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THE If0B.THERN STAB, SATURDAY, MARCH 26, 1842.
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SPLENDID AND COSTLY PRESENT TO THE READERS OP THE "NdRTHERN.- STAR. " ;:. ¦ •¦>¦: ¦ ¦: : . - -v-\ . ' ¦ ¦ . . : ' : : . ¦ . . :: : ¦• • - ;
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Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software. The text has not been manually corrected and should not be relied on to be an accurate representation of the item.
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MR . P . O'HIGGINS AND HIS TRADUCERS . TO THE EDITOR OF THE FBBEJiAN ' S JOUKNAL , Sib , —The Irish Universal Suffrage Association , seeing that is was grossly slandered , and its objects and proceedings wilfully misrepresented , in a report of the proceedings of the Loyal National Repeal Association of Ireland , which were published in the Freeman ' s Journal of the 1 st instant , passed a resolution , repudiating and disavowing the charges whush were made against it , and pronouncing the paity who made those charges to be calumniators . This resolution was sent to your paper for publication , and : the cost of inserting it -as an advertisement in the Diily Freeman of tie 9 th , and Weekly Freeman of the 12 sh inst ., paid for . Yon , Sir . thought the terms of the resolution too strong for publication , and returned the money sooner than publish a document which , yon said , contained a general Libel upon the whole of the members of the
Loyal National Repeal Association of Ireland . ISow , Sir , I am far from blaming you for refusing to publish any speech , or paper of acy kind whatever , which migtet have a tendency to subject y <* ar journal to a prosecution for libel ; but , permit me to ask you , is it just—is it doing unto others as you would be done by , to allow a public body to libel ad libitum , through tie colnmns of yo ? . r paper , and to deny that isdivieual or frs friends ihe common right of a reply through the same medium , but more' especially when that reply was paid for as an advertisement ? In the Freeman of the 1 st instant , amoDgst other matters grossly libellous , I find the following , reported as part of a speech of Mr . Thomas St ^ ele , in allusion to some vague , wild , aud incoherent observations which were made upon the occasion by tho Rev . Mr . il'Hngh , -whom 1 shall leave in the hands of his Grace the Catholic Archbishop of . Dublin . Mr . Steele
said" Oh 1 what a terrific proof does my Reverend Friend's commtmicatioii exhibit-of the atrocious ani baleMil spirit of the Chartists in this country , under tke instigation cf 0 'H . l-glas and his gang —( hear , hear , and groans ) . Bj l ^ r the greatest number of you who honour me with your attention arc Catho-Lcs ; and from the hour of the penal code in its deepest horror , did you hear of " anything more accursed than the threat of the ruSan Feargas O'Cennor and Paddy O'Higgins' Caartists , to tear
down from his aJtar a Cathode clergyman , because he was warning the flock confided to his care by his bishop , and his pomif ? , and his Ged , against such diabolical villains as those who secretly instigated to the incend ary fires a : Birmingham , to the scenes at Newport , aboard the convict-ship , asd in the land q [ pxifpg . Who is this O'Higgins ? Was he not expelled from the Volunteers , and his money returned w him , after a patient investigation by the whole committee , for a deliberate calumny on the character of a brother memDer V
Now , sir , I appeal to you and to my countrymen , if this is not the most dexterous nse of woiis to im * press upon the public mind ;—1 . This I am the head cf a gang whom I instigated to drag a Caihouc clergyman from the altar 1 2 . That I secretly instated to the incendiary fires at Birmingham , the scenes at Newport , aboard the convici-ship , and in the land of exiles 1 3 . That I was expelled from the society of Irish "Volunteers by the unanimous voice of ice conunltt . be , and my money relura&d to me ! It is painful to me . and would be painful to any man of feeling , to ba continually dragged before the public to refute calumnies which have been refuted over and over again .
To the first—my reply i ? , that I know nothing about the matter ; that I never heard of such a circumstance until I read the Freeman of th * e 1 st inst . ; that I believe the whole tale to be a fabrication , got np by short-sighted sinking men to suii the occasion ; ¦ thai the charge is false in every part ; that instead of dragging , or instigating to drag , priests from the altar , I have done more to pnt prictt 3 on the altar than all the Steeles or Tom Steeles in Ireland ; and that I yield to no man living in respect sad veneration for the Roman Catholic clergy .
To the second charge—of seemly instigating to ib . 3 fires at Birmingham , the scenes at Newport , Sec . —I was here ia the City of Dublin quietly attending to my business , and laying out more money among my fellow-citizens than I ever knew any man of the name of Steele to be worth ; and the effort to mix up my name with those scenes , by certain forms of expression , is net quire to reasonable as is wonld be to ask , as the altitude of the Hiil of Ho ^ tn is 740 fees above ihe level of iho Eta , what is vhe exact difference between Tens Steeie " s organ of veneration and the apex ef ihe tead of Dycer ' s great Spanish jackass 1 With respect to the third charge , which is that of having been expelled from the Volunteers by the tffiiminious voi « of the committee , for a calumny on a brother member , and my money returned to me : this one sentence contains two wilful falsehoods .
The firit is , thai the committee was unanimous : that is to say , that the whole of the members of that committee concurred in the sentence which was pronounced upon me ; this is the meaning which the charge , as stated , labours to impress upon the public The second falsehood is that my money was returned-to me . This is not true . I never got back the money . Bat as Tom Stesle see&s to know something about it , I shall receive it thankfnlly if £ ; discharges his trust , and give 3 it to me even now .
