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    • ^. ^ —^ — u^a9mwm--mm-^-wmm m--mw^mmma ____ THOMAS COOPER. THS CHARTIST'S WORKS.
    • THE iNOKTHEHN STAK. SATURDAY, MARCH 7, 1SI6.
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      A 4 The Northern Star. ,J_L. ^ March 7*....

      A 4 THE NORTHERN STAR . , J _ L . _^ March 7 * . 1846 .

      ^. ^ —^ — U^A9mwm--Mm-^-Wmm M--Mw^Mmma ____ Thomas Cooper. Ths Chartist's Works.

      _^ . _^ _—^ — u _^ a 9 mwm--mm- _^ -wmm m--mw _^ mmma ____ THOMAS COOPER . THS CHARTIST'S WORKS .

      Ad00406

      THE PURGATORY OF SUICIDES . A Prison Rhvme . In Ten Books . _( Onc _' VoL , 7 s . < kl . ) « The most wonderful effort of intellectual power produced within the last century . "— Vie _iJrifannte . « Here we have a gennine poem springing out of the spirit of the times , and indeed out ofthe heart , and exerience of one who has wrestled with and suffered in it . It is no other than a poem in ten books , by a Chartist , and who boldly sets his name and his profession of Chartism on the title-page . It is plain that he glories in his political faith more than in his poetry ; uay , his verse is bnt the vehicle of that faith . Yet , nevertheless , it is

      To Be Ready Next Iionday, Trice Is., Two...

      To be ready next iionday , Trice Is ., TWO ORATIONS , _AGAIXST TAKING AWAY HUMAN LIFE , under anv Circumstances ; and in explanation and defence of the _misrepresented doctrine of " Sou-Resistance . ' ' ( _Delirtrt-d in die _National Hall , Holborn , on the evenings of February 25 th and _ilareh 4 th . ) Bt Thomas _Coopeb , the _Chabtist , ( Author ofthe '' Purgatory of Suicides , " & c . )—Chapman , Brothers , _lil , _Seitgate-stn-et .

      , _-.-.-. . COALS . PROVIDE F 011 V 7 _IXTER . _PROTIDEyT _FAMILIES , subfcrihinjj Is . per week to the . Metropolitan Coal Company ' s Shilling Club , can obtain four hall tons annually , without further charge , fines , < fec . The Company ' s price current is , Best Screened Wallsend , - 25 s . per full ton - , Seconds , 21 s ., Hi ., as « _l-23 s ; Coke , 17 s . Cd . ' dice . 279 , Hish Holborn .

      Ad00407

      FUNERAL ECONOMY ! THE CEMrj _73 ai - and GENERAL FUNERAL COMPANY , united with SHInMBBElt'S PATENT FUNERAL CARRIAGES , respectfully invi tepublicattenlion totheeeonomicand convenient _amusements for performing every description _ofFune _^^^ so moderate as todefy competition , *™ no extras , by which the comfort of bereaved families will be materially promoted , and expenses limited C'ty-road , Finsbury , next _Bunhill-flelds Burial- ground 81 , Percy-street , lotto , _ham-court-road ; and 130 , Union-street , Southwark . Shilllbcer ' s Patent Funeral Carnage , with two horses , £ 1 lis . 6 d . ; Sing le Horse , £ 1 ls . A respectablo Carriage Funeral , combining every charge , & i is . Hearses and Mourning Coaches . Catholic Fittings . Four Ilorsc Funerals . £ 12 _lis .

      Ad00408

      - 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 , £ 5 , warranted not to spot or change colour . Juvenile Superfine Cloth Suits , 24 s . ; Liveries equally cheap—atthe 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 .

      Ad00409

      BOND'S PERMANENT MARKING INK . TIIE ORIGINAL , WITHOUT PREPARATION . For writing Initials , Names , or Ciphers , upou Linen , ic , for tlie 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 iu the wash , and which has given satisfaction to every purchaser , it being universally preferred for its fixity and neatness of impression . Prepared by the Inventor , John Bond , chemist , 28 , Long-lane , West Smithfield _, and sold by most stationers , < kc . Price ls . per bottle .

