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Northern Star (1837-1852), 23rd December 1848, Edition 2 of 3, Page 1, TO THE CHARTISTS. Brother Chartists, Som...

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    • TO THE LAND MEMBERS
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      To The Land Members

      TO THE LAND MEMBERS

      My Dear Children, * These Are Christmas ...

      My Dear Children , * These are Christmas times , and I have received my Christmas-box in the sigual victory I have achieved over my several enemies ; and as 1 have not time this week to [ consult with the Directors , I am not prepared to present you with a Christmas-box , but next week I hope , with their consent , to present yon with a New Year ' s Gift .

      I have always contended for a lease for ever , at a corn rent , as the only just tenure upon which the agricultural resources of the country can be cultivated to their highest state of eapahility ; and I have also preferred that tithe system which compelled the parson to he participator in all casualties and calamities to the system which fixes tithe at a rentcharge , making him the head landlord and first claimant . There was more justice in the landlord di gging every tenth rod of rotten potatoes , and taking every tenth sheaf of blighted corny than there is in estimating the value of those valueless potatoes and damaged corn by the high standard of price of good potatoes and good corn . Thus , if A , B , and C I

      lose all their crops , or it a majority of the crops of the whole nation are so far injured as to increase the value , and the price of what is sound , the rent-charge is absolutely increased upon those who have lost their all , and in whose misfortune , under the old system , the parson should be participator ; and as to the landlord , I have always insisted that , as his necessities are of the year , and should not be measured by his own his father ' s , or his grandfather ' s speculation , that his rent should -be measured by the current price of produce ; and what can be fairer , when he is but the representative of one-fifth , while the farmer his capital , and the labourer , represent the other four-fifths , but , nevertheless , have to hear all casualties , calamities , and uncer .

      tainhes . Mx Shaman Crawford , a large landed proprietor , has declared that the owner of the soil and the cultivator of the soil are co-partners ; and , believing in the truth of this undeniable assertion , they should be participators in every reverse of fortune to which the land , the climate , and the atmosphere , may subject the cultivator- If , then , this maxim holds good as regards an individual landlord in relation to a chance tenant , how much more applicable is it to my position as founder of a national scheme , and those who have joined in the undertaking from confidence in that scheme .

      I have maturely thought of this Plan , and I have looked with a just and jealous , rather than with a partial and jaundiced eye , to the position of those who are now located , and who , hut for the potato rot and the damage done to corn by the wetness of the harvest , would have been in a most enviable position ; and although I have been treated with unexampled ingratitude by those for whom I have laboured , yet that ingratitude cannot change my sense of justice into spleen , vengeance , and malignity ; and for this reason it is not my intention to submit to the Directors the

      proposition made to the Birmingham Conference , to forego the payment of therentdue in November last for three years ; but it is my intention to propose to them a more large and sweeping measure of justice , namely—to remit" the year ' s rent altogether , and to extend the time of paying their promissory notes to two years instead of one ; and should the unlocated members , or a majority of them , object to this proposition ^ I will pay the rent out of the

      amount due to me b y the Company . And , as purchasers do not stand in the same pcsMoa as balloted members , I also propose to postpone the payment of the rent that fell due in November for three years ; while , as regards balloted members , I shall propose , that in consequence of the failure of the crops , and the novelty of their occupation , that it he forgiven altogether ; and this is no more than an individual landlord , if actuated by justice , should do .

      Those who have let their land will have to pay the rent ; and in all cases where parties have transferred without refunding the Company s dues , the occupants in such cases will he immediately ejected , and their allotments he disposed of by bonus . This proposition—if accepted by the Directors—will be considered a handsome New Year ' s Gift , and you may consider it accepted , as , in case of refusal , I will pay it out of my own pocket ; and that is the description of New Year ' s Gift 1 generally receive for my services , and that is the manner in which I take vengeance upon the most unruly and refractory of my childrenhecause I believe that all their virtues are

      characteristics of their nature , while all their vices are consequences of oppression and misrule . And now I would implore of all those located to struggle through any difficulty for the two short remaining months of winter , and when March and the longdays come , they will bless their stars that they did not return to their abodes of pestilence andfamme ^ Thus , while I shall ever be prepared to act according to the strict rules of justice , I shall also be prepared to resist every and any attempt to convert the Land Plan into a jobbing speculation for labourers , and those who under-let for profit shall receive neither consideration nor indulgence at my hands .

      I hope to receive the opinion of the several localities upon this point next week , and that the proposition will be considered an act ol justice , rather than one of charity or grace : and thus the revenge which I seek for the ingratitude of the most fortunate , is the heaping of coals of fire upon their heads . Your affectionate father , Feargtjs O'Connor . P . S . —I hope shortly te announce the complete registration of the Company . F . O'C .

      Further Prorogation Of Parliament. House...

      FURTHER PROROGATION OF PARLIAMENT . HOUSE OF LORDS . Tuesday being the day to which parliament stands prorogued , their lordships met for the purpose ot further proroguing it till the 1 st of February next , upon which day it is to meet for the despatch of business . Shortly after two o ' clock the Lord Chancellor , Lord Langdale , and Lord Campbell , took their seats below the Throne , robed as Lords Commissioners , for the purpose of further proroguing the parliament . Mr Polman , the Deputy-Usher of the Black Rod , was then desired by their lordships to summon the Commons to hear the CommiEsioa for proroguing the parliament read , and in a few minutes Mr H . Ley , accompanied by several officers of the house , and only a single member , the hon . Mr Campbell , appeared at the bar . The Commission far proroguing the parliament having been read by the Chief Clerk at the table . The Lord-Chakckixok , in Her Majesty ' * name and by Her Majeitys command , declared the parliament prorogued to Thursday , the lit of February , to be then holden , and it was prorogued accordingly .

