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MEETING OF THE STONEMASONS AND OTHER TRADES IN LONDON.
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Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software. The text has not been manually corrected and should not be relied on to be an accurate representation of the item.
Additionally, when viewing full transcripts, extracted text may not be in the same order as the original document.
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SHEFFIELD ^ { From ovr own Correrpondcni . j puorKE to Fsahjps O'Cowwos , Esq . —Tie dinner » o Feargus O'Connor , Esq ., the chief of the people ' s JLice , ^ ** P ™ ™ Ta *** * 0 ° Wednesday , ? hfl 29 th . CoJeoel Thompson and his son , Mr . ¥£ > BiTHon , jttii ^ l * te candidate for the representation « f the Tower flanlets , and the Itev . Wm , Hill , vffist of the Northern Star , are invited asd xpeeted Jfcests . Ladies'tickets , Is . € d . ; Qentiemen 5 B , 2 s . j Lj » b « b » d of tfce following persons : —Mr . JoMia Harney , agent ** the Northern Star . No . 48 , Nursery-streeV Wkfcte , « nd No . 29 , Si . Thomas-street , P ^ tobeHo-streat j Mr . Otley , No . 4 , South-street , Sheffield Moor ; Mr . Baxton , news-agent , No . 80 , Sooth-stree ? , Sheffield Mcor ; Mr . longard , newsjgeEt , Division-street ; Mr . Ludiam , news-agent , "Vfstson Walk ; Mr . Frost , news-agent , No . 64 , Bridge-street ; and Mr . Pashley , Silver-street
Bead . Bso . yrrBBE C ^ Bbie * . —Thi 3 gentleman has de-1 clined ' . he invitation to be present at ' . hs deroonstra- ! jion on the 29 ih , bus mil visit Sheffield on Monday , October 11 : h , then to deliver a lecture or course of leciares . H oiHEaHAM . —Mr . Julian Karaey visited Rcfcherjiiia oa Wednesday , September G . n ; placards , of jrhieh the following is a copy , announced Mr . Rar-Bev s coming : — " A public meeting will bo held in 3 if . Ross ' s Club Room , Qaarry Hili , on Wednesday evening , September 8 th , to commence & . t seven o ' clock , when Mr . G . Julian Harnev will address tbe meeting on the existing evils cf society , and their remedy . The attendance of all classes is earnestly requested . " At seven o'clock the roc-m was '
crowded , when Mr . John Wilson was called to the j ciair , who opened the business by introducing Mr . j Hamey . Mr . Harney then commenced by shewing j briefly , but pointedly , the general distress of the i verting class , the bankrup : cy of the middle class , } and the insecurity of the aristocracy , proving there : wag " * something rotten in the state . " The lecturer 6 axt considered what was the remedy ; and , after shewing the titter and complete failure of the Reform Bill , proceeded to comment upon " . he " three great measures of commercial reform , " lately proposed to the country by the Whigs , shewing up the hypocrisy aid rascality of that faction in first rate stylo . The lecturer next assailed the Tories , and drew ds ^ n the justly-merited ridicule of his hearers upon that faction , while exposing their " Church |
Exiension ' and " Religious Education" fallacies . Mr . Harney after speaking for an hour and a-half , concluded his address by appealing to his hearers to geek knowledge , to get understanding , that they alshi know the cause of ihcir wrongs and ascertain for " themselves the real remedy . He concluded jsiid the enthusiastic plaudits of his hearers . Mr . Jotrett soTtJ ihe thaiks of the meeting to Mr . Hartev , ^ iven unanimously . There is a strong revival of Ghmisia here ; tha renowned Dr . Smiles forced here lately a " Fox and Goose L ' iub , " of its doings , rumour saith not , if the cackling bodies wiii oa ] y " come out of their shell , " rre promise them the Chartists will shew them fair play , asd con-Tisce them into the bargains ( if open to convictioD ) of the absurdity of their brick-and-mortar
hembng . SrsDAT Evkxijc g Lecture . —It was announced in the Star of Saturday last , that Mr . Barker would lecture en Sunday evening , on ki the necessity of abolishing the House of Lords . " Mr . Barker should J » Te lectured od the previous Sunday , but failing to attend sent word that he was ill of tbe tocthe-ache , and eculd nos attend , upon which Me ^ rs . Harney , Gill , and Otley , endeavoured to supply his place ; in ihe course of last week word came to the room that Mr . Barker wculd lecture as last Sunday , accordingly rhe sam * was announced ( asj"s : Kta : cd ) in the Star . At seven o ' clock , the hour wiicn the lecture Should have commtneed , "Mr . Barker had not rns . de iis appearance , and some time after that the audience
begumiEg to exhibit signs of imcaretiee , Mr . iTK-. f-rick cf-ied to read Mr . O'Connor's speech at its Crown and Anchor , London , while waning for the lecturer ; this was cordially agreed to . Mr . M'Kettrick then read the speech which was listened to with the most live l y interest , and had i ; not been the Sabbath" evening , would have been responded to by the enthusiastic cheers of the assembly . Mr . Bsraey wished to know if the lectnrcr had yet arrived ] liapppeared he had no ' . ; Mr . Harney said scch conduct was highly disgraceful and unless Mr . Barker reached the room before the close of the evening's proceedings , he ( Mr . H . ) should move a vote of censure upon him . ( Hear , hear ) A call was now made upon Mr . Gill , when , al" ; fcr a panse ,
that gentleman came forward and said ; hough he tad not come ihere to lectnre , nHl rather than the meeting should be disappointed , he would endeavour to supply Mr . Barker's absence , at the * anytime he sifert express his regret that any professing Chartist should be so far unmindful of his duty as to eause such insult by his absence it a public assembly . Mr . Gill then proceeded to comment opon one of the Manchester propositions lately sub-Eit : ea to the South Lancashire lecturers , namely , *• What are the effects produced upon soci-. ty by the law of primogeniture ? " In answer , Mr . G . observed that he was ose of these who believed that the earth , the air , and the water belongs equally to the whole human race , yet vre have a cla ^ s living
by tie public robbery of iha whole of ihe ear . b , and more or less of the water too . Mr . G . then showed that a landed aristocrat , who has inherited from his brigand fathers scree thousands of acres of land , leaving these to his eldest son , to the exclusion of tha rest of his children , tha eifect was to throw these , the unprovided members of the family , upon ¦ & £ public . Thus were the people doubly robbed ; robbed in the firs : place , of their right in the land ; and secondly , robbed through the taxes to support those brandies of the aristocracy driven by the law of primogeniture to subsist by public plunder . One of the effects of the law of primogeniture was the giving to the junior members of the aristocracy , a