      Ad00410

      COLOSSEUM . —NOTICE . —PRICE OF ADMISSION DURING THE HOLIDAYS !! Day Exhibition 2 s . EveuiugDo , 2 s . Gd . Children under Twelve ls . Stalactite Cavtrns ls . extra . _fltllE DAY EXHIBITION consists of the Museum of X Sculpture , Grand Picture of London , Alhambra Conservatories , Sorgeous Gothic Aviary , Classic Ruins , _dw _' ss Cottage and Mont Blanc , with Mountain Torrent , & c . "te . Open from Ten till Four o'Clock . EVENING . —The new aHd extraordinary Panorama of Losdos bt Night , Museum of Sculpture , Conservatories , and Gorgeous Gothic Aviary " , & c , brilliantly illuminated ; Swiss Cottage , Mont Blanc , and Mountain Torrent represented by Moonlight . Open from Seven till a Quarterpast Ten o'Clock . A _cbasd OnciiESTBA OitGAN , en which the most admired _OvsarimES , Ac , are played , from Two to Four and from Eight till Half-past Ten _o'Clock . The whole projected and designed "J" Mr , William It well .

      Ad00411

      ROYAL MARYLEBONE THEATRE . LESSEE , MB . JOHN DOUGLASS . FIRST Night of a new drama , entitled thc "Heads man ; or , the Gate of Terror . " First Night t !« ese two years of Mr . M . Howard . On Monday , and during thc week , to commence with the " Headsman , " supported by tlie best company in London . Te be followed by thc farce of " Drawn for the Militia , " in which Mr . T . Leo will _ptrform . To conclude , on Monday and Friday , with the " Recver ' s Ransom . " Jock Mun , Mr . Neville . On Tuesday , Wednesday , Thursday , and Saturday , the " Minute Gun at Sea . " Tom Tough , Mr . John Douglass , who will introduce a new Flag Hornpipe , Rayner , Harrington , _A-c . ; Mfcsdames 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 .

      Ad00412

      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 baenprosented with the NorUiern Star , aud latterly sold at One Shilling each , now offered at Threepence each : —llichard Oastler , Robert Emmett , John Frost , John Collins , P . M . _Mc'Douall , the Rev . 3 . It . Stephens . View of Monmouth Court House during the Trial of Frost , Williams , and Jones . The First Convention . Letters of _1 \ O'Connor , Esq ., to Daniel O'Connell , Esq . Published at One Shilling each , ottered at Fouvpence . Price Fourpmse , The Employer and Employed . By F . O'Connor , Esq .

      Ad00413

      FASHING . Just published , a new Edition , neatly done up in cloth , price 2 s . Gd ., on THE MANAGEMENT OF SMALL FARMS . By F . O'Connor , Esq . Manchester : Abel Heywood , 5 S . Oldham-street . London ; J , Watson , St . _PauVa-aWey , _Paternostw-tow ; and J . Cleave , Shoe-lane . And may ho had of all booksellers and agents throughout the country .

      Ad00414

      EDUCATION . This day is published , demy 12 uio ., cloth , price Eiglitecn-¦ pence , TIIE NEW ETYMOLOGICAL EXPOSITOR , or Pronouncing Spelling Book ; eontaiuing a selection of Words commonly used by tlie best writers , with their pronunciation , derivation , ic . By Wiluah Hiil . Much care and labour has been bestowed upon the above work , so as to make it the very best of its kind . Also , by thc same Author , price Is ., the Rational School Grammar . Also , priee Is ., the Companion to the _Rational School Grammar . Abel Heywood , 5 S , Oldham-street , Manchester _; London , J . Watson , Paternoster-row ; J . Cleave , Shoe-lane , Fleet-street ; and all booksellers .

      Ad00415

      Just published , by the Executive Committee Jof the National Charter Association , Part I . of TnE 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 aud neatest ever offered to thc public . It " will consist of five parts , stitched in wrapper , at sixpence each ; 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 .