As to the unanimity of ths committee upon the vole of ftsnsurs passed upon me , no one knows better than Tom Steele that that statement is utterly fake . The majority of the committee were in my favour , and the three-fourths of them for suppressing ihe matter altogether , icsi the charges which 1 brought against Mr . Steele ' s friend , and which can-EOt be refuted , should injure him in the way of his business . I knew that the charges would injure if ma . de public , and therefore 1 did not bring taem before the public body , but before the committee—a ommittee which assumed the right and the power to decide upon the character of any man against whom there was an objection by any other member . I was on the cemmittse myself , but refused to
continue a member of it when I saw a person put on it to whom 1 , at any rats , had a valid objection . ^ My j Srst proposition to ihe commitJee _ wzi , that if they would appoint twelve men against whom there eould be no reasonable objection , I should then state my reasons for -withdrawiiig nsyself from ihs committee . This fair and reasonable proposition vrss objected to ; and I was called upon by the resolution of the cottnri :. tee—on tha motion of Mr James Nugent , of Kingstown , to state the charges in writing , to name the p ^ rty objected to , anil thst the whole committee should take the matter into consideration . To this proposal I ultimately assented . There were fifty-cr . s members on the committee , twenty-three of whom—and twenly-three or-ly—bad
the baseness to declare , to sign a paper pronouncing the charges false and calumnious , while twentyeight held just a contrary opinion , and left the room under tno impression that the subject would end there . Who are those ihat signed that lying document ?—what is their occupation ?—how many of them have made their escape from the country 2 The majority of the twenty-three mean-spirited sycophants aud load-eaters who signed the ^ censure upon me were , for the most part , subsisting upon the funds which they exacted irom myself and other dupes like me , under the pretence of repealing the Union- It was expedient to get rid of me—first , because I knew aud told Mr . O'Connell , in the presence of oslier members of the committee ^ the real state of the case between Mr . T . Steele and 0 Gorznan iJsion . I knew too many of ihe facts of the plunder of the monasteries and convents in the
neighboarhocd of Cad . z . I seated the facts connected with the discreditable transactions by Wigly , Dixon , and Co . ; and I mentioned' that O'Goraan Mabon , to whem I had never spoken till years afterwards was ihe dspe and victim of this nest . In addition to these crimes , I had the hardihood to object to the mal-approprmion of the large fuud whicn was subscribed for tithe sufferers . These were crime 3 which could not be overlooked , und the occasion was anxiously , thtugh Eecrerly , sought for . dettrojing me , fearing the facts of which I was cognizant , and wkieh my mercantile habits and connections afforded the means of ascertaining shonld be made public-Can any man for a moment imagine that the charges which depended for their truth or "falsehood upon the written and . oral testimony of others , could be pronounced to be false and calumnious , without any examination of that oral testimony , cr examination of the written testimony \
The written testimony bears the signatures—Robert" Cully , accountant-general of the Bank of Irclisdj of Slichael Roach , secretary to the Hibernian Bank ; of Obadiah Willans and Sons , Lower Bridge-street ; of Robert Byrne and Co ., Lower Br idge-street ; of Armstrong and Byrne , M- ^ cliants ' - qaay ; of Blood , Nott , and Co ., Trinity-street ; of Wm . Locke , of the Linen Hall ; of Greenonghand Robinson , Manchester ; of Longworth and Co ., Manchester ; of William Bolton and Ck >' ., Manchester ; and nntil such time as it is shewn that the documents bearing the foregoing signatures are all forgeries , the sentence pronounced upon me , and signed by twenty-three out of a Committee of fifty-< r ae , gives to t&elr owa act the Etigma wcieb t ' aey sought to fix npon mine .
Now , Sir , it must be admitted that I have been most wantonly provoked into this statement . I had no wish for it ; but if my accusers desire it , and that you will be eo kind as to afford me space for the whole case , I thall state the whole , a * I have the original documents in my possession , and I promise you that yon shall hear no more about my expulsion . There is not an unprincipled adventurer , a coward , or a profligate , who enters on a political speculation , but avails himself of this expulsion as a screen for nis Cowardly attacks upon me .
It has been asked , throngh your paper , who is Mr . O'Higgins ? This is a modest question- !) be asked about a man who has paid rent and taxes in the eiiy of Dublin for nearly twenty years . It is fair to ask , who sre those who put this wise questfoc , and wjie are those who concurred in it ? The
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c ' tizsns of Dublin should know that they are a set or' political adventurers , some of whom have neither house nor home , and who have no other visible meac 3 ofliviDg than that of subsisting upon the weekly sums obtained from their confiding and oredaious dupes , under the pretence of Repealing the Union , while they know right well that their great leader has honestly declared that he will not bring that question forward in the House of Commons nntil he has a petition , signed by 4 , 000 , 000 of Irishmen , while at the same time it is well known that there are not 3 5003 OO 0 male inhabitants in Ireland , including new-born babes . In conclusion , Sir , permit me to say , on the part of the members of the Irish Universal Suffrage Association , and oa my own part , that we deem it inenmbent on us . collectively and individually , thus
publidy to proclaim that our respert for , and veneration and admiration of , the exemplary and exalted character of the Irish Catkolic Clergy , is as nn bounded as that of any other society of men in the nniverse ; that we have neither secrets nor oaths of any nature or kind in our association ; that we consider none as friends but these who will tell to every body every-thing they hear and see at themcetings of the association ; that the Irish Universal Suffrage Associationhasbeenfoundedfor the purposeof obtaining by legal and constitutional means , and by such means only . Universal Suffrage , Vote by Ballot , Annual Parliaments , Equal Electoral Districts , No Property Qualification , and Payment of Members ; and , when these blessings are obtained , a Repeal of the Union . Patbick O'Higgins ,
President of the Irish Universal Suffrage Association ; the man who got up the first meeting for the O'Connell Tribute , aud the second who subscribed j £ 10 to it . This is for the information of those who have asked the question , " Who is Mr . O'Higgins ¥ '
The If0b.Thern Stab, Saturday, March 26, 1842.
THE If 0 B . THERN STAB , SATURDAY , MARCH 26 , 1842 .
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THE PEEL BUDGET . Aye ! and a Budget it is too ! Whatever it may have cost Sir Robert Peel in it 3 concoction , it has had a marked and powerful effect upon the country at large sinco its development . The Minister seems to have taken all parties by surprise at the nature and extent of his measures , whether in the imposition of new taxes or the remission of the old ones he ^ ives up . No one seems to have been prepared for bo decided a course on the part of Sir Robert P-eel . The consideration of hia new plans has , with the trading and monied classes ,
superseded all other questions . In fact , amongst these parties nothing is talked of at present but the Peel Budget . Go where you may ; mix with what company you may , and the first question you invariably hear is , " What think you of the New Budget !" This question naturally receives different and conflicting answers , according to the notions of each one replying to it . There is one thing , however 3 npon which aia are agreed . All , whether opposed to the Minister or not , agree in representing the Budget as the boldest step taken by any Minister for a long period of time .
