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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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OS THE PROPRIETY OF THE WORKING CLASSES AIDING THE CORN-LAW BEPEALERS ; IN REPLY TO S . K . OF GLASGOW . Sis . —As It is evident from the composition of yonr letter that you are xsot in the habit ol patting your tbonghts npon paper , I shall make no captious or Tsrbal criticism ; but where your meaning appears clear , or caa be gathered from what you say , I aball take such meaning , withont regard to the phraseology , and comment npon it accordingly . *»» n-TTtj TSDr \ "D"PTT ! TV CtT ? TUT ? TCTfPTTTV / 3 .
It -will be e-rident to all who have read my first letter -& 3 t from the mrtto prefixed to it and from the eom-» o 5 ition of the first paragraph , I appeared to doubt the justice or propriety of resorting to any but strictly honourable means for the attaining of any great object Bat , I concluded , " if the parties -with -whom -we have to do keep no measure of faith ; if they resort te anything or everything , no matter how tricky or base , to preTent us obtaining our just ends ; I think the end would sanctify the means , even if we did return the contents of the poisoned chalice to their own lips , and tioist them from their unjust position by means of tbair
« wn petard . " Now , sir , this ¦ was ore of the positions which yon ought to hsva either endeavoured to contro-Tert or to have acknowledged . If yon had controverted it , the whole of the snhsequent reasoning would necessarily hive fallen to the ground ; and if you had acknowledged it , the wkolematter in dispute would hare resolved itself into the qu&eiion , vMher the repeal of the Com Laws would har-e a tendency to cause the middle c ? a > szs to become alarmed for their oven situation , and cc 7 ^ fguerd y cause them to join the people to obtain that pozeer in the l egislature tthich , AXD ONLY WHICH , can prevent them from being suxdloived up by Hie gulf of fixed paymerUs .
Hrre the -whole thing would haTe been in a nutshell , se 3 if you had taken these two , either jointly or singly , we should not have been in danger of iosing the main obj-: ct in a labyrinth of , at tbebest , feut secondary constqTjeuws . Bnt as you have not taken this course I must follow you in the best way 1 cm . Your first attempt at reasoning is in the following words ;—" Now I contend that the interest of the retail merchant and the labourer are the same . If the lsbonrer receives no wages , the retailer receives no pronts : if small wages , the retailer small profits .
Thus ihtrir interests are co-extensive , and this , according to his own showing , necessity being tbe basis ol union , it was never so likely as sow . " 2 s * ow , Sir , snppose I grant the whole of this , what would it be but reasoning , to the best of your pewer , for my position ? If necessity be the basis of union , tbe more you increase that necessity , the greater the ckance of union , a ^ i , therefore , it brings yon round to mj position , that the more they are alarmed for their own position the sooner tney will join tbe people to prevent their own complete ruin .
Bat if you meant to include the whole of the manufacturing' and trading class when yen said that " the £ :: t-: res : i ! of the retail merchant and the labouring ctess aie co-txtensive , " I must beg most respeclfuliy to dissent from tbe opinion . Is it t ? ne that the interest of the merchant and manufacturer , whose dealings arc abroad , can be " co-fcxtensive with those of the labourer ? " By co-extensive I suppose you mean identical . And how , pray , are the interests of these parties " identical" with those of the labourer ? Their interest is to purchase cheap and to sell dear ; and , therefore , it is their interest for things to be in that state in this country wh-ch will compel the labourer to work for the least possible amount of remuneration , and then i : is their interest to » ell the produce of tlut labour for the highest possible amount on tbe other side of the water ; and , therefore , if they have any interests " identical" with those of any body , it , is with those of tfctir foreign purchaser .
>* cr is it quite so evident that the interest of that miscrabie slave , the shopkeeper , aad that of the working man is so completely identical as it would appear at rbe first glance to be . Let us just examine for a moment whether the interest of those who deal in bea-rily taxed articles is so very identical with that of the working man . Let us , then , take as an instance one of thefi-ish "TEA . WAREHOUSES" in on * of the principal streets of Glasgow . And , let us also premi 5 e here that the tax upon tea will amount to , at the l £ 2 J ! t , one half of its cost to the consumer . Now , then , let ns suppose that this shop has tbe whole of its establishment based upon the sale of £ 100 per week , and that by that sale he gets ten per cent , or £ 10 per week- Now , then , let us suppjse that hia gas , his servants , his rent , his taxes , in short , all the miscellaneous expences , which are bssed npon this £ 18 per week , amount to five pounds per week , leaving the proprietor a net profit of the remaining five pounds .
Now , then , let us suppose the tax on tfca abolished ; and let us suppose that this fiish shop of yours contisnes to retail the same weight of tea which it did before the abolition ef the duty . No one need be told tint tie same weight of tea which before the abolition of the duty raised £ 100 , wiil , after the abolition of the duty , it being one half only , raise £ 50 per week Now , then , suppose him to get ten per cent , npon his turn over as before , it will be evident , that as hia turn , over is only £ 50 per week , tbe profit npon that will be only five pound per week ; and , as we have snpposed hia expencea of all kinds to amount to five pounds per week , it will leave the proprietor for hi * share just nothing at all ! . ' Whit think you now , S . K-, about the intrrest of the retiil merchant and that of the labourer being co-extensive ? Will ft be likely , think yon , ttat the retail nserchiDt will be anxious for the abolition of tbe tax cpaa te 3 7
- But you will tell me that in consequence of the rednci : on ia price Mb Bile will be doubled , and therefore be win gain as much in nominal amount as he tiid before the abolition of the tax . Lit -us try this . Let us Eappost for a moment tbe absurdity that his sals would be uoub ' ed , ( which mind I do not , only for the sake of illustrating the argument , ; what would be the consequence ? Would he not want double -warehouse room , dsnble the number of hands , in sh rt would not hia erperce be , if not quite , nearly doubled if he bad to do double the amount of business ? This must inevitably follow , or else we must suppose that the " canny" j £ ash shopman is such a good soul that he has been j Trilling to pay for donble the amount of warehouse- room which he wanted ; donble the amount of hands i ¦ wiacb . he stood in need of ; in short , that he has been wLling topiy double the am : nut of expezce which he bzA any occasion for , and that too out of pure good Trill , rather tban put the amount in hia own pocket
Now S . K have yon anj retail merchant of this kind ? At- ; the " canny Scotch" famed for doing things in thU siannor ? Bnt , however , admitting all tht » e absarnitieB , ii it not evident that tha " retail mtrchant a : d bis tEiisttnts -pculd Lr <\ e ckchle the amount of labour to perform ? And wiil they ba anxious to do this ? Trunk yen that their interests are so co-exttn ETr ? But j 'n observe that tbe poor workies would be tbt £ k : to = s 2 Vr , and th = n what me they do ? I grant you that i : ; crtst social charges the workey is the fl .-et CTts ; -cST-rsr . Bnt what is his state under this system of - ' s-. c ^ l cr < 5 = t" ? D--W fc ^ oarce is . for ths lion ' i t ' r . zre <¦ : ' tbe comforts ? and if he does why is he
diss . z-zc ^ i * Lore Jc-Ln RsiSrll w :-i that bad arrived fit siii-fc s state of wreictsdnf-ss that he had " ealen hi * btd" / . lifcrrriin Krrsimw , of vanikester , corrobjraUa this by Eifnz that in one am nil district 10 000 wtre with ,-at bt-i to lie on . The ^ x-Msyor of Lee ^ a said that P-t-. f : ta people of le ^ ds were li ving upon rotten I ¦> *—t-.-ea p := ked up frjm the wharf . The Irish stole £ rt wetd which bad been laid on to the land S 3 mitErs . and eat it to ¦ preserve a miserable eslstancc Ana Mr ^ liim , M P . fir Leed ? , said that tie workit 3 n :--t be starred down to the required quantity ; Ei : d rur-dreda of things rume horrible and awful ^ T-: J . h e ' en to -cares would be unlawful But is E * ^ iind this hsj no occasian to be to zr . j -rta : extent if the ir-jrkiisg dos- ^ t-a wonld act wi ; i ; 5 j : r : t Lsri be dtte ; minini to go in shoals to the poor !¦ = «¦; . Yen hsve the same rjsfct to relief from the