      Ad00416

      Roval _Polvtechsic _ItiSTiTBiioN . —We would call the attention of railway companies , engineers , ic , to a very beautiful contrivance , which is now exhibiting at the above most useful establishment , and for which a patent has been granted to a Mr . Coleman , of America , This model is for the purpose of proving that locomotives can be so constructed as to ascend aud descend inclined plains on railways ; thus completely dispensing with deep cuttings , and that , too , without the aid of a stationaryengine , or any of the contrivances at present resorted to . Thus a considerable saving in outlay is effected , amounting , in some instances , to £ 150 , 000 per mile . The arrangement consists _merc-ly ofa . number of horizontal rollers being placed between the rails up the gradient ; aa Archemedian screw is placed underneath , and travels with the locomotive ; when running upon a level plain

      The Inokthehn Stak. Saturday, March 7, 1si6.

      THE iNOKTHEHN STAK . SATURDAY , MARCH 7 , 1 _SI 6 .

      Commerce. The Staple Ofthe Country , Com...

      COMMERCE . THE STAPLE OFTHE COUNTRY , COMPARATIVE CONDITION OP NATURAL AND ARTIFCIAL LABOURERS . The sophist will argue against logic , against reason , and against / acts , substituting parables , ' and hypotheses for premises , and _wlmnsical 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 tradehas been invariably fought . Facts have been assumed ,

      aud conclusions have been jumped at , without other argument than " you ' re a Tory , " " you ' re a monopolist , " " you ' re a spy ; " "What ! would you starve the people ? " "The meeting is ours , called to adopt conclusions , not to arrive at them by discussion . " Aud , perhaps , one of the most violent assumptions arrived at by this one-sided mode of controversy is , the false impression created by the League lecturers as to the superior condition of the manufacturing operative compared with the agricultural serf . It is well , however , that if competitive commerce denies to the artificial slave the power of calculating for himself , that there are yet some who are ready , willing , 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 as a means of calculating profit and loss and as they are now partially instructed in thc science of arithmetic , we shall proceed to give a full , complete , and irrefutable answer to the assumption that operatives are better off 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 sec no reason why the poor should be denied a practice which regulates thc transactions of the rich , we shall take the whole of life of our respective clients into our calculation , and 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 aud the lash of capital , in Itis BLOOD . RUN through life .

      Wc 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 : — Populab Health , —Tlie mean term of life stands ve . spectively thus : — " The highest is the south-western counties in the following order : —Sussex , 55 ; Hants , 5 D ; Dorset , 55 ; Devon , 56 ; Cornwall , 55 ; the decrement in the last case is caused by the shorter lives of the miners . The county of Lancaster has a mean of 30—the lowest cooKTr , Dunian life in Devon is , on the average , therelore , 20 years louger than in Lancashire . "

      We shall commence with the life of a manufacturing operative ; and allowing him from the age of 1-5 to 30 , the mean of life , to have earned at tlie rate of _los . a-weck during the whole period , without strike , dismissal , or deduction , we find that he will have earned in tliat time— £ s . d , Wages 819 0 0 Deduct for extra rent of house over agricul-- tural labourer , ls . per week 54 12 0 11 ¦ i

      Kett wages .- £ 764 8 0 - " - ACBICULTURAL J . ABOUBEB , _—^ _W Prom 10 to 15 at 5 s . per weelf 52 0 0 " 15 " 18 " . " 54 12 0 « 18 « ' 56 " 10 s . " 083 0 0 Additional wages for 10 weeks , during hay time and harvest , 10 s . per week ... 190 0 0 £ 1284 12 0 Deduct operative ' s wages during working life 764 8 0 Balance in favour of agriculturallabourcr ... £ 520 4 0

