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4 4 THE NORTHERN STAR. March 7, 1846.
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fflOHOMAS COOPSB. THE CHARTIST'S WOBKS.
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Roval Polytechnic Institution.—We would call the attention of railway companies, engineers, <tc., to a
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very beautiful contrivance, which is now...
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THE lNOKTHEKiN STAR. SATURDAY, MARCH 7, 184fi.
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COMMERCE. THE STAPLE oTi'HE COUNTRY. COM...
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THE STllTJGGLE. The common law of the la...
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PARLIAMENTARY REVIEW. The recent "glorio...
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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.
4 4 The Northern Star. March 7, 1846.
4 4 THE NORTHERN STAR . March 7 , 1846 .
Fflohomas Coopsb. The Chartist's Wobks.
fflOHOMAS COOPSB . THE CHARTIST'S WOBKS .
Ad00407
_ITHJTHE PDEGATORY OF SUICIDES . A Prison Rhvme . In Ten Books . ( One Vol ., 7 s . 6 d . ) _« Tl _« The most wonderful effort of intellectual power promeed iced within the last century . "—17 k : Britannia . _< " Hi" Here we have a genuine poem springing out of the iiirit _tirit of the times , aud indeed out of the heart , aud exrr ienirience of one who has wrestled with , aud suffered to it . iis wis no other than a poem in ten books , by a Chartist , _« _d _wd who boldly sets his name and his profession of hharftarfem on the title-page . It is plain that he glories in isis pois political faith more than in his poetry ; nay , his verse i i bnfc but the vehicle of that faith . Yet , nevertheless , it is _i vigovigorous and most efficient vehicle . We must cordially _99 nfeonfess that we have read the whole with a _feehng « _jt _^ j _titigneigned astonishment . * . * * We _** ° £ ... , I _tiagneignett aSMnisnmeui . - . _» «¦ * of his _elotUe efl
Ad00408
To be ready next Monday , Pl"lCG Is TWO ORATIONS , AGAINST TAKING AWAT HUMAN LIFE , nnaer any Circumstanres ; and in explanation and defence of the misrepresented doctrine of "Non-Resistance . " ( Delivered in the National Hall , Holborn , on the evenings of February 23 th and March 4 th . ) By Thomas Coopek , the _Chmitist , { Author ofthe "I _' urgatory of Suicides , " & e . )—Chapman , Brothers , Ml , _Neirgare-sftvet .
Ad00409
COALS . PROVIDE FOR WINTER . PROVIDENT FAMILIES , subscribing Is . per week tc the Metropolitan Coal Company ' s Shilling Club , can obtain four liulf tons annually , without further charge , fkits , Ac . The Company ' s price current is , Best Screened Wallsend , 25 s . per full ton ; Seconds , 21 s ., 22 s ., aud 23 ss Coke , 17 s . cd . Oakc , 279 , High Holborn .
Ad00410
_FUNERAL _ECONOMY r _nPHE _CEUfcratrand _GB _^ fJ _^ _. f _^ J FUNERAL CARRI At * B & , _" _^ arrangements for performing every oea j . _u 6 o „ _ma w extras , by which _somoderate _^ _tojeO oo . » P _^ . - _^ _^ J the comfort of _oereav _^ _^ . _SiSBU- ! _« . ****** . totten - _SSroad ; and ISO , Union-street , _Southward _Shilttbeer ' s Talent Funeral Carriage , with two horses , ' 1 lis 6 d . ; Sing le Horse , £ 1 ls . A respectable Carriage Funeral , combining every charge , £ 4 4 s . Hearses and Mourning Coaches . Catholic Fittings . Four Horse Funerals . £ 12 12 s .
Ad00411
A GOOD FIT WARRANTED . UBSDELL AND CO ., Tailors , are now making up a complete Suit of Superfine Black , any size , for £ 3 ; Superfine West of England Black , £ 3 10 s . - , and the very best Superfine Saxony , , warrantee ! not to spot or change colour . Juvenile Superfine Cloth Suits , 24 s . ; Liveries equally cheap—at the Great Western Emporium , Nos . l and 2 , Oxford-street , London ; the noted house for good black cloths , and patent made trousers . Gentlemen can choose the colour and quality of cloth from the largest stock in London . The art of cutting taught .
Ad00412
BOND'S PERMANENT MARKING INK .. THE ORIGINAL , WITHOUT PREPARATION . For writing Initials , Names , or Ciphers , upon Linen , & c _, for the purpose of Identity . THIS Composition unites every requisite , and is admitted to be the only article similarly used , the mark of which does not run in the wash , and which has given satisfaction to every purchaser , U being univursallv preferred for les fixity and neatness of impression . Prepared by the Inventor , John Bond , chemist , 28 , Long-lane , West Smithfteld , and sold by most stationers , _& c . Price 1 * . per bottle .