      West Riding Election. - Defeat Of She Fr...

      WEST RIDING ELECTION . - DEFEAT OF SHE FREE TRADERS . MCUBATIOS OP THE POtt . Mordav wsa the day appointed for declaring the result of the poll for the repraeatation of the West lUdin & attbe place of election fixed by the Referm Act , the Court House . Wafcefwld . At half-part three o ' clock the TJeder-Sberiff announced that the raanlfcofthepoll was— ,. „ . „ For Edmund Denaon , Eiq . 14 , / is Sir Culling Eardley Eardley , Bart . 11795 Majority for Mr Damson 2 , 948

      Seven Er Eight Horses Ate Kept At The Fi...

      Seven er eight horses ate kept at the fire police * B atwn in Temple Coart ready toi » immediately yoked in eat * of firs ; and it ia » cantos fact , worthy perhaps of record , that whenaver alarm is communicated at the station ( as mado known by the fierce raging of the bel ] , and the immediate tmitlej the horses exhibit great reatleenets . and appear eager to he cff . This is more particnlarly the caie with two that at * kept ready harnessed in a stable next d « or , » nd which a » *!« , *• the first dwpatched with an engine in idrasce . —Dublin Paper .

      ^ J&^^^ /U ^^ / Tz'rc ^^__

      ^ J &^^^ / u ^^ / tZ ' rc ^^__

      I And National Tjfeg' "Jfcfal. I Vol Xii...

      I AND NATIONAL Tjfeg' " jfcfAL . VOL XII . N 9 583 . JLONDC ^^ ========= - ========== _^ IT ' ¦ wju * YiTe shilling * and Mixpertce per . Quarter

      To The Chartists. Brother Chartists, Som...

      TO THE CHARTISTS . Brother Chartists , Some of our best , our truest , and most peaceful friends , have been snatched from us but , as from every drop of the martyrs' blood ten thousand patriots spring to avenge the martyrs' death , so , from the living tomb of every incarcerated victim , let ten thousand Chartists spring to supply his place . This is not the time to remind you of my frequent cautions against secret meetings , spies , and informers . This was the trap , and those were the baits with which the unwary were caught in London , Edinburgh , Chester , York , and Liverpool , but , as long as you have faith in the princi ples , let not the treachery or perjury of hired spies and informers disturb that faith .

      You will see how the Attorney General and the Judge , at Liverpool , mourned over the loss of the RED CAT . How the official , with a perfect knowled ge that I had resisted all ap peals to violence , and denounced all secret meetings , had the cowardice , the insolence , and the audacity to lament to his Jury and his audience , that they had not been able to lay hands upon him who instigated his dupes to the perpetration of crime . Now , what can be more unjust , what can be more cowardly , than for this paid official , in the narrowness of his little professional mind , to assert what he knew to be false ?

      He knew that I had been denounced by the National Assembl y , and in nearly every town in England , for having resisted an appeal to physical force ; he knew that his pet , Powell , swore that they proposed to threw me overboard because I was for adhering to moral force ; he knew that the old Chartist swore at the Old Bailey that he had been converted from physical to moral force by reading the "Northern Star " and yet , in the littleness of his soul , he insidiouslv and coward-like holds

      me up as the instigator which they desire to catch , However , he has not caught me yet , as he will find when Parliament meets—and although he had the unblushing effrontery to state , on Wednesday week , that there was a meeting held the night before in Liverpool , at which the most violent speeches were made , he had not the candour to tell Ms audience that I stated , that if the Constitution was narrowed into still smaller limits , that I wonld keep within it , though I was obliged to walk sideways .

      I tell this official , that I would not accept bis office and perform his dirty work , for all the money in his master ' s exchequer ; for—as I fold his predecessor at York" He Is the tool of the Minister , n « t of the Crown , Ifade by hit smile , ana unmade by bis frowa . " But never mind , Chartists , for you may depend npon it that tyranny and persecution but whets the appetite for justice—that a fellowfeeling makes a man wondrous kind ; and when , in five short weeks we become free

      importers of corn , grown in free countries , the haters of Chartisa : will become inquirers into its principles . Whiggery has had its triumph , but it will be short-lived ; as , ere many weeks , Chartism will have its victory , by driving from office those who drove Chartists to the hulk and the dungeon . Peel gave us a fair trial , and had an honourable and upright Attorney . General . The Whigs have convicted without a fair trial , by the fraud of their official , the partiality of their judge , and the prejudice of their

      jurors . Think of Grocott , Rankin , Donovan , West , White , Cropper , Leach , Chadwick , M'Donough , and Nixon , being consigned to the Whig dungeon , and will YOU ALLOW THEIR FAMILIES TO STARVE ? I answer for you—No , never ! Your faithful friend and Chartist , Feargus O'Connor .

      Worcester. 0 Connor And Ricardo. [From O...

      WORCESTER . 0 CONNOR AND RICARDO . [ From our ou-n Correspondent . ) Monday last was a great day for our spiritual city . Speculation as to the appearance of our honourable M . P . and his sanctified clerical conspirator created great excitement , which was considerably augmented | by the anxiety of the curious to hear the Lion of Chartism roar on the boards of our Theatre ; and although the charge for admission was too high for the working classes , yet we venture to predict that even in this—the theatrical season—no star will " draw" as large an audience as the LION . It was a bnmper , and composed of all classes .

