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Northern Star (1837-1852), 1st July 1848, Edition 2 of 3, Page 1, * THE ' T\m»: THE BULLY. AND «PUNCH. THE...

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    • TO THE MEMBERS OF THE NATIONAL LAND COMPANY.
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      To The Members Of The National Land Company.

      TO THE MEMBERS OF THE NATIONAL LAND COMPANY .

      Mt Friends, Having Disposed Of The Quest...

      Mt Friends , Having disposed of the question of Finance , and having satisfied the Committee upon that subject , by not only assenting to , but by seconding , the appointment of an accountant , to he appointed by the Coromittee , to go into the whole money question , from the establishment of your Company , the next branch of the subject to be submitted , is that of our power of reproducing the funds that have been expended upon Land : and all argue as if an estate , once

      purchased and enriched by Labour , became a dead lett « r , and never could be changed into money ; although , where houses are built for the noble and the great , the builder raises the first story aid mortgages it ta complete the edifice ; although the manufacturer buys raw cotton and wool , and by Labour converts it into a commodity exchangeable for more monev ; although the grocer buys a hogshead of sugar , retails . it , and converts the ameunt into more sugar ; yet it is IMPOSSIBLE for you to buy land , enrich it by labour , erect houses at wholesale prices upon it , and then convert it into more land and houses , always

      hearing the fact in mind , that land is the only raw material upon which labour can be expended with a certainty of a remunerating reward ; and , still further , that land is the Mint in which the Labourer can coin his sweat into gold , which he can exchange for ^ every necessary and luxury of life . Anr > , yet further , that while your land is uncultivated , and you are looking to foreign countries for food , the new scheme for destroying the Land Plan is , by expending fifteen millions upon the transportation of able-bodied men , who , if located upon the Land at home , would constitute a market of producers and consumers at our own door .

      But , my friends , as the object of the Select Committee to inquire into the Land Plan , was to damn the project , by damning the character of its propounder , the Government and its tools have signally failed in their attempt . As there is not upon record one single instance of ite same honest integrity , industry , and perseverance , that has been , and shall be , made manifest in the management of your affairs . And , although unsupported by the Press , bat , on the contrary , opposed and denounced by the

      Press for a quarter of a century , I challenge and dare the Government to appoint a Select Committee to inquire into my conduct during the whole of that time , and I will allow them to constitute that Committee of their mercenaries , their tools , and their prostitutesand 1 tell them more , as I seek no favour nor lenity at their hands , that I will carry this inquiry into their own camp , as I am not a bauble with which even a Ministry shall play at its pleasure .

      You will bear in mind the proposition that I laid before you last week . —It is this , —that , if it will cost a builder 200 / . to erect a cottage that I can erect for 100 / . ; and if he can ensure a good tenant at a rent of 5 ? . per cent , interest \ upon his outlay , I can give the same tenant a better ' cottage and three acres of land that cos t 33 l . 6 s . 8 d . an acre , for the same amount of rent . Aud , by this calculation , I am enabled to sell the house and three acres of

      land for the same amount of money that the builder can sell the house alone for . And yet we are told , that the whole funds of the Company will only locate so many of its members . But , more than that , the backwardness of farmers is admitted , while I bring mechanical genius to bear upon the cultivation of the soil , and I convert old ditches and fences into good arable ground . But let me set this question at rest . I will undertake , upon forfeiture of this Land Plan , which is dearer to me than life itself , te rent twenty acres ofgrasslandat 507 . a year , or 21 . 10 s . an acre , and to purchase it out and out , the fee simple of it , andPfcave it in & better state than I found it , in three years from the day I take possession .

      Now , if this won ' t prove the value of labour , I don ' t know what will . But I think I hear the sceptic exclaim , " This is but assertionvague assertion . " Well , then , sporting men invest their capital upon the chances of a hoise race , and I will undertake to back my assertion with a wager of five hundred pounds , to be placed in the hands of an umpire . And I tell you more , that all that I have written , and all that I have said , as to the capabilities

      of the soil , falls immeasurably short or the reality . But of all p lans that ever were propounded , the traffickers in hired wages hate this the most . And now I would ask you whether you ever heard of any other man , gentle or simp e , prosecuting his labours in behalf of the p oor , with the same determination that I have evinced , and opposed , as I have been , by the Press , the Government , the employers , the middle-class , the rascals and vagabonds , who could not live upon it ?

      My friends , I tell you , that the opposition I have received , would have killed any other man , while it but confirms me in my determination to go on . The process that every plan has to go through is , first , ABUSE ; then , that it is UNTRUE ; and , at last , when it triumphs , that it is NOT NEW . My plan has been abused , it has been declared not to be true ; hut no man will be hardy enough to declare that it is not new . Mr CuHingham , a master builder , and my overseer , has been examined by the Committee , and he has declared that he could not build one of my houses—that is , a single house—for less than 200 / . Nor could

      he ! He declared that no gentleman , spending his private fortune , could be more diligent , attentive , and careful , than I have been in the management of your funds . Mr Doyle is to be examined j Mr M'Grath has been examined ; some of the Allottees are to be examined ; and , after being cautioned T ) y the Chairman , I submitted myself for examination , and my observation was , " That I cared not what penalties , eitker personal or pecuniary , my evidence may subject me to ; that I separated the question of legality from the question of honour , and that I submitted myself , not only willingly , but cheerfully , to the most rigid and searching examination . "