Ad00413
O 0 LOSSEUM .-NOTICE . -PRICE OF ADMISSION DURING THE HOLIDAYS ! I Day Exhibition > # _- o Evening Do , . ' .. s _$ \ 6 U Children under Twelve Is . Stalactite Caverns Is . extra . _'I'lHE DAY EXHIBITION consists of the _Museum ot X Sculpture , Grand Picture of London , _Alliambru Conservatories , Corgcous Gothic Aviary , Classic Ruins , Swiss Cottage and Mont Blanc , with Mountain Torrent , 4 c . & c . Open from Ten tiil Four o'Clock . EVENING . —The new and extraordinary Panorama of _Lwdon _bi Night , Museum of Sculpture , _Conservatories , and Gorgeous Gothic Aviary , _& c , brilliantly illuminated ; Swiss Cottage , Mont Blanc , and Mountain Torront represented by Moonlight . Open from Seven till a Quarterpast Ten o'Clock .
Ad00414
ROVAL MARYLEBONE THEATRE . LESSEE , MK . JOHN _OODSLASS . FIRST Night of a new dnma , entitled the " Headsman ; or , the Gate of Terror . " First Night _tfcese two years of Mr . M . Howard . On Monday , and during the week , to commence with the " Headsman , " supported by the best company in London . To be followed by the farce of " Drawn for the Militia , " in which Mr . T . Lee will perform . To conclude , on Monday and Friday , with the " Reever _* s Ransom . " Jock Mun , Mr . Neville . On Tuesday , Wednesday . Thursday , and Saturday , the " Minute Gun at Sea . " Tom Tough , Mr . John Douglass , who wiU introduce a new Flag Hornpipe , Rayner , Harrington , & c . ; Mesdames Campbell , Neville , & c . Messrs . Abel and Rayner , with their Wonderful Dogs , will appear on Monday next . Stage Manager , Mr . Neville . Boxes , 2 s .: Pit , ls . ; Gallery , Cd .
Ad00415
REDUCTION OF PRICES . THE Trials of the Fifty-nine CHARTISTS , published in Eight Parts , at Sevenpence each , now offered in complete sets , at One Shilling per set . The same done up in cloth , with portrait , title , & c , Two Shillings per copy . Portraits , which from time to time have been presented with the _Northern Star , and latterly sold at One Shilling each , now offered at Threepence each : —Richard Oastler , Robert Emmett , John Frost , John Collins , P . XI . Mc'Douall , the Rev . J . R . Stephens . _Alew of Monmouth Court House during the Trial of Frost , Williams , and Jones . The First Convention . Letters of F . O'Connor , Esq ., to Daniel O'Connell , Esq . Published at One Shilling each , offered at Fowpence . Price Fourpmee , The Employer and Employed . By F . O'Connor , Esq .
Ad00416
FARMING . Just published , a new Edition , neatly done up in cloth , price 2 j . 6 d ., on THE MANAGEMENT OF SMALL FARMS . By F . O'Cossob , Esq . Manchester : AbelHcywooa , 3 S . Oldham-strcct . London : J . Watson , St . _Paul's-alley , Faternostcr-row ; and J . Cleave , Shoe-lane . And may be had of all booksellers and agents throughout the country .
Ad00417
. EDUCATION . This day is published , demy 12 mo ., cloth , price Eighteenpencc _, THE NEW ETYMOLOGICAL EXPOSITOR , or Pro . nouiicing Spelling Book ; containing a _selection of Words commonly used by the best writers , with their pronunciation , derivation , & c . By William Hill . Much care and labour has been bestowed upon the above work , so as to make it the very best of its kind . Also , by the same Author , price Is ., the Rational School Grammar . Also , price Is ., tbe Companion to the _Rution-il School Grammar . Abel Heywood , S 3 , Oluham . strect , Manchester : London , J . Watson , Paternoster-row ; J . Cleave , _Shoe-lane , Fleet-street ; and all booksellers .
Ad00418
Just published , by the Executive Committee | of the National Charter Association , Part I . of TH E POLITICAL WORKS OF THOMAS PAINE ! to be regularly continued until completed . This edition of tlie works of Paine has the merit of being the cheapest and neatest ever offered to the public . It will consist of five parts , stitched in wrapper , at sixpence each 5 and will be embellished with a beautiful vignette of the author , engraved exclusively for this work . N . B . Orders executed by T . M . Wheeler , General Secretary ; and by the various Sub-secretaries throughout the country .
Roval Polytechnic Institution.—We Would Call The Attention Of Railway Companies, Engineers, ≪Tc., To A
Roval Polytechnic Institution . —We would call the attention of railway companies , engineers , < tc ., to a
Very Beautiful Contrivance, Which Is Now...