      Now , we will divide the working lifcof the operative , twenty-one years , into thc £ 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 , thc operative should have had £ 1 os . per week for his working life . New , that ia taking tho most advantageous view for the factory operative . It is allowing him to work uninterruptedly for twenty-one years , without a single bating , fine , dismissal , or deduction of any sort . We have set a figure for the manufacturing

      operative which his class cannot realise ; we have set a figure for the agricultural labourer much 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 tho 800 , 000 _handlooni weavers , with 2 s . 0 id- per week . Nay , we go to the best paid hands for the average . If the wa ges 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 we prove

      our case thus : — Lancashire has a population of l , fiC 7 , 0 G 4 , and lias £ 1 , 1 ) 80 , 143 deposited iu its several savings' banks . Devonshire has a populationn of 5 ai 5 , 731 , and has £ 1 , 492 , 072 deposited iu its several savings' batiks . There are 05 , 402 depositors in Lancashire , with its immense population ; and 49 , 866 depositors in Devonshire , with its scanty population . So that about 1 in 101 in Devonshire is a depositor , while in Lancashire it is about 1 in 25 _£ . The population of Lancashire is 1 , 133 , 383 more than Devonshire , while the deposits of Lancashire only exceed thoso of Devonshire by £ < 1 SS , 071 . We now take the far-famed Dorsetshire . Dorsetshire has a population of 174 , 743 , and has 11 , 470 depositors , and £ 412 , 028 deposited ; or , one iu fifteen is a depositor . Dorsetshire bas less than one-ninth ofthe _populali of Lancashire , so tliat Lancashire , with her tall

      Commerce. The Staple Ofthe Country , Com...

      proud chimneys , and her roaring trade and higb wages , to be equal in wealth with the crack County for the League , should have deposited £ 3 , 113 , 052 , Now , who will undertake to answer these arithmetical facts . Shall we 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 ofthe depositors in Lancashire .

      We have now stated the cases of * our respective clients , and wc ask them whether they sec just cause for amalgamating into thc thirty-six years standard of life , with ali tho boasted advantages paraded in its behalf ? We now enter upon tho 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 , witli all the prejudices of his education , to the ignorant upstart steam-lord ; | jre prefer the wholesome provisions of tho agricultural labourer to the pawed refuse purchased by the

      operative slave . And be it remembered , that we have made no calculation of the spot of 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 and its feelings . Whicli is the most healthy—let those who have seen the hay field and the corn field at sun-set , and 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 nnd 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 tho man who never sees them but on Sunday , and seldom then ? Thc man to whom his children look up , as an . example , a monitor , and a guide , or the man whose jurisdiction is thrown off 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—the Devonshire labourer at fifty-six or ( he 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 terra—the healthy countryman , or the chronic , nervous , broken-down , used-up slave ? Tlie same comparison holds that exists between the sleek , fat , plough-horse at twenty , who has drudged through lite at slow pace , and the sweated , physicked , excited race-horse , who has done his work at six years old , in his BLOOD-run through life * Again , look at the 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 the 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

      the most part fed , and get extra wages , in hay-time and harvest . We have made no allowance for the job-work ; whereas , Cobbett has 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 . " Jn 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 canlend a helping and not unhealthy hand . In lead mines , and other dangerous service , men have increased pay in consequence of the danger of tlieir occupation—the operative has none . The miners actually court the risks and dangers to which they are liable , because they prevent the competition of thoso who would otherwise glut their market .

      If a post-horse runs his stage , he has performed his day's work ; if the race-horse runs his race , lie 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 , he 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 , aad 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 tlie property of those you call tyrants ? How comes it that your 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 are looking to capricious speculation for the investment of your profits upon labour ? How comes it that you are obliged to legislate to avert a famine whieh youi own 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 , then is no law , but your eaprice , ; to regulate the profits upon commerce—the new staple of the country and , to correct the anomaly , we must commence witli 1 _rrtifV - » t /\ iti » o * mi *

      The Struggle. The Common Law Ofthe Land ...

