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TO THB EDITOB OP THE NORTHERN STAH
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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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Sis .. —Tn your paper of Oct . 1 st , appeared a letter , E £ r . ea TV . P ., calling epos the Chartists of England , and
Of course , all her dependencies , to join the Corn law > Cdn teH ^ hat tbe fellows wou have dope , they had repealers , " as a means to gain the Charter . " ; _ , ^ dQWa by soal 9 one calling out the Whether TV . P . be in earnest , or whether he has put ¦ . „ cbarter .., ' Bat D 0 sooner was that word pronounced , out that letter as a feeler , I cannot say , hut I shall take ; than the vrbiffu , in every part , as if by magic , flaw to it in good earnest , and , without abuse , treat it accord- i } he Tories ^ insist , nay , to take the lead in putting the inglj- i p ' arcic , ? down . Jnst 3 oefe at tne condnct of those And , first all all , Sir . if W . P . -was my age , and had \ rat-catchers at Huddewfield . I was there , and I feel had as much to d « with that lying , cantinc . hypocri- ; them stirik jjj my noge to this day ; and had it not tical , and treacherous lot . as I have , he-would as soon j ^ . ^ foI tte ^ e er of contempt they were bound to join the infernal spirits as a means to obtain heaven , j en (^ nr 9 froin the Tory magistrates , that gave me a u join tke WhigB to gain the Charter . It is out of ( ] itt , ,. ^ 2 ^ -1 shoul d have fallen on tbe spot . all character -with ng ; and if I -was a lsndoerai , II p rom Huddersfield go to Cleckheaton , Mill Bridge , should BnSer my kead to bo cut from my body before I ! _„ -. fo 0 W them every where , and you will find them
Would submit to a repeal of the Corn Lvrs , without a j repeal of tbe Debt Laws . Tbe landlords bare sinned ] in contracting a National debt ; for every one knows j that the expenses of the state onpht to be paid yearly . ; just in the same iray as tbe poor rates are paid , yet I would not submit to his ruin , through & repeal of the Corn Laws , any more Hmn I submitted to the rnin of ! the manufacturers through the passing of Peel ' s 1 Bill- I Did not we foresee the effects of Peel ' s Bill ? Did not j we exclaim against the injustice of that measure ? Did j
not we foresee the manufacturers mined by hundreds , by i that Bill ? and should not we have seen the fanners , after selling their cattle to put to the com and hay money to pay their rent with , trundled into ths streets , ; had not the Parliament passed them the Com Law ?; T ; > be sure we should . Did not we see eloth and j blankets fall one-half , and more ? and the manufacturers of those coods fill the jails ? and what aid we say i then ? Why , we said that the man tbzt could do such e ihing , that is , contract tbe circulating medium , without an Equitable Adjustment of all contracts , was worse than & TTAflm&n , and ought sot to be in the king ' s \ council .
Well , then , wDl not a repeal of the Cora Laws have < just the same effect on the farmers , aye , and on the landl ord too , as Peel ' s Bill had on the manufacturers ? TobesureitwilL , \ If ow , in the former case , the labourer did » ot get the ! profit of cheap cioth and blankets . No ; his wases were ! lowered . But the boy » of fixed income did -well . I ; have no occasion to mention their names ; W . P- knows them all as well as I do . * . j And , Sir , rarely your correspondent cannot wish to ' Me the same game played over again on the farmer . | because he has seen it played on the rcsinufacta : er ? No ; that would be rank " free tradirg "—that would be real Whiggsry . . ' i
But , Sir , without any " abuse , " I could not like to see ' f&e American , or any other , come into the Hail market ; with good com to sell at four shillings a bushel until ¦ the English farmer be put in a position to compete ¦ with ; him . Deliver him from the one-tenth to keep W . P . a ' church ; from the expence of a standing army , and all > the rest of the things ; let him have foreign rents and ' taxes and no more , and adjust Mb debts , and then you may throw the ports open when you please . Bat , for ; God ' s sake , do not want to buy your corn of the American while the English fanners are providing and main-: taining you a force , not only to protect your mills and commerce , bnt to keep the workies in subjection , and \ give yon an opportunity of taking their work out of j their hands by your machinery , and reducing them in ! their wages , thirty degrees below the freezing point ! . ' What , Sir , can W . P . Bee in the Repealers that he j wiBhesus to join them ? For my part I never will ; and ; I am sure no good and well-informed Chartist ever :
If W . P . wishes to join the Whigs , I advise him to ; go through Liversedge and Heckraondwike to join . them ; and be sure to call on tbe Chirtisti of these ; places , and &sk them to go and join also ; but , at the same time , I would advise him to hold the door in ' his hand , while be puts the question , lest the answer : should not suit the nether end of his body ! j Young men . Sir , like W . P . whose love of liberty j outruns : heir judgment , and because they are honest , ! think the Whigs might be , if we were to try them ; » gg . ire Bat , Sir , they never ^ ult , by my consent , be tried Again ! Look at the promises they made before the : rawing of the Reform Bill : "lay aside all minor diff = r-:
eprgq of opinion , " said they : 1-help ns this time ; do help us just to lay the stepping stone ; do help us to just put in the wedge , and then when wehavegotin we will open such a breach in the partition wall of connption , as will ltt you all in . " I told the Reformers of that day to keep off them ; but somehow they were Whig mad . Well , and how did it end ? Why , Sir , no sooner had the / got the " whole Bill , " ( and I wish to God it had been the worst thing they got , ) than they turned round and said , " Well , Gentlemen , Radicals , good night , it is fill over . " Now , just look at that . wish , Sir , thai W . P . had been old enough at that time , to understand that ifiaii ; but the LvverBedge and Heckmtmdwike people will tell him if he call .
Well , they got in , and they stopped in nearly ten years , and what did they do ? Why nothing but mis- j chief . And W . P . Sir , may read at his leisure , their I whole history if he plea * e , beginning with the Irish ! Coercion Bill , increase of the army a d defet , Frost , j Williams , and Jones , and ri § bt down to tbe attempted j repeal of the timber duty , which they offered in tbeir j dying breath ; and then he may ask us to join them . \ How , by-tfee-bye , I have no better opinon of the j Tories ; only this : the Tories want your money , and ) they tell you they will have it , or else they Trill blow j your brains cut ; but the canting Whigs are always telling yon some fine tale ; but when you feel in your > pockets your money is gone ! If ever the Whigs be joined to He , it will be on the grounds of undoing their i
b y deeds . It will be by their coming forth hand i and heart to get Frost , Wtfli&ms , and Jones restored . j to their families . And , when they do come , they shall j come in at the front door , and take their stand as we order . And I do assure W . P . that they shall neither , be behind nor before ; for , if behind , they will run \ away , and i f before , they wilt le ^ d us astray . ; W . P ., Sir , says that " where men have a great ; object to attain , they ought to have means commen- ¦ : surate to the end . " Well , if these be tbe means , I j give him the good of them ; but I would be joined to > Lord Howick and Company almost , before I -would be prevailed on to join them . j But , Sir , W . P . thinks the Repealers are not s i ncere ; > and- if the Chartista were to join them , tfeey wonld i
give their agitation up . I hare no doubt b ^ it they I would , if they saw that the Tories were liktly to . grmt [ the Charter ; and which the Tories would do rather than repeal the Com Laws , for the following reasons : —First , they would see that if they repealed the Corn ; Laws , and let all other laws stand as tfeey are , they would get no Tents ; and the Repealers for no other Repeal Secondly , tbe landlords see the fut ^ iord and , tbe-mortg&geeready to foreclose ; they see the blacksmith , i the wheelwright , the joiner , the tailor , the grocer , the shoemaker , and a many more corne with bills in their \ hands , all wanting paying in Corn at the American ' price ; say 12 i . a load . i
> ow , Sir , can any one suppose that the landlords will be such fools , or can W . P . wi ^ h them , when he must know that the Chartists offer them far more honourable and better terms ? To repeal the Corn Laws without coming to a complete settlement , would kick the fanners' nu-n into the stre * t ; then the farmers , and then the krdl-. rd ; and tten , as "R " . p . sajs , the maBcfactureTS will be trnndied into tfce street fer want of customers . >* ow , Sir , surely W . P . could cot wish to see all this . 0 jes , "aa a measure to gain the Charter , " say , W . P .