1 * L as tht Ijudjord has to own it . Do this ana you ¦ wiil q ^ ckiy a arm them for iheir liluaiion , and then t ' -rT wiii quickiy look about for 3 remedy . B ^ ty-n wi 1 tell me about ths indepfendar , cs of n : en , cf ti . r i-. graded nanie of piup ^ v , v .-d ail the otL-r cunt Thic ' a i = pnt b ; to the moath of the wor ^ ticg man , to ii . ike him struggle with ^ n busrry belly and z . naked lizk , I know aJl about the siuir . I e-n E ^ e th = t --tst . inuustriens , an * ico piti ^ nt workis § man go wi-. n h : « wife ar . d finiishir . ^ c ' r / iMrc-n tj ' - ; isk s ^ rue t' , tL- r of the earth to i / iv ? him leave to lei ' . ' ' acd I can t-. ' -i 1 l : o all the ar ^ uijh wtuct wricgii a father ' s bos ; m wkc ^ j > h ^ arshis
' ¦ Li . rdlj feilcw worm , the poor p-. tition spurn ;" I can seconp-aEj him to the bastiie ' s portal , and I can tear , ' asiid tLs pulses madJei . jii ; piay , " the order to ^ psrs > him frt'ia Lis Trifs and coiloren . I can h ^ ar the s : titr ' s shriek of agony ; I c ^ c hear the father exclaim i ~ ~ £ uish , " whst ali ' mj Iktic oces . '" Paam icem ! E-. Trt 5 . ' " what cil ? '— y&s alL ?—i is horrible : most h < . rr : i > le ! But S > K . must E " - : - *? fct , it tbe time be is contemplating this scene . £ - iuhcxa&s cf good mej ana true who Lave to rot in c . zi-.. i ~ 23 t Bn 3 er the preicut mild pattrnal 8 < ay . " H = J-ust net for et Fiost , Wiiliams and Jones ; ke J- -s- = yi forget ths scores which hnve been transported * > .-n . i-jiSori ; he must not end- - avour to disguue from tlmsej that the nssroUcttd , heart-broken wife and fa-alshicg chiidroi have ail tbe previously descriusd h ' jrntie Ecenei to undergo , in addition to the borrowing tiS-tuon that the partner cf her Borrows is pining in
tie cucgeon , or clacking his chain as a felon , because he tid eictavonred to wring from capital a fair remuneat ^ E f Dr his labour . Bisides , you ssy , I : let even martyrdom come , and it w-ii be welcome . " Now if Uiiflbenotali unmeaning r "i ; if it be not a stringing together of votes -wliicls ue " fau ct f ^ y bat Si KOify nothing , "' joa cannoi o = ii . ii > , eTen tiou ' gh your emplojer anajjourseli shc-ulo Ettri the " ciagryracs together . " For although the fc-sh ftsKd harassing cf capital may involve tht * . 'n frca his lordjy fellow-wonn ; although it nxaj fc- ^ it- V . t EFx . irat ' .. n fir a time from his wife ami t - ^' - ^ E-, 5-. illtemu » trcmembtru 3 St "martykdom » - ' ^ M U ~ ' -m all i aEd Eiuie , much more ; sad 1 7 . ^ ., P- * -tclarly impress this fact upon jourminJ , ut to - ^ hi : 6 tf the Etrusgie ia nearly exclusively f oi t - - _ fctst- .: c . f ^ g -R-orkicg-ican . In propoiUsn-as fc « f m : ^ -moit all otter claifita wil \ lose . And , thtielore , wiit he L ^ to suffd iuricg tie strugg le is ; fcf
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price which he pays for the good he expects from hi » emancipation . And this I wonld say further , thivt if ever he expects to have a voice in the making of tbe laws until the other classes become alarmed for their situation , be ia one of the most mistaken of men ; and , thereforej the great consideration for him is this , horc can I the mod easily alarm them for their own situation ; and I contend that a repeal wonld alarm them to the fuick . I think , if you read the quotation from my letter again , you will Bee that it is not quite void of common sense ; and that there cannot be any great mystery in our aiding the earn law repealers , and at the same time continuing our own agitation . T \ rin « ^ r > i ? n > i Vta rtsva fnr tliA ffftorl h © fiXDeetfl fTt > Tn Yl \ M
In paragraph 5 , you say— " Nothing is plainer than this ; to aid in repealing the Corn Liws is to lend ourselves into the bands of our oppressors , enabling the capitalist to cast labour prostrate at the feet cf capital , and rivet the chains of middle class despotism more firmly round the neck of the people . " This is the sort of declamation used , by all those wbo write and speak upon this question , without knowing anything about what they are talking about . Lay labour prostrate at tbe feet of capital ! What ! more prostrate tban it is ? And , pray , how is it to eff = ct this ? Do tell me how it is to give capital more power than it has ? I shall die if you do not tell me . But if you know that it would effect tbis , bow happens it that you did noprove to us how it was to work all these miracles ? You were bound to show that I was wroDg in the position" I had taken , instead of cavilling about the minor details .
But lam still sick to know how this "laying prostrate " is to come about . But , however , tbe thing can only be brought about one of two ways ^—either it wouW cause us to have such an extension of commerce that we should " have prosperity for agei ; " or its tendency would be such as I have described it to be . Now , in my first letter arguments ar « used , which , If I had space for their full development , would completely prove that the repeal would not cause an ultimate extension ¦ of oni commerce . 1 / you thought tbe reasoning there was false , why did you not expose it , instead of assuming the whole
question at issue . And if " yon think that it will cause us such an extension of oar commerce , if you think that it will give us prosperity for ages , why do you oppoae the repeal ? It can be on no other ground , if you think this , than that on which I advocate tbe repeal , that is , to keep the country in a state of distress on purpose to obtain a political purpose . Ah , eir , what think you now of your employer and you " runing the hungry race together ? And if you prevent a measure which wiil be fraught with good to every das-, do you not certainly come up to the picture drawn of you by ereiy T 7 hig and Tory scribe in the land V
But , even admitting that the " repeal wonld cause us to have protperitj for ages , " how , in the name of all that is good , could that tend to " lay labour prostrate al thefeet of capital ? " Are we not everlastingly toid that the wajes of Labour depend upon " demand and sapply , " ' that there is no other way of bettering t ' ae condition of the labourer but either by bringing the labour up to the quinti'y of hands , or reducing the quantity of feands to the labour ; that the labour market is overstocked ; . and that the labourers must be starved down to the quantity which the capitaliat can employ ; and new , when a measure is proposed which has a tendency to cause us to have prosperity for ages , which promises to bring the demand up to the supply , we are gravely told that it would hsve a tendency " to lay labour prostrate at tie feet of capita ]; ' This is most admirable reasoning ! and a most singular way of causing the labourer to have to run tbe hungry race by himself . '
Bat in order to escape the dilemma in which you are involved , you are bound to turn round and say that you do not think that repeal will produce any of tbe wonderful results promisrd by its advocates ; in short , you are bound to say that you believe it would produce the results I described in my first letter . Ah , Sir ! this Bhall not serve your turn . If you think this , how ia it that you do not oppose repfal ? Why do you permit yonr employer and yourself to " run tbe hungry race together" without an endeavour to prevent it ? I * it for some political purpose ? And if you do not prevent a measure which " will be fraught with mischief to every class , " do you not certainly come up to the picture drawn of you by every Whig and Tory writer in the land ?
In paragraph seven yon say , " convince the middle ' clasa of their interest , by argument , and tbe day is our j ow . " Lord help ns ! what a task you have set us . Hou are we to convince the recipients of the interest of the . unjust dtbt that it would be for their iutereat : aot to receive their dividends ? How are we to go i about to convince the recipients of the sinecures and I pensions that it would be for their interest that those j pensions should go to clothe the nakedness of thoie \ who had produced them ? By what process of reasoning ; are we to convince the half-pay and full-piy ciicers
aid dea 4 weight thut it would for their i interest that a standing army should be disbanded ? \ Convince all the swarm of poor-law commissioners , police cpaniiaaioners , police magistrates , tc , that it ; would be for their interest to work for their bread instead of devouring tbe substance of the widow and the fatheri less ! Convince tbe merchant and manufacturer that it ; would be for their interest tfcat yon should have a voicw , in the rcakJBg of those lawa which would insure you a i day ' s wage for a fair day's work I Convince all these ; fairly of these things !