very beautiful contrivance , which is now exhibiting at the above most useful establishment , and for which a patent has occn granted to a Mr . Coleman , of America . This model is for the purpose of proving that locomotive !! cm be so constructed as to ascend and descend inclined plains ou railways ; thus completely dispensing with deep cuttings , and that , too , without the aid of a stationary engine , or any ofthe contrivances at present resorted to , Thus a considerable saving in outlay is effected , amount . iu ' g , in some instances , to £ 150 , 000 per mile . The arrangement consists merely ofa number of horizontal rollers heing placed between the rails up the gradient ; aa _Avclictucdiau screw is placed underneath , and travels with the locomotive ; when running upon a level plain
the screw is at rest , and the power of the engine is exerted , as in ordinary cases , merely by the adhesion of the driving-wheels to the rails ; hut the moment it arrives at the foot of the gradient the driving-wheels are lifted off the rails , and the whole power of the steam is exerted upon tbe screw , tbe thread of winch is made to pass between the rollers , thus enabling the engine to ascend any gradient , no matter how steep . The model is made on a large scale , therails being about seventy feet long , and takes the form of an irregular curved arch , some parts of which consist of gradients rising one in ten , or 800 feet per mile . Yet with this fearful inclination , the little locomotive ascends and descends , drawing one or two passengers , with apparent ease . The arrangements certaialy do great credit to the inventor , and we trust that he will meet with such reward as the invention bids fair
to ensure . Svatosv . t > Murder . —The quiet _village of Conisdifiv , in a retired part ofthe county of _IlnrJiam , was thrown into a state of considerable alarm a few days ago , by a person having been found in the parish , supposed to have been robbed , and nearly dead from blows he had received on the head and face , apparently inflicted with some heavy weapon . On searching him , however , no property was missing , and after being warmed he rallied a good deal , and intimated , in reply to questions put to him , that his
name was Lawson ; that he had been at Staindrop , _collcctim ; some bills for a gentleman at Darlington , and that on his road home on the preceding night , near a place called Almnaly , a man rushed out of the hedge and knocked him down . His senses then left him , and , when bespoke next , he said lie thought there were three men came to him . but nothing cculd be got from him in any shape likely to lead to the apprehension of the perpetrators of the crime . Medical assistance was procured as soon as possible , but it was of no avail , and he died in the course of a few hours afterwards .
Very Beautiful Contrivance, Which Is Now...
_Fnosr , Williams , and Jones . —It is but justice to the Executive to state that they have waited upon many members of Parliament with reference to the liberation of Frost , Williams , and Jones , and that the promise of support has surpassed their most sanguine expectation . Lord John Russell even , although refusing his vote , says that it is only upon tke ground that he thinks it a question for Government , and not for the House of Commons . The debate will assuredly come on next Tuesday ; and , therefore , tbe readers of tho Star may expect a full report , with a list of the division , iu next week's Star . _^
Exiles' _Restoration _Cojimiiteb . —All Trades' bodies and individuals holding petitions for the release of Frost , Williams , andJoues , are requested to forward them to their destinations by Monday next , as Mr . _Duncombe brings forward his motion on Tuesday , the 10 th inst . —T . M . Wheeler , Sec . The _Executive axd tub _Comvjjstion . — We arc authorised to state , that while the _Executive heartily concurs in the propriety of the proposed Convention , that , nevertheless , they felt themselves bound , according to the laws of _thaawiiety to give notice of the annual Convention . We state
this , lest it may be supposed that the one may render the other unnecessary ; in fact , if the Executive was bound to call a Convention on the 19 th of April , and if circumstances made it necessary to call a Convention on the 12 th , which they have the power to do , it would be their duly to do so . As letters are constantly addressed to our office for Mr . Ardill , and Mr . Hobson , we beg to state that neither of those gentlemen reside in London . Mr . Hobson's address is , 3 , Market-walk , Iluddersfield .
Mr . ArdilPs is , Burley-crescent , near Leeds . Mr . Harney informs us , that he is put to much trouble in consequence of orders for the paper being inclosed in those for tbe editor , and requests that the practice may be discontinued . Mr . Haraey has quite enough to do iu his own department without being troubled with the business of the paper . We have also to request that those persons sending orders for the Star , will be good enough to send them distinct , and not mixed with the Land money .
The Lnokthekin Star. Saturday, March 7, 184fi.
THE _lNOKTHEKiN STAR . SATURDAY , MARCH 7 , 184 fi .
Commerce. The Staple Oti'he Country. Com...
COMMERCE . THE STAPLE _oTi'HE COUNTRY . COMPARATIVE CONDITION OF NATURAL AND AKTIFCIAL LABOURERS . The sophist will argue against _lo-ic , against reason , and against facts , substituting parables , and hypotheses for premises , and whimsical conclusions for legitimate deductions . Hence , we find that religious controversies between two sects , separated by the most slender ties , always give rise to the most angry discussion , because they are not susceptible of logical , or even reasonable proof . Upon the very same principle , the battle of free trade . has been invariably fought . Facts have been assumed ,
and conclusions have been jumped at , without other argument than " you ' re a Tory , " " you ' re a monopolist , " " ' re a spy ; " " What ! would you starve the people ? " "The meeting is ours , called to adopt conclusions , not to arrive at them by discussion . " And , perhaps , one of the most violent assumptions arrived at by this one-sided mode of controversy is , tbe false impression created by the League lecturers as to the superior condition of the manufacturing operative compared with the agricultural serf . It is well , hewever , that if competitive commerce denies to the artificial slave the power of calculating for himself , that there are yet some who are ready , will _, ing , and able to supply the want .