      THE STRUGGLE . The common law ofthe land is based upon custom , and what apathy or indifference sanctions for a time , tyranny sanctifies as law when it serves its purpose . The common law of a country is supposed froK timeto timo ; to haye receivul the acquiescence ol public opinion . ; It is the lexnonscripta , or unwritten law , and so far differs from thc km _seripia , or written law , that the people themselves can alter , amend , oi

      abrogate it . Its correction requires no appeal to the constituted authorities , or to the representative government of the country . True , searching scrutiny may limit the severity of statute law , as is _amplv proved by the fact , that although the laws of treason and sedition stand comparatively unaltered in the statute-book now , as compared with fifty years ago , yet has public opinion within that period considerably lettered those legal fictions , those legal monsters .

      Notonlycanpublicopinion establish the 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 ishecause we now see a favourable opportunity for bringing the mind of the country to bear upon the representation of the country , that we aro thus minute in analysing its power , and developing its mode of action . Ws have long struggled to marshal the non-elective influence against thc electoral power , Those who , under the Reform Bill , could obtain the

      franchise , have been deterred by the capricious and whimsical restrictions with which the measure is encumbered—so much so , that Mr . Attwood declared that the franchise of Birmingham was a £ 30 , and and not a £ 10 franchise . We can scarcel y blame an over-taxed people for not complying with all the rigid provisions of thc Reform Bill , whiile we can , and do complain of tho apathy of thoso who suffer from its hnrshne _^ s . Having said so much upon the effect that the non-elective influence may produce we now turn to the 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 coming times we do not shrink from its application . That the struggle is at hand , wc must naturally infer from the declaration of Mr . Cobden , in answer to Lord _GsOROK _Bt-sTiivcK ' s threat of persevering resistance to the government measure . Mr . Cobden said , if the measure is defeated elsewhere ,

      "WE WILL GO RACK TO TIIE COUNTRY . " This is the warning voice , this denotes the coming struggle ; ami , as we anticipated such a course before

      The Struggle. The Common Law Ofthe Land ...

      the gauntlet was thrown down , we invite , ' ! the people to be ready for the contest . If Mr . Cobden is allowed uninterrupted possession of the platform , and if he is able to marshal the non-elective influence in behalf of THE BILL , AND NOTHING BUT TUE 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 of

      the hungry by the parade ofa large cheap loaf , without directing attention to the altered means of 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 all 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 blame them . For want of something distinct , they were obliged to accept what appeared to be most threatening and offensive to their greatest opponents . Hence , 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 * Dewsbury , the people of Derby , the people of Halifax , and of many other places , for their 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 tho policy , but merely require further elucidation of the object . If our announcement of last week has failed to convince any portion of tbe Chartist _bsdy of the necessity of the step , we imagine that there is not one who has since read the threat of Mr . Cobden , who will not give 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 , that 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 poiver , * or that it should be thrown out by the Lords , or so damaged in committee by the Lords a s to justify Sir Robert Peel in rejecting the 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 Bright , with tlieir 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 they not justly denounce , revile , and execrate their false and timid leaders , who had abandoned them in the hour ol 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 sueh a case 1 What would be the feelings of the-Executive ? What would be the feelings of the 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 compelled them to strike their colours at the bidding of their enemies ? Whether shall we ; pull down Gesler ' 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 .

      Duscombe 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 stand ;\ rd , Jstruggling for tlieir 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 the grave of a _Houns-ninr _, a _Clation _, a Duffy , and a Shell ? Why does the longing mind pant for tiie restoration of Frost , Williams , and Jones ? What

      is to become of our songs , our mottoes , our hymns , our rhymes , 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 lon _^ struggled , and to destroy whose monopoly they were established ? The infant will lisp " No I" the aged veteran will falter " Never !"—the factory girl will sing her note of freedom , the clog of the factory boy will beat time to thc song of liberty , but none will fisp SURRENDER , or even COMPROMISE , so long as their leaders are true to them .