Truly , Sir , but yon have » t > t ns an herculean task . Don Quixote ' s mest extravagant of projects was a complete embodyment of wisdom compared to this . No , no , Sir , you cannot convince them of these things because they are fully convinced of exactly tbe contrary already . Nothing but beir ? alarmed for their own safety will ever convince the middle claases of the necessity of taxing part with the labourer ; and they must be convinced , too , tb&t nothing but taking part with the labourer can save them from the gu : f of fixed payments . Repeal of tbe Corn Laws would lay capital prostrate at the ft * t of the fixed payments , nor could it escape without the aid of tbe labourer . Then hurrak iox the repeal of the Corn Lawa . ' W . P .
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THE EXECUTIVE . TO IHE ED 1 T 0 E OF THE N 0 B . 1 HER . N STAB .. Dear Sir , —The call of our country should be aa religiously obeyed as tbe cail of God . Impressed with this opinion , I held myself in readiness , cheerfully to attend the wiihes of tfce people whenever they think I can be of any service to them . But I would not accept an office cf national trust except by Universal SnfFrage and upon honour . Tbe call of the Executive pro tern , to eiett a new Executive was not responded to by the country and for these sufficient reasons . The pro ( em was a s * lf-tlect £ d body—at least , elected by a council of which the pro tem vrere themselves member ! No
appeal was made to the country at lr . rge—not ev = n to the localities in London . Tflpre was more haste than good s ; -eed in this , and the r . fFsirs of tbe Chartist body did not require such an ui ; delibente proceeding . 1 : looked too much like waiting for dead men ' s shoes , or Ti ' -ter , snt ' . cb ' . Yig up their e-hoes without ^ iUwj ; for them . Let Ch : ; . 'ti =: n run not liks an eccentric comet , oat of its course—never let it bs frightenei from its propriety "—but still let it shine en all occasions s : * ady and fixed as the Northern Star . I remain , Dear Sir , Yours respectfully , ilanor House , Battersea . John YVatkins .
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TO THS EDITOR OP THE NORTHERN STAR . "Warwick County Gaol , November 6 , 1842 Dear Ma . Hill , —By the time yonr next paper is published I ihall have betn eleveii weeks in ao-itary conf . nemtrii , and , although Mr . Juitiots Cresstrfcll has ordered baii to be tahen for my appearance at the Assizes , a :. d tii :. t nice sufficient persona have tendered tbeir names , still the Birmingham Authoritiea persist in their r-fnsal to aecept thcin . I received a letter on Thursday morning from Mr . W . Cliiiton , cf Birniinuham , informing He that he had
re ; eivfcd tbe Judge ' s order , aaJ that " Ax . Griffiths , the tTOjentir ? a ' -t-irsey , r qu ; Kd ei ' jht sureties in fifty pouiids each , whi ! st a i ^ tt ^ r-which I received from mj woitfcy frk-nd , W . P . RuberU . of Bath , stated that only four sureties i ? i fif > y pounds e . wh vnre required . I an nn-. bls : •> s : y " -T . J . via stuitiaent ia correct ; but this I iiiow , lliat the ^ aia es red residences of n ne sufficient verions wer ^ h .. r . ^ e'l to Mr . Griffiths on Wednesday iait , an . l en Fxir- ^ j L-.- ceiiTcrid his Cedsijn to r .: r f . iei :: i 3 to the fuliowln ^ i § " ct : —Messrs . . Nursd and
Hcrcrriing T .- Cre accepted ; a ^ a Messrs . Taylor , Watts , Cjibv . t , Follows , VTri . s-t sr ^ Moule were rejected . A- ^ vthsr 5-nt ! tsan , E . iui . d G : i . iun , who is a press-tool milker , ia not jet decide 1 en . Froci the conduct of the BiiminEham Authorities , it is quite cltartt ^ t Uity are determined to keep me here uatil tfce Ass ' z = s . From tiic time of my arrest to the present moment they have acted base towards me . At the conclusion - of my examination I applied for bail , siiieii was gmaed , Vhe Mayor informing me that he ibsuld reqaiiL'two sureties in one hundred pounds each , which , he saiu , wcv . ld do fur ail three indictmeuts . I lud then two respectable freeholders in court , wbo vrtrcj well known to be worth ten times the amount , waiting for the purprse of offering themselves aa my £ ore : ie 3 , and informtu the magistrates that I w . is thm prepared ; upon which they said they must have fortytight hours notice , although the two persons were as well known as any in tbe town .
In ten minutes after , I was hurried off to this place , a dl-tance of twenty-oce miles from Birmingham , and for some reasons , best known to the magistrates , the nien who cnzne unsolicited to tender bail for me , after-Wards declined . TUe next time that . ro ^ friends applied th 6 ? W £ * 6 to !* that four sureties , in . £ 100 each , would be F quired , acd the GoYernoi : t ' . his prison afterward * itfotiufed me , that from the manner in which the comc-itni-nts wervrsigned , he shou'd require six sureties in Oh ? hundred pounds each . a ; . 'd llnUhe llayor must have faioun it from the first , he being the person thai signed tivo of them . They fcave since then refused about fourteen bhi-pkrepet * and tradesmen , who are vroith a vast deal nine ihan the mnount required ; and I am informed thai the " policeman who was sent to inquire into the caalification of some of those who gave their , names as willing to become sureties , tbreatu ' icti yj bullied them about tttog Chaitiits ,
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Notwithstanding tbe Judge ' s order , my case is now in slaiu quo . They seem determined to keep me here , aud kere I Buppose I must remain . I don't see anything else that can be done ia the matter . My Birmingham friends hare dona their part well , and so has Mr . O'Connor , and I therefore thank them aa maeh m if I was liberated . The poor , miserable Wbigs are in a doleful plight , when they are so terrified about one man being liberated . I trust that my other friends h&re bad better luck , and that I am like " The l&st rose of Bummer , left blooming alone . " I am glad to hear that yon keep " going a-head , * ' and watching the •• pedlars , " And am , Your brother Chartist . George White . Ttfnhtrif . K « fa « r ?{«™ ?»»« T—A ~* r ~ «_ - *^_ . « , ^« . ^ ia
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THOMAS M . WHEELER , TO MR L T . CLANCY Sib—I , in common with my brother Chardsts , fee ] greatly snrprisei at the tone of a letter addressed by you on Saturday last , to the Editor of the Northern Star , regarding you * nomination to the Provisional Committee , In that letter you state , " That the election of such a body was Tery unnecessary , and to say the least of it , a Tery nnbecoming proceeding ; that it reflected neither credit on the judgment or foresight of its originators ; that the country generally was not in favour of the scheme ; that you believe it is altogether the wick of some enemy ; that it is too bad that the whole Chartist body should be Bet in motion to please the whim of any one who thought proper to send a line to the Star , and that you oppose any power being taten from tbe present Executive , and will never be a tool in the hands of the enemy to disarm them . "
This , sir , is the substance of your attack upon a body of men , who , in the hoar of danger , volunteered , at considerable loss and risk to themselves , to brave tbe common enemy , and prevent , if possible , any advantage being taken of our party , 6 ither by open foe or pretended friend . I , as an individual , could well afford to let such idle charges , such unjust imputations , pass unnoticed , considering the approbation of the great majority of tbe Chartist public to far outweigh the calumny of one individual ; but in justification of tbe body with whom 1 acted , I will endeavour to convince you , not by bitter invectives , but by a plain statement of facts , that your charge of its being a trick of tbe enemy is unjust and unfounded .