It is not long since the operatives of this country became acquainted with the use of figures , and begun to use them us a means of calculating profit and loss ; and as they are now partially instructed in the science of arithmetic , we shall proceed to give a full , complete , and irrefutable answer to the assumption that operatives are better ofi than agricultural labourers , and we shall dispel the fallacy that they are better paid . In all the transactions of life , whether it be in tenure , in insurance , or in purchasing annuities , the whole of life , with all its collateral
contingencies , is taken into minute calculation ; and as we see no reason why the poor should bo denied a practice which regulates the transactions ofthe rich , we shall take the whole of life of our respective clients into our calculation , aud we shall thereby be enabled to show the immeasurable , the incalculable advantages that the slow-plodding agricultural labourer , employed at even and healthy occupation , has over the goaded operative , ridden with the spur of machinery and the lash of capital , in his BLOODRUN through life .
We shall , firstly , proceed with an analysis so simple that all who run may read , and with that view shall here state the respective cases of our respective clients . Our brief is an extract from a public paper , and stands thus : — Popular Health . —The mean term of life stands re . spactively thus : —" The highest is the south-western counties in the following order : —Sussex , 55 ; Hants , 58 ; Dorset , 55 ; Devon , 56 ; Cornwall , 55 , the decrement in the last case is caused by the shorter lives ot the miners . The county of Lancaster has a mean of 86—the lowest county . Buman life in Devon is , on the average , there-1 ' , 20 years longer than in Lancashire . "
We shall commence with the life of a manufacturing operative ; and _allowing him from the age of 15 to 36 , the mean of life , to have earned at the rate of 15 s . a-weck during the whole period , without strike , dismissal , or deduction , we find that he will have earned in that time— £ s . d _. Wages 819 0 0 _Daduet for extra rent of house over agricultural labourer , ls . per week 5112 0 Sett wages ,. _£ 7 _fii 8 0 . - AGRICULTURAL LABOUREB . ——» From 10 to 15 at 5 s . per week 62 0 0 " 15 " 18 " 7 s . " ... ... 51 12 0 " 18 " 5 G " 10 s . " 988 0 U Additional wages for 10 weeks , during hay time and harvest , 10 s , per » vetk ... 190 0 0 £ 1-284 12 0 Deduct operative's wages during working life 7 cil 8 0 Balance in favour of agriculturallabourcr ... £ f > . _' 0 i 0 Now , we will divide the working liicof the operative , twenty-one years , into tlie £ 520 , and we find that it will leave within a fraction of £ 25 a year , or nearly 10 s . a week ; thereby showing that , to be upon an equality with the agricultural labourer , the operative should have had £ 1 5 s . per week for his working life . Nuw , that is taking the most advantageous view for the factory operative . It is allowing him to work uninterruptedly for twenty-one yeais , without a single bating , fine , dismissal , or deduction of any sort . We have set a figure fur the manufacturing
operative which las class cannot realise ; we have set a figure for the agricultural labourer niucll below what his class can realise . This is the mere arithmetical view of the question , and must stand as an answer to the general principle . If the Dorsetshire serf is paraded , we go to the SO 0 _. 00 O handloom weavers , with 2 s . OJd . per week . Nay , we go to tho best paid hands for the average . If the wages of overseers are taken into the calculation , we resort to stewArds , bailiffs , head gardeners , first coachmen , house stewaids , butlers , footmen , cooks , aye , down to the meanest scullion in Devonshire , and wo prove
our case thus : — Lancashire has a population of 1 , _CC 7 _, , and has £ 1 , 9 S 0 , 143 deposited in its several savings' banks . Devonshire has a populatiomi of 533 , 731 , and has £ 1 , 1112 , 072 deposited in its _several savings' hanks . There are 05 , 102 depositors in Lancashire , with its immense population ; and 49 , SCU depositors in Devonshire , with its scanty population . So that atout 1 in 101 in Devonshire is a depositor , while in Lancashire it is about 1 in 25 i . Tbe population oi' Lancashire is 1 , 133 , 333 more than Devonshire , while tbe deposits of Lancashire only exceed those of Devonshire by £ 4 . 88 , 0 Tl . We now take the far-tamed Dorsetshire .
Dorsetshire has a population of 171 , 713 , and has 11 , 470 depositors , and £ 412 , ( 123 deposited ; or , one in fifteen is a depositor . Dorsetshire has less than one-ninth ofthe populali of Lancashire , so that Lancashire , with her tall
Commerce. The Staple Oti'he Country. Com...