Bet , Sir , if W- P . knew as much of the landlords as I do he would see that they would r . ot have their land : taitn from them by a repeal of the Corn Latrs . and : the marufacturers will submit to stiff dnty btfere they j will run the risk of losing flrir property , the workies . : ^ The lacdiord , the fundlord , tbe mortgegee , the pen- sioner . the manufacturer , and all who live "whfc ^ -at , working know the Talne of tbe workies ; and before ¦ they would lose them , before they -would rcffer them : to be enfranchised , they would move both Leaven and \ helL What , suffer the labonring cla = s to make tfce j laws ! Why . Sir . they know , and so dv-ea W . P ., that j if the labouring class had the po * er of nuking the ' la-ws in tb&ir o-wn band , tbey - would not eiijoy tbat po-wer fi x laoEtts before they began to -want to eat one i hclfofthe frn-. ts of tbeir own industry . Ard what , '
Sir , wenld this do for the idlera ? why , it would just drive them mad . Before he would submit to such a state of things * I will not say thst he wcnM burn np Emjlard , but Washington , Moscow , St . Dennis , China , Affghanistan , and many other places might tremble . The manufacturers know that the Charter would give tbe working rrom more food and clothes for feis vrasea ] thac he has ; and they know if he got more , some falks must have less ; and they know that fixed incomes mo 5 t be paid ; and , beside , they wish one day to see : their sens asd daughters fill those same places of profit and honour as they call it ; and how can that be done " if joe let the iabonrer have his share ? It cannot Why , ; then , shedd W . P . wish us to juin them , when their interest and ours are diametrically opposite to each ether asd as wide apart as Din is from Betsheba ? 1
Look not , Sir , for help to any ceo but jour own O ^ er ; but , above all , never look to the Whigs . They are money hunters . ' Ttey have long bellies ! They will ; ^ s ' er be ailed ; and eb they now crucify tbe poor man ; in fciB wages , so \ rould tht ' y do to Jesus Christ if he """ere here agiin . I know we have a deal to contend " *} £ b ; "but Petl ' s Bill is making Chartists as fast as Pitt ' s notes made Tories ; sye , and it is tumbling the " Houses" down in nearly the same ratio . Some people despair because the land has got into ft * hands , and becanse they see that they are forbid to
* o * k on it almost at any price . Tfeey see the law made i by that few , and therefore there is no protection . Bnt ] Eever mind r they are on tbeir last leg ?; we must not tnmdle them into the street before we are sure that j * e ean keep the canting Whigs out . When I say j ^ ndle , I allnde to party ; bnt I wish ne man as a ! * £ tizrn to be driven into the streets . "What , Sir , does W . T . Bee in the repealers that he * fa us to jein them ? 3 > oe 8 he Bee riches ? If he j ooes , he has no need to lock to them- Do the repealers
acb ! iy want cheap corn ? If they do , what am I to i P ^ estasd by *< h eir organ tha Mercury , which adviBes ^* Wealthy readVra to go and buy up the corn lest it j 7 ^^ Sfct too low" and ruin the com dealers ? I should j ? £ bonder after aL' their fnsH about eheap corn , if they j i ** *** £ 50 , 000 , ¦» "bich they intended to lay out in ^^ ind agitation , . vsd boy n P coru to prevent ruin , j ^ a talk aloud about re " >« l at the same toe 1 A nice j
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id if set to join ! I would lite W P . to look at t ! : e beat section of Sis repealers , the Sturgites ; and just see whtrher their plan of electing delegates be agreeable to Li « mind . Teen , aeam . look at the ping plot Who
all of a piece . W . P , Sir , may join them if he thinks proper ; bnt my tonijue shall cleava to the roof of my mouth , and my h&nd foreet its canning , before I wilL Bnt w . P . talks of more ¦• honourable means . " So he tb . iriks . it seems , that it would be a diBgrace to him to join them . It really would , and a defeat too ! How could we join the Whigs and keep np our agitation too ? We cannot serve two masters . Just in tbe same degree that we agitate for the repeal , just is that sime degree we neglect our own affairs . What we have to do is as clear as the sun at noon day .
We must agitate for the Charter . We must read tbe papers , and we must read them to others . We must explain to them . I know it is hard work to make politicians ; but now that Peel has begun , let us redouble our zeal , and try if we cannot mnke them as fast by reasoni : ;; , as he can by giving t' -ro pounds of beef to the pensioners instead of one ! We are very much to blame in reading the papers to ourselves , instead of reading th&m to others . We should teach the ignorant to know their rights ; the nature and effects of money ; and we ought to teach them to read and write ; and though we are net allowed to teach them the use of arms and the theory of gunnery , yet , I believe the law does allow us to teach geography and arithmetic .
Bat , Sir * if you can but prevail upon W . P ^ to hold his hand a bit , and just give Peel a fair opportunity of paying the interest of the national debt in flour at Is . 6 d . per stone , and beef at Sd . per pound ; and to pay all fixed obligations at the same rate , be will have no need to join the Whigs , to repeal the Corn-Lsws !! We shall have the whole country flocking to our standard like doves to the window . To conclude , if we were to join the Repealers hand and heart , and if they were to stand firm , i but with W . P . I think they would not . j and the Tories from the bad opinion they have been trained to form of the Chartists , were to grant a repeal of the Corn-Liws rather than grant the Charter , would W . P . like to stop in the country either with " wreck . " or without ? except his heart was stce ' ied up to the brim to pay off old scores . If he woald , he is no Chartist .
Could , sir , W . P ., wish to see Tom Lambert , because Toia has been ignorant , or because he had been led or driven by his landlord , whose mind has been prejudiced atainst the Charter and all that is good , go to Wakefifld with one hundred loads of corn to sell , for which he should bring home £ 140 to pay his half-year ' s rent , and return with only £ 50 , only because Jonathan was there ? Could he like to see him sell his horse-corn and furniture to make up the rent ? Conld W . P ., in the depth of winter , like to see his wife and children trundled into Ihe streets by the bums , by order of tbe
stew . ird , though his name be "John Bessie" ? He knows that that would be the case all over England . Then , looK at the Bales almost all in one day to meet the rent day . Where are tee buyers , sir ? Why there are none ; no , nor r ents either . Then the mortgagee , then the fundholder , then all the private bills ; but stop , there is the soldier , and he needs no process ; he has that in his cartridge box . Ay , air , if W . P . has half an eye , by looking here , be will see as much in half a minute as I , in writing , could tell him in a week !