The address of which yoa complain w « s issued on the Monday after the arrest of the secretary of the Executive . Prom the amount of bail , Aa , demanded , it was not reasonable to suppose that the charge was of such & trumped up nature as it has since proved to be ; and your faculties must be very obtuse indeed , or your brain clouded with envy and j-alousy , if you discovered in the line of conduct which we laid down , any wish or design of throwing off our allegiance to the Executive , or in any way depriviig them of their justly acquired station . Our object was to
consolidate and preserve , and not to destroy . Tlie policy which we adkpted met with tbe approbation of Mr . Bairstow atrl Mr . Williams , the only members of the Executive with whom we could correspond , and was sanctioned by the great msjority of tbe Chartist body , upon whom yotir attack tells with equal efBcacy as upon ourselves . It is also approved of and acted upon by . Messrs . Campbell and Lsach , who now propose that the machinery which we created to meet the emergency , Ehonld be adopted and made part and parcel of our organization .
In conclusion , when y « u are again attacked by a fit of the spleen oz a pugnacious desire of ahowiug that you poasess the organ ef combativenes 3 largely developed , I trust that your attack will be made upon the common enemy and not upon mt-n equally honest , equally active with yourselt In the words of the poet" Lst your guns so unerring such vengeance forego , What mark is so fair as the brwast of a foe ?"
I remain , Yours respectfully , T . SI . Wheeler
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TALES TTKITTEN EXPRESSLY FOR THE " NORTHERN' STAR . " BY CHAHTIUS .
THE- FOUNDLING OF AYR . FURMSHED BY A MASON CHARTIST . r * 'o . v . " Good lack , an't be thy will . ' what have we here ? Mercy on ' s , a barne ; a verj pretty barne . " Winter ' s Tales . It was a cold November morning—tho ni $ bt had bsfcn stormy , but had settled into a dull block frott more perishing than windy weather . The birds were huddling themselves together upon the leaf-diopping trees , without paying their accustomed matins . The cattle had sot risen to frsza , and their breath was steaming in the stagnant air . Daylight came heavily forth . No smoke from the chimneys yet indicated that any of tbe cottage fires were lit—the shutters wtre unclosed , and the town looked like a deserted village .
James Wilson , atone mason , waa the first to cro » a fcis threshold that morning , to begin the customary day ' s avocations , and as he did so , he stumbled upon wLut appeared to him a bundle of clothes , but on taking it up judge of his astonishment to find a male infant . He thought at first that it w . is dead ; probably it was benumbed with cold , but it presently opened its eyes and stared in his fiwa with tbe penetrating gazi of a physionomist , for little children , like dogs , judge by a person ' s looks—thay are guided by unerring instinct , so much snrer and quicker tban reason . Apparently what this poor half-starved infant eaw in James ' s face aid not give it any high opinion of his humanity , for it immediately beg : i : i to cry lustily , and James himself raised , bis voice to the top of its pitch , calling on his
good dame to get up and come down stairs instantly . The good wife , loath to leave her warm bed at that early time of the morning , enquired what was the matter ? to which Jamea brkfly replied , " Come and see . " Startled at this early summons , and at the loud and earnest tone in which it was uttered , she came aa soon as ebo could make herself ready . " Here , " said James , giviDg to her the screaming infant , " what think you of this ? " Tiie good wife took tho child mechanically , but seum&d equally at a loss with James what to thi : ik of it . The babe , however , seemtd to relish its new quarters better , for it waa no sooner laid upon her bosom than it bushed its screams , and rested with its eyes looking quietly and reposingly into tho 3 e of the good tiamt-, who was regarding it with that maternal fondness which helpless
iunoccijce seldom fails to liravy from ita btst protector —woman . JarueB now related the circumstance uf finiliLg tbe child , and conclu- ' . e ;! with saying h » should like ; to tnow who bad laid their si : ia at bis door , he wtuld p-uniaYi Xbem ior it . His gooi \ daniii si-, not je : »\ uus , r . or , to do James justice :, had he ev-.-r given her cau-e . She , therefore , Enid , "It is some poor cv . aiuro that could not take care of it herseif , and thoui > ht that it would be care taken of here—we must take pity on it" " See , '' said Jam s , " if there re any mark on it . or aDy money left with it . " Looking into tht flirir . i . I petticoat in which it was wrapped , " , "' said ihe , " here ' a nothing bnt its poor inked self , half peri : bed with cold , poor thisg ! ' " Wu are not bcun-. l to take i : in , ' Mid J . imes , " we have enough tf cur ownwithout being bnrdentd with other f ^ 'k . V .
James had a son and a Oaa ^ hter . " Ltft me see , '' he continued , gohig to the door , and looking ; up and down the street , " there ' s nt , bo' \\ f stirring yet ; I'll go aud lay it at the minister's door—L ^' a better able to keep it than we ate . " l'he goo ^ ilaiue cla ?; -.- 'rl it closer to her breast whik' she said ; " No , poor thing ! it will die of cold and hunger ; providence has placed it here , a : ul -we must take it in ; besides , if anybi . 4 y should s ? o y ^ u , what a thing that would ba ; " TiiiB last intimation seemed to weigh most -with James . He stood conaidering for a moment , and then broke out in a tit of
vexation , which made him < 3 o all lut swear , and tlmt he wcui'i not do for the world . " Dan ? it ! I should like to know who iaid it here ; I wou'd willingly lose a lily ' s wotk , if only I cou'd fiud them . It is a shame an'i a sin that hor . ost folks should bo plagued tLia way with beggars' brits . " Nay . comt , ' sjya she , " you shan't be troubled with it . I'll take take c : ire ou't ; leave it to me ; go away to your wcrk ; li ; manage with it" James , after casting a rutfu > IojIc at thy child , snlkily obeyed ; but he did not do mush woi-k that < lav . His mind whs troubled with the
occurrence oi the morning , aud he several tinies left his work to make ir . quiri-s , but could find no trace <_ f tha parent or person who had laid such a stumblii . g block in his w&y . All the towspeople be ^ an to talk of the circumstance ; many went to see tho chikl , and Ja . mes , for bis ovra credit's sake , was obiigtel to make a virtu 9 of necessity , and to maintain the little charge which had been so mysteriously entrusted to biro . He gave it his own name of James , as tbo finder , and tbe name of Ayr , after the town in which it was found .
James was an austere man , who wag reaping where he bad never sown . He was a member of the Scotch Kirk , indeed one of its eliicrs , stern in his morals , strict in all his dealings . "Whenever he was out of temper or out of health , he vented his spleen on the additional charge to bAB family which circumstances had constrained him to keep—be begrudged everything it got , and could not bear to be put out of the way by ita cries or even by its playfulness . He used to exclaim vehemently against ths sin of bastardy—especially againEt those who were guilty of having children they could not keep—and seemed ev ^ r disposed to visit the rfo oi
the parents on the pour innocent fruit of it Not sc the good dame—bLs regarded little Jemwy as her own —nay the circumsUnce of his deserted conditior awakened in her breast somttbiDg more than niaterca 8 oftnesa for him , aud she never let him feel the wan of the mother who , Hagar-like , had exposed him t < ehaTity cr to fate . What aitidcs Bhe procured for hira t she got whun her husband wai absent at work , and "would represent thai tbe things were gifts from charitably dispoaec neighKuTs . At other times she soothed him by tcllinj him that eo doubt the child ' s partuU -would turn uj some d 97 and rfccomT > $ n . 6 tt them for all they had dom
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for it . Her daughter , a girl atoat seven year * old used to nnwe and drtea the little foundling as though be were her doll ; bnt her son , a boy about twelve , imbibed too much of bis father ' s dislike . Thus while tLe come-by-chance was treated Hke a pet-lamb by one 5 ? tl « fan >» y-ne was kept so much in awe by tneotner that It waa only necessary to threaten bim to be JetoSor ^ ' qulet hlm whea d " * osed Time passed , and little Jammy grew up a fine bealtbr boy in 8 piteof tbe frowns , of hia foBter-father andbrother-forhjs rbster-moiner and sister took care that they should not aflfect him . James had not sent bis own son to school-he was in the habit of teaching him himself after work ; but he left the adopted one t * . yt __ , . . ¦•
untaught The foundling , however , was naturally quick , and learnt from hearing bis brother ' s lessons . Whenever any of the neighbours presented him with a token of their compassion , he bought little books or pencil * with jt , and sometimes bribed bis brother to lend feim dib . But no sooner had he told e 5 ght years , than he was taken by hia father to assist him at Ills woric , in order , as James expressed it , that he might do something for kls keep . At first , indeed , his tasks were light enough—being employed ia carrying the dinner , and if any object by tne way tempted him to loiter , he bad the rule applied to hiB shoulders , for James was determined to keep square with bim . He Boon
put bim to other jobs , ad waa not always earoful to proportion them to his strength or his skill , though he never failed to punish him for any default in either . He . afterwards bound him his apprentice , and then he was still more severe upon him , because he considered that tbe law gave him a right to be so . Often in a winter a morning has Jemmy been near fainting at bia work before breakfast , but what cut deeper than the cold winds were tbe taunts respecting bis birth and condition from old James , and his son , who , released from being a slave to his father , now tyrannised in bis turn over the foundling . All these things sunk deep upon bis spirits , and made him thoughtful beyond bia years .