      When the LION made his appearance , he was received—in theatrical phrase—with several rounds of applause . There is an innate love of fair play in JOHN BULL'S nature , when he sees a perfect stranger—and especially one against whom a universal prejudice has been attempted to be created—boldly standing forward to meet his assailants in that arena , where the local power of a Liberal M . P ., and the spiritual Omnipotence of one of the shepherds of the local Right Reverend Father in God , must have furnished strong presumptive hope of a powerful muster of

      secular and spiritual prejudice . Under such disadvantages , JOHN is a fair and impartial umpire between the belligerents . Mr Stevenson , a person highly respected by all classes , was called to the chair , and in a short address announcing the objects of the meeting introduced—Mr O'Connor , who was most enthusiastically received . It would be impossible to give more than a sketch of a speech which occupied nearly three hours , and during which period not the slightest feeling of impatience was manifested , hut , upon the contrary , the speaker rivetted the attention of his audience to the

      last . He said : —Gentlemen , I am a perfect stranger to your city . I am an alien in language , and an alien in blood , (" No , no . ' ') So Lord Lyndhurst , an English Lord Chancellor , has declared ; however , not by a pompous challenge , but by a gentlemanly invitation , I have invited your member—Mr Ricardo—and his spiritual coadjutor—Mr Goodrich—to meet me ; the one before his constituents , and the other before the flock of his shepherd . to substantiate the charges they have made and published against the Land Company , or , like gentlemen , to retract those charges . ( Cheers . ) Gentlemen , my accusers have been civilly invited , and have been promised an impartial hearing , hut they are not here . ( Cheers , and "They dare nut come . " )

      But upon what will your member base his ab - sence ? Will he endeavour to treat « the affair with contempt , and urge his aristocratic blood as an apology ? Gentlemen , I have more respect for the honest man whose fortune is the produce of honest industry , than I have for the fool who may chance to be born with a gold spoon in his mouth . ( Great cheering . ) But , should Mr Ricardo base bis absence upon such a flimsy pretest , I answer , that his is plebeian blood , while mine is aristocratic blood . ( Loud cheers . ) Yet they are both the same colour . Should his landed possessions be urged as a reason for not meeting me ; my answer is , that my family , possess acres for every rood he poseesf . ee . ( Loud cheers . ) That they hold theirs by descent , while his title is based upon specu-

      Worcester. 0 Connor And Ricardo. [From O...

      lation in human blood , shed at Waterloo and on other battle-fields . ( Cheers . ) Should be urge his position as an M . P . ; I answer , that he but represents the prejudices of a privileged minority , while I also am an M . P ., and base my title upon the confidence of a large majority —( great applause )—and should he urge intellect and capability ; you will judge between us . ( Laughter . ) But upon what will the little shepherd base his absence ? Will he urge the maxim " Do unto others as you would they should do unto you ?"—( cheers)—or , "Judge

      not lest ye may be judged ? " or , "Love thy neighbour as thyself . ' " or , "Thoushalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour I " —( Cheers)—but he was merely a tool—a poor tool—in the hands of the cunning man . ( Hear , hear . ) If your member had been here I should have astonished him , and convicted him . But with more justice than he has manifested towards me , I shall abstain , in his absence , from charging him with deception , falsehood , and fraud , and BifattmereT y content myself with staling what is known to many . — When I built cottages and a school-house for the uneducated wanderer , in the vicinity of

      this WOULD-BE ARISTOCRAT'S estates , he feared lest their destitution would impose an additional burden upon his highly-rented tenants , and he nominated him who has the responsibility of the CURE OF SOULS—( laughter )—not as the kind shepherd of my lean flock , but as a spy and conspirator—( shame , shame , )—and well did his spiritual coadjutor i perform his master ' s work . No means were left untried to create dissension , confusion , and strife . ( Shame . ) The absence of all sectarian instruction , at the school-house , was a sore point , and , with the Liberal and the DIVINE , a tender one . Some of the

      occupants were invited to the mansion of your liberal M . P ., and there made drunk . ( Shouts of "Shame . " ) They were assured that they need pay no rent , and a Mr Hayter , solicitor , brother to the Chairman of the Select Com . mittee , was to be consulted . ( Shameful . ) He told the tax-collector , that he would pay no rates nor taxes until the poor occupants were compelled to pay theirs . ( Shouts of " Down with him . ' ' ) While with characteristic modesty aud feelings of Christian brotherhood , his clerical adviser , entrusted with the responsibility of the cure of souls , told themthat they