pr _« ud chimueys , and her roaring trade and high wages , to be equal in wealth with the crack County for the League , should have deposited A 713 , 6 $ 2 Now , who will undertake to answer these arithmetical facts ., Shall w * be told that the depositors in Dorsetshire are servants and gamekeepers ; if so , we answer , give us servants and gamekeepers in preference to starved operatives and beggarly shopkeepers . But we will not allow the fallacy to exist . If servants and gamekeepers do constitute a large portion of depositors in _Dorsetshire , shopkeepers , overseers , servants , and small masters constitute a large majority of the depositors in Lancashire . We have now stated the cases of our respective clients , and wo ask them whether tbey see just
cause for amalgamating into the thirty-six years standard of life , with alt the boasted advantages paraded in its behalf _t We now enter upon the consideration of man ' s feelings , man's hope , man ' s selfrespect , man ' s inducement to action . We prefer the village church to the manufacturing pot-house ; we prefer the village parson , with all the prejudices of his education , to the _iguorwit upstart steam-lord ; we prefer the wholesome _provisiens of the agricultural labourer to the pawed refuse purchased by the operative slave . And be it remembered , that we _baye made no calculation of the spot ef ground , even
although it were but six perches , occupied by the majority Of the agricultural labourers , while tho manufacturing operative seldom sees a green field . But these are mere calculations of comparative luxuries ; we come to health , to mind , to moral influences , to old age aud its feelings . Which is the most healthy—let those who have seen the hay field and tlie corn field at sun-Bet , aud those who have seen the back slums of manufacturing towns , with their squalid emaciated figures , tottering their way to the loathsome home by expiring gas-light , answer the question . Which is most easy—that work which is regulated by man ' s capability of endurance , or that in which
hundreds and thousands , of different strength and different temperament , are lashed to equal time and spurred to quickstep pace ? Which has the most moral influence over his growing family—the man who sees them every night , and from morning till night , or the man who never sees them but on Sunday , and seldom then ? . The man to whom his children look up , as an example , a monitor , and a guide , or the man whose jurisdiction is thrown oft ' when youth is able to earn for itself ? But in old age—if life is liberty , and if liberty is but the fullest enjoyment of life—which is younger , and still most able to work—tbe Devonshire labourer at fifty-six or the Lancashire operative at thirty-six ?
But suppose that both take leave of active life at those respective periods , who is most capable of enjoying the residue of his term—the healthy countryman , or the chronic , nervous , broken-down , used-up slave ? The same comparison holds that exists between the sleek , fat , plough-horse at twenty , who has drudged through life at slow pace , aud the sweated , physicked , excited race-horse , who has done his work at six years old , in his BLOOD-run threugh life-Again , look at tbe danger to which the men are respectively exposed ; and who will say that the life of the agricultural labourer is not in every way preferable to that of tho artificial slave . We have made no allowance for the extra value of agricultural youth , from ten to eighteen years of age , when they are for
tbe most part fed , and get extra wages , in bay-time and harvest . We have made no allowance for the job-work ; whereas , Cobbetthas well observed , "that the father finds profit and relief in a sheaf that has been here and there cut out of his way by an infant . " In plashing and breasting hedges , in making faggots , in weeding , aye , even in threshing and in reaping , and in all WOrk done by the job , the children from six years upwards can lend a helping and not unhealthy hand . In lead mines , and other dangerous service , men have increased pay iu consequence of the danger of their occupation—the operative has none . The miners actually court the risks and dangers to which tbey are liable , because they prevent the competition of those who would otherwise glut their market .
If a post-horse runs his stage , he has performed his day ' s work ; if tbe race-horse runs bis race , he has performed his ; if the bargeman must work as hard to serve a , tide , as he , would otherwise-be compelled to work by the day , ho would earn as much money by the job as for the day's work . This , then , is our case ; the manufacturing operatives run a dangerous " blood-run" through life ; their web is spun at the age of thirty-six years , and they are entitled to the same amount of wages up to that period that the man at healthier employment can earn during his working life . And in conclusion , we say to the League , if Dorsetshire has furnished you with claptrap arguments , and if you offer your system as a
substitute , how comes it that what you plunder from your labourers enables you to purchase the property of those you call tyrants ? How comes it that youi slaves are " used up" at thirty-eight , while the slaves of Dorsetshire are vigorous at fifty-six ? How comes it that landlords are in debt , while you arc looking to capricious speculation for the investment of your profits upon labour ? How comes it that ynu are obliged to legislate to avert a famine which youi _oivn cupidity has produced ? We will answer . It is because , while land has been from time to time subdued to man ' s wants and national requirements , there is no law , but your caprice _,. to regulate tho profits upon commerce—the new staple of the country ; and , to correct the anomaly , we mustcommeuce with A TES hours' bill .
The Stlltjggle. The Common Law Of The La...
THE STllTJGGLE . The common law of the land is based upon custom , and what apathy or indilference sanctions for a time tyranny sanctities as law when it serves its purpose . The common law of a country is supposed from time to time to have received the acquiescence of public opinion . ; It is the lexnonscripta , or unwritten law , and so far differs from the lex scripta , or written law , that tlie people themselves can alter , amend , or
abrogate it . Its correction requires no appeal to tlie constituted authorities , or to the representative government ofthe country . True , searching scrutiny may limit the severity of statute law , as is amply proved by the fact , that although the laws of treason and sedition stand comparatively unaltered in tlie statute-book now , as compared with fifty years ago , yet has public opinion within that period considerably fettered those legal fictions , those legal monsters .
_NotOHiyeaupubucopinion establish tho common law or custom of the country , but , if well directed , Parliament itself is compelled to frame its statute law in compliance with its bidding . It is because wc now see a favourable opportunity for bringing the mind of tho country to bear upon the representation ol * the country , that wo aro thus minute in analysing its power , and developing its mode of action . _Wi ha _* o long struggled to marshal the nou-ttlective influence against the electoral poWOr . Those who , under tho Reform BiU , could obtain the
franchise , have been deterred by the capricious and \» h " mw \ c & l tcaUictioua with , which the measure is encumbered—so much so , that Mr . Attwood declarpd that tho franchise of Birmingham was a £ 30 , and and not a £ 10 franchise . We can scarcely blame an over-taxed people for not complying with all the rigid provisions of the Reform Bill , whiile we can , and do complain of the apathy of tliose who suffer from its _harshneis . Having said so much upon tho _offect that the non-elective influcnco may produce we now lurn to tho consideration of its proper direction .