Pbel boldly proclaims that there can be no raduetion of expenditure ! He iells the interested of both parties , that if " National Faith " is to be kept ; if payment of the interest npon our accumulating Debt is to be continued ; if our thundering and unconstitutional Army is to be kept up , to squeeze the taxes out of the bones of the labourer ; if our big and boastful Navy ia to be maintained , with her hosts of admirals , rear * admiral , and shoals of inferior officers and " dead weight ,- " if the " Queen ' s Civil List " is to be kept at its present enormous amount ; if Prince Albert ' s pin-money is to be continued : if the Pensions , and Sinecures , and
Grants , are to continue to be ; if the doubly-augmented Salaries of tho Judges and other officers of the State are to be paid : Peel , boldly and honestly proclaims to the Members of " that House , " that if they wish these things to exist , they must find him the means of payment ; and he jJso explicitly tells them that they can Eqatexe no more out of the poor man ; that the taxing-string around the labourer ' s neck is as tight as it can safely be diawn ; that another twitch would strangle the pinioned wretch ; and that to provide the necessary means , the owners of property and the possessors of income must submit to a direct tax which shall make up the deficiencies arising from the working people being unable to pay . '
Verily , Pjsel is a bold man ! Ho iBbold in proclaimiDg at this juncture , and amid the horrible destitution everywhere prevailing , that there can be no redaction of expenditure 1 , that the State leeches cannot be induced to slacken their hold ! aud that he , for one , is unwilling to attempt to make them . He is bold in daring to propose to re-establish upon the monied classes one of the most unpopular , and ( with them ) one of the most odious tixes that can exist ; and he is bolder still in attempting to establish the means to collect from the middle classes the tax so imposed I If he succeed in getting it from ~ them , he will be a bold man indeed ! ! !
An Income Tax is widely and essentially different from a Property Tax . The latter would merely call upon those who possess property , tangible property } to psy according to the rate laid down ; the former imposes a tax npon incomes , no matter from what source they may be derived ! The physician , who has no property , but whose income is the result of his skill ; the author , whose income is derived from the exercise of his talents : the builder or the
blacksmith , whose incomes result from the exorcise of their respective crafts ; all these , and others similarly situate , are , by an Income Tax , taxed just as much as the man who derives an immense income from property , withont any , the slightest , exercise of talent , or skill , or even industry ! This is an injustice of so monstrous a kind as only to be paralleled by the acts of the monied classes themselves towards the labouring people .
To this consideration must be added the necessarily Inquisitorial nature of the machinery to ascertain the amount of each man ' s income . The prying , the questioning , and the examining into a shopkeeper ' s business , or into a merchant ' s account ? , to ascertain whether he ought to pay the tax or not ; and , if he is taxable , to fix the amount ; all these mu 3 t be particularly agreeable to those subject to such visitations and inquiries ! I'faith , Peel is a bold man , to venture to propose to deal in this manner with the shopkeeping anj ? rading classes !!
What a squeak ! what a squeal L there will be set up , when the plan comes into full operation What a noise , and din , aud clamour the " loyal " tax-payers will kick up , when the tax-gatherer waits upon them , with Peel ' s compliments , for £ 2 18 i . 4 j . for every one of their " hundred pounds ;" and an unequivocal intimation ihat he must have these £ 2 18 s . 4 J . ' s directly to pay the dividends with , or " National Faith" will be broken ! O what denunciation we shall hear I What abuse ! It will be well for the tax-gatherer if hard words are all he gets besides the money !
Of the horrible bellowing that will be set np by the " loyal" " national faith" men , when the tax comes to be fetched from them , some faint conception may be had from a perusal of the shopkeepers * and traders' press , and from the proceedings in " that House" on the part of the " opposition . " For Borne days , the Whig remnant seemed stunned by Feel ' s announcements . The nature and magnitude of his projects , and the clearness and candour of his address in developing them , completely knocked the wind" oat of the Whigs .
When they contrasted his sweeping , measure of " Commercial Reform , " embracing as it does l £ 00 articles of import , and repealing ike duties upon by far the greater half of the number , and greatly reducing the duties upon the other half ; when they contrasted this measure with their own mach * liuded and highly-vaunted " great" scheme , which merely included three articles of import , and openly professed to deal with them in a manner that would raise from them , in taxes , more money than is now paid upon them :
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when they contrasted Peel ' s measure frith their own , and remembered that one portion of their own was the institution of a fixed ddtt on corn , for the purposeof raising ADDITIONAL REVENUE to supply the existing deficiency ; when thty thus contrasted the two schemes , they instinctively saw that Peel had out-bid them ! and that his object was to purchase the support of the trading classes ! ' They also saw that he had calcula tor well ; that bis tariff scheme was cunningly devised ; that it was raj catching , and very likely to answer the intended purpose : and so they determined , if possible , to spoil the sport by denouncing the other portion of Peel ' s plan , the new laxes i and , by appeals to the cupidity of the monied classes , array their power
against Peel on the . ground of opposition to the Income Tax . The cue having been given , little Lord John became suddenly valiant . He announced in " that House , " that he would move counter resolutions to those proposed by Peel ; that he would oppose the Income Tax Bill in all its stages , dividing "the House" npon the first , second , and third readings , and also on the bringing up of the Report . Other Members in his train also shewed " big fight ; " and while this game was played off inside " the walls of Parliament , " the free traders press was performing its part outside by inserting heaps of letters from pretended correspondents , denouncing the Income Tax in all sorts of ways , and for all sorts of reasons . -.
All this is but preparatory to tho calling of public meetikgs , at which the Whig 3 and Whiglings of every water and degree will strenuously endeavour to get the public voice expressed against ^ Peel and his DIRECT system of taxation . It is for the purpose of preparing and counselling the people how to meet this next" new move" that we address them on the subject at present . In the first place , then , we aver , that the principle of DIRECT TAXATION involved in Peel's Income-tax , demands for his plan the strenuous support of every man who livesby the labour of his hands .