      , were all right , that they need pay no rent , and could not be dispossessed so long as they paid their tithes , ( Shouts of laughter and cheers ) Now , there was a festering liberal landlord , and a pious parson , for them . But let Ricardo bear in mind , that the most grievous charge against Daniel O'Connell and the Young Irelanders was , that they proclaimed Ireland for the Irish , which was interpreted into a recommendation to pay no rent , and now the Irish were acting upon that advice ; and when the

      broken-down tenants of such landlords as Ricardo shall follow the example , they may quote his advice to the Land Company ' s tenants , as a good and valid authority upon the subject — ( Great cheering ) — the difference being , that we have come honestly by the Land , by purchase in the open market , while I deubt if he could show as good a title . ( Cheers . ) Having now given you a mere outline of the charges , and not wishing to prefer others of a graver nature—even against my accusers , in their absence—I tell them , that , with more candour and honour than

      they uossess , I am still ready to accept their denial of those charges as their apology—( hear , hear)—but they may rest assured that the matter shall not rest here , as they have mistaken their man if they imagine that I am inclined to allow them to take such liberties with me and mine . ( Cheers . ) I do not know much of Ricardo ; he was vulgar enough , and forward enough , to speak to me upon some occasions without an introduction , a liberty that gentlemen never take . I have never heard his voice in the Senate House . Have you heard of his speeches there ? ( Laughter and " No . " ) Well

      neither of my accusers have ventured to appear ; the one is beneath contempt , the other would be , were it not for the power of doing mischief with which the electors of Worcester have endowed him . Mr Macaulay took great liberties with me and the Chartists at Edinburgh ; we promised to take satisfaction upon him the first opportunit y—we did so , and unseated him for the city . I was mainly instrumental in returning Mr Gisborne for Nottingham ; he violated his pledges , and I became his successor . ( Loud cheers . ) And now I tell your Liberal M . P ., that whatever

      trouble or inconvenience it may cost me , I will unseat Ricardo for Worcester at the next election . ( Here the whole house rose , and the cheering and waving of hats and handkerchiefs continued for a considerable time . ) My own children , said Mr O'Connor , may fight with me—and they sometimes do—but they all bristle up like a porcupine when I am unjustly attacked by others , ( Cheers , and " Ay . " ) Mr O'Connor then entered extensively into the questions of Free Trade and Labour . "Now , " said he , " you are a cathedral cityyour trade is the manufacture of china and

      gloves—and which do you think , your neighbours the farmers , and even the labourers , would be best customers , receiving fair prices for their produce , measured by the burthens imposed upon them , or low prices , measured by the competition of the produce of' the world ; in the one case , if the farmer ' s servant breaks a portion of a service of china , the wife and daughter insist upon replacing it with one of the newest fashion ; but in the other case the sticker is sent for , and he cobbles the teapot , the salad bowl , and all the broken crockery . ( Hear , hear , and cheers . ) So with gloves ; if well paid , he will have a pair of new gloves , "

      if ill paid , he will have the old ones patched . Now that is Worcester ' s share of Free Trade . But then you have "High wages , cheap breadj and plenty to do . " Are your wages higher ? ( Shoutsof"No . " ) Is your bread cheaper ? ( A man in the -Pit : "Yes . " ) Then , as cheap and dear are relative terms , is my friend better able to buy- the cheap loaf than he was to buy the dear loaf . ( " No no , " and shouts of laughter . ) Well , then , that is just what he told them , that one day they would find themselves starving in a cook shop . ( Hear , hear . ) Had they plenty to

      do ? ( Shouts of " No , no , " " Out of work . " ) Well , then , let them emigrate . You do not appear to receive that well , but it is the recommendation of your Prince—but surel y , if we were over-populated , he had no business to come here . ( Tremendous ^ cheers and laughter . ) What , a German Prince to receive as much English money and produce as would feed thousands of English people , to tell those English people to leave the land of their birth and seek the means of subsistence in foreign climes ? But hold , I stray . Perhaps he

      p hilanthropically measures their future destiny by his own good fortune , and presumes that they will all be foreign Princes . ( Roars of laughter , ) Now , ( said Mr O'Connor ) have dealt with those questions , and I come to the source from whence your enemies receive their knowledge and information—the Press . ( Hisses . ) Now , it is my glory to say , that not a newspaper in the world does aught but abuse me—( cheers )—and when they cease to do ' , you suspect me . But understand that the editor of a newspaper—if his principles do not accord with those advocated by

      Worcester. 0 Connor And Ricardo. [From O...

      that paper—is as much the slave- o / the -proprietw as a scullion or a do | r-boy # if 6 f ' hi 8 master ^ Y ou have-a ^ pajwrMb ^ fcis ' towfi that has been very unliMe % | i | p ^ huse ' of both me ajad the Land Conl # M ?» i } uts of" The H « $ W , " and "Take"Mt ^ iac" ) Mr 0 Connor continued : —Mac , did I hear ? Why , 1 will tell you a story of a friend of mine of the name of MacMalloh . ( Tremendous laughter . ) This MacMallon was . a teetotaller ( Renewed laughter . ) " He abused the Land

      Han npst ferociousl y ; but , in order to win him , tfesorted to the plan of enclosing him an advertisement weekly , with a five-pound note asfan accompanimentj andnMac immediatel yjfegati ib : think—ay , / and to write , toothat h ^ aB ^^ en \ aboutifieMS--that he had disjfjovje rea that land would ; g ( ve potatoes ; and ca ^ gesj and carrots , and . parsnips , and wheatilgd oats ^ a tid barley , ftob . { daughter . ) Wnv Jill ! 1 Si ^ DejsS harlev remind you of in ^^^^ M a ^^ g ^ f lau ^ h the name of the editor of the "JftntfcT that

      you laugh so ? ( Shouts of " MacMallon , " and " There he is ; scratching his head . " ) Oh , oh , then , if your friend'Mac is a water drinker—( Shoutsof '' No , no , ' ' )—very well ; but suppose he was , and suppose he was getting 61 . aweek for abusing the Land Plan , and that I offered him 91 , to praise it , he would soon stiffen the cold water with a glass of brandy , to put fire into his articles . ( Cheers . ) Why , go next week , when Mac is buying bis turnips or his cabbages from a stall in the market , and ask him where they grew , and he will tell you , under the table to be sure , as he sees the

