On this page

• Text (1)

  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.

  • 

    56 THE I/E A PjgJR. J-jfei 356 > Sa^RPA....

• 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.

    Public Meetings, Loki> Ranmukls Os This ...

    would be " the most dangerous and disastrous thing tliat could happen to this country , " if those -words " -which have been household -words to many pious families for upwards of three hundred years" should be tampered with . " We have some old landmarks , " continued Lord Pa nmure , " and the Bible is the greatest of these , and , rather than risk the removal of these great landmarks of our Protestant institutions , I would submit to those little imperfections -which may exist in out present veraion , leaving it as part of the calling of our ministers to study th « Holy Scriptures in the original tongues , to fit them to explain to those who sit under them wherein those little differences exist . I am quite certain of this , that , if -we had not an authorized and confirmed version of the Holy Scriptures , we should never lave arrived at this day -with Protestantism so thoroughly and stanchly establishedas it is in this count ™ -- at present . "

    , But his Lordship omitted to explain how a translation which is confessedly imperfect can be a safe guide to those who hope to le saved only through the doctrines of the original . MR . KINGIUAKE ON FOUTICAI- MATTERS . Mr . A . W . Kinglake , the author of Edihen , has addressed a numerous body of the electors of . . Newport , as a candidate for their suffrages . In the course of his speech , after arguing for the extension of the franchise , of churchratesnational

    the ballot , the abolition - , a system of secular education , & c , he observed : — "I am strongly of opinion , that the high offices of this country are unduly distributed among persons of particular families , and belonging to a particular class in society , without due regard to their qualifications for holding them . And what is the result ? Why , that in a country abounding in intelligence and business-like power there is always one firm which is "breaking down , and that is the firm of tlie Government . Here is a

    country where there are men who at a few months notice will throw a railway from one city to another—who ¦ will carry the electric wire along the depths of the ocean from one continent to another , and perform all those marvels of that description , which has made this age a wonder to all . You cannot go to any foreign country hut you find Englishmen engaged in great works of this kind . In every foreign enterprise you find an English engineer and English workmen employed ; and yet in a country abounding in marvellous intelligence and business-like power we find that of such materials is the Government of the country composed that the Ministers are positively unable , with their united abilities , to feed an army of a few thousand men , encamped at a distance

    of eight miles only from a seaport occupied by their own ships . What is the cause of all this evil ? The cause is that the Ministers and persons high in office are selected from too small a number . ( Hear . ) The House of Peers consists of , I believe , three hundred and fortysix men , and the House of Commons consists of six hundred and fifty-eight , so that , in round numbers , 3 'ou have one thousand people from whom the Ministers of State'Jiave to he selected . Very well . Now , of the three hundred and forty-six peers , almost all , except our right rev . friends the Mshops , and two or three law lords , are selected by the mere accident of birth . There remains , then , the House of Commons from -which to fmd the selected talent of the country . Now , I am

    going to venture upon telling you a home truth—an unpalatable truth . I do say that the constituencies have been wanting in their duty with regard to the selection of those whom they send to the House of Commons , and I say that it is from this failure of duty on the part of the constituencies that there has been so much difficulty in finding men to fill the high offices of State . Why really , gentlemen , we must confess , even though it may he an unpalatable thing to know , that the sprinkling of able men which you have in the House of Commons , although it is selected by the people , is not very much greater than the sprinkling of able men in tho House of

    Lords , where the only test is the mere accident of birth . " Mr . Kinglake was also inclined to think that members of the House of Commons are lax in the performance of taoM functions , and that there is a too great fear of upsetting one Government because of the presumed difficulty of finding another . Governments in power ( Mr . Kuiglake observed ) are fond of holding forth this difficulty , and of saying that , if there are many changes , the time will come wlien England will bo without a Government ; but what they roally xnean ( he added ) £ ™ 1 EnglM ? i , W ^ h 0 ut a Government selected from the accustomed class . "

    THE BAIXOT . »« ^ STKf J ^ m ^ X ? ' ^*> ™ l Chartists was held at tho Guildhall , Northampton , on Thursday week , to consider the propriety of adopting resolutions n favour of the ballot , and of framing a petition to Parliament . Iho Mayor presided , and tho meeting was attended by two members from tho Ballot Society , one of whom ( Mr . Whitehurat ) contended that " tho divisions in tho church-rate question alone are sufficient to ahow that under the present system the people are not represented . n Northamptonshire , for example , there is a largo number of disinters , an < l yet , of its four mem-& ™ ™ wafl . « ' » l to record his vote for Sir Wi ham Clay' 8 motion . Two woro absent , and two had better have heen absent , for they recorded tueir votes

    against it . In Wales , where the dissenters greatly outnumber the churchmen , the same thing occurs . Some of the speakers opposed the ballot ; but the proceedings were veTy orderly , and resolutions in favour of the proposed reform , and of the establishment in Northampton of a branch Ballot Society , were carried almost unanimously- UNEWPI ^ OYED OPERATIVES . A meeting of the unemployed operatives of the metropolis was held in the North-west corner of Smithfield on Monday afternoon , for the purpose of concerting mea-The took

    sures to relieve their distress . gathering place with the sanction of the Lord Mayor . At the time the proceedings commenced , there was a large attendance of working men . belonging to all trades . It seems , however , that the building trade is at present suffering most depression , and the greater part of the men present appeared to be masons , bricklayers , ' navvies , ' and bricklayers' labourers , many Irish being amongst the number . A rough , platform was erected upon one of the old sheep-pens , and the workmen formed themselves in a circle round the chair , which was filled "by Mr . Hugh Pierce , a journej-m an carpenter .

    The Chairman announced that " the meeting had been called for the purpose of confirming a series of resolutions which had been adopted at two previous meetings . He need not tell them that wide distress prevailed throughout the metropolis , since it was computed that at least a fourth , of the entire working population had been for some time out of work . These meetings had been got up by working men themselves , with the view of devising the best means for relieving this distress . The meeting , therefore , was of a p-urely social character . It had nothing whatever to do with politics ; and should any of the emissaries of Mr . Bronterre O'Brien or Mr . Ernest Jones seek to disturb the harmony of the proceedings , by endeavouring to enforce their crotchets , he

    hoped the meeting would support him in resisting the attempt . ( Cheers . " ) Those gentlemen might be wellmeaning men , but that was not the time nor the place for bringing forward their views . " { Hear , hear . ) After exhorting his auditory to respect the laws of the country , -which , he said , are sufficient for the objects of the meeting , the Chairman proceeded : — " Hitherto Englishmen appeared to have been , actuated by a false pride . When out of employ , and in distress , they seemed to think it a degradation to apply for relief to the Union workhouse ; but they should remember that the

    Poorlaw is a national institution , and tlie relief which it gives is their right . They should enforce that right when necessity required it , and then such a pressure would "be brought to bear upon the rate-payers that the Government would be forced to retrench some of ita useless expenditure , and apply the savings to the construction of useful public works . ( Hear , hear . ) It was neither politic nor dignified for the Government to go parading the wealth and luxury of the country before the eyes of foreign nations while so many of her workpeople are on the brink of absolute starvation . "

    Mr . M'Keith , after stating that there are no fewer than 26 , 000 persons connected with the building trades alone out of work in London , proceeded to move the following resolution : —" That the unemployed -working men have assembled , being fit objects of relief under the Poor-law , should forthwith apply in masses at their various parishes , and demand such casual support , while out of work , as they are by law entitled to ; and in the meantime that the executive committee shall draw up a petition in the name and on behalf of the unemployed , praying her Most Gracious Majesty the Queen to call the attention of the . Government to the necessity of employing the surplus labour population upon the waste lands of tho country , granting them also the loan

    of a portion of the surplus revenue for draining and tilling the same , to the end that their present impending ruira may bo prevented , and corn produced in sufficient abundance to meet the wants of all . " ( Loud cheers . " ) This speaker was of opinion that the poor-law is " a recognition on the part of capital that it is guilty of robbery . " A capitalist robbed a man every time he employed him ; and then ho wanted him to go to tho pawnshop to be robbed again . But working men out of employ should go to the workhouse and demand relief . " The relieving officer might , perhaps , offer them a loaf . Well , let tbem tako it home and eat it , and then and aak for another

    go . " ( Cheers . ) Reverting to the land question , Mr . M'Keith related an anecdote of Lord Pagct bamboozling " that silly old noodle , George III ., " out of an immense estate , of several miles length and breadth , under pretence that there was a piece of waste land which ho should like to have for a kitchen-garden . If the peoplo possessed tho land , they might grow corn in such abundance as that tho quartern loaf should never be more than 5 id . As to a free press , "ho thought a free press in the luinds of the capitalists waa a damnablo thing . " ( Laughter and cheers . )—Mr . Atley seconded tho resolution , which , was agreed to unammousl \ r .

    Mr . H . Oshorno moved—" That the Government open an oxtonmve system of emigration for all tluwo who , being unable to procure employment , do not wish to bo put upon tho land , but prefer to leave their nativo country , and thereby add to tho wealth of tho colonies , and . bo enabled to better tlieirown condition at tho same

    time . " ( Cheers . ') He proceeded : — "It was said men loved their country , and would not like to leave it . But to talk of loving their country when there were so many thousand persona present out of work ; when there were 20 , 000 men trying every day to obtain employment at the docks without success ; when there were 80 , 000 prostitutes in London alone ; -when there were a quarter of a million people who would get up to-morrow in the metropolis without the means of procuring a breakfast and when there were 50 , 000 persons living in cellars at Liverpool ; to talk of loving their country when they remembered the wretched condition of the

    stockingweavers of Leicester and Nottingham , the weavers of Spitalfields , the factory operatives of Manchester , and the agricultural labourers of the whole kingdom , whose average earnings do not exceed 8 s . or 9 s . per weekto talk of loving their country , when they thought of these things , was idle indeed ! " ( Cheers . ' ) If the French were to come over here , and were to go to his ( Mr . Osborne ' s ) lodging , he should tell them he had nothing for them , but should direct them where they would find something . The land , is now possessed by only 30 , 000 proprietors , though , half a century ago , with a far less population , there were a quarter of a million of proprietors .

    Mr . Bowen seconded the motion , and advocated the sending out of emigrants to Australia at the expense of the Government . — -Mr . Flexant , a house-painter , said he had been out of work eight weeks , and had therefore " had time to study the existing arrangements of society . " He was forbdden to introduce politics into the discussion , and so could not state his opinions on the matter in hand ; but he warned them that -what they had heard was " all fudge . ' ( Cheers and disapprobation . ) —Mr . George Forbes expressed similar views , and moved as an amendment , " That , till the people obtain their political and social rights , they can never grapple with the evils under which they suffer . " —Mr . Warren seconded the amendment , but the original motion was carried almost unanimously .

    Mr . M'Keitb , moved a resolution appealing to the working classes to abolish , overtime , and recommending that no man be allowed to work more than , six days per week . ( Loud cheers . )—The motion being carried unanimously , and " The National Association of Unemployed Operatives" having been formally constituted by a resolution , the meeting adjourned till next Monday .

    THE ANTI-POOR-LAW BOABD LBAGIXE . A public . meeting , convened by the Anti-Poor-law Board League , was held at the Marylebone Court-house on Monday evening , for the purpose of " protesting against the unconstitutional and irresponsible power" of tlie Poor-law Board , and to adopt measures for effecting ( through the medium of Parliament ) a thorough reformation of the law governing the Poor-law Board . Mr . William Held , late churchwarden of St . Marylebone , occupied the chair , and the speakers included Mr . Jacob Bell , Mr . Pelham , the rector , Mr . D'IfFanger , and others . Resolutions were adopted in favour of the opinions entertained by the meeting .

    LA . W AMENDMENT SOCIETY . A meeting of this society was held on Monday night , Lord Stanley in the chair . A letter from Lord Brougham was read by the secretary , suggesting that * ' some arrangement ought to . be made for giving the Home Department more jregular and effectual assistance in the exercise of that most important and difficult and most delicate office of remitting or commuting punishments ordered by the sentences of courts . " His Lordship added , that a Minister of Justice would probably meet the difficulty , and that at every step we are met with tho necessity for that functionary .

    The Criminal Law Committee then made a report upon tho paper read at the previous meeting by Mr . F . Hill , with reference to the means to he adopted to free the country from dangerous criminals . The committee reported that an alteration in the scale of punishment is necessary , and that a rnoro strict administration of the criminal law will render the commission of acts of violence , robbery , and aggression matters of rare occurrence . They consider that the late increase of crimes of a violent character might be attributed to the late diabandment of the militia , which had thrown on the

    country 70 , 000 men without adequate means of employment ; but the root of tho evil is , they conceive , to be found in the v » orso than useless system of short imprisonments . The committee are decidedly opposed to the renewal of the transportation system , if by that is meant the establishment of a new penal colony ; and they do not think tho ticket-of-leavo system has had a fair trial . After reading the report , the secretary moved that it btf adapted and printed , and also moved certain resolutions in accordance with it ; hut ultimately it was resolved to adopt and print tho report , and to omit tho resolutions .

    THIS INCOME-TAX MOVKMKNT . Meetings continue to bo held in the chief towns of tho country , condemnatory of perpetuating the war increase of the income-tax alter next April , and of tho present mode of asHesaiog at an equal rate precarious income and permanent property . A meeting convened by tho Association for Promoting the Interests of the Trading Community , was hold ou

    56 The I/E A Pjgjr. J-Jfei 356 > Sa^Rpa....

    56 THE I / E A PjgJR . J-jfei > Sa ^ RPA . y , _

• Citation
  • Leader (1850-1860), Jan. 17, 1857, page 8, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse-os.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/cld_17011857/page/8/