On this page
-
Text (6)
-
Untitled Article
-
Untitled Article
-
Untitled Article
-
Untitled Article
-
Untitled Article
-
Untitled Article
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software. The text has not been manually corrected and should not be relied on to be an accurate representation of the item.
-
-
Transcript
-
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software. The text has not been manually corrected and should not be relied on to be an accurate representation of the item.
Additionally, when viewing full transcripts, extracted text may not be in the same order as the original document.
Untitled Article
THE IRISH MOVEMENT . { Continued from our First page . } \ « Onr liberal contemporaries will doubtless sneer : and ridicule all this preparation foi -war , and ask ia it \ intended to propose any alternative ? We answer I boldly—Tea , The FreemaiCt Journal effects to laugh ; at legal proceedings , as tboush the law had sot been ' outraged or its provisions violated . 'But for the pro- ; secutipns , it says in . ita publication ^> f this morninz , \ * we think the good folk of the Castle wiU keep letting i them alone . ' We can assure onr cotemporary , in solemn 1
seriousness , that he is , and that he'will find himself , i to be mistaken . Peace has its duties as veil as w- ^ \ \ and -we are well assured tbat both will be attended ^ \ The arm of the law is long as veil as powerf- Jij ^^ It will reach those -who little dream of tto cense-i quencea to -which they haTe Tendered thenelrea liable , It is not only the prominsn ^ leaders in the -rebellion that will be made to feel iis gripe—the secret abettors of the treason are knowi > , and- but we are , perhaps , going too tar—a few £ ajrt will de-Telope alL [ I \ \ 1
*? One word to Mr . O * CoB&elL At fee meeting at Tata he deflel the Gavemiaent to go to taw . They accepted Ms cartel , and be s&nk craves before their proclamation . "At losniore be renewed his defiaece , and threatened the country-with aBt » tbreak in tte Brent of Mb being cast Into prison . " Tens , then , be has defied ihem to law , and threatened thenrwith consequences . Sow he has net the first step is on record . ^ here ia no donbt he "WS 1 be afforded the opportanity of the second ^ and may yet be placed in tbe position of becoming— a martyr ! 31 " In relation to toe "offer" of the 20 , 0 G 0 " Hsao-Terian troops , " thns pompously , set forth by the Jlmi the Du 6 Hn Monitor has the following ;—"WebaTe at present about 24 . D 00 regular 1 awpa in Ireland , with a well-drilled and disciplined Consta bulary force of 9 , 000 effective men , makirg a tetal of £ 33 , 000 .
"The 70 th Begimeit , from Portsmouth , amved in ttas city on Friday night Fonr battalions of the Guards are ' - alsoj it ts said , in readiness fof service in Ireland ; and , not satisfied with the large fbne already in the country , and with , the available force Hat m in England , the Peel ^ GoTernment , according to the Mai :, have effected an arrangement with that' beastly , bigoted , Monarch , 'She-King of Hanover , by which the services « f 23 , 000 Hanoverian troops are to be placed at their disposal for service in Ireland ; and , adds the Mail , * these trocps s * 2 ready for embarkation -at a few boars * notice , and in fonr days , with the aid-of first-class steamers , -they could be landed on oar shores , and at whatever-poixt their services might be deemed naces-•¦ Uow , bad as we think of the Government , we donot believe that , even if snch a proposal was made by-tbe trncule&t Monarch cf Hanover , it -iroald be accepted ly MimtUw , No doubt the King of Hanover " would delight to have a civil war raging in Ireland—thai he night be subsidised—that he might make merchandise cl Ma troops , as many a paltry German Prince did during theJate war . ^ IBttt tbere will be no dvil war in Ireland . Ko donbt there are some wild enthusiasts who talk of pikes and pikemsn , and fancy they eonld conquer with as unarmed , ^ undisciplined peasantry , against well-armed and highly disciplined soldiers . Xo doubt , we say , some of ths young blood of Ireland would be « ady to peril liberty and life in fig > t « ng not for Repeal alone , tot i for separation . However , like Warsaw ' s last tbacipions , suchchoica spiritsars 'few ihoaeh
undismayed . * Tie people at -large may sympathise with them ; but the peasantry of Ireland are now too thoughtful and . sober to be marshalled far destruction at their ooBuoznd . " - We have no apprehensions whatever of any insurrectionary movement The country was never in a less warlike hum « ur than at present . It may serve the parposes of Action to represent vm ' on theverge of a rebel-Con ;* and it may pander to the base paeskms of the Onngpmra ; for Sjaeifofl to hold out a hope , of the Tepmanry eorps being called into action to fraternise with the Hanoverians ; bnt we do not aee "what good psrposs it is calculated to tern , or . in what manner it is likely to advance Qjb real interests of bur country , in tSs present eventful crisis , to indulge in swsb false repreaentati ona , and hold out to a bigoted and savage faction the likelihood of their being permitted to slake their thirst for rapine and slaughter in coDJaaction with % Hanoverian banditti . "
The Times of Mondaj thus discourseti : — : ¦ "Ministers hive followed up thaiprodamstian * by issuing warrants against O'Connell and eight other lead- ing Bepealea , on the cbarge ^ f . * Conspiracy and ether jnisdemeanours . * On Saturday last the defendants gave i lafl tojBJswer this charge on the first day of the ap- j proaehing term . "We will not stop here to anticipate the perplexities j Of delays which this course of proceeding may unavoid- i ably involve . . The accused will enjoy illthe benefits of a ! constitutional trial , and the issue or that trial is at the j present moment a doubtful , but also a secondary , or ! jatheran immaterisL consideration .
"The chief point which attracts oar observation is file resolution of the Government to attack the agitation itself . If the ordinary powers of the law , employed against the leaders of the anti-British party , rfwnM prove insnSdect to appease that most lamentable irritation by which Ireland has been too long harassed , then we have n » doubt but that Ministers will be prepared to exercise extraordinary vigour , either on their own responsibility , er by the permission * f Parliament •¦ At present such considerations are , if not irrele T&nt , at least premature . The Cabinet is , in our estimation , to be applauded for the intention which it has evinced to save tbe Monarchy from tbe slow fever of tmresirted sedition , and to be congratulated on the im--wedHtfp and sppsrent effects of its new and less lenient
treatment Tbe French papers indeed— -as some of our ^ English contemporaries—have ebaekled in the assaranee that tbe prodamatien of Sail De Grey win not put : down the Bepeal agitation . Unquestionably it seeded no ghost to tell ns that However meanly men * nay think of the moral qualities of Mr . O'Connell - « nd biselique , and of tbe intellect or determination of lux humbler followers , so one , we presume , could suppose thaBepeal agitation te be of so wholly factitious » fhfttweter as to be blown to pieces by tbe jaere whiff of a proclamation . We should as wisely - think an eneny rooted whan we had driven in his vanguard . The history of the proclamation af--fordi ns rather an earnest of triumph than any final * ietory . It ia -valuable because it shows , or seems to Show , that the Government have Ufa and de '
eraainabonto grapple with the agitation , and ' that the agitators " have not life or determination to grapple with tbe Gavernmeat It turns the tables . Hitherto tbe impression has been that Government durst not forbid that which O'Connell commanded ; that they might deprive m&gistratei , refuse patronage , exhort , recommend , or deprecate , but that . they did not darethat their knowledge of their own weakness forbade them—boldly to say , ' This thing which you have announced shall sot be : we forbid it , and we will pre-TeB ± It . And , on the other "band , the impression bai
been egnally strong that O'Connell , with "his teetotallers , did aad w » uld dare to go to the almost limits of what he maintained to ie the law , in spite of the 6 ovenanent j that if they pressed the matter to issue lie would iceept It—that he would , as be boasted , meet them 'foot to foot ; that he would -do the forbidden thing , and try the eonsegueneses , whether by an appeal -to the courts of law , or by a more terrible appeal to physical force ; that he would defend himself by agaryof his countrymen against a Ministerial interpretation of law , or by an * army of frieze-coats' against the instruments of Ti ' ggMT power .