      greengrocer supplying his customers from under the table . ( Great laughter . ) Why , he knows no more about land and its capabilities than an Irish pig knows of geometry . Some of you have read a report of a meeting , over which . the Right Reverend Bishop of Worcester presided , and the High Sheriff was present , and many clergymen , and all the practical agriculturists of the neighbourhood , and you recollect a practical gentleman ' s statement of what may be done with four acres of ground . ( Cries of " Yes . " ) That gentleman stated , that he would not

      weaken his position by stating' to them in their present state of ignorance , what the land was capable of doing ; but that he would give them a very moderate standard , established upon a slovenly mode of agriculture , and that he had arrived at his conclusions from long experience and minute investigation , and the result was , that a man , by moderate industry , might make a profit of 401 . per acre—that was 1607 . for four acres . ( Cheers . ) Ay , it is all very well for those who wish to preserve an idle competitive reserve to fall back upon , as a means of reducing wages , to abuse the Land Plan ; but

      the sane mind of the country was beginning to see through the folly of Englishmen relying upon foreign produce as a substitute for what they could grow at their own door . ( Cheers , ) Here we saw men making China , without a dish—men making gloves without a glove—men making shirts , breeches , and shoes , without shirts , breeches , and shoes , and men growing food for others , famishingwhile these very men , unable to consume their own produce at home , are invited to transport themselves three , four , and five thousand miles across the seas , in the hope of being

      customers of that domestic produce which at their own doors they cannot procure . ( Cheers . ) Now , is not-this nonsense ? ( "Ay , ' ' and " It is . '' ) Well , and who but you tolerate it ? It is you—your own jealousies , disunion , and hardheartedness . The man who receives 15 s . a week laughs contemptuously at him who can only earn 10 s . ; and the man who earns lOs , frowns upon the pauper , who is consigned to the bastile . ( Shouts of "It ' s true . " ) Ay , and more shame for you that it is true . So no longer blame Whigs or Tories , as you are the fabricators of your own sufferings and

      misfortunes . Mr O Connor then explained the constitution of the . House of Commons , and showed the impossibility of its representing Labour . "Andno * , " said he , in conclusion , " I have given my friend Mac a Roland for his Oliver . I set him at defiance as a journalist , until he brings the mind of his readers to that pitch of blasphemy that they will believe that the earth , created by God , and given to man for his sustenance , is denuded of God ' s hiessing and capability , by man ' s curse and man ' s laws . ( Loud cheers . ) But if ever Mac and I should meet upon the ' social stage , removed

      from the busy scene of politics and the Land , we will'have a glass of cold water together , with something in it ; and , though represented as a firebrand , a devil , and a destructive , Mac will find me to be a jolly good fellow . " ( Roars of laughter , and cheers . ) Mr O'Connor concluded— " Now , then , I have dared my enemies , and the enemies of this Land Plan , % o meet me anywhere and everywhere . I have met them in the House and in the Committee Room ; I have met them in Scotland and England—on the platform , and in the Conference ; and I appeal to this assembly , whether any man , or any plan , has ever passed through

      such a fiery ordeal unblemished and unscathed . ( Shouts of No , never . ') No ; s . nd although , like the old fox , I may he headed in mv course , I will reach the goal of my ambition — I will , in spite of the potato rot , and the scum thrown up to the surface in the first experiment , persevere , until I see every surplus labourer located upon the land of his birth . ( Loud cheers . ) There never was such an undertaking , it is the miniature of England ' s future full-length portrait . I do not want you china-makers or glove-makers to go upon the Laud , but I want to thin the Labour market of those who would otherwise

      compete with you , and to make them consumers of your , produce , instead of reducers of your wages . ( Loud cheers ) . In Austria , in Prussia , and in Prance , the land and the destruction of the old feudal system are the questions which all are trying to settle ; and the reason wh y you have not , thank God , had a revolution here is , because your mind is set upon the Land—because you know its capability and its value ; and if allowed , you are willing to purchase it . ( Loud Cheers . ) We are told , that every beginning is weak , but my beginning was strong , and my infant was onl

      y pre vented from arriving at its giant growth bj the poverty of some , the ingratitude and villany of others , and the malice , the deception , and cunning of guch men as Ricardo and Goodrich . ( Cheers . ) My friends , if Prince Albert had built three hundred cottages for the poor , and four school-houses to educate them , there would be offices in every town in England , and agents to { issue tickets to visit the lovely cottagesi of the philanthropic Prince . ( Cheers , r nd / £ y * , y ; but » s I have built them , if Lady Bridget s attention is called rath ™ hv

      Lady Dolly , while passing through one of those estates , Lady Bridget says , « Pull down the Wind my dear ; they are the beastly hovels of that Irish brute . " { Tremendous cheers . ) But notwithstanding the falsehoods of the Press , the deception of the wily , and the ingratitude of the fortunate , I swear to you before Heaven , to-night , that the LAND PLAN SHALL GO ON . " Mr O'Connor resumed his seat , after speaking for nearly three hours , amid the most rapturous applause from all parts of the house . Mr Conn , our well known and well tried friend , from Pershore , rose to propose the fol-

      Worcester. 0 Connor And Ricardo. [From O...

      lowing address . He said that it required no comment from him , that the working classes of this country , were now proof against the slander of the Press ; that Mr O'Connor ' s character had been long before them , and that the address which he had the honour to propose , was no more than a just tribute to his long and honourable services . He then read the following address : — " Estbbmbd Sir , " We , the Chartists of Worcester , gladly avail ourselves of the present opportunity of testifying to you , our acknowledged leader , sod unpaid champion , the y ^ h estimation in which we hold you , as the unpurchased and unpurchaseable champion of democracy . ' .

