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Northern Star (1837-1852), 4th November 1843, Edition 7 of 7, Page 4, 8To 2£tea&€r£ arm ®t>¥Ye$vovtomt&

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    • HOBSON'S ALMANACK.
    • THE NOETHEEN STAK. SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 4, 1843.
    • 8To 2£tea&€r£ arm ®t>¥Ye$vovtomt&
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      Untitled Ad

      In the Press , and speedily will be Published , Price Threepence ^ THE POOR MAN'S COMPANION , FOR 1844 . C \ 0 NTA 1 NING a mass of Statistical and other \ J matter , bearing on the Political and Social questions of the day . Compiled from authentic documents , BT JOSHUA HOBSON . £ 9 * The day of Publication , with a list of contents , will be duly set forth next week .

      Untitled Article

      TO TBB CHARTISTS OF NOTTINGHAM AND SOUTH DERBYSHIRE . ^ Bboxhbb Democrats , —The Commit&e appointed "te carry out the Local Plan rf Organfeition and resolutions -which "were agreed to at your Delegate Meeting , keld at Nottingham in Jane last , wish to remind jon ttattbe terra rf their jjertiees has nearly expired , and to Uy before yo * » statement ot your a&irs . We are happy to state that much good has arisen from tfae labeniB of onr indefatigable lecturer , Mr . Doyle . Owing to the hitherto imperfect state of . our Organitv tiooTthe Leetursw' Fond is deficient to the amount of newly £ 7 . To this we earnestly direct yonr attention , and hope that tha / rarlous localities -will immediately WMBft to the Treasurer the Tarious sums agreed to .

      A delegate Meeting -snllhebeld atHkestone , on Sanday , " th 8 -5 th -of NoTemfeer , lrhen tre hope that every locettl ? -will-seed a delegate to consider the best raeans « f Dqnid&tiBg the debt , and trqrKVting other important Fmfijfl ^** Yonrs , respectfully , SiSBEii booshax , Secretary . Nottingham , Octohcr ^ Slst , 1843 .

      Untitled Article

      TO THE 'CHASTIST 8 X ) T BIRK 1 KGHAM iXD THESTTRB 0 UWD 15 G DISTRICT . UBOTHERS , —The * CommIttee for the support of Mt < Jeorge "White once more appeal to your sympathies , * nd t » your justice . Five months of the time declared t > y iniquitous law-administrators to 1 » necessary to-ex-; ps&te , -within sfcae walls , theh ^ irtoua-crime of defeadjpg the poor and . demanding for them their rights , have passed , leaving = 2 hrbb yet to be endured , and 12 iose three , alas ! amongst the most severe-cf the year . 21 t . White , spaming theatteapts which have yener-_ y been made to degrade the leaden -and teackers of "the people , demanded to be treated « a first-class

      misdemeanant . "His demand "was aooeded to , ' and ite "was imprisoned ] in the Queen's Prisen . By this set he did 3 iis duty to his *! eltaw-woiking men . "When the grates of the prison -clssed upon T ^ Vm , justice and honesty cl&imed Xk * t thflTrorking-men should ^ do ftetr-duty to him . Bare they fion& sc ?? Yes , in past—they have done it 4 n Ltm don , 'Where he went amongst them a stranger . But in Birmingham and the district wiere he was well known , and much admired for his boldness and unquestioned political integrity—the town and neighbourhood -which should liave set a generous exasple toothers at a distance , baa done little or BOthiog . How tree it is of < ih ^ T « itm , as of other systems , that its servants are _ nrer honoured in their own « oentry .

      The iChartists of London stepped between George White and destitution . Had he depended on those who etsght to hare supported him -and shielded him from the iron gripe of a sanguinary law code , peoory ^ and neglect 'would haTe been the ungenerous return Jrom those with vkoet'Jts lived , for twelve years * service in their cause , and for more than once endangering his life and health . For the fire months already passed , Birmingham and the district have not contributed fire shillings per week . This is not honest—this is not just . Tyrants will never fear -you until you respect yourselves ; and yon are ¦ wasting in proper respect for yourselves -when you . allow your enemies to treat with cruelty and contempt -those whom you put forward to defend your liberties -and demand for yon those rights which justice declares -to be reasonable .

      Brothers—Show that it is only necessary for you to know yonr dnry to perform it Costbibcts quickly , -freely , and cheerfully for th « assistance and rapport of an honest man of your own class , for the remainder of the time which tyranny will retain him in its grasp . By Order , W . Chiltox , Secretary , 38 , BromsgroYe-street , or Place of Meeting , 37 , Peck-lane , Birmingham . P . S—The committee would mention that social teaparties , concerts , etc , have been found of great assista&ce by the London friends .

      Untitled Article

      WHO ABE THE IRISH ? « Ireland for the Irish , " it haBbeen said . Quite just 2 nd proper : ¥ nt let it he understood who are the Irish . Thongh Mr . CConntll has consented to relinquish the use of the word " Saxon , " he has not denied that he xegards that epithet as the logical antithesis to " Irishman . " Let ns see if the X ^ dlic race is exclusively entitled to be called " the Irish . " Ireland was not possessed by an exclusively Celtic population at the time of StrongboWs invasion , and *• the Irish" who opposed Strongbow were not exdaatrely Celts . The predominant population , if not the fpnp ^ gm of-Limerick and of the maritime ci tie * of Ire-] aad , were the Ostman *—a Teutonic race ., the kinsmen

      of the iV ""' and ZTormans . The roost prompt and energetic of Stroogbow's "Irish" opponents at his first frgnflTng were the Ostmans of Waterford . The Ostmans of Dublin offered a more uncompromising resistance to the English invaders than the Celtic '' Irish" of that city and its vicinity . An entry in the Rotulaa Placito-Tum pi the 4 th of Edward 11 . enables ns to estimate the relative proportions of Ostmans and Celts in the native population of the deanery of Limerick : —Recognitio facts ( jLC . 1201 } per saeramentom 12 Anglorum , et 12 Ostmannorum , et 13 Hibernensmm de terris , eccleais , et tsteris pertinentiis , ad Limericen&em ecclesium spectantibus . '' The congnexing race , though fewer la

      number , might insist upon an equality of voices on the inquest ; but no reason could have led to the equality ' of representatives of the two subjugated races , except that they in reality constituted nearly equal parts of the population . The Teutonic ingredient in the original " Irish" people was increased fcy the English families , who became "ipsia Hibernicis Bibemiores . " The Celtic-speaking population of Ireland are no more a pure Celtic race than the Englishspeaking population can be considered ( seeing the frequent intermarriages between English and Irish that have taken place in the lapse of centuries ) can be conaidered a pure Saxon raoe . In the matter of stock , of blood , all inhabitants ef Ireland are one race .

      But it will be said that the Celtic-speaking people of Ireland have retained the traditional national character , while the English-speaking race have with its language adopted the conventional morals ani * faith of England . So be it . Doubtless the people from whom a nation fnhPTihi its literature and religion are more truly its ancestors than its physical progenitors . Bat who are the leaders of the " Irish" of the present day ? In this view of the question , they are " Saxons '' to a man . Their faith is not that of the old Irish Church , bnt of tbe 3 omlah Church ; which , if not originally introduced , was first firmly established by the Anglo-Norman rulers . Their language , when they disenss religions , philosophical , or political topics , is

      English , O'Connell may now and then treat Ids auditors to a scrape of " Irish Gaelic , " as country gentlemen haTe been ' known to qaote . latin is the Souse of Commons ; but could O'Connell frame a Reform Bill , or a Constitution , or argue their pros and cobs in Irish ? Could the acute and energetic writers in The Jialio * find words and phrases in the " Irish Gaelic " to express their ideas ? A Parliament assembled is College Green must talk " Saxon , " legislate in z " Saxon" spirit , reason aceordisg to ' * Saxon" habits ol thought " Irsland for the Irish , " if " Saxon" is tc be btld the antithesis of " Irish , " pronounces sentence of proscription asd kanMmient against all edacatec Bepealers . —Spectator .

      Untitled Article

      Barons , with incomes varying ' . from £ 50 , 000 t £ 100 . 000 and £ 300 , 000 a-year , yet the paltry sum of £ 200 cannot be raised to five a ; dinner to the' aen whose daring courage and valour have seoared to' ^ hem the safe and quiet possession of their titles , ho- iOun , and properties , unless through the medium of t jQ begging-box . The Queen Dowager can contribn' ^ ^ erection of a church in Malta ; the Queen r * n lavish £ 1 , 000 upon French soldiers ; Sir Robert Peel can enrich an ovetbloated Church with a d onation o ! £ 5 , 000 ! a Tory Noble Dake , whose mansir ^ overlooks the very site of the column , can subscribe' irom £ 2 , 000 to £ 5 . 000 for Church extension ; yet all tb . ess reyal and distinguished personages can witness , * dthout shame , the weather-beaten heroes of the ocean , s applicating for penny subscriptions !— Weekly Dispatch ..

      [ Detesting as we do all wan of aggre iaion ; believing with the poet , that" War Is a game which were their subjects wine , Kiags would not play at ;" and holding in unmitigated afehorr ence the memory of that infamous conflict of * quartfa of a century waged Is put down democracy in France ; we certainly have » e great admiration of •¦ England ' s greatest naval hero , " whose crimson , laurels were mainly won in that ever-tobe execrated contest . S 5 ut if the nation will yet honour the destroyers rather than the benefactors of the human race , at least let it be consistent , and not outrage common decency by * aob ungrateful conduct to the men whom it has dubbed defenders and heroes . At any rate let net the priests and aristocrats forgot the men who poured out thea blood for the maint&i&esce of their usurpations .

      NotmitiiBtanding our contempt for such " heroes" u Nelsox , we must still acknowledge that we have a hearty respect for the weather-beaten " hearts of oak , " who tsave

      *• Brsved the battle ani the breeze , " in defence of what they thought was the cause of right and country . Our disgust is therefore inexpressible at [ the conduct of the Government and the aristocracy , in \ tires treating the gallant veterans . ! Well might Byron ask—\ - " Ye men who shed your blood for kingB like water , : What have they given your children in return ?" ! Behold the answer—bayonets and ba&tiles for the ! " children , " and begging boxes for the " men" them-. selves l We thank our contemporary for calling public ! attention to thiB matter . —Ed . N . S . I

      Hobson's Almanack.

      HOBSON ' S ALMANACK .

      Untitled Article

      MACHINERY . WHAT HAVE BEEN ITS RESULTS ! Thb " profound Political Economists" of our peculiar age and generation , hare contended stoutly , against the common sense of mankind , that the operations of machinery hare conferred unmixed

      good upon society at large ; and that no notion ever entertained was hair so foolish and nonsensical as that which attributed any evil to the workings of machinery . Work npon work has been written to support and prove this position . We hare had the pen of Miss Hakbiet Mastinejlu plied to that end ; and Lobd Bkocgham himself has condescended to enlighten the dark understandings of the people on the " Results of Machinery . "

      When the operatives hare complained , that the introduction and use of particular maohines has displaced them in the labour market , they have been told that they tnew nothing on the subject : that the nature of machinery was not to displace human labour , but to call more of it into requisition ; that if the employment of the steam-loom , with only one girl to attend rwo of them , seemed to displace the two ken who would hare been required to work

      the two hand-looms , yet \\ was only a displacement in appearance , am > sot im bealitt ; for while machinery seemed to close up , as it were , one channel of labour , it opened other and more remunerative channels ; and that thus the balance was on the side of machinery . It was argued , that when we took into account the number of mechanics that the making of machinery had set to work ; the number of iron makers ; of workers in

      other metals ; of workers m wood ; of dutrtbutors of the productions of machinery ; of the sailors , to carry those productions to other climes ; and of the ship-hnQders , &c . &c .: it was contended that when the argument was made to embrace all these , as by right it ought to do , we Bhould find that the Results of Machinery tad been to call into play a great amount of human labour , and not to displace it . These arguers hare also had a standing illustration , which they were sure constantly to pitch , whenever a doubt was expressed as to the

      conclusion they thus so speciously arrived at . Intimate ^ no matter how modestly , that you feared the actualities of tb . 6 case did not bear this conclusion ont , and yon were instantly " olosed-up" with the " stereotyped" illustration . " Look at the printing business , " every arguer would instantly exclaim , in a triumphant tone ; " see a picture of the workings of machinery there ! Look at the old printing press ; then look at the printing machine . Has machinery there superseded human labour ? Has not it rather called it into requisition ? Are there not more

      printers now engaged , than there were before the invention of the printing machine ! Look at the amount of printing now performed , and compare it with the amount formerly performed . See the quantity of labour that that increassd amount employs . There are more rags required for paper ; consequently more rag gatherers ; there is more paper used , consequently more paper makers ; there are printing machines required , consequently more machine-makers employed ; there is more printiDg-ink consumed , consequently more inkmakers set to work : and then there are the porters , and carters , and booksellers : increased

      employment being found for all . How then can you say that the tendency of machinery is to displace human laoour ! Then look again at the results in another point of "view . The operation of the printing machine has been to lessen the cost of production of books and papers : consequently they can be sold cheap ; thus an enlarged demand is caused ; and to supply that demand , more labour mnst be employed . Therefore , you see that the operation of printing machinery is beneficial to aft : beneficial to the printer ; for it creates a demand for his labour , and enables him to enforce higher wage 3 ; benefioial to society at large , by giving it knowledge ftt a low coat . "

      Such is the pet illustration . Every " profound political economist'' has it at the tongue ' s end . It comes of ^ most trippingly , should you but venture to hint that possibly the " Remits of Machinery " have not been quite so beneficial to all , aa some so stoatly contend . That illnstration is very specious : more specious th ? n real . In the first place , machinery is only yet partially employed in the production of books and papers . The operation of the printing maehine has been to supersede the Phessmen . They were a distinct branch of the printing trade : they now have no existence . There are the Compositors . The

      Printing Machine has not interfered with their department at all : that ia to say , the Printing Machine has net been made to u set up" the types ; but only to print the paper from iher types , WflBB aj ] the labour thai Iha Compositor lM to employ , has been employed . This printing case , therefore , ia not a true " illustration / ' Take the

      manufacture of Calico . There machinery does ctt the work , with a very slight attendance of women and children , from the " blowing" and " carding , " up to the yaste-dauUng and "finishing . " The " tumming stock" of the carder has been superseded by the carding engine . The " singlespinning wheel , " and the "jenny" have been superseded by the mule ; and the "mule" in its turn by the donWe-and-treble-decker , and by the self-actor .

      Untitled Article

      The " hand-loom" has been , ( superseded by the steamloom ; and machinery has revolutionized every department in the production of calicos . Not eo yet with books and papers . In only one department of printing has machinery been brought extensively to bear : therefore the " illustration" brought from : the operation of machinery in printing is not complete . -

      Besides , the printing business employs only a comparatively small number of our population . It has , wo , been an abistoceatic thade . In the first place , a tolerably good education is needed , to enable a man to become a compositor —a member of the gheat branoh of the printing trade . Printing is not therefore open to all : for the major portion of the sons of the labouring many are utterly

      without that educatbn that is indispensable to qualify a man to become a compositor . It is therefore an exclusive trade . It is confined to the sons of the better-paid operatives , and the " lower order" of the shop-keeping class . These ciroumstances have enabled the M trade" to maintain their position much better than the operatives engaged in any gheat department of our great manufactures .

      It has also been customary for the employers to have premiums with their apprentices , for teaching them their " trade "; and this , too , has tended to keep dotrn the number of men employed in printing . A favourable combination of circumstances has « nabled the "trad « " to maintain an " Union , " particularly in the country ; and they have bad a regulation to restrict the number of apprentices , according to the number of men employed . This also has served , and greatly too , to maintain their strong position . Master printers have been in the hands of the men ; particularly so in the country . If the compositorss / opped «) orfc , all was stopped ; and their place has not been veiy easily to be supplied . A stoppage

      to a large printing concern , particularly one engaged in Periodicals , was destruction to it ; and , therefore , the Printers' ** Union" have had great poteen It will be at once apparent that these circumstances placed the trade of printers in a far different and more impregnable position than the great body of our operatives , either agricultural or . manufacturing . And yet , " the profound political eoonomist , " when reasoning on the general operation of a general question , presses all these peculiar and adventitious ciroumstances into his service ; and from them draws an illustration" to " illustrate " the general whole 1 To do so however is honest , according to " profound" notions of honesty !

      Notwithstanding the glib-talk of the " profound " ones , and the pet" illustration , " Machinery is reaching even the printing-trade , favourably circumstanced as we have shewn it to be ! In London the " surplus of labour" is so great , that the " Union " is all but powerless i The masters there can make their own terms . The " apprentice regulation" ia broken through . There are * ' offioes" now in London , and a many of them too , where there are a score of M boys" to one man I Nor are the boys " apprenticed . * ' The good old system of indenturing is now being discontinued ; and " boys" are taken into the " office , " and retained there for a few years , at a low rate of wages .

      These have no legal claim on the maBter to " learn them the trade / ' Should they , when they are approaohingmanhood , ask for ^ higher wage than is paid to boys of twelve or fourteen , they are speedily dismissed , and others , younger , put on" in their stead . Thus is the trade , in London / inundated with M hands ; " and there is always a large reserve" in the labour market .

      This is having its effect on the oonntry trade . The London labour market , although the cheat one , is closed against the country hands . " There ib little chance for a country hand" to get employment in London , or but little sense in hia trying , when there is so large an amount of unemployed labour constantly waiting to be hired . And yet London is the place that most flock to : it being a sort of

      passion for all to go to the great wen , if they can bat accomplish it . This augments the evil : and this again tells upon the men employed in the country . The " Union" funds are hardly laid on : parties out of work having to " tramp" from town to town in search of it , and live out of the "relief " afforded them by the " Union" and the charitablydisposed of the trade .

      Besides , a Machine has been invented to dispense with the compositor ! That machine will , kten now , do his work . ThiB had been held to be an impossible feat . The labours of a compositor must be directed by the operation of mind . It was therefore deemed utterly impracticable to arrange any machinery that would even aid him . The "impossibillity" is now possible ! A machine—nay there are too—has been invented , by means of which females and boys— ( cheap labour!)—can perform the operation of " setting" types faster than the most

      experienced and " fast" compositor ! Those machines are not yet introduced to any great extent ; and the printers are hugging themselves with the notion that the thing can ' t-bedone . " It will be done . As surely as ever the printing machine has superseded the hand-press in the printing of the greater portion of the work , so surely will a Composing Machine supersede the compositor in the greater portion of the " book " and " news" work ! We say A Composing Machine ; not the Composing Machine : for it would

      have been as silly to have expected that the jenny of thiity spindles was the perfection of spinning , as it is to think that the present Composing Maohines are the best , or most satisfactory adaptation of the principle that machinery can compose type . We may reasonably expect to see great and wonderful " improvements" in them . Even now they succeed . Even now they are at work ; composing works at a cheaper rate than by "hand . " And if the first s . phoauon of the principle is so successful , what n > < y we not expect from future and more perfect applications 1

      Will the introduction of those machines , with the supposeable improvements , " have no effect oh the printing trade 1 Will the " profound" men then resort to the printing trade for an " illustration" Of the " 6 « ifjSciaroperationB of machinery" 1 Will they then contend , and appeal to the printers for proof , that machinery calls into play more labour than it displaces ? Will they then gay that there are mokk printers than there wore before the introduction of printing machinery ? :

      Having shewn what has been the effect of machinery , upon even the favourably-situated and small exclusive trade of printers , let us next look at the condition of the Type-Foukdirs . There is a body of men , that must have benefitted from machinery , if any body of operatives in the kingdom could by possibility be benefitted by it . They are few in number ; their business is a peculiar one ; it printing be in great request , it must have the effect of causing a demand for type ; and the "typo" must be" cast , " before it is used . Therefore , if any claaa of operatives in England could be benefitted by ma ^ chinery , it must bo a body of men bo circumstanced . There has been no machinbht ijnvented to

      interfere WJIH THEIR LABOUR , IN A DIRECT MAN * nbr : but then we are told that printing machinery has brought more printing labour into request than it displaced : and if it brought any into request , it must have operated on the type founders . Printing cannot go on without them . They are , aB yet , indispensable . What then has been their share of the " benefit" Let ns have the " illnstration . " We know that we are . told , that *' increased demand for produce ,

      employs more labour , and tends do make the supply of labourers scarce : when labourers are scarce , increased wages can be obtained . " Let us see how ibis fits . The Type Founders are now odt 1 and for what eaTise ! Because , the masters have determined to reduce wages I There is an " increased demand " for types : and the " benefit" to the operative Type Founder is reduced wages ! The master /? are trying to errforce a reduction , varying from 25 to 75

      Untitled Article

      percent ! Plenty of ° benefit" that ! Rare "Result of Machinery . " This case of the Type Founders is a very instructive one . They are peculiarly situated . The business is one very destructive to health . On this point we quote from an address of the turn-outs , calling upon the publio to support them against the efforts of their employers to give them a " benefit . " In that address they say : —

      " The trade of a type-founder is unhealthy in the extreme , and very destructive to life . The heat is bo intense in the apartments alloted for casting , occasioned by such a multiplicity of furnaces being crowded together , that but few individuals can withstand its baneful influence for any length of time , without experiencing very serious injury arising . therefrom . Moreover , the atmosphere which the type-founder has to breathe is ao oppressive , that it would be inconvenient to a person who bad been brought up in a tropical country—an atmosphere , heated to such a degree , that the thermometer will range from seventy to ninety degrees in

      winter time . Not only has the type-foander to endure such an oppressive atmosphere , but he has to stand in one position for twelve or fourteen hours per day , with his head very near to a pan of metal , which for casting small type ., must be red hot . The composition of this metal is regulus of antimony , tin and lead , with a portion of copper , the fumes of which are rank poison . Nor is this all , for the partides of metallic dust which fly off in the process of dressing and other departments of our trade , are constantly being inhaled by those who are employed in the manufacture of type . The above causes bring on many oainfnl diseases , premature old age , and untimely death . "

      Yet notwithstanding the dreadful nature of this description of employment : — " The London and Sheffield master type-founders have formed a coalition league to take from us 3 d . out of every shilling in several kinds of work ; in others 6 d . out of the shilling ; and in some cases the moderate sum of 9 A out of the shilling . " This would be : — " A reduction of from twenty-three to seventy-five per cent ., i . e ., a reduction of the wages of the men who averayed under 18 s . a week to Twelve Shillings" ! i I

      Here is a " result" ! Rare " benefit , " is it not , from " printing machinery" ? Extended employment is likely to land them in a very enviable position ! A " heat of frOm seventy to ninety degrees in winter time" ; " standing in one position for twelve or fourteen hours over a pan of red hot metal" ; exposed to , and forced to inhale , " the fumes of regulus of antimony , tin , lead , and copper , all of which are poison "; the recipients of "painful diseases , " that hurry on premature old age and untimely death" and all for an average of TWELVE SHILLINGS A WEEK I O ! what " benefit" !

      It is true that the men are not yet reduced to thiB twelve shillings a-week : but they are out , contend ' ing against it . Unless they are supported , they must accede to the demands of the masters . They must fall-to , and offer up their health , and even their lives for the twelve shillings . Will the other " tradas" permit them to be so " benefitted" ? Will not the printers interfere ! If they do not , their TURN COMES NEXT 1 !

      Oa examination then , the fact is established , that the operation of Machinery has been most destructive and most oppressive , even in favoured and crclusive trades * And if we find such to be the case there , what may we expect to find in the open and exposed trades ! Just that which we do find ! The manual labourer superseded . Females and children called in , to attend to the operations of machinery , because their services can be bad at a cheap rate . A dearth of employment ; discomfort ; poverty ; misery ; destitution : turmoil .

      Such are the " Results of Machinery' to the labourers . With the employer it is another matter . He does not always come to " ruin , " although some do . There are among them men who have dons WELL ! There are those to whom the " Results of Machinery" have been very" beneficial" ! Richard Cobdkn , weare told , was a farmer ' s son , only midlingly situated : Richard Cobden is now reputed to be worth his hundreds of thousands of pounds . John Bright is another who has feathered his nest to a considerable tune . John Marshall , of Leeds , was the son of a linen-draper , and began the world with borrowed money : John Marshall is new said to be possessed of millions . Now these are

      11 Results of Machinery" that we are not fond of ! We have no notion of iw elve shillings a-week to the workmen , and hundreds of thousands , and even millions , to the employer ! We are for a more equitable distribution of the " results" ! We are not for taking all from the many ; nor for giving all to the few ! We are not for starving the workers to death , that Mr . Cobden and Mr . Bright may lay up " treasure on earth" ! We are for giving all their fair share of the " benefits" " resulting" from the use of machinery , and then as much machinery as' you like ! " The more the merrier . " How that fair share is to be apportioned and secured , we will tell another time .

      When we set out with this article , we intended to give , and reply to , a most foolish and nonsensical article in the Calf ' s Head Observer , on OUR use of hachikery . Thp general question haB , however , drawn us out to such length , that we must defer the stewing we bad intended for the-Calf ' s Head But let him not repine . He shall be served-up some day , with brain eauce . He shall be duly boiled .

      Untitled Article

      SCOTCH MAGISTERIAL TYRANNY . . i VIOLATION OF THE RIGHT OF FREE | DISCUSSION . Our readers may remember that in the Star cf the 23 rd of September last , appeared a notice under the head of " Religious Intolleranco , " of certain ! pranks played by a set of mouthing " Liberals , * ' styled Non « Intru 3 ionists , " who , meeting to protest against "prosecutions for blasphemy " when the " blasphemer" was onelof their own kidney

      did at that meeting refuse to allow other parties a hearing , aad assaulted and ill-used the said parties ; winding up with introducing the police , and dragging the " offenders" ( I ) , who only insisted upon the right of " free discussion" which their persecutors were met ostensibly to promote , before the bar of " ju-tice" ( !> . The " case" was not then decided on ; but we promised to make known the decision whenever given ! Now for the result .

      The following has been forwarded to us , as copied from the Scotsman : — '' The adjourned trial of Mr . Jeffery , the Socialist Lecturer , who stood charged with having disturbed a public meeting in the Waterloo Rooms ( Edinburgh ) in September , came before Sheriff Tait , on Thursday last . The meeting referred to , as will be remembered , was called to sympathise with Dr . Kalley . A number of witnesses having been examined , and the facts of the case brought out , a conversation ensued between the Sheriff and Mr . Jeffery . The latter maintained that the meeting being a public onej he had a right to appear there and move

      an amendment to any motion brought forward . He also objected that the Chairman ( the Lord Provost ) had ; exceeded his power in refusing to hear him without having taken the sense of the meeting upon the matter ; which , be contended was the origin of the whole disturbance . Bat , the Sheriff declared it as his opinion that even granting this , to be true , the Chairman of a meeting has an arbitrary power of deciding who shall or shall not be heard , and that whatever arrangement may be come to , is of legal force for the time , no tribunal having the power of reviewing such arrangement !) . He , therefore , ordered Mr . Jeffery to find bail in £ 20 to keep the peaoe for twelve months . "

      We have been given to understand that "the man Paterson , " who should also have appeared , sent a letter to the Sheriff , excusing his non-attendance ; his jreason for not being forthcoming being that he had his defence to prepare against a charge of "blasphemy , " on which he will be tried in the course of the present month . How Mr . Jeffeby ' s attendance resulted , we have seen by the Scotsman . That gentleman writes to us that ( after being confined in a cell for two hours , with several felons , he was liberated by Mr . Robert Peddie , the late inmate of Beverley Gaol , becoming his security in the sum required .

      A word upon this shameless and senseless decision of the Edinburgh Sheriff . Shameless , because the parties who should have been bound over to keep the peace , , were those who " dragged Mr . Jeffery from the ] platform ; " those who " seized Mr . Paterson ) by the neek and dragged him through the meeting ; those who " tore the hair from his head , beat him with sticks , and laid his head open . " These bloodhounds , calling themselves Christians (!) , were the parties who should have been " bound over to keep the peace , " and not Mr . Jeffbry , who peaceably heard every other man , and only insisted upon his right to free speech in a publio , and what ought to have been , a deliberative assembly , j

      But the decision was as senseless as it was shameless . For the first time we have it announced that the Chairman of a public meeting , elected to . his office by that meeting , can do as he pleases : t . e ., he can refuse to hear any speaker if he pleases—he can dissolve the meeting at the very outset , and burke the whole proceedings which he was elected to aid in carrying out ! Such is the legitimate conclusion to j which this monstrous decision may be oarried . Further , this modern Minos of " Modern Athens , " whose legal decisions might shame even those of the Cretan Judge of the " infernal regions , ' * tells us that whatever is the Chairman ' s decision is of " legal force for the time being . " May we

      be saved { from Edinburgh law , say we ! But let us whisper to the Sheriff that the power that madei can unmake the chairman , —Edinburgh law notwithstanding . To our readers we say , take care that when you attend a publio meeting , whether of Scotch Non-Intrusionista or English freebooters ; be sure to see that a man is appointed to the chair who ! will hear every man , and do justice to each and j to all . Had our Stookport friends so acted , they would not have been insulted and mocked at , as they were by the blood-suckers calling themselves " gentlemen , " who have about as much gentility in them as Edinburgh magistrates have of justice . !

      Our readers will se e by Mr . O'Connor's letter that the Nons . of Dumfries have been playing the people a dirty trick , with the view of burking the expression of publio opinion in support of the glorious principles of Chartism . True they did not attain their ends ; but no thanks to them for that . Let their conduct not be forgotten . Mr . Maitland MackgillJ Chrichton , the Don Quixote of the ** Free Church" ( 1 ) movement , has for some time past

      been engaged with others in levying "blackmail " upon the English lieges . Wherever these parties hold their meetings in publio—wherever the advocates of truth and ] justice think it worth their while to attend these mountebank displays , held in support ef priestly domination , let them not forget the conduct of these " Free '' Churchmen to Messrs . ' Jeffert and Paterson ; and insist upon some explanation of conduce sol much the reverse of their professions .

      We have no objection to " Free Churches . " We would have every man " free" to support his own priest , if j he thought well to pay for one ; and " free" to be excused from paying for the keeping of another man ' s . But , above all things , we are for " Free Discussion , " without which no other speoies of freedom is attainable . Having which , we may strip error of her cloak and falsehood of her mask ; and finally annihilate the monster trinity of political usurpation , priestly fraud , and competitive accumulation : the triune evil which , for thousands of generations has made this earth a hell , and rendered wretched and brutish the great family of mankind . ¦ ' " Delenda est Carthago !"

      Untitled Article

      which is eighteen feet high ; leaving the first Udiet she proceeds along the main toad , ptobably tkn * feet bIx inches to four feet sis inche * high , to the second ladder , eighteen feet high ; bo on to the third and fourth ladders till she reaches the pit-bottom , where she caata her load , vuyw from 1 cwt to l £ cwt Into the tub . Thh On | journey is designated a rake . The height ascended , ana the distance along the roads , added , together , exeeed the height of St . Paul ' s Cathedral ; and it not unf ^ ., quently happens that the tuggs break , and the log ] falls upon these females who are following . "—Bepott , page 81—02 . ^

      Here , then , la no fancied picture of slavery : and y ^ it is said , the females are returned to work in thh col . liery ; but the cause should come ont ; and it ia thlj . —the coal-masters are greater than the House of Com ' . mons and Lords put together . The East Cotutn masters , finding that the Duke of Hamilton , the Canon Iron Company , and the Shotts Iron Company , vfeg , there are sixty females employed , and the Gaitchenit Iron Company , and the Gartcloae coal-owners , tai Rose Hall Iron Company , per Messrs . Miller and Aid »

      and M . fcl'An&rew , of Carfln . colliery : the master * jj the East , seeing tbst all those in the Korth and in % West , were setting the law at defiance , will now do tin same . Nothing can stop this but the plan snggested jg last week's Star . Lst the Miners of Scotland onl ) sacrifice the price of one gill of whisky , and prose cafce the employers ., The Scotch press is to blame U this . Accidents have taken place of which the folio winj is one , which was refused insertion in the Glasgow Saturday Pest , Glasgow Journal , and Glasgow Chronicle , July 4 th , 1843 : —

      " Killed at Palace Craig Colliery , belonging to "W . Baird , Esq . M . P ., and Co . a man ef the namo of Vicker , and his drawer , a young female of the name d Mary M'Evran , a girl of sixteen years of age . The pi ; is near the Room pace . "

      Untitled Article

      TRIUMPH OF THE CHARTISTS IN LEEDS The Municipal Elections are just over : and u them the Chartists have been most triumphant 2 In the Holbeek Ward they started Mr . Joshui Hobson '; and in the West Ward Mr . Johi Jackson , the corn miller . In both wards have the been eminently successful ; but particularly so in tht Holbeek Wark . Here was the deadly opposition , Here waa [ concentrated all the fear ; all the dread , Here was every means adopted , —/ air , foul , and DAMNABLE , to prevent success : and here it wai that the Cbartists have been triumphant !

      Mr . Hobson was returned at the head of the Poll ! He had a majority of eighty over his colleague ; and a majority of one hundred and seventy over the defeated Whig . The joy of the Chartists is unbounded . The vio tory is greater than they had , in their fondest hopet , anticipated . The feeling ia favour of Mr . Hobsoj was most enthusiastic . A great portion of his vote

      were plumpers . Five hundred and seventyon votes were recorded for him . The working peopi made the contest their own . They brought Mi Hobson out : they have carried him most gloriouslj Without funds ; without aid ; by dint of thei own labours and their own enthusiasm , the ; have set an example to all the rest of the borough d Leeds , and to all other boroughs .

      The vile and scandalous attacks made on Mr Hobson have contributed'in no small degree to hi success . His enemies over-did it . They showei the Electors that they feared the man ; and tb Electors acted just contrary to the desires and « j pectations of Faction .

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      THE TYPE FOUNDERS OF SHEFFIELD TO THE STAFFORDSHIRE POTTERS . Gentlemen , —We wish to call your earnest attentla to our present position . We have been for the last ta weeks out of employment in consequence of onr eo ployers attempting a redaction ou our priceB of labct of from 25 to 76 per cent . In your never-to-be-forgotten strike of 1836-7 , * t as a body , assisted you by all the means in our powe both by counsel and pecuniary aid ; and we earnest entreat you will take our case into yonr serious con * deration , and try by all the mesuu in your powei ) alleviate our present distress . We remain , yours respectfully , The Commute of Operative Tnr

      Founders . Committee Room , Three Cranes , Queen-street , Sheffield , Oct . 30 th , 1843 . Ashton Shoemakers' Strike . —The "two or tha reports" our friends have seat us have not come S 3 hand , or they would baye been noticed . We give it following from their present communication : — " An advertisement having appeared in the Norikt Star of last week , stating that Mr . Lord , of this ton ,

      was La want of a number of good workmen , une » nected with the Shoemakers'Society , and stating thi the dispute between him and the dob-men wsalnv way connected with wages , we deem it our duty . j order to prevent the unwary from being misled , » others have been to their sorrow , ) to lay before tts the cause ef the strike , and leave them to judge -wbetie it is or is not connected with wages ; and whether fi are not justified in resisting to the utmost of ourpoW such base attempts npon the rights of labour .

      " Mr . Lord ' s father is owner of some cottage proper ? , which is in such a dilapidated condition , that they a not fit for human beings to live in ; but which % Lord tells hia men they must inhabit or leave b employment , and for which they have to pay an extstionate rent This , along with other acts of petj tyranny , was the cause of the strike ; and this is to reason he prefers married men to coop up in his hov& Several families have been induced by Mr . Lorfl statements'to break up their homes in other towns , ad

      come here in the hopes of bettering their condition bat alas ! have been miserably deceived and compel ^ to leave again after suffering a great loss . With reaps to the statement of wages , Mr . Lord Bays he will p $ all we have to say is , that Mr . Lord never did pj such wages , and we cannot but think that it is not ^ f bat a decoy to entrap the unwary into his power , w £ 3 we know that for the last two years he has strove to & utmost of his power to reduce the wages of his wotmen .

      " Signed on behalf of the trade , " William Woodroffe , Scotland-Broofc ' Publications received for Review . — " 7 < s ?' Magazine ; " Hewitts History of Priestcraft ; " " ft New Age ; " and the " Proinethian , " See . tic . & «• Whitehaven , Miners . —Their address was tool * Vessels for New Orleans—The Chaos starti * the 8 tb of November ; and the Uarkaxcay oa & 13 th : the Espindola starting to-day . This alteratic of the advertisement in another page Game too lateJ * be attended to in its proper place . Veritas heads a letter " To the Citizens of London ' with the following quotation : — " It is in the last twenty years of the funding syst ^ that all the great shocks begin to operate . '' Paine .

      He says" The times are bis with important events . Breaks ' area-head ! Tao mountain is in labour , aye !^ will bring forth more than a mouse . 1843 gives t > the Governor of the Bank of England , member ' <* the City of London , pledged to the Repeal " the Corn Laws , laws passed to prop * the funding system . What an anomaly ! $ most thinking people' (!) of the « most * lightened city In the world * ( t ) when w you cease to act with yoar eyes closed against ran * Pattison and the Anti-Corn Law League are gnS »» you ; you will be made to suffer ; you will w squeezed a little longer , to keep the Bank « w * Bu not so deceived ,, come out for the rights ef » fT the Charter . Then yon will have a mote exten ^ and fruitful field to choose your representati ' from . "

      Mr . Leach OF Hyde , is continually receiving le *? from Ireland , praying for moreStar-light , HeapP * to his brother Chartists to sand their papers to ^ " green isle , " and offers to undertake the tu * sending them , if parties will forward their W * him when done with . Address , J . M . L *« B ' " Charles-street , Hyde , Cheshire . Stars to Ireland . —What are the Sheffield «*» about ? We know that the circulation of the SW rapidly increasing in their town , whynotgiw u jr Irish brethren the benefit of it ? Let them v »» list sent them by the IriBh Universal Suffrage ^ ciation . The little trouble of so doing will be WJ 1 JJ repaid by the great and lasting good that * i "

      effected . The Coventry Charjtists appeal to their . toWI ^ L to come forward and join the new organisation : « r dally the avowed Chartists , who will pro" Z ^ sincerity by responding to the appeal . We nope - will do eo . « England expeeta eveiy man to « w tKduty . " Mb . Charles D . Stuart writes to us , that be <^ templates visiting Darlington , ob Sunday first U <> delivery of lectures on Chartismi , and , in . ™ T , '( of the ensuing week , Yarm , Stockton , Middies Sunderland , * c Quack AtWAVACKB . ~ 3 fedteus writes as folio * ^ "I think you should catttion yoar reader a # " » = { 6 . Penny Almanacks wherein pills and nostrums «^ ^ commended by the authors of sneh P ™^" : " ! . ^ taken at particular times of the year . Snch A «» fll are a gross imposition on the unwary , being eow ¦ ^ up by the Quacks , who , to sell one > box of tneir ^ do not mind giving the Almanack for n 0 ' 0 " 1 ^ jor tbat there are several such Almanacks adverw «~ 1 S 13 . "

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      TTTP . GREENWICH TESSWXERS AND THE KELSON MONUMENT . The most disgraceful , degrading spectacle , that has ever been inflicted upon Englishmen , -was witnessed l «« h -week , when the statue of the immortal Nelson was exhibited to the g&zs of the pnfelic . It ia "impossible to express in language the indignation which this nnparalleled rpcctacle exdteo . in the breuts of the citizens of london ; and when > he United Kingdom is informed of it , there will be , no doubt , raised from one extremity to

      the other one general shout of execration , Oar readers are aware that during the last two days the statue of lord Nelson was open to public inspection in Trafalgartqnare . From all parts of the Metropolis , and the * nrxonnding districts , crowds -wended 131611 way to the spot , to gszs npon the monumental effigy of the greatest naval hero that ever England lias produced . What was their -dismay , when , as they approached the entrance to ITralilgaT-iquare , they beheld three ¥ egging-boxes , guarded fey a body of Greenwich pensioners , who seemed to exclaim™—" "Why , good people all , at what do yon pry ? Is t the stump of my arm or my leg 1 ! : Or the place where I lost my good-looking eje ? Or is it to see me beg ?" Over these begging-boxes , and above the veteran tars . who guarded them , -were large placards , bearing the . subjoined inscription : —

      " England expects every man to do his dnty . " "The veterans of Copenhagen , St . Yiccent . the Kfle , ana Trafalgar , hnmiOy be * to icvite the British paNie to view Bailey ' s statue of their immortal hero in Trafekar-iquare , on Friday and Saturday next , asd trust they will drop a copper in the lock ** for the entertainment -which is to be given to Poor Jick , on the jderioBB anniversary of the battle of Copenhagen . No eharge made , 5 hu the smallest donationtaankfnDy ^ Is it possible to « on 6 eive a more hHRili&ting instance of national mgrahtnde ? Can Englishmen , T&o * e eha . " * 2 l ° ! nSZ ± 2 £ ? «¦»»»>! * JP « ft »«« is

      •» notorious , whersver the name of Brifam hta been hwrd behold tfcoM veteran warriors to whom E « w £ iBd * bted for the lofty aad independent political * tti tade . Ae holds among surrounding nations—some rivals , aad all jealous of her naval power—thiu n 3 ued to &b coadiHtm of the most sbject mendicity 7 T * roth iaihfl melsMhaly faaL Ti » re ^ o ^ ^ base ef the monument raised to Nelson ' s Memory , tkosa -Veteran tars who ibnghl under him at the battles of { bpenhagen , St Vincent , the Nile , and Trafalgar , tNverifig with cold , and begging for a day ' s meal ! ! The historian ' * record of Xord Nelson ' a funeral , is

      which lie makes seven royal dokes pall-bearers to the gallant warrior , mas ; surely be a fable or an old woman ' s tale ; iorif his mortalremina meritedsnch boEours , his t > r& ? s companioES in arms would . not deserve such a luisiii&ting fate . Who After this can call as a religiocB , & charitable , a Humane , a generous , or even a j ust people . ' Although wehava 21 Dukes , Ustftise * , 134 , Esrls , ? S Tiscounts , and 225

      The Noetheen Stak. Saturday, November 4, 1843.

      THE NOETHEEN STAK . SATURDAY , NOVEMBER 4 , 1843 .

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      MORE OF THE COAL KINGS . The fehales are still in the pits ! No law proceedings are , as yet , instituted ! Nay , so daring are the Coal Kings becoming , in consequence of Sir James Graham ' s ; lenity , that nearly the whole of them are setting the Act at defiance . And why not \ If the Duke of Hamilton is to be permitted to work sixty females in his coal pits , why not . others do the same 1 If he is to be a law breaker , why not the smaller fry have their share of the plunder accruing from chea p labour % It the Duke ; the Lord Lieutenant ; is to be protected in his lawbreakings ] who will dare to enforce the law on his " brither" ! coal owners , should they follow his example ? They are determined to try it on as the following ' most abundantly proves : —

      With regard to the Act ansnt the . females , it may be said to be a dead letter in Scotland . I am informed that laat week the females have returned to their employment at Loan Head ( belonging to Sir George Cie ^ k ) where they carry ooals on their backs . It was in this work where the interesting child , Margaret Leveaton , six years of age , worked . To the Commissioner she Said she had " Been down at coal-carrying six weeks ; makes ten to fourteen rakea a-tiay ; curries fall filglba . of cotl in a wooden bncket . The work is na guid ; it is : so very Stir . I work with sister Jesse and mother ; dinna ken the time we gang ; it is gai dark . " [ A moBt interesting child , and perfectly beautiful . I

      ascertained her age to be six years on the 24 th of May , 18 * 0—she Was registered at Inverness ] H . H . Franks ' Esq ., evidence No . 116-360 . "A brief description of this child ' s place of work will better illustrate her evidence . She has first to descend a nine ladder pit to the first rest , even to which a shaft is bud k to draw up the baskets , or tdbs of coals filled by the bearers ; she then takes her creel and pursues her journey to the wall face , she then lays down her basket , into which the coal is rolled , aad it is frequently more than one man can do to lift the burden on her back . In this girl ' s case she has first to trundle about fourteen fathoms ieighty-foar feet ) from wali-face to the first ladder .

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      CANADA AND MR O'CONNELL . The New York Examiner . —Mr . Mackenzie thus speaks of his former gallant , but unfortunate , " companions in arms , " the Canadian patriots : — " Canada Affairs . —What is called the Parliament of Canada , was to have met yesterday at Kingston . The new agent of the English Government is Sir T . C . Metcdfe . The official folks employed under him and the Colonial Office , are an odd mixture of old Tories , young rebels , and Reformers so called . Fear , on the one hand , and pelf on the other , are evidently their chief bonds of union . Some of the leading revolutionists of 1837 are pardoned ; and I hope that a general amnesty will be granted , so that the gallant Prescot

      boys may be enabled once more to look on those they love , now 14 , 000 miles distant . As for myself , I am , by my own free choice , an American citizen , never more to return under the eolonial yoke . Others may ' ask pardon '—I did no wrong : others may own that our gallant comrades , Lount , Matthews , &c , were justly condemned . I know that they were cruelly murdered , put to death in cold blood , by a power which takes for its motto , ' my might makes my ri ^ ht . ' But this Journal is not established to discuss Canadian grievances , and frontier strifes . My highest duty is to join with those who sincerely seek the welfare of America , and the perpetual

      harmony and union of the members of this great confederacy . Let us cultivate peace and quietness ; and if we would revolutionise Canada , the true way to do it is to set them an example of a just , generous , and prosperous people , thriving under the institutions of their free choice—industrious , enlightened—a band of brothers , each one scorning a mean action . As their legislative session progresses , I will very briefly notice aught tbat may be interesting . Messrs . Rulph , Montgomery , and Duncombe , have returned to Canadaand a door is opened for Messrs . O'Callaghan , Papineau , and Brown , should they also prefer British rale , which they probably will not "

      Query . Mr . Mackenzie is a violent anti-VA . \ Bui ' . enite , and at the same time appears to be an admirer of O'Conwell . Not the least of his reasons for being opposed to Mr . V . B . is , we apprehend , because the Ex-President did not "' sympathise" with the Canadian patriots . Very good . But has Mackenzie forgotten that of aU the traitors to ths principles for -which the Canadians contended , O'Connell is the most infamous 2 Did he not aid ia spiritincr-on the Canadians to resist

      British tyranny ; and then in the day of conflict , and the hour of danger basely desert them , under the plea that they had resorted to " physical force"t Let Mr . Mackenzie be consistent . He may feel convinced that Mr . Yak Bubek is not the man the democracy ef England suppose him to be . But let him w enquire" into the " history" of O'Connell , and he will find that whilst the Liberator" sold the English Factory children por a Thousand Pounds , he also betrayed the cause of the

      Canadians for the filthy patronage op the "Base , Bloodyj anp Bhutal Whigs ;"—the remorseless despots who ravaged Canada with fire and sword . We can assure Mr . Mackenzie that these things are not forgotten in England . We have long since on this side of St . George's channel , lifted the veil of Mokanna !

      8to 2£Tea&€R£ Arm ®T&Gt;¥Ye$Vovtomt&

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      A THE NORTHERN STAR . j .

  • Citation
    • Northern Star (1837-1852), Nov. 4, 1843, page 4, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/ns/issues/vm2-ncseproduct979/page/4/