Now , I think , I have said enough to set W . P . a thinking . As Chartists we onght not to wish to see others robbed and ruined , because they have helped to rob and rnin na : ? that ia the doctrine of the Repealers . No , we ought to have charity and love . It is our duty to do the besfcVe can to put a stop to that system which first robs one and then the other . It is tbe robber ' s delight to hear those whom he has robbed say , " Well , damn ' em they did not care for us , what reason have we to cire for them * ' ? " Our goeds were lowered one-half , and they took no notice ; then why shonld wejeare for them ? " This is the tyrant ' s reasoning . Now , sir , let us min < i our own business . Let us add to our cambers . Let us enlighten each other ' s minds . Let ns shew clearly to e ? ch other tbat it is our interest to get rid of the robbers , and not to rejoice at seeing each other robbed .
HaviE ? said enough at this time to convince W . P tbat it wili be better to increase our number by instruct ing tbe ignorant than joining the Repealers , I remain , Bir , jours , T . POPPLETVELL . Eliand Edge , November 5 , 1842 .
? - TO THE CHARTIST COUNCIL . Nov . 3 rd ., 1842 , English-street , Hull . Gentlemen—r beg ts acknowledge the receipt of a le' ter from your Secretary , dated October 31 * t , and a ! "O to ray , that not being aware of having given any offence , er shewn any incivility , I am sorry to find his letter so ungentlemanly and scurrilous . I beg also to observe tfcat it might probably have been as well had you postponed your nourish of triumph till a more fittirg occasion . The fallowing are extracts from his letter : — " When Mr . BeefOy ' s challenge was accepted , t ? eir hope was th 3 t i » harl been done is good faith . " " They did not anticipate 'rom your tone and bearing ihal covert shrinking from the contest which they regret to find manifested in your letter . " "Attempts to get away from the question . " " Tour oVj ? ct in seeking the debate , " fcc ., To quote all yonr scurrilous inuendoes I should have to copy a great part of your letter . Tea first admit "Mr . Bee&ley jrave the challenge , and then jou represent me as " seeking the debate . "
Because 3 submitted tbe ' conditions '* to yonr attention , were they therefore binding on you ? If not why be scurrilous ? You first desired me to appoint a committer ; I respectfully replied in a Jttter . Did I not treat you with the resp-:-ct which is due to- a public body ? Why then fling around me bo many unworthy motives ? Has my moral courage been untried ? Or have you a mind to imitate your lecturer in his concluding address on my sot ; ves ? I have yet to learn that yon " are the depositories of public virtue and public principle .
Ycu represent me S 3 if I originated the question of debate—your lecturer gave the subject himself , ntmely , "Tbe Repeal of the Corn Lswa would not bentfit the working classes , '' and challenged either Mr . Acland or myself to dircussion . The only libtrty ( if it can be called a liberty / I took , wasiu putties the subject into an inte . 'rogntive form , thus : " Wiuld the repeal of the cora Laws beneSt the operative classes ? " You have , however , changed tbe question , bnt trith all proper deference . I btg to inform you and the composes , of your letter , that you , acSns : merely es a committee of management , have eo power to make such a change . That moment yon step cut cf your letitimate province , you r . move the ground on which the acceptance cf the challenge res ^ s .
Yon may ss justly introduce the Poor Law Bill , the Ten Hours' Bill , or any other bill , as the Franchise . It is not for me to know the extent of power you may tscrcif-e over your lecturer , but I must respectfully dtclire its recognition when extended to myself . If , thtrre :-ore , your lecturer had undertaken to defend a petition nat upon Chartist principles , it would have bt-en m jit candid and honourable on your part to have at once said that for tbe result your lecturer alone is re-sp < nsibie . Instead of this you attempt to exhibit me as choosing my own ground , in order to elicit a refusal from joe , ind hereby give me an appearance of triumph . -Upon this rest all your scurrilous attacks upon rcv mr ,-ive 8 and principles .
Wfcen jo- ^ r lecturer had va . untipg ! y given the cballeree I scctpted it on condition that he would cor . £ .. e his itttntion to the sul j .-ct If you doubt this ask your cK :: rn : in . He said " his committee would be ready to make the arrangements , " which reply I understood as an EfSrsaiive tfcit he would do ko ; and therefore in my arrar . gtmeEis with you I hope you will not deem it disrespec ' -fal if I confine you also to the subject In doing so you have imagined yourselves treated as children . If you think so , I e » nnot help it , and 1 am sorry ray mtar-ir . ^ should have been so much misapprehended . Your lecturer placed you in that position if yon deem it derogatory , and I must leave you to settle this grieTanca with him .
Yi , u do see , however , the horn of tbe dilemma on which he would have ieen impaled ; and ia anticipation you make a tndclen plunge to avert his fate . On this subjtct I have only to observe that public challenges shoulu be . more carefully given , and then they would be attendee with more consistency and less regret . Mr . Beesley challenged me on one subject , you propose another . Am I to understand this as a specimen of eood faith ? Yon might have inferred , had you nflrcted a moment , that 1 wonld not allow myself to be thus " trailed . " Whether a repeal of the corn laws should be mixed up with party politics , is a question which may admit latitude of opinion . On this subject , however , my own views are settled . Hence you will perceive , that I am disinclined to allow you to dictate what con rse I am to pursue apart from the subject given by Mr . Beesly in the Lodge .
Tbe spirit of your letter would , if it could , froven m © into your will ; and selong as you exemplify this spirit towards thoEe wko may not receive all the nostrums of your lecturers , though yon profess universal iiberty , you practice the worst of mental despotism . You -wish to be treated with " gentlemanly courtesy . " . This request is needless ; though the animus ot your letter displays little of this essential ingredient "to all friendly interchange of thought and opinion . - I am , gentlemen , A well wisfcer to yen , and all the operativca of this realm , ( Signed ) Robebt Fibth .
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THE ANSWER OF THE COUNCIL . Hall , November 7 th , 1842 . Sir , —I am instructed by those with whom I have the honour to act , officially to acknowledge the receipt of your last , and officially thus to reply 1—The letter to which yours is in answer was not th 9 latter of our Secretary , bu ' u that of the body from whom it professed to emanate , namely , the Hall Cnnncil of the Charter Association , drawn up and agreed to ot a regular meeting of this body , and signed on our behalf and at our comma nd by the person appeinted by us for this purpose . Therefore , if that letter had contained anything either ungentlemanly * or ' scurrilous , ' it wonld , in our opinion , hav « been more gentlemanly on your part , to have attributed the want of courtesy ta
the propar quarter , and not to the individual whose signature was appended to the document . Yet , notwithstanding the isolated quotations which you make from that letter , and which you are pleased to call * scurrilous inuendoes , " you have signally failed in producing a single ungentlemanly , ' a single ' scurrilous" expression . If the term 'louando' be by us correctly understood , it signifies a distent notice , a hint , or an ivsimtalion , and these are commodities in which the Chartists generally do not deal , leaving this kind of trafiic to their political opponents who claim to be ' the sole depositories of public virtue and public principle' as they are of political power . We consider , moreover , that the charg e of scurrility comes with a
peculiarly bad gTace from a gentleman who can bo unceremoniously charge those who may differ in opinion from him and his nostrums , * with ' professing universal liberty , but practising the worst of mental despotism ; ' and were recrimination our purpose , we might justly challenge you to produce any expression from our whole correspondence , as ungentleniauly' In its tone , or so scurrilous' in its tenor as the passage to which w < j have taken the liberty of thus calling your attention . But recrimination is not our object . Oar wish is to get you' up to the scratch' upon terms so plain and tangible , that the merits of the question , in all its bearings , may be fairly and honestly brought before the people , in order that they may come to a just decision .