Hut though James did not care mnch for the raind or body of his foster-son , he cared greatly for his sou ! , ani was very strict in enforcing hia attendance at kirk He even paid out of his own pocket for a " Sunday aark" for him , that he might appear decently there . If the boy ever broke the Sabbath , he was sure to have his bead broken in retaliation— and the devil himself could not be more severe in punishing his Bins tban James was , who said such severity was necessary lest the child should become a sc : vpe-grace as his parents had been . All the while that little Jemmy was in the place of worship , old James kept his eye on him—and while his lips moved in prayer or Bong ho
baa frequently administered a smart blow on the head of hia pupil with his sacred hymn-book to admonish him of some inattention or Inadvertence . The terror imparted by all this , forced tho boy to .. assume a demure aspect—to imitate the reverend elder his foster-father—and to become as great a hypocrite . But in stcrfct he often mused on the great contrast between tho character and conduct of the gentla Jesus and that ofhis " humble follower" the stern James , and he saw how little forms and ceremonies have to do with true veligion—how often they mock or niask it ; bus it might be said of James that he assumed true holiness , if he hnd it not
More were the conflicts at home between Jamea and his wife respecting the treatment of their foundling ( the only thing they ever quarjelled about ) , ard many a blow has the good dame intercepted from the poor feiiow . Whether it proceeded from bis sufferings , or that his own nature was kindly , I know not ; lut you ; g James was a remarkably considerate lad , and nnver saw » Dy one in want without being himself in woa He often meditated upon the secrets told him by his foster-mother . Who had bis parents been ?—his mother especially ? Had she been some unfortunate deceived one—betrayed and deserted—or a mendicant ? Was she living now ? Was there no way of ascertaining thiat—no clu « t © find her out ] How gladly would he work to keep her ! These thoughts
softened his temper and made him inclinable to melancholy . He was a great Byinpnthiser with any one in distress , and often gave romantic proofs of it , by relieving every poor beg ^ nr-woman that he could , for he said to himself , ahe may be my moth « r , and nmny were the questions that he asked thorn to discover if it waa so or not- A still greater proof of hia senaibility he gave by falling in love out of pity to a poor girl named Susan , bi cause , like himself , she waa a cast upon the world aud had a hard place in it This did not please his foster-father , who rated James soundly upon it—but the young man ( he bad now grown up ) was near the . close of his servitude , had become a . $ ood hand , was sensible of the value of his work , had lately joined a mechanics' debating society in the town where
he had learnt much of tbe rights of man , and was k-ss disposed than formerly to submit in helpless acquiesence to the tyranny of his foster-father and master . He maintained the light to think for bimaelf , and to act for himself , at least on tuch a point aa choosing a partner , but old James told him if he did not leave her he should leave his house . This young Jamus would long since have done had it not bten for hia filial attachment to bis foster-mother , but it waa that very attachment which at last brought about feis departure , for on one occasion when she had received a severe blow aimed at J&nic » he stood up in her defence , and , not able any longer to contain his rage , struck at his master , who forthwith banished him outright James immediately went and mirriea Surcin , tfcen with } na heavy tools across his back tramped southward in starch of work . ( To be concluded in our next . J
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CONTINUATION OF AN ESSAY ON THE PRESENT SYSTEM , INTENDED AS A COMPANION TO DR . CHANNING'S ESSAY ENTITLED " THE ' PRESENT AGE . " There are two great interests in England—the agricultural and the manufacturing interests—the former is identified with the upper classes , the latter with the middle classes . The working-men or lower classes , as they are caUed , have no interest at all ; it is deemed sufficient for them to labour for the interests of others , of those above them .. But besides the landlord and the mill-lord , thpro ia the fcmdlord and the ahiplord—all lords together ; but I do not enumerate the two lntter a 3 having separate interests , because they have not . Inrleed the true interests of all is for euch to consider
the interest of tbe other ; to blend harmoniously ; to unite aa one But tho manufacturers are struggling for ascendancy over the agriculturists , or rather to supplant them . Tbe manufacturers wish that foreign landlords should sell us all the corn we w ; uit , and buy of us all the goods they want ; but they forget-that the foreigner can manufacture for himself , aya , and for us too , an well as grow coiu . " Perish comniurco , iivethe YauA !'" is an agricultural maxim ; but the cry of the manufacturers is , " Liva commerce , perish the landlords and the land too ! " B > th foiget the equitable maxim—live and let live , 'lhe aSiiuluros say that foreigners aro alre . vly too much encouraged ; that foreigners are runrihri us off the seas . Hut tho fundiorda and the shoplords si ie witi-i the nian-afaeturer . ; , becausn , say thoy , trade , not agriculture , brings wealth to a nation . Yt-s , hut it liiin . H vice and corruption too . Such wealth in
weaki . eS 3 . All overlook th < 3 mam point , that is , borne trade , ov hotue consumption . If the waste lands in Great Britain were cultivated ; or if the cultivated landn weru improved , not only would there : ba no need to import foreign corn , but we could export aa we f ^ nr . f-rly did — nor would thore be that need of a fot « iga mtniifct for our own manufactured goods , because Eiiijiisiimen at honje couid take them . Home colorvzition , thyrerore , is the grand runiediul measure for tha distresses and crimes of the country . The land that is fcuffjred to lia waste where employment and food is wsnt ^ ii—is a reproa ch to our rulers—is an insult to Providence ; for God said , let the i-arlh bring forth its iruils in tiue season—bring forth what it is capable of producing—but the ariutecracy Buy no , let it breed mulling but game for our sport , we will not be barred our lUversions , though tho pecple have to cast lots , and till each other for food .
Not only would the cultivation of the waste lands give employnwnt to all whom machinery has driven out of work , but it would enable the employed in their turn to i-wp ' . uy all the manufacturers and tradesmen -. vbuso wartbeuses and shops are at present flilcci with ail kinds uf suds for which there is no vender , for how soon Would they be emptied , and bow often might tViey bo y efilltd am . re-Linptied , if all who now wander the it'itts and hi g hways without food , without clotbii ! : ; , i . ! i ; l v / Itlioiit habitations—if all the unemployed were put in a condition to maintnin themselves lu . ii fmiiiiits , to procure all the coniforcs and conveniences of life , and how much more creditable would tLis be to the creation—how much more conducive to the interests of virtue and humanity than as now ,
wLyn vr-j tjve-. ywhere see British artiziiis and mechanics more like scartcrowa than men—ragged , attenuatedwith wives more like mummies thau women , living skeiefons , and children nothing but Bfcin and bone , shadows , spectres . It was trade that took men from the land , and now that machinery ia doing man ' s work—ia reducing men to mendicants , they must go back to the land—the land ia the true refuge for the destitute . But Government refuses them their natural right to live by tho soil—to livu by the labour of their bands , by tbe sweat of their brow—the curse pronounced on Adam's posterity would be deemed a blessing now , if Government would allow it , bub Government transports the
working man if he does but take of the wild creatures for food , that are no man ' s property , \ yat GoA ' a g \ tt to all men—Government ships him off to cultivate the lands in other hemispheres , to fish and hunt there , or shuts him up in a baatile . Now that Government is unworthy the name which , with ample resources to feed , and clothe , aud teacii Ihe pe * p ? o , leaves oxe man unfed , unclothed , untanght—that Government is nothing but an usurpation which denies any man hia right to the soil , or to a voice in the making of those laws by which he ia bound and governed . A member of society should Buffer nothing that society can relieve . All that perish of hunger ( and more die of that than of any other disease ) ore cruelly murdered by our usurpers —our wanton tyrants .
