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AR Central and Election THE NORTHBflK ST...
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A PUBLIC S O I R t: E
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Ibos Mouldess.—A general meeting of iron moulders was held at Tipton on Monday last. Tbe
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meeting was determined, to a man, not to...
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THE NOKTHEEN STAR, SATfJBDAY, JANPART29, 1848.
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THE WORKING CLASSES VINDICATED FROM THE ...
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* The Westminster reviewer evidently kno...
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THE STARVING POOR. Last week we dwelt on...
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Co Gators! &£orr*0iwiffia? tg*
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MISCELLANEOUS . j®- Parliament will re a...
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TO THE CHARTISTS OF DERBY. My Friends,—I...
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Transcript
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Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software. The text has not been manually corrected and should not be relied on to be an accurate representation of the item.
Additionally, when viewing full transcripts, extracted text may not be in the same order as the original document.
Ar Central And Election The Northbflk St...
THE NORTHBflK ST . A . R .. - _ - ^ m »!> , iM & g
A Public S O I R T: E
A PUBLIC S O I R t : E
Ad00412
DHDEB . THB HANA 9 EHEHX tt THE METROPOLITAN CHARTIST COUNCIL , WlM . BB HELD AT THE NATIONAL HALL , 242 , HIGH HOLBORN , 0 A WEDNESDAY EVENING , FEBRUARY 2 nd , im , Ir honour of T S . DDNCOUBE , H . P ., T . WAKLBY , M . P ., aad F . O'CONNOR , M . P ., for their able and Mftio & iervteMto t he cause of the people . Eisest Jonks , Barriittr-at-Law , Author of tie' Wood Spirit , '' My Life , ' * Romance of a People / & o ., & c „ will preside . Tea on the Table « t half-past Five o ' efock precisely , Ti 5 < etB 1 * . 3 d- each » m * l DB ° Dtaine , J at 'k * e £ Bce of the ffattonal Land Company , IU , High Eolborn ; at the Be of tbe Northern Btax , IS , Great Windmill-street , Hajmarket ; or at any of the meeting rooms of the tJLte * oftne National Chatter Association . At half-past Seven o ' clock the public will be admitted to the Hall at a charge of Twopence each , when the KeeiinB will be addressed by the abore distinguished Reformers , and other friends of the People ' s Charter ,
Ad00413
INSTRUCTION , COHliUKICi-TION , AND DEFENCE FOB THB MILLION . U-. iivn U 8 trev $ &; R \ u > alei 3 t is POUtr . — BiOON . Tst Misebs , Tbabk , and the Industrious Classes generally , will find it t » be their interest and advantage to read aad support _ THE MINERS * AD 70 CATE , MANX INTELLIGENCER , and TRADES' FREE PRESS ; which is Edited -nd . Published by Mr Wm . Dajuells , in anew and iaprfV £ lform , inDouglt . s , Isle of Man , and is an organ of instruction , communication and defence for the Miners and Trades of Great Britain ; at the same time it will ako advocate the rights , and expose * the wrongs of Labour ; and will Ukewiseinsert the differeat grievances UBder wlrfch the Miners and Trades suffer , if sent and properly authenticated . - One ol ' the principal objects ef the Misters' Advocate ^ gn Ts adks" Feze Feksb will be to endeavour to break ¦ down and expose the injurious tendency of the prejudices and ill feeling which , unhappily , too much prevail among worlring : men , and which prejudice and ill-feeling the selfish sb < 1 unprincipled among the master-class have in-Tariablyused as means to itill farther depress andenslare fiie Wealth Producers . Seeing that it most certainly it the interest « f the Industrious Classes to hold a good understanding witheach other , and to cultivate a spirit of unity ¦ andfriendship withaach other , for mutual assistance and defence , we shall labour incessantly to overthrow the pernicious « Aristocracy of Trades f aud we shall als > endeavour to instruct as well asamuso , being convinced that ' ' one thing needful' among the working classes is in' formation and a knowledge of their rights , and worth , -sad ussinlness * , that knowledge once obtained , a rapid Improvement iu the moral and physical condition of tho - ' aH-usecl and oppressed toiling millions would speedily fol-The Advocate will belong to no particular political partvor religious sect , but will pro a fair and impartial -epitome of the proceedings in the Political and Religious "World ; and besides giving Papers on the Ventilation of anuExp ' osionsaud Accidents in Mines , and on Mines -aatl HUAog operations , it will likewise give a condensed r « t faithful report of the News of the Day ; in fine , itist : ^ ' intention of the Proprietor , should he meet with due encouragement and support , to make the Advocate . not caly an organ of communication for the Miners and Tradff , and an exponent and defender of the Rights of lafeour , but a . „ . „_ USEFUL FAMILY NEWSPAPER . Beisgpabluhedinthe Isle of Man , it is allowed the privilege to go Postage Fsee , and can be posted in any part of the United Kingdom ,-thus giving it all the advantages of a regular Stamped Newspaper . ADVERTISERS Who wieh to give extensive publicity to their business , ¦ will find it advantageous to advertise iu the pages of the Hikebs' advocate A * D Trades' Feee Pbess , the average circulation of which , during the last twelve months , "iasbeen upwards of 5 , 000 , in England , Scotland , and IT ale-.: besides , there heing no ttamp duty in the isle of Han , i are enabled to insert Advertisements much cheaj ¦ than the newspapers which are published in Engh ,. :. Scotland , and Wa ' les , and which pay a duty of Is 6 d . ic ; ' each advertisement to Government . The Aotooats is now printed in the Quarto farm ; it Contains tWentJ . fOUr Columns of closely printed matter , price Tto Pence , and as the Third Volume has just commenced , it forms a favourable opportunity for the comxnencemeut of New Readers . OFFICE . —No . i , Post Ojiee Flaee , Douglas , Isle of Man T 7 h « - < j Orders , Advertisements , and Communications should be sent addressed to the Editor ; Orders and Ad-Terttsments will be also received by all respectable Book-Sellers and News-agents in Town and Country . Douglas , Isle of Man , January , 1818 .