You appear extremely wroth that we should have characterised you as ' seeking the dubate ; " but if you had not souRht it you would not have found it ; for even Mr . Robert Ficth , ' Corresponding Secretary of the Hull anti-MonopoJy Association , " is not of sufficient importance in the tyes of the ChartUt public to be honoured by them with a personal challenge , unless , as in this instance , it i s ' of his own seeking . ' But if he thinks proper to ' pick up the gauntlet" whenever it may be thrown down to the anti-Corn Law Leagueif he thinks proper to become the champion of the ' nostrums ' which are palmed upon the public under the sounding title of ' free trade '—he may rest assured , whether he opines it is of his seeking' or no , 01 that his ' moral courage' will be pretty often put to the test
We are completely at a loss to know wkat your ' flourish of triumph" can allude to , unless it be by the ' vaunti&g" boast of ' impaling' your opponent upon 'the horns of a dilemma ! f which never existed save in your own imagination . To your term ' composer , ' which you have dignified with all the importance of h&lf-text , we have no objection , save that it ought in all fairness to have been expressed in the plural . We shall , for this once , reply to your queries ; gently reminding you , however , that although we offered to consider objections , we made no promise to answer questions . No . ' We deny it' Yes ! ' We neither iid nor intended ! ' ' Of that you are the best judge , " or when did your trumpeter die V take either answer you may like tbe best But your next question , containing something like an ' inuendo' deserves a more lengthbned reply . You ask , Or have you a mind to imitate your lecturer in bis concluding address on my motives ?"
Sir , we are always inclined to pass lightly over observations which may drop from a speaker In the heat of debate ; we do not feel justified in too nicely weighing or in too severely criticising every expression which may fall from bia lips ; but when -we find a man sitting down deliberately to pen a sentence like tbla , there is no necessity for questioning his ' motives . ' These become too apparent for questioning , too palpable for doubt Our ltcturer never onte alluded to your motives ! but when he found you changing tbe question ; when he found yon stepping out ef your ' legitimate province ; ' when he found you' not confining your attention to the subject ; ' v . hen you travelled out of
your way foi no other apparent pnrpose than that of accusing the absent and slandering the imprisoned , he did then administer a little deserved custigation , never indeed questioning your motives by giving a shrewd guess at yuur trade . If , therefore , you felt sore under the lash , you may console yourself with the reflection tbat this also was of your own seeking , ' and that neither we nor our lecturer were in the least to blame . Having tUua dismissed the charge ol Bcurrility , and having tkus replied to yoar questions , we now proceed to consider your reasoning , if that term can with justice be applied to any portion of the assertions contained in your letter .
You quote a part , and be it Teroembered only a part , of Mr . Beesley ' a challenge , and lest you should ' iiifer' this also to be an ' inuendo' we beg to assure you that we bring it as a seriouB and positive charge . The words of the challenge so ' Tauntingly" accepted , as copied by the short-hand writer who took notea ou the occasion , were ' whilst the institutions of our country retain their present basis , I deny that the mere repeal of the Corn Laws would beneSt the working classes ; and I defy and hereby challenge either Mr . Acland , or this gentleman , or any other member of the anti-Cern-Law League to prove that it would . ' Here then is the challenge which Mr . Beesky gave and which you accepted . Have you the ' moral courage' to maintain your ground ? or dare you again display' that covert shrinking from tbe contes :, ' that' attempt to g « t away from tbe question , ' which your first letter evinced and which your last confirms .
Sir , you shall not shuf&s out of this discussion without proclaiming to the world that you are destitute of that' moral conrage * of -which you so loudly boast ; for even taking the question upon your own shewing , viz : ' would the repeal of the Corn Laws benefit the working classes ? " you have no right to clog that with conditions or limitations about what shall or what shall not be excluded ; for if our lecturer , in maintaining the negative of even that proposition , could satisfactorily shew that' the limitation of the franchise ' , ' orsven the New Poor Law Bill , or any other measure now in operation , would debar tbe working c . asses from a participation of that benefit whicii , under other circumstances , they might hope to share , we have yet to learn by what law of discussion he can possibly be shut out from making use of this fair and legitimate argument .
As you have not thought proper to object to any of our other propositions , with the single exception of 1 the subject for discussion' we conclude that you have no objection to offer ; and we again ask you will yon come fjrward and maintain your ground on the terms in which the challtnge wae stoen and accepted ?' We have no desire that tha word 'franchise' be introduced into the qu-. suon , but we will never be constntiDg parties to any proposition by which a legitimate argument thouid be ixcludetl ; and we have a very poor opinion indttrii of that " gcoU faith" * which would only allow one side v , t a sul j-. ct to be heard .
In conclusion , we wish most distinctly to express that we have tu intention of giving persona / offei . co ; but in this matcer we can only regird you in the light of a political oppontnt ; ai . d while we treat you with all the courtesy due to this churacter , we cannot allow private feelings cf personal r i ? ard to interfere with the discharge oi a political duty . I have the honour to be , Sir , On behalf , and by command of ths Hull Chartist Council , Youra respectfully , W . J . HOLLIDAY , Sec . To Mr . Robt Firth , &c .
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TO THE CHARTISTS OF SHEFFIELD . " He who allows oppression shares the crime . " Brother , and Sister Democrats , —We consider it cur lKipc . ative duty to make this appeal to you in behaif 01 the chaiaf-ioiis of our rights and liberties . Tha time is now arrived to prove how deserving we are of the privileges , for the attainment ef which we are struggling , by the snpport nnd protection we afford to tbe advocates of our common cause . Despotism , assisted by its worthy colleague , base and black-hearted treachery , has made a bold and powerful
effort to crush the movement , by depriving the people of their best and tried friends ; amome others , your two unflinching advocates , George Julian Harney and Saml . Parkes , who , torn from their homes and families by t ' ae myrmidons of power , -were corauntted by magisterial despots on the evidtnee of the traitor and renegade Griffin , to take their trial at the late Special Commission on the miserably false charge rf conspiracy . These , your friends , ( in common with their brother patriots charged aa being " conspirators ") exercised tbe ri « ht allowed them by the law of traversing their trials to tbe next March assizes .
For exercising this , their constitutional right , they will be plundered by the harpies of the law , to the amount of from six to eight pounds each , in tbe shape of traverse fees alone 1 and this infamous extortion must be submitted to , otherwise our friends will be liable to imprisonment for noa-payment , before they are tried on the charge brought against them by the Downing-Etreet" Conspirators . '' Of course , there will be other unavoidable expences to be provided for independent of that , which , we think , ( whatever our persecuted brothers may decide upon for themselves ) viz the employment of counsel for the defence .
We would not have troubled you with this appeal , relyinsr upon your patriotism to find the necessary funds in sufficient time , but that our brethren are menaced with another Special Commission { Well the factions kiow tbat the perjured evidence upon which they rest their case would not avail them * it unprejudiced jariea wtre the arbiters between the accusers and the defenders of democracy . Well they Itnow that as soon as Parliament shal l meet , corrupt as that House is , it will bs compelled to listen to ths demands of our persecuted brothers for justice , and to witness tbe unmasking of those liberticidial Judges who have polluted the judgment-seat , and rendered " the majesty of the law" a mockery and a
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byword , to prevent u 3 far as in their power lies the unveiling ot the true conspiracy , and the real conspirators , the factions have given the signal , and their vile organs from the daily Times ami Morning Chronicle down to those drivelling things the Independent and J ns , nave joined ia the yelping chorus , of "the likelihood , tbe probability , and almost certainty , " &c . of a winter assiza—another "special commission" to ba held before Christmas . The Dublin Monitor avows that this additional Special Commission i » to be for thepurposo of procuring the conviction of " Faargus O'Connor and the other Chartists who have traversed , " before Parliament shall assemble .