The STRUGGLE is a term which constituted much of the charge against us at Lancaster , and yet , if its use is necessary to denote the coining times , we do not shrink from its application . That thestrugglo is at band , wc must naturally infer from the declaration of Mr . CoimK . _v , in answor to Lord Gkorok Bes'iiscr _' _s threat of persevering resistance to the government measure . Mr . _Connus said , if tho measure ia defeated elsewhere ,
"WE WILL GO BACK TO THE COUNTRY . " This ia the warning voice , this denotes the cowing struggle ; and , as we anticipated such a course before
The Stlltjggle. The Common Law Of The La...
the gauntlet was thrown down , we invited the people to be ready for the contest . If Mr . Cobdxx is allowed uninterrupted possession of the platform , and if he is able to marshal the non-elective influence in behalf of 'ME BILL , AND NOTHING BUT THE BILL ; if lie is allowed to circumscribe the national mind within the narrow limits of party requirement ; if he is permitted to court the gazing eye ot
the hungry by the parade ol a large cheap loaf , without directing attention to the altered means oi purchasing the article ; if we permit him , in conjunction with the Whigs , to . use the non-elective influence as an instrument to transfer power from the already alarmed Protectionists to the already branded Whigs , we would , if we were silent , be justly chargeable with aU the horrors of another seven years ' crusade against labour .
The people , for want of union , for want of * energy , for want of honest leaders , have ever been compelled to fight under false colours , to rally under adverse banners . Nor can we blamo them , For want of something distinct , they were obliged to accept what appeared to be most threatening and offensive to their greatest opponents , Honce , we find that the battle of Reform was fought upon the demerits of offensive Toryism , rather than upon the merits of its antagonist , Whiggery . While we thank the people o * Deffsbury , tho people of Derby , the people of Halifax , and of many other places , for thoir ready
acquiescence in , and determination to support , the policy o * calling together an incorruptible representation of the labour-classes during the threatened struggle , we feel ourselves bound to satisfy our Stockport friends , who do not object to the policy , but merely require further elucidation of the object . If our announcement of last week has failed to convince any portion of the Chartist bsdy of the necessity of the step , we imagine that there is not one who has since read the threat of Mr . _Cobdsn , who will not feive us credit for having anticipated the tactics of the League .
We now proceed to satisfy the inquiries of our Stockport friends , the very men whose suspicions should be first aroused by the declaration of THEIR OWN REPRESENTATIVE . We will suppose , then , tbat the Government measure is so damaged in committee as to make it unpalatable to the Whigs and the League—to the League as a means of trade , and to the Whigs as a means of achieving power ; or that it should be thrown out by the Lords , or so damaged in committee by the Lords as to justify Sir Robert Peel in rejecting tlie adoption of his deformed child . And in any of those cases we will suppose an energetic , an active , nay , a revolutionary appeal to the people ; we will suppose Messrs . Cobden and BniGm , with their staff of free trade
lecturers , and an unlimited use of League funds , traversing the country on behalf , not only of free trade principles , but of A FREE TRADE GOVERNMENT ; and suppose the Chartist body , left without head , or front , without advice or council , without leaders or directing power ; can we come to any other conclusion than that the disorganised , unfraternised multitude would attach themselves to the most vigorous agitation ; and then , when they had committed suicide , in the hour of reflection , and when suffering martyrdom , would tbey not justly denounce , revile , and execrate their false and timid leaders , who had abandoned them , in tbe hour oi need , and left them an easy prey to the wiles and machinations of interested , ARTFUL , AND
DESIGNING MEN ? What would be our own feelings in such a case ] What would be the feelings ofthe Executive ? What would be the feelings of tlie Manchester Council , and of the Chartist staff , whose indomitable perseverance and courage has kept the untarnished Chartist flag flying , in the face of persecution , in the worst of times ? What , we ask , would those pioneers and heroes say , if the apathy of their leaders _compiled them to strike their colours at the bidding of their enemies ? Whether shall we J pull down dealer ' s hat , or worship it ? Whether shall we struggle ,
EVEN TO THE DEATH , or preserve a miserable existence , measured by our own apathy and the caprice of our new tyrants ? Such would be precisely our position were we to allow the League sole and uninterrupted possession of the field of agitation , Du . vcombb recommended , and the people cheerfully and unanimously adopted , the policy of keeping the Chartist body distinct , _separate , and apart from all others ; rallying under their own 8 tand ! ird , ( struggliu _£ for their own principles , and fighting under their own leaders . For what was Chartism originated ? For what have Chartists suffered ? Why has the home become desolate ? Why does the tear fall over thegraveofalloLBEnRy , a Clayio . v , a _Dwrr , and
a Shell ? Why does the longing mind pant for tbe restoration of Fbost , Williams , and Jones ? What is to become of oursongs , our mottoes , our hymns , outrhymes , and our apophthegms ? Are all to be buried in one narrow , unhonoured grave , and are we to dig that grave ourselves ? Are they to be sacrificed to a faction against whose tyranny they have so long struggled , and to destroy whose monopoly they were established ? The infant will lisp "No ! " the aged veteran will falter " Never !"—tho factory girl will sing her note of freedom , the clog of the factory boy will boat time to the song of liberty , but none will lisp SURRENDER , or even COMPROMISE , so long as their leaders are true to them _.