Ad00414
Now ready , in one thick Svo . volame , price 5 s . THE POLITICAL WORKS OF THOMAS PAINE , new first collected together , and to which aru added Several pieces never before published in England ; and en appendix , containing the Trial of Thomas Paine , at QuUdhsll ; with a portrait of tbe author . Complete In two role . 8 vo . pries 12 s ; , VOLTAIRE'S PHILOSOPHICAL DICTIONARY , "With two well-finished Portraits of the Author . In two vols , price 5 * ., published at 9 s ., SHE DEVIL'S PULPIT , BytheR ^ v . RoSES . 1 TaTLOE , B . A . In one handsome volume , price 6 s ., CARLILE'S MANUAL OF FR & EMAS 0 NRY , Originally published at 15 s . Cotaplete in 1 vel ., price 5 s ,, THE DIEGESIS . By the Rev . Robeet Tatlosi . A complete set of < X > 3 BBTT ' S POLITICAL REGISTER , For sale , 83 vols ., kalf-calf ; W . Dagdale , IS , Holywell-street , Strand .
Ad00415
CHARTISM AND . ITS OPPONENTS . THE HE PUBLICAN forFEBBDAar , now ready , price Tv . - -pence , contains a refutation of the Slanderous Ettack .- ;_ -nd Wilful Misrepresentations of the 'British Banner , ' ct the Charier and Chartists ; also articles bySilverpen , V . \ J . Linton , and Edward Tvul . Lon <; --n : James Watson , Queen ' s Head-passage , Pateraoster-row , and by order of all booksellers .
Ad00416
WEST RIDING OF YORKSHIRE . WAKEFIELD ADJOURNED SESSIONS . NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN , that the Christmas General Quarter Sessions of the Peaco , for the West Riiinff of the County of York , will be held by adjournn . erit in the Committee room , at tbe House of Correction , at Wakefield , on Thursday , ths Tenth day of February next , at Twelve o'clock at Noon , for the purpose of inspecting the Riding Prison ( tho said House of Correction ) , and for examining the Accounts of the Keeper of t he said House of Correction , making Enquiry into the conduct oi the Officers and Servants belonging file same ; and also into the behaviour of tho Prisoners , and their Earnings . C . H . Elslei , Clerk of the Peace . Clerk of the Peace ' s Office , Wakefield , 25 th January , 18 « S .
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THE O'CONSOK TARTAN . ME JOHN GREGORY , Draper , Eccles , near Manchaster , begs respectfully to inf-, rm his Democratic friends in Manchester , Stockport , Ashton , Hyde , Oldham , Bury , Heywoud , Bolton , and Leigh , that he has become Agent for the sale of THE O'CONNOR TARTAN , and intends to wait upon his friends , in the above-named places , i ; i the course of a few days , with a select stock of Ladies' Shawls , Scarfs . Handkerchiefs , Silk and Woollen Dresses , Gentlemen's Vestings . < tc . < fcc , when he trusts he shall receive the patronage and support of his numerous friends .
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TO FEMALE MEMBERS OF THE NATIONAL LAND COMPANY , AND OTHERS . WANTED , by an Allottee , a PARTNER . Age 40 . Any one wishing to accept the offer , upon sending a letter ( pre-paid ) , and stating their circumstances , to D . B ., Se . 31 , Weston place , Westoa-street , Bermondsey , 'will be answered by return of Post . THE LAND . A TWO-ACRE ALLOTTEE wishes to DISPOSE of his ALLOrMENT ( through an eajragement in a distant part of the country ) , togetner with the crop , consisting'of Wheat , Vetches , Fruit , and other Trees , Apply to Mr John Wallace , Lowbands , Redmarley , Ledbury , Worcester .
Ad00419
PORTRAIT OF FEARGUS O'CONNOR , Esq ., M . P ., T MARTIf informs his friends and the Chartist body - generally , that he has reduced the price of his lithograp hic full-length portrait of their Illustrious Chief to the following price : —Prints . Is ; coloured ditto , 2 s . 6 d , PEOPLE'S EDITION . To be had at the Northern Stab office , 16 , Great Windmill-street , Haymarket ; Sweet , Goose G : ite , Nottingham ; Heywood , Manchester , and all booksellers in the United Kingdom .
Ibos Mouldess.—A General Meeting Of Iron Moulders Was Held At Tipton On Monday Last. Tbe
Ibos Mouldess . —A general meeting of iron moulders was held at Tipton on Monday last . Tbe
Meeting Was Determined, To A Man, Not To...
meeting was determined , to a man , not to submit to any reduction of wages . Several able speeches were delivered , and the following resolutions unanimously passed : — ' That a reduction of moulders ' wages is uncalled for , unreasonable , and unjust—as there is no fixed price on castings , like unto malleable iron ; secondly , aa tho fall in the price of pig iron is beneficial to foundry masters , rather than injurious ; and , thirdly , because moulders ' wages are sever raised with a rise on the price of castings . ' It was alio resolved : — ' That , as there is no lack of order ? , it is oppressive in the highest degree on the part of masters to attempt a reduction of wages , as the present rate of wages is not adequate to the very high , price of provisions . ' A vote of thanks was then passed tO the chairman , and the meeting was adlnnrnfid .
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ToWBB Hamlets . — Mr John Shaw , of 24 , Gloucester-street , Commercial road , will giveevery information respecting , and * enrol member * in the ' National Co operative Benefit Society , ' for the southern division of the Hamlets . The Natiosal Registration and Cbntraz , Electi-k Committee will meet at S 3 , Dian-streer , Seho , on Tuesday evening next , Fsb . 1 st , at eight o ' clock precisclv . The NaTi-. vAi , Victim CoMMiTrBK will meet at the same place and hour , *
Ad00422
JUST PUBLISHES , ( FaKbra with the " Labobbeb" Magaelae , ) Priea 6 d . A PRACTICAL TREATISE ON SPADE A HUSBANDRY , being the results of four years' experience , Br J . Sillett . M'fiowan and C «„ 16 , Great WiadnilLstreet , Leudon and may be had of all booksellers .