Of all the cutsea that afflict our country the existing newspaper press is tho most horrible ; it is , with , two or three noble exceptions , the vile pander to despotism , the bitter aud relentless foe of truth and justice . The efforts of its degraded conductors to afford a colourable pretext for the bold act of tyranny which they tell us is contein plated by the ruling faction , to procure the conviction of our leaders , must dUguat all honest men . But shall they do this non ' -oppbaed by you ? Your voices rassed in condemnation of so despotic and unconstitutional an act , may yet scare them from their intended infamy ; but more than this must be done ! The necessary funds must be instantly raised ; so that if our frieuda are to be brought to trial in December , they may bo prepared with the pecuniary means of defence .
The men for whom we plead are worthy of your Bupport ; the name of Julian Harney is known wherever the banner of Chartism waves , and ia associated with every struggle of the people for their rights during the last four years . Samuel Parkes is known to you , the men of ShtffiuW , for hi' uufliaching patriotism and steady adherence to your cause . When the day of trial airives—wh « n honest patriotism shall confront triumphant tyranny , we have no fear that they will do their duty . Do you do yours . If a winter assize is to be held it is expected to take place early in December . There is no time to be lost . Up , then , mea and women of Sheffield—exert all your energies , and prove you are worthy of yourj rights , by BUpporting tosse who dare defend themselves .
Signed in behalf of the Defence Fund Committee , Samuei , Ciavton , Secretary Council Room , Fig Tree Lane , November 14 tb , 1842 .
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TO THE TRADES , AND WORKING CLASSES GENERALLY , OF GREAT BRITAIN AND IRELAND . Fellow Workmen , —Meat , or all of you are aware , that in tbe beginning of September last a committee was appointed by the Smiths o ( Manchester , to endeavour to raise a fund to conduct and defray the expenses attending the defence of Mr . Alexander Hutchinaon . The circumstances originating bis arrest have been previously laid before you , so that any lengthy comment from us will he unnecessary . Suffice it to say , that at the Trades'Delegate Meeting , held in too Hall of Science , Manchester , he . was appointed by the
unanimous voice of the meeting ; to preside over their deliberations , which ultimately led to his arrest and his committal for trial at the late Liverpool asste ¦;» . To the talent and influence of the counsel we employed , though at an enormous expense , we are chiefly indebted for the favourable termination of his trial , which , under other counsel and circumstances , would , we believe , have been attended with serious results . And as our treasurer has been obliged , by the necessity of the case , to advance a considerable sum on our credit , we take the present opportunity of issuing our report for your inspection , under tbe impression that you will sot atand still and Bee us sacrifice our means without one effort to assist us . .
REPORT OF THE INCOME ' AND EXPENDITURE . Income . £ . s . d . William Epton ... 0 1 0 John Banks ... 1 0 0 William Gerrard 0 1 0 Walter Phaup ... 1 0 O A Friend ... 0 1 0 Thomoa Child ... 1 0 0 Robert Froggatt . 0 16 A Friend ... 10 0 A Friend ... 0 1 0 John Child ... 0 10 0 Robert Stones ... 0 1 0 Charles Jones ... 0 13 0 Joseph Clarke ... 0 1 0 Henry Coffey ... 0 8 0 James 21 'Donald 0 1 0 Win . Me George 0 8 0 Wife of do . ... 0 10 Ed ward Rogers ... 0 8 0 John Robert * ... ' 0 10 David Roberts ... 0 8 0 John Francis ... 0 0 6 James Kelabaw 0 8 0 William Wood ... 0 0 6 Thomas Grayson 0 8 0 William Cook ... 0 0 ( 5 Edwin Banks ... 0 5 0 Peter Lightfoot .. 0 0 6
Divid Lewis ... 0 5 0 Peter Johnson ... 0 0 6 T . Stanynonght ... 0 6 0 Robert Price ... 0 0 6 Joshua Wormall 0 5 0 John Goffary ... 0 0 6 Wm . Corna ...... 0 6 6 Peter Hart . ' ... 0 0 6 A Friend ... 0 5 0 William Parry ... 0 0 6 James Crawley ... 0 5 0 Gnorge Davis ... 0 0 6 Wm Robinson ... 0 5 0 TJaomas Acton ... 0 0 3 Richard By rom ... 0 5 0 Samuel Hughes .. 0 0 3 Isaac Gillow ... 0 7 0 A Boy ... ... 0 0 2 Wolverton Smiths 0 10 0 Tbe'foregoing London do . 0 7 3 comprise : ;¦¦ — E ' linburRh do . 0 5 0 Smiths of Man-E . Quarltrougb ... 0 7 0 Chester , &c ... 18 16 2 John Hardman ... 0 5 0 Belibouae ' s Spin-Leeds Railway ... 0 6 9 ners ... ... 0 16 0
John Donlevy ... 0 5 0 Glass Make ) s : David Dick ... 0 5 0 Aaron Ohadwick 6 0 6 Richard Wood ... 0 5 6 Josiph Lythgoe .. 0 0 6 MatthewDunn ... 0 4 0 William Sparks .. 0 0 6 Daniel Mo Avoy 0 4 0 George RowIansonO 0 6 John Nelson ... 0 3 6 Richard Rosten ... 0 0 ti Thomas Junes ... 0 3 6 Sharp ' s Brasa George Stott ... 0 3 0 Room ... ... 0 9 6 James Yatea ... 0 3 0 A few Spinners , Henry Parr ... 0 3 0 Ancoat ' s-lane ... 1 7 0 Wm . EJgley ... 0 3 0 Society of Metal John Ashworth 0 2 6 Planers ... 1 5 1 R . Wilkinson ... 0 2 6 " Two Country Jumps Haaletn ... 0 2 ( i Friends ... 0 6 9 Win . Faldon ... 0 2 6 Gao . Ashworth ... 0 0 9
Joseph Spa ... 0 2 6 Buller & Willi ' s Richard Nixon ... 0 2 6 Shop .. ... 0 12 3 A Friend . ... 0 3 0 Bolton ' - ' Rtilway ... 0 14 0 Henry BeJgood 0 3 6 A few Friends , J . ihn Edgar ... 0 2 0 by J . R . ... 0 13 0 Wm . Birtles ... 0 3 6 Sharp ' s . Mule Thomas Gtttens 0 2 6 Room ... ... 1 4 0 Daniel Birtles ... 0 3 6 Do . Engineers ... 0 9 0 J . Quarltrough ... 0 3 6 Wheelwrights & John Yates ... 0 2 0 Blacksmiths ' George Wrigley 0 2 0 Society ... 1 0 0 Joseph Ben ton ... 0 2 0 Mechanics' So-Joseph M'Cabe ... 0 2 6 ciety ... ... 9 3 6 Wm . Seddon ... 0 2 6 Tailors' Society 4 0 0 Thomas Tickle ... 0 2 6 Painters' Society 3 0 0 Charles Nelson ... 0 2 0 - ^ - . Tanies Ryan ... 0 2 6 Total Income 43 13 8
John Metsom ... 0 2 0 Richard Rostern 0 10 expenditure . ThomasNaylor ... 0 10 Friend Mitchell 0 1 0 Book arid Pen ... 0 1 0 William Raven ... 0 1 0 Printing ... ... 2 5 0 Joseph Taylor ... 0 10 . Retnrnad . a few P . Hh'ginbothani 0 1 . 0 Spinners , An-Job Briekhall ... 0 1 0 coat's-lane ... 1 7 0 CnarteB Greaves .. 0 1 0 Attorney and James Barber ... 0 10 Counsel ... 48 0 0 A Friend , W . P . 0 1 0 Witneses ... 11 10 0 G . jonje Dc > akiD ... 0 10 DWecation ... 0 19 0 Henry Pnttison ... 0 10 Mr . Hutchinson .. 4 11 9 Jamfts Russell ... 0 1 0 Printing 2 , 000 Thomas Smith ... 0 10 Repwrta ... 1 16 1 John Brown ... 0 1 0 —— Joseph Robinson 010 Total .. 62 9 10 John Cooper ... 010
You will perceive , by the foregoing report , that there 13 an actual deficiency of £ 19 , which our treasurer has been obliged to advance , owing to the attorney , Mr . Bent , absolutely refusing to proceed with the case until he was paid the whole amount , which circumstance caubud the extra expeusa of a journey ta Liverpool . The amount paid to the attorney for conducting tha case through , you 'will , no doubt , think far too much , but it is very far from the s ' uin'he at first demanded j his first charge was near £ 100 , add to which , the time and expenses of fourteen witnesses to Lancaster , ( tbe assizes beiut ; first announced for that placo ) for about six or eight riaya at the sum generally paid on such occasions , and you will find tbat £ 200 would ecarcely cover it , to say nothing of the very serious loss sustained by our friend , Mr . Hutcliinson . We succeeded ,
however , m recucmg the attorney ' s expense , by sending a deputation to explain to him our embarrassed position , and the trouble we were sulject to in raising even- the amount we had then on hanu ; ¦; ba felt , or appeared to feel , for our situation , and reduced hia charge to £ 60 , and at s subsequent interview to £ 40 , which Bum we were compelled to agree to , or wholly to abandon the case , and which he ultimately demanded at LWerpool before he would proceed with the case . The subsequent announcement of the assizes beinjrbeld at Liverpool was another great advantago to our cause , which together with the honorable and praiseworthy conduct of onr witnesses , ( to whom we beg to return our sincere thanks ) greatly contributed to riimuiish the expenditure , 80 that With Other economical arrangements the whole defence will be cleared off for about £ 62 .