" TMs teas the popular impression ; and it gave to the Bspeal party all that impetus and vigour which is ever shown by those who think that they have nobody to calT them to account Repealers felt they 'would not be punished , anti-Bepealers thattbey would 3 H > t be protected ; and both looked to ¦©'¦ Conneil as a Ban of living and growing power , who was to be , if he was not already , the practical gorernor of Ireland . This impression was strengthened by the -shamefully hesitating and qualified tone in winch the -only Mf nisterial ^ KS , the deprivadon of the B ^ eaHag magistrates , was defended by some Ministerial- speakers in the House of Commons . Tbe Bspeal Morement , -directed by a single leader , was advancing boldly and rapidly towards a single dject The supporters « f the Sritisb cormexibn—these connected by blood , by sentiments by aSsctioi , by religion with 'the Saxon '—felt their ianda enfeebled and their efforts
isolated , and therefore paralysed , for want of that guidance and organizaticn which , to them , Gdrarnment alooe could supp ^ . The weak joined -tie movement from fear—the bold from hope—the idle because it wsb less trouble to acquiesce than to hold aloof—the active because there at least was some-Sung stirring—the < iisaffeee * d gathered themselves in strength under Mr . O'Connell ' s banner—and" the ^ contented Conserratives began to view Ms power as a ; fail accompli , wtich it was now almost urieonstitu- i ttaal to disturb . Thig , ail within tte lart week , ! has been tke pontka of Ireland , sad none eonld tell I Jjow long it was to « emain so . In this posture of ^ affare it was that , wfeen Mr . O'Connell had com- ! pteted bis arrangemeais , had issued his orders , had ' e ^ aniKd hut levies , hzd almost eoneocted his speech J for one of his mighfieBfc reviews , when Government ' jnddenly said , 'This shall not be , ' and Mr . O'ConneD i , snrc ^ tvtbffL
"The blow thus struck has » ofc , of course , cmabed BepeaL The idea W frivolous . It has not even xepiired alUhaeTili wh 1 ebh « Te accrued ( neeeuariTy or ^ -not , we will net now stay to inquire ) from long acqol- ' . eseence . But it has done tbis- ^ it baa reversed the postare of aflairs—ithaa exhibited the Government as , » en who isrve courage and an intention— -it has shown flat they are prepared to nse for the defence of the ? Goastifcaon tie powers which Hiat ConBtitutidn gives ( ttem—it hai shown that Hiese powers are efficient in I flieiriands . Taken fai connection with the concentrafion of military force upon Ireland , fiiat preparation 1 £ brthe worst , which hai"long been in progress , ^ . which ; tt » results wen in a measure displayed ! to ths Dublin malcontents on the great day of I Clontof , and which . ^ furnished a pledge that what : was ssli . was meant , fibat GovernmeEt had not iasned ) their command without having counted the cost and provided f » tbe most ttreatening cowequenee *;— ,
Untitled Article
viewed , we say , in this coDr \ ori t Uie late etep in ad- ' vaace leads men to bspe- ^^ . pastinacUoa'is no omen ] of future indecision—th ^ ttovercmert have acted on a plan , and are not ir ^ reiy to support a trutum ' ftdxien '} —but that , bavin ? accumulated their strength at great expense , and aft- . * grat 5 e ] ayj they are now prepared ; to put it foit > _ , gjHiiy ana effectually for the restoration « f « rderand . security . Be it so The success of their ** " * ent ' > 5 irise is an enconragemenfc to them to j » ro » eee ?' . ** enconragtBient to « s to trust our interests In * P * it hand . It gives them a claim en our confidence ; 'It esposes the hoUowness of that bugbear which they teve to varquish . The disconcerted retreat ; thesuspicions , the spologies , tbe crest-fallen blustering of their adversaries all tell one story . Positions are -changed . Tbe star of the British empire is culmlnating , and Mr . O'ConwU totters .
" This person is at this moment playing the losing game ; bnt yet tbe game has to be played out . B / proceeding against him in the consitutlonal mode which tbey have adopted—and wiich we acknowledge was the only method which a British Ministry could adopt without incurring much odium , and therefore paralysing their own efforts—by ^ proceeding against him in this way , it may turn oat fh&t they have restored tbe "balance of power between themselves and him—between the British government and an Irish faction—between the party of the union and that of separation . It must be their business , then , bo to frame their measures that this equilibrium shall only be temperary—that no momentary triumph of tbe accused—no future chicanery—no verbal juggling
[ —no special pleading—shall be permitted to shield I ill-disguised or triumphant conspiracy from the in-| terference of authority . &et us not , in two or three i months , see ' simultaneous' substituted for ' monster ' ! meetings , ' horsemen" for •^ cavalry , ' ' gronps * for 'troops , ' I 'patriotic societies * for' Repeal Associations . ' All these t things are to be grappled with , not in their various I ferns , but in their root It is not by such subterfuges i that a Government should be foiled . Tbey must ! strike , not above , belew , beside , or round about , but I at the evil—at the person from whom , or at the prinl-ciple from which , it -proceeds—or at both . Need we I-promise them our hearty support in any each course } which tends to vindicate the cmciency of Ibw , and ! protect the rights -of property and integrity of the ) empire ?