Under such a govtrnment and with such a system of society now could it be otherwise than that the people should degenerate—that England ehould bscoine the scorn of all nations . Our legislators have fiVed huge volumes with criminal lawa—each law a libel on tho people , for every law presupposes , t ^ at the paopla need
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prohibition , n « ¦ ' 1 prevention , need punishment , whe . 'i the fact is , thu j . -eople are degraded by opprasfion , thtii very nature i » t hanged ^—they are uneducated , then taunted with l # na "ancs-rthey are enconraa ^ d to deprave themselves with < h ink » tQen taunted with orime—ant ! Jhey are driven raai with hunger , then taunted with coveting food , last * ^ < & being wholesome pteventatives ef the passions' ft ' men « our laws are for the most part provocative * , ©* rather they are lioenses , royal licenses-to the vanity , tne selfishness , the avarice and the ambition of e > ur 1 »» makers themselves . Such is class-legislation t It eiwv mrages that close competition which as ita circle isgKwf * a ' wore and mow narrowed by monopoly ia fast nsnKo ^ England like the black bole of Calcutta , where every n , waa heated to tho nuisance , the enemy the deatb o bis fellow-man , his neighbour , bis brother . ( Tobe-eouli nued )
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But London , afttr ail , would be a good Chartist place—it wonld be th « best , as it is the moat important , were it not for the " lice . ' Let not the country be innaculated by tbe virus of the town ; but let the town ba made healthy by an infusion of country blood . JOHN WATKINS . Manor House , Battersea . » - * .. . , . _ _ . _
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THE EXECUTIVE . 56 THE CH ^ BTJSTS OF GREAT BMTA 1 S . I cordially r . gree with the sentiment of our General Secretary , that the election of individuals to fill up vacancies in the Executive will have to be abandoned ^ I think , ia tict , it ought to bo ; the period of time it would have to sit before tbe annual election is so short , that do Injury can arrive in tb 8 mean time sufflsient to . justify tbe trouble and Inconvenieaee that would bo occasioned by adopting the proposition . This is my individual opinion , but as the Editor of tha Star truly observes , it ia for the people to determfra .
I embrace this opportunity to return my thanks not withstanding , to the Chartists of Nottingham , Car lingtoo , and their respective localities for their confldence , evinced as it has besn by their requisition for me to allow my nama to be placsd on the nomination list , and to assure them that my cheerful consent was spontaneously given at the crisis from a conviction that it is the duty of every man who really wt 3 hes to promote bin country ' s freedom frj stand rlnn by his principles in thehour of danger , as weil aia desire that our oppressors may see , howev t : Iier ni »? vainly endeavour to thin < sur ranks t > f onr acknowledged leaders , by tyrannical persecution—that there io no Isrek of patriotism Eo supply ths vacuum thus momehtariil ? occasioned . Should the election be proceeded w-lth I shall ba founjat the post assigned to me whatever it may be , but for the reasons before stated , I tb&k the better oourseis to abaadon it for the present RlCHAKD 3 ANB 1 > 3 . New Snn Yard . Carrlngton , near Nottingham , Nov . 7 , 184 ( 2 .
SiNGuiAn Accident . —Last week , Mr . Beeping residing at Pennis Hocks , Sussex , had be&u out during the day shooting , aad oa his icim-n took off his jacket and threw it across a chair . Mr . Beediiiii ' a i ' . oji wens to the pocket-and to .-k ' out iho " powderflask aud dvi 3 i > ped it into the nro ; ii immediate ! / exploded , biew put the window and damaged the ftivuilure ; but although Mr . Bidding wag in the room at the time , bo fortunately escaped unhurt .
Thb . Tbmi . of Suisse . —Some notion may be formed of tho heavy expenses attenrfiun the defVnce of Suisse , tho late Marquis of Hertford ' s vu ' et , from tho subjoined tavern biil sent in to Suis ^ e ' s solicitor lor the refreshments , Sco ., supplied to his witnesses during three dvys yiiiy . Tho account commences , " 1 U 42 , AHgufit 24 . " and runs thus : — " Dinrjer ^ ami doss-ert , £ 20 ; luncheons , £ i ; tea * and noffo ? . " , £ ' d ; Sfierry , ( iced ) £ 10 1 . 5 ^ . ¦ : Port , £ 8 u \ . ; Clvinniau ^ G , £ 16 10 a . 6-1 . ; Hook , £ « 18 ^ . 6 < J . ; Claret , £ 4 16-. ; a « . ; a water , Jemouan ^ , and ginger heer , £ 1 5 a . 6 i . ; cigars , £ l' 2 i . ; tnVit -and spirits , £ 3 17 s t > d . ; rooms a . s < n-Kai ; ed , £ ;} 3 s'' The items ior tho second day are : — " Au « ii .-f 25 . •« .,- Dinners and dess ^ r * . £ 20 ; lunch-£
eons , < ¦ , "> 10 .- ' . ; tons and coffee ? , £ 2 15 * . ; Sherry , ( iceii ) £ 11 15 =.: Purt , £ G ISj . ;• tii-. m ^ aau-,. £ ! 5 \ 0 < . G > . ; Hock , £ 6 \ 5 > . tiO . ; Clartt , i' 5 10 * Q \ . ; yoda % -vatrr . £ 3 10 = 5 . : Uigars- f I li Od . ; m : ' : "i . juor and spirits , ' £ 4 3 ,. 7 . ; ro ^ aia as ej ! ga "« eri , £ 3 3 ; " On the third day , the 26 :. h of Au ' . s ; u > t : —iJi'iiiera and r , ainriis , tir . d cigy . rt :, £ » 19 s ! 6 d . ; refre = hments at , i '! ici e . uirt three
days , £ 2 Us . 9 d . ; rooms as engage ! ,- £ 3 3 ,. " To f al for tie throe days ' rufreohmeut , £ ' 2 ' u io 4 . L To whiuii is a >! dcd , £ 7 10 s . for " waitt-i > -, c ! . 'n ; b-. - rn :: id , an ! mc ^ fii « er , £ 2 10 s . per < Ji . 'r , 7 r . v o < :: ¦ d ; " : < . •> & for " - sundry beoken p ) : i ? ves > , £ 1 . ' ^ . 9 :: ; " anl- ' j / ig the whole iinouno £ 266 . IS .-. 1 ¦ : . It- hiu I-sou already ytattd that Jvh-. Tbrsi ^ sr ' . had ? M ) ;; ii : !; 0 " J »> r his briof , and Aicsrrs . Ciarkson , Ciiri / : i > rs , and J : \ zne 3 , fir ' -y pi-. iiicad o : < eh . Sai : ? = r > is ai j .-n-.-c s- . t ro-it ' i ;;}^ iu Paris and the whole an > 9 '; i ! f of h : s iV . rtuu-iis stated to be little short of £ 400 , 000 .