Ad00423
Just Published , price One Peany , A LETTER by Feaboos O'Cokkos , Es « ., M . P ., 'TO THE HIGH ASD THE POOR ; To those who Live in Idleness Without Labour , and to those who are Willing to Labour but Compelled to Starve . ' vaMMWH ^* Price 2 s . per 109 . or 18 » . per 1 O 00 . i TITHAT MAY BE DONE WITH THREE ACRES V V OF LAND , ' Explained in a Letter , by Feakqc 0 'Comnos , Esq ., M . P . To be had at the Office of the National Land Company 141 , High Holborn .
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Now Ready , a New Edition of MR . O'CONNOR'S WORK ON SMALL FARMS To be had at the Northern Star OSce , 16 , Great Wind sill Street ; and of Abel Heywood . Manchester .
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Will be published on tha 1 st of February , mcB BllPENCS , HO . XIV . OF " THE LABOURER , " containing A TREATISE OK THE SMALL FARM SYSTEM AWD THE BANKING SYSTEM BT WHICH II 13 1 KTENDKD 10 BE DEVELOPED , BI FEARGUS O'CONNOR , ESQ , M . P . Letters ( pre-paid ) to bo addressed te the Editors , 16 Great Windmill Street , Haymarket , London . Orders received by all agents for the" North era Star " and all booksellers ia town and country .
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THE PORTRAIT OF MR JONES . This portrait wiH be in the hands of our Scotch agents in time for issue on the 29 th instant . Our agents in or near Edinburgh will have their parcels forwarded to the care of Messrs W . and H . Robinson , 11 , Greensidcstreef . Parcels for other parts of Scotland to the care of Mr W . Love , 10 , Nelsonstreet , Glasgow . ' Our Yorkshire , Lancashire , Lincolnshire , Nottinghamshire , Derbyshire , Cheshire , Leicestershire , Northamptonshire , Warwickshire , and Gloucestershire agents will receive the portrait in time for issue on Satnrday , February 19 th . Tho more southern counties , Wales , and Ireland , on the following week . Agents in the county of Durham must applv to Mr J . Turnbull , Side , Newcastle . Yorkshire , to Mr J . Cooke , 67 , Meadow-lane , Leeds . Lancashire and Cheshire , to Mr A . Heywood , 58 , Oldham-street , Manchester . Those agents having weekly book parcels from London will have the portrait sent in their own parcels .
The Noktheen Star, Satfjbday, Janpart29, 1848.
THE NOKTHEEN STAR , SATfJBDAY , JANPART 29 , 1848 .
The Working Classes Vindicated From The ...
THE WORKING CLASSES VINDICATED FROM THE CALUMNIES OP THE "EDU CA . TIONISTS . " " The pedant and the upstart , as upstart only can Have dared deride , in letter'd pride , the plain and work ing man , "
Of all the people on the face of the earth the working menof England are surel y the most foully calumniated . It is not many years since the concoctors of the infamous New Poor Law fabricated the most abominable falsehoods to excuse their daring assault upon the last vestige of the social privileges guaranteed by Old England to the industrious classes . According to Brougham , Chad wick , and the rest of the Malthusian gang , " Idleness and her sister Guilt stalked through the land ;" and England had become a den of demoralised
paupers and willing idlers ! The rhetorical rant and ribaldry of the Whig Chancellor were employed to propagate this atrocious lie , that so a pretext might be furnished for robbing the people of the last remnant of their ancient heritage . The poor were " thrown upon their own resources " by such men as Brougham and Wellington , whose living was derived from the sweat and toil of those very poor . Brougham , while urging that no relief should be given even to the sick and the aged , as it waa the duty of all , in the days of health and youth , to put by a store for the
futurethis same Brougham was at that very time scheming to increase the retiring salary of the Lord Chancellor from four to five thousand pounds yearly . He succeeded , and on his retiring from office—the rnan who had contended for throwing the poor upon their own resources —shamelessly took from those resources to support himself in idleness . He is still enjoying his five thousand pounds yearlv , taken froni the taxesj for no better reason than because , at a former period , he filled an office which brought him nearly three times that sum—an office , not merely useless , but positively injurious , and filled b y him most mischievously .
This Brougham was alwaysa great stickler for popular education . Indeed , the whole batch of Malthusian conspirators signalised , and still signalise , themselves by an affected regard for the " mental culture" of the people . The object of the New Poor Law was the utter prostration of the masses by starving and illtreating them into a state of internal competition for employment , and base submission to the classes above them , Fully comprehending this devilish scheme , no wonder that that great Englishman , Cobbett , held in the utmost abhorrence the wretches who , mouthing about " education , " at the same time exerted their
energies to bring : the people to live upon a coarser sort of food , and make them the hopeless slaves of the employocracy . In our day , the Educationists are still what they were in Cobbett ' s time—the pretended friends , but the real enemies , of the people . The last number of the Westminster Review contains an article on " Popular Colleges . " The article is based upon " Two Lectures on National Education " by the Rev . R . S . Bayley , of Sheffield . This reverend gentleman is not unknown to us . We remember him a few years ago as a notorious speechifier for the Anti-Corn Law League . We say " notorious / ' for Mr Bayley ' s admirers may remember a certain speech delivered by their
fiaro , which was construed by no inconsiderable portion of the public into an incitement of violence against the person of Sir R . Peel . Whether it was that the outcry raised by the Tory press on that occasion , consequent upon the reverend gentleman ' s speech , somewhat frightened him , or that the League did not launch out liberally enough to sustain their advocate ' s zeal , we cannot say ; certain it is , that this " bri g ht , particular star" of Free Trade went out like a farthing rushli ght , and a considerable time before Sir Proteus Peel ' s " healing measure" was submitted to the legislature , the Rev . R . S . Bayley had ceased his mission as ' , a " shining light'' to guidej the denizens of the ' city of soot , " in their pur-
The Working Classes Vindicated From The ...