" To falter woald be infatuation—to falter would be to shew that even ¦ undeniable and complete success cannot tempt them to be really formidable . Their present advantage is hollow , unless it is the germ of future and important successes . To Btop short would be to expose its nothingness—to dissipate the prestige which now attaches to it—to habituate the Irish people to view with csntempt the exertions , as they have already learnt to despise the acquiescence , of authority . Ministers have delivered their fire ^ let them charge while the enemy is frightened by the unexpected sound . Ko second volley will ever frighten them so much again . " The same Jonrnal , the Times , of Tuesday , repudiates tbe ••¦ H anoverian Invasion ' in the following terms : —
" For our-own parts we can only aay that we hope , nay , that we confidently Believe , this report to be utterly unfounded . Nothing at tbe present moment eonld be so unnecessary , nothing so unpopular , nothing so illcalculated to effect its ostensible purpose , as fce landing of foreign troops in Kingstown . * Nothing can ever justify sacfi a step , except the acknowledged and tindoubted -deficiency of English troops , as during the time of a continental war , or after a very considerable reduction in the peace establishment Even then , although constitutionally justified by the emergency of the occasion , it is a measure fraught with danger , and seldom unattended by in » Hpg calamities . It combines the aspect of foreign invasion with the severities of native despotism . It excites an insurreo tioa merely to crush it by unusual and intolerable cruelty . The object of Government is to preserve
Ireland to the empire ; to subdue its ambitious efforts at independent nationality ; and , eventually to bind her by the firmer and more indissoluble links of seif-interett to the establishment and defence of our common -name and nation . This can never be dene by the sabres of German mercenaries . The Haneverians—as the Hessians did—may irritategall—savagt the Irish people—but they cannot subdue them . No;—if the worst come to the worst—ifwhich God in his mercy avert!—the sword be once drawn , and the scabbard flunf away , it is not by foreign arms that Irish daring must be encountered . We have been , as a nation , calumniated and reviled . As a nation , let us defend our honour . England h »» been pronounced incapable of maintaining her sway in Ireland . Were her Government to employ foreiga troops in tbe attempt , what confirmation would it not give to the braggart falsehood . '"
Untitled Article
matter bad taken much deeper root Other leaders besides 0 Conneil either appeared on the stage , or Bkulked behindvthe } scenes ; and ,, above all , it was evident that , the great , mass of the Roman Catholic : peasantry had thoroughly taken the matter to heart Tfae people were bursting with Repeal . It was not in . the least necessary to put searching questions to th ^ m In order-to get at their sentiments . You could , cot make tbe commonest inquiry without bringing on a Repeal discussion . If y « u asked the price ot pork or fish in the streets , the old women were « aie ^ ^ y something of tbi 3 sort , after they had answered your question : —" Well , Sir , when are ^ to have our rights 1 when will our Parliament sit . \ u College-green 7 " The people , in short , were det ' jnalned to have Repeal—by fair means , if possiblp ^—but , at any rate , RepeaL They bad , moreover , f ' dlly made up their minds
to tbe sacrifices consequent npon a popular rising , and bad familisritsdcl themselves to all the coritingences of an insurrection in an extraordinary degree . There was not a single important jjoint connected with the subject on which they werer . ot prepared with a good military answer ; and , in whatever part of the country the question might be asked , you were sure of receiving the same answer " in substance , and , ' generally speaking , in nearly tbe same words . This last-mentioned circumstance proves to demonstration thaj , the plans of operation with which tbe beads of tfie peasantry were filled did not originate with themselves , but that they had emanated from some common source , and were , in fact , the instroctieas of superior minds , which had been carefully prepared to suit the exigency ot the case , and had been afterwards disseminated by means of some established organization among the people .
When toe rebellion of 1798 was spoken of , the remark invariably made was to this'effect : " Those days . Sir , were the days of drinking whisky . Our peeplelay drunk in the ditches , and the troops obtained aa easy victory . But now we are a sober , temperate , and religbuB people . " If I heard this remark made once , I heard it fifty times . If tbe superiority of disciplined over undisciplined troops were adverted to , the answer was always of this kind : — " O , Sir I you don't suppose we shall give yen the advantage of fighting a pitched battle with us . We shall rise in our counties and baronies , and do all we want ( which means , making a clean sweep of tbe Protestants ); and when the troops arrive tbey will find tbe people quietly st plough , and we shall be doing our work elsewhere . " 'Reference was als * constantly made to cutting t > ff convoys and detatcbed parties , by lining the hedges with pikemen and closing upon them , in tbe way that was practised with some success during the rebellion of 1798 , and consequently , on tbe occasion of several well-known conflicts with tbe police .
Workman , were employed in boring loopholes in the walls of tbe first barrack which I happened to pans . A person who was witb . me pointed with his thumb to the people so employed , and said , " Pretty nonsense that , Sir . When the boys rise tbey will pull the soldiers eut by their shoulders . " I asked him to explain himself , and he went ou to say that tbe walls of the barracks would be scaled in every direction by night , and that the people would tumble in over by thousands , and t qaeezi the troops to death , if they did not tako
them out and throw them into tbe river . I believe this to be a perfectly correot military idea . The contour of many of the . barracks is very extensive . The walls are low , 'there is no ditch , and if the people bad tumbled in over by hundreds at night , when the raking fire from the bastions would have less effect , it is possible that before oar preparations were so complete as tbey now are , the assailants might have carried some of tbe barracks . I afterwards found that this plan of attacking tbe barracks was generally difiused among the people .
There is another horrible prevailing idea , which really startled me the first time I heard it I was waiting for my car early in the morning in the street of a small , sulky , Ill-conditioned town , when , seeing a farmer ' s wife setting up a ; - potato stall , I asked her tbe price of her potatoes . She gave me a civil answer ; bnt two men were standing by , one of whom said , without my having previously addressed him , or having made any remark calculated to encosrage the observation : "We shall eat wheaten bread next year , Sir . " I was really unable to make out his drift , and told him goodbumouredly that I was very glad to hear it , but begged
to know bow the change would be brought about " There will be fewer of us , Sir , " was the reply . I then Began to understand his meaning ; and , as I encouraged him to speak out , he proceeded to say that there were 8 , 00 fr , 000 of them ; that the land was not able to bear them ; that 1 , 080 , 000 or 2 . , 000 might be spared With advantage , and that tbe conntry would be for the survivors . I afterwards beard the same idea , either in whole or in part , in a variety of forms ; but the burden of the song always was " Protestant and Catholic will freely fall , and the land will be for tbe survivors . "
Tbeir commissariat also was arranged . Every man was to bring so many dsya' potatoes , and butter and bacon , if he could afford it Amidst all this warlike preparation I was surprised to bear nothing of drilling , or of the manufacture of arms , and 1 made various inquiries upon th « subject It appeared from the remit that it formed no part of the plan of the popular leaders to drill the people in an ostensible military manner in that stage of tbeir operations . The tactics they had resolved upon , which are mainly those of a guerilla warfare , did not require a high state of discipline ; and to have assembled large bodies of men for tbe purpose of training them would have led to a premature explosion . With regard to arms , the answer I always received was , that there was no want of arms already in toe country ; and that as the people were all of one mind , when tbey rose , they would convert everything into weapons of war .
Tbeir reliance ceemed to be on the stock of firearms constantly concealed in the country ; on their national weapon , the pike , which may be manufactured by any common blacksmith , in large numbers , in the course of a single day '; and on the pitchfork ( scarcely less formidable than tiie pike } , which is in every cabin . Bnt their main reliance was on their numbers and unanimity- Tbe people of Zaiich effected tbeir Strauss revolution with their red umbrellas ; and the people of the south of Ireland seem to fancy that if tbey rose as oae man , everybody must quail before them . If you spoke to them ef the army , tbe remark commonly made was— " Bat , sir , you forget tbat threefourths of the army are Irishmen ; and every Irishman is a Repealer . "
If you spoke of the Protestants of tbe north , tbe answer was : " The Presbyterian tenants will not stand by their landlords . Lord Roden called a great meeting on the subject , and he was obliged to give it up , because the tenantry were prepared to come forward with a demand for fixity of tenure as tbe price of their adherence . " It is remarkable tbat on no one occasion did I bear it stated by the Roman Catholic peasants tbat tbey could beat the Protestants of tbe north . Wh » t they always said was , that the Protestants would not turn out at the call of their nobility and gentry . Reference was also constantly made to assistance which tbey expect from foreign powers , and from Wales , Scotland , and tbe manufacturing districts ; and the remark invariably made was , tbat although tbe affair might commence in Ireland , it would not end there .