He is greatly and immediately interested in getting the principle of direct taxation acknowledged and universally acted upon . If it , were so ; if it Was in . full operation ; if ix-direct taxation was . superseded , nothing like the amount of taxes now wrung from his labour by a silent and unseen process could possibly be raised ! If the taxgatherer had to call at every man ' s house , and demand the sum now yearly paid in another way , he would get by far " more kicks than ha ' pence ! " Every one Would thou know the amount he had to pay . He now knows nothing of it ; nor can he possibly be made to know it
as ke would do were tho money fetched from him directly . He ~ now goes to market ; buys his sugar , his tea , or his tobacco : he pays for each article what he conceives is the price of it . He does not know that , when he pays 3 d . for an ounce of tobacco , 2 d . of the amount is for tax . He finds the tobacconist charges him 3 d . ; and he knows all others in the same line of business do the same ; and he , therefore , pays the 3 d . unbegrudingly .: But suppose he only paid the tobacconist the real price of the article ; suppose the price of it to be only Id . ; and that as he leaves the shop he is accosted by tho
taxgatherer , who demands from him another 2 d . to pay tfce fundholder with ; suppose this , and we may very easily further suppose that the taxgatherer would much oftener measure his length in the keanel than get the 2 d . !! And so on of all other articles . It would be impossible for any Government to collect from a people so large a sum in taxes by direct means as they can by indirect means . It is clearly and manifestly , thoreforej the interest of all tax-payers , that a system of DiEEcr taxation should exist . And as the labouring people are the tax-payers ; as it is by the things produced that taxes can alone be paid ; as
it is clearly impossible for those who produce not to have anything of their own wherewith to satisfy the demands of the government ; as the burden of taxation , whether largo or Email , must eventually fall upon the shoulders of the labouring portion of the community ; it is still more apparent , it is still more clearly manifest that it is their duty and interest to insist upon the universal application of the principle of DIRECT taxation . On this ground , then , the proposal of Peel to tax Incomes in a plain straight-forward and direct manner , is entitled to their heart j aud -undivided support .
There is another principle , too , involved in this Income-tax project , which also entitles the measure to the support of the labouring many . Property is Taxed . The man who has been able , by the operation of the blessed system under which we live , to accumulate to himself a large heap of the good things of life , is tared according to the scale laid down . What can be more equitable ? What can be more just \ What objections are there that can be urged against this principle ? True , that what he has , has come from labour ; true , that the labour yearly expended upon his
estate , or upon the raw material in his mill , alone gives value to them , and is the source whence his income is derived ; true , that if he pays a portion of that income in direct taxes to the Government , he has less to spend in the market upon the productions of other labour ; true all this ; yet he now gets the income ; the labouring people have that to provide for him , as well as their immediate share of the indirect taxes Snow paid ; and it will not , in all cases , happen that if a tax is laid upon incomes , the " property men" will be able to make thase who labour produce more for them to pay the tax with ; though , in-too many cases , we
grieve to say , they will have this power . They cannot , however , have it , in all cases ; and whenever this happens to be , the tax is a subtraction from the rich man ' s income to the clear and manifest benefit of the labouring people , who now have both income and taxes to raise . They , therefore , are deeply aud immediately interested in having all the taxes necessary imposed upon PROPERTY , and collected in a DIRECT and immediate manner . Both these principles are involved in Peel's Income tax : and these are reasons why the plan of taxation he has proposed , as far as the institution of that particular tax is concerned , Buould be supported by the labourers of England .
Aye , but it may be said , have you not already admitted that the proposed Income tax is a " monstrous injustice" ? We have ! But in what does the injustice consist ? In submitting incomes to the action of taxation ? Not a bit of it ! Incomes qf every description ought to be taxed . Every man ought to bear his share of the burdens of the State according to his visible means . The injustice we have pointed out consists , not in the taxing of incomes derived from professions or trades , but in taxing these incomes to ihe same amount , and in the same degree , as incomes derived from certain
and fixed properties . The first class are the result of labour and skill ; and thoughthey certainly ought not to be free from taxation , yet it is clear they ought not to pay in the same proportion as incomes derived without exertion or skill . The uncertain nature of the incomes derived from trade and professions , is another reason why they should not be taxed so highly as the incomes derived from a more certain source ; but it is no reason why they should be exempted from taxation . The case of these parties / then , in relation to the working man , is just this : if they think Peel has not taxed the possessors
of incomes arising from landed and tended property , or from buildings , high enough in proportion to the amount he has proposed to lay upon incomes arising from the exercise ef trade , or tha following of professions , let them bother ; Peel TO MAKE IT HIGHER , and remit some other tax which presses immediately upon the labouring people ; but don't let them try to persuade the labouring people to get tradesmen and professional men exempted from the tax . No . no . If they like , we will try to increase the measure of taxation upon those who certainly ought , in all justice , to pay more ; but we as certainly will not advise that the labouring people
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should aid or countenauc 8 , 6 r even permit , any attempt on the part of the traders , either to relieve themselves from the operation of Peel ' s measure , or to reduce tho amount he proposes to raise from them . Three : per cent , is '' a very low ^ figure . The traders think so in their transactions one with another , and in their dealings with the people ; They may try f if they like , to induce Peel to lay suv per cent , upon the owners of tangible and certain property , while he retains the present amount upon incomes from other sources ; but they must not bo permitted to hitch-off the burden / from themselves , or to lessen the proposed amount . .