Cheap- Fl-ii .-Tho ttk-j of cod-Esh at "Bri g hton kasiatviy b- «' . n unusually laayf sfiiic fi-h . " telling at less than . ojie . penny a poui . d . Oa . Mv ; ; -ay the niar > ke ' . was completely shifted , r . ud sa \ . n G ^ si , - w :- ; i ; hing lroLi twenty-five . pousida t- _ -, tr .. r . v ; .. ur- ^ s .-ayH , were so hi fov fci fc ht ' sliiHiii ^ s . The ii-h u ¦ - _ ir ^ sh tsom tho reader , and the !*? h is-firiu anJ i ; ou ; i . ' Loss of TiiRivR Pjloi'S . —On T : i . - > - . y evening la-t , t ' nrep piluT ? , lV : esaT-i M'Gre' . T . y . :.-. nu two men uf the name of M'K ^ ovva , V . i . m dowit Vj tho LouRh ou the look out for v < : f : ¦ : ¦ ? .. ' Y-. xUrr-sj ' . uoruiiig , tha boat iu w ' . vch . ; hty van ' . ouD war . ^ : i : ktd up n » : ar Bangor with her stccn out . Iv is s « : > poK <; d that either iho boal had ' seen rmv-davfu by a etca . aooat , or had been tipsized in as-ryiu'l' ; ihs foriac-r supposition , i ' . is to- , be hoped , \ Sii provo ci-rrixfc , aa there wili bo then a greater pr ^ babili . y of tha men having been ssseuecl from a v / titory grave . — Uis ' cr Times . ¦
The CoMPLraea of the Tunnel . —This stnpead . oua wotk is iiuished , and ' -Wapping ha 3 rv » tt to ba pvoucl of sfich a truly wappii : ^ . « n < iertak ' . ng Perhaps no eniivMsc ever had so aiuch . coju v .-ater throvrn upon . iii , and ' : > ever was ther . 3 a pirjcct wn . 'ca it seemoa at © r ;» time to diigeult to'go through witb . Tho - ert fc Uieev has worked like' » hor ? e , and hag scarcely -ov ^ y been out of the 6 i . aU . Tho original eharehol'ifc : ? , whose poskcts wcro wall ursin-jd m fruitless efforis to diaia the tuiu :-. l , 'li ^ vu nc ; w tne satial ' aciwiv of once u \ o-rc xo . nnir . }; thrcu . nl - tVn-i : yropcity , IVrsom' : iin > d the ardour or ibe projectors was damped by ifce Vforko ftoir . g c : \ t-: > o swimiu ; :. ^» y . Whea acp ;< 3 e : ; ts were every-dayocciivrpnwfi tiift tun * nel -was a mat' ' . r cf interns : '; but . F . u ; c 5 tho vnvci- \; &a
oesn effectually kupt cut , it has b-. ' - . rn- « vy r-jct . On more tban oBooccasion , the eriv . r . any woula i-. ave been swamped , in spite of all V . cvM ixin ^ pm to fhe pump . ij ir ' ^ ovonjcien !; had not levi them their suorer . 'lha funds , in'f act , were at lpw-wata ronTk ; <« : *; beforo tho worlss reached the same < i « i . « : i'aWe pwnt ; and the isore the tunnol was set atioai-, the more were the ehnrehoidrrs aground in tl ' . ai" undsnalunt ; . But iho pcri : 3 are new ps&t , ami ibc Taunoi lyu-ainf ? aa a xnonument to ' Brviish entexpiife . We &bov > U' call it , perhaps , a p ' : lh-r to the fa mo of thw ^ nj ' iiHty , iv it ' . vcra nor . that a pillav is iuccniT .-lttf ' wsiiir-nt two thiug . 3 , one oi' which , the ?' . ' , at ' t , has-h ^ m lak e ; - ! away , while tho "' proprit ! . ort ; l \ a've \ oy . n . sioc lost sij . ht oi the capisal , — Cruikshiwii ' i ) C ' Qink' AitKanack for 1843 t
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THE NORTHERN STAR . 7 — - " - ¦ --¦ - ¦ ...- —— ¦ ¦ ¦ i -- -. ¦»— . - ¦ . i ¦ ¦ i—m— — — i mm mm i ¦ ¦ ¦ ¦ ¦¦ ¦ , ^ , « . , _ . ,. _ . . n i ... , ^ . - . .. „ .. ,.. „ - ¦ . — - .. „ , . , . ^^ ^ — .. — — .- .. i ¦ - — ¦ ¦ — - ¦ ¦ ¦ ' i ™ " ^ - — ¦ ¦ ' ¦ . ' - " - — ¦¦ ' - -. —¦¦— _ . ,, , m . m . " — - ^ now <«¦ ' . ¦ ¦¦¦¦¦ ¦' ... [«* ¦ ¦
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ADD 8 E 3 3 TO THE TVATKIN » TEl ^ TIMONIALTSTS . ( Com dadsfL ) " Stranse , nnusnal bit -d ! When man ' s worat ain is , he does too mnch good . ' Ti , " - on of Athens . The country Chartists in " LotsAon ( snch of th ^ . ra as have not been cockneyfied . ) and" all tl is oockney-Cbartiata , who are actuated by the spirit of the country , intending to testify tfceir retpeot pa , ^> lJc ) y for gome Chartist whom they deemed worthy of i l , and deeming me worthy of that honour , formed tnei « selyi- » iatos Committee for this purpose , and the E iitora of the Northern Stananrt British Statesman : thoi ii ( h disosfreeing with eaob other in other respects , agta ud to rseommend the objects of this Committee ; bu t their unbought praise renewed the ire , awaiiantd tl » a envy and malice of my uncharitable detractors , wlio a ^ ain " cooled my friends , heated miue ensiaisa ; " , by all
those petty personal tricks which long practice bad made them perfect in , attempted to fruatiate or to divtrt the purposes of tbe Comniittea ; for , B . iid they , '' a young man and a etranger should not be sufiurpd to bear away the palm from old and fenown Kadicals . " I name no names ; 1 descend to no details ; I di £ not intend to mention these things ; I hav » hitherto forborne to notice them ; but there is a time when forbearance becomea culpable to one ' s-self , when forgiveness is a crime to society , when , for the honour of human nature , we should resent an injury , and , for the interests of society , should punish the doers of it . [ f my brother Chartists deem me not an unworthy or ill-deserving member of their body , they will rejoice to see me assert myself with becoming spirit—to see me stand at bay , and repel the foul insinuations of the yeiping pack that bark their baffljd spite at me . There is not one of them who is reputable either i ; i public or private life , not one but would be hissed aud boated out of society in the country .
" Let them do theit spite . . The services that I have done to Chartism Shall out-tongue tueir complaints . " Ba it known then that I do not regret the malevolence of these curs , on the contrary I feel proud of it , for I take comfort from the words of Swift , who says , " You may know a man of geniUB by the confederacy of aU the dunces ngainst him , " and again , ?' You may know the best fruit by its being most pecked at . " Moreover I know that were I a fool or a knave , I should not be fetued , I should not be hated , I should be flittered , I should be favoured by fools or knaves . It is the honest man they dislike .
The much abused sermon was again brought up and cast into my teeth—it was again made a bugbear of . Now to every word of the sermon I stand aa I would to my gun while there was a . shot in tbelocfeer . I sun ready to discuss it word by word with one , with all , who may dislike it ; and I solemnly avow it as my most serious conviction that Chartism in London will be Hke Jonah ' s gourd , spring up ( one iiay to wither the next , or like a wave that rises and falls in mere noise and froth , the " tale of an idiot full of sound and fury signifyit ; g nothing "—a mere iiKiygame until tha men ef London screw thtir principles up to tha pitch of thai aurmon . Have not the people and thwr rival leaders united to pronounce it good ? Are not its prophetic truths d-iily proving themselves , yea , hourly miking themselves manifest ? Had the warnings in that sermon been properly heede < 5 , we should not have heard of the Stur ^ es , the Treadwella . or the Griffins . Let those who have not
read it , read it ; and those who have road it , read it again . Let them look at those who denounce it—seek them and you will flad them to bj a mere cabal , a clique that follow tho cause as sharks follow a ship at sta , not from principle , but from interest—carrioncrows , who gathar where the carcase is—thay would have left the causa long aga could they have decoyed the people after them—they do not suffer , nor will they serve , for nothing—they make theraselvas all things to all men , that by any means they may get money—hollow , rotten , si imy things are they , whose fingers nre lime-twigs—whose tongues are forked—they are the political pedlsurs , the Chartist cheats , who scruple not to rob even the poor victims that suffer for their fidelity to the cause— " London lice" as O'Connor aptly termed them—leechoa , who should be treated to a little Attic salt to make them disgorge their plunder , or at least to force them to quit their hold of their prey .