      _ ViWe . -. airj have , for many years watched j & ur political conduct- » and can with truth assert—that from your firstretnrn to parliament for your nativecountry , to the : present moment , you have undeviatinRly suppottad the canse of the toiling millions , alike against . Whjg . or Tory , oligarch or amtoeiat . We are aware that such conduct has brought upon you aHoit ofentaitav anymore particularly has itin-^ Mf # « l ^ gtiraQW ^ n 6 $ » itlsh ptesB . —ttos rawst venal in the universe—which for its mendacity is unequalled , and whose hireling scribes , ever ready to prostitute their ability for filthy lucre , ate so sunk

      in infamy that even Judas Jseariot would by comparison appear as an angel of light . But heed not , brave patriot , the scurrility of the base press-gang . Proceed , noble sir , in your patriotic career , and soon shall your exertions , aided by the united democracy of England , Ireland , Scotland and Wales , succeed in wresting from our sordid and tyrannical oppressors , the Charter in ita entirety , which once obtained will enable Labour ' s sons speedily to emancipate themselvisfrom their thraldom , and to enact such laws as shall insure the greatest amount of happiness to the graatest number of individuals , for the greatest length of time .

      " Onoemore , sir , we tender you our heartfelt thanks and pledge ourselves to increased exertions in carryin ; to a 8 UC 098 « fal issue , the glorious cause in which we are embarked . " Tab Chartists of Worcester . " Mr Jackson rose to second the adoption of the address . He said—Many of my own class metmeinthe streets , and asked if my name was appended to the bills announcing this meeting with my own consent ; and when I answered in the affirmative , they expressed great wonder and astonishment that I should countenance

      such a proceeding ; but I told them to come and hear , and judge for themselves , Many of them are here now ; and I appeal to them with pride and ask whether I have any reason to regret having allowed my name to be associated with this meeting , and the gentlman who has addressed it . ( Cheers , and "No , no . " ) On . the contrary , after the able and eloquent address they had heard , and considering the just indignation under which the speaker must have

      laboured , he would ask those who had previously expressed astonishment , and many of whom were there , whether one unseemly , ungentteman-like , or ungenerous expression bad escaped the honourable gentlemen . ( Cheers , and " Not one . '' ) For that reason , then , as well to convince his friends of their foolish prejudice , he felt no ordinary pleasure in seconding the proposed address . ( Loud cheers . ) The address was submitted by the Chairman , and carried without a single dissentient .

      Mr 0 Connor returned thanks , and proposed a vote of thanks to the Chairman , which was unanimously carried , and after cheers for Mr O'Connor and the Land , the meeting separated , all classes expressing the highest gratification and satisfaction , and not an ungenerous remark , even from our TEETOTAL FRIEND MACMALLON .

      To The Democrats Of Great Britain, Fello...

      TO THE DEMOCRATS OF GREAT BRITAIN , Fellow Countrymen , —During the term of our office we are resolved that no political incident shall transpire without an effort upon our parts to turn it to the advantage of the Chartist movement , And , in pursuance of this resolve , we shall have frequently to addresr . you . We shall communicate with you as cireumstances arise , developing the policy which , in our judgment , would most conduce to the weal of our cause . To be a successful politicarparty we must be a practical one . The ultimatum of triumph can be only reached by the road of action . We should ever have in hand some laudable piece of work , the completion of which will be

      an advance towards the goal of our aspirations . And although our progress at first be slow , we roust not be daunted , perseverance will give it that celerity which will speedily bring us to the consummation of our political hopes , namely , the People ' s Charter as the law of the British empire . In short , our view is , that we should become henceforth an active , vigilant , practical organisation , taking advantage of every occurrence to promote the release of the millions from class-bondage . And if the National Charter Association becomes not an organisation of this description , it will not be the fault of the Executive Committee .

      Brother Democrats , the principal object of this address , is to direct your attention to the important subject of parliamentary registration . We recommend that every local council should act at once as a local registration committee . Their duty should be to see that the name of every person qualified according to the Reform Bill , and favourable to the prnciples of the Association , be placed upon the register . They should at once commence to organise a body of electors which , when elections occur , might be made the means of returning to parliament a few staunch supporters of the People ' s Charter . With sound organisation great things may be done , without it we are , en the day of polling , the merest

      mouthers , devoid of a particle of influence in the decision of the contest . But when each town has its staff of organised democratic electors , acting as the representatives of the unenfranehised masses , and when their numbers give them the balance of power between the rival factions , 110 difficulty will be experienced in making a covenant beneficial to the cause of the people . Let no time be lost in taking this practical step , for it seems to us calculated to accelerate the establishment of the People ' s Charter . We hope then speedily to hear of many election and registration commi tees ' . being in existence and in full operation . Another important duty of the local election Committees , should be to acquire the greatest possible amount of local influence for our

      party . One nrans of securing this , would be the return to Municipal Councils of men favourable to the People ' s Charter . The presence of judicious democrats in our civic : parliaments would , in a variety of wa \ s , tend to the advancement of the cause of democracy . Their efforts to rectify abuses , and effect T & forms , could not fail to secure sympathy and support for those principles , which regulated their public conduct . Besides , there are many local privileges , valuable in agitation , enjoyed by Whigs and Tories , which are denied to us through our lack of corporate influence . Hence we urge on you the necessity of using every honourable means to fill your civic offices with men devoted to the grand cause of human progression .