Does the Charter mean I ' ree trade , and nothing more ; if so , abandon it , and range yourselves under the bloody standard of Maltiius and political economy . If so , study tho art of infant killing , of pinching , of screwing , of starving , that others may fatten upon the land's disease ; but when the epidemic rages , then blame yourselves : but if your leaders desert you , or are even lukewarm , then blamo them , and curse the hour you honoured them with your confidence . Look on that picture , and on this . If Chartism means more than ftee trade—i * Chartism means " a fair day ' s wages for a fair day ' s work "—if Chartism means " _tuora pigs and less parmis" —if Chartism means " that us labour is the
source of wealth , labour should also be the source of power "—it Chartism means " the full development oj our national resources , and the EQUITABLE , ? iot EQUAL , distribution of _thosi resources "—if Chartism means " equality under the laiv , and equal protection for t / ie life , the liberty , and the property , of the poor and tie rkh "—ii Chartism means " No Poor Laws , because no paupers—" ho church that is not supported by tliose who worship at its altar "— " » io drones liviny upon tlie _Itoiwy of the lees "—no taxation wit / tout representation "— "no punishment without crime" — it Chartism means that "allthesuijf ' c tlie ivurld wur
made for a ' efolk of ' e wurld , and that those who produce ithave a title lo their share ; " lookon this picture If a struggle should come for political power between tho landed aristocracy and the aristocracy of capital ; and if labour i 9 the only spoil for which the combatants can fight , whether labour silent , labour apathetic , and labour inactive , or labour energetic , argumentative , and activo , have the best chance in the struggle ; and whether , if _lier cause would be better developed and supported if left to the mercy of iuero sectional agitation , or committed to the , care of organised representation . Six hours would take the flat of a Convention . to Manchesterten to Newcastle —< md thus every member and every limb would receive itrength , vitality , and
suppleness from tho national hoart ' s-blood , made up of the several tributary ataeam , flowing from all parts of the land , with a press vieing to do us justice , from _self-iiiterost , but that would be silent upon our sectional movoment . The provincial press will not report us except through the London journals . Our meetings , without a controlling head , sitting in the metropolis , aro derided aa the fccble efforts of ARTFUL AND DE SIGNING MEN , while a mere scattering of free traders is magnilied into national opinion . As to the -expense , if tbe Charter is not worth that , and more , aud if tho people are not prepared to pay the amount , than give it up . If this is the ransom to save us from tbe horrors of a seven years' coalition Ministry , who would not givo up a meal in two , five shirts in six , or anything that he could spare , rather
The Stlltjggle. The Common Law Of The La...
than encounter sucli a national disgrace , such a political retreat , such a social malady . If Duncombe is to take the field , Duhcombk must have his staff—a staff that will not desert him . Hig head will keep discussion within bounds ; his heart will prompt him to carry out the wise resolves of Labour ' s Parliament ; the country will rally round bis standard ; and they shall have no government , when they break up the present , in which Labo ur shall not have a champion—no House of Commons in . which Labour shall not have its representative . Cobdkn has said , "We'll g 0 back to the country ;" we answer , "We ' re there already , and we'll stay there . " Chartists of England , of Ireland , and of Scotland , the hour cometh when Labour expects every man to do his duty .
Hurrah ! theu , for Duncombe , for Labour , and tha Convention , and—J>— . Y THE _EXPENSE I
Parliamentary Review. The Recent "Glorio...
_PARLIAMENTARY REVIEW . The recent " glorious victories" in India occupied the attention of both Houses of Parliament on Monday night , in the shape of & rote of thanks to the Governor-General , the Commander-in-Chief , and the officers and soldiers engaged in the sanguinary battles on the Sutlej . The vote was proposed by Lord _Ripok in the l _' eera , and by Sir R . l _^ w . in the Commons Each of them entered at great length into a narrative of the preceding circumstances out of which the conflict arose , and of tne details connected with it . A high _dramatic and domestic interest was imparted to both of the speeches by the introduction of private
letters from Sir II . IIaijdi . ngk , describing the nig ht previous to the final struggle , which ended in driving the Sikhs _awoss the boundary river . The Governor-General had all his aides-de-camp killed and wounded but one , and that one his own son , a boy of about sixteen years of age , upon whom devolved the entire duty of conveying his father ' s orders to different parts of the field of battle ; a duty which we are told was nobly performed . Anotber son , the amputation of whose loot , a few years since , prevented his serving in a military capacity , was also with him ; but was reluctantly compelled by the command of _Jtis lather , who felt that his presence disturbed him ,
to retire to the rear . TiiO introduction of such details , striking and _atlectiug as they are , only bring on more forcibly the horrors and the misery of war . One cannot help sympathising with Sir II . Hardixge , in his double capacity of general and father ; but the very fact of his being brought before us in the latter capacity , carries the mind involuntarily to the consideration of the domestic ties wliich have been ruthlessly and for ever snapt asunder by this terrible battle . Amidst the firing of cannon , the ringing of bells , and Parliamentary thanks , we cannot help reverting to the desolate hearths and mournful homes it has caused .