, It ia but £ i . mM 0 , at the mry outside , that Peel proposfs to raise by means of this Inpome tax ! Only £ 4 , 000 , 000 I ! By ^ other and indirect theaas he Taises £ 53 , b 00 , 0 qo !!! The main portion of this £ 53 , 000 , 000 is wrung from the labourers / of England * The time has come when the Government cannot possibly raise more from this class ; Pkel distinctly says so . He saya , moreover , that if he is to satisfy the demands made upon him , he must have the
money . He further Bays , that those who are able must make up the deficiency . Those to whom Peel thus appeals say that they will not respoiid to his call I They denouhca the measure as one of robbery and plunder . They have no objection to the labosring poor paying the £ 53 , 000 , 000 ; but they have a great objection to pay only £ 4 , 000 , 000 amongst themselves 1 !! 0 ! the tender conscience of a free-trader .- ^ -when his pocket is touched !! |
" Yes , but , ' ? rejoins the objector , " what need is there for Peel to raise the £ 4 , 000 , 0001 Why does he not reduce the expenditure ? " Aye , why I you besotted brute ! Why I Because you will not let him Do yeu not insist upon " National Faith" being kept i Do you not insist upon the interest of the Debt being paid in full ? Do you not stand up for the Pensiou List , the Civil List , the Salaries , and the Grants ? Have you not spurned and spit upon the labouring people , when they asked you , years ago , to aid them to get the expenditure reduced ?; Did you not
join in " loyal" and patriotic associations to put down the Radicals , who only wanted to do then what you now require ? Bid yau not mount a horse , string a sword by your side , putI . a- pistol in your pocket , and dub yourself a " yeomanry Cavalry man , " and turn out to butcher jn cold blood those who wanted to obtain from the Government justice for you as well as for themselves ? Did you not join in the passing of addresses to the Government , thanking them for suspending the Habeas Corpus Act , and for imprisoning for years together , hundreds of aa good men ; as England ever saw , and then turning them out of jail without even telling-ihe captives why they had been placed in confinement !! I
Did you not applaud the unfeeling monsters who jested in "that House" upon the sufferings and excruoiating torments endured by the vieti maL of your hellish schemes to put down the rising spirit of liberty ¦! And have you not latterly cpuntenanoed the Government in their wholesale imprisonment of the Chartists ? Were you not one of those who eat in the jury-box , and convicted them of 6 eekiiig to do that which you now , yourself ; ask to be done ! You are a pretty beast to ask for a reduction of expenditure ! You are a pretty beast to object to pay taxes !! Base reptile ! Immeasurably base ! Tax him , Peel !! Lay it on ! Let him pay ! and be hanged !
No , no ; it will not do for those who sspport , and havo supported , the present infernal system of Debt and Robbery , to object to the proposed Income tax . Such an objection , or rather a demand for a reduction of expenditure may come , as it has ever come , from the labouring people , and come with a good grace ; but if those who have hounded on the myrmidons i of power upon the poor , for denouncing the robberies committed upon their labour ; if those who acted in" Volunteer armed Associations . " ¦ ¦{ £
those who enlisted in the " Yeomanry Corps ; " if those who aided and abetted in the prosecutions of the Radicals and Chartists , because they complained of the weight of taxation ; if those who did all or any of these things should now venture to complain—now , that tho workings of their praisebespattered system has made it necessary that their incomes should be taxed ; if any one of these should dare to urge one word of public complaint , let infamy and ineffable scorn be his portion !!!
There can be no reduction of expenditure while the present system obtains ! To reduce the expenditure means to reduce the Debt ; to disband the Army ; to repeal the Pension List ; to reduce the Salaries ; to remove the Dead Weight ; to lessen the Civil List ; and to dock Prince Albert's allowance . Will the Free Traders go for this ?! Dare : they tackle the fundholder ? Are they prepared io grapple with the real question ? If they are , let them blame Peel for seeking to keep up the expenditure , and for devising schemes to get the
money to pay with : but i / they are nat , blistered be the tongue of every mother ' s son of them who dares to utter even half a word in the way of complaint at having to pay the quota imposed upon him ! Peel is right . If the monied classes will have " the system , " they must find him the means of payment . The old saying that " you cannot both eat your loaf and have your loaf " is strictly applicable here . The devourer of taxes cannot swallow the money , and have the money ! More grist must come to the mill , or tho mill must stand : and those who are in love
with our present grinding system , must find the means to keep it up 51 O ! what a glorious sight it is to see the " loyal " ia such a stew about paying taxes : \ During the heyday of their " loyalty / ' whenSloans ? and ^ 'bankr notes" were as plentiful as blackberries ; when " we " were " at war" with both France and America ; when "Bank Restriction " , exietjd j when our " resources" were in process of " development ;" in those good old titans , jg ^ a m an dared to say a word agairial ^ n | re wara then being carried on , or againsW the taxes
imposed upon the labouring people to pay for the waTaand the interest upon the—loans ; " if a man in those days dared to utter a word against the Heaven-born Minister ' and hie syststn of Debt and Taxation , his taeth were down his throat in an instant ! Then it wal that the " loyal" " pledged their lives and their fortunes" . 'Then it was that they urged the Minister to spend hand- over-head , never thinking of" to-morrow . " : Now ^ they have to taste some little of their own system . Now it has partly reached them 1 The taste
they havo got is as nothing , compared with what is to cornel but the little they have had makes them wince most confoundedly I Look a *; the sight just now J Feel merely proposes to raise from them £ 4 , 000 , 000 ; and they stand aghast j Hark to the yell of cxecratioa with which his proposal is met and then reflect that the winders are those who have resisted all attempts to adjust the Taxation and the Debt equitably ^^ between the payers and the receivers ; the borrowers and the lenders ! Ah 1 let them wince J Let them wriggle and writhe I . ' but don't let them cast-off the burden from themselves
until they are willing and anxious to relieve the poor man as well ! Whenever they are prepared to do this j whenever they ara prepared to act with justice to all parties ; wheneverv . they are prepared tj go for EquitaBlb ADjr / srMENT , and a reduction of taxation ; whenever they are prepared to do these things , and to get the Chartbb for their accomplishment , labouring people then you hearken to what they say , and entertain their proposals ; but , until then ; until they be so prepared ; until they are prepared to act in good