Yet , after the people bad been talking in this strain , if you said that you were sorry to fini them in such a temper of mind , tbe answer always returned was , " Sir , we have no intention of going te war . " " Not going to war 1 " was the natural rejoinder , " why , you have been talking nothing but treason and rebellion for the last hour , and now you say that you do not intend to go to war . What do you mean T" " No , Sir , " was the regular reply ; " we do not mean to go to war with the Government ; but if the Government goes to war with ns , then all the boys will rise . " This again required explanation , and on inquiry it always turned out that their real meaning was as follows : they have unlimited faith in O'Connell'a practical talents and in
bis knowledge of the law . They are persuaded that be will not take any step which will be contrary to law . They looked forward to the assembly of the 300 as the crisis on which the whole question depended . If tbe Government interfered with the meeting of the 300 , they considered that tbe first aggression would then decidedly be on the part of the Government , and that was to be the signal for their rising . It has been carefully impressed upon them tbat they are not themselves to take the initiative , bat that tbey are to leave tbe Government . to put itself in the wrong by making the first attack . It may also be observed tbat tbey never speak of their rising as an insurrection or rebellion ; but that the term always used by them is " going to war . " The genius of the Irish is decidedly military .
It is due to the people to say , that while they have J rebellion and massacre on their lips , they are , neverthei less ,-decidedly advancing in sobriety , industry , and , i except in the cao 8 of the horrible Tipperaty murders , in ! good order and respect for the laws . Faction flghta have I ceased to exist , and shillelaghs are rarely seen except ' in the police-ofiices , where they are used as firewood . Repeal has been for some time passed their master-passion , and everything else , even what are generally considered the milder virtues , has been pressed into the service . The motto which is put most prominently forward at their Repeal meetings is " He who commits a crime gives strength to the enemy . " Although the organiMtkm of the Temperance Societies preceded the Repeal Movement , that organization has been adopted into it Ti % e congregation of each Roman Catholic chapel gene ^ &Hy forms a temperance society . The
Repeal Warden * ' are ths oflScers ; the temperance band , the members ef wiUchare dressed in uniform , are the rallying point ; ana when it is determined to show tbe strength of the e Gantry , the male members of the temperance societies are marshalled ' under tbeir respective bands and colour * \ and marched out to the monstermeetings The peo » leappear to take a pride in displaying" their fixity of pi trpose and the supposed moral excellence of their can w by an obvious abandonment of their previously " habi . ^ wl vices . They feel ashamed when a drunken man aj ipeaw reeling in the streets ; and I have seen them rebuk « mendicants jwhom tbey have observed in the act of imp wtuningr a stronger . Intoxication is now rarely Been in Ireland . I visited three crowded fairs , and did not « ee a single instance of it ; and I did not " observe more t ^* n nx or seven drunken peeple all the time I was in In Mand .
There is nothing new under the sun . The same untoward quiet preceded the freaking oat of tbe last rebellion . The following well-known passage is almost as applicable to the present criaiB as it waa to that of 17 S > 8 : —** I apprekend we
Untitled Article
ehall have » r ough winter again , though we have had so still a sr aimer . The people about us ate too bush and too prudent ; it is not their nature ; there ' s something ' jontrivins among them ; they don't break one anothe ^ tj beads at fairs aa they ueed to do ; they keep from whifikay ; there must be some strong motive working this change upon them—good or bad , 'tis hard to gay Which . " God forbid that , I should undervalue the existing symptoms . of an improved morality ; but nobody will deny that it will be an advantage if we can nave the morality without the rebellion .
I am also bound to say that , although the people talked to me of blood and murder as familiarly as young ladies talk of puppy-dogs and klttenB , I did nob meet with a single instance of Incivility . I was told more than once , that if the boys were to rise , my life would not be worth a bad pound note ; and ceitainly , at two or three places , the people were in such a gloomy frame of mind , tbat , after one or two trials , I did not venture to ask them an ; questions on the subject The only privation : I suffered was the absence of the free flow of genuine Irish burnout with which travellers in Ireland in better times
have been delighted . The people were , as a general rule , in too Berious a mood to indulge in jokes ; nevertheless , the fun which every Irishman possesses w » uld occasionally ooz 3 out If you asked them what they would do if they did not get Repeal , they generally looked glum , and talked rebellionsly ; bat some would say , after a little consideration , " Why , Sir , I suppose we should do without it , " or , "I suppose we should do aa we did before . " Not to get Repeal always seemed to be quite a new idea to them ; and when the impossibility of it was pointed out , It seemed to have the same effect upon their minds as a violent shock might have been expected to have upon tbeir bodies .
Hitherto I have been speaking only of the Reman Catholic peasantry of the south of Ireland . They are naturally an amiable , good humoured , and contented people ; but the / are very ignorant and very excitable , and they have been systematically plied with mirepresentations to a degree which was , perhaps , never practised before . I never saw a poor people in such a miserable state of delusion . The Roman Catholics ef the middle class , both in town and country , have also generally given in to the movement The popular torrent was running too strong for them to withstand , and they have , one by one , been canted away by it Borne are influenced by mistaken patriotic motives , but the generality have merely yielded to the necessity of their situation .
The case ia very different with some few of the gentry , both Protestant and Catholic , who have given their sanction to the movement . Their independent fortunes place them in a situation which enables them to speak out when all others ore obliged to be silent . Their liberal education , and the general information possessed by them , must have convinced them that the Repeal ; cause could be seriously and effectively pro-B « outed only by means of a popular insurrection , which would bring destruction upon vhe south of Ireland , and which would not , after , all , succeed ; but , although these gentlemen do not hesitate to give their sanotion te the movement , and to hoaud on the people to their ruin , nothing is further from their intentions than to risk their own ntok and fortunes . When the time
arrives for showing colours ( which God forbid , it ever should arrive ) , the poor deluded people will be astonished at the number of influential persons-upon whom they now count who will pair off with the Government If the gentlemen alluded to wish to pre-Berve a character for common honesty and good faith , they will side with the people in the case supposed ; but , as they joined tbe movement from the selfish motive of obtaining for themselves a temporary popularity , they may be expected to prefer their own safety , and to sacrifice the people when it comes to the point I do not like the plan of giving unprincipled or foolish ambitious persons tbe opportunity of reaping the honours without aaffering the pains of martyrdom . It is desirable tbat no martyrs at all should be made ; but , if they must be made , let them at least be real martyrs .