flow many more " little Arthurs" were on the field that day , around whQia a father ' s affections clung , ag strongly as did those of the Governor-General himself round his lame son , whose presence disturbed him 1 Yet the slaughter of sons , and brothers , and fathers , and the consequent rupture of the manifold ties growing out of these relations , excites neither
comment nor regret . The latter feeling is confined to the " Corinthian capital" of the army . The Sales , the _M'Caskius , and _Bboadfoois , are individually singled out and sorrowed over ; but the 4000 rank and file who fell on that bloody field , are dismissed aa summarily as if they had been so much human vermin , who had never known the "touching charities of li ( e , ' \ nor left behind them any to mourn for their loss !
Instead of regretting this slaughter , or the necessity for it—if necessary it was—Sir R . Indus , that incarnation of orthodoxy , begged the house particularly to remember , in the midst of its rejoicings , that the victor ) was owing to the Almighty alone ; as if war and bloodshed were sacrifices of a sweet-smelling savour to that Being who "has made of one blood all nations that dwell on the face of the earth !" Tyrants may consider it necessary ia the present state of society , and especially of India , that such horrible destruction of life should be committed ; but , at all events , let us talk of it as a necessity to be regretted , aud as speedily as possible endednot as a matter to plume ourselves upon , or whicli lias the sanction of Christianity .
An important topic was brought under the _consideration of the House of Lords on Tuesday night , by the Marquis of Lassdowse , who presented a petition from the principal inhabitants of Van Dienian _' s Land , complaining of the many grievances to which they are subjected in consequence of the wholesale importation of convicts into that colony . The petition gave an appalling account of the financial , social , and moral condition of the colony , under the infliction of this moral pestilence , and declared that unless it was abated , every man would be obliged to leave the country who had the least regard to the higher considerations of life .
Lord Siaslet , the late Colonial Secretary , while admitting most of these allegations , contrived to pick a personal quarrel out of tlie subject with his old friends the "Whigs , whom he accused of being the authors of the mischief , by certain alterations they made in the system in operation up to 1840 . He appeared to sustain this attack weJl enough by facts , but this style of meeting a great grievance , though exciting enough , is by no means satisfactory . We do not want to know who originated an evil so much aa how to get rid of it , and had Lord Stanley confined himself to the description of his own efforts to
improve our system of transportation , he would have more truly exhibited the mind of a statesman—to which name wo have no doubt ho aspires , but he i » ust greatly curb the petulance and headlong rashness of his nature ere he achieves it . One of his observations is , however , worth notice . He said , and truly , that the question involved matters of much higher interest than the fate of that , or of all our colonies . It involved the revision of our whole system of secondary punishment ; and he was right . The intelligence of the age will not much longer permit of our emptying out upon the shores of an
island so richly blessed by nature as Van Dieman _' _s Land , the dregs of our population at tke rate of 5 , 000 male convicts annually , and then leaving them in such a position , that the evil passions and inferior > . abitsthcy have acquired are allowed to fester , and spread , and grow worse by their mere aggregation into masses termed "gangs , " without that surveillance , moral restraint , or elevating influence which such moral Pariahs require . Earl Grey ( _Howicr ) made some sensible remarks on this subject , and suggested some amendments , which at first sight
appear not only feasible , but highly conducive to the permanent improvement and _weJI-bcimj of the offenders against the laws in the first instance , WlUGll ought to be the object of all criminal legislation , and also to the beneficial rc-action upon this country of such a humane aud enlightened method of treating those whose errors are at least as much ascribable to the neglect and maltreatment of society as their own aberrant natures . As the question will , however , undergo a more searching investigation , we shall re « vc rt to it again .
The rickctty " Reform Bill" has incidentally undergone an overhauling in a discussion upon tho wholesale manufacture of forty-shilling freeholders by the League , Mr . NiuWbegate and the agricultural members were very wroth at this extension of the power of voting for members of Parliament , The abuses of the Registration system , and the folly of having so many different kinds of franchise , -were also brought
out pretty strongly—so strongly as to induce the belief that tho League , in taking this course , have sown the seeds ofa harvest , whicli some of its members and supporters would rather not see ripened . Indeed , Lord J ohm Russell , on Monday night , avowed as much . In his speech on . Mr . Villiers ' s motion for immediate Corn Law repeal , he expressed himself most anxious , for an immediate set-1 _tleraent Of the question , because a stop would thereby be put to _agitation . It was impossible , he said ,
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Citation
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Northern Star (1837-1852), March 7, 1846, page 4, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse-os.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/periodicals/ns/issues/ns3_07031846/page/4/
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