      We observe that several vacancies have recently occurred in the mock representation of this country : such vacancies from the uncertainty of human life , and the bestowal of government patronage , will be continually taking place . Our opinion is , that in every possible instance of this sort , candidates holding our six principles of representation , should be brought forwf rd ; in some instances it may be unwise to go to the poll , but in every instance , it will he advisable to proceed to the nomination . To go thus far , will cost little or nothing , and when done with propriety , will never fail to ledonnd to the interest

      wul give the advocate of the Charter- anoppportunity of dispelling prejudices against our principles and of rectifying misconceptions respecting our aims . It will also enable him to place the principles of democracy in the comprehensiveness of their jut tice , in juxta-position with those miserable mental abortions which constitute the Whig and Toiy political creeds . We might , were it necessary , refer to the several places where Chartist candidates were brought forward at the last general election , in proof o f the good which may by thi «

      To The Democrats Of Great Britain, Fello...

      means be done . A lew dayi ago , Mr Kydd , one of our body , ably supported : our principle at the nomination meeting of the West Riding ol Yorkshire ; and although Wakefield is somewhat of an unganial place for Chartism , we are assured that the show pf hands . was in hia favour . Mr Dixon is , white we write , engaged at'King ' s Lyno , where we doubt not the show will be overwhelmingly in his favour . But the gaining of the show of hands is nothing compared with the dispelling of prejudice , the correcting cif misrepresentation , and the placing in their true light the principles and objects of our p « ty « ; , ^ i ..

      ; Old Guards , we rely upon you , to adopt prompjl §& the practical steps recommended ik this address . We rely upon you to urge their adoption upon the young recruits . They are ' the only ways to secure triumpti , '" like that at Nottingham , atthe DBXt general election , and thus secure iuthe Legislature a hand of patriots devoted to the emancipation of

      man * Brother Chartists , in our last address , we appealed to you for the means of enabling us to give force and efficacy to the movement . We still look with firm faith to your devotion . We cherish a Strong hope that your NEW YEAE'S GIFT will be worthy the cause , and that it will augur a propitious career ol agitation for 1849 . Let every Old Guard , and new recruit , cheerfully east in his mite for his country ' s emahcipaUoh . — the People ' s Chatter and no Surrender . Signed by the members of the Executive , at pre * sent in the metropolis . — Philip M'Grath Esmond Siallwooi ) TnoMAs Cube Uenbt Ross O . Julian uarnry . December 18 th , 1818 .

      , Mrkydd's Tour. To The Editor Ov The No...

      , MRKYDD'S TOUR . TO THE EDITOR OV THE NORTHERN STAR . My Dear Sir , —My friends in Yorkshire will admit that since 1 left London I have had a fair share of downright hard work , and I now sit down to briefly report progress . After leaving Dewsbury , I arrived in Halifax , and , although a few hours notice was only given , the Odd Fellows'Hail—a spacious building—was well filled . At the conclusion of my lecture , a friendly and admirable discussion ensued on Free Trade and the merits of Sir Culling Eardley . My opponents—who were working men—did not understand the questions discussed , hut were upright and honourable ; and I now thank them for their manliness and courtesy . The result was satisfactory . My visit has strengthened

      confidence , and aided the organisation materially , The swarm of new-born politicians that flourished during the revolutionary months of August and September , have melted away like the first fall of snow before the sun ; they are nowhere to be seen or heard of > and the trusty few of the old stock—the Rushtons , Clissetts , and Shackletons—are saddled with the mortgage of their folly , in Defence and Victim Funds . No language can express the reprobation due to those unthinking , heedless wretches , who swelled for a moment to an unnatural size—with an unmeaning enthusiasm—leave the victims of their folly to rot in gaols , and their wives and little ones to starve—unnoticed and uncared for . Shame on such a race of miscreants—better for their country that thev had never been born .

      At Huddersfield the large hall was crowded to suffocation , and many hundreds were unable to obtain admission . The audience , which was composed of men of all classes , listened with an attention never surpassed , and at the conclusion I was honoured with a round of applause that made the walls echo again . Mr Richard Brooke—the gentleman who seconded my nomination at Wakefield—presided . On Sunday last I was among my old and respected friends at Kei gbley , and was welcomed by a hearty shake of the hand by the same men whom I first met six years since—and what joy on earth equals the meeting of old friends—labourers in the same cause—workers for humanity—those who have

      known the world ' s tosses and crosses , and who meet you with more than the sympathy of brotherhood . At Keighley the Working Man ' s Hall , in the afternoon , was crowded ; in the evening hundreds could not obtain admission . The subjects of lecture were—4 England considered—her agricultural and commercial history and relations ; her judicial and political capacitr . ' Nowliere in England does Chartism stand Higher than in Keighley . The hall—which is an excellent and substantial building—is their own property , to which belongs a committee room and library ; they teach a Sunday school ; hold their mutual instruction and reading classes ; also classes

