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Northern Star (1837-1852), 20th February 1841, Edition 1 of 5, Page 7, Untitled Article

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      Untitled Article

      nTOSXOZ UPON THE SUNDERLAND U * * RESOLUTIONS . TO THE PEOPLE . « j pbissds , — I quite agree -with Mr . Lowery that eolBsnus of the £ tor would" be more beneficially ^ l ^ ed in reporting those matters interesting to the * \^ j eacse , than in inserting naitera of & mere per-^ al nature , However , that grounds to departure fcjja this mle nay jwtay an oppoatte course , and that ll ^ jl feeliags alone are t » judge of those ground * , *^ j # rerfB ewn letter establishes a precedent I { ban be as brief as the nature of the case irill ^ j ja analysing the nature £ the three distinct ^^ m » de against the Sfar , and reported fully in ^ of last week . ^_ _ . _ - — . « - » TTOrvV * PTTX * CTVT \ t ? TlT fc TlTT-v

      ^ d first , ifl po ^ t ° " importanoe , comes the resoln-^ g , psssd at Sonderlaad , condemnatory of the con-ZZj 8 a Editor towards Mr . Deegan . IlWi bow with respect to the decision of working ^ g ,, . bat from the -rery resolutions themselves , let me - Tbetfce * or b 0 * * & * " ** ° * ^ 4 r . Deegan having im-^ jjd the Editor is not fnlly "borne oat jit Eirket , who moTed the first resolution , said , in ^ ppcr -cg it , that what Mr . Deegan did say respecting * e Seit being promised a report from the Times , was tijfcresi from the coloring given to it in the Star . sj ijdi . K . ) further asserts , that what Mr . Deegan did g- « & , th » t the Ster should hare had a reporter

      fcgg . Kow , « s this inTolTes tha character of the Star , ^ T diduot any one bear in mind thai the Leeds Times p ^ tia Jfercatfy were dependant upon the i ^ ar for a _^ of the meeting held by the Chartists on the j ^ Kf oa Thursday , and for a report of the soiree held . jjjg jiusie Saloon an Wednesday , the two meetings & mast importance to the people ? and why were not be pecple told that the . Star alone had reports of those tfoBsei » 5 » t 0 Set ^ dy for its first edition , and # ai t * o reporters and several -writers were engaged in ^ jsg tbe report up in time ? Does not every one w » that saA a press of reporting matter is invariably ^^ -j . fl tj ' yaitors ° * * H loal papers for their mutual

      jSKSaBtt-Eai Tiiieoat&ias the spirit of a public meeting ? I ^ onjd siTths resolutions and ad dress of all , rather ftjaib& Esesfcke * of any ; and why did it never strike ^ 3 tbe Sunderland meeting that the Star alone a ^ iitsd ti » address and resolutions , which , although ^^ to tha lima , were not published ? Tbe Star -j ^ ed all the meetings and the address of the dele" oia ; bo other paper did . If the Editor had got the ] gti ruse report of Mr . Deegaa's speech , Mr . Daegan ' s gtej v . vonMbave been published without any curtail * as-, if there had been room and the Editor thought

      SfesaHsXl K . further asserts that 2 ir . Deegan did not £ xe thsEiiter with haying placed his name at the jg ^ a e ! tie list ; he only said that his name , toafcr vita those of Messrs . Mason and Lowery > jss &ae , bat did not say by -whom placed there . 5 : Tj -, aj there a man in Sunderland so silly as not fcisiT that no ene but the Editor could have placed fez . tiae ia the course of arranging the matter for fc japs ? Who , then , but the Editor could have le stint ? Hi Deegm , he ays , did say that it was not doing Kb ssdiis eoustkasnts justice not to insert his speech B * e faSy , especially as it wm fully reported in the Tea .

      Well , -what must others feel whose speeches it did tA sax tie limes to report eo fully ? so that , in the eo : of the Star kvnpg got , and inserted , the Times ' K » n , i ! ill . Deegan had had more justice , greater ock of CG&p&Bt would hare been giTen to others . Mi "Williams said , that it was Etrange tkat no persx to the writer of the letter could remember the i&gui ^ of Mr . Deeg&a ; whereupon a disinterested Tarts -lirfed op , and said that he would take an osh tb * Mr . Beegaa costtadieted the assertion of the Eciior o £ ' ^ . e Star u to the promise of a report

      5 ctt I tbmk that any impartial judge will at once tk * rr , '; : that this is the weight of the charge ; th « one toiBT ^^ ojwi , which Hi . Willisas ays , erea admiting it to r-= zms , did aot justify the conclusion that ^ Mr , Deess Md np the Editor to reprobation . So then } it eo iccusctlan to caB a gentleman , who is" not prekes to de ! esd hinaelf , a Ear ! and it does not at all feasct from the csefolnest of a . journal that all those tr tiose interest U is conducted should be impressed ra & coETictioa that the conductor is unworthy of osc ;; Cm there be a word implying greater scorn or sSKle ttia "liar ? " and can contradiction be more £ a tim thai which Jit Williams freely admits Mr . Dapa to hare giTen to a plain assertion of the

      ^ s srs : resolction ia matter wholly between Mr . Daps aad Mr . Eadley . Tfea secoikd reselution was E 3 tk It Hi . WilUiais , and seconded by Mr . Austin , 2 - » i iOiloTi : — * i ^ t this meeting expresses its surprise , regret , *? - —I-f-rcration of the conduct of the Editor of the Ir 3 : zr , ia inserting a letter containing such K ; fpr :: -. from an indiTidual of whose capacity or ftcrurr hi tn = w nothing , and founsliiig thereon a

      " ^ ' - ELJcft attack upon the general and priTate z ^ f ci' j : of ixj . Deegan , introducing also charges and C afa : s . witil ' wiiicil the > ublie hate nothing to do ; *• E-r : su'ieasion of which "was not only uncalled for , wj ~^ : ^ ' Uli Bawi * s » and most seriously calcn-^ - - ' -t ; -zts the Chartist cause , without in tbe least ? £ .- _ : g -is priTste or public interest of ia proprie-•* t . Kainctor "

      • -2 rapect to this resolutioD , I hare only to ask •^ - u irould hare been wise or fueling to haTe J * s ^ c-Tjj the part admitted by Mr . Williams to be *^ - 2 ^ the paoopai feature was a remark of Mr . ¦^^ -5 to ths following impart : — "That the Star ^ - 'l-byed a spirit , -which , if submitted to , would * £ ill nidspendesce of son ! in the leaders of the J * r * ; * iat it might one daybecome a Tile heresy to f * s x- infallibility , or to diSer in the slightest - = i frcai the Tnanpej in which , open any occasion , :

      rosdcetei-^^ - proceeds to say , —ia a mild spirit of course , — ^¦ is c -aaaers that Mr . D = egan hadiad less jostice ~* is eren awarded to him upon his trial , when - * ae fall reporters' notes prodnced against him . l ^ p " -- " ^ sabject , 1 must only say that the Star has ifcV- ~ ^ tIl&t ISJ'ster 5 ' witl 1 "wllicQ otiier papers ^ y = Tery uame of proprietor , editor , and all in ^^ with it ; that its columns , as I shall pre-7 — = "" , haTe been open as well to all charges "f ^ the proprietor or the Editor as against of

      '¦ -- e ^ cisy e er them ; and if ^ tzj fear of the Star becoming & danj ^ istrunsett , it will be when the people ¦ . ' -5 t reason for doubting the -rexaatj of Tij ™ ¦*¦ -- i : i = coaaucted . Jht Star hss not , liie other j /** ^ -i-e lisa of " its texii £ e powers " to prepare in -: j : ihe adTertising commnnity , or eTen in the ^^' ¦ ' go ^ d report of the most comfortable ot ^ /¦ ' --S classes , any retreat from tbe poorest of oe . ' ^~ " ' ^ ' ^ * ° ^ standard ot justice meted c- "'" " ^ i ? "i 3 as compared to that measured by

      - _ .-.- ¦ rsssurs to Mr . Williams , he has made the i * -: ' -n . iision of the fact , that the Editor of the g ^ ^ : ^ r _ iihed with no direct charge , but was fur-^ " ¦^ - "• ^ r laying the only one with which he ^ r - \ net in notes , bnt in full , before the public , I * _ " ~' - ^ Z il ^ itJi his own defence , v "~ - -fess that 1 do not think Mr , Williams has tj , ~; -: I-iT in his case of the of the reporter and ^ *¦ - ly-. \ . me see if I cannotfurnish him with one j ^ J-: uv ~ suppose then a resolution to the

      fol-I JJfci ,. " ] " / ~ T ^* t ^^ meeting understandiBg that the * s > , " . ' . V . fe ; N erQien Siar i ** - in compliance with fc » X V ^' "" , ToriP « classes , appointed a reporter » ii " : " - * tod district , and Sunderland and district , fc »! say . Z ? * ~ 52 pex * anam . f « the purposa of « i ^ r . . eon *^ reports of all Chartist and fc" **^ ^ 2 fn ' rf ° Pklion tta * ^ m the J * 2 * t » J 1 ; ' the 8 ai d reporter to haTe attended r ^ K ^^ « f tion ' , if unaToidably absent , to k ^ s ^^** » mirtltBte , * » -wba » capacity and C ? 4 ^ t ^^ ^^ w ^^ eace ; and ttto meet-^ X ^^ " ^^ i wi ™ has left the editor EH- ^ ^^ T " rf ^ 7 good-natured person Fttt te ^ J ?^ . ?» 4 » «^«^ or garbledreport to ten

      ^^^ rJ ^^ dohi « ^^ w ™*™ * j » ^ ^ uSSSSSSl ^ toTinf a - H ^? 5 *** ; WQli « " mrred tiat re » lution with-* 2 ? Sf , * *? ^ ^ ^ xeal with which be WTfc ^ w ° ° ISOre u ^ ^ Bditar . I think * WwI , ~ . ** ah *^ "opted ; became exrj ^ *» re ( P" « d , and i am j ^ j ^^ thit j ^ , * " ^ eS ^ TE ^^ * dffiit ^ DeesaD ^^ ^ S ^^ Itte EditOT - DeTer ^ aw ill . Deegaa got hi * informa-

      Untitled Article

      tion from tbe Editor of the Leeds Times ; bo that the whole appears to be a playing off of the Terscity of the Editor of tbe $ iar , against the unsupported allegations of an interested party . But as to any danger to be apprekended , Mr . Williams may rest politically satisfied that no - ' false doctrine , heresy , or schism" in the Slar , can do much , damage , while it inserts such resolutions , and pays £ 52 a-year for reporting them , There is not another , paper in England that would have published those resolutions . a . ? •»_ * * ~ 1-1 t « , a —

      But Jet us now see if this be the first charge of a similar nature against both proprietor and Editor , and from the same quarter , and for tbe same cause , of not reporting Mr . Deegan ; and whether , in gvring insertion to the resolutions of the Durham Delegate Meeting , in December last , the Editor , when censured by a resolution of a delegate meeting , eriaeed any Tery great pugnacity of dupotition . The following is tke resolution to which I-refer : — " The meeting expressed their disapprobation , of the non-insertion by the editor of the Xorthrn Star of the report of the public tea giTen at Sunderland to Messrs .

      Byrae , Owen , and Deegan , and of the explanatory remaiks furnished by Mr . Deegan respecting the foreign policy meeting at the same ^ place ; and also of the appointment of missionaries by Mr . O'Gonaoi , or any other irresponsible party , the meeting being of opinion that all « uch appointments ought to be m&de by the people tbemselTes , or by the ExecutiTe Council at Manchester , who . are the responsible aervants of the Chartist body ; and that , if Mr . O'Connor be inclined t « contribute to the support of missionaries , to hand his contributions orer to the Executive Council , to bt applied by that body for that purpne . "

      Now here u a Tdte of erasure in the strongest language , Mr . Deegan being one of the delegates , for the non-insertiaa of matter which the parties nerer even took the trouble of enquiring whether or no it had been receiTed , or whether it had been displaced for mor « important matter ; and because the Editor did not insert Mr . Deegaa ' s explanation , upon a subject upon which the Star and the Liberator were bestowing much attention . At the same meeting , a Tote of censure was passed upon me for giTing my own money towards the support f tried men , who "ware r # cently enlarged from prison , snbject to tbe spproTal and application of the roice of

      the people of any district , which may require their services : and how am I treated . » Why , I am told to send my money to the ExecutiTe , in order that they might dispose of it . Now , I might hare asked if the ExecutiTe appointed Mr . Deegan , Mr . Mason , Mr . Bairstow , or any of those whose lectures appear to haTe giTen unmixed satisfaction . Here , then , was a ? ote of censure upon the Editor for not reporting Mr . Deegaa ' s explanation , asd upon the Proprietor for offering £ 4 a week out of his own pocket , subject to the people ' s approTal _ as to those to whom it should be expended upon , and not eTen the short hand notes sent to the parties charged , who learn it frem the colnmns of another paper .

      May I not , in passing , ask whether the nicety of appointment and payment was as critically scanned in the instance of a whole horde of gentlemen receiTing immense salariss from Mr . Urquhart , and appointed by him . ' >" o ; but I am censured for giving my own money , -while the Editor is censured for not publishing a justification for Mr . Crquharts delegates ; this , indeed , is noTel justice . I must now refer to a matter connected cloaely with the foregoing . I give the following transcript from the letter of a person upon whose veracity I have tbe most implicit reliance . It bears date , Newcastle , February 10 th , and , after " setting forth the conspiracy which has been long hatching against the Slar in that quarter , it statai as follows : —

      "This party , through Mr . , called upon the Council of the working men to pass a vote of censure upon the Star , at the meeting on Tuesday night ; but , to their disappointment , they found the Council unwilling to become their tools , and their demand was indignantiy spurned " , to the great chagrin of Mr . , who used many arguments to induce them to pass the resolution . Among the many petty charges against the Star is the following : — ' That Mr . O'Connor refused to lend £ 1000 to certain parties , without security , to commence a newspaper ; ' this , and expecting Messrs . Lowery , Deegan , &c , to pay for Start regularly , they represented as "being mean . '"

      ^ ow , let me state -srhat mj maannas * * nd anxiety abontmy £ 1 , 000 amounted to . It appears tha * I required security ; . ¦ well , who would not T What was the security , and what the interest that I required ? Why . naturally to be paid back my principal with ten pel cent , which I am paying for the Star shares . Now would this be unfair ? 1 say not ; but what was mj proposal ? Why to giTe^—not lend—my thousand pounds , and never to see it again ; requiring that I should be insured against any greater loss , in order to try the experiment for two years , satisfied to lose ten pounds a week , for that period .

      Xow , I was not applied to ; it was a voluntary offer , made in a j > riTate letter to Mr . Williams , npon hearing his intention from himself of establishing a pap « r in the place of the Northern Liberator . He has that letter ; let every word of it be published . So much for what is expected from me ; and now for the rule which is observed towards me in a precisely similar case . I was encouraged to establish a paper upon a premise of £ SO 0 being raised , to which I was to add £ 400-Little more than £ 500 of the £ S 00 was raised , and a

      larg » portion of that ha 3 baan paid on . Two lawyers opinions were taken on the matter ; a s ' amped deed was executed , and one very igaorant attorney , at Halifax , toid the shareholders that thay ¦ would be liable for all the debts » f the paper ; for all paper and stamps ; for all iibeis of eTery description , and so forth . Well , in this deed , I am bound to pay ten per cent ., and am made personally liable , by my own desire , and against the wish of the shareholders , for the principal , ¦ whatever becomes of the Star , which was to haTe been a joint speculation .

      jTow , i ask Englishmen if this is English fair-play That a gentleman is first to be frowned npon by every one of his class , persecuted , and locked up in solitary confinement , and then pelted with his own acts of generosity . It is very well to raike the insertion or non-insertion of matter the ostensible cause of complaint ; but I think I shall be able to put this question upon its right legs , and to trace it to its origin . This conspiracy , - then , has its origin in the discomfiture of the Russo Chartists , -who first nestled in the neighbourhood of Newcastle and district , in consequence of Mr . Attwood ' s local patronage and alliance

      -with the party . The Star , most properly , checked the gasconading of a set of paid parrots , receiving enormous salaries for repeating some rery exciting stuff that they had learned by rote about Rataia , Constantinople , Ciieasaia , the Ottoman Empire , France , and God only ka # ws -what ; and of which they knew just as much as a pig " does of geometry . They were all Chartists , and 'tomelhin < j more . Well , they threw out their feelers , for the snppon of the Star , in the greatest piece of political trickery ever attempted to be practised ; the Star would not bite , but exposed the whole

      affair . Tbe consequence of ¦ which was , that they had the address to persuade the Northern Liberator , a paper with ¦ which the Star had beea in strict alliance for three years , that they "were strong enough to give strength to a journal . They assumed all the mock pagesxt of a mimic court , and even sent ambassadors t& Prance . Well , the Liberator , not knowing how to discriminate between the adopted conclusions of a hired party and public opinion , took tha bait , and immediately opened a fire upon the Star , by an attempt to make the question at issue one of mere Whig or Tory hatred .

      The Liberator said that the Wkiga -would be mightily pleased with an article in the Star , supposing that popular hatred of Whigrery -was greater than hatred of Toryism . Now , this -was th « real test upon which the Liberator relied for success . Well , the Star and the Liberator fought it out like gentlemen , till the Liberator , who commenced the battle , surrendered ; and what was the result ? Why , that the attack upon the Star , which "was to have re-animated the Liberator ,

      produced its sudden death ; and so we lost the aid of that excellent paper , in consequence of its belief in the strength of a party , which was not even a good faction . Had the Star prostitut « d its columns to the support of the Russian missionaries , it would have had a good puffer in each -well-paid agent , and , instead of votes of censure , we should have beard of nothing but "O ! read the Star ! read the Star ! " But periib the Star before it ahftll ever become the tool of faction , or the trop of deceit

      Now , it ia all very fine to talk about injuring the cause , and the Star not being denounced by public speakers at meetings of working men , This u not the

      Untitled Article

      game . The real cause of the complaint from that quartet is , that the actors were not sufficiently perfect in all their parts to ensure a good performance , before the working men themselves began to smell a rat ; and , having learned a lesson in diplomacy , from the Russo ministers , they , thanks to their honest hearts , met plot by counter-plot , and communicated truly , honestly , and punctually , every jump the cat took , and thus enabled the Star to nip the thing ia tbe bud . Lord Barrymore has truly said , that " ene enemy can do you more harm than a thousand friends can d 6 good ; " and the Star -was not likely to escape the ¦ wrath of highly-paid missionaries , -who had undertaken so distinguished a calling ; it is not natural to expect it

      Neither Mr . William * , nor Mr . Deegaa , are even hinted at ia these- remarks ; they apply exclusively to & set of n » y friend * in Northumberland and Durham , who haTe felt sore at a kick being put iu their gallop , and hare met , like sneaking rascals , eaves-droppers , u they are , and done all that in their petty wrath they could do , to undermine the Star , and its Proprietor , and Editor ; but I hurl defiance at them ; I dare them to come out of their hiding-hole , and face a non-paying meeting of real working men , and there denounce the Star .

      And now they cry out , "Ah I what a shame not to allew ua to haTe gone on nicely and quietly in our own way , to render the Star a truly subservient organ . " In fact , it would appear as if the Star had no character to support , and that its editor was to receive censure with cap in hand ; while any defence was to be met with , " O J take care , you'll damage the cause . " The Star , since its birth , has had but one Proprietor , one Editor , one Publisher , and one Clerk ; and show

      me the man in the kingdom who has beea mixed up with the same conflicting parties , measures , men and opinions , as the Editor of the Northern Star , and who has more studiously avoided giving personal offence to the honest or the poor , while his proposed reward for six days of unremitting toil , endeavouring to do the best for all , is to reflect , oa tbe seventh , upon the number of votes of censure to which bis labours have entitled him .

      If tne Editor was capable of being overawed by votes of censure for the proper use of a power , of the application of which be must be the best judge , and for ¦ which he is responsible to the people , but not to a faction , what must be the result , I ask , if such a precedent was once established ? Why that , after all , he could give but one Star , while six would be too few to contain the votes of censure for the omission of speeches , explanations , and letters ; and this would be freedom of the press ! Let me now show tkat I have , at all events , been consistent upon the subject of expensive national agitation , and that the Star was not governed by any whim , caprice , or personal feeling , in its opposition to the Russo humbug .

      In August , 1838 , I declared in the presence of Messrs . Attwood , Muntz , Douglas , Moir , Purdie , Lovett , Vincent , Salt , Hetherington and others , at the house of Mr . Muntz , that the National Rent scheme would have precisely the same result which a similar system had produced in Ireland , and which rendered that country the laughing stock of nations , the scoff of honest men , and a prey to political charlatans . Now attend to this evidence , direct and

      circumstantial . I am ready to prove that one of my most constant personal friends ; one of the people ' s most zealous and unflinching leaders ; was offered to name his own terms f * r writing me down , upon his liberation from prison . I give , not the substance , but his Tery words . I am prepared to prove that many provincial agitators of influence , have received letters from head-quarters , containing advice upon many subjects , and concluding with the declaration that " above all O'Connor and the Star must be put down . "

      Now , couple this direct testimony with the following circumstantial evidence . Mr . O'Connell , in his letter to the Leeds Reform Association , insists , above all , upon the paramount necessity of what the " lyiny ' Editor of the Star truly designates as a " knowledge depot , " the members to be elected upon the principles of the Association ; and he says that thb Irish of Manchester or Liverpool will elect him . God help his foolish head . Mr . Hume says that " the leaders of the working classes , generally , have agreed to join in an agitation for his definition of Household Suffrage ;" Mr . Roebuck says that " an Association , ready to act in

      concert with the Leeds Association , is being hatched in London , " aud is almost ready to leave the shell . Now , then , couple the direct evidence with the circumstantial , and can any man in his senses for a moment doubt that we were to be sold , neck and crop , and purchased with our own money ? What was to have been the process ? Why , first , " O , there ' s no difference between us aud the Chartists ; we ' re all Chartistsbut we are practical men , and we dont wish to frighten the timid -, but just let us get strength enough once , and then see how we will make ministers step out . " Well , O'Connell says , you would get immense funds ;

      now it matters not a farthing -whether you did or not ; for such an association the treasury would bleed mos > t frefely . The favourites of your order would get their own price , as missionaries ; they would be paid out of the secret service fund , -with your money ; and when the pressure from within had so far operated upon tbe pressure from without , as to get a large majority of men , all agreed upon the principle , you would have seven years of the most corrupt parliament , even worse tMn the present ; and then the f « w stage mountebanks .

      having made their party sufficiently independent of a few votes , -would now and then make a grand annual splutter ; weuld denounce ministers ; bring forward extreme questions ; divide pretiy strong , but always join to keep the Tories out This " depot" -was to have been the maLa-spring of pressure -without , while a set of mountebanks , -were to form the nucleus of the pressure within—the one , the only , obj-ct being to keep the iron hoof of Toryism off your necks to leave more ro « m for the iron hoof of Whiggery .

      Well , the poor Star cannot be very popular with the a ^ ell classes—the top-sawyers— " the working men , ¦ wot don ' t work , " to have snapped such a morsel from them . If the Leeds attempt had succeeded , a good deal of the machinery was arranged , and , I hear , some of my friends won't forgive the disarrangement . However , I started -wi : h the poorest , and with them I am fully resolved , come what -will , to die or conquer .

      In justice to some of the very best of men , I deny Mr . Hume ' s asser tion , that the leaders of the working classes , generally , had agreed to join for his definition , i assert , upon behalf of two of the most leading men in i / onaon , that an appeal vras made to them , and that they unhesitatingly , unequivocally , and indignantly refused to join in any agitation which had for its object , directly or implifedly , the establishment of any other principle than that contained in the People ' s Charter . Xow , I state this upon authority , and thsy -were two who drew up the Charter !

      Great merit is made of not openly denouncing the Slar ; but to whom is the merit due ? whether to those ¦ who are obliged to abstain for want of cause , or to the Star , -which furnishes not even a pretext . O ! if the Star gave but a handle , what a hue and cry my friends would set up . Here is the plan of nibbling at the Star , and praising the speaker : — Mr . Chairman , — " I believe every rain in this meeting -will at once admit that I am the very last man in England who -would -wish to injure the Star , and that I have made as large personal sacrifices as any man of my class in pushing that paper . ( Hem , hem . )

      But , then , it is our duty to point out its errors iu a mild and forbearing spirit , as the best means of preserving its usefulness to the people ; and I think -we cannot do bo in a more friendly manner than commencing by telling the editor that he ' s a liar , and the proprieter that he's a mean and spiritless fellow for having limited his losses , in the establishment of a paper , to the paltry sum of £ 1 , 000 , and in daring to give £ 21 for six weeks' pay to two missionaries , if tbe people wished for their services . Such acts , Sir , are eminently calculated to so ? dissension in the Radical ranks—to injure the character of out tried friends , —and , finally , to destroy the ever-glorious cause of democratic liberty . "

      Now , wh / it is the real feeling in the mind of every man , callin g himself Chartist , who denounces the Star ? Just this- _ " D n that Star ; but for it , I could do a bit of fa' icy "work iu the trade , but that devil keeps me in the c id road , like a horse in a mill ; and if I step only a q inch aside , it bellows out , come back here , Mr . , I cay come back , you ' re on the wrong r » ad ;

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      there ' s a great H-o-us-e—a Parliamentary H-o-u-i-ebuilt across that road . " There never-was a paper which so simplified the cause of the people as the Star , , aad those who notr fight with it , and -whom it has kept In the straight road , will , ere long , bless it , and pray for it , when they , in the natural course ef events , shall be called upon , -which they will , very speedily , to take » share in the admialstratlon . of the State ' * affair * . Then will they say , " Blew tbe Star , that sustained ine in the days of my pUjtrlmsge . I can new undertake iny office , pure aad spotless , and , without the heavy chain of apostasy hanging round my neck . "

      The CbartisU are nearer power than they imagine , and no man , at long as I live , shall protract the period by stepping one inch out of the old Charter road , without being called after by name , and 'warned of bis danger . I-was sent here as a cock-shot for every blackguard ¦ who wished to pelt me , from Fox Maule to the very lowest ; and therefore it Is not likely that the opportunity should be thrown away . There cannot be a better mask than tilting the Star first , as that ia my foundation ; and that being gone , my head would come in for the next blow . But I hurl defiance at open foe and candie fbibkd . I have left around my name a shield of poor man ' s love ; a barrier of the pauper's rich affection , which neither open villaay nor secret plot can break through .

      You Russian rump | you set of vipers ! ¦ whenever you have anything to say , give notice like men . Call my friend * together , after their day's work , and than charge , and charge , and charge away , till you are black in the face , and I defy you . I am not the only man In this kingdom In solitary confinement for nothing . No , no , ; my hands were not tied and my tongue gagged for nothing ; and I am not to be choked with butter . No man ever cries " stinking fish , " or offers a bad bone for sale ; and , of course , no one could do such a thing as abuse , for abusing sake No , no , its all for love . It appears very odd that every such attempt has the effect of enhancing the people ' s love ; but so it is .

      I am , Your faithful friend , Feargus O'Coknob . P . S . If very many inaccuracies occur in this letter , I beg to state , that although I have thought it an imperative duty , to write It , I have done so against the express order of the surgeon , who , in consequence of my sight being much impaired , has ordered me not to read or write at all ; I have thought it my duty , however , and for this reason : —Lord Coke has said that , " be who undertakes to plead his own cause , has a fool for a client ; " had the cause been my own , I should have left it to my friend , Mr . Hill , to defend me ; but knowing that his time will be sufficiently occupied , in

      bis duties to the public , I have thus , at all risk and pain , come forward to discharge a duty which can be better performed by an advocate than by the accused ; and , in conclusion , I have only to say , that very many resolutions , complimentary to my excellent friend , have been to my knowledge displaced by him to make room for matter which ha considered to be of more importance ; while he appears to have gone to some inconvenience to give immediate insertion to the only resolutions of disapprobation -which , after many years of a -well tried political life , have been passed upon him . He can well afford it . I am prevented from replying to many letteis in consequence of my sight being much impaired . P . O'C .

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      " * -r- " 1 ~ " " »^^^ l *»* l l "I" ^*» THE WANT OF " MOTHER GOOSE" AND THE WANTS OF OTHERS . TO THE KDITOE OF THE NORTHERN STAR . Sir , —In your last , I sawan article headed " Wanted , a Horn Book for Mothtr Goose ; " on reading which I could not ( from motives of pure charity ) do otherwise than make an attempt to supply that desideratum . I , therefore , went to work on the Lord ' s day , thinking it no sin to do an act of kindness on that day ; particularly , as I cannot devote much time to Dame Goose , save on St . Agnew ' s-day . , In this Horn Book , Mother Goose will find the Chartist alphabet , which she never yet learned . There she will find some short words , frequently used by her , but of tbe signification of which , she is entirely ignorant , and she will also meet with some short lessons adapted to her -wants , and the improvement of her scarcely unshelled charge . Thus , Sir , Ifottier Goose and her littleuns , may cease their whimperings , and rely upon the promise of their wants beiog speedily supplied .

      I don't ask you , Sir , to insert any portion of the little " wanted" in your columns , because there are other wants . Some want to do good by exposing the villanies of those in power , and by pointing out the way of escape from the bondage in which the people aro now held . Some want to bewilder tbe people with inexplicable nonBense about old H-o-u-s-e-s , and undefined delations of Household Suffrage . Others want to fill your column 3 with censures for not catering to their whims . Others make cart-rope speeches , and want you to give them to the public verbatim , because they -want the public to call them clever .

      And others , "who aro paid for spouting , want their lectures (?) to be on every table , imagining that tho produce of their brains is moat delicious fruit , and ought to be tasted by all ; and , moreover , they want you to place them on a pedestal , and to conjure the people to fall down and worship these gods . Yes , riods—they don't want to be known as hired crotchetmongers , or as Sappers and Miners in the WUig army , though they labour ( under cover ) to sap the foundation of the Charter , and undermine your firmlyestablished journal . But I know they do not want me to write in this style ; and , I suppose , you do not want me further to trespass on your space .

      Should your " devil" want something to light the fire , and you think proper to accommodate him "with this , I shall not ¦ want my friends ( though they amount to Uoenty-lhree ) to pass a vote of censure upon you , and s » y it was agreed to by the men of Leeds . You know your own business , and us scribes and paid parrots should not -want to dictate to you , and sing in your ears " ME first—don't place ME at the bottom of the list ; " for I am , Yonr's , truly . An Old Radical . Leeds , Feb . 16 th , 1841 .

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      WAKEF 1 ELD HELL . TO THE EDITOE OF THE N 0 ETHE 1 UN STAR . Sir , —Some of your readers may perhaps feel squeamish , about the heading of these letters , but when they have read the statement contained in this , they will perhaps agree with me that the title is very mild , when compared wita the atrocities of the " system . " In my last letter it was clearly shewn , that the " rules" of the place are sheer humbug , drawn up for the purpose of imposing upon that portion of the public , who are sufficiently respectable , and have curiosity enough , to inspect that abode of misery and torture . I willnaw give a few specimens of tho effects produced by the " silent system , " which will fully justify you in usiDg the term mad-house , i . e . a house for making men mad , not for curing them . I know of nothing better calculated to cause idiotcy or madness than the discipliue of Wakefield prison .

      I wish that some of our humanity mongers ¦ would demand an . inquiry into tbe workings of the " silent system , " ( but it-would not answer their purpose unless it took place at Jamaica , or the Cape of Good Hope , ) if such inquiry took place it would be found , that hundreds have been totally lost to their families and friends oa account of the cruel treatment they have received whilst in that prison . I was personally acquainted with two woolcembers at Bradford , as strong healthy men as -were to be found in the town , who had been sent to Wakefield for some trifling assault ; one of them a man who weighed about fifteen stone , came out a living Bkeleton , covered with bruises from head to foot , and raving mad , in which state he died shortly after . The other when I last saw him , was a drivelling idiot ; hundreds of men in Bradford who read this will know who I mean . Although I was not allowed to look either to the right or left , nor to conversQ or mako signs t » any of the prisoners , yet with this drawback upon my means

      of observation , I counted about 30 in a state of idiotcy through close confinement , want of air , ( being never allowed into the yard ,, fitl continued silence and starvation . There is no' denying this ; and I am confident , that if the governor , chaplain , surgeon , keeper , and clerk , were examined , they would at once admit it ; at least , a msjerity of them , for they have frequently done so when I conversed with them on the subject . The surgeon has told me that he would state what I have already advanced , if examined before a Committee of the House of Commons . The chaplain has told me several times that six months of Bach treatment would send him to his grave ; I would , therefore , recommend my friends , at Bamsley , Bradford , and Sheffield , to get up a petition to tbe Honourable House , praying for an inquiry into the treatment of prisoners , and the effects produced on their constitutions by the ' silent system , ' as practised at Wakefield and other Houses of Correction .

      Ab an illustration of its effects , I will mention the case of a man from Sbefiield , conflried for felony 4 his number was 335 . He applied to tbe keeper to write a letter to his wife , at tho same time that I was writing in the office . The kcepur asked him how long he had been in the prison ? as the rules state " that no man shall be allowed to write until he has been six Konths in the prison and only once a month afterwards . " He answered that be did sot know , bat to thought he bad

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      baen . three months ; he was then ordered to ask the clerk , \\ rhen he 1 returned , he said , that the clerk told him he had bean there eight months . I remarked , that it was very strange » man could not tell how long he had been suffering such misery . The keeper replied , " That it irw * common thing there for men to lose their recollection , . and have no knawledge of how their time passed . " I have frequently seen men pulled from their seats ,, when their time of imprisonment bad expired , although their numbors had been called several times . All this can be proved , and will be admitted , by the principal officers of the den ; in short , none but those who have experienced it , can have the slightest idea of the cruelty and torture inflicted on both mind and body , in that infamous place , the very existence of which proves the brutality and bloodthirstiness of the " powers that be . " , I am , Sir , yours , truly , Qkobge White . ¦ No . 3 Court , Essex-street , Birmingham .

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      PUBLIC MEETINGS AGAINST THE POOR-LAW AMENDMENT ACT . —MEETING IN BITTLE BOLTON . ( From ihe Bolttn Chronicle . J , A public meeting of leypayers , convened by the overseers , in consequence of a requisition numerously signed , was held in the Town Hall , Little Bolton , on Wednesday evening last ; to take into consideration the propriety of petitioning both Houses of Paliament against the renewal of the Poor Law Amendment Act . The room was crowded to excess , but was very orderly . On the motion of Mr . Thomas Myerscough , Mr . Gilbert Wholley , one ef the overseers , was called to the chair . „ The Chairman briefly opened the proceedings by desiring toe meeting to be orderly , and give every speaker an impartial hearing ; having read the notice convening the meeting .

      Richard Maraden , a weaver , rose to move the first resolution , and said any old man present would not have believed thirty or forty years ago that a poor man , applying for relief , in case of distress , could not obtain it unless he went to tbe workhouse , like a prison-house , surrounded by walls , separated from bis wife and children , and fed on gruel and food too scanty to preserve health and life . ( Hear , hear . ) In times like these too , of the severest distress , to be separated from their families was & double infliction of injustice ; it was in times like these that man and wife required each other ' s presence , in order that they might afford each other more comfort and consolation ; but the bare idea of

      having their children taken from them was maddening , and made the brain to whirl . If he were wealthy , and separated from his children , the hope of reward might influence their conduct in some degree , but not being tso they would be reckless of the future , and require his protecting aid . Let the Hc-b Union afford an example as to tbe manner in which children were treated . ( Hear , hear , hear . ) It was in evidence that in that Union the Governor flogged girls of fourteen and sixtc « n years of age on the bare back , and what rendered it still worse , women were , compelled to bold their arms while We performed the act of flagellation , ( cries of shame ); a woman was separated from her child , and she said rather than be so she would cut her own

      throat ; but they enforced tbe order , and next morning she left the place , and having no means of sustenance and no prospect but the horrid bastile , she put a period to her existence . ( Hear , hear . ) As a woman said to him on Monday , " blessed is the womb that never bears . '' The inhabitants of Bolton hud formed a committee which they called the watch committee , whose duty it was to inform the public when their rights or liberties were likely to be assailed . This meeting emanated from that committee ; and they told the public to petition , but would Government attend to their petition ? he feared they would not , from the thousands which had been already sent without avail . Tbe committee saw the position in which they stood ; they felt alarmed and pointed to the public view the

      object about to destroy them . Could the people , however , avoid the calamity ? If they could not , it was not the fault of the committee , but the circumstances under which we were placed . Supposes man was bound hand and foot to 5 tree ; a person placed at a short distance from him to warn him of danger ; and if a lion or some other ferocious animal were to approach , and the man set to watch made an alarm what would it avail the captive who was bound hand and foot to a tree , and could not move ? ( hear , hear , and cheers ) , wby then iuform him of his danger for " sufficient fur the day is the evil thereof " unless it were in his power to afford him some relief ? And it was not less absurd to pray and desire the lion or other beast not to hurt him than it was to petition the House of Commons not to renew tbe

      New Poor Law Bill ; they knew the lion would seize upon the man , front p : iat experience ; and the knowledge they hod of the House of Commoiu taught them what to expect from there . Then , he said , wky come there ? He was asked not to come there to petition Parliament ; but to awaken the energies of the people , and tell them boldly to bid defiance to those who would trample upon them . ( Cheers ) Let them only look at their real position . They had been contributing for years to a fund for their relief in case of sickness and distress , and yet they bad no power over their own money ; it must be left to the management of others . For that be would not have cared one straw , if he must have bad justice ; but he had not If the money was appropriated to its legitimate purposes ,

      instead of being squandered away , he would have been satisfied ; but ho found , in the first place , that upwards of sixty thousand pounds a-year was paid to the Commissioners and their minions , who were distributed all over the country , and were shamefully making away with the public money . These men , too , had exclusive power , and could deal with the public as they thought proper . Suppose , in the case of a benefit society , which had a committee acting for it who did not do their duty in a proper manner , the society were to appoint others in their stead , yet still the old committee refused to give up , and exacted the usual sums from the members , what would be done with them ? Why , they would bo taken to a court of justice , and punished for fraud : but if they should fail in obtaining

      justice , they could leave the society . This Poor Law Committee , however , resolve that we shall not leave it ; that we must remain members ; but , be it understood , only paying members . ( Hear . ) What must they do in a ease like this ? Wby , if they found they could not pay without distressing their families , and they forced them to it , say " da it at your peril . " ( Cheers . ) Did they think there was any other course ? He liked not violence , but he would say either give us the power" to chooao our own guardians , and deal with our funds as we like , or else give ua the privilege of leaving tbe society , or " we will not pay as usual . " ( Loud cheers . ) Their energies were great for the well-being of society , and in return they claimed the privilege of being well fed and well clothed . The speaker here showed how rich men , as in the case of the members of the old corporations , would filch out of other people ' s property

      when they had the power , as under the old system . The old corporation of Bristol let tbe walls and quays of the Frome and Avon to the society of merchants for £ 10 , and they let them again to a sub-contractor for £ 1 , 400 a year . ( Hear , hear . ) Again , a gentleman had occasion to go down to his vessel , which was unloading at the time , on account of delay , and found , from inquiries made , that the parties who contracted for it only received 3 s . 6 d . for what he had to pay 16 s . He urged them either to insist upon haviag justice done to them , or no longer pay any rutes . They must not suppose they could gain everything by a petition . It was like the waggoner in the mire , who lifted up his eyes and prayed to Jupiter to be extricated , whtreus , if he had placed bis shoulder to the wheel and done it himself , he might have been successful . After some further observations , he concluded by moving the following resolution : —

      "That this meeting having had notice of » Bill brought into Parliament by lA > rd John Russell , to continue and extend the unhappy operations of the Peo * Law Amendment Act for tbe period of ten years , takes this opportunity of expressing its determined opposition to the said Bill , as being unconstitutional , anti-Christian , oppressive , and UDjust . " Mr . Thomas Myerscough , in seconding the motion just made , observed that he read in the resolution that the Bill of Lord Tohn Russell waa unconstitutional : that it was so must be evident , because it took away from the people the privilege of managing their own local aftUirs , and vested them in the bands of three men called Commissioners , who had power to make rules , orders , and regulations , having tbe force and

      effect of Btatute law . Every writer on the Constitution had clearly held that a trust cannot be delegated , so that few , if any * hive the effrontery to declare that the powers conferred by the Heuse of Commons on the three Commissioners are right in principle . It was said , when the Bill was first passed , that the poor were eating up the land , and that the rates amounted to £ 7 , 800 , 090 . He stated , some time ago , the amount collected in Little Bolton t « be , in 1838 , the sum of £ 1876 12 s . 2 d . ; but of this £ 1121 17 s . id . went to other expencea , so that £ 754 4 s . lOd . was all that was applied t » the poor . The Commissioners had boasted that in one year they had made a saving of £ 2 , 400 , 000 ; but if Little Bolton was any criterion to go by , of what the poor cost throughout the country , they never received more than £ 3 , 249 , 000 , as the remainder went in payment ol county rates , church-rates , constables , and other things , so that , if the account of the Commissioners were true , the poor had only received about

      £ 84 , 000 . The idea that the poor cost this amount frightened the Parliament , so they set to work In establishing the n « w law , which had cost upwards of £ 60 , 000 a year to carry it into operation , and if renewed , would next year cost more than £ 100 , 000 . ( Hear , hear . ) When one of the assistant Commissioners was before the House of Commons / Mr . Power , be believed it was , who was formerly in this district , but we had now another culled Mr . Mott ; whtn the former was before a Committee of the Homse , Mr . P . W . Harvey asked him how much he received per year , and his reply was six or seven hundred pounds , and when > he questioned him with regard to expencei , it appeared that those were six or seven hundred pounds or more also This seemedanextraordinarysum . andMr . Harvey wished to know how it was spent , and was about to obtain an answer , when he was stopped by the Chairman , this question being considered rather too dose , because he knew it was rather too keen a hit for a commissioner to explain bow be expended six or seven bundled

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      pounds ayear and only allow a poor man Is . 6 &d a week t <» live upoo . ( Cheers . ) It -was said this law- was to lecsen tbe expences of the different unions ^ bnt be would ahoTv them , by an . average , token three year * preceding the operation of the old law , and three yeara * * ftar » wards , that this was incorrect The aveiage expense * in the Bolton Union , for three yean , under the aldl » w » was £ 9 , 3 ( 5 per annum , and the expencea tor , the first quarter , " after the new law came info operation , were £ 2 , 816 ; the second quarter , £ 3 , 689 ; third quartet , £ 4 , 759 ; fifth , £ 5 , 112 ; and th » last call wasfor £ 6 , * 0 0 $ which was at the rate ot £ - 14 , 000 ayear . ( Hear , hear . ) Tbis was a beautiful sort of dt ^ rease , to be sore J aatf tt was a question for their consideration , whether , with all these stated amendments , the poor were any belter

      fed aad clothed than before ? It was quite certainth % y were not , and he had this from undoubted authority , for he had » petition in Bis pocket , about to be sent to Parliament , by tbe Bolton Board of Guardian * , which clearly stated " that the . rates are heavier and the poor not better provided for . " ( Hear , hear . ) Mr . Aahworth and others in . the town , ( if it were true , } had stated that the people , from inquiries made , were in a truly deplorable slate , and was it not monstrous that they should be so , at a cost , too , of £ 24 , 000 a year to tb » Union ? ( Hear , hear . ) The clerk to the board bad stated that th « re was ' a saving of £ 800 a year on * of £ 1 , 290 formerly expended in the salaries of officer * But how this could be was a mystery to bim , when be found that the different officers , including medical

      gentlemen , registrars , &c . cost the Union £ 2 , tl 3 in on * year . He was not against men being properly remunerated for their labour ; but by the new law their duties were so mixed up , one township with another , that it was impossible they could attend to them with * out considerable loss to the townships . How was It possible that thirty-two or thirty-three townships could be properly managed- by five overseen ? Ha found , on examining the books of Little Bolton , that the lost rate paid by Mr . Dawson , in 1839 , at sixpence in the pound , amounted to £ 1 , 083 , and the loss , in empty houses , removals , ic , amounted only to £ 74 1 s . 4 d . The next . rate was ninepence in the pound , from the 24 th of June , 1839 , to 21 st March , 1840 , amounting to £ 1 , 592 Us . 104 d .. and the amount

      of loss in arrears , empty houses , removals , &c , was £ 288 7 s . lid . The next . rate was one shilling in the pound , from the 21 st March to the 25 th September , 1840 , amounting to £ 2 , 389-3 s . 5 £ d ., and tbe loss , including arrears , in this instance , was the enormous sum of £ 782 16 a . lid ., which-was more than all the money paid to the poor in 1838 .. ( Cheers . ) He called thia monstrous , and although termed by its supporters tb » perfection of wisdom , yet such were its results ; and , further , he believed that if the accounts were examined , it would be found that a number of people ( he could give names , but would not do so at present , as tbe matter would unquestionably undergo investigation } whose rates had been forgiven—people who were better able to pay than himself , and there were other maW

      ters which , when brought to light , would excite their astonishment The new Bill hod been put Into his hands on that day only , and therefore he had not bad sufficient time to peruse it , to point out fully ite iniquity ; but from beginning to end , it appeared to extend the power of the Commissioners . By one clause he noticed that , however poor a psrson might be * there could be no forgiveness of rates , not even by the magistrates , unless by the Guardians . This would be all right if the Guardians were left to themselves ; but it so happened that they could do nttthiog in opposition to the will of the mighty Commissioners—every thing to be I « ft to the three kings at Somerset House —( hear , hear );—without their approbation , the Guardians had not the power of turning » if even a

      delinquent servant , and to suppose that the present men in office would not carry tho measure into full effect was next to impossible . He hod been told confidently that ne or two members of the Board of Guardians were in constant correspondence with the Commissioners , and were advising them to introduce the law quietly , step by step . ( Hear , hear , and " Shame . " ) Now , if this were true , it only , seemed still more strongly to manifest the disposition ' of Mr . Mott , who had , of late , visited Great Bolton workhouse , and found fault with everything . ( Hear . ) They wer « living there at tho rate « f 2 s . O ^ d . per head per week , how much lower Mr . Mott . 's dietary table would be he could not say , but it was quite little enough . Mb Mott ' s next movement would-be to enlarge the

      workhouse ; and this new bill not only gave the commissioners power to do so , but also to classify tbe paupers . ( Hear , bear . ) What was still worse , whatever kad created their poverty , no matter whether by crime or misfortune , they were all to share the same fate , and this was not to be doubted , because Lord John Russell himself had made the assertion ; and in some parts , even now , tbis beautiful system ot separation was going on , and in Kensington the workhouses—for , men , women , and children were distinct , in fact , were three miles apart , to prevent communication or intercourse between them : so that a man waa prevented from seeing his wife and children . ( A- voico here called out " let ' em take one of mine and I'll fire into ' em . " ) He held a document in his hand , the whole of which he

      should like to have read , but . it was too long . It wan beaded in the following curious manner , — " Selling English Children . —Selling the bodies of the poor—Incendiary fires . " He found , by this document , that there was a society , in London , calling itself the " Children ' s Friend Stciety , " which had been for a considerable period , trafficking in poor destitute children out of workhouses , and sending them to the Cape of Good Hope and other distant colonies , and openly selling them in the market like , cattle . ( Hear , hear , and shame . ) The fact v / as , they first taxed tbe people so as to make them poor , and then punished them for being so . To show the dislike parties entertained for the bastiles , he might mention an instance which he bad seen in the papers th&other day , of a woman , who

      was brought before the magistrates charged with breaking a window . Mr . Wightman found she was in a distressed state , and ordered her to the workhouse . She then stated that she hadbetn in the workhouse , but bad escaped from it to get : into prison , in order that she might receive better treatment . Mr . Wightman , however , refused to convict her , and sent a policeman with her to the workhouse y fejit on their way Bh « took up a stone and threw it through another window , and was again obliged to be brought up . Mr . Wightman then informed her that he should be obliged to commit her for three months . She replied "the longer the

      better "—and was committed . ( Hear , hear . ) Mr . Wakley also had stated in a speech in the House of Commons , that numbers had died from starvation , rather than go into a union workhouse , and related a number of instances that bad come under his notice as coroner ef Middlesex . And were we to have laws like these thrust upon us ? ( No , no . ) One great evilwas , the amount of taxea we had to pay , aa would be fbund by Cobbett's Legacy ; a work which every man ought to have ; for in the . same proportion as the Government taxes increased , the amount of poor rates increased and poverty along , with them . He found in this work the following statement : ¦—

      Poor-rates . Govern , taxes . Reign of Jamea II lCO . eeo 1 , 300 , 000 1776 1 , 496 , 906 8 , 000 , 000 1780 .. 2 , 250 , 000 16 , 000 , 000 1833 6 , 700 , 000 52 , 000 , 000 When he was before a committee of the House of Commons , on the Question ot a minimum of wages , and which he could not agree to ,, he was asked if be had any other plan to propose , he replied that he bad , to reduce the taxes from 50 or 60 millions to something like ten or twelve millions ; and ho also informed them that Mr . Preston had stated the truth to the House of Commons when he informed them that out of every 18 a . earned by the labourer 16 s . either directly or indirectly went In taxes x but if instead of that they wotdd call at poor

      men ' s houses and here and there cut a piece of bacon , the people would not stand it Along with their poverty also they had rural police , because it was necessary to keep the powr quiet ; but the only and safe way to quieten them was by giving them plenty of bread and cheese . ( Cheers . ) The overseers of Great Bolton , a short time ago had sent a petition to the magistrate * against the new police here which he would read . [ The petition which we have before published waa then read . ] This was an important document , and shewed them that the public were not able to pay . these facts shewed that the New Poor Law did not , nor could it work well , and that it was iirxti-CbrlBUan iu stated in the resolution , no one would attempt to deny ; for he defied them to produce any passage from the beginning

      to the end of the Bible , which did not call open them to support the poor and needy , and not to rob the hireling of his wages ; and yet tho measure was calculated to produce those direful effects which Mr . Mareden bad detailed . It was unnecessary to enlarge upon this subject , for any one who had taken op a newspaper , must have seen evidence of its direful effects . The bastardy clauses which had been spoken upon , had operated very unfavourably in that township , for they left unprotected the weaker party , and . did not punish the guilty . Mr . Mverscough again roBe and read a communication which had fceen received by Mr . Dawson , and accompanied by a copy of the same act , which stated that he should be happy to receive any instructions or suggestions as to the course best to . be pursued when the bill was in committee .

      Tho Chaihman then put the motien , which was carried unanimously , amid loud cheering . Mr . William Thirlwind , seconded the adoption of the resolution and petitioni which were carried with acclamation . Mr . Daniel Djooib , and others afterwards Bpoke , but not In accordance wlttb the object for whicr , the meeting was called . Meeting in Great Bolton , —On Thursday evening a Blmllar meeting was held in . the Session ; , Boom , Great Bolton , which was not quite bo numerously attended as that in Little Bolton ; Mr . Naiab * , was unanimously called to the chair .

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      The PABisHioNSHS of St , George , Soir thwark , met on Friday at the Grapea Tavern , Suffix" k-stieei , and passed resolutions calling on the Mp mbera of the Borough to oppose the clause in the J ' few Poor Law Amendment Bill giving plural and r , roxj-voting for Guardians , several Bpeakers condena ned the bill nltogether . —The parishes of Sh . Paul , Co vent Garden , and St . Luke ' s , Middlesex , aiso pissed similar resolutions on Friday .

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      THE NORTHERN STAR . 7 ! ' " ' " * " " * ' '" ¦~~ ¦ -- ¦ '¦ ' ¦ ' ' ¦ " " ' ¦ ¦ ¦¦ ¦ " ¦ — ¦¦>¦¦ — ¦¦ i- —^ m^——¦ ¦¦ ¦ ¦ ¦ ¦ ¦¦ . '_ 1 —;_ ¦¦¦¦ . — ¦~ - — , ¦¦¦¦— -1 mii ¦ ¦ . p ^^ l .

  • Citation
    • Northern Star (1837-1852), Feb. 20, 1841, page 7, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse-os.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/periodicals/ns/issues/vm2-ncseproduct1097/page/7/