faith towards YOU , let them whistle to the winds , and dance jiga to the mile-stones ! Above all things , mind that they do not hitch-off the income Tax !! 2 You have had the harness and the collar to wear long ' enough ; it has tabbed into the raw , deep enough , and no commisseration could you find . They havehad a spanking bran new s ^ t , of "improved" ^ and "light" make , made for them by Peel : fe < them wear it if insolent and overbearing as they have been towards you when you complained of the Wrong done you , they will
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hot shew a much ¦ 'better sample of patience ! Let us look at them , howeyer . Let us fairly " see how they l , ke it ; " and let us take care that they don't kick off the yoke until they are prepared to take off Ours also ! ¦¦'¦ ¦ '' : - .. ; ¦' . ; :. " ¦ •¦• . '" ' .. : ; : ¦ ; ' -, . ; . " . " - - : ' : ¦ '"
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MR . ROBERT KEMP PHILP . This gentleman seems in a sad taking ! We have received , per favour of a friend , an early copy of this day ' s Vindicator , ' . th ' o first article in whiohis from his pen , upon the subject of the Bath Confer- * ences , the reports sent us by our correspondent , and the observations we thought it our duty to make tiereon . Of course Mr . Philp is the best judge of the course best calculated to effect any purpose he may have in view . We shall give so much of this article as refers to us and to the S / ar , and leave the people to receive it for as much as they think it worth . After eulo-Io » ising the Charter , and stating that there are " amongst the Chartist body very many sincerely and honestly devoted to their country ' s cause , men who have sacrificed much , " &o . Mr . Philp goes
on .: — ¦ ; . ¦ - :, . . , ¦ - . ¦ . ¦ - . . ¦;¦ ¦ :. .: - "But there are some mixed up with Cbartism , to its prejudice and injury , big in self esteem ; who , having imperfectly learned tae alphabet : of politics , presume to speak Us language . Such mtn are but drags upon the wheel of human progression ; their adoration is of hen , hot of principles ; their discourses : ABUSE AND DECLAMATION , not ARGUMENT ^ T hey seek to earn a reputation ; and not having the ability to gain & People ' s esteem for themselves , they assail the characters of others , that th « sy may be elevated by their downfall . * * " The course I have taken I am still prepared to defend , and will still pursue , notwithstanding the
falsehoods of Bartlett , to which several additions are made in the Star of the l ° th ; notwitstanding the dictatorship of its Editor , and the suppression of most important parts ef the explanatory correspondence , together with the unfair application of brief extracts from my speech . I declare for INDEPENDENCE ! of thought and of action . If I can fail to adduce argument . and ; reason for my position , if I compromise a single principlG , then let me be Condemnbel , I court not-popularity , nor praise ; I labour zaalously to advance the cause of Chartism , but I am not to be turned from my path by every mushroom that starts up in . my way . ¦ ¦ " ¦ ¦ ¦ ¦¦' ¦ : ¦ " . ¦ . - ¦ -. ¦ ¦ " ¦ ¦ ¦¦ ¦ - " ¦ ¦ ' ' : ¦ : ¦ : ¦• ' ¦ ¦ '• " ¦ ' .. ' ¦¦ . ¦
"Chartism , indeed , has brought us to a very unenviable positiou , if those who are its zealous promoters dare not think for themselves , arid canuet secure a true representation of their acts in the leading Chartist organ . Let those Croucb ( who wiLt- —I ' ll not be a slave . If any of my Charlist brethren desire from me my own explanation of what I did in respect of Sturge ' s declaration , I will most readily and willingly comply ; but I protest against being judged by the lying , prejudiced , and ignorant reports , of a man with whom I , shall ever hereafter deem it dishonourable to hold connexion . Let me be judged by my own actions , and not by the wilful falsehoods of a man ignoraktlt
ambitious . ' - ¦ . . ; -. .. - . . • .... .. . . - - .- r ' . .. ;¦ ' . ; .-. ; .. u Tbia is the first time since my connection with Chartistu that I have been called upon -to defend myself from malicious abuse and misrepresentation ; and I will resist to the last the tyrannical conduct of men , even though , they cloak themselves by the name of Chartists " I repeat—does any honest Chartist desire me to state correctly what I have done , aud what course I recommend to be pursued , I will do so with extreme readiness and pleasure ; but let me not be viewed through the darkened medium of other men ' s thick heads and black hearts . "
We have quoted the above verbatim '; Italics , capitals , and all , are Mr . Philp ' s own ; and our only reply to its blustering abuse is to refer the reiaders of Mr . Philp ' s paper to all that we have written upon the matter in the last two Stars . We here repeat every word we have said upon the matter . On the 12 th We said : — "Wo refer with great pain to the proceedings of the conference of Bath , between : the Sturge . Declaration men and some leading Chartists of that city . We respect Vincent for his zeal , his talent , and his suffering in the cause , as highly as we
respect any man ; wo believe him to be thoroughly honest and Well-intentioned , but we cannot but regret the position he has taken in this business Still more do we regret to see joined with him Mr . Philp , a member of the People ' s Executive . Doubt ^ less these gentlemen give the new converts to Complete Suffrage credit for a large amount of honesty and sincerity . Wo : cannot do so ; and we fear , it the people should be led into any general countenance of the steps taken by these gentlemen , that the error will not be found to be less fatal for having been an amiable one . " -
Last week , on the same subject , we had the following observations : — . ' •¦ ¦¦ Werepeatfas we said last Week , that we respect these men for-the talent and the zsal they have hitherto manifested ia the people ' s cause ; we respect some of them for the sufferings they have endured ia the cause ' but we cannot- in this case compliment their judgment . We doubt not that they err from the excess of their anxiety to seize every opportunity of making converts to the Charter , and from their readiness to estimate the motives of others by their own , and eo to give the middle-class Sturgemen full credit for sincerity in their profession of Universal Suffrage principles : they suppose them to be sincere in wishing for Universal Suffrage , and that , therefore , they can easily persuade them into
the adoption of the other points of the Charter . We think them muoh mistaken ; and we still opine that their error will not be found less fatal for being amiable . ; We feel some little difficulty in finding out tha plane upon which the amiable principles of our frienda operate . We are at ft loss to know how they discover , ia- their "Declaration , " any distinct and unequivocal recognition of the principle of Ukivbhsai . Suffrage and if that recognition were even palpable , we are astonished that they , some of whom have Buffered so much from middle class treachery to principle heretofore , can have so simple a dependency on their adherence to principle now . We find iu Mr . Philp ' s speech , at the Conference , as reported by Himself , the following sentiment : — . ; . ¦ : ¦ . - ' ...- ¦ -r . ' -: ^¦¦¦ ,- '¦ " ' ¦ ¦ ¦ .. ¦ ¦ -