Wfi ara told that Pharaoh held out against all the plaguei except the plague of lica ; he held out against darkness , against locusta , ogaiuat frogs , &c , but ho could not stand the lica So it is with Caartisni—we have been tried with famine ^ tempted by disunion , proved by persecution , and now what can prevent the good ship from arriving at the harbour—what but the barnacles that stick to her bottom f—what can hini ' it-r tbe good cow from thriving ?—the lice upon her back J " It is for the people to see that the cause be not eternally , disgraced , be not eternally lost , by the intrubion of things possessing neither talent nor ho ^ estiyclap-trap Chartists , mere mouthers , -decoy-birds for .
fowlers , second hand retailers of other men ' s cast-off thoughts— things who degrade the dignity of the cnuso , wbe make it lose its imposing attitude , its moral influence ; who draw upon th « cause the contempt t ' . ua on . y to themselves , ¦ who make a hyewor-i of Chartism . Men of self-respect will not h&ve thdr namts associated with the insects that fritter away the public time ana money—lions will not stay to be annoyed by Knats—drive these out and their betters will come in . But ! i » w are they to be driven out ?—by satiro ! tboy are impassive to reason—the toida . should be touched by Jthurlel ' s spear—the rats should be smoked out , and nothing less strong than brimstone can do it . The Autolycuses and the Momusea are not wanted , and must be weeded before the seed can bring forth
fruit . I know that many sincere Chartists have withdrawn from the association—that many others have refused to join ^—that the trades Ic « tp aloof from the fountain because its watere are troubled—because- 8 oni ? thin < j aiis tba cause—because it is cursed by tl ' . e rats and tha lice . Men att ashamcl of Chartism when euck things can call themselves Chartists—things tbat enn only subserve sinistur ends or m , jka a fool of Charti-mi . Falstaff was asbameri >> f his followers , but bur-foliowtrs have more reason to bo ashamed of eome of their leaiieTS . These things ate . entitled to the . mrmt sttioua consideration of all true Chartists , for it is owing to these thinc 8 that the cause does not progress us it
ought to do and would do . I have no personal enmity to indulge in these remarks —the provocation I have rect-ivoil would justify the 6 evereat rutaliation ; but not to ; - myself but tov thu nuke of the cause do I speak—not for myself 5 > ut for the sake of all who may hiiTe suffered similarly with myself . I own no man us my enemy who is a friond ef hia country ; nor no enemy of l \ ia country as a personal friend . Had I an enemy I shoukl forgive him weia h « a fdend of the cause ; but tins is paradoxical . I h ; : d ratber put up with private wrongs then suft ' er ray exposure of tbem to retard public rights , for I am of tiic mind of ScyDa in thia
respect" He who did subdue His country ' s foos , ere he would pausa to feol Xhe wvath of his own wrongs . " Nor have-I . any dirappcinted ambition to gra'dfy—quite the contrary . Ever since I cams to London J have bad to steer through shoals and qukksauds , aud if I have escaped the rocks on which some c > ld > jr and more promising bavks have epHt— if 1 liuve weathered out the storm by keeping ott at fee ; i and not loaning with a trade-wind for any snug but cnshonoupibie barbou ; : on the lee , it ia beciuse I hn ^ H « v >; v fept tba causa in view—the cause has bean . my Northern Star .
In conclusion . I have made this statement of facts upon priuciple , that the people m : \ y havu an opportunity of furming a ju 3 t judgmeiit for the beni-tit of the cause . I have stated these facts ;; leaut-d from personal experience and obsevvation to give our brethren in tho country a . trua idea of the ordeal which auy young aspirant of probity and talent nuy expect to be bzb ~ Jt'cted to in London . I have mada tlils statement in writing , because by the machinations of my vuig , r and venomous traducera I am preveuted ftoai < ioing it porsonally—I have made it because unless a better under-BtaDdiDg takes piaca the people's frimids . cannot do all tho service they would wish to tho people ' s causa This paper will not be written in vain if it prove from example that after all there is nothing profitable but honesty—nothing expedient but what is just and that " there ia no tiniu so miserable but a man may be tTue . " When I was confined to my bed by the dangerous
illness which my z ? al ov enthusiasm ( though \ was denounced for it ) bad brought upon me , then were my maliguera moat active—that wa 3 tha tiue . the earwigs , the " nest of unclean birds" took to spread their principles which are misrepresentations and r-buso , but tBBiik God I am spared to be an instrument in his hands for the furtherance of this most righteous cause—thank God I hava regained my health aad spirits—thor . k God I am independent ; arid now I flml my backbiters like tho Jews of whom Christ nziA , when ho went about dally isaphing in the Te : i ; pie and Syncgoguea , they shru :. k from questioning bim . Yes , it is not in open places—in bread daylight—an ' -i by fair means ; but it is behind back , undrtt&iy * . fiaiV by trrachery tfcat such men woik . L = ku Ulfrida , they give the eup of frie ^ . dsbip with one hand , and , wiulu you are drinkiflg it , they stab yau in . tUa back wit ' u Uw other ,
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TO MB BDITOtt OP THE NORTHERN STAK . SIR , —The town of Hanley and the Potteries generally are at tfie present time quiet and peaesablo , sh < 1 fre likely to remain so forborne time , caKSidfering the authoritfes-of these townships are backed hy the physical powsr of the Governm « at . These are . however , 2 > w very few" specials on duty r as aomo of thaar-baTO becoBie discoatfented with recsivir * no J i .-a fcrthefr labour ; but to- make xsp this deficiency , the county Qaarter Sessions have come to the decision of potting the whole of the Pottery district under the new Gonst&bnlary Act , and discharging the whole of our local police . It is very likely the . Act will ba adopted-for th& whole of the county of Siaff ) r ( J .
The system ofcentralising the new police force -put in operation by ray Lord Jbhu Russell and ct&sr paeudo Liberals of Vm lat « Sowrnmerit , ha 3 be-n wellrecommended at- ths above sessions , am ! , no doubt ; will be carried out" roost stringently in th's ' v . eighb ' -flwhood , at least . The Whigs of these townships have , nevertheless , taken great offence at this step , aa it has taken away thepower of the township commissioner * and vested it sofeiy in the sitting imsistrates of the-Potteries . The Whigs &ay , they ' will only have theprivilege of paying for thia n « w power , ' without having the chance of selecting the offijera , tc . &c ; bufe these Whi ^ s forget to tell us that tha commissioners were before a perfectly'rreapoBsibls body . The screw then wlU ba driven tighter for the Whigs iu future a » well as for the ' poor deluded CSsartists . '
The colliers at Mr > Sparrow ' s coal works have agaiothis week struck agsv ' nst a reduction of four shillings ia the pound . This will plainly show that the masters * , even with physical force at their back , will not be abla to compel tha miners to submit to the iron-handed despotism of the coal-masters . Mr . Sparrow is the same master who first reduced the men previous to the late disturbances , aud which , was considered the cause o * the late outbreaks .-The principal leaders of the Chartists have feeen-Bfilzid and lodged in j >> json . Some have tairen tbeir trial , and some are about to be bailed out , cone- qiienily cannot be cbarga ,- ) with having turned out the minersafresh . Thus * the causes aro still removed , viz . cl « s » legislation . Wiien wiH ibe eyea of the G-Jverniiient ba opened to tho interests- of tbs working classes ? We say never , till the people are ready to force themselves upon ita notice .
Bail has bc « n offered by two respectable gentlemen of this neighbourhood for John Kicbards , and pvobably will ba accepted . Let every Chartist look out and claim bis pi-ivilesea , and let them remit r their support more than ever at this very critical period , and allow not thair enemies to triumph over them , by seeing thuir frie :: da inimurod and then neglected , Let the Chartists thifcugbout tha Scaffordshire Potteries bring up the moans to forward William Ellis ' s case to the Qiscn ' s B ' . nch , which remains at present in slain quo . Up aud bo duin * j , for there 5 s no time to loso . I will here just mention that the-sums wet-k as the srntonc © waa passed upt > n Ellis , his poor old wother ' ap-Arish x-elief was taken from her , while her husband lies ill in th 9 house an < i not expected to live . Will Mr . AUbutt , the Christian Editor , enquire into this ? Lst us see . ¦ ' ¦
A tea party in expected to take place eoon , of which Uu 9 notice will be ^ iven . Yours ,
Moses SiiiPsoN Hanloy , Staif ^ rdshire Potteries , November SCb , 28 ^ 2 .
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Citation
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Northern Star (1837-1852), Nov. 12, 1842, page 7, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/ns/issues/vm2-ncseproduct779/page/7/
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