We have therefore to appeal to your benevolence in behalf of our deficiency—not upon any political grounds , because our case is entirely a trade question—oar delegate was not sent to the meeting to represent the Chartist smiths of Manchester , nor any other particular party ; he was sent as the representative of the general body , who , like all other public bouies , profess all shades of opinion . And as the trades' delegates elected him as their chairman , we feel that we have a strong moral claim upon the sympathies of the working classes , and particularly the trades , to which claim we hope you will give a hearty and cheerful response , so thst by honourablyclearing off every liability , and reinstating our victim in his former position amongst ua we may still secure hia valuable services , and stimulate others to follow the same praiseworthy course , until every abuse of which we justly complain , be swept from th > face of the earth . " . \ ¦ . '• ' -. ¦ - '¦ ¦ ' ¦ . - -. ;
You tvIII aleo perceive , upon examining the report , that but few of the trades who had delegates at the meeting have yet come forward to assidfc us ; so that the expense has fallen heavily upon the members of our own bo ^ y , to whom we * beg to express our grateful acknowledgements , and hope that by their praiseworthy example the trades who have cot yet subscribed will
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be stimujatad liberally td cc-operate towards liquniatiog our debt . In conclusion , we beg most respectfully to return our heartfelt thanks to the trades who havt so libereliy supported out case , and also to the various workshops whose names appear among the contributors , and beg to assure them , in the name of our constituents , that should any public calamity or similar misfortune hefut them , the support which they have rendered will be returned with cheerfulness and gratitude . Your ' s very respectfully , The Committee . Committee Room , October , 30 . 1842 .
N . B . —The committee will -in future meet every Saturday evening only , at the Olympic Tavern , Stephenson ' s Square , from half-past seven to half-past nine o ' clock , when the delegates appointed by the other trades are requested to attend . Each trade subscribing to tbe fund is requested to send a delegate to sit on tho committee , at the conclusion of whose labours a final report will bo issued .
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ESSAY ON THE PRESENT SYSTEM , BY JOHN WATKINS . PART IV . *• The tlmeis out of joint ! O cursed spite That ever I was born to set ifc right" — Hamlet . The present age may be characterised the selfish age —it is the most mercenary—the meanest . Every mun seems to think but of himself alone . We are ephemera —beings of a day . To lose money is to loso friends , health , reputation , everything— -what wonder that parents themselves should love their gold more dear than their children—tbat they should see them starve and without relief I
Poverty is rendered criminal by law—It ia also by law rendered the inevitable lot of the industrious manynot a chance is left for their escape , aud when they are driven into the toll , their condition ib made more unendurable than that of an Aigeriue slave—they are treated with on inhumanity of which the Turks would be ashamed . The Turks ! why they treat their doga much better than we treat our aged and infirm fathers and mothers . Pleasure or profit is all eur pursuit , and can we expect those who are bent on pleasure , to Btop at the cries of pain ? no , they will increase another ' s pain if thereby they can increase their own pleasure—and those who pursue profit are still more callous , more brutal j the groans of the victims may annoy them , may vex them , but will never soften them . They have
no consideration for their own souls and bodies , not even for their own business characters . Our manufacturers have donemuob by their dishonest practices to dishonour the credit of the country , to forfeit the custom of other countries ; but what care they 1—ao long as they gobble up a basty fortune for themselves they would ruin trade itself , and forestall the fortunes of all whs have to follow . They are devoid of patriotism and of philanthrophy . All principle , all feeling , they sacrifice to the love of pelf . The bloom and innocence of childhood , the strength and spirit of manhood , the very peace and resignation of old age—all are made merchandize of . Great was the outcry against the African slave trade , while all the while a slave trade was rising up , was being carried on by those who were
loudest in tbat cry . A slavery of the whites , enough to make black turn white in comparison . Surely the first duty of every sincere slave-emancipator was to emancipate the slaves at home . But these were the slaves that they themselves had made , and instead of doing that , they next made heathens of them , while at the same time they were sending out missionaries to convert the heathen in foreign lands , who indeed are the better Christians . Was it not of snch as these that Christ spoke when he said , " Ye hypocrites ! first cast ont the beam from your own eye before you can see clearly to pluck out the mote fromyour brothers . " Send your missionaries not to the plains of Hindostan , not to the wilds of Southern Africa , but into your own factory mills ; let them prevent the sacrifice of children to your
idols ; send them into your mines ; but they durst not venture there ; the very police dare not descend into those hell-holes , where boys and girls , and pregnant women crawl on their bellies like serpents , amid darkness and damp , where rabbits could not burrow , nor blind moles creep , where no living creature but the toad in its cold stone is ever found . Money is not raised to emancipate them , to convert them ; no , but inoney is made of their slavery , their heathenism ; and hundreds of thousands of pounds are sent across the sea to be spent in waste time ; for what better can we call It when we read that no convert is made but at the coat of a thousand pounds per man ; and bow are converts made ? Why , they are made drunk , and then they acknowledge themselves Christians , bat relapse into
Hindooisni again as soon as they become sober . Our privileged classes ( fine folks !) lavish all their love , all tbeir religion , all their charity on other countries—not on their own . English charity is never found at home ; it roams all the world over ; it is a vagrant charity . Oh , call it home ; let it visit the unfurnished hovels where industry Bita naked and famishing—its very tools pawned for- food—where piety broods over its . wants and woes , its very bible sold- —where innocence : is suffering worse famishment than ever guilt endured . See the once happy family leaving a once contented home , and wandering desolate despised into the streets , exposed to the cold wind , and to tbe colder sneers of the world-going wealthy . In vain do they crave the refuse of the rich man ' s table . There are boards hung up
in every direction , not like the crosses which in former times pointed the pilgrim to the monasteries where be was refreshed without money and without price ; but the « e boards are more like gibbets , aud , in direct opposition to the Word of God , they request , earnestly requeBt the public i n no case ( mark that !) to give alms —where then must the destitute go?—what refuge is for them?—tho bastile . '—they enter , and the husband is sundered frem his wife , the children are torn from their parents , the ties of nature are rudely rent , and the whip of authority is put into the hands of brutal men , who think thnt they best do their duty , that they most fulfil their office , when they act with tbe greatest inhumanity and cruelty . What wonder that many actually prefer death to such a life , for it is a life of
hard toil and hard fare—that many prefer a prison to a baattle , and break the law to qualify themselves—and that consequently there is a supposed necessity for more new prisons , or for the enlargement of the old—that madhouses are on the increase , and that the corners of churchyards are filled with suicides ? Some enlist , some emigrate , some are transported for forced crimes ; but the great majority '; die heartbroken in the land that gave them life , but denied them a living—In a l . ind that abounds with the means of supporting life , but it is a laud which the accursed system is fnst turning into ^ a Golgotha—a land of skulls .: How many die of diseo 8 et . in <\ uced by famine } They pass under the name of ( ovo fevers—but they are deaths by starvation ; and England is the only land where euch deaths knowingly occur . How many , even now while I tell it , aie dying in despair—murdered fey the system that should succour and sustain ? Let us select one case , —not tho case of brie , but of thousands—I might say of millions