moEopoly of me honours and emoluments of the army , the church , and tha law ; with re = pect to the army , he considered it a national carse—( . hear ); bat supposing it to ba the reverse of this ; suppose he adinitted that a standing army was necessary , Ftili look at the monstroH 3 injustice exhibited in its Tanks ; a private might serve , he would net say his country , but his country ' s despotism—( hear , hear )—for ten , or even twenty years , he m 3 y hsve borne the toilsome march , he may hava been wounded , he msy ' uiids ; the battle ' s rage have faced death in the most avrful form ? , srill shall some boy , some aristocratic sprig , step over the head of . he veteran , and / take to bairtself the so-called honours of the profesi 32 . Again , look at the church ; i : was the of the
yous ^ tr sons aristocracy , reeking from tee jj ^ VOwer held by them Hose Secretary of niiby debiucaeries of collegiate life , that acquired g tate _ -j his wa 3 carrying out the principle of cenaJ the high seats of the temple . After commenting ; trilization with a vengeance ! The tyranny of tht : upon ; Le sirases of me law , Mr . G . showed teat the Somerset-house Bashaws was bad er . oush , but h-jre ca-aE ::: ss borne by the colonists of this country : t y . e Radical Member for Ba : h proposed to orect a deswar ? caused by aristocratic rule ; in pr . ; of thereof , ' potism , unblushing and ur . vei ' eJ . ( Hear , hear . ) ce cited , the blood-stained history of Indii . Mr .. Unless Mr . Roebuck h 3 d indeed taken leave of his tr . teen took up the subject of the > * i-ioral Debt , ¦ sense 5 , he ( Mr . M'Kettrick ) muz * , sav that ho re-Ehowing that : r . e debt was contracted for the pur- garded him as the most sublime of huz ., l :: ^ s . — pose of having a fund out cf which tha other- ( Cheers . ) Entertairrng these views , he bau ut- ^ d wise uaprovlded-for members cf the aristocracy it his dnty to bring forward the resolnti-jn ho had airs : life ; the Chartists were charged with jnst propo = ed , and he thorgi :, i : rhe pcopJe of Liath be : ^ s pchators ; he repudiated ths charge ; he did their duty , they wruld fl : r . ^ their s ^ ani ilidica i vrc ^ L no : lake the lan d from tbe arU : ocr £ cy , but to member overboard . ( Che . --r ? 1—Mr . S : ok « seconded
reiis'e tbe people he would wi * h : o s-: 3 them comp elled to pay the debt which tbjy had contracted for : heir ( : h > arlstoctracy'sj owa beusfit . ( Hear , hear . ) ilr . G . thea offered ? oa ¦ : cbjervations upoa the subject of competition , and concluded a lengthy ard truth-telling di ? cour 55 by appealing to the meeting to labour with heart and toui for the obtainment cf that political power which would enaole them to brrakdown the Jaw of primcgeiiiture , f-nd withi : ev- ; ry c : b : r abase of tec present aristocratic system . Mr . Hsmey paid , Mr . Barker not having reached the room , and not hav ; r . £ thought proper 10 seiid even an excuse for his absence , and this being the second time he had disappointed a public audience ~( s-iveral voices , " this is ti . a thiiil i . mef ')—well if it - * -as the third time so much the worse . ( Hear ) Ke should now move tha resolution of which he hud
given notice —( hear)—but would Srst move that Mr . Ci ^ rkiontake t he chair ; this bcitg seconded , was s _ gre-5 d to . The chaircin said this was the third r . tns iir . Barker had deceived a meeting called in tha : room . On the Srst occasion , he ( trie chairman ) had setn Mr . Bsrker a : twelve o ' clock of the day on tr . 3 evecirg of which he should have lectured . He then promiK i kim ( the cbairr : sri ) ihii he would net : z 3 . to attir .. ; bu ; he never came . Las : Sunday He jest word he was unwell ; but at a t . Ei 2 when it was impossible to irike 3 ny proper arrangements for a perser . to 511 his pisc-e ; th : s lime he had rot cti ^ ned Us seed auy word why he ™ as ab .-ent . Mr . Harney moved his" resolution " , " That Mr . Barker hav . Egfo ? the third time deceive } a public asKiably , towhi-E he bad engaged te lecture , without , upon the prKec : occasion , ven ; how rjg the courtesy to state
wny ht hii ^ b ^ eiited himself this ctetbg coro : der < the conduct of that person highly censurable , and do - erc-by eir > rep 3 their marked " disapprobation of his ^ gentlemanly behaviour . " Mr . Joseph Uxi ^ y seconded the resolution ; a ^ entleiran , who sta-.-. d he vrcrked wi-. h Mr . Barker said he believed Mr . Barker had gone on a pleasare trip into Derby-^ ire ! He wished the resolution to be withdrawn . •^• M'Ken rick consi d ered they were no : to be insuited with impunity by Mr . Barker , or any oise < £ * ; he gave his hearty support to the resolution . Two other gentlemen supported the resolution and RroDg ' . y ceisored Mr . Barker . The Chairman put the resolution , which vrss carried with only one oi 55 c-i , r : cr ! t . Thanks having been Toted to Mr . Gill for £ : s able address . The meeting then dissolved .
AstOcuTios Meetisg . —A public meetirg of the members and friends of tbe associatica was heJd on Mojid-y , in the room , Fig-tree Lane , Mr . Clarksoti in the chair ; Mr . M'Kettrick trough * under the notice of the meeting the propriety of holding a Q ^ ate meeting in SheEeU , for the purpose cf coEsjcering the best m ^ ans of exunding the organiauon of the aatociation to the districts around
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Sheffield , and for the better uniting the towns of Bsrasley , Doncaster , Rotherbam , and Chesterfield with the town of Sheffield , making of the latter the centre in the agitation for the future to be carried on in this part of the country ; he wished the delegate meeting to be held for another reason , namely , that they might secure the co-operation of the towns he had just named in the forthcoming demonstration , in honour of Feargus O'Connor . ( Hear , hear . ) After some other pointed remarks , Mr . M'Kettrick concluded by moving " That & delegate meeting be held in this room ( Fig-tree Lane ) on Sunday next , September the 19 tb , at the hour of one o ' clock , for the purpose he had before named , and that the following places be requested to sand delegates , namely ,
Barnsley , Doncaster , Rotherbam , Chesterfield and Brampton , Attercliffe , Darnall , Eccles ' field , Handsworth , Grimeethorpe , Stannington , Wortley , Dronfield , Crockes , Heeley , Oughbridge , Wadsley , Eckington , Woodhouse , Beighton , Hackentaorpe , and EeelesfcU . " Mr . Owr . shaw seconded the motion , —agreed to unanimously . ( It is requested that the delegates will bring word of the number of tickets wanted in tfecir respective localities for the dinner to bo given to Feargua O'Connor , Esq- on the 29 th . ) Mr . Harney said , with great pleasure he had voted for Mr . ll'Kettrick's motion , but he was anxious that if possible something should be done in the way of holding Tillage meetings in tbe neighbourhood of Sheffield this week , without
j ] ' . ; waiting fox the delegate meeting . On Sunday , on f Tuesday , and Wednesday , Di . M'Douall would be \ lecturing in the Town Hall ; on Thursday evening he ( Mr . H ) would have to attend the meeting of the . ' committee for obtaining the liberation of the political l prisoners ; , but on Friday and Saturday evenings he ! would be at liberty , and would be happy to attend : any meetings called for those evenings . ( Hear , hear . ) ! A conversation ensued , in which Messrs . M'Kettrick , i Otley , Green and others took part ; it was ultimately : resoiYed " That parties wishing Mr . Harney ' a assisi tauce should communicate and mako arrangements l with Mr . H . for the holding of meetings . " Mr .
; Otky read a letter from Mr . Peter Shorrocks , of Man-; Chester , enclosing four pounds , a sovereign each to be given to the four victims of Whiggery lately i liberated from NorthallertOEgaol , Messrs . Penthorpe , ! Benison , Thomas Booker , and William Booker . ( Cheers . ) iir . Harney said , the men of Sheffield were about to give a public dinner to Feargus i O'Connor , in testimony of the sense entertained by , them of his distinguished services in freedom ' s cause ; J that was good , but while all honour was paid to the I chief of the cause , he thought that others who had ; rtrujgled and suffered in that cause should < not be forgotten . ( Hear , hear . ) He regarded : the humblest of those who had been struck down
i by tyranny ' s shafts , to be as worthy ol the peopled ; honour as O'Connor himself . ( Hear . ) True , it s was not possible to get up public dinners every day , otherwise-he would have said let Peuthorpc , and Benisjn , and the Bookers have a dinner , as well as '¦ O'Connor . ( Cheers . ) Thi 3 could not be ; but ; tickets to the dinner on the ' 29 : h might be presented : to each of the victims , and thi 3 would be paying them some respect , God knew not mora than their iufi ' crings entitled them to—( cheers)—and snro he ; was that the presence of the liberated patriots , and ! the presence of the wives of those yet suffering in ' : the dungeoEs of despotism would be the most acceptable and highly prlzsd honour they could pay to Mr . O'Connor . ( Cheers . ) Mr . Haruey concluded by
moving a resolution to the effect that Mrs . Cxayton , Mrs . Holberry , Mr-s . Marshall , Mrs . Foden , the patriots who had been liberated from prison , and ( . where married ) their wives be gratuitously presented with tickets to the dinner . ( Cheers . ) Mr . Fanr seconded the motion . Mr . Otley gave to the motion his most hearty support ; it was a glorions feature of the present agitation that the working men could respect the good deed 3 of their own order ; they required cot that a man should be a Lord , or a Squire , to do him honour ; no , it was enough that he was a patriot . ( Cheers . ) Thi = feeling of self-respect and self-reliance on th ? part of the labouring many was a sure and eertain tuarantee of their ultimate triumph—that the day
would compel the other classes of society to respect them , too . ( Cheers . ) The motion was unanimously carried . Mr . M'Ketterick moved the following resolution : — " That tha New Poor Law framed in violation of the British constitution , and carried out in the most inhuman and unchristian spirit , has always been regarded with detestation and abhorrence by the working classes of Sheffield , the appointing of the three irresponsible Somerset Hcuse bashaws to superintend the execution of tha law bi- ' uj ; especially odiou 3 in their estimation , convinced as this meeting i ? that no such power can be placed in the hands of individuals without degenerating into—if not meant for the purposes of-the vile 3 i tyranny ; and this meeting regards with surprise the proposed
amendment of tbe law of which Mr . Roebuck has given notice , seeing in that so-called amendment a grievous addition to the evil complained cf , and the establishment of a despotism which Englishmen will be justified in resisting by every mcaus in their power . We , therefore , call upon the people of Bath to demand of their miirepresentative an account ol his conduct upon this and a former occasion when he betrayed- the principles of Radicalism to the Tories . " In support of hi 3 resolution , Mr . M'Ketterick remarked that it would be known to them all that Mr . Roebuck was returned at the bte election for Bath as an advocate of tbe people ' s rights , but
in the nos :. foully had he betrayed his trust . ( Hear , hear , hear . ) Hi 3 conduct in the House of Commons upon the introduction of Mr . sharmsn Crawford's motion for an amendment of the address would be fresh in their recollection ; he ^ then betrayed thspriueipies he was seiit to the House of Commons to defend , and sold the true friends of tbe p . ople to the Torie 3 , the avowed foc-s of pcor . Iar rights ; and now he came forward vrith his motion to amend the New Poor Law , by making it a far worse measure , if ' . hat wer-2 possible , than it even was at present . ( Hear . ) He proposed to discharge the three Somer ^ t-houEe Commissioners and vcit
the resolution . —Mr . Harney > s id he should pi ye to the resolution hi ? support . The resolution denouncf d the New Poot Law , and in tv-.-ry word of denunciation of that iaw he most cordially concurred . It was one of the blackest acts o : ciass-le ^ ii ' ation . That law was passed for the thrce-foid purpos-j ct reducing tbe wages of labour , bringing the people ro live on a eo-srser sort of food , and thinning the population ( Hear , hear . ) The frsmers of the law calculated that by making the poor-house a terror to the people ; , tht-y would drive iliem from seeking relief , and thus place them at tho mercy of the
employocracy of the country . A man—an agricultural labourer , say—deprived of employment , aud having no resource but the parish , solicits relief . This , without the walls of a workhouse , is denied him ; he must break up hia home , he must consent to be confined in a placo more like a prison than OTisht else , there to be stparated frciu his wife and children , otherwise i > u may perish—he may ci ^ - The man shrinks wi ; h horror from entering the accursed place , over the gates of which ho thinks he sees written in letters of blocd , what tbe poet imagined he saw ir . scr : bed over the gates of iiell . ¥ > No hepe enters hero . " iie returns to his la * - , employer " , u . na whereas he before had ten
smiiiiiga week , he now cfier 3 his labour at nine thuliums th ? wiek ; his ofi ^ r is accepted ; bu * ., to make Way for him another man working at a high wage is discharged ; but this man has ls great a h : rror ot the Biitile as the frc ^ h man , and he , rather t ; -. an become us inmate , will labour for eight shiiLvgs the wtck . Tijui was it calculated thi 3 hated law would allow the slave-drivers to grind down their seifs . ( Hear . ) i : required do speech-making to show them that if their wages were reduced they must necessariiy be brought to a worse diet ; but a word or two upon rhe assertion he bad made that the law way framed to thin the population . A numerous people had always been a canse of oread to tneir oppressors . Now , in the good old times they had a
capital method of thinning the population ; that was , to set the people to cut each others' throats . ( Hear . ) Not so many years since an Englishman had but to ba told that a Frenchman wore woodeu shoes , and swallowed frog soap , and was his natural enemy , not forgetting al&o that one Englishman could thrash five Frenchmen , and forthwith John Bull was ready to march to " murder as enemies xneu he never saw . This was capital work for the oppressors : it cased them > f their fears , for this " windpipe-slippingart" is a game at which two must play . Now , French Republicans were not the men to stand idly by , and allow themselves to be butchered , go they struck blow for blow ; they ctrndc heavy , and they itrack hard . ( Cheers . ) They bad all heard of " The Duke of York ' s March : " he wondered whether they meant the Duke ' s much to Yakncienats , or bis
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double-quick trot back again . ( Laughter and cheers . ) Two birds , yoa see , were killed with one stone ; French . Republicans were bufebered , and the surplus population o [ England was knocked on the head . Bat tfeas method wouldn ' t do now ; they were bound over in eight hundred million s to keep the peace , and dared not go to war . ( Cheers ) Ic might be all very well to knock down Chinamen ' s forta at Hong Kong—( laughter)—and batter down Mehemet Ali'a castles , but they were widely different matters to engaging in an European wax . Why , they could not carry on a peace , how the devil then were they to carry on a war ? ( Cheers . ) Again , they had not public opinion on their side ; the voice of tho people was opposed to war , hence they could not keep down
the population by the old means . Well , the Whigs in turning over the pages of the Bible , which they never did but , like their father , the D&vil , to extract evil from its pages—( cheers and laughter )—lighted upon the history of one King Pharaoh , who in days of yore ruled a distant laud . It appears he was sorely troubled on account of the fast increase of a people he held in bondage ; he therefore docreed a Jaw , ordering the male children of the people he dreaded to be put to death as soon as born . This was the lawgiver for the Whigs ; upon his law they had modelled their New Poor Law , under the operation of which hundro is had been gruelled to death in the-bastiles , and many an unhappy mother had deprived her offspring of existence . Cases
innumerable might be cited ; it was enough that ho mentioned—snd but mentioned—the name of Harriet Longley . ( Cries of " Hear . ") Well , this was the law with which Mr . Roebuck was so much in lore ; and not content with it as it at present stood , he must needs seek to increase its deformity by vesting the immense power of carrying out the law iu an aristocratical , irresponsible Secretary of State ; precious Radicalism this ; but for his part he was not surprised . Mr . Roebuck was a rank Maithusian ; -as such he ( Mr . H . ) had never trusted him ; moreover , he ( Mr .
Roebuck ) was allied with the fox and goose crew of Leeds , men who though theyhad liberty ever on their toBgues , harboured the vilest despotism in their hearts ; he must confess ho was surprised that even the Chartists of Bath gavo their support to such a person , and he hoped that they would not fail to do their duty , by bringing their very inconsistent representative to a public account of his conduct . ( Cheers . ) The Chairman announced that Mr . Otley would lecture on Sunday next , on the life and character of Washington . Thanks having been voted to the Chairman tho meeting then adjourned .
Dr . M'Douall . —This eminent and talented assertor of the people's rights , visited Sheffield on . Tuesday last ; by some it was feared that tho time of tho patriot ' s visit was inauspiciously chosen , this being the week of tho rac © 3 at poncaster , their fears were , however , proved to be ill-founded ; the Town-Hall had been engaged for tho doctor , which will hold , wo are informed , a thousand persons . By eight o ' clock , the hall was densely crowded , at which hour tha popular lecturer rnado his appearance , and wa . s received with the most tremendous cheering . Mr . Gsll was called to tho chair , aud introduced Dr . M'Douall . The lecturer at oneo entered
into an explanation of tho principles of tho People ' s Charter , as he proceeded , vindicating the rights of the people , in the most eloquent and soul-stirring Lnguage , responded to by the most rapturous cheering . Your correspondent must express his regret , that he is unable to send you even au outlinn of the doctor ' s excellent lecture , compelled as he is to have his weekly report in the post-office , beforo ten o'clock on Tuesday evening .
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PERHAPS THE MOST EXTRAORDINARY , AND CERTAINLY THE MOST IMPORTANT MEETING EVER C 0 SVK 5 ED IN LONDON , WAS HELD ON SATURDAY NIGHT LAST , AT THE CRAVEN ' S HEAD TAVERN , DilUllY LANE , FOR TI 1 E PURPOSE OF UEAE 1 NG FEARGUS O ' COKSOR . When Mr . O'Connor presented himself , he was received with ono general burst of applause , and then commenced as l olio we : — Mr . Chairman and fellow-tradesmen , for I am a tradesman —( cheers)—it was wrong , very wrong , of me to have ventured here to night ; I cannot make a speech ; I mu 3 t speak to you . ( Hear , hear . ) I have got a bad sore throat and a violent inflammation of the chest at the present moment ; but had 1
bt en worse I could not cave resisted the great temptation of meeting the stonemasons—the glorious stonemasons—and other trades . ( Cheers . ) This meeting is the foundation stone of a great and beautiful edifice , in which every member of the human family may fiud shelter . ( Cheers . ) I have earned a title to the name of workman , as yt-ur Chairman tells you that I look twenty years older than I did four years ago . Well ; if 1 have done twenty years' worth of good , I have no reason to regret the premature old a ^ e . ( Cheers . ) Now you are many of you masous ; and let us see why and wherofvro you should be Chartists—for that , after ail , is the question . ( Hear , hear ) I come to enlist you iu the holy army of Coartista ; not to kidnap you as unwilling recruits iu the array of martyrs . Well , you are masons : many belonginj ; to LoudoD , and many more driven from the
country to look for employment . ( Cheers . ) Wtli ; notwithstanding that tho Sun , and other papers , still contend that steam power has not interfered with the business of tailors , hatters , shoemakers , &c . —( laughter)—it is n ; y business to show you fairly how it can interfere with the builders o ; houses , although no part of the operation is performed by steam . ( Hear , h ^ ar ) To prove this , then , I wdl go at once to authenticated statistics . ( Hear , hear . ) And I will not travel beyond thu Elysium cf Reform , yea : 1 wili take tho very ten years of that halcyon ago . ( Lau # ht < r . ) It appears , then , according to the census of 2831 , that the uumber of families in Birmingham was greater by botween 400 and 5 ( W than tho number of inhabited houses ; while , by tho census of 1841 . it appears that tl . y cimber cf families exced tho number of
inhabited houses by between 2 , 000 und 3 , 0 U 0 . ( Loud cheers , and hea ? , hear . ) Very wdl ; hero then we havii the admission , supposswg house-building and procreation to have progressed according to former rules and standards , that in the la 3 t ten years above 2 , 000 families , or 1-IlMjO persons , at seven to u family , have been dr . yzn from tae cottage to'the cellar—from the hou ^ e to the looting-room . ( Great cheericp , and " true . " ) Weli , what has this done ? Why , n has created a competitive power of 2 , 0 C'J ready b-. iit houses against the masons of Birmingham , — ( i : car , hear . )—and it has sent them up hero to creato a competitive power , constituting a master ' s reserve , whereon he may fall back and make a reduction of wages according to the
overstock in the market . ( Loud cheers and " true . ' ) Now , what occurs at iiirmin ^ ha ni occurs to a greater extent at Manchester , L ? eds , aud other manuiacturing towns , and hence vie fiud a great number ot cottages , fornv .-rly occupied entirely by labouring men , now untenanted , while we sea cellars full ot live-lumber . ( Great cheering . ) Hence I prove to } ou that by the unchecked license to gamble in artificial labour , your customers are driven into tho cellars , and your services are not required ; thus that steam injures you —( hear , hear . )—and also that it creak s in your trade a surplus number of hands in an overstocked market . ( Cheers . ) Let us now sey how the system ^ cuerally opera . c 3 pvjudicially to u : o whole mass of society ? ( Hear . ) I will
begin with your ill-used customers , my poorest and best beloved " clients—the fustian-jacketed operatives . Suppose then a roaster to employ a thousand hauds , a ; . d to reduce the wages from Hi . to 13 j . a week , thai would be considered a slight reduction . They have gone as 1 ' ut as 33 p er cent , or one-third reduction . ( Hear , hear . ) Very well that reduction gives tho master one thousand shillings , or £ 50 a-week ; indur eodent of any honourable speculation upon manufacture ? . ( Loud cheers . ) Now , that gives him a property of £ 2 , 600 per annum , and now k-r-ar me , and lot this sentence sink deep in your recollection , and be engraven upon the tablet of every working man ' s memory . To preserve the title to that property is the principle upon tchich the House of Commons is returned as the great trades union of the monopolists . ( Tremeudous cheering and clapping of hands )—and to break that union
down wo are here assembled this night ; and break it down we must and will . ( Lond cheers . ) But I dont stop here ; for my business is to make my principles and objects so clear , that none can misunderstand . ( Hear , hear . ) Will , suppose a community of 10 , 000 families , the masters without reference to trade make by a reduction of one shilling per week , £ 26 , 000 anually by plunder . ( Hear , hear . ) Well , they substitute a cold bastile , which again deprives you of sustenance . ( Cheers . ) The stepmother ' s scanty bit insolently doled . out to systemmade paupers ; tho overseer ' s knout ; the wife torn from herhusband , and the children from both ; and for what ! Because clas 3 legislation has robbed the 10 , 000 families of £ 26 , 000 annually , which if shared , woild have formed a larger fund than the commissioners allow—would have rendered poor laws unnecessary , and education a blessing to be obtained by the poor man ' s own honestIresonrces . ( Loud
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cheers . ) Well , that ' s a moderate picture , and now to come home to you stonemasons , tailors , hatters , and all trades . ( Hear , hear . ) Suppose then , that in consequence of an overstock of masons , the masters should reduco wages 5 s . a week , here at once the proprietors of 1 , 000 slaves make by the reduction tho enormous sum of one hundred arid thirty thousand pounds per annum . ( Tremendous sensation and cheers . ) Now would ' ntitbe * good substitute for the bastileand skilly —( hear , hear)—aud to obviate thlB , you have tried your trade ' s union ! FolJy folly / ( Cheers . ) The Whigs were more powertnl than you and they were a trade's union , and yet the ToricB being a still more powerful union , thoy beat tho Whigs . ( Cheers and laughter . ) Now vou
seo that call class legislation what you will ; pamt it as you please !; the House of Commons is nothing more or less than tho rendevous of two trades' unions of masters—the Whigs , the unionists to uphold steam , and the centralisation of squalid misery and wretchedness in the filthy towns , and tho Tories , to uphold tho convenient appropriation of the land , whereby they may regulate Suffrage and representation , according to tho ehurch , the army , tho navy , the law , the placeman , and patronage standard . ( Loud cheers *) The one combination cannot rob the other ; they may hold possession of the legitimate and traneferrablo plunder ; but upon any emergency both factions will join in one union to rob you . ( Loud cheers . ) Now , do you ' hope for . or of
expect an ^ alteration your grievances from either ! ( " No , no . ") No of course not ; that ' s right . ( Cheots and laughter . ) Do you conscientiously look to the Charter , as a means of elevating you , without plundering those above you ? ( Cheers and " aye . " So do I . ( Cheers . ) Well , now the same rule that applies to masons applies to all other trades . When those in the provinces can't wear coats and breeches , the displaced tailors come to London and reduco wages . ( Hear , hear . ) So with hatters , and so with all ; for believe me that none , not even the greatest , but depend upon your order' for their very existence . ( Tremendous cheers . ) Now let me push tho consideration uf this important question Btill further ; a man said that the blacksmiths woald be
the last to suffer and would suffer Iea 9 t ; but I will . "how that they are tho first to suffer and the greatest sufferers . ( Cheers , and hGar . ) To begin , then , the foundry worked by steara , doss most of that work which they used to do—( hear , hear)—but , more , I will tako a railroad . ( Hear , hear . ) Now , how many blacksmiths in the different towns throughout England ? how many harness makers and all other tradea has this system of steam travelling reduced to beggary , and sent as a competitive p / nvcr into tho market 1 ( Hear , and cheers . ) But I will push it still further aud contrast you with horses . ( Hear , hear . ) Now , thenj steam-power by supplanting the manual Ubour of man , has been to man just what railway travelling has been to horses . When man
worked at his loom , he knew his value , and hia employer knew his value , and they were each joints of tho great whole , component parts of society mutually depending uponoach other for life and subsibtence , each equally interested in the regulation of demand aud supply , then mau thought himself afreeinan and he looked not narrowly into the ramifications of legislation , considering freedom to consist in house , food and raiment , but v » hen machinery made him a slave and bondsman , ho then began to look for tho causes aud he found them in class legislation ; he thenjooked for a remedy and found it in the Charter . Now , then , what steam did for man it has al 3 O done for horse ? . While tho postmasters and coach contractors found their stock profitable
and their renewal expensive , they fed them and petted them , but when the competitive power was brought into operation , they then took one feed a day away and then another , aiid , at last , they reduced them to tho standard established in the competitive market ; thoy took tho meat out of them , fed them for the remnant of the time for which they were likely to bo profitable , and , having thus reduced them to bones , sent them as dog's meat to the overstocked market , smoke having rendered their existence like that of man , unprofitable . ( It would be impossible to describe the cheering which followed this glowing and novel picture . ) Now , continued Mr . O'Connor , let ua consider the remedies proposed for the redress of these national calamities—the
repeal of the Corn Laws 1 ( Laughter ) You may well Jaugh . Reduction of tho timber and sugar duties . ( Renewed laughter . ) Now , as they Lave reduced tho quesiicn of the Corn Laws to the taugible shape of " cheap bread , " I may just ask you if you cau have any influence over tbo price of the manufactured _ article , whatever enactments the Trades' Unionists in St . Stephens may make as to the raw material ) ( " No , no . ") Very well . Now , then , as they admit that cheap bread will make cheap wages , and as they don ' t say one sentence about cheap Government , or cheap prayers—( laughter and cheers)—cheap fighting , or cheap law—( cheers ) -just let me Fupply the deficiency . ( Hear , hear . ) Suppose , then , that labour is cheapened , and
that wages are correspondingly reduced—mind , according to legislative rate of duty upon the raw material , wheat , and not according to the flour factors or bakers' enactments—( cheers)—and suppose that taxes remain , and the funds remain , and all regal expences , in short , all—and suppose wages , which alone pays all , to be reduced from £ 1 to Us ., and suppose that out of tho pound you now earn , that you pay 10 j . tax , and have 18 a . to spend ; wdl , out of the 14 ? . you would Btill pay tho 10 s . tax , and have 4 s ., tho surplus , to deal in the fancy bread and flour market . ( Loud cheering , and " True , true ' ) Now , to complete this picture ,
I must shew you what power tho corndealers , flour-dealers , and bakers have , independently of law . ( Hear , hear . ) Here it is thon , a night'a rain or wind , and , as if by magic , we have a calamitous note from Mark-lane , and when you go for your breakfast you got the small loaf . ( Load chters . ) So it is , one night ' s rain gives the power—tho intention is always there— and although ii may raise tho prico of flour from 3 s . to 3 i . 7 d . in a hurry , yet will not twelve days of sunshine reduce it by a farthing . ( Loud cheers . ) Well , then , is it wonderful that we should havk 500 , 000 PERSONS I-IVIJiG WITHOUT GoD AND WITHOUT HOVE \
Ah no ! and many is tiie system-made wretch reduced to the dire situation of Deing an unwilling idler , who , while I cm speaking , is spending his last shilling or eixpenca in the gin paiace . Aye , and that poor forlorn creature loves his wife aud little ones well , yet taken tbe poison to cure an aching heart and drown a flood of sorrow which ho cannot overcome ( Great sensation irnd cheers . ) Aye , he Iovcj his wife and lores his babes , but sixpence for seven or eight to live upon for seven long days is a promoter of strife and destroyer of harmony , and a . creator of family quarrels ;—( cheers ) -and who id the villain ! the unwilling victim or tho willing tyraut who makes h m so ? ( Loud cheers . ) Wall , then , to tho Charter 1 look for his conversion , and for his
tyrant ' s downfall . ( Cheers . ) Icoine now to timber , and let :: ; o show how it would operate atuiiiat the carpentt r and mason , and all those engaged in biuldii ; # houses under a master contractor . ( Hear , hear . ) Firstly , then , if all tho duty was taken off . Suppose that Baltic timber was reduced in price , fn . ni £ 7 . to £ 4 . the tou , the poor man ' s rent would not b » reduced by a fvnctiou , while the hougj owners would take tare to have tho advantago of the lowered du ' y . ( Cheers . ) Suppose , then , that a master contracts for a Jarge amount of work , his estimate is reduced correspondingly with tho reduction on the duty , and he shows tho reduced estimate to his workmen , and actually reduces their wages in consequence of tho reduction on dv . tv , having gwea
an advantage to the aristocrat , or house builder . ( Loud cheers . ) As to Sugar , my friends , I should like , provided it met your taste , to see eaeh of you with a sugar gtick in hia mouth . ( Laughter and cheers . ) But really the jngg ' e is too ridiculous , as regards sugar , to occupy a moment of our tiino with comment . Air . O'Cosmur then cntcrod into a powerful defence of every act of the Chartists . He asked why it was that tho whoio press of England and Ireland repeated every word spoken by tho Irish patriots , and never repeated a word ho said . Ab , said he , the answer is plain aud simple , bocauso their leader is bat playing chuck-stona with the people , tossing them from hand to hand , and they know that I am in earnest in what I say , and he is only in fun ! ( Laughter and cheers . ) Give me six months
reporting as they give Mr . O'Conuell , and I will carry the Charter and Repeal of the Uaion . ( Loud cheers . ) Oh , thank God , you cheer at the Repeal of the Union . Aye , I would carry both in six months ; but as I cant have that , I must on ' y work the harder , and do it myself . ( Lond cheers . ) I will do it , let who likes doubt it . ( Great cheering . ) Mr . O'Connor then exhorted all to join the Charter Association ranks ; to put down every appearance of disunion or strife , aud to unito as one man in the people's cause , who must not be longer deceived by moonshine . He spoke at considerable length , showing the progress which Chartism had made , and aft-. ra high and well-merited eulogium upon tho petition carriers , one of whom was in the chair aud many around him , he sat down in a state of great exhaustion , amidst thunders of applau 6 e .
The above is a mere sketch of his brilliant speech , theeiftct of which is , wo understand , a determination to call a general meeting of the trades to hear why they should join ia the agitation f » r tho Charter .
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HABIMEKSIVITTH . A public meeting was held on Tuesday ev . ning , at the City Arms Tavern , to welcome Feargus O'Connor to Hammersmith , bis adopted heine . Mr . O'Oonnoh having arrived a little before eight o ' clock , loud acclamations arose from csrary put of the spacious building , which was crowded to excess , as was tue lawn and every avenue to the Tavern . The cheering having subsided , Mr . Stall wood was called to the chair , who opened the evening ' s proceedings ia a powerful address
eulogising the firm and patriotic conduct of our noble champion , referring to his valuable assistance in aiding the people to procure the return of the Dorchester labourers and the Glasgow Cotton Spinners , and the noble manner in which , immediately upon hU release from his dungeon , ho again stepped into the front ranks—again braved the brunt of the battle . He called upon tbe meeting to give every person , who might address them , a fair and impartial hearing , if they came with prejudices to throw them aside , and listen only to the dictates of reason .
Mr . DOALiwo , a fustian jacket , moved the first resolution : — " That this meeting hail with delight , that noble of nature , Feargus O'Connor , on his release from hi 3 unjust incarceration , and hereby welcome him to Hammersmith ., bis adopted home . The ; alBO pledge themselves never to cease in their exertions , until the ; procure the return of Frost , Williams , and . Jones , and the release of all political prisoners . " The enthusiastic manner in which they had reesived their noble champion fully demonstrated that they cordially agreed in this resolution . Working men , of all others , had most need to be proud of O'Connor . For
their cause be had sacrificed ease , reputation amongst his own class , and the honours and luxuries of aristocratic life ; for they most bear in mind that he was not struggling for his own rights , but for the rights of the working classes . The Chairman had alluded to his conduct with respect to the Dorcheat « r labourers and the Glasgo wcotton spinners . He ( Mr . U . ) also bore testimony thnt these men would never have been restored to their homes , had it not been for his unwearied exertions . Miles after miles had he travelled to procure the release of these men ; and he trusted his exertions in the cause of liberty would meet with speedy and triumphant success .
Mr . Kidley seconded the resolution with great pleasure . He had come here not to do honour to Feargus O'Connor as a man , for he considered him no more worthy of honour than tbe working man who bad just sat down -, but he was there to-give him his tribute of thanks—hia tribute of admiration , for the noble manner in 'which he had defended their principles—for the gallunt manner in which he had endured lila unjust imprisonment , cheering them by his pen , guarding them from danger by his advice , and , lastly , for coming again amongst them , with a heart firm and undaunted —with a resolution which no tyranny could baffle , no
danger dispirit Tbe speaker then contrasted the conduct of Feargus O'Connor with that of Mr . O'Gonnell , aliening that one had taken the tough and thorny road which the working classes were compelled to traverse , whilst the ether had sailed with tue gate—had sounded all the harbours of corruption , but had finally run his vessel against the breakers of Toryism ; and if be did not speedily put to the right about—if he did not speedily desert tha cause of tbe Whigs , and stand by the people , he ( OConnell ) would sink , with the Whig " finalities , " into oblivious perdition . ( Load cheering . ) The resolution being put to tha meeting , was carried unanimously .
Mr . Wheeler then rose to move the second resolution" That this meeting is of opinion that the people of this empire will never be fully represented until tbe People ' s Charter becomes the law of vha land , and that impartial justice will never be awarded to Ireland until the Legislative Union between the two countries is repealed , and Ireland has a Parliament of her own , elected upon the broad principles contained in the People ' s Charter . " In the spirit of this resolution he entirely agreed , being ¦ well convinced that the people of this country would never be fully and fairly represented until every man had a voice iu the making of those laws which every man was called upon to obey ; any measure of Keferm
short of this was a mere mockery—was unworthy of the acceptance of an intelligent aud united people . Seo th « misery and distress which existed among the working classes of this eountry—amo&g those whose industry created all the comforts , necessaries , and luxuries of lifu—whose exertions created all those ingenious contrivances which tend so greatly to smooth the rough road of human existence . Whence has arisen this anomalous state of society ? Simply , because wo neglected the riglit cf Universal Suffrage—of that right which nature , which reason commands U 3 to exert ; simply , because our law-makers are of a different class of society to ourselves , having different and opposing interests in view . But they tell us we are too ignorant ;
wo have been ignorant—very ignorant , or w « should not have slaved from inorbing till night , that an aristocr . n tic class might riot in luxury on the wealth we havo toiled to earn . In the second part of the resolution he-also cordially agreed . As an Englishman , he shouM feel himself insulted by being told that he could not manage his own business , but must have an Irishman to transact it ; and was it iwt equally an insult to Ireland , to be governed by a Viceroy , like a conquered proviuce—to be forced to maintain a State Church , whoso doctrines were at variance with the feelings of eight-tenths cf the inhabitants ? ( Loud cheers . ) For these evils—for the evil of absenteeism , the on ' iy remedy was to ,: ive Ireland a Parliament of her own , elected on tho principles of the People ' s Charter .
Mr . Millwood briefly seconded the resolution which was carried unauiiuoualy . Mr . O'Connor rose amidst tremendous cheering to addresa tUe meeting . The following is only a sketch of an address , that for eloquence and reanon has never been surpassed . My friends , lam proud to see myself surrounded by such an assembly ; I am aiso proud to see so many females present—this is cheering to my heart , is informs me that our principles are gloriously winding their way into the heart of society— that our females who are the founders of the character of our population , are alive to their true in ^ rests , are anxious to see domestic and social happiufss bused on the firm foundation of political liberty . It is now five yesrs since I had the honour of addressing you in thi . s
room , I was then received with souia little coelnesa , some little distrust ; but ere that niaeting closed , I had the pleasure of knowing that a right estimate was found of mj views and feelings . Since then , I havo occupied a prominent position in th 8 political world . I havo encountered the wrath of all the factions , but have received in return the love and approbation of the people , for wbxsa rights I have been struggling , whose cause and whose interests have ever been O . ear to my heart . I am also happy to aae a sprinkling of the middlo classes present , as I wish to show to them that our principles will benefit not * he working classes alone , but all classes of society . Well , my friends , hero am I again among you , still true to my principles , still
ready to brave every daii . oi " , determined now that we have vanquished the Wl . i ^ s , to battle all tho Tories —( cheering )—in tha iixV , plenitude of their power , still ready to meet their tfcr ai of a strong government backed by the sword and tho cannon , the gibbet and the prison . They may again send ma to York Castle—n « ay again enclose me in their btone coffin—may deprive me of the consolation of intercourse with my friends—and I will cheerfully welcome all , aye , more than all , if I might be assured that the causo would progress in a similar manner is it has done sir . ca ray incarceration . ( Cheering . ) Living here , almost out of tho political wotld , you may not all know why I was sent to York Castle , it was for tho undefined crinio cf libel , a libel
copied from a Wiitshiio papar ; not ; witness vras examined save to uiy bci :: gth 9 proprietor of tha paper , the Northern Slar . ( Cheers . ) Yt > t , on ihe oath of tvrtlve middle cla ^ s jui -jicen , was I convicted for publishing what I nevtr saw , what I nevtr read or htard of , till it was heard in evidence agair-sl me—( sban : e (;—but , thick G- >« 1 , I buvo gono through tho ordeal ; thank G ^ d , we i . ivva all passed through the fiery trial ; never v . - aa an citation carried on in so firm , so peaceful a manner as ; b-3 present ; no riots , no destruction of property , tbuUjjh they have attempted to goad us to vengeanco by seudiug the polico amongst ns ; we are no destructives , we claim tqu-ji lights for aii ; we ask not for cmsuivss what we would not willingly grant to all . Look at our present anomalous position ; we hava a Tory Ojvernment with a majority of ninety-one , and we Lave a nation completely anti-Tory ; there ia not an hundred "working mon in the nation who are Torus . Tan nation detests the Tories . How then have they nation
been elected in opposition to the wish of the — in opposition to tbe public mind ? Why , because they hare in en elected by a claES ; wbat then is the remedy ? ( A . voice in th « meeting , " thu Ballot ) The Ballot , why that is the ladle without the soup . Has the person who says * the Ballot' a vote ? Come , my friend , I want to deal fairly with you . ( Answer , •' no . " ) Tbe Ballot ! what will tha Ballot do ? Will it give him a vote ? No ; it is the scabbard without the sword—tho Ballot without Universal Suffrage -would mako a trades " union of voters ; they would then tire upon ns from a masked battery , could make a boast of their liberality , of their independence , and yet vote in direct opposition to our interests . Wo want tbe Ballot to protect us from the wrens tloer , not the wrong doer from us . But , say the Whigs , we will agitate for the Ballot , 'twLU bo a mantle to shield us from the people . They boast of their constitutional principles ; and yet they would give ns tbe Ballot , which is tbe only unconstitutional one of the Six Points of the Charter . ( The learned
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s ^^ iA ^ '" ' ¦ & * ¦ ¦ ¦ ¦ ¦ ¦ ' . " * £ & ¦ - . ¦ ¦ Gentleman then at some length proved that the off Five Pointa were part and paicel of the so-called .. Constitution . ) Bat irhy do the middle daw waiA-th * Ballot ?—Because they find the system ai finlt ; became they have preyed so lom » on the workinf class , that tiey torn deTonwd the whole , of thett substance , they now find the disadvantage of an empty till : the men who vrear hats , shoes , coats , fee . - can no longer procore them ; do they want too Ballot U > pity tbe lMMdtd monopolists against the stem monopolists , amxioasia the warfare to come te far tt » lion ' s sfafcrei Binding they ;
can no longer get taxation sufficient from the "working classes of this coonfery , they are trying to eke it ont by getting It from Poland ; from Prr . sda , orirom wherever it ean be obtained . Peel , too demands a fete trial . I never got a fair triaL Be "' has been Jrfed and condemned long since ; for one hnntfrea and fifty years have we tried the factions , and have at length , on dear evidence , convicted them of guilt . For ten years ha ? e we borne with the Whigs ; they gave power to th «" middle classes , but-neglected you ; they overlooked .-that ; tot them to be enriched , you . must be placed in ; tbe position of purchasers ; tnu you have been the a » between the two factions ; first one heaping you wittt burdens and then the other ; they have wrought out / their own destruction , and now they complain of the
people . We are not Whigs ; we have done with them for over . We never were Tories ; we stand on the glorious position of demanding equal rights for all . I have been called a destructive and a torch and dagger agitator . I defy any man to prove 1 ever uttered the words torch or dagger at any public meeting in my life . What I have said is , that , when moral force failed , physical force wonld come like an electric shock to its aid ; but the man who would attempt to array it—to marshall an unarmed people against the cannons and bayonets of the aristocracy , must be a fool or a madman . Attwood and the Birmingham Wbigs were the first tp talk of physical force , and the first to desert their standard , while I was made their scape-goat , the torn fool , to bear the weight of thoir
misdeeds ; bat I bore the whole , conscious the day would come wien T &hunld . have justice done me . That day is now come ; the Tories are weak—weak for want of popular support " The Whigs are dead , while we are in triumph . . Tlio Whigs now call ttpon us to help them to beat tho Tories . We did help them , at the time of the Reform Bl ! L We raised a storm of indignation against tho Tories , from North to Sooth . We seated them firmly in off . ee ; but what did they do for us ? They gave England a Poor Law Bill—they gave Ireland a Coercion BUI—they appointed commissioners , well-paid - commissioners , to examine into almost every thing . If the Great Mogul had the tooth ache , they would appoint a commission to see on which side of the jaw the pain lay . If there was distress in
Ireland , there was a cummistsion to see why the potatoe crop had failed . Look at their tithe couuuifisions , how I struggled against them . Look at their 8 , 000 policemen , equal to 24 , too soldiers , as they receive three times as much pay , and then say they give justice to Ireland ; but Ireland aball have justice ; we will fly to her rescue . Repeal shall be our watchword ; it shall go hand in ban a with the Charter . I will strip it of its hobgobliniam . i -. vill demonstrate that it is for the interest of both na'Jons ; it shall no longer be made a bugaboo of . [ Tho Learned Gentleman here went into an accurate aetaii oi the Irish question . ] You are the bees—your oppressors are the drones of society . If you v /« re to remain idle for ono moEta—your oppressors would starve . They could not eat their plate , nor their
jewels , they could not devour their furniture not their houses , but you would not starve . The land is your inheritance . Y hi would consume as much as you wanted , and no mcie . { Mr . O'Connor here went into the question ol Bjptist Noel ' s tract , during which he was greeted with great applause . ) Look at the present condition , look u ' . yonder sweet , child clinging to its mother's breast 'f rith all the fondness of infantine love ; see its mother smiling upon it with maternal solicitude ; and then direct ycur thoughts to the poor factory children ; see them carried on their parents ' backs to work at the spinning jennies—the system is too horrible to describe My attention was rivetted to it wh-n I was at Oldham , in the year 1835 . It is a system which will destroy us , or we
must destroy it , there can be no parleying with this gigantic enemy . I am glad to see tbe feeling which has spread throughout the country . Britons will no longer lie cot . ttnt to slave from mornisg till night for bare food ; ihey demand more ; they demand intellectual , tnor . tl , and physical enjoyment ; atd , by the help of God and our arm energies , we will ipeediiy attain ii ; t : n . I r . m willing ta forget the past ; I have buried all animosity in tLo dungeon of York Castle ; I am for 3 union of all against tbe common enemy ; but we will no longer bo the shuttlecock to be knocked about by either a Whig or a Tory battledore . I may again be arrested , but I am determined to fulfil my work . Look at our position—a whole nation governed by a handful of aristocrats , by a few men who , as
compared with you , would appear to be made by Nature ' s journeymen . Gather together all the aristccrats who livo vritbin four miles of this place , and an omnibus would hold them . And shall this insignificant body rule such a host of working men ? We will never cea <; e iu our exertions till we have put an end to such a system . Tiia Whigs , at the time of the Reform Bill , said that taxation and representation Bhculd be ce-Mitensive , this would admit all who paid taxes , whwther tr . enty-ono years old or not ; but we have laid down a defined plan , we say at twenty-one years of age a man shall bo entitled to a vote ; we will not move from this , wo will not alter to twtuty-oua years and one day ; we will have it far all , whether light hair , or dark hair , whether English , Irish , or Scotch . They say we
are ignorant mcn , ' "wei : iust , tberefoio , have a plan about winch there ia no mystery ; one which ali can understand , such is our Charter . Let all who are in this room , who have votes , hold up their bands . Well , there are three votes . All who have no votes . A forest . Well , these three raen are our masters ; they monopolise all the brains ; ye poor brainless souls , go about your businf s . 9 ; what are ye fit for ? ye say yc have intelligence ; tls all moonshine ; ye are ignorant ; ye have no votes . These three-men are like the aristocrats on the omnibus ; that they are good and true men is evidenced by their being here ; but it shows the folly of the system we are contending against . Hitherto we have beon beat by disunion ; they have played off the Whigs against the Radicals—the Radicals against the
Chartists—and now they want to pit the O'Connorites against the O'Connellites ; but they shall fail . I will traverse the three kingdoms ; my watchword shall be " Union . " By February next wo . will have a petition signed by four millions for the Charter and Repeal . The Whigs tell us to lay aside all cur little difieieucea ; we Lave no differences ; we are all united ; 'da they tbat have the differences . Let them units with us—we will receive them as brothers—we will bury the past in oblivion . Jo the North the shopkeepers arc fast joiniug our standard ; they feel the pincii more than , the shopkeepers , of the South . The steam Louis , with their £ 10 , 000 capital , are ruining the shopkeepers ¦ with their few hundreds . Bui their ersans say that
Lords Howick and . Russell are to be om leaders . What a pretty pair of leaders ! Did you ever see them , my friends ; they are , indeed , a pair of little ponies—I might almost call them donkies—to dra ^ along the chariot of the public iiiiud . Can wo uuiiu with such leaders ! No . Hor Majesty had better transfer them from the preparatory school of tb . 8 Commons to tloe sick hospital of , the Lords . Mr . O'Coinor continued for upwards of ene hour , in : i similar strain , and concluded with a burst of eioq ^ enca which , touched every heart . He also apologised thi - his ill health had prevtnted his attending ; according to appointment , at Brighton and at Marylebone . At the conclusion , Mr . O'Connor "was completely exhausted .
Messrs . Cleave , Cullinghiiii , M'Pherson , from Ipswich , Mr . Ciark , from Yoik , aud a person from Cork , addressed the meeting . Mr . Cleavo most eloquently entreated the men of London to support tho Executive , and the Victims . The meeting' separated at a lato hour , highly gratified , with their spirits fresh nerved in the good
cause . NEWCASTLE . —The Chartists of Newcastle held their weekly meeiing for business oa Monday evening , Mr . William Smith in the chair . The secretary read the iun . utcs of la&t meeting , which were confirm-ii . Tho Treasurer reported the contributions lor ' . he week , which continue to increase . A good many now members weie enrolled . Several deputations were appointed to wait upon certain united bodies of trades , and request tneir co-operation in tho forthcoming demonstration in honour of Mr . O'Brien and Mr . O'Connor ' s visit to Newcastle . The ib'lowicg resolution was moved by Mr . Fainlou ^ h and seconded' by Mr . Sinclair , and carried uaanimously : —Resolved— ' That the thanks * of this meeting bo respectfully tendered to teharinan Crawford , ; E-q , tho proposer , General Johnson , the secotKiuV , aud iha thirty-nine gentlemen who vot for tho addition to the address to the Queen , "
OusBBuaN . —The Chartists of this place mot Sunday moruiug last , iu the Association-room , ueai Bjker ' Bar . A discussion took place ou what would be tho most effectual plan of getting tho out-districts organised , whea it was agreed that tho Secretary correspond with certain places round Newcastle , to ascertain the day most convenient to hold pu&he meetings , that they m » y be furnished -with proper frpeakeia . . . caALSNAUGHTO *; . —The cause progresses well here . The exertions of Mr . Abrani l ) uncan have been attended with great good . His lectures in this place had to be'delivered in the open street , for , although there arp two places in the village capable of holding the people , the tyrants that have the
controul of them would not permit Air . Duncan to addresa the people in them . He had , in consequence , o ; ten to addresa the people in wet olothe 3 , and under many other privations calculated to cool both zeal and courage , however fervent . But these evils and difficulties are about to pass away . The fruit of these lectures were tho determination to subscribe , money to build a Hall , to hold between three . * nd tour hundred people . Exactly at oBBftf ' ftatiCtftt i -p v ia the 30 th of August , the men of GialBnftwigftr « d * V Hfi themselves the honour to mTillilinjffiLlriumijW j " \ ^ Feargus O'Connor from York G&e ^ b * Xht&itj * M 3 rx > , ^ A the roof of of their Hall with their liC ^^ ipiV for an henr with 30 good mua ketaJ ^ MtfnES ^^ W oustpmed to fear the face of mWW ^ S ^ C ^ T ^ I /< ^ - ¦* : : ' -P' ^^ ff ffiQHW
Meeting Of The Stonemasons And Other Trades In London.
MEETING OF THE STONEMASONS AND OTHER TRADES IN LONDON .
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VOL . IY . NO . £ 01 . ~ SATURDAY , SEPTEMBER 1 ^ 8 , 1841 . fpie % ^^ f " £ "f "f ;* ' "
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AND LEEDS GEKEEAL ADVEETISEIL
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Citation
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Northern Star (1837-1852), Sept. 18, 1841, page unpag, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse-os.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/periodicals/ns/issues/vm2-ncseproduct1127/page/1/
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