      Does the Charter mean free trade , and nothing more ; if so , abandon it , and range yourselves under the bloody standard of _Maltuus 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 blame them , and , curse the hour you honoured them with your confidence . - Look on that picture , and on this . If Chartism means more than free trade—i ' Chartism means "a fair day ' s wages for a fair day's

      work "—if Chartism means " more pigs and less parsons " _--if Chartism means " that as labour is the source of wealth , labour should also be the source of power "—if Chartism means " the full development oj our national resources , and the EQUITABLE , not EQUAL , distribution of those resources "—if Chartism menus " equality under tin law , and equal protection for the life , the liberty , and the 2 > ropirty , of the poor and the rich "—ii Chartism means " No Poor Laws , because no paupers— " no church that is not supported by those who ivorship at its altar "— " no drones living upon thc honey of the bees "—no taxation _ivithout

      represmtalwn — ' no punishment without crime" — if Chartism means that "all tiic staff ' e thewurldwur made fora'e folk of'eiuurld , and that those who produce it have a title to their share ; " look on this picture I If a struggle should come for political power between the landed aristocracy and the aristocracy of capital ; and if labour is the only spoil for whicli the combatants can fight , whether labour silent , labour apathetic , and labour inactive , or labour energetic , argumentative , and active , have the best chance in the struggle ; and whether , if her cau _* e would be bettor developed and supported if left to the

      mercy of mere sectional agitation , or committed to tiie care of orgauised representation . Six hours would take tho fiat ofa Convention to Manchesterten to Newcastle—and thus every member audevory limb would receive strength , -vitality , and supplenoss from iho national heart's-blood , made up of the several tributary stream , flowing from all parts of the land , with a press _yieing to do us justice , from self-interest , but that would be silent w _*><* n \ our sectional movement . The provincial press will not

      report us except through the London journals . Out * meetings , without a controlling head , sitting in the metropolis , are derided as thc feeble efforts of AllTFUL AND DESIGNING MEN , whileamerescattering of free traders is magnified into national opinion . As to the expense , if tho Charter is not worth that , and more , and if the poople are not prepared to pay the amount , then give it up . If this is the ransom to save us from tho horrors of a seven years' coalition Ministry , who would not give up a meal in two , five shirts in six , or anything that he could _sparo _, ratkei

      The Struggle. The Common Law Ofthe Land ...

      1 than encounter such a national _disgrace , such a political retreat , such a social malady . If Duscombe is to take the field , Duncombe must have his staff—a staff that will not desert him . Ilia head will keep discussion within bounds ; his heart will prompt liim to carry out the wise resolves of Labour ' s Parliament ; the country will rally round his standard ; and they shall have no government , when they break up the present , in wliich Labour shall not have a champion—no Ilouse of Commons in , which Labour shall not have its representative . Cobden has said , "We'll go back to thecountry ;" 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 ! then , for Duncombe , for Labour , and the Convention , and— D—N TnE EXPENSE I

      Parliamentary Review. The Recent " Glori...

      PARLIAMENTARY REVIEW . The recent " glorious victories" in India occupied the attention of both Houses of Parliament on Monday night , in the shape of a vote of thanks to the Governor-General , the Commander-in-Chief , and the ofticers and soldiers engaged in the sanguinary battles on the Sutlej . The vote was proposed by Lord Ripon in the Peers , and by Sir R , Pabi 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 the details connected with it . A high dramatic and domestic interest was imparted to both of the speeches by the introduction of private

      letters irom Sir H . Hardinge , describing the night previous to the final struggle , wliich ended in driving the Sikhs actoss 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 convoying his _^ ather ' _s orders to different parts of the field of battle ; a duty which we are told was nobly performed . Another son , the amputation of whose foot , a few years since , prevented his serving in a military capacity , was also"with him ; but was reluctantly compelled by the command of his father , who felt that his presence disturbed him , to retire to the rear .