      Mr M'Gowan , who receives the money from the Directors and lodges it in the Bank , was examined , and he proved that I had repeatedly told him to be at all times careful that the Land Fund should not be confounded with my private accounts ; and that now , rather than pav read y money for stamps for the Northern Star , that I was paying from 4 ^ . to 5 / . per week by taking credit , which makes to me a difference of between 200 Z . and 300 / . a year . The Committee further wished

      to submit my accounts up to the last balance sheet furnished by the Directors , which brought our affairs to the 25 th of March j but I answered , " No : I'll bring them down to last Saturday , the 24 th of June . * ' And , my friends , if I should be convicted of illegality , and personal responsibility , for having violated the technicalities of the law , in my holy and Gort-like undertaking , as I told the Chairman , I would be more happy peeping through my prison bars , than he would be at large . " But I defy

      both him and his Government The Press will now give up the question of finance , and will apply itself to the question of re-production ; indeed it has commenced the new tactics already , as you will learn from the following article , which , appeared is the Daily News , of Monday last . Here it is : — DoubtkfS there are many of our over-worked mechanics and artisans who must be attracted bj the glcwing descriptions iven by MFeargus O Connor of the ttrre » - They turn

      g r SOTK h ^ anon ^ create . from their various labours to contemplatethe > WP' »^ of peasant proprieteKbip-as painted bj * » e » b «^ Kottingbatu . Eat , tbonghw may destroy some peasant Uhuions , demolish , as it would Been , « ° »« * ° ™ "M air . tailf cottar and emaU farms / " » ° « jj * * | 3 working cla » es to snow ttat . ii * Sse ^ hlv-ornamentea picture ! ere mere fancy piece .. Hereafter « ib stoU nave occasion to show that the occupat . oa of two , tnree > er four acres of land as a means of livelihoodIbj- a ^ P . aaam ™™ i . „ ,.. „ , if ho hud been to fortunate as to Duy we

      , „ kSout aid out , or to bold it as bis own , sutgct » * rent calculate according to its real value « ° J ^ ? a sonrce of constant haraship and ocmwmwI «* fft HU condition would oe every way inferior to that ot a

      Mt Friends, Having Disposed Of The Quest...

      regularly employed operative . And we refer , especially , to the manufacturing and mechanical classes of workmen , because it is from them that Mr O'Connor chiefly , i f not exclusively , obtains the members' of his Land Company . When , therefore , the Land Company's prize holders win the right to occupy land at twice its real annual value there can be little doubt that their gain is a loss . But if such be the position and prospects of the winners , what of the losers ? It the prizes be the right of working , to live and pay rents hopelessly exorbitant , what are the blanks ? And this is the point of view in which , at present , we must regard this scheme . Mr O'Connoris seefc . ing from the legislature a special act to legalise his company ; a select commtttre is sitting to take evidence , that parliament may consider the propriety of giving to the ' national bailiff facilities beyond the o ' rdinary law of the country . Mr O'Connor ' s scheme is , that there sheuM be

      one hundred thousand shares of £ \ 6 s . each , of which no one person is to hold less than two or more thau four : consequently , the number of shareholders may amount to fifty thousand ; and report says more than forty thousand persons have in fact become suoscribers . Now , assuming the arerage cost of each allotment at £ 333 . and a fraction —which , taking the figures from Mr O'Connor ' s own statements on rtivors occasions , is below the mark—a thousand pounds will locate three persons . This will give 310 fortunate peasant proprietors as the result of the contributions of between forty and fifty thousand persons . But all the forty thousand blanks want to be located as well as the three hundrtd prizes . Working men don't take their two , three , or four shares in the' National Land

      Company' as investments . They do not look for any high rateof interest for the money they have eked out of their earnings . And , in truth , if the profits of the Land Company shouid prove high , beyond the rate of the most exaggerated railway estimate < of past years , the actual amount of profit payable to each shareholder would still be so small as not to be worth notice . That , however , is not pretended to be held out as a motive far subscribing ; to get an allotment is the hope , the promise of an allotment is the inducement , of the subscribers and the author of the scheme . Let us ask any hard'headed working man how all the 49 , 71 > 0 members are to be provided with allotments when all the capital of the company is required to provide allotments for three hundred \

      ' Oh , but , ' says Mr O'Connor , we will mortgage the property , * and lay out the money we have borrowed in buying more land , ' and as that Gentleman comes from Ireland , we may assume that he knows something about mortgages . Let us see if we can obtain some notion of the dati on which this gentleman founds his calculations , if his random estimates deserve that name . Mr O'Connor stated lately that he was going to sell , ai auctioneer , some allotmeats in Lincolnshire ; and to induce men to buy , he added , that there was inferior land in the same neighbourhood let for from £ 22 to i ? 30 . It appears since , that a few lots had sold at a comparatively

      high price , but that more remained undisposed of . In Mr O'Connor s letters to the members of the Land Company , giving an account of this sale , we find a passage which indicates how he values allotment lands . He says , * many parties with a little capital , but not sufficient to purchase , offered to pay a year ' s rent in advance , and .= £ 21 a year for four acres without a house . Now , estimating four acres , that would have brought that rent , at £ 75 per acre , or i' 300 for the lot , it would have left the capitalist nearly seven per cent in lasd and labour security , the land becoming every day bettor and more valuable — and therefore every day increasing his security . '

      Without professing to understand exactly this not very clear passage , we think it may be taken to mean that land thus allotted out is good seeurity for capital , and that it is a security "in laud and labour , * which will constantly increase . Mr O'Connor , therefore , imagines , or affects te imagine , jthat having established one set of allottees , he can ga into the market and mortgage their' land' and their' labour' to raise money to establish another . A . more vain expectation was probably never indulged in . Does he suppose that persons who have money to lend , will overlook the fact that a rent of £ j per acre can never be permanently paid ? Will they forget that , instead of constantly imuroving , their security must be

      regularly decreasing ia value , year by year , from the deterioration of the numerous cottages , in respect of which these high rents are—promised ? Indeed , ins ' ead of the property becoming mere valuable as . a security , when parcelled out by the Land Company , it would not be worth so much in the money market as in its original stats . Ask the mortgagees of Irish estates what they think of such securities , and a tolerably correct notion may be gained of the utter absurdity of the attempt to borrow and buy , and borrow and bay again . Why , this is what the Duke of Buckingham has been doing through life , and we see to what end that unthrifty process has brought ids grace . Why should Mr O'Connor ' s Land Company—that is , Mr O'Connor himself—follow the same course and fare better ?