suit of ' cheap bread , high wages , and plenty to do . ' ' Bynatureactive and restless , possessed of perhaps something more than ordinary abilitieswith that love of rule which alike impels the fortunate despot and the successful schoolmaster-Mr Bayley turned his attention from politics to pursuits certainly better calculated for his powers . It is recorded of Dionysius the younger , that , when expelled from Syracuse and compelled to take refuge in Corinth , he
turned schoolmaster , and exercised a discipline over boys when he could no longer tyrannise over men . The Rev . R . S . Bayley , finding j g ers angenerous the Chartists unruly , and the Tories something more than hostile , wisel y renounced statesmanship , and betoolc himself to the more fitting avocation of scnoolmaster . He founded the Sheffield People ' s College—a school for the youths and adults of both sexes , open to the scholars , before and after the hours of labour . '
We have no fault to find with this institution . We have heard and can believe that Mr Bayley is doing a great deal of good , and we congratulate him on having turned his talents to such good account—certainl y to a much hotter than that of misleading the multitude for the benefit of a few tyrannical manufacturers and plundering millocrats . Our present quarrel ia not with Mr Bayley but with his admirer and commentator—the writer in the Westminster Review . The reviewer seems to . have borrowed his ideas and almost his words from the Whig ex-chancellor . He describes the working ; classes of this country as ignorant and immoral , and the fees of law and order
"The laws , * says he , "are submitted to rather than approved ; the other institutions are tolerated instead of exciting admiration and gratitude . Capital is regarded as the robber of labour instead of its patron and brother . Parochial relief is no longer dreaded as a badge . The police are treated as spies , instead of being supported as defenders / ' There is a good deal more of this stuff , containing , of course , a fair share respecting ths tavern and the pawnbroker ' s shop , the whole being rounded off as
follows : — " It is not too much to say , that the majority of the working clagaes- of this country are in a more generall y degraded state than the Flat-heads of the prairie , or the recently extinguished Mandans , the free-booters of Port Natal , or those stunted outcasts of the human race in New Zealand * Honour , truth , justice , and gratitude would at all events be found among the latter , to a ratio fully as great as would be obtained from by no means the worst selections from the mine , the loom , or the wheel . "
The working men of England may here see what their insolent friends (?) the "Educationists" think of them . The above pretended description , however , hag no foundation in reality . It does not even apply to the very lowest section of the populace—the outcasts of our social system . If it did , could society have thus far escaped some dreadful explosion ? We admit that there is a sore amount of ignorance and poverty , and consequent degradation to be foundjinthe lowest stratum of oursocialsystem , hut to speak of the majority of the working classes as degraded below the state of savages and insensible to honour , truth , justice , ' and gratitude , we denounce as a vile and calumnious falsehood .
The contrary is the fact . The only sound portion of society is the working class . The class above them—the shopocracy—is notoriously the most ignorant and corrupt of all classes . The extent of their knowledge is limited to the art of buying cheap and selling dear—bullying those below them , and fawning to those above them . The very number of the Westminster Review containing the article we are commenting on , contains also a frightful exposure of the corruption of the electoral class , as evidenced at the late general election . The villanous " truck system , " and -the
universal adulteration of articles of food , sufficientl y exhibit the morality of this class 1 The haute bourgeoisie—the millocrats , the leviathan merchants , the great capitalists , and the fund-mongers , believeneitherin God nor manneither in religion nor philosophy—neither in public spirit nor private virtue—neither in their country nor the human race—neither in loyalty nor in cosmopolitism;— - Mammon is their deity , profit-mongering their mission , and the pursuit of money , the one object of
their existence . Their church and chapel going is hypocrisy their morality a sham ; and their regard to the outward decencies of life , part of their nicely calculated system " Whited sepulchres ''—fair without , but foul within . They have all the vices of the Carthaginians without their virtues . Tho arch-profitmongers of the ancient world were at least grateful to the people from whom they sprang , and in the hour of their country ' s dissolution , exhibited a spirit of self-sacrifice which half redeemed them from the odium of their enormous
crimes ; but our Punic princes , who repay the people for all they take from them with insult and oppression , * would see unmoved their country perish , if they might but preserve their darling wealth . The gates of Paris were opened to the allies , not by the proletarians of that city , but by the bourgeoisie—a class whose character in that country is sufficiently evidenced by the infamous corruption and despotism of the government which they founded , and which exists but by their sufferance .
Our " nobles' are spendthrifts and debauchees in their youth , and intellectual " incurables"in their maturity . The insolvent condition of many of their order , and the miserable state of the peasantry to whose toil they owe their greatness , sufficiently proclaim their character . The Church is certainly not renowned for its morality , and the notorious and gigantic abuses ot that establishment testify to the character of its ministers . The Houses of Lords and Commons are the reflex of the aristocracy and the middle class , and no wise man expects to gather grapes from thorns , or figs from thistles .
The Court is a gilded fraud—a chief magistrate without power , and to whom the people have no access ; a set of creatures who have nothing to do but to spend other people ' s money , yet can only spend it meanly ; and a crew of noble lords and ladies , calling themselves " gold sticks" and " silver sticks , " and playing the part of he and she flunkies for the sake of a fewthousand pounds yearly , wrung from the hard earnings of the poor , is a spectacle' te ; excit $ the ridicule and contempt of the world .