¦ * . ' But suppose the worstr-that the middle classes were not honest;—that they signed this declaration as a false pretence ;—could they ever again sit in jury boxes and convict us as traitors and conspirators for contending for that principle which they themselvea had declared in black and white to be the right of the people . '
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" Now , surely , Mr . Philp must have forgotten , in the goodness of bis heart , the experience of all the last five years . Who have been the most forward ia the jury boxes , and on the bench , t » convict ana sentence Chartists ? Have they not been the very parties who have , over and Over again , in the Reform Kll agitation , testified to , and contended fcr , the very same principle-rthe principle that representation should be co-extensive with taxatioa V This is the whole amount of bur : ¦ dictation "^ -pf bur" malicious abuse and misrepresentation . "
If the most fastidious of Mr , Philp ' s friends oan find therein a single word disrespectful to Mr . Philp , we will quite willingl y sit down to be trodden upon as the mushroom in Mr . Philp ' s path J if they cannot , they will : psrhapa be able to find out who has most reason ( if it were woith while ) to complain of " misrepresentation and falsehood . '' In any case we shall not allow either " mushrconis , '' or angry men , like Mr . Philp , to turn us from our path / We shall neither suffer the people ' s cause to b ? damaged by treachery nor imprudence without givingWarning , nor will we be . driv-ca into an abusive personal conflict because Mr . Pnit ? desires itr . We have given our opinion on the policy
of Rjr * Philp and his friends . We havo dune so respectfully but honestly . We have ^ ivon tha people the reasons upon which that bpiuioa u founded . We have discharged our duty ; aad it is now for the people to determine on the merits of the matter . It is for them to say whether the ; approve , as wise and safe , the polioy of Mr . PiiiLj and bis friends and abettors ; and we have too great an opinion of their good sense , to believe that the insolent and bullying tone assumed by -Mr . Philp , will be allowed to . influence thoir judgment . They will judge of the policy on its own merits , and not on those of Mr . Philp , as one ef the very few individuals calling themselves Chartists who advo . cate-it . ¦ . • ¦ . . . ' - ¦ . : ¦ , '¦ ¦ ¦• -. ¦ ¦ - ; " '¦ ::. '¦ ¦ ¦¦ ' . . ' ..
Mr . Philp . " claims independence of thought and of action , " while he is outrageously angry with 6 th « people for asserting a like claim by censuring hia , or even dissenting from his opinion ! Pretty con . sistent in an advocate of democratic principleaj Mr . Philp says not a word abont his intention to comply , or otherwise , With the' call made upon him by almost ; the whole Chartist body to resign his
seat in the Executive . Perhaps it may comport with his notions of democratic principle to rank his constituents among the " mushroom ? . " However , it is near the time that a new Executive must be elected , and Mr . P . will then have an opportunity of learning how far . his coquetting with the Sturgites as a matter of policy , and his mode of defending au alleged error of judgment , as a matter of principls and character , is approved of by the people .
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Determined to commemorate every great national event connected with the present " movement , ¦ Mr . O'Connor has entered into arrangemenU for presenting the Subscribers to the Star with a large and splendid Engraving of the Presea < tation of ' . - -.: ' ' ' :. '¦¦ ¦ ¦ ¦ ¦ ¦ ¦ . ¦'¦'¦ ¦ .- - " : . ' -
THE CtREAT NATIONAL PETITION to the House of Commons . This Plate will be as much superior to the Engra vings already given with the Star , as they were to any ever given with any other newspaper . It will be divided , a 3 it were , into three main coiu > partments . The first will represent the Dele GA . TES in Convention ASSEUBLED . previous to start ' ing with the Petition to the House of Commons , The centre and largest compartment will represent the Procession > ccompanying the Petition to the House , the Petition itself , the BeABEB 3 of it , and the People , when passing Whitehall , . and approaching Palace Yard . The third
compartment will represent the / Petition IN THE HOUSE , when " laid on the table , " being « general view of the Interior of the " House of Commons , the Bar and the Speaker ' s Chair beiqg prominent features . : In addition to these main compartments the upper and lower edges of the plate will be divided into sixteen other smaller compartments , eaci . one of which will contain an accurata representation of some great Public Building passed ia the route from the Convention Rooms to the Parliament House . Views will thus be given of Temple Bar , St . Clement Dane ' s , Church , Somerset House , Exeter Hall , St .
Mary-le-Strand , Trafalgar Square , Northumberland House , Whitehall . Richmond Terrace , Tb « Admiralty , The Horse Guards , Westminsta Bridge , Tiie Treasury ^ Westminster Abbevj and Sfc . Margaret ' s Church , Westminster Hall , aai trie Exterior of the House of Common . There will thus be given > upon one very large shee ^ ¦ Nineties Splendid PiCTCRES . aUtiaraioniouslj combined to make the whole an effective and ¦ ' . ; ¦ ' worthy representation of the most important movement ever made by the English people in favour of liberty . " ; v The terms upon which the Plate will be issued are : as follow : — ; : '" . - ¦ ¦ '¦¦ ¦ - ' - .. 1 - '" . ¦ . ¦ .. ' ' ••" ' , ¦ = ' ' ¦ . ,:
-Every Subscriber to the Star for Four Months from the 9 th of April will be entitled to a Plate . We do not promise to have it ready at that time , though in all probability it will be ; yet we do not pro mise ; for the work will be one of such a character 5 and will need such careful attention on the part of the Eogravcr , -. « to defy any one to fix an exact time . This , however v We do promise . If the plate is not then ready , every subscriber , is at liber ty , to cease his subscription , holding his ticket , Md receiving his plate and paper from the Agent ht has subscribed with , the day it is presented ) just as if be had continued to subscribe . The Price of the Paper the week the Plate is present ^ d will be One Shilling . ' . ' We will try to make such arrangements as will make this the only charge the Subscribers will hava W
pay ^ - .. ¦¦ - . ¦; ¦ - , ¦ : ' ¦ ; - ' ¦ -.. : ' . "¦ ¦ •'¦" ¦ - ' ¦ ¦ . - . Agents , therefore , will please to open , eubscriptoJ lists , and in all cases furnish the subscribe with a ticket , which ticket will entitle ninrtt : the Plate whenever it is given for Bubscribiiig for the ^/ ar for four months . As soon as possible , specimens shall be placed n > the hands of the Agents .