      for instruction in grammar and logic ; their orchestra consists of vocal and instrumental music ; all their leaders are sober men ot known respectability and Worth—some of them men of property . Let eur triends throughout England take a pattern by this institution . My London friends must not be offended , wh ? n I say that I looked down on my audience , composed almost exclusively of males—intelligent , well-clad , and bearing every outward sign ef mental and moral elevation—and my thoughts wandered unaccountably to the metropolis , as I inwardly said , « What a reproach is this to the wealthiest city of the world . ' Men of London , will Chartism never have a local habitation and a name

      among yon ? Will it never step out in daylight from the dark rooms of beer shops , and the corrupting influences of gin palaces ? Let ns hope it may . The bond that unites our Keighley friends is never affected by a sudden burst of passion . Whether Louis Philippe be breakfasting at the Tuileries , or dining in England at a country inn—whether Pope Pius has left Rome , and gone—God knows whereis altogether a secondary consideration . The Chartists of Keighley remain unmoved . They have au iaterest in their own institution , which possesses the germsof a people ' s college , and they are at once the most intelligent , most respectable , and influential body of the district . If you would all do likewise , next Christmas you would celebrate the anniversary of the enactment of the People ' s Charter .

      On the evening of Monday , the 19 th , I lectured in the Odd Fellows' Hall , Bingley . There were many other sources of excitement and amusement in the town . The ball was well filled , but not crowded , a money admission being charged at the eloor . This town is famei for the Bingley riots , and the military and magisterial successes of William Busfeild Ferrand , Esq Nothing can be more ludi * crous than the accounts 1 have heard of the excesses of Mr Ferrand during the late riots . When I next retam to Yorkshire , I may , on the spot , pen a few sketches of character , such as will amuse and asto * nish the sober-minded people of England . I may truthfully outline a mixture of bullyism and

      cowardice , never surpassed , and draw down upon the head of the warlike hero , who commanded the gamekeeper infantry of Bingley , the sneers and contempt of every honest English gentleman . Mr Ferrand , who has hitherto taken an active part in tha election contests of the West Riding , has , at the late struggle between Sir Culling Eardley and Mr Denison , remained apart , merely walking to Keighley and voting blue , unnoticed and uncared for . The name and fame of this' Devil ' s dust' magistrate—his ignorance , insolence , cruelties , aud atrocities—are too notorious ever to be forgotten or forgiven i & Yorkshire . Chartism is destined to flourish in .

      Bingley . The local leaders are men of the right sort . I lecture in the district every evening this week ; on Sunday next at Leeds , proceeding by Sheffield to Leicester , Nottingham and Derby to London . Those places in the Midland Counties , desirous that I should visit them , wilt make arrangements , beginning on or after New Year ' s day , and will please write to Mr Sweet , Goosegate , Nottingham , whose arrangements , vn my behalf , aie definite and final . I leave for Bradford in a quarter of & n hour , and remain , Yours fraternally , Samubi . Kydd , Bingley , December 19 th , 1848 .

      P . S . —I hope to receive the Executive New Year ' s Gift at all the places I visit , and let the out districts send their contributions by delegates , and , if suppsrted , Chartism will yet strike terror into the heart of the oppressor . S . K .

      K V .Jffi - ¦ Y %

      K . jffi - ¦ y %

      Firs Hi Tub Aimrt Dock . Livsnroot.—A Fi...

      Firs hi tub Aimrt Dock . Livsnroot . —A fire , which at one time threatened serious broke out about half-past day morning , on beard an conomy , belonging to ukeabove dock . The fire castle ; but its cause is uukenwn the fire waa confined to which it brtfceout , and the the dock . She has received and a large portion of the consumed . The erowd « reat , and we . regret testate been very seriously injured the crowd over the side . The Arm ? ik Irblakd state the forces at the disposal Ireland for the month of detachments of artillery and engineers , with the out pjnaionew and armed police , at nearly 50 , 000 raw .

      Ounecqueacea, Seven O'Clock On Wednes-Am...

      ounecqueacea , seven o ' clock on Wednes-Ameriearx , $ hip ,, the Mai- . Newbury p § rV '» 8 d'jjy iiig in . eommencfed , iSrytheififlfj ^ . , ^ .. 33 y [ it « at « $£ ttiopi \ that wtjatltne « % . itt . , » abir ^ Miiwfcqvea fVt ^ ' ¦ - ' ¦ -s cofeidwable dam ^ giy V- ^ seameSi tffi ^ ne & haB been !? , * J /* roundffieWclffwaB fery ' , VijQ *\ Pf $$$$ 1 WO & i » ve V ? , \ Mm ^^ SS ^^ j ^ fpi \ ix" ^ ' '' * -- v' & $ . —The ofiuj ^^ elojms 50 of the auttorrtie ' B iu December , including strong GU OCtlUUD UUUM <) UVttVt » , even o ' clock on Wednes-^ merie & u . shipj . tb . e l & ai- . rbury porV » 8 dliimjiu cotomertoed , ih ; the for | . , ^ sown . . ^ y ^| ir « at « 5 Ati ori ., that wt . ^ tne Bhb . in \_ « ,, s 8 bir ^ ffa * w ^ qvedfrt ^ - ; s id catoidwable- daiuigiy v ^ : ame & tMHes ; baa be ' 6 n : ' 'S '/* undE ^ Mcl £ w * B very ' jciu te tWt 8 r £$% ns jure * * I , MW | ^^ j .-The ^^^^ eiuiriis J ' sal of the aulhrjrrtie ' B iu wtnbet , including strong

  • Citation
    • Northern Star (1837-1852), Dec. 23, 1848, page 1, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse-os.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/periodicals/ns/issues/ns2_23121848/page/1/