      Ti . e introduction of suck details , strikinij and afieoting as they are , only bring out more forcibly the horrors and tho misery of war . One cannot _keij sympathising with Sir H . Hardixoe , in his double capacity of general and father ; but the very fact of his being brought before us in the latter capaoity , carries the mind involuntarily to the consideration of the domestic ties which havo 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 whom a father ' s affections clung , a 3 strongly as did those of the Governor-General him . self round his lame son , whose presence disturbed him !

      let the slaughter of sons , and brothers , and fathei' 3 , and the consequent rupture ofthe manifold ties growing out of these relations , excites neither comment nor regret . The latter feeling is confined to the "Corinthian capital" ofthe army . The Sales , the _M'Caskills , and _Bkoadfoois , are individually singled out and sorrowed over ; but the 4000 rank and file who fell on that bloody field , are dismissed as summarily as if they had been so much kutuau vermin , who had never known the " touching charities of life , " . . nor left behind them any to mount for their loss !

      Instead of regretting this slaughter , or the necessity for it—if necessary it was—Sir R . Inglis , that incarnation of orthodoxy , begged the house particularly to remember , in the midst of its rejoicings , that the victory wa 3 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 in 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 bo regretted , and as speedily as possible ended— _, not as a matter to plume ourselves upon , or which has the sanction of Christianity .

      An important topic was brought under the consideration of the House of Lords on Tuesday night , by the Marquis of Lansdowne , who presented a petition from the principal inhabitants of Van Dieman ' 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 Stanley , the late Colonial Secretary , while admitting most of these allegations , contrived to pick a personal quarrel out of the subject with his old friends the Whigs , whom he accused of being the authors of the mischief , by certain alterations tliey made in the system in operation up to 1 S 10 . lie appeared to sustain this attack well enough by facts , but this style of meeting a great grievance , though . exciting , is by no means satisfactory . We do not want to know who originated an evil so much as how to get rid of it , and had Lord Stanley confined himself to the description of his own efforts to

      improve our system ot transportation , he would hiivc more truly exhibited the mind ofa statesmau-to which name wo have uo doubt ho aspires , but he must greatly curb tlie petulance and headlong rashness of his nature ere he achieves it . One of his observations is , however , worth notice . Hesaid , and truly , that the question involved matters of much higher interest than thefate of that , or of all our colonies . It involved the revision of our whole system of secondary punishment ; and hewasrHit . Ihe intelligence of the age will not much longer , ermitol our emptying out upon the shores of

      an island so richly blessed by nature as Van Dieman ' s Land , the dregs of our papulation at thc iateofo _. OOO male convicts annually , a „ d then leaving then , ia such a position , thatthe evil passions and inferior Kabits they have acquired are allowed to fester anil spread , and grow wor _* e by their mere aggregation into masses termed " gangs , " without that _surveillanco . moral restraint , or elevating influence which such moral _P-, ml . s require . Earl Grey ( _Howick ) made some sensible remarks on this subject , and suggested some amendments , which at first sight

      ap pear not only feasible , but highly conducive to the permanent improvement and well-being of the oflen . ders against the laws in the first instance , whieh ought to be the object of all criminal legislation , and also to the beneficial re-action upon this country of such a humane and enlightened method of treatin _* those whose errors are at least as much ascribabJe tl the neglect and maltreatment of society as their owa aberrant natures . As the question will , however undergo a more searching investigation , wc shall rel vert to it again .

      The ricketty " Reform Bill" lias incidentall y un . dergone an overhauling in a discussion upon the wholesale manufacture of forty-shilling freeholders by the League . Mr . Nkwdeoatb and tho agricultural members _wereYery wroth at this extension of tho power of voting for members of Parliament . The abuses of thc Registration system , and the folly of haying so many different kinds of franchise , were also brought out pretty strongly—so strongly as to induce the belief that thc League , in taking this course , have sown the seeds ofa harvest , _"Nvhich some of its members nnd supporters would rather n . ot sec ripened . Indeed , Lord John Russkll , on . Monday night , avowed as much . In his speech on Mr . Villikks s

      motion tor immediate Corn Law repeal , he ex . pressed himself most _anxious for an immediate settlement of the question , _because a stop would thereby bo p . it to agitation , was _impossible , he _?» _$

  • Citation
    • 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/ns4_07031846/page/4/