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Mr . Philp and the Chartist body . —We < m inundated with tetters of complaint about m non-insertion of the iyumerous resolutions & »' week sent to us censuring Mr . Philp , and calli" uponhimforthwith toresignhisoffice ' oj'Exert ' tiye Councillor to the NationalCltarterAsso ^ tion . Now it is useless folly thus to annoy vi > The insertion , of all those resolutions in full tn < 0 of necessity have driven out of the paper a til large amount of valuable matter , merely jor * repetition of the same thing over and over dgi ^ The proper way of proceeding is this : atttFI place where such resolutions were passed , w sub Secretary should send a copy to Mr . Phw
\ , Chandos buildings , Bath , and another to M General Secretary of the Executive . Thisow to be done in justice to m , to Mr . Philp , tow Executive , and to < the' Chartist body generally . . SlAES to Ireland . —There is much anxiety anwnjp ; the working men of Ireland to read the &t * t : & proprietor knows how unable they are to P ' cure it from their individual resources—small , is its price , it is that of a loaf , or a stone ^ potatoes . Those of our English brethren , twh ^ whoivould wish to sow the goodseed in a pr able : soil cannot better serve the cause tto * W directing their Stars , after reading thch w W . H . Dyott , secretary to the Irish Z / m' ^ f
Suffrage Association , at U , N . Anne-street ^ *" will tqke care to employ them well . ' tA , James Sweet begs to acknowledge the receipt " /' following sums for the Convention , viz ., l !^ , ' fromAifreton , Derbyshire ; iQs . fromGainful Lincolnshire \ ; and £ \ from Boston , Linw »' shire . : V- ... ^>\ . - : :-.. ' : / - : : ¦ ¦ ¦ ¦ ¦' . All CoJtMCNiCATioNS to Mr . G . M . Bartlett mtui ™ addressed to him at 19 , Gloucester-rQa d-btiMW '* Lower Swanswick , Bath . ' , „ ,. WM . JFOSTEB , BlJNGLBT .-r . Hw report of the ¦ && <«* meeting was noticed last week . . ' - HAiuPAX Chartists . —We have noi room for ^ long letter of remonstrance to Mr . Vincent : ma
_ had better post it to him . , , ,. . A Retired Blacking Mahpfacidbeb callt v *™' tentipn of the Chartist public strongly te mg Finder ' s blacking , says that he is qvMe cer'atn , firom : the knowledge he has of the ^ " ^ ' ^ r profits of Mr . Pihdef <^ n 6 te ? ceedM . or W- £ * gross for all his labour , thinksthai the * f tjm months oughtfromihis source to bring « " """ „ j . pounds io the Executive , and a thousand '¦ & % " % into local funds , from the profits oj f alnoM retailers . "¦ : - - i ; ' ¦ ¦¦¦' ' ¦ '¦ v . ¦ ¦ . '• ¦ . :- - r , ^ , TfiB axocKPOBt Friends request , that BefSW * Mar pie , arid the surrounding districts , M « " «? had petitions from Stoekport will send them % n * r the mth March instant , as all will have to gow gelhertoMacclesfieldon the SriApni . AWS ** after th * Z \ st of March will be too late .
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4 ¦ . . - th ; eV ; : ^ ¦ ¦¦ : . - - ¦ . : ^ -.: - - ¦ ^ - ¦ - - ^ :-W ^^
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THE STAR AND THE EXECUTIYE , Elsewhere we give an article from the Executive , which seems to require from us a word pf explanation . The Executive say—¦ ¦ ¦ " We must , in the most friendly , bnt determined manner , protest against the Editor associating the Executive Council with the humbug trap and the Bath conference . We have the greatest possible respept for Mr . Hill * Mr . O'Connor , and Mr . O'Brien ; but-we must Bay that the former is not justified in making the Executive answerable for aught save their Own acts as a body , or in mixing themup . as a Council , with the private proceedings of Mr . Vincent , Mr . Philp , or any other man . "
Had our good friends of the Executive read the article to which the above sentences allude , with their accuatomed carefulness , they would have saved themselves the trouble of writing , and U 3 of replying to them for they woald have seen that we have done no such thing a 9 mix up their acts as a public bo ^ y with those of Mr . Vincknt or any other private individual ; nor have wo made them as a body . at all responsible for the individual acts of Mr . Philp , wh © is one of their body . We have confined ourseives simply and solely to that which they -with the greatest fairness admit to have been our duty , the expressing of our own opinion of their public acts and recommendations .
The whole misapprehension arises from the fact , that in our paper of the 12 sh inst ; , for the mere saving of room and time , we classed three distinct subjects of comment together in one article ^ heading it tau ? : — "The Humbug trap—^ The Batb . Conference —The policy of the Executive . " And a reference to the article will show that in our observations upon these subjects wo kept them perfectly distinct the one from the other . We think if our friends of the Executive will read the article again , they will see this ; and will see , therefore , that the injustice » f whioh they complain exists only in their own misapprehension . ; ¦ " ¦ . " ¦
To their observations in dissent from our opinion of the resolution in question , we have no reply to make ; our opinion was honestly expressed ; we have ho doubt theirsis so too . The people will decide ; and we think the Executive perfectly right to take their instructions from no other quarter . We again give our deliberata opinion , that the only safe course for the people is to " chuck overboard" evertthino but the Charter .
Splendid And Costly Present To The Readers Op The "Ndrthern.- Star. " ;:. ¦ •¦≫¦: ¦ ¦: : . - -V-\ . ' ¦ ¦ . . : ' : : . ¦ . . :: : ¦• • - ;
SPLENDID AND COSTLY PRESENT TO THE READERS OP THE " NdRTHERN .- STAR . " ; :. ¦ •¦>¦ : ¦ ¦ : . - -v- \ . ' ¦ ¦ . . : ' : : . ¦ . . :: ¦• • - ;
Qq 2&Eabev$ Anh Cwn^Jsfjwtnienw
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Citation
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Northern Star (1837-1852), March 26, 1842, page 4, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/ns/issues/vm2-ncseproduct747/page/4/
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