The working classes may safel y defy comparison with the classes above them . Is it on the score of industry ? They do nil the hard work , and not only support themselves , but all the ; other * classes of the community . Is it economy ? The millions of human beings who , on a few shillings weekly , struggle to keep out of debt and' the bastile the millions of pounds lodged in Savings ' Banks , Benefit Clubs , secret orders , and trades ' unions , all intended for self and mutual support , proclaim the economy of the majority of the working classes . Their morality will not suffer
from a comparison with the respectable vices of the middle class , and the refined debaucheries of the " hi g her orders . " As regards intellect , their common sense is more than a match for the book learning of the educated classes . We will , if required find threeworking men who shall undertake to discuss any question in political economy with Cobden , Bright / and Colonel Thompson . We will not pretend that the working classes , as a body , are immaculate ; there are some who are idle—more who are profligate-many who are ignorant , and a large number -who are indifferent to the political duties they owe to their country , themselves ,
The Working Classes Vindicated From The ...
and their ^ cliildren ; but the majority ares ^ 'jad at the heart , and their class constitutes the germ of England ' regeneration . The virtues of the working classes are all their own ; their vices are the effects of the institutions to which they are subjected , and the unjust rule and infamous example of those who g overn them . Indeed , the writer in the West ' minster Review admits this , by charging upon a " jobbing Parliament , " " a lucre-loving
Church , " and a " vicious Aristocracy , " the sin of having first corrupted the labouring poeple . Towards the conclusion of his article , the reviewer exclaims , "We are reaping the dreadful harvest which a thousand years'misgovernment have produced . " Yet , with this admission , he nevertheless has the assurance ta hold up his hands in horror , becausej our " glorious institutions" excite neither the " gratitude" nor the " admiration" of the millions .
But the grand secret of the reviewer ' s hostility to the working class has yet to be told . The fact is , that it is not their ignorance , so much as their knowledge , that alarms him . It is the march of political intelligence that strikes him with terror . It is the progress of Chartism that he regards with horror , and would fain obstruct . Hear him ; "Over millions of the working classes , several of the lamp-post orators that we could-name , wield an influence far greater than that of the Throne and the Par liament . " This we accept , as not more true than complimentary . We are very far j from being ashamed to be numbered with " the
lamp-post orators . We are rather proud than otherwise to avow that we have , in our time , " preached truth from a woodfp ile . ' ' But see how this clever reviewer has answered himself . Men in the lowest depths of ignoa-ance ^ and degradation are not the raw material from which stern and virtuous Democrats are manufactured . Chartism has no hold upon those miserable outcasts at the bottom of the social scale , who are really ignorant and degraded . Men mustflhave at least some degree bfihtelHgence to understand the "Six Points ; and those who out of their miserable wages scrape together some pounds to
purchase their shares in the Land Company , possess , at least , the virtue of economy—and , consequently , are free from drunkenness and other vices hostile to frugality . The reviewer says that " the lamp-post orators' * have a greater influence than is enjoyed b y either the Throne or the Parliament over millions of the working class . -We have shown the character of those millions , that they are both intelligent and virtuous ; how , then , will the reviewer make good his assertion that the majority of his muchwronged c ountrymen are , in moral and intellectual standing , below the savages of New Zealand ?
But the Westminster reviewer further convicts himselfi He admits , that not only are 4 he people acquiring political intelligence , but political power also . " This degraded population , " says he , : " is acquiring , at an immensely rapid rate , such a portion of tbe political power of the country , as , coupled with its previous command of the physical force , will , at no distant period , give the real mastery of England to the violent part of the working classes and their representatives . " In proof of this , he instances the Chartist triumphs at the recent
municipal elections , particularly at Sheffield , where the working men " p laced nine partisans of their own in the corporation . " He predicts that November , 1848 , will witness a still great number of popular victories ; and , looking " seventy years" forward , he asks , "What will be the condition of England , if the leading corporations , with their local influence , power of taxation , connexion with the courts of civil justice , the town charities , and the Parliamentary representation , be wielded by the uneducated classes ?" We must correct the reviewer . In the first
place , the working classes will not require the term of seventy years to work out their political emancipation . We have faith that it may not require a tenth of that time to see the people in possession of " their ain again . '' Secondly , the Government of this country—local and general—never will be " wielded by the uneducated classes . '' When men begin to think of acquiring political power , they are already partl y educated . The very efforts to obtain that power improve their education . And the exercise of power , when obtained , must complete their education .
But our Radical reviewer seeing nothing but evil in the masses acquiring political power , proposes to lure them from the pursuit of their political rights by the red-herring scent of " education . ' ' Having asked what is to hinder the growth of the power of the working classes , he answers : — " Nothing but a change in the feelings and political views of the operative classes . All that is now in action tends to politicise the artisan mind ; and nothing can
neutralise that state but the introduction of better tastes and higher aims . " In the name of common sense , we ask , what " better tastes and higher aims ' ' can there be , than the exercise of the ri g hts of citizenship , for our country ' s and mankind ' s welfare ? And if there be " better tastes and higher aims , '' why do not the " educated classes ' ' pursue them , and renounce their political privileges ? Ah ! gentlemen , we see through your craft . The cloven foot is but too visible . You would
educate us , not , as you sometimes pretend , to fit us for the exercise of political rights , but to make us indifferent to those rig hts . And you call yourselves " Philosophical Radicals . " We comprehend your philosophy . Girondists of England , you consider the working millions excellent " explosive material to blow up bastiles with , " and frighten a degenerate aristocracy into the concession of Reform Bills : but when those millions aspire to share with you the advantages of society , then—liberal philosophers that you are ' . —you will give them " Education ! " Education that shall fit them to be willing slaves
Men of the working class , these "Educationists" are your enemies , and the worse enemies , that they come to you in the guise of "friends . " The Serpent in Eden was an honest reptile , compared with these gentry , who propose—not to instruct you in the knowledge of good and evil—but to educate you to be unconscious of the evil you suffer from abominable institutions , and indifferent to the good which might be yours , if , thundeiing in the ears of your oppressors , " Man is man , and who is more ? " you were to insist upon the recognition of your just and inalienable rights as men and citizens .
Ye millions of the unprivileged order , turn neither to the rig ht hand nor to the left , but steadily march forward in the path of your political regeneration . When the Westminster Reviewer sees , as we trust he will see , the realisation of all his fears—when he shall see you in possession of your own—the Corporations , the Town Charities , the Courts of Justice , and the Parliamentary Representation , you will then be in a position to give your " children an Education which neither Oxford nor Cambridge can afford the scions of your oppressors—an Education which shall throw into the shade even the best that ancient Athens could afford her most favoured children .
Proletarians of England , you need not wait seventy years , you need not wait even seven , to establish this happy state of things . If you but will your freedom , you may at once be free . You see the end , you know the means . Up , then ! and with heart and soul struggle for vour CHARTER !