—the case of a honest , hard-working man with a large family , who having ¦ spent all his strength , bestowed all his skill in the support of Church and State , is left at last in hia hour of need neglected by both , and Inid on bare boards , without clothing or covering ( all having gone for food , and gone in vain ) , fevered with care and anxiety , ¦ w anting menicines—but not able to obtain tha common necessaries of life—wanting rest , but evermore awakened by tho cries of his suffering children , he sinks , with no prospect before him but damp walls , dirt , and vermin . Instead of Gospel con-Kolations , he hears the sobs of bis little ones , and the wailing of a helpless , hopeless wifa : he cannot sleep ; he cannot die in peace , for his last moments are troubled—are tortured with the agonizing thought of what must become of his widow and orphans , and as hia eyes grow dimmer , as hie breath gasps shorter , as his pulse boats fainter , shapes arise to his delirious view , —his own children appear like spectres dancing and hovt-lingr around his corpse .
Ah , England , with all its wealth , is but a desert island to the Unemployed poor . They suffer like men besieged in a citadel with all supplies cut uff—like men at sea in a ship out of provisions ; but In those cases all ate sufferers alike , the last biscuit is Bbared equally — -. with us , on the contrary , oue class , the idle , is rioting amid every superfluity , while another , the industrious , is famishing before their very eyes . The conduct of the upper c ! a ? ses in tnia country resembles that of ¦ wi ld Indiana daubing and Ringing around their victims
at the stake . Our class legislators have grasped all and they gripe all—the more their means increase , the less consideration have they for those whose means , by a natu » inl consequence , decrease—and yet they can ride in their carriages to church and putting on a demure aspect repeat the responses and say— "He who hath an abundance of this world ' s gooi , and knoweth his brother to be in need ami yet ahutetb . up his bowels of compassion from his brother , how dwelleth the love of God in him ? " Yes , our pious aristocracy can "kneel and pray "—I've seen ' em do't . ( 'To be continued in our next . )
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Figures of Speech . —At a festival recently given to a fevr friends by Mr . Rouse , the enterprising and wortHy proprietor of the Eagle Tavern , City-road , Mr . Camjpcell , of the Grecian Saloon , made the following witty allusions to the newspaper press : — " May 'the very Age and body of the Times' be the Advertiser aud the Herald oi the best News to ' the great Globe itself , and all that it inherits , ' and particularly to the Subjects of the British Queen ! May the Post bring a Courier with the Dispatch of lightning to each rising Sun , with intelligence to gladden tho heart of Old England ! " May the
Evening Star ( recently risen a ' Star of Hope ? to an oppressed people and be-dimmed country ) ever be the pride of honest , straightforward , worthy hearted JohASull ! May the British Standard of benevolenc ^ , with . * Argus eyes , ' see and Record this as an Era' of truth , virtue , and universal philanthropy . May charity be an Examiner into , and an Observer of poverty ^ and distress ! May the Polar or Northern Star continue to shed its illumining influence on this long-benighted land !—shining with ita evening contemporary , the * Gemini' of thB political heaven of freedom ! And may the Charier be as it were , the Tablet on . which the Spectator may gaze wiih delight , while our Patriot shall forever Chronicle the glory and liberty of the British Press /"
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NoTr-lNGd-iM CObiSTY GAOL . Notwithstanding the charges publicly ma , ! a by the debtors in Nottingham Count ? Gaol agai . at tbe gaoler and magistrates , the caatigations that have be < ia bestowed upon them by the press , th * voluntary offers sfthe editors of the NoUingham Review , that their columns were open to receive any counter-stateuienfc these authorities thought proper ta luako to the grave charges against them ; they still maintain a determined we had almost said a criminal—silence , to the charges of extortions and other illegal practices of tho gaoler , and the sanction and protection afforded to Ib . ife funtior . ary ' s dealings with one portion of the : prisoners and oppression of the others , by the visitiug mag \ strato 3 i
If the tharees brousht ngultist them are false , why not rebnt theui ? If they are true , how long is jnstica to bo delaytd , , or denied to the Buffering debtors ? Their first memorial bears dat « the 23 rd of September ; their second , on tbe 30 th ; their remonstrance on the 10 th of October . Still the intolerable grievances are allowed to continue . Debtors are crowded together in felons' cells—their health impaired , their lives placed in imminent peril ! - the surgeon debarred , as be states , by the existing rules , from supplyin g necessary food and restoratives ; and the poor debtors are deprived of air and exercise , which the more iceal'hjj-ste allowed to take without restriction , as all undoubtedly ought to be permitted to do . The visiting magitrate . 8 shrink from the specific charges brought against them , but what have tbey done in lieu of ineetin ? them ? Let their annual report , made at the Nottinghamshire adjourned quarter sessions , holden at Southwell on the 27 th Oct . answer the question . We copy the following from the Nottingham Review , of the * th instant : —
" The visiting justices reported the management of the prison to be excellent , and the discipline good . Tracts are distributed amongst tbe prisoners , divine service regularly performed , and the rules prescribed by law strictly adhered to . " Amazement stands aghast , to find Buch a statement made in the face of tbe unredressed complaints of the poor debtors ! ' The management of the prison is excellent , with felons' cells crowded with poer and starving debtors ! The discipline good , with extortion and illegality depriving men of their health and placing
their lives in jeopardy !! Tracts distributed in place of food !! l and divine service regularly performed to mea whose minds are writhing under a knowledge and conviction of the wrongs tbey are enduring !! MA . pretty state of things certainly . What muBt have been th « feelings of' these injured men on reading such palpable falsehoods ? From tL < 2 V 6 ry men who-sileatlydecline to redress or rebut the manifold grievances they nave so repeatedly and respectfully set forth ? They may better be conceived than drscri&ed , and gave rise immediately to the following requisition : —
" TO THE VISITING MAGISTRATES OF THE GAOL OF THE COUNTY OF NOTTINGHAM . " We , the undersigned debtors , confined in tbe above prison , respectfully request an interview this day with the visiting magistrates on matters concerning the rules and regulations enforced herein , and on other business . " William Kelk . Edward Leach , John Shtlkfcck . William Richards . John Slack . Thomas Col ton . James Dc-nham . John Harper . William Boot Thomas Maxfield . Henry Stephens . John Waas . Richard Hanker . Robert Patterson . " County Gaol , Nottingham , Nov . 5 , 1842 . "
The required interview did not take place , The magistrates were not to be seen . No , they knew WbU that their annual or quarterly report , whichever it might be , was a gross and scandalous imposition ; and instead of " the rules presented by law being strictly adhered to , " they are unblusbingly evaded , and the violation of them by tbe gaoler openly sanctioned by the Visiting magistrates , inflicting thereby great part of the grievances ut which tha debcors so justly , but , at present , uselessly complain . The debtors have taken another step towards obtaining a redress ol' their grievances . They have
transmitted a memorial to Sir James Graham , the Secretary of State for the Home Department , in which , as ia commonly tho case when justice is denied , and sucll denial pertinaciously persisted in , redress of further grievances is required , than those which have hithtrts met the public eye , and shows the tremendous streteh of irresponsible power that is exercised by country justices , unrestrained by any fixed law , and calls loudly tor the humane interference of Parliament , to close the door by a general legislative enactment against tbe temptation that exists for the exercise of tho vindictiyeness and caprice of magistrates , gaolers , aud turnkeys .
In this memorial , not only is it prayed that the 2 nd and' 3 rd of . Victoria , cap . 56 , be enforced , in order to abolish tha gaoler ' s dealings with tho prisoners , and tho 4 th Cteo . IV . chap . 6 * ., that the debtors shall occupy one vfcard , < li » ih ; ct from criminal offenders , bat it presents also in detail many of the grievances which result frem the non-observance of the laws now in force , from which we make the following observations : — It appears that the surgeon is prevented , or states that he ifl , from administering such food aud restoratives
to invalids as he knows and admits they require and ought to have , without subjecting them to 'twenty-one , out of the twenty-four hours , solitary confinement , in . an inhospitable garret , dignified with tbe title of a hospital though , in fact , more resembling a sepulctdie to receive their dying breath rather than a place calculated for their restoration ; and this , too , in cases where air and exercise are allowed to be imperatively necessary , aa well as more and better food . One of the memorialist * / who has experienced this treatment , truly observes , it is a course of proceeding calculated to increase rather than ameliorate their sufferings .
They require also a revision of the dietary table , stating , as their reason , that the only food i * o ' . ? allowe 1 viz;—o ^ e pound of brea d per day to each debtor , is insufficient tc sustain life for a lengjiheneu period , or to preserve health under any circunistaneea . They pray , if it is ultimately found expedient to annex Iha uiiudemeanour war-i in future to the debtor ' s prison , and to really constitute a part thereof , that the transport and otber criminal offenders be removed therefrom , the lofty walls that now divide it from the debtor ' s yard be removed , that the inmates have access to each other ia the night to the common room , to assist in case of illness , and to be locked up at the same hour , as is now the practicain the debtor's prison , ana not at an earlier hour , as is nW the case , and tbat it may . form , in fact , essentially u part of the debtors' prison ., and subject only to the same restrictions .
It appears that the day room where the poo aeotors are conaned in the misdemeanour ward , is a rooiu *> nly .. . fourteen feut by twelve feet , aud at the time of the memorial being signed , no less than eighteen of these unfortunate men were crowded together in -that small space . Necessity has since caused the removal of nine of them to a similar and corresponding room above . This day-room haa two stone benches fixed , one on either side , for seats . -Its only furniture consists of a table and four old stools . It . ia cuVured with aemi-elliptical grained brick arches . Besides the door , the entrance is further protected by a massive iron gate . Each of the sleeping cells 13 secured at the entrance with both doors and iron gates in the same mariner , anu the passages or galleries , as
they are here termed , are secured by doors aud iron gates across them at intervals , in the same way . In the sleeping eells , the only article , ( for it would be a libel upon language to call it a bedstead , ) is a cast mct-1 plate fastened 0 , 1 the top of four iron supports , which are again Bf-cured to the stont > floor . This ni >; cal piate is only two feet six inches wide , on whieh tvro of tua poor dfabtors aro frequently compelled to pass the nii ? ht at tha same time . Not so in the debtors ' prison . It may be as well to remark , that tiie part of the prison we are describing w . is fcailt immediately \ subsequent to the destruction of Nottingham Castle by fire on the memorable rejection ef thf Rsforra Bill j the period of ita rejection , in conjunction with " tbat circumstance , seems to point out
pretty clearly the mason of its being made so doubt ? secure in every part , the want of neces »; iry accomm dation within it , aud tho cla ? s of offenders it was originally intended to reeeive . It is the gaoler ' s dealings vltix tiio nioro wealthy debtors that is th cause of the poorer class being crowded together , and deprived of air and exercise therein . The misconduct of the senior turnkey , William Lounds , is aiso reported . One debtor , tixty years of age , is in continual excruciating pain , from blows and other injuries received from this menial ; an invalid has also been brutally treated by him , and his disgusting conduct to the visitors aud friends of the debtors , and their admission depending upon hia capriciousueaa , even in the hours allowed by the rules , is acutely dwelt upon . They
also require the privilege ( if dissenters ) of being attended by the minister of their choice , and that ; such dissent from the Established Church shall be considered a reasonable ground foe tbeir non-attendance of Divine Service , within the meaning of the ninth rule . We have not space fur further remarks , but to state that the prayer of their memorial to tbe Home Office concludes by praying the enforcement of the 2 d aud 3 d Victoria , cap . 56 , and that such alterations and a code of new roles may be framed in accordance with the suggestions of their memorial;—so fa * as in the wisfiom of the Home Secretary , by and with
tbe advice of the law officers of the Crown , may seem meet , but more especially that the dealings of tbe gaoler with the prisoners may be totally abolished , and the whole of the debtors now and in future may fee placed in every respect upoa . one and the same footing . It is to be hoped tbeir lawful and reasonable demands may V « complied , with by the Home Secretary , without occupying the time of the legislature on the meeting of Parliament on this long neglected subject ; iuii that Sir Junes Graham will feel it to . be bis duty tq » issue a g&neral order to gaolers to prevent the recurrence of auch palpable grievances tn debtors' prisons io future . —Evening . Star . , :
Untitled Article
Anti-Malthdsians . —Last week , eight persona accidentally met at the New Inn , Helston , whose children , when added together , amounted to the extraordinary number of ninety-six . None of them had fewer than eight children , and the highest number was sixteen . —West Briton *
Untitled Article
THE NORTHERN STAR . 7
To Thb Editob Op The Northern Stah
TO THB EDITOB OP THE NORTHERN STAH
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Citation
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Northern Star (1837-1852), Nov. 19, 1842, page 7, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/ns/issues/vm2-ncseproduct780/page/7/
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