There ifl another estate in the Repeal ranks , of the existence of which people in England have no notion . These are the young men of Dublin . They profess te be Irish politicians of the Emmett and Lord Edward Fitzgerald school ; and , as far aa the difference in the circumstances of the two countries admits , they answer to the jetutes gem de Paris , They are public-spirited , enthusiastic young men , possessed of that description of crude and imperfect information on political subjects which induced several of our present Whig and Conaexvative leaders to be violent Radicals in their youth . These young men of Dublin supply all the good writing , and history and political philosophy , suchas it is , of tbe party . They also supply the poetry .
Popular ballads from the aame workshop , of a general description , but of a coarse and simple kind , are openly sung in the streets of the towns and villages , and form not tbe least important part of the system of measures which has been adopted for the purpose of in fliming the people . October 11 . Philalethes .
Untitled Article
and cheering ) . I am to be the drag on the wheel that it may go steadily down the plane of liberty . It ia my duty now to restrain . It was my duty formerly to excite . My reverend colleagues have left their trade of preaching for agitating , and I now tate up ine gowns which they have thrown from off their shoulders , sod set about sermonising you . " i O'Connell , although the author of all thia mischief , ii , nevertheless , now our chief ground of reliance for the preservation of the peace . As an English gentleman was lately driving in the neighbourhood of Dublin , his attention was attracted by G- P- O . ( from the General Post Office ) on iall the mile stones ; and he asked his car driver what it meant . " O , sir , don't yon know what that means ? God Preserve OConneil to be sura , " a prayer in which I heartily join . The danger is , that O'Coanell has so filled the imagination of the peopla with tbe idea of tbeir Parliament in College-green , that the only way in which he is now
able to keep them quiet is by confirming tbe delusion ; or , in other words , by assuring them that he will not flinch , and that they shall have their Parliament whole and entire . He ought ' to have recollected Wotsey ' s dying advice to Mr . Kingstone : — "He is a Prince of royal courage , and bath j a princely heart ; and rather than he will miss ot want any part of his will or pleasure , he will endanger the loss of the one-half of his realm . For I assure you I have often kneeled before him , the space sometimes of three hours , to persuade him from his will and appetite ; but I could never dissuade him therefrom , j Therefore , Mr . Kingstone , I warn you if it chance you horeafter to be of his Privy Council , as for your wisdom you are very meet , be well assured and advised what ye put in his head , for ye shall never put it oat again . " One of the gteatest delusions which have been put into the heads of the peasantry is that they are a nation . The idea has been sedulously inculculated— " We are many . " " Whatever a nation wills , must be . "
The poor people forget , or they havo never heard , that although positivelyfmany , they are comparatively few . -The Roman Catholic peasantry of the south of Ireland are greatly outnumbered by the rest of tbeir countrymen , including the loyal and well-affected Catholics and Protestants of Ireland , and the great body of the English and Scotch people . But mera numbers form , only one , and by no means the most important , element in a military question . The sea is entirely at jthe command of the British Government No part of Ireland ia much more than fifty miles from the sea . ! Out ships of war and steamers would command the maritime towns and coast , and convey troops to the flmk or rear of any rebel force that might be assembled in any part of the country . There
is no part of Ireland in which an insurrectionary fores could take up its position , and say , " We are safe here . " j The country is , also , for the most part , very open and weak , in a military point of view : theie are no fences which would oppose a serious obstacle to the manoeuvres of regular infantry , and in most parts at the country cavalry migbt act in numbers sufficient for a contest of this description . The island is , also , now perforated in every direction by good roads ; it is true that there are some mountainous districts in the west which would afford strong positions ; bat the question would sot be decided ia tbe mountains . As far as that district is concerned , it would be sufficient to watch any rebel force j that might assemble there , and it must Boon melt away of itself for want of
provisions . All the strongholds of the country are in the hands of the Government , and its officers and troops are f ally prepared . j Ik is a vain expectation of the Roman Catholic peasantry of the south that tbe Protestants of the north would not declare against them . As surely as the south rose in rebellion against the Government , the north would rise ia support of the Government The spirit which prompted the ever-memorable defence of Londonderry , and excited the EnniakilHners always to rush to the attack with the ferocity and exultation of a tiger bounding upon bis prey , is by no means extinct All minor differences will be absorbed by tbe portentous consideration of the maintenance pt their religion and liberties . The northernsjare quite as ready to fall on , as the Roman Catholic peasantry ; and it will be seen that such is the case the moment the restraint which is
at present imposed upon them by the Government is removed . They declare that , if the Government would only leave them to themselves , they would conquer the rest of Ireland without any assistance ; and those who know the intelligence , the vigour , the dogged perseverance , the high and courageous spirit of this class of people , will not consider this so empty a boast as it might at first sight appear . They possess nil the high qualities « f the English and Scotch nations , with , the addition of the determined , ami it may be , in some instances , the ferocious spirit which an unsettled state of society , and the frequent contemplation of danger , naturally produce . To let loose this power is certainly a dreadful alternative ; but it would be far more dreadful tbat our well-affected countrymen in the south should be left to have their throats cut at the leisure of the insurgents , and that a destructive warfare should be allowed to be protracted .
But say the southerns , we mean to carry on a guerilla warfare , and we shall accomplish our objects without anywhere opposing a front to your troops . This is the greatest delusion of all . The ignorant people think that the loss of ; a . million or two ef their number is the utmost extent of the sacrifice which they would have to make—that they uonld wear us out by delay , and that the survivors would be left better off than tbey were before . ; The actual loss of life is the least of the evils which ia entailed by a popular war ; when the contest is merely between the Governments , the people look on while the regular armies ; fight it out ; and after a campaign or two , the matter ia decided without much iDiary to either party . iEven in our own civil wars , entailed
although infinite evils were upon England , the contest was iu the main between the regular armies on each side . But if an insurrection breaks out In Ireland , the struggle will be between the people and with the people . Every town , every village , every farmhouse will be a asene of cenflict ; the industry of the country will be suspended ; the stock Of food and the means of future production will be destroyed : within six months there will be a pestilence , to say nothing of the widows and orphans . There is no European conntry which would suffer so severely * from tha effects of a popular war as Ireland , because none is more populous and none less provided with varied resources . In order to find a parallel to the effects of each a warfare iu Ireland , it would be necessary to go to those districts of India which have been
the scene of murderous and long-continued contests . In the struggle carried on in the south of Ireland in the reign of Elizabeth , which is known by the name of the Desmond War , the people died by hundreds in the ditches , with grass in their mouths , with which they vainly endeavoured to satisfy the cravings of hunger . This has been repeatedly preferred to by O'Connell , as a proof of the atrocious cruelty of the English . It was no such thing . The D-smoW war was a strictly popular war , such as we are now threathened with ; and the necessary consequence of inch a war , in a country circumstanced as Ireland , is that the sources whence life is sustained are dried up . In such a case the miserable people have no choice given them between famine , pestilence , and the sword . They fall nnder all three . Will it now be said that tbe loss of a million or two of lives
would be the only sacrifice which the people would have to make , and that the survivors would be benefited by the change ? ; Even the most sanguine cannot expect that France and America will fall on the moment the peasantry in the south of Ireland choose to rise . Before the French and . Americans became sufficiently excited to force their governments into the contest , if they ever reached that point , the contest wonld be decided in Ireland . They who rest their h # pes on foreign assistance greatly underrate the spirit and power ; of Epgland . England maintained her ground for many years against nearly the
whole world in arms ; and sheiB prepared to do so again , if the occasion requires it ; If the south of Ireland were to rebel , the loyal and well-affected Britons , both at home and in many of the dependencies of the empire , would take the preservation of the peace into their own hands . The great bulk of the British army would be precipitated on tha south of Ireland . The shores of Ireland would be surrounded with ships and steamers of war ; and such is the trust reposed by capitalists in tho good faith and resources of the government of the United Kingdom , that j any sum of money which might be necessary for carrying on the war for any length of time would be forthcoming on demand .
And let not these poor deluded people count on the British soldier abandoning bis colours . Some drunken men , who have had liquor given to them by the Rapealers , may roll down the street , shouting eut in the frolicsome thoughtless style of snch people : " Hurrah for Rapeal I" but it came to be a question whether tbey would be true to their Sovereign , and to their own pledged faith , even these ] persona would do their duty perhups as effectually as ikheir more steady comrades ; and as soon as the first blood is apilt , see who will be the greater tiger of the two . j
And will there be no defections in the rebel camp ? They are now apparently ! united , because the popular current runs so strongly in one direction that all are obliged to yield at least an outward conformity to the prevailing idea , But wait , I say again , till the time comes for showing colours , and see bow many of the gentlemen , who now cheer you on to the brink of the precipice , will jump dowfl with you . Are you so road as to imagine that several persons whose names will at once occur to yon , will * ever dream of hoisting the white cockade ? Even among those who will break out with you , is it to be expected ibat all will remain true ? There is an old Irish adage : "Roasfcan Irishman on the spit , and you Will be sure to get another to turn him . " ManywUI isoont weary of the ; contest . Others will begin to doubt whether it may be eventually attended with success ; and there will be no want of persons who will gladly avail themselves of any opportunity that may ; offer to making their peace with the Government at the expence ot their former
associates . ; Philalethes Oct . 11 , 18 * 3 . I
Untitled Article
GREECE . - ^ -The Augsburg Gazette the 5 th inst . states tbat a protest against the late revolution in Greece may be expected to be made by tbe Emperor of Russia .
Untitled Article
We novf turn to the Whig Chronicle , and give from its pages two most important communications , apparently from the pen of s disinterested party , who has been journeying through Ireland , and picking Hp " news by the way . " We-lopsrupon those communications as of far deeper import than they , on the face , seem to be . Their appearance in the Chronicle , bearing the character they dp , is most suspicious . The Chronicle pretends to be in opposmos to the Government : bnt he bas ' alreadv called for coeecioh ! In the article with which he accompanied the news of the Proclamation , he Baid : —
" Firmness . VICOXJR , even COERCION if you trill ; SUCH POUCT IS THE PEESEST POSTVRS OF AFFAIKS IJi IRBLASD MAI BE DEEMED WISE ' AND NECESSARY . The people of England are opposed to this mad project of Repealing the Union . They are , with reason , opposed to it . In its realization tbey see tbe breaking up of this great empire , and are prepared io support AST MBASTJBE of any minister t \ ai may be necessary to prevent the calamitous result . A policy of conciliation is what the justice and the common sense of tbe people wisb . Prove to them that tbat is of no avail , and a polict OP COERCION thbt "WiLi , tole&ate . But what they do not wish—what they will never tolerate—is tbe cowardly , saagoinary policy which lures men , step by step , within range of death , and then , without notice , ™ nma «? r « his battery before there is time to retreat "
Here it is ; a naked , undisguised call for Coehcioh . The communications he has since inserted , and which we Bhall presently give , have been published by him to justify the Minister in seeking for power to place Ireland under Mabtial Law 11 Being published in the Chronicle , an opposition Journal , they are a god-send to Peel : while the ^ pretended revealments of the state of feeling amongst the Irish people are jnst those calculated to alarm , and serve the Minister ' s parpose ! From the Chronicle the statements have been extracted into the Times , with approving comments ! And thas the game is carried on . The people are aroused by political distinctions and sham fight * between the two factions ; while the factions understand each other , and play into the hands of the wielders of power , so as to " pnt down , " *? crush / , the " democratic spirit , " that would obtain advantage for the people .
It k not nnlikel ; that Parliament will be convened during ihenext month , and have proposed to . them" extraordinary measures" to aid theMinister in crushing rebellion . In that case , we shall see good use made of the following alarming intelligence from the Whig Chronicle J «
Te tte Editor of He Horning Chronicle . so . i . Sir , —As EBglish travellers have been as rarely seen in Ireland this year as white men in Timbuctoo , soms of your readers may be glad to have an autheutio account of tbe actual position in that conntry , from one who for she weeks past has seen , read , thought , and spoken nothing but of Ireland . TJp to tile last day of Saptember , in last year , the boatmen on the lakes of Eillarney obtained -seventy-fonr days * hire . Up to the same date in tins year they bad obtained only twenty-five ; the difference being owing to tke fallingoff in the number of BogBsh tourists , of whom only eight or ten parties had visited-the lakes this year .
Having crossed the south of Ireland in a variety of directions , and conversed with people of every description , from the nobleman to the peasant , I feel that I am not g « itty ef presumption in enabling my countrymen to participate in the result of my observations . One peculiarity of -tbe present extraordinary state of the public mind in Ireland is that everybody speaks out . Tbe Roman < JathoKc peasantry appear to be so confident in their numbers aad unanimity as to consider any concealment of their plans or intentions quite an unnecessary precaution ; and , as I was merely an English tourist , of whom tbey bad -been accustomed to see many hundreds in the coarse -ef every year , they opened taeir minds to me with greater freedom than they would have done to any of tbe -official or military persons resident in Ireland . On my part , as I had visited the country at a crisis of no ordinary importance , I regarded romantic scenery and the other nsnal objects of a traveller * s attention as of minor importance , and applied myself earefully to the study of thB popnlar mind .
Before I left JBngland I took great pains to fora a just opinion as to the real nature ef the popular movement in progress in Ireland ; and the conclusion I came to was the same which has , I believe , been arrived at j by . the best informed persons in this country . The I whole appeared to me to be a gigantic piece of blarney on O'ConnelTs part . I believed it to have its root in the vulgar , bat nevertheless very powerful motive , of saving bimself from pecuniary ruin . Besides this , every demagogue is , from the necessity of his ^ position , obliged togo forward . He is by profession a fisher in troubled waters . The demagogue sinks into Insignlfl- ' eance just in proportion as public afl&irs ssttie down I Into tranquillity .
' j [ Q'Connell , no doubt , also aimed at upsetting the i pr asentXfcTOrnment , and getting some instalments for I "eland ; but that a shrewd person like O'ConneU , who bas atfcmded Parliament year after year , and who ~? T £ ^ e ? ° we * *** farces of the British nation , and thefixed determination of tbe great majority , In numbers , wealth , and intelligence , not to submit to a dumemberment of the empire , should seriously believe In the possibility of Repeal , is so unlikely as to be really incredible . ~ . It soon became apparent to me after my arrival in Ireland , tb . 3 i although this view of the case was perfectly correct as far as O'ConneU was concerned the
Untitled Article
To the Editor of the Homing Chronicle . K WO . II . The most serious fact of all connected with the present agitation has yet to be mentioned . There cannot be a doubt that the great body of the Roman Catholic priests have gone into the movement in the worst , that is , in the rebellious sense . Many of the priests of the old school ; who bad been educated in France and had
seen the world , held out for a time , but they were given to understand that if they continued to take this line , the shepherd would be deserted by his flock , and they were forced to yield . Two or three splendid instances are still mentioned of priests openly professing their determination to submit to any consequences rather tboo give tbeir sanction to a movement which they know to be of the most dangerous and pernicious character ; but the curates and young priests brought np at May . aooth have gone into it heartily , almost to a man . These young men ate generally the sons ot Email farmers and other persons of a similar rank in life . They , therefore , bring with them strong feelings and limited and one-sided information from home ; and at Maynooth they are brought up , like oar young
Newmanite clergy at Oxford , to regard the church us the sole object for which they are to live , and think , and act . They have no property , no families of their own , to be compromised by a rebellion ; and as it would be inconsistent with the character of their sacred profession to appear at the head of their flocks in the field of battle , they run noi personal risk . They may gain , but they cannot well lose , by tbe result of a conflict Some , more heady and enthusiastic than tho test , might even lead their flocka to battle ; but whatever their conduct in this reapect wight be , there cannot be a doubt that the prevailing spirit of the priesthood is correctly represented by the following expressions , extracted from the speech of the Rev . Mr . Cantwell , parish priest of Tramore , at the late monster meeting at Lismore : — " He could support O'ConneU with bis voice , but he would
support him with more . Look at that arm ( said the Reverend Gentleman , stretching forth his right arm ) . After the magnificent scene I have this day witnessed , I'll die a death , or see Ireland free . ( Tremendous cheering , waving of bats , < ko . ) " The priests have given to ths Repeal movement all the weight of a religious cause in the eyes of a superstitious people . They form the medium through which an understanding is kept up among all classes of Repealers , and tbroagh which practical instructions are conveyed to the people . The women and children are sent out of the chapel after service is over ; and the men are lectured on political subjects , and have treasonable pagers read to them , often for an hour together . I did not consider the movement as really alarming , until the conviction was forced upon me that the priests bad gone into it in the wont sense .
The primary object of tbe priests is , no doubt , to get the temporalities of the Established Church ; but they have also a further object , which lies muoh nearer their heart , which is to make Ireland a Catholic country . Everybody in the south of Ireland , both Protestant and Catholic , admits tbat if an insurrection were to succeed , the Protestants must either conform , er quit the country . O'Connell does his utmost to keep the religious character of the movement in tbe baok ground . The same was done by the leaders in the movement of 2798 ; but the moment the rebellion broke out , it assumed the character of » religious war , and tbe few Protestants who had been inclined to join it , at once withdrew . =
The object of tho people is to get plenty of work , and to obtain a favourable permanent settlement of tbeir rents ; but they have a further object , which they look to as tbe inevitable result of a successful insurrection , which is to get rid of the landlords altogether , anil to divide the land among themselves—not merely the forfeited estates , but all the laud ; at least all which is in the possession of persons not thoroughly devoted- to their cause . The result is , that we are standing on the verge of a religious and agrarian war , which would unite the horrors of the Jacquerie and St . Bartholomew .
O'ConneU has for some time past been aware of this fact , ani nobody has been more alarmed at it than he has been . He has whipped his borseB until they have run away with him ; and now , to his dismay , be finds that he is not his own coachman . He has a gentleman on the box , dressed in black . If any of the more moderate lay Repealers are asked what is the ground of the confidence expressed by them that : there will be no outbreak , they can only refor yon to the priests . O'Connell himself is now really as much in the hands of the priests , as far as this question is concerned , as we are ourselves . He bis evoked a spirit which is too strong for him .
Nevertheless , he has lately done his best to set bounds to the torrent The following expressions , ex . tracted from bis speech at Xismore , will convey some idea of bis real position : — " My heart is filled with delight at the scene that has been exhibited before us all this day—'( bear , hear ) . It proves that I ought to change my position ; I ought to become a different person from what I was . Heretofore I was an agitator , stimulating and exciting to exertion , and endeavouring to persuade every person , by argument , that they ought to exert themselves to the very utmost—( hear , hear ) . I think I must give this up , and become : one of the Moderates—( laughter ) . Yes , the people and the priests are going beyond me —( renewed laughter , and cheers ) .. Did you ever hear two such agitators as my reverend friends who preceded me —( bear , hear I ? Tiiey are outrunning me altogether , and I have become like the heavy schoolboy iu tbe race . My own pupils are beating me—( great laughter ,
Untitled Article
PARADISE WITHrN THE BEACH OF ALL MEN WITHOUT LABOUR , BY POWERS OF NATURE AND MACHINERY . Letter VIL TO THE EDITOR OF THB NORTHERN STAR . Dear Sib , — The contents of my former letters , which you had the kindness to insert in your valuable and popular journal , and especially Noa . V and VI ., ia which I embodied an address to the people , and a memorial to both Houses of Parliament , by J . A . Etzler , have produced a lively inquiry amongst your friends in various parts of the country ; and preliminary branch societies , for tho purpose of examining and popularising Etzler ' a ideas , with a view to carry them out practically , are now beiBg formed in different places . This shows evidently that the time for a new popular movement has arrived , the tendency of which is far
beyond politics . The question is no longer bow muoh power and patronage belongs to a king , a lord , a general , a soldier , or a constable . The duties of subjects and the rights of governors cease to absorb tho minds of reflecting and thinking men , —which are , and have been in all ages , the creators and leaden of public opinion ; and in their etead the question—Which are useful and which are useless members of societyi the mode to Increase the former and decrease the latter ? the question , how can men live without being obliged or compelled to work from morning till late in the night ? the question , how shall society be formed , that all our natural wants can be supplied without injury or fraud on any of our fellow-men ? the question , how ia it possible to fulfil the divine eommand , " thou shalt love tby neighbour as thyself , " are now only deemed fit to occupy out attention .
Men , collectively , are progressing new ideas . New improvements and inventions have their effect upon society : at first imperceptibly ; bat seon all powerful . Our present state of society is se different to the state of society two or three hundred yeais ago , that the customs and laws of tbat time must appear ridiculous in ths eyes of this generation . For instance , counsellors and judges in wigs look now like mummies or Panch and Judies , and fail entirely to produce the desired effect of conveying an idea of sublime wisdom , except in the minds of the most ignorant . Wisdom is as foreign to the wig of an English judge as it is to the tail of a Chinese mandarin , although both are deemed sacred by those who wear them .
But how is it that antiquated laws and customs are not abolished as soon as they appear ridiculous ? How ia it tbat institutions > are kept up against oar own interest and welfare ? Because it is more dimeult to get rid of bad habits than to contract them ; and because it is more difficult and dangerous , and at the same time less useful , to remove rotten timbers from an old house , and put new ones in their places , tha . i to erect a new house and abandon the old fabric entirely . State doctors of the old school , are like their colleagues in medicine ; extremely fond of blistering aad occasional bloodletting , instead of recommending a radical cure and conforming to the laws of nature . It is useless to apply a fontaneil to draw out a distemper , if we do not remove the cause which produces it
The cause of our social distemper—the fundament upon which all our laws and customs are based , is physical brute force . The representatives of this principle are the atmy and navy ; the next branches are judges , hangmen , constables , and prisons . The heart-blood of the nation is consumed by these vampires . To talk of liberty , as long as these circamatances last , or to believe that liberty and those circumstances can co-exist , is an outrage upon common sense . But it is unfortunately true that the only animals who associate with their destroyers , yea , even respect them and even bow down before ' them , are men ; and that this Is considered natural and necessary .
"Misfortune is nothing bat stupidity . " This sentence , written by a main of a thorough understanding of the world , is true in every sense . The stupidity of the people is their misfortune . They . possess all necessary materials to make themselves free and happy ; but they do not know now to use them . They maintain involuntarily their masters ; they forge tbeir own chains ; they produce annually millions for their own oppression- ; and they do not know how to save themselves at a much cheaper rate . A very small minority
wields the power , governs the nations , live in ease and splendour , and generally also in profligacy ; and at their feet lay begging those that maintain them . The angeln in heaven must weep at this spectacle of stupidity and degradation of men . How long will this state of things last t Just so long , and no longer , than the time , when men cease to shut their eyes towards those powers which are stronger than armies and navies , and which could , if necessary , annihilate the heroes ot mere destruction , aud their frail machines of soft flesh and bones .
" One hundred intelligent men will defeat all the glories and heroism of mere sanguinary military chieftains , and do more than armies of millions , whose soft flesh and bones cannot resist a few small unfeeling maehines , driven by some of those gigantic powers ( pointed oat in my " Paradise" ) on land or on sea , and render all bloody heroism abortive , and wars impossible . ' —Elzler ' s Mechanical System , page 67 . ¦ But our mission is not one of-bloodshed and war , but . of peace , of universal liberty . We donot wish to excite men to revenge , but we will show them i way to live in quiet and happiness . The time will come , and is not far distant , when soldiers and wild beasts , lawyers , policemen , and all snch vermin will be removed from the face of the globe , and men eDjoy their birthright , their destiny , to live in peace and plenty , to partake of tbe riches of nature , and be unmolested in the possession
of the results of their own exertions . And this change in society will be bronght about without violence or war . Physical force men and military heroes will perceive that their efforts to compete with peace men , provided with necessary machines , would be as useless as the efforts of competing with manual labour against spinning jennies , or running a race with bur poor legs , and heavy lungs against a locomotive on a railway , which travels at the rate of forty rai / es per hoar . As soon as it would be mechanically certain , that every soldier , every man , who attempted to withstand such machines would be crushed to atoms , no one would be so insane as to attempt a trial , and enlist as a soldier . Soldiers , and especially kings , dukes , and generals are as fond ef their lives as other men ; and . they would soon forego the honour of being war men , if they had to encounter peace-men of the right sort .
' . The mischief which has been done to society by adopting physical force as a guiding principle is incalculable . It has not only retarded the progress of the mala sex , by brutalizing it ; but it is the cause of individual and collective tyranny over women , " the wondrous master-pieces of God ' s creation , " and their many insufferable miseries . Tbey are therefore most interested In the discovery of new powers , which they can direct and ; use as easy as the physically stronger sex . Their emancipation is impossible as long as physical force rules human affairs . Universal liberty demands liberty / or all—men , women , and children ; and none deserve liberty but those who desire universal liberty . In answer to various private letters from , your friends ( and in anticipation of similar letters ) and the questions " What can , what siull we do , " fee & 0 . permit me to
say—1 . That all persons who are inclined to popularise ElBler's ideas for their own and the welfare of their fellow men , and wh « wish universal liberty , and are ready and willing to examine all proposed improvements , be they political , social , or mechanical , irrespective of names and persons , sects and parties , nnder the brood banner of universal principles ( not men ) , the guidance of Providence , and the assistance of the Scriptures and nature , shold form themselves in preliminary branches or auxiliary societies in whatever place they , be . 2 . Tbat the number of members be unlimited , three being sufficient to commence a branch . 3 . Tbat the members be numbered and recorded according to the priority of adherence .
4 . That each branch make , preliminarily , such regula tions as best suits the . majority of the members , and in accordance with the industrial charter " locate the people on tbe land in joint stock freehold , and let machinery work for , and not against , the people . " 5 . Toat the secretary of eacb branch send a statement of its formation , &c . to C . F . Stollmeyer , he acting , pro tempore , as general secretary . Tue object we have in view , and the measure which we intend to bring forward for the amelioration of the condition of our fellow men , is colonization at home and abroad , on as large and comprehensive a scale as the want and desire fur it will manifest itself . I am , sir , your obedient servant , C . F . STOttMEYER . No . 3 , Northampton-terrace , City-road , London , September 30 th , 1843 .
Untitled Article
The Repeal Agitation . —Yesterday ( Sunday ) the following notice was extensively posted at the Horse-Guards and around the metropolis , and shows that the most decided steps are about being taken by the Ministry to put down the agitation for a Repeal of the Union in England aa well as in Ireland : — " Notice to the Out-pensioners of the Royal Hospital of Chelsea . —The Lords and other Commissioners of Chelsea Hospital having had their attention called to the conduct ; of certain oat-pensioners who hare attended meetings held for the purpose of
effecting a repeal of the legislative union with . Ireland by intimidation and a display of large numbers collected together , feel it to be their duty to caution all pensioners against attending or countenancing such meetings . ' Any pensioners who may attend such meetings after this notice will be liable to the loss of jtheir pensions ^ By order of the Lords and other Commissioners , " Richard Neave , Secretary and Registrar . " Rojal Hospital , Chelsea , Oct . 10 . " i [ The same notice has been placarded round Leeds . ]
Thb Latb Fatal Duel . —The Commander-in Chief has directed Lieutenant Munro ' s immediate return to his regiment . It is generally supposed that Lieutenant Munro will not surrender at all to take his trial for the murder of Colonel Fauoett ; bnt that his seoond , Lieut . Grant , will give himself up at-the next sessions of the Criminal Court . —Lvoet ' pool Times . Fka > ce . —Marshal Soult is about to qait the Minisiry .
Untitled Article
2 THE NORTHERN STAR . ¦ ,-j ^ ' -
-
-
Citation
-
Northern Star (1837-1852), Oct. 21, 1843, page 2, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/ns/issues/vm2-ncseproduct952/page/2/
-