* The Westminster Reviewer Evidently Kno...
* The Westminster reviewer evidently knows as much about the New Zealandern as lie does about his own conntrjnicn—something worse than nothing ! He oucjMto know that the New Zealundors are noble iu person , wise in council , and brave in combat . Had the New Zaaland . ers the advantage of European disci pline , and were they fully supplied with the material of warfare , the English would not be tho mjisters of oven a portion of their country .
The Starving Poor. Last Week We Dwelt On...
THE STARVING POOR . Last week we dwelt on the subject of the increasing destitution . This subject still presses itself , with fearful force , on our attention . It is the all-important question—one of life and death—one that brooks not temporising or delay—but one that demands prompt and imperative relief . Not alone Ireland , but England , too , presents pictures ! of soul-
The Starving Poor. Last Week We Dwelt On...
hanwingmisery . Inland , ^^ rchbwhop of Tuamfin his letter to Lord Shrewsbury , describes , with fearful minuteness , the Cv > n « ition of his countrymen . He describes Mb . " self as surrounded by crowds of persons ;—Old and young , some faltering from hunger as they approached , others with 8 uch miserable shreds of tattered clothes , that I am convinced they would have died under the roof , if roof they had still , r » - ther than issao with such a wretched garb to expose themselves to tho public gaze ; all crying out to me for food for that one day ' s sustenance , and shrieking with a that they were now thrown on the world to
gony starve banished foreverfrom the shelter of their little cottages . This , my lord , was no fanciful tragedy , represented in order to stimulate the palled rotanes of the world , and to substitute in the room of real sufferings , to which they are so callous , tbe scenie excitement of fictitious sorrows . No , their dismantled cottages lay before me af monuments to attest the truth of their simple aad artless story , and the smouldering screws of the broken roof were their only beds durinR the previous night , and the eye of one was so inflamed from the cold and from the amoko that issued from the burning rubbish and faggots i that Bhe is in danger of having lost its use forever
. .... rfhat , therefore , is to become of the hordes of miserable creatures , ouch aa I have described , who aro seen traversing tho country and besieging you in the public ways with the clamorous importunities of hunger ? They are driven from their homes to look for an asylum in the workhouses ; from tho workhouse they are again driven back to their homes ; but alas ! they have none , snd thus are exposed to certain death . But our sympathy is not enlisted for Ireland alone . As we stated last week , London
itself stands in emulative misery . The destitute , absolutely houseless , tireless , foodless , and hopeless , in London a ! one , are computed at near upon fifty thousand I From ; this let the reader judge of the state of the factory towns . In Manchester , those working short time are above 4 , 700—those wholly out of work 7 , 153 , And let the reader reflect on what being out of work means—it means utter destitutionit means , hunger , cold , ; rags , disease , and death :
This week ' s reports from Ashton , Stalybridge , 1 Oldham , Rochdale , Bury , Bolton , Stockport , Middleton—from the towns of Yorkshire—from the entire country , reveal similar misery , and that the condition of the operatives is daily becoming worse . And what remedies 8 are applied ? Such as aggravate the evil ; expensive remedies , that absorb the principal part of the benefit by the expenseof conferring it . Starvation in a bastile ,
that keeps the parochial officers fat . Money sunk in building unions , that , applied to reproductive purposes . as the ' purchase of land for the poor , would gradually , but surely , render the bastile unnecessary . Puerilities , that would be ludicrous did they not inflict misery on the many . Take the following from Bradford as an instance . There being no suitable work ( in the opinions of the guardians ) to be found for the able-bodied
poor—One of the guardians gravely suggested that each pauper should be furnished with a certain quantity of wheat , and be required to count the number of corns every day ! Another guatdian suggested that , as tbe paupers might eat tbe wheat to satisfy their hunger , barley should be the grain . Ah ! each pauper should indeed be furnished with a " certain quantity of wheat , " and at the same time with a " certain quantity" of land to sow it in , and be allowed to reap it , and to enjoy the fruits of his industry .
The fallacy that Britain cannot support its population is easily refuted by a glance at its wealth . Where has there been a greater outcry against the wei ght of the Poor Law than in the Highlands ? One would suppose that the aristocracy and the millocracy , who have stolen their estates by usury , were on the brink of pauperism . Now , what are the re sources of those Highlands ? The annaal value of real property in the four counties of Sutherland , Ross , Inverness , and Argyle , is 597 , 496 J . 18 s . Yet the whole sum expended annually in these four Highland counties on the relief of the poor , including expenses of management and litigation , amounts only to
12 , 534 / . 7 s . 8 Jd . Thus the burden of tbe poor is but a small ^ fraction more than fivepence in the pound ! Let our readers compare these figures , and see how property performs its duties . Nearly six hundred thousand pounds per annum for a few rich men , and but f 2 , 534 ? . 7 s . 8 g d . for many thousands of paupers who have created or swelled those princely revenues , while those who are not admitted to relief—those who are too proud to beg and too honest to steal—drag on a miserable existence to an early grave , or fly from this classcursed country to perish as miserably in an alien colony . Meanwhile , we boast of our charities . Let
us boast of RESTITUTION . The constantly-increasing misery proves charity to be an idle mockery—poor rates to be a system that increases the evil it affects to remedy , making more paupers while it pretends to feed the few—bearing lightly on the rich , and crushingly on the poor . No wonder that , seeing the unwieldy mass of misery around—seeing the indolent incubus of wealth—seeing the fivepence in the
pound that reluctant usury gives to d y ing lahour—seeing those murders misnamed simply " deaths . by ^ starvation "—no wonder , we say , the heart of every honest man should swell with indignation , and humanity protest against class government . Yet the miserable hirelings of faction wish us to parley in soft converse with the spoiler—not to use hard words for their hard deeds—and to woo middle class favour , like beaten spaniels fawning on the hand that struck them—to shrink from our
name or to moderate our demands . No . ' let us , at least , call things ly their right names ; robbery is robbery , however they may g loss it over ; murder is murder , and such we will call it . And why should we swerve in our demands ? We demand but our right—and why should a man demand less ? To do so were cowardice ; and expediency equally points to constancy and determination . Let oppression see we are resolved to have our ri g hts—our whole rightsand they will tremble before that unity of will ; on the other hand , let them think we know not what to demand , or how much to insist on , and we may plead in vain !