      But , referring to the rules of tne Lana Company , published ' at the oSce of the National Land Company , ' we find that among the' means' of aceomplishing the objects of the scheme are a . ' bank of deposit , * and ' a bank of redemption . ' The purpose of the former is thus stated : — That a bank of deposit shall be established , through the media n of which the money expended in the purchase of land , and the erection of buildings , < fcc , shall be reproduced , the property of the Company beinjr security for all the cash deposited in such bank . That the depositors shall receive three-and-a-half per cent , upon their de . posits , and that the interest of rent charge payable to the Company by the allottees be available ler that purpose . The money thus advanced upon the Company ' s property to be invested in the purchase of other lands , erection of other houses , die , upon which ia the like manner meney shall be raised . " Was there ever such a wild scheme ? Why , this is not a bank of deposit at all ; it is asking the working Eien to subscribe to a mortgage debt . Talk of tee property of the Company being security for the " c : » sh" deposited . There will be no cash ; it is to he ail laid out in land .

      Imagine the grim and astonished look with which the bank manager would receive a depositor desiring : to withdraw his deposit . ' Oliver Twig : asking for more ' would be nothing to it . 'Deposit , Sirl * would the manager say , ' your deposit is invested in land and labour" at 'O'Connorville , ' or ' Feargustown , ' or tome other Milesian paradke of rack-rented allottees . We know of but one parallel instance of this , that which is recorded in the report of the case of ' Coltu . Woollaston , ' well known te equity lawyers , where a shareholder in the 'Land Security and Oil Patent Company' sued the projectors for the money he had invested , and recovered it . The projectors proposed to extract * oil out of radishes , ' and professed to give as Maud security * property which cost £ 28 , 000 , and remained charged with all the purchase mor . ey , and £ 57 , 000 besides .

      Now , I have no objection whatever to this fair and honest mode of dealing with the question , and I direct your attention to this one pithy sentence . — " Let us ask any hard-headed working man , how all the 49 , 700 members are to be provided with allotments , when all the capital of the Company is required to provide allotments for three hundred ?" Now , in reply , let US ask any soft-headed printer ' s devil , now a hundred thousand pounds , the . amount which the Daily News has cost to establish it , can be returned to the projectors ? And from the above you learn , that when the subscriptions of the members are once expended upon the location of 300 , that the whole amount expended becomes a dead letter and will not reproduce anything—not even rent , which , at five per cent , upon the outlay , would be over o . OOQl . a year .

      Now , let me ask , are the funds paying three and a half per cent ,, or railways which presently will pay little or nothing , or other bubble speculations , a safer investment than land , and does our contemporary believe that any abuse heaped upon the p lan will prevent the holders of money from investing their funds in the best security ? I have been busy this week—as I generally am—or I should have gone deeper into the subject , which , however , shall be continued until all understand its value ; and if all the members are of my mind , they will

      not allow themselves to be bullied by the Government , their officials , or their blud geon men . This is my question—this is my solution of the Labour problem—and as long as I have your confidence I am determined to sustain my ground against all and every odds in the promulgation and realisation of the objects of this Plan ; upon that confidence only can it triumph , while my character I will defend myself , as I have the vanity to believe upon it will depend your confidence . Your faithful Friend and Bailiff , Feargtjs O'Connor .

      'F^Ae^^J (Fo**Ns^ &£M<^—» /F>,Jfi M^Dfn^...

      ' f ^ Ae ^^ J ( fo ** ns ^ & £ M <^—» / f > , jfi m ^ dfn ^/^ (^^ A , iM ^ / <&&*&&

      And National _ Trades* Journal. _ Vol- X...

      AND NATIONAL _ TRADES * JOURNAL . _ VOL- XL No 558 LONDON , SATURDAY , JULY 1 , 1848 . Pive H ™ CErF , ™ PENCE •' T * ' v -t v- "» rive sliiilingi * and Sixpence per Quarter

      Tes Victims Asd The Victim Fusd Committe...

      Tes Victims asd the Victim Fusd Committee . —To the Editor or the Northern Star . —Sir , —Ilanng been informed that the Victim Fund Committee did not intend appropriating any of the funds yet received by them to the defence and support of the provincial victims ; and the people of Stockport having subscribed their quota wilh the conviction that all should be treated alike , I should wish to know whether there is any truth in the rumour or rot ; particularly as we have some money on hand which we are determined to keep until we are aware of the intention of [ the cosirailtee . It is not my intention to enlarge upon the injustice of such a course , if it is adopted . Let it suffice that

      we consider your remarks in a late leading article , that justice should be done to all , should be the motto , and the rule of action pursued by the Victim Fund Committee . Trusting thai such may be the ca ? e . I am , sir , your ? , & o , Thomas Webb , Stockport , —[ fife cannot doubt but that justice will be done every victim by the Defence Committee . — Ed . JY . s . ] WAfHiKGioH Brigadb . —A general meeting of the membjts of the Washington Brigade will take place on Sunday evening , July 2 nd , at seven o'clock , at the King and ( iuen , No 1 , Tooley-streat . Mr Samuel Kydd will lecture at eight o ' clock . Subject : —* The O'eaoisa ' tiofl of Labour /

      To The Chartists. Brothers,—As One Of Th...

      TO THE CHARTISTS . Brothers , —As one of those who have been thought worthy to suffer in a great and holy cause , I am desirous of seizing the last opportunity of addressing you before my trial . I am aware that the eyes of our opponents are ever watchful , hut this shall not (" eter me from expressing , without reserve , the sentiments I always held , still hold , and never will abandon . The aristocracy of money and land are now engaged in their last struggle against the middle and working classes ; the capitalist and land-owner against the shopkeeper , farmer , and working man . The middle class are lending themselves blindly , as instruments to government , in crushing us ; as blindly as the rural communes marched on Paris to assist the Republican Despots against the Republican Democrats .

      But the time is rapidly , very rapidly approaching , when the democracy of the middle class will join the working classes , and that very middle class will imbue the Chartists with the spirit of republi canism . The time is rapidly , very rapidly approaching , when the victors of to-day will be the vanquished of to-morrow ; and if Russell and Grey escape the transportation 1 promised them on the 4 th of June , it will only " be because a Chartist government is more merciful than a Whig oligarchy . Meanwhile , Chartists , what is our duty ? It is to organise . I tell you , we are on the very verge of triumph .

      The government are without funds—their expenditure is increasing—they will probably be plunged into a foreign war , and if not , must , at least , prepare lo meet it . The middle class mistrust themthe working class despise them—and the Whigs and their aristocratic opponents are putting the climax on their own ruin , by deliberately disgracing themselves in the House of Commons—giving each other the lie , and charging each other with palpable dishonesty . And have you not read how the harvest grows in Ireland ? Do you not hear how the husbandmen are sharpening their scythes ?—how America threatens across the Atlantic—how it says , Ireland must be free , and mutters somethin g about Canada and the Indies ?

      Do you reflect , that the Dictators of France must now seek foreign war , to divert the French mind from domestic retribution ; and have you considered that no war would be so ^ popular as one with England ? What , then , is the moral of all this ? That the day of the people has arrived ; that aristocracy has brought a mighty empire to the brink of ruin , and that democracy must raise it up again ; that Britain cannot be saved without the Charter—for , without the Charter , the Chartists will not fi g ht for their country . In other words , we are the motive power of the political machine ; and , if we make our power tell , we can dictate our own terms , and force every other class to the recognition of our sovereign rights .

      To effect this , let us perfect our organisation . You have a plan for that purpose laid before you , which is as near perfection as possible . If you carry it out , you are invincible . Do not let any local interest , or party feeling , induce you to swerve from its details . Once organisedfully organised—according to that plan , you can step forward in the political arena , and command all classes . Let me implore you—most earnestly implore you—to carry out that plan of organisation to the letter . Remember , it commits you to nothing ; it risks , it endangers nothing , and may win—the Charter ! But , above all , hasten its completion 1 [ The entire Chartist body may be fully organised by THE AUTUMN—do not delay beyond thai time !]

      During the same period , endeavour to spread the movement . Let every district-council take a note of all places in their district that do not contain a Chartist locality . Let them send missionaries to inquire into the local circumstances ; hire a room , hold a lecture , and use every means to establish a branch . If but one man is converted , the seed is sown—he will bring others . How was Christianity and all its sects , how were Emancipation , Teetotalism , Freetrade , propagated ? By missionaries—by its propaganda : whereas Chartism has proselytised less than any other great principle or dogma in the world . We have not of late years taken much pains to make converts ; lectures have been given—but mostly in obscure places and to the same audiences . Send missionaries to the politically fallow districtsparticularly to the agricultural ones : —( It was the

      ignorant agricultural population that ruined the movement in France ;) let them tell the hungry how they are to get bread ; the shopkeeper how he is to get profits ; the taxpayer how he is to get cheap government ; let them show how the Charter will inevitably produce these results , and , my word for it , they will soon have proselytes enough . But let thembewareof talking about merely abstract political questions . Few minds are elevated enough to struggleTor a thing , merely because it is right . Let them show what the Charter WILL DO—and the Charter will be won . Above all , let them turn their attention to the trades ; these men are the pith of the working classes ; they are already directing their attention to politics ; show them hew the Charter will produce home trade , ( as it inevitably must , wellapplied)—and then they are ours .

      Our opponents will doubtlessly make a handle of the anarchy now reigning in France . The Times stigmatises the ' insurgents , ' and holds up the fearful struggle in Paris as a warning . It is a warning , but not against democracy ! It is a warning not to let yourselves be nursed by half measures . It is a warning — against the political tinkering of Hume and Co . It is a warning — that none but the la b ourer can legislate for labour . The French people elected only about forty working-men out of about 900 representatives , and you see the result ; Labour uncared for —labour starving—prejudice legislating for that of which it is ignorant .

      The British people would not have acted thus . The British people are sound political economists and social Reformers . They Seek power only as a means to an end . They know how to apply it to obtain that end . They have sound political measures ready to carry into effect , when the Charter gives them the power ; therefore revolution has no terror here , and life and property will be secure . Not so in France ; the government there should have raised a compulsory loan at fair interest from all the French capitalists ; have immediately formed vast provision-stores throughout the country ; have dispersed the population instead of concentrating it ;

      have divided all the waste lands among the people ; and instead of turning the destitute into ' guards , ' have turned them into labourers , preparing their allotments and their cottages for the poor . Thus they would have been placed at useful labour , their wages and food would have been secured until the peop le ' s farms grew reproductive , and anarchy , discontent , and . bloodshed would have been l / revented . There will be more struggles yet in France ; the last was a holy one , and , if anything was needed to justify it in the eyes of the world , it is the foot , that Cavaignac—the military dictator—is now treating with Thiers to form a Cabinet !

      The Times is also using the late events in Pans to increase the fear of that bugbear , a standing army , when it says , Paris has proved that a populace ever vainly endeavours to resist a military force . Does the Times suppose that it was the regular army that triumphed in Paris , or the National Guard ? The regular army was beaten—the insurrection spread in its face , as facts incontestibly prove . The National Guard were . afraid to come

      out , and scarcely acted till the last day , when the insurgents had been defeated , as M . Ducoux stated in the National Assembly . The Garde Mobileworking men themselves—and the rural population , suppressed the insurrection . The rural guards , the inhabitants of the surrounding country , ignorant of the true nature of the contest , misled by thegovernment into the belief that foreign or pretenders' intrigues caused the outbreak , crushed one of the most heroic efforts ever made by the working classes for their liberty . I have digressed thus far , for freedom is not a French question alone , but a universal one , and our

      To The Chartists. Brothers,—As One Of Th...

      opponents will endeavour to stigmatise our cause , by calumniating its advocates in France . Let it also be remembered that the ' insurgents' fought with fair and honourable weapons , while the rutliless government burrowed like moles in the dark , undermined whole streets , and suddenl y blew up the houses , crowded as they were to the roof with their gallant defenders , while showers of bombs and shells rained from above ! Beit also remembered , that they deliberately shot women—ay ! as the papers of the 26 th of June state , a strong body of National Guards

      when attacking a barricade defended by two young women and a boy , deliberately shot the ivomen , and not till then ventured to scale the barricade . And be it also remembered , that Larochejacquelein accused the Assembly of acting on the principle of ' Woe to the vanquished ! ' Well might he do so , when that horde of assassins , after the insurrection was put down , and the people were escaping into the country , sent cavalry and flying artillery after them to exterminate their bleeding wreck ! Woe to the vanquished !

      Chartists Neither the Times calumniates ifacclass of which it is the organ , or we may expect the same relentless spirit here . [ Prepare !] Read the leading article in the Times of June 6 th , where it is stated : — ' The moment has not yet arrived , we repeat it , for strch a couree : but if it does come , the gangs of ruffians who are now engaged in a systematic violation of public order will have nothing to hope , and everything to fear , from the exasperation of the military and police , backed as they will be by thousands and tens of thousands of the inhabitants of the metropolis , who are only anxious to obtain the leave of the authorities to suppress these disorders in the course of a single afternoon . ' [ What ( a Parisian hatchery 1 Thank you for the hint I Forewarned is forearmed—then , working men , PREPARE !]

      It may be said 1 act unwisel y in letting th ' s letter be published before my trial ; but I go to that trial not to deny a sentiment or conceal a feeling . I have defied class-government on the platform—I now defy it in the Criminal Courts of Law ; I never joined the movement without foreseeing the consequences , and I am not the man to shrink from the result . I am their enemy—they have got me in their power—let them keep me so [ as long as they can /] But it is of little consequence to the movement what the government do with their prisoners . The Premier thinks to crush the movement by taking some of its active advocates . He makes a grand mistake , he thinks the leaders have created the movement—No ! it is the movement that has put forth the leaders ! Let him think of Mitchel ; he took one man—and three men are already in the field to take his place ; and here , in England , he will not lack imitators as he has found admirers .

      The sentence of their juries is the muster-call of democracy—and the prisoners in Newgate raise phalanxes beyond its walls . Having neither spoken nor intended anything but what is strictly in accordance with morality and law , it may be asked , 'Why should I expect conviction ? ' Let the Times of June 6 th answer , where it says : — ' There can le no difficulty in obtaining a verdict from a jury of London merchants and

      tradesmen . Again , my ' case ia pre judged—has not the Times m ' B » reportedmy speech ( aa proved by the correct report of the government reporter)—has it not misquoted passages from speeches , held months back ?—has it not withheld thecontext on which the meaning hinges ?—and has not the Manchb 8 tke Guahdias , when my wife accompanied me to the north on occasion of my late visit , tried to asperse my character with an Infernal calumny ? fAne ! whai . does this import ? that fear , prejudice , and fakthosd will ait in the jury . box on Monday next —and that I shall have the gratifying spectacle of bearing a jury pronounce condemnation oh its own c ' ass , and a class-made judge ratify the sentence . ]

      [ If , therefore , lam convi'ted , Ishall go fo my prison with a proud heart , and with the belief that I shall not be there long , for it will not be long before we have the Charter—at least , if there are men in England . If otherwise , I may as well be in their gaola as not , for all England is but a prison for the people . ] Alcanwhile , let mo exhort yon , if you really wish to have the Charter , not to relax in your agitation . The great fault in the movement appears to me always to have been , that it has been worked up to a certain point , till the government , desperate through tear , attacked a few public meetings , broke a few heads , and imprisoned a few leaders , and then the people grew disheartened , at the very moment when they should have redoubled their exertions . Just at

      the crisis when the government are exhausted—the people draw back . Look through the history of yonr movement , and voa will see the same laraentable infatuatioR constantly recurring . Look at yonr position now , and tell me whether you will again be guilty of the same fault ? Hear Lord John a few weeks ba k , opposing a repeal of the rate-paying clauses , and n w about bringing it forward himself Hear Lord John a few weeks back , laughing at the Chartists—hear him new confessing that the Chartists are stronger than the middle-class ! [ See him transporting a Mitchel , and not daring to touch his successor !] See his cabinet forbidding public meetings , and now trying to throw the blame on the police ! Seo a ministry that e * ta its own words , and

      is dying of a surfeit . I ask you , then , is this a time to relax ? In your agitation maintain peace , law , and order , respect life and property , but do not—oh ! do not be political cowards There is a vast difference between courage and violence . A truly brave people are never themselves disorderly , and have sufficient energy to prevent disorder in othera . Stand by the right of public meeting in the open-air—( maintained ever since the ivitenagemot of the ancient Saxons)—but impress , above all things , a respect for life and property . Let the shopkeeper feel he need not close his shutters when the Chartists pass , and he will not close his heart against the Charter . He knows that the Chartists do not commit an outrage—but let him also know that the Chartists can punish those

      who begin a riot . Teach him that you are not for a 'division of property ; ' that itia not a war of tho poor against the rich , but of the people against class-government . In conclusion , let me thank all those friends for their kindness who have exerted themselves in my behalf , The Executive have been indefatigable in their efforts for my fellow-prisoners and myeelf ; nor can I sufficiently express my sense of the kindness and promptitude of the Defence Committee—or of the trne-hearted Chartists who have subscribed so liberally to the defence fund . My thanks are also especially and cersonally due to those kind friends from Halifax and Kolghley , who camo up from Yorkshire to bail me , when they found what a mockery the right of bail was in the hands of the

      governmentand to Mefsfs Sewell and Ford , my bail , the latter of whom was subjected to the most annoying and insuring scrutiny . To those gentlemen who were rejected on frivolous pretenoss , I am equally grateful . I now bid you farewell for atime , for should ! be convicted—though I shall receive no tidings from without —I shall hold the firm belief that th * cause is prospering . I shall await the great hour of a Nation ' s liberation in calm hope—and as I never joined the movement with an interested motive , —as I have never gained in its advocacy anything but the reward of my ownconseiehce—I now neither regret ner retract a ' sentiment I have uttered , nor a step I have taken . I defy class-government to do its worst , —I predict its speedy downfall and the people ' s triumph , and $ ne last words on my lips now as the first when 1 issue from my cell , rhall be ;

      T HE CHARTER A N D NO SURRENDER lam , Brother Chartists , Yours faithfully , Eunkst Jokes , London , June 28 th , 1848 .

      Accident On The Stage.—A Painful Acciden...

      Accident on the Stage . —A painful accident occurred to Mr Pritnhard , the lessee and manager of our theatre , on Wednesday evening , while he was playing tho part of Macduff to Maoreadj ' a Macbeth . In the fight represented in the last scene the point of Mr Macrondy ' a sword unfortunately struck Mr Pritchard on the face with such force as to cut through the cartilage of the nose and upper lip , penetrating to th 9 bjno . It was with difficulty Mr Pritchard was able to retain bis place on the stage till the conclusion of the scono , and he could not speak the remainder of his part in oanseq'ience of tb e blood which filled his mouth . We have the satisfaction to learn that ths wounded gentleman is go in on as favourably as could be expected;—Leeds Intelli ° gencer . Kentish Town . —Meetings are held every Tuesday oveniag at the Star and Garter , earner of Mansfield-place . An harmonic meeting in aid of the Victim Fond > will be held oa Wednesday , July 12 th .

      Election Of Executive, And Commjssioners...

      ELECTION OF EXECUTIVE , AND COMMJSSIONERS . According to tho return of the localities , tho following members of the National Charter Association , are elected as the Executive Council of the body . Feargus O'Connor John M'Grae Ernest Jones P . M . M'Douall Samuel Kydd

      C . MMieUQMUUI , 1 Alfred Fussell 11 Alexander Sharp 2 Charles M'Carthy 12 James Shirron 3 James Leach 13 David Lfgbiowler 4 John West 14 William Vernon 5 Father Pilling 15 Daniel Donovan 6 Thomas Tattereall 16 — Brook . Leeds 7 James Adams 17 George White 8 James Sweet 18 Joseph Linney 0 Isaac Ironside 10 Wm . Cutfay 10 Thomas Wheekr 20 Robert Burrell

      Address Of The Executive To The People. ...

      ADDRESS OF THE EXECUTIVE TO THE PEOPLE . Fellow Countbvmbk , We are the Executive body of your choice and election , and are your servants , and our success ^• eats , not with us as the elected ot the people , but in reality with the support and efficient unison of thought and action that pervades the entire body . Pledging ourselves to be faithful to onr trust , we feel k necessary to assure you that candid and plain speaking , open and straightforward acting , shall ever be the leading feature in all our relations with you , and all we taay do in your behalf .

      London is the seat of government , of wealth , and of influence , and we are convinced that no agitation for Chartism can be complete until all the available power within the metropolis , constitutionally at our command , is brought to bear efficiently in support of the people and the people ' s cause . Therefore it is that we are at present directing our attention to the events of the great emporium of wealth , and luxury , trade , commerce , and legislation ; sincerely resolved that it shall also become the emporium of Chartism , and the great centre of social and political knowledge . The trades , a numerous and influential auxiliary in the cause of political and social emancipation , aro every day approaching nearer to us—not alone by an acknowledgement of principles , bnt ako by a practical organisation , aiming at the full enfranchisement of mind and the true security of all the members of the commonwealth .

      It is with regret that we are obliged to inform you , that we have not of late received at your hands the encouragement or pecuniary support re quisite for our sustenance and utility as a public body , sharing heavy personal responsibilities , and entrusted , in a great degree , with the management of the people's political interests and future destinies . We know you to be generous and patriotic , and hope that our call for funds and sympathy will bo responded to by you without delay . By such a response , we are willing to test your confidence in us as a public body ; and whilst wo will ever take our share of danger or trouble without a murmur ,

      we at once boldly and frankly assure you , that we will return to ? your ranks ss private members , rather than be crippled in our designs , or ren d ere d abortive in action , by the want of the necessary an' port . We are for the people , and , to be successful , the people must be for us . We have , in previous addresses , pointed out to you the means to be adopted in the collecting of the Liberty Fund ; and have no doubt that those of you , who have not seriously thought of the urgency of our circumstances , will do s » now , without further delay , remembering that good works are the effect of a sound belief and the surest test of & sincere conviction .

      It is impossible to look at society , as now existing , without being impressed with serious thoughts on the future prospects of the British empire . Internally there are evident signs of dissolution and destruction to existing interests , Our workmen are idle , our shopkeepers , bordering on bankruptcy—our commercial and monied classes look round them with doubt and dismay . The disturbed state of the continent prevents even a temporary improvement in onr foreign trade , and increased pauperism at home is a sure index of a long continuance ef the depression of our home manufactures . England ' s statesmen are wedded , as if by fatality , to theories and interests that prevent them coming to your . aid . It is melancholy to read the nightly disputes and wranglings within the House of Commons ; but even these are ominous of the future ; they show , in a manner not to be misunderstood , that the difficulties of the Minister of the day rapidly increase , and a

      change of ministers cannot avert the evil , or shun the day of trial , and the hour of difficulty . A correction , an improvement , or it may be , an entire re . construction of society , is clearly inevitable . It is , therefore , the more imperative that you shall be represented in the councils of the state , and your interests oared for in the future legislation of this country . Men of all classes are moving towards you ; and it is pleasant to know , that as old prejudices are dispelled , and the incongruities of class legislation and past errors are no longer manageable , the mind of the people has' an evident tendency towards true principles ; there is , in the thought of the nation , a distinct polarity , from which must spring ; a new era of social and political salvation , not based on the ignorant assumption of privileged or * ders , or class , party , or sectarian interests ; but on the broad and extended basis of man's rights , duties and interests .

      It is the evident intention of the rulers of the day to ruin the people's cause , by the old Whig dodge of legal expenses ; and there is a cruel feeling of revenge and rapacity manifested in the state prosecutions now going on . The government is weak and desperate , they never again can command the respect or support of any important section of the community ; their weakness will become your strength , and their imbecility your source of power and final victory , provided you be true to yourselves .

      Onward and we conquer ! Backward and we fall !' Do your duty , and we are prepared to de ours

      FEARGUS O'CONNOR JOHN M'CRAE ERNEST JONES P . M . M'DOUALL SAMUEL KYDD

      House Of Commons Opfiobrs.— The Select C...

      House of Commons Opfiobrs . — The Select Committee , in their report on the new Houses of Parliament , just delivered , give the result of their inquiries into the duties of the Sergeant-atArms of the House of Commons , and mako tereral recommendations with respect to the office , with a view to the regulation of the same before the occupation of the new Houses of Parliament . The SergeanUt-Arma , it appears , has to attend on the Speaker during the sitting of parliament , and on her Majesty at such times as parliament is not sitting . He is the' housekeeper / and has the control of the porters , and the salary is £ 1 , 500 , and a residence is prepared for him . His patronage consists in various appointments to situations connected with the house . It is recommended that the salary be £ 1 , 260 a year ,

      with the residence prepared for him in the new palace , his salary continuing at the £ 1 , 500 until such residence is prepared . On vacancy , the deputy serjeant to receive his present salary of £ 800 , without an allowance of £ 200 for house rent ; that tho deputy housekeeper ' s office ( £ 500 a year ) be abolished , and the duties transferred to the assistant serjeant , who has £ 425 , whose salary be increased to £ o 00 , with a residence in the new palace . Upon vacancy , it is recommended that the salaries of the first and second doorkeepers be reduced from £ 874 acd £ 400 to < £ 3 W and £ 200 , and also upon vacancies , £ 200 to be the maximum , and £ 100 the minimum , of a messenger's salary , and that not more than £ 10 a year be the increase , at the discretion of the Serjeant-at-Arms . The four * tneseeugerfl now appointed have eaali £ 300 a

      year . Dreadful Accident . —Loss or Eleven Lives . — The MoMMOUTuaniKE Mbrwn contains the particulars of an awful accident which took place at the Black Vein Iron-stone Pits , at the Victoria Iron Works , it should be here explained that in the operation of lowering and raising the buckets in the shaft the weight in the descending bucket is so adjusted as to raise to the surface another bucket . When the eleven men in ques . ion had descended to some depth from the surface the chain attached to the bucket in which they were descending began to run down the shaft with such rapidity that they were

      precipitated to the bottom with a tremendous crash . The chain on the other side of the pit , which moved upwards with a rapidity proportionate to the in . creased speed of the descending bucket , soon brought to the surface the cross pieces only , by which the ascending bucket had been attached to theohain—thus leaving behind the huge bucket , with its contents , and tho balance chain at tho bottom of it , which most have descended with terrific violence upon the poor fellows who had just gone down , and who , it is supposed , were thrown by the violence of the concussion out of one bucket just in time ts be crushed to atoms by the descent of the other . They were , of OQune , killed en the spot .

      * The ' T\M»: The Bully. And «Punch. The...

      * THE ' T \ m » : THE BULLY . AND « PUNCH . THE BUFFOON , OF THE ENGLISH PRESS . " Dublin Tory Paper . TO THE EPITOR OF THB NORTHERN STAB . Mb Editor , —Nothing has been more gratifying ta me than your late onslaughton the base , brutal , and lying press of this country . The words I have quoted above I read with sorrow , because of the conjunction and similarity of sentiments in the two publications—both now struggling in their several waya to keep the people ia . social and political bondage . Tho Times has always been notorious as a mercenary slave , and as such , as brutal and blood-thirsty as it i 3 vile ; But the recreancy of my onca great : favourite , Pukch , conveyed pain to my feelings , and shame to my bosom , for accursed must that country bo when the most 'talented and patriotic writers are found to have their price

      . Seven years have elapsed since tho birth of Pokou * . from the patunl soberness of the English miad , the incessant pursuit after only that which could lead to wealth , whereby to satisfy the cravings of a cormo . rant government—and education making virtaa despised and Mammon loved-it was though " * a work j ^ P"ns—unsuitable not impossible to succeed . But the excellence ef point-the seriousness ol ^ motive—the patriotism of the under-current , nobly expressed in its pages , 80 en made Punch nailed as a benefactor iu tho strucale of progress . The writers were well suited to the duty . They had emerged from a school of adversity—they had felt the pains and penalties of pa . verty—they bad suffered from the injustica of tho social institutions—and they entered , heart and soul , into the service of their depressed fellow

      countrymen . Great public approbation lad to great success , and its consequent reward was fully reaped With this amplitude of means , a change came over the spirit of the writers . Punch grew mighty genteel . lie loved to ta'k of \ Wntu , and manners and customs of aristocratic life , : ¦ . * if familiar to himself , and sneer at those who could not obtain them , Genteel Iphilanthrofiy—t arrow , crippled , and charitable—respectable reform—delusive , class , and unprincipled—became the theme of its weekly croukings , and , consequen ' . lv , abuse

      of the people . Then Punch became a favourite o £ the Timbb and , more especially latterly , has truly acted the partof buffoon at tho bully ' s court . With his loss of principle , has departed his originality ; and now he is but a poor player upon and adapter of others' ideas , dressed in motley , to bring in the pence . The Times is his text-boek , and the people his demons to be cursed . Baseness stops not at the mere gratification of its evil actions , it seeks for extraordinary reward , and grovels in the filthiest mire to clutch the prize of its degradation . Thus , then , no eurprise is excited on learning that one of the editors of Punch has received from government a commissionership . At what price ? The fixing

      another rivet , where a keen file was promised , in the people ' s political chains ; for stretching forth anotlur hand to pour upon the impoverished masaea revilings , jarrings , mockery , insult , and lies . A second editor . hoB taken the preparatory step , to a sop in the sweat of the people ' s labour , by entering the law . Another commissionership may bs the reward of further ridicule on your bold , holy , and fervid demands to be socially and politically equal with your fellow-countrymen . I have often thought the sporting with great and serious questions led to a prostitution , and insincerity of mind—a total want of feeling , of heart , and love of mankind and country . The problem is solved , and in sorrow do I see the result .

      The once patriotic Examiner deals out from the cauldron of infamy its tribute of falsification , cruelty , and scorn , on the people : but why ? Because its serfdom must pay such service for the commissionership of its proprietor . The Chronicle , too , has received its retaining fee to bopraise the ministry , and befoul the people . This then shows why the people of England are misrepresented—why their woes are scoffed at—why their aspirations are smothered in ruffianism— why

      the honest millions are told they are not the peoplewhy the plunderers are kept in countenance , and why the aristocratic plumage is held up to admiration , while the dying bird is forgotten . The Northern Star alone speaks truth ; it is the doomsday book of the people ' s oppressions and op * pressors . Knowing then its value and importance , let us appreciate it accordingly—in the present atruggls it is inestimable . 1 am , sir , yours & c , Edward Fitzgerald .

      The Irish Confedeea.Tion. Uflbuu The Cou...

      THE IRISH CONFEDEEA . TION . UflBUU The Council ( of twenty-oue ) of the Davis Club . ^ ara carrying' out the organisation in earnest , alre & uy the foundation of Bcv » rsl new clubs has beeu formed , and in a few days there will not be a district in or around this large metropolis , bnt will bave its Confederate club . The transportation of Mitchel , and the imprisonment of bis co . patriot Looney , has done more to complete the organisation of clubs , than all the manifestations issued by the Council of tbe Confederation in Dublin . Bbieh Bobu Club . —A large meeting of Confederates and Chartists were held on Sunday evening last , at the Druid Arms , Greenwich , Among those who addressed the meeting was Mr Jehn Lindsay , ( Davis Club , London ) , on the great benefits that would result to democracy by organising tberaselres Into classes . Subscriptions were entered Into far the defence of Mr Looney , making from this district the sum of £ 1 . 12 s . The meeting then adjourned .

      Kekbikotow . —A meeting was held on Sunday even , ing last , at Jenniugs Buildings , Mr M'Carthy in ths chair . Joaw MrrCHBii CiPB . —A crowded meeting of this clab was held at their rooms , Crown , Gra » el lane , Southwark , Mr Perry addressed the meeting at great length . Several members addressed the meeting , and many members were enrolled , A . Urge meeting of the U & Z & Club , was also held & t the Ball's Head , Bull ' s Head-court , Tooley-street , when several persons handed in their subscriptions to the defence { and for Mr Looney . The Davis Club . — A meeting of this club was held on Monday evening last , at the Assembly Rooms , Deanstreet , which was crowded to suffocation . Mr Matthewson in the chair . The meeting was addressed by Messrs J Lindsay , Dowllng , Maher , and Nolan . Ths subscription for the defence of Mr P . Looney , was most liberally entered into , and the meeting then broke up .

      Large meeting * of the * Theobald Wolfe Tone , ' and the ' Robert Emraett' Clubs were held in the early part of the week , The rules ef the New Irish League were adopted , and subscriptions entered into for tho Defence Fond , The Wallace Beiqade . —A crowded meeting of this locality was held on Monday Evening last , at tho Charter Coffee House , Strutton-ground , Westminster : Mr Henry Wilkes in the chair , who opened the business of the evening by reading the letter of Mr M'Manue , referring to the brutal treatment he received from the police , from the Northern Star ; and Mr J . D . Reilly ' s letter from the frith Felon , which were loudly cheered . A resolution was passed adopting the petition which appeared in the Star of Saturday last , and which is to be presented by 0 . Luahiugton . Esq . iM / P . The meeting then adjourned to Monday evening nest , giving three cheers for the victims , and three for the Charter and Repeal .

      On Sunday evening a lecture will be delivered at the Charter Coffee House ; tho subject Is— ' The Charter , Whlggery , and Emigration . Confederate meetings for the ensuing week : — Sunday Evening . —Cartwright ' s Coffee House , Red Cross-street ; Crown , GwcUaae , Southwark ; Druid Arms , Greenwich ; Jennings * . buildings , Kensington ; Bull ' s Head , Bull ' s Head-court , Tooley-street ; Tictory , Deptford . Monday and Wednesday Evenings . —Assembly Rooms , Dsan-ttreet , Sobo square . Monday , Tuesday , and Thursday Evenings , —Wash , ington Ttmperance Hall , Cable-street , Wapping . At which subscription ! towards the Defence Fund , anfi to the support of the victims of Whig tyranny , will be received

      , All announcements of Confederate meetings to be sent to our reporter , Mr T . R . Reading , 4 , Bridge-street , Westminster .

      Police Outrages.—A Public Meeting Was He...

      Police Outrages . —A public meeting was held at Literary and Scientific Institution , John-street , Tottenham court Road , on Thursday evening , June 22 nd , to denounce the outrages recently perpetrated by the Police . Mr Utting was called to the chair . Mr James Savage moved the following resolution : — ' That in the opinion of this meeting the conduct of the police , in their recent attacks on tho peaceable inhabitants of tho Metropolis , demands the strictest judicial and Parliamentary investigation , in order that the British people may be effectually protected from a repetition of such outrages . ' Air Dyson aeoondfld the motion , and Mr Gooufellow supported it . Mr Bezer moved the second resolution ;—That making the police a military body was subversiveJ liberty , and the British Constitution . ' M r . Memman seconded the motion , which waa earned unanimously Mr W . Salmon moved the adoption 0 a „„»!« £ . n , k . ^ no the sn irit of the foregoing

      resolaeions . to ba presented by Sir B . Hall , one of the members for the borough . Mr John Savage ably seconded the motion , which was adopted unanimously . Mr J . Elmzlie Duncan moved a vote ot thanks to the chairman , and the meeting quietly dispersed . „ m _^ Death of the Widow of Wiixiam Thom .-Wb are sorry to have to record the death of Mrs 1 hom , tne « . iilow of the batd oi Inverury , vbjoh took place on the 17 th ult . at Inverury . whither aha had returaea after the death of her huaband , A cold ^ f /^ caught on her jeurney homewards rj »^ f ever of the most malignant sort . Her ^ three , younj children are now orphans indeed , » J ™ ™ ' » fgj the world attho helplewapBof eightmonthaag d twe and four vearo The Queen 1 ^ 8 glVCD & dOBWWn O afesate ^ -Ss ts ^ jsr ^ srsssss Advertieer .

      S! R

      S ! r

  • Citation
    • Northern Star (1837-1852), July 1, 1848, page 1, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse-os.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/periodicals/ns/issues/ns2_01071848/page/1/