvement—every facility Is afforded to ignorance and vice . Sentiments of patriotism and humanity are decriod as vulgar—nay , as ridiculous , and are left to the people . Honesty is uot pursued in policy , and honour , icsuif . of whk'h kings were most proud , is now exchanged for expediency . " All is but toys : renown and grace is dead ;
The wine of me is drawn , aud the mere lees Is left our state to brug of . " Our degenerate nobles are meaner than the setfa of their ancestors ; selfishness has dv . - oried their souls . The people are really tbeir superiors in what constitutes true aristocratic worth , and cannot long be trampled on by them . The people now acknowledge no nobles but the " nobles of nature "—no Sovereign but themselves . Tlie just attributes of monarchy alone can impose respect or win regard ; without them , a Queen is but a doll—her crown a bauble—her sceptre a reed ; the globe in her hand a mere bail , a plaything . Yes , a republic is now rising ia England with tie steady revolution of the earth on its &xk > , aud all that opposes it must set . Then may each Englishman exclaim , with the poet" I am as free as natire first made man , Ere the base laws of servitude began , When wild in woods the nobie savage ran . "
Madam" Obey'd as Sovereign by the subjects be ; But know that I alone am king of me . " Junius RusTicua Village , Dec . 4 th , 1840 .
Working Men's Associations
WORKING MEN'S ASSOCIATIONS
Why have working men to associate ?—why , after working hard all day , ean't they rest and refresh themselves at home ?—why must they assemble together t—Because they are impoverished . They trust their peace , their welfare , their happiness to the care of government ; and it is unworthy of the trust—it betrays the trust—it neglects their interests—sacrifices them—they are injured , instead , ot benefited by it ; let them work ever so hard , ever sojong , they remain poorthey spend their livei in vain—their wives and children suffer poverty with them—poverty ! that brings with it diseaso of body , disease of mind—nothing but evil . They are »» t content with this—they cannot be content it would be sinful to suffer this contentedly . They meet together to ascertain the cause of this , and to provide a remedy ; they find tho cause is in government—in tlie government which they work and fight
for—in an unjust gevernment , which makes the poor the slaves of the rich , who make victims of tkem . Why should the people , who support , who maintain government , receive nothing in return but scorn and oppression ? Why-skouM they who are the strength of government be injured by it ? Is it not shameful that government should nut bo partially—ia it not ungrateful that , instead of a fri < nil , they should have an enemy In Government!—instead of a father , a foe ?—that they should be obliged to consult together—to resort to means of self-defeuce—to fight the Government which they have worked for t They hava th « power to right their wrougs . and they themselves must do it—do it at once and for ever . Th 9 y have suffered long enoughfar too long ; but tha spirit of a patient people is at length arou « ed , and they will never subirit until justice be done .
Government must be remodelled ; we must have the Charter . Those reformers who oppose tiie Charter are not reformers—those Christians who oppose it are not Christians : reformers and Christians wil shew themselves truly such by being Ciiartists . Live not slaves , men of England!— be not what your fathtrs were . Let not the spark of liberty , now lighted iathe land , fail into damp ground and bo extinguished ; let it kindle into a bla » e that may burn up tyranny . Bow many are sacrificed by the baseness which they v ^ sa to reform —how many fall victims to their owi integrityhow many lota their liberty because other ) are willing slaves ! '
" Wb ^ n En $ lMi mothers shr . ll giv . * birh to mem . Then may sue bo restored , buc not till tlen . " J . W
Beelzebub's Banquet
BEELZEBUB'S BANQUET
TO THE EDITOR OF THE NOBTHEUN STAB . Sir , —So it appears the foxes and geese are , maugre all their noise , bustle and botheration , still in the back ground ; the working classes will not swallow their specifics , though recommended by the celebrated Doctor Plural-unit of scribbling notoriety , "who , as » professional gentleman , assures the public that Men cury is not a component part of the medicine now vended by Messrs . Marshall , Stansfeld , a ^ nd Co ., at their establishment , ihut is to be . The " slave class "
have not forgot the fraud practised npon them by these charlatans during the Reform Bill mania . They know how sedulous these empirics were in puffing tha " Russell purge , " and they know , to their * orrowv that its effects have been such as to hurry the body politic to the very threshold of death . Whether Afercury forms a portion ef the ingredients or not , it Is fully ascertained that the most deadly poison is used in the preparation of every nostrum prescribed , o » recommended , by the Whig clique , of whiah the Club is the excrescence , or refuse .
Well , whr . t are the poor chap-fallen creatures to do ? Are they to sink into nothingness ? No , no , that will not answer the purpose of certain partius yei behind the curtain ; they must retain their wortMeaa entity , if it be by tho promulgation of the most glaring sophisms ' , or the practice of the most pa 1 p : kVl « trickery . Sophistry has betm tried , and , to theii chagrin , has been completely exploded , through th » medium of the Star , and , to conclude the farce , Pox StansMd and mendacious Neddy are see-sawing to a disgusted auditory on their broken fiddles . * However , as a dernier resort , they have resolved to have a "feed , " at which the Big Beggarman is to cut a conspicuous figure . I certainly think that the foxes have evinced a little judgment in this part of the matter .
as a more "fit and proper person" could not ba found , lud they ransacked every comer of the habitable globe . Tha Club have no principis , neither haa Dan . The Club is a small land of protit-mongws , and every ramification of Dan ' s political conduct lias centered iu personal aggrandisement . The Club is osttnsibly intended to promote thts cause of "Reform , bui in , reaHty to burk the Charter . Dan has Reform , ever on his lips , while his every act is inimical to the public weal . Dan is , in fact , the " roaring lion who goeth about seeking whom he may devour . " Let him disvour the meats and the drinks provided for him by the foxes and geese , but I trust the working men of Leeds will show the wonster that he shall not devour Chartism , however capacious his maw may be .
We must not allow Leeds to be polluted frith tbe presence of that lump of corruption without doing our duty , and , as a working man , I hope my own order will be up and doing . We must have a public gathering while the " roaring lion" is within reach . We ewe him much for hi 3 kind attention—all England owes him much ., and it ia meet that we should commence paying him the " rint" in Leeds . On the great day of gormindiziug , we ous ; hfc to give tho Old Genii * - man a zest for his prat : ts , by compelling : ii : u to meet us working men face to face in open d ^ y , and eithsr show us that his zi « -zag mode , of proceeding ia his political career has been one straightforward course , or at once submit to tbe brand of traitor and imposUc Let ua Bend an invitation to the Liberator !!!! couched
in r * spect / ul terms , for , no doubt , he would desire things done respectfully , and we might show him that working men havo a little idea of tiie rules of etiquette as weli as the foxes and geese wh ^ se " eyes are open . " But in case he should treat us with contempt we might send a file of men down to his den and dratr forth tho lion by- the mane ( but not to harm his old carcase ) and bring him to the scratch . I have no hesitation in saying that in Leeds there are fustian jackets and blistered haads who will be found prepared to grapple with the beast . Operatives , be active—do your duty . Yours , truly , William Rider . Leeds , Dec . 8 th , 1840 .
Untitled Article
TO THE EDITOB OV THE NOIiTHEttN STAB . Sib , —In answer to numerous inquiries and invitations from various places in Er ;?! : ind and Scotland , allow me to state that I shall be liberated on Wednesday , the 23 d ef December , and enter Manchester on the 25 th ( Christmas day ) . I cannot give any answers when I shall Visit ottwr pk-ces , watil I arrive in Manchester . To the people of Scotland , allow me to state I cannot visit them before the latter end of January , at the beginning of February , 1841 . Then I shall be al their service . —1 remain Ycur obedient Servant , B . J . Richardson .
To The People Of The County Of Durham.
TO THE PEOPLE OF THE COUNTY OF DURHAM .
WILLIAMS AND BINNS . Fellow-countrymen , —I address this letter to you , because the subject oa which I write is more interesting to you than to the otaer parts of the country . You all know Williams an'l Binns ! You have listened with admiration te their glowing appeals to ) your patriotism . You have seen and felt the many splendid sacrifices they have made in the cause of your Charter . They have silenced tbe voice of faction ia their neighbourhood , whsnevur it has dared to impose upou you ; and commanded your support as well by their private virtues as their splendid talents . For nearly " three yeara have they made head against tbe malignancy of their cold-blooded persecutors , and sacrificed their private inteve&ta for thft public good .
At last , their trinl for tpeaking ( he irufh has cost them nearly one hundred and fifty pounds , through successive postponements , and a jury of the middle class have been the means of imprisoning them for sis months in a Whig gaol , and breaking up for a tims as far as possible the business in which they wer « embarked ! Oh ! this ia cruel ! Oh ! this is base ! Remember these young men are not incarcerated for theft or murder , but fer speaking with a good intention what they thought was right And Williams and Binns are inmates of a gaetl for this . ' Well , the time draws nigh when they will be restored to that people from whom they have been torn , and it is our bounden
duty to Jreward them for their sufferings in a good causo . But how can we do this ? We can gather our thousands from our Btreets to welcome them with blessings as they return , but this is not all we can da . Our cheers will not replenish their home that has been ruined or their empty purses plundered by their and your enemies . VVe must have something more than empty parade of enthusiasm to make their honest hearts as joyful as our own , when they appear before us . . And I would suggest that a sum of money b « presented te these patriotic gentlemen fr « m the men and women of the county , to re-establish them in their business , and by so doing increase their usefulness .
Let the Charter Associations appoint a committee for each place , and let their business be as follows : — 1 st Put a subscription-book or paper into the bands of some honest man in every trade and workshop , to collect weekly for Williams and Binns ' s Fund . 2 nd . Let the collector in each trade or shop pay his weekly subscriptions into the hands of the Secretary of the Charter Association where he lives . 3 rd . Let the Society of each town , colliery , or village appoint a delegate to attend at the prison gates on th « 25 th of January next , to present tbe two victims with whatever may be collected .
Thus , by a little exertion , these two young patriots will be in as good condition wlien they come out as when they were first pounced upon by the Government And why should they not ? They are konourabla men . Where is the man that w » uld refuse his sixpeno * for such a purpose ? Men of tho county ! you have ever been generous ; see that yon never be unjust . Do your duty to these men , for they Lave done their dutj to you . Is there to be no reward for integrity but chains f No home for patriotism but a dungeon ? Lei not a moment be lost , then . You h ;; ve just sfcc weeks to prove your worth—your immortality I I appeal to you all , not only of Durham , but to the Chartista of England , to see that Melbourne shall not " ruin then with expences I "
I have not apprised these gentlemen of my plan or my letter , for I know their natures would not consent , uuder whatever hardships they might endure , to hav » their grievances advertised amongst you . Let not their uncomplaining spirits lull us to sleop , but let it rather increase our exertions to rtscue them from destruction . Villany deserves contempt ; but , for God ' s sake , let net virtue & ¦ mined . To work then ; collect ! collect t cellect III A Middle-class Caabtisx .
Untitled Article
AccideiVt at Messks . Cokbe ajvd Delafield f . — On Saturday afternoon , about four o'clock , two men named Thomaa . aud Roberta , who have for many years been in the employ of Messrs . Combe and Delafioid , the extensive brewersy of Castle-streei , Long Acre , were tngaged in cleaning a large vat , when , on a sudden , the iron railing on which they stood gave way , and they fell from a height of about thirty-seven feet , to the ground with great violent * . The uaforiunate m 8 a on being picked ap presented a frightful appearance , and they were instantly conveyed to the Westminster hospital , where they li » with scarcely any hoped of recovery .
A tery strange and alarming circumstance occurred in a gentleman ' s house in Warwick-street , Laurieston , on Tuesday evening last . It appear * that a little after dusk the servant maid , who vira employed at her-work between a light and the window , happened , moot providentially , to make a slight movement , when a bullet broku the glass , passed through the apartment , and made a Jaixe indentioa in the wall immediately opposite to the broken pan » . This , of course , occasioned the greatest alarm to tb * inmates , as not the slightest reason could bo assigned for anyone committing such an atrocious act ky firing in this rccklesa manner . If the shot was fir *! with the intention of killing ( he servant girl , it w »» well aimed , and would certainly have struck her had she not made the slightest movement mentioned at the moment the buiiet passed her . The poHce •»• making active search , but wiihout effect . —Qkugew FmL
Untitled Article
,- " ¦ " ' " "; - ¦ -- ¦ - ^ i . ^ ..-: > ei ¦ ¦ ¦ THE NORTHERN STAR . 7
-
-
Citation
-
Northern Star (1837-1852), Dec. 12, 1840, page 7, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/ns/issues/vm2-ncseproduct691/page/7/
-