Then , Chartists ! to your tents . Every day we are growing more united and strong—the crisis is rapidly approaching , as chaos and ruin are beginning to creep into the money-palace of the , monopolist . Prepare , then , for the National Petition—prepare for a NATIONAL CONVENTION—since such is now more than ever necessary , to bring its collective wisdom , and its democratic sanction , to bear upon the emergencies of the time .
Co Gators! &£Orr*0iwiffia? Tg*
Co Gators ! & £ orr * 0 iwiffia ? tg *
Miscellaneous . J®- Parliament Will Re A...
MISCELLANEOUS . j ® - Parliament will re assemble before our next number appears . After this week we shall be unable to find room for' Correspondence' unless of the greatest importance . Land and Chartist public mei'tings will , as usual , be fully reported when we are supplied with full and correctly written reports . We must request the local secretaries to make their reports of the ordinary branch and locality meetings at which only the usual business is transacted , acd the usual resolutions adopted , as brief as possible . As all should be represented ia our columns , each must be satisfied with small apace , except on the occasion of important public meetings .
PUBLIC MONIES . We request all Sub-secretaries , and other persens who may have occasion to send public monies to the Metropolis , to pay attention to the following directions : — Monies for the understated purposes must be addressed aa follows
;—- Payments for the Northern Star , Mr William Rider , 16 , Great WindmUJ-streer , Haymarket , London , National J-and and Labour Bank . Tho Manager of tbe National Laud and Labour Bank , No . 103 , Now Oxford Street , London . ' National Land Company . ' The Directors of the National Land Company , No Mt , High Holboro , London . ' National Charter Association , ' Mr Thorcas Clark , No , U 4 , High Holboro , London ,
Miscellaneous . J®- Parliament Will Re A...
I Central Registration and Election Commutes , ' « Mr James Grassby , No . 8 , Woab ' s Ark-court , ' Sta gate , Lambeth , London , ' National Victim , and Widens and Orphans Fund . Mr John Simpson , Elm Cottage , Waterloo-atm ^ f ( j fl > nberwcll , London . ' eet * Par bin W . Jones . Mr Soh 3 Simpson , Elm Cottaga , Waterloo-stree tt CamberwelJ , ZoVdon . ' Mrop Mtan Chartist EM . « Mr — Tapp . No . ft , Nnrtur j Market , Londonf Defense of Mr . O'ConnH '' * < at in Parliament . ' Mr Thomas Clark , No . Ui , High Holbsrn , London . ' . Prosecution of the ManehetK . Examiner . Mr Thomas Clark , No . 144 , High . Holborn , Loudon , ' The SUaford Case . Mr Thomas Clark , No . 144 , High Holboro , Loncron , , The Frstternal Democrats . ' G . Jalian Harnnj , No . 16 , Great Wlndmlll-stfe , ^ Elaymarket , London . '
United Trades'Association . Mr Barratt , No . 11 , Tottenham Court Road London . ' " ggT Monies sent contrary U the above direotienj i will not be acknowledged . % * Private letters intended for Mr O'Connor , « kJ sent to this office , must be marked ' Private . ' Correspondents are requested not to trouble Mt O'Connor with letters , reports , & o „ intended for tbe Star ; nor with any letters that should bo addressed as set forth above . $ &• The report of the great meeting at Birmingham , baring arrived at a late hour on Thursday evening , compelled us to withdraw sereral articles , including an editorial comment on tbe Irish Special Commission , which shall be given in our next . Halifax . —Very reluctantly we are compelled to postpone tha publication of the report of Mr Jones ' address to his constituents at Halifax .
bmshobn Cnnr . —We can maka nothing of your letter You rauit write plainer . The Woolcombsbb . — 8 . P ., after drawing a frightful ful pictnre of the condition of the woolcombers , and very properly condemning the apathy of a too largo portion ef the working classes , who though miserable to tbe last degree hare never yet made an earnest effort to overthrow tho existing accursed system , suggests that the above-named class of operatives should make strenuous exertions to bring their grievances before Parliament . He proposes tbat the combers of Bradford . Halifax , and Leicester should act in concert . Tho
combers of Bradford , being the most numerous , to take the lead . Tho first large meeting at Bradford to choose seven talented patriots to draw up a list of grievances . The lint to be sent to Halifax to choose fire to draw tip a list , Leicester to do the name . The list of grievances to be followed up by a petition for tbe carrying out of the Land Plan bjfeoTernnaent . as proposedjin Mr CCon . nor ' s petitioni Each comber to contribute one penny , to defray the expenses of the agitation . Onr correspond dent strongly urges the combers , and working men ge . nerally . te exert every energy in support of the Char , ter , which if once obtained would be lab « ur ' s great
safeguard . Tub Nsw Land Comfamt . —A , Baprshaw , sub-treasurer of the National Land Company ( Norwich ) writes :- — 'I think the directors are going beyond their duty in establishing another Company without the consent ef tbe present one , seeing that they are the Company's ser . vanto . lam also of opinion that no New Company ought to be established , until the present Company is duly registered . Ma O'Conhob , and Mb Mitchbi ,. —William Jones expresses his surprise at ' theVsemi-lnvitatlon' given by Mr O'Connor to Mr Mitchel , late of the Natioh , In the former gentleman ' s letter , published in the Stab of Jan . loth . W . J . desires to knew whether Mr Mitchel was the author of that infamously celebrated article in the Natioh , in which the Charter was denounced as an ' abomination r * and the writer , sneaking of the division
betweenEngli « hmen and Irishmen , said , that he had no wish to 'bridge over the gulf ; ' but , on the contrary desired to make it' wider and deeper ? ' iNQtHRT . —A relative of mine , a younpr man , who took tbe unwise step of joining the British party , who went to assist Dun Pedro in his struggles in Portugal , not having been heard of since by his friends , can yon inform me how , snd where we can obtain any information respecting him ? W . C . Betekljt . ftoBKRT Ehmht . — Can any person inform me where I can procure tho beat copy of the life and trial of Robert Emmett , who was tried for high treason in 1803 . —T . Hi-. 'hton , Stoclcport . Mr Bablow , Ipswich . —It is sent to Mr Creaiey . Why do you not furniih us with tbe name ! There are many persons in Manninfftree . B . Robebtsok . —We must , as Dickens ' s barber says ,
' draw the line somewhere . ' You overwhelm ua . We have not room for your last communication . T . T . Mirrxl-l , Oldham . —Write to P . L . Simmonds , Esq ., CoioNUL Magazine Office , Barge yard , Bucklers , bury , London , who will supply any information respect , ing the Colonial and American newspapers . J . Evan . — Your poetry is under consideration . Its length will prevent us doing anything with it at present . A . Brother Patbiot . —Declined . LiTEEroot . —The Oh & rlists of Liverpool are hereby informed that we cannot insprt any communications sent by a Mr Thomas Jones . That person must possess the impudence of a highwayman ' s hone , to imagine that we would publish anything from him , after the insolent letter he sent us some time ago .
Notices of Meetings holden at Derby , Rochdale , and one or two other places , are unavoidably postponed 'Foreign . '—P . E ., Paris ; CM ., Brussels ; andV . T ., Liege : expect letters on the 9 th or loth of February . R Lact , Wootton-under-Edge . —Received . Shall be { attended to at next Mondiy ' s meeting . T . Sf . WHEitEB , and J . Gaxitetj . " —Next week . Obsebter , Plymouth , —No room . Mr Linton . —Next week . B DaooMoor . s . —Next week . Mr Kydd . —The meetine at Greenwich , with it full report of Mr Kydd ' s speech shall be given in our next . It was impossible to find room for it this week . A ' Naytib . '—Tour excellent letter shall appear in our next .
John vaboban , Chester . —No room . G . Cavill . —Received . R . Findlit . —^ hall be inserted . S . W .. Newton Moor , wishes to know if there is in existence a FOciety for the purpose of assisting working men to obtain patents for their discoveries . Our correspondent had better write to tbe editor of the Mecha . nic ' s Magazine . J . Farneix , Queen ' s-head . —No room . Manchester . —We have no objection to publish the letter to the' Journeymen Steam-engine Makers , & c ., 'but we must have tho address of the writer . Mb ToHtiNsow .-Mr Editor , I have just received a letter
from Chorley , in answer to one with my signature to it , which has been sent without my knowledge or consent , recommending Mr A . Tomlinson as a lecturer . As other places may have received similar letters I beg to state that I never aent any letter aa West Riding secretary , recommending Mr Tomlinson to any locality whatever , I did , in my private capacity , once recommend Mr T . to our friends at Wakefield , as a lecturer . In stating this much I have no wish to depreciate Mr T's . abilities a » a lecturer , but it is tbe improper use of my name that I deprecate . —Wm . Lact , W . R . S . T Howard . —Wagering is a senseless , and often ruinous custom , which wo object to support by answering any questions founded thereon .
To The Chartists Of Derby. My Friends,—I...
TO THE CHARTISTS OF DERBY . My Friends , —I am heartily sorry that any procedure of mine should give rise to anything like acrimonious feelings between any of you and the editor of the Northern Star . I beg of you to dismiss from your minds the remotest idea that access to the columns of the People ' s Paper is denied to me . And in reference to the matter alluded to in last Saturday ' s Star , if blame , attaches to any one , it is to soyself , inasmuch as my friend , Mr Harney , asked we whether I would wish the insertion of the Report which appeared in the Derby paper ; but as a para .
graph had already appeared in the Star , and there being several inaccuracies in the Report of the Derby paper , I objected to its publication . The address , a document which I highly prize , should have accompanied the Report which appeared in the Star ; and now , with the permission of the editor , I shall make atonement for this dereliction by publishing an address , of which I can say , in all sincerity , I feel a high degree of pride and satisfaction , I remain , yours faithfully , Philip M'Gbath ,
ADDRESS TO MR PHILIP M'GRATH , LATE CAN . DIDATE FOR THE REPRESENTATION OF THB BOROUGH OF DERBY Honoured Sir , —In presenting you with this address , we humbly confess we are at a loss to find language sufficient to express our sincere and heartfelt gratitude to you , for the noble and gentlemanly conduct which was exhibited b y you in advocatin g the truly sublime princi ple of civil and reli gious liberty , at the late general election . Sir , on the present occasion , we but wish to express our sincere admiration at the energy , judgment , and moderation , which were displayed by you at that time ; conduct , which not only gave general satisfaction to the numerous persons constituting our own class , but to hundreds of others to whom the glorious principles of the ' People ' s Charter , ' were but little known .
" We beg , Sir , to thank yoa most cordially , as being the first person to come forward and commence an attack upon this stronghold of Whiggery and expediency , and to proclaim to that party which has so long held the sway in the choosing of representatives for this important borough , that as political Reformers , they have been weighed in the balance , and found wanting . And , Sir , we , as Chartists , are determined never to cease exerting ourselves , until we have thoroughly succeeded in returning men to Parliament , who are prepared to carry out the great principles of social and political reform , which are based upon universal justice .
Sir , we cannot forget to return you our thanks lot the valuable service you have rendered for a number of years to the cause oi political freedom . We are proud to say , that your labours in this glorious cause have been unceasing , and , we believe , eminently successful in leading saen to knowledge of those just rights which will sav * them from the evil effects of class-legislation . And we hope and trust that hk who watches over all things , will give yon health and strength to go on in your glorioua L warfare against misrule and injustice ; and . in oro
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Citation
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Northern Star (1837-1852), Jan. 29, 1848, page 4, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse-os.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/periodicals/ns/issues/ns2